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MOORHEAD — Before the coronavirus hit, CCRI in Moorhead had 80 volunteers, Executive Director Shannon Bock said.
In the long run, COVID-19 didn’t slow down the nonprofit dedicated to helping those with disabilities. After implementing a formal volunteer program in 2021, CCRI has 429 volunteers, Bock said.
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“We definitely have seen an uptick in volunteers,” she said.
CCRI is an example of how volunteering has thrived post-pandemic. The AmeriCorps, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, reported that more than 1.8 million Minnesotans, or 40.3% of the state, formally volunteered in 2023, contributing $4 billion in economic value to the state.
Minnesota ranked third in the U.S. for the percentage of its state that formally volunteered last year, behind Utah at 46.6% and Vermont at 40.5%, according to AmeriCorps. With 185,034 volunteers, North Dakota placed 28th with 30.7%.
Minnesota was one of 14 states that rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers after the country saw a dip in volunteer rates in 2021. Minnesota’s rate in 2019 was 40.1% and 35.5% in 2021.
North Dakota hasn’t quite rebounded to its 2019 rate of 32.9%, according to AmeriCorps. It dropped to 26.9% in 2021.
North Dakotans should be proud of their numbers, AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith told The Forum, noting the state’s rate is above the national average of 28.3%. North Dakotans contributed nearly 12 million hours of service last year, Smith said.
“That’s an estimated worth of $400 million,” he said.
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Overall, AmeriCorps said volunteering rates in the U.S. are rebounding after the pandemic, which noted 30.3% of people volunteered in 2019. That fell to 23.2% in 2021, according to AmeriCorps, and climbed back up to 28.3% in 2023.
The largest gains from 2021 to 2023 came from millennials, people who identified as Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Hispanic, people who haven’t graduated from high school and those with family incomes of less than $25,000, AmeriCorps said.
Informal volunteering, such as helping a neighbor, also was up across the U.S., AmeriCorps said.
“I am just so excited to see the largest growth in volunteering ever in this period where Americans are back,” Smith said. “They are serving. They are with their nonprofit organizations and making a difference.”
AmeriCorps and the Census present the data every two years.

The 7-point drop in 2021 was the first time since the group started collecting the data in 2002 that it saw a drop in rates, Smith said.
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The coronavirus shut down businesses, whether through mandates or by choice, when it hit the U.S. in 2020. That meant doors closed to volunteers, Smith noted.
That’s what happened to Sanford Health, said Chris Hames, the guest services manager for the health care provider in Fargo. In 2019, Sanford’s Fargo branch had between 400 and 450 volunteers who collectively worked 33,000 hours each year, Hames said.
Volunteers couldn’t work at Sanford in 2020 due to the pandemic, but they were brought back in 2021, Hames said.
“Slowly, we’ve been kind of building that back, although we have not … rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers,” he said.
Sanford had between 225 and 250 volunteers in 2024 who worked about 20,000 hours, he said.
He said he doesn’t blame the loss all on the pandemic, noting the national trend of still being down from 2019. Companies have become more flexible in offering part-time work to fill the gap that volunteers usually do, he said.
“Volunteerism has been on the decline for the past decade, and I think that the pandemic was a catalyst for a lot of that,” Hames said. “It certainly gave us a new baseline.”
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In recent years, Sanford looked at what it wanted to accomplish with volunteering, Hames said.
“Is it really to offset labor, or are there other goals that we as an organization want to focus on?” he asked.
Volunteering helps organizations fill in funding gaps, Smith said. It also can inspire volunteers to seek employment in the fields where they give their time, he said.
For Sanford, they transferred from posting big numbers to determining what services it needs to provide, and if those services can depend on volunteers, Hames said. Bringing in a volunteer can cost $300 for the health care provider, he said.
“Return on investment from a volunteer needs to be there, and sometimes relying on paid staff can be more efficient than that,” he said.

Sanford volunteers can comfort newborn infants, help visitors and patients navigate buildings and operate pantries, Hames said. Sanford also has a veteran ambassador program that pairs military veteran patients with military veteran volunteers, he added.
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Similarly, Sanford offers a peer support specialist volunteer program, he said.
“If you have a specific cancer diagnosis that you have battled and survived, we match you up with people that are going through that same diagnosis,” Hames said.
That could help a patient form an emotional connection that a health provider can’t give, he said.
Sanford wants to create opportunities that are meaningful both to patients and volunteers, he said.
“If you can think of a role, the sky’s the limit,” Hames said. “We need to create roles that have very meaningful touch and that offer benefits to both us and the volunteers.”
Sanford has a new focus on student volunteers, Hames said, that could be a pipeline for future employment.
“I think that is a measure of success that is at least equally as powerful as the numbers game,” he said. “If we can create relationships and bring these people into long-term careers with our organization, that’s a huge success.”
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CCRI has ramped up its formal volunteer program in the last 18 months, Bock said. Volunteers do a range of duties, from filing paperwork and manning the front desk to coaching sports events, creating activities and being prom escorts.
She acknowledged that volunteering saves money for CCRI, meaning funds can go toward other expenses.
Seeing the increase in volunteers brings Bock joy, she said. She not only gets to see the joy that volunteering brings to CCRI clients, but she also makes sure the community knows about the work volunteers and CCRI employees are doing.
“Unless you have a family member who has a disability, or you’re affiliated in some way, you just don’t know what to expect with it,” Bock said. “By people coming in to volunteer, that can open up the doors, open up the eyes of people who might have a misconception about what a disability is right.”

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Dec 25, 2024 | 3:52 AM CST
via Imago
Christopher Bell
via Imago
Christopher Bell
After two years, Christopher Bell is getting back to his roots. Joe Gibbs has decided to relax restrictions that prevented his Cup Series drivers from taking part in off-NASCAR activities, mainly dirt racing. The move came mainly after Chase Briscoe joined JGR’s 2025 roster, marking the 2nd driver with a dirt background on the team. However, Bell candidly revealed that his hands get clammy at a particular dirt track.
The Tulsa Shootout is a much-awaited circle track event, marking the last one of the year. Being held between December 31st and January 4th, the ‘Mecca of Micros’ is a big attraction. As rigs, cars, and people prepare to enter the SageNet Center, Christopher Bell is also joining them—but not without a hint of nervousness.
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Well, the primary reason Joe Gibbs had for his restrictions was safety. While Hendrick Motorsports saw Kyle Larson sharpening his wheeling skills in dirt and winning 6 races in 2024, his teammate presented a polar opposite situation. Alex Bowman broke his back in an April 2023 sprint car crash. As a result, he missed four Cup Series races and failed to qualify for the playoffs that season. Christopher Bell has little chance of that, given his stellar dirt background. He owns three consecutive Chili Bowl National victories, one of which he beat Larson to.
Yet the No. 20 Cup Series driver confessed one dirt track does rob slices of his confidence. In a recent interview with FloRacing, Christopher Bell said he cannot put a finger on it, but that fear is there. Further sharing the very specifics, he added, “I don’t know, there’s something about whenever you’re sitting here, you’re looking down…At the Shootout, they give you the sign to start your engines, at the Chili Bowl you see the rope getting pulled away.”
Then the 9-time Cup Series race winner delivered his verdict in 7 words: “It’s the most nervous I ever get.” Then he made further comparisons to solidify his argument: “Out of the Daytona 500, the King’s Royal. I’ve never made Knoxville…But I don’t know, man there’s something about that ranch that gets me nervous.”
 
 
 
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Can Christopher Bell overcome his nerves and reclaim his dirt racing dominance at the Tulsa Shootout?
Debate

Despite this confession of timidity, Christopher Bell had won the 2017 Tulsa Shootout Golden Driller. After clinching the Craftsman Truck Series championship the same year, he continued his winning streak on dirt. Bell used the high line in the early laps of the final Shootout race. He watched as Tyler Walton and Mile Paulus exchanged sliders, battling for the lead, and pounced on the restart. With 20 laps remaining, he slid past Paulus and led for the remainder of the race. This stellar achievement already rests on Bell’s resume—and yet the speedster insists on feeling nervous on the same racetrack.
However much he feels nervous, his rivals also want to see him compete again on dirt.
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Due to Joe Gibbs’ restrictions, Christopher Bell was sidelined from dirt since mid-2022. The only exception arose when Bell ran two micro sprint races in May. Yet now that the dirt racing phenom is back to his roots, there is no stopping him. Gibbs called the drivers to ask for a meeting at the season’s end to lay out the team’s new approval process. Chase Briscoe, Bell’s new teammate and dirt car owner, outlined that except for high-risk situations like running at Eldora Speedway in a non-wing sprint car, most approvals would progress. Accordingly, Gibbs granted Bell and his teammates opportunities to run outside NASCAR.
This proposition excited even racers outside JGR. From 2017-21, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson were the only drivers to win the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals midget car race in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bell won three years in a row—scoring his third consecutive win in that event with a last-lap pass of Larson. So now his rival is eager to see him back. “I think that’s great for the sport, NASCAR and grassroots racing. It’s exciting. I’m glad that he gets to do it, again and hopefully, we’ll get to have many more battles in the midgets and sprint cars down the road.”
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Evidently, his teammates and rivals are rooting for Christopher Bell. Once he gets over his nervousness, the racer is sure to revive his dirt glory.

Let the world know your perspective.
Debate
Debate
Can Christopher Bell overcome his nerves and reclaim his dirt racing dominance at the Tulsa Shootout?
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Whether you celebrate the holiday season or dread its arrival, one thing that’s almost guaranteed is the presence of children who need to be entertained. And, if you live somewhere cold, your options might feel a little limited.
If you’re looking for a Christmas movie for kids that you can put on without feeling the need to tear your hair out, then we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a list of great Christmas movies for kids that should help keep them entertained during one of the busiest times of the year.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the 10 best movies to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Disney+, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel. 
Not explicitly a Christmas movie, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is certainly wintery and Christian. The film tells the story of four siblings who travel through a wardrobe into a world known as Narnia. That world has been frozen over with snow and is ruled by an evil queen known as the White Witch.
As the children ally themselves with Aslan, a magical lion, in order to stop her, they also have a run-in with Santa Claus and discover that their lives in Narnia might be exactly what they needed to find fulfillment at home.
This largely faithful adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novel doesn’t try too hard to be another Harry Potter. Instead, it leans into its high fantasy origins, which has made this movie beloved by a generation accustomed to CGI-produced wonder. As the White Witch, Tilda Swinton steals the show, and Liam Neeson uses his deep, authoritative voice to bring life to the messianic Aslan.
You can watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Hulu. 
This is maybe the most obvious entry on this list, but it really couldn’t be avoided. Elf became a Christmas classic basically the second it hit theaters, and with good reason. Will Ferrell, playing a human who was raised as an elf and goes to New York in search of his biological family, has never been funnier than he is here as hi is utterly committed to every single absurd thing the script asks of him.
James Caan is just as good as his curmudgeonly father, a man who slowly begins to remember what it feels like to actually be happy. Elf is funny, sweet, and touching, all in the exact right proportions. It’s no surprise it’s become a new holiday classic, and spawned a hit musical now running on Broadway.
You can watch Elf on Hulu. 
You may not think that a kid would have any patience for a movie that isn’t even in color, but hear me out. Old movies aren’t bad because they’re old, and black-and-white movies aren’t any worse than ones that have color. Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas classic for a reason.
Its story of a Macy’s department store Santa Claus who claims that he is the real thing is a brilliant examination of the belief that fuels so many of the holiday’s oldest traditions. And, while it may be nearly 80 years old, the movie also has a radiant performance from a young Natalie Wood at its center to keep the kids hooked.
The 1994 remake is almost as good, with Jurassic Park‘s Richard Attenborough in the role of Santa and Mrs. Doubtfire‘s Mara Wilson as the little girl who believes in him. But nothing beats the original, and you can’t go wrong with the pure sweetness that the 1947 version delivers.
You can watch Miracle on 34th Street on Hulu.
A brilliant and utterly surprising animated movie from Netflix, Klaus tells the story of a postman who is sent to the North Pole, only to meet a toymaker there who seems to closely resemble Santa Claus.
Klaus works so well in part because it is stripped of much of the ceremony that typically surrounds Santa. Instead, the movie tells a rather humble origin story for Santa Claus, imagining him as a man who gets taken advantage of for his gifts, even as he works as hard as he can to make people happy. And it doesn’t hurt that Klaus is beautifully animated, which helped result in a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.
You can watch Klaus on Netflix. 
Tim Allen’s movie career was not as big as it could have been, but The Santa Clause is an undeniable highlight that still holds up today. Telling the story of a divorced dad who inadvertently kills Santa and must then assume the job himself, the film is equal parts silly and sweet as he slowly comes to accept the role he’s been asked to play.
Allen has rarely been better, and while the sequels to this movie are a bit too wacky, this first installment is a rock-solid holiday movie that works whether your 4 or 40.
You can watch The Santa Clause on Disney+. 
We also have guides to the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Every year, moviegoers are guaranteed to see, at the very least, a handful of performances that blow them away and linger in their minds. Unlike some years, though, 2024 has featured an even wider array of memorable performances than usual. The typical end-of-the-year award contenders haven’t, in other words, been the only movies this year that have featured some of 2024’s best performances. It has, in fact, been a year full of stellar lead and supporting turns in genre movies both big and small.
It would be a missed opportunity to look back on this year’s best performances without mentioning, for instance, Nell Tiger Free’s spell-binding work in The First Omen, David Jonsson’s scene-stealing turn in Alien: Romulus, and Lily Rose-Depp’s transformative physical performance in Nosferatu. The same goes for Daniel Craig’s stunning turn in Queer, Saoirse Ronan’s vulnerable, moving performance in The Outrun, Yura Borisov’s standout supporting work in Anora, and even Ryan Gosling and Glen Powell’s charismatic, old-school movie star turns in The Fall Guy, Twisters, and Hit Man.
The 2024 Best Picture Oscar race is starting to take shape, and even better, some of the movies contending this year are already available to stream. Peacock might not seem like the obvious place to catch a potential Oscar winner, but Conclave is one of the best movies of 2024, and it’s absolutely worth checking out.
The movie is set in the days after the death of the pope, and follows the bishops responsible for selecting a new leader for the Catholic church. As they battle over philosophies, they also uncover startling revelations about members of their group, and realize that not everyone has completely pure motivations. Here are three reasons you should check it out in December.
Action movies come in all shapes and sizes, from thrillers filled with car chases and authorities taking down bad guys to intense dramas involving criminals, gangs, heroes, and enthralling plots. The best action movies have a bit of everything and keep you intrigued all the way through.
The three action movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in December include two throwbacks from the 1990s and one 2017 superhero movie you’ll want to watch back-to-back with the 2021 director’s cut to be able to compare, contrast, and discuss with friends and fellow fans.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.

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You know how buy Picoin? Phase 3 of the Pi Network has not been released, but the peak won over 14 million users in March 2021.
The Pi Network infrastructure is in the testing phase, but you can find out how to buy picoin and take advantage of the low price before the official launch.
Check everything out and enjoy reading!
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Picoin is the cryptocurrency of the Pi Network network, the platform is powered by Picoin, also known by the acronym PI. The intention is to make this crypto accessible to common people, for example, bitcoin is the best known cryptocurrency, but it is overrated. Therefore, altcoins or alternative currencies appear to attract the interest of new investors.
Picoin’s developers are Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis and Dr. Chengdiao Fan. Picoin’s network allows users to use their cell phone to perform transfers and mine.
However, there are 3 phases of the cryptocurrency:
In a way the Pi Network project involves the mobile app linked to the ads to fund the project. It also involves the volunteering of people who test Pi’s software. Through the software the user can mine the Pi, the nodes of this mining network do not use proof of work similar to conventional cryptocurrencies, they use the SCP protocol, the same algorithm as Stellar.
Thus, when the nodes mine Pi, they generate more security, as it takes a group of 1 to 3 known people to participate in the network, it is a safe circle to combat fraudulent transactions. This is information taken from official Picoin channels.
Buy Picoin It’s simple at Binomo brokerage, follow this step by step and buy PI securely.
1) Create your account by filling out the registration form, enter an email and password.

Choose the currency you want to trade, give preference to the real and click on “Start trading”.
2) Before buying Picoin, click on the initial of your name in the main menu. Binomo will ask you to verify your account and your mobile phone.

3) Confirm your mobile number and then confirm your email, this process is simple, it takes less than 2 minutes. Upon registration, Binomo will send you an email to confirm your account, so please provide the correct email address. Open your inbox and confirm!

4) Once the account is confirmed, click on deposit will open the page with all Binomo payment methods. Choose what you like the most!

The problem with shopping with your bank account is the fee! There are a variety of banks at Binomo, such as: Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Santander and Itaú. For now there is none digital bank nor the Caixa Econômica Federal.
There are 18 payment methods for you to buy Picoin at Binomo, choose the one you like the most and make the payment.

6) After the money is dropped into your real account, access the “cryptocurrency assets panel”, then search for PI (Picoin name) and buy desired amount.Buy Picoin
After buying Picoin at Binomo, you need to put it in a reliable wallet, prefer wallets linked to your mobile device or desktop. External wallets are more secure as they don’t need internet to work, however, if you make transactions they will be made directly to the blockchain.
Pi Network recommends that you download the “Pi Network” app, it’s easy to create a wallet:
Picoin’s app is simple, however, you can only store the money and mine. Therefore, one of the alternatives for those who need to exchange IP for real or dollar is to leave it at Binomo.
In addition to the Picoin portfolio, download the Picoin Brainstorming app on it, we follow the development of the Pi Networking project.
There is a bullish outlook for Picoin, users who invest in PI know that the value can increase considerably after phase 3 of the project. However, there is no set date for this event.
More and more people are adopting Picoin, mining fees have reduced, so this has caught the attention of active cryptocurrency miners.
However, to mine the user must join the network with a reference code. It’s as if the Pi Network uses multi-level marketing to attract new users with the promise of earning cryptocurrencies (money).
To reduce mining costs you need 7 guests to “manufacture cryptocurrencies with 25% bonus”, this is a multilevel marketing tactic. We know that the mining process won’t get any easier if you invite more people to the network, it’s just a way to attract more users.
However, this format did not work very well in cryptocurrencies such as Binary Bit and Genbit. Picoin’s popularity remains low, the price is not expressive. The tactic of attracting new users to the app through invitations does not convey credibility in the Brazilian market, due to the negative experiences at Genbit.
In short, Pi Network needs to improve its marketing, develop authority and launch phase 3 to arouse mass interest from cryptocurrency lovers. This will bring the appreciation!
Follow only official Pi Network channels and trusted sites. Follow the Pi Network channels to find out about the launch of Phase 3. The official website is the minepi.com  in this environment you download the Pi Network software and app.
But beware, have only one Picoin account, otherwise you may lose one, the system is meritocratic, everyone has equal rights, so no user can make more than 1 Picoin account.
In the Pi Network app there is a chat in Spanish for you to answer your questions with the Pi community and learn more about the project. We don’t know how long you’ll earn Pi for free per day in the app, they don’t exist and how long you can mine, so enjoy while the project is in phase 2.
There are other apps to test on the official website, the idea is that users help developers improve the Pi Apps platform. As we said, there is no release date for phase 3, it can happen at any time when the Pi Network DEV thinks the project is ready.
The purpose of phase 2 is to improve mining processes and update the software. Pi Network is strict with Picoin mining, any fraud in creating accounts and in the mining process will have the account balance voided. So don’t try to circumvent the rules, read all the app documentation on the minepi.com website.
There are more than 5 million members helping the Pi Network community, only when the developers believe that the contributions in the Pi Network are ready and stable, phase 3 will happen.
Picoin has not finished its project yet, the currency has no liquidity in Brazil and is not listed in the main crypto balls, this influences the value of Picoin (Pi). Users cannot exchange Picoin for another crypto easily, only using the Binomo broker.
There is not much information about the project, only on official channels, so the best way to get to know the technology is to download the app, use the mining system and buy Picoin to bet on the high.
The creators’ intention is to increase the users’ experience in the first phases, and then launch the Picoin network to the world, that is, in phase 3 Picoin investors believe in the rise. After all, the project will be ready!
Binomo offers the option to purchase Picoin by credit card. The broker accepts traditional brands, such as: visa, conductor and mastercard.
Picoin is among the most promising coins, on the same list are: Cardano, Polygon, Binance Coin, Vechain and Ethereum.
To withdraw the user must download the Pi Network app and transfer the money from the broker to the wallet.
The price of 1 Picoin varies per day in US Dollars and Real. Picoin’s real exchange rate can be tracked on the cryptoeconomy portal every day.
 
On the Cryptoecnomy Portal you will find data on the crypto market, news and tools
Disclaimer: trading cryptocurrencies is risky. The Criptoeconomia Portal does not guarantee the accuracy of the data presented, nor is it responsible for any investment decision.
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Todd Seavey

Krypto, Rhino, RINOs, and CatTurd2.

Krypto, Rhino, RINOs, and CatTurd2.
I’m not religious, and for my parents this time of year is mainly an excuse for extra decorations, but that’s reason enough for Mom to put out the manger diorama she’s had since childhood. If I were inclined to make myself out to be some sort of Gaia-loving lefty nature-worshipper, which I’m not, I could get a lot of mileage out of reminiscences about the friendly gathering of animals in manger scenes bringing me more peace of mind than all the supernatural claims surrounding the humans depicted near them.
This, I suppose, is pretty much what the early Christians intended, or did unconsciously, when they lured in members of earlier pagan nature-cults with pastoral imagery and animal metaphors. Animals getting along across species boundaries has been a moving testament to the real universal (or at least widespread) potential for empathy, from the legendary lion (or wolf) and lamb of old to the surprising animal-pal partnerships attested to on YouTube in our own day—not to mention the grudging tolerance my parents’ Scottie and immense, 18-year-old Maine coon cat show each other. (I confess my parents’ ownership of Scotties was indirectly inspired by my late grandmother’s fondness for FDR’s famous dog Fala, but empathy must transcend political divisions.)
I missed a big annual Hanukkah gathering and a Christmas party due to a cold this year, but I got to see the cat and dog sit next to each other politely awaiting snacks, and that alone should keep me shored up emotionally for another season.
Contrast that warmth, lest you are so young or so cynical as to think instinctual responses are meaningless, with the deliberately unsettling overt occultism in Kim Kardashian’s new “Santa Baby” video (including an allusion to the tryst between furries glimpsed in a Kubrick scene, which is the bad kind of animal love). To clarify: I’m basically against religion, but Satanism is the worst one, not the best and hippest. Or perhaps in Hollywood nowadays they say wicca instead of Satanism, but we all get the idea.
Empathy being a good thing (and evil being bad), I can’t really object, even as a rather traditional superhero fan, to Sony this month transforming the Marvel character Kraven the Hunter from a ruthless big game hunter into both a friend to animals and a crusading hunter of bad men, little worse than a typical antihero. I can object to it being a mediocre movie, though, and the only silver lining here will be if its severe punishment at the box office finally inspires Sony to give up and let Disney handle all the Marvel characters.
If Sony instead tries to keep cranking out tepid films using second-tier Spider-Man characters—maybe the Jackal next, then the Beetle, Tarantula, who knows—it will be like making audiences endure years of protracted animal torture videos. Put the Sony superhero universe out of its misery. (No pardon for this Hunter! Come to think of it, maybe it’s not too late to try luring some far-right Republicans into the Kraven movie by emphasizing that it features a manly Russian defeating “the Rhino.”)
I’m only moderately more optimistic about next year’s James Gunn-directed reboot of Superman and the DC Universe, but I think we can agree that in the trailer, Superman’s dog Krypto steals the show, which helps.
I don’t mean to imply that animals are all sweetness and light, by the way. Not only do they kill for food, mates, and territory—and occasionally just for sport—but apparently orcas can be as callous as human fur-wearers (perhaps unsurprising, given our two species’ shared tendency to prey on seals) and sometimes, like humans, revive defunct 1980s fashion trends to look hip. Or at least, some killer whales have apparently recently revived the practice, briefly common among some members of their species four decades ago for reasons unknown, of wearing dead salmon on their heads like hats. They may just think it looks cool, one of the growing number of reminders our way of thinking is not so unlike other species’.
One member of our own species—or perhaps he’s supposed to be a cat, or perhaps a piece of feces—who tests the limits of empathy, though, is the X user by the handle CatTurd2, an utterly nuance-free, epithet-spouting Trump enthusiast with a bafflingly large following (and three ex-wives, reportedly). CatTurd2 is the sort of blind loyalist who calls any Republican who fails to go along with every single Trump plan a “RINO,” even when Trump (who wasn’t always a Republican himself, you may recall) is urging passage of a bloated, big-spending budget bill, as he was this month, along with the abandonment of legal limits on the gargantuan federal government debt.
At one point, CatTurd2 was denouncing those voting against the bill as “sellout losers” serving “big lobbyist” donors even as those in opposition included such fiscally-hardcore Members of Congress as Tim Burchett, Nance Mace, and Thomas Massie, all of whom are in fact more anti-socialist and anti-Big Government than Trump is. Who needs bots when there are people—or cats or pieces of feces or whatever—as mechanical and predictable as CatTurd2? If Trump, or perhaps in a few years Vance, sinks to denouncing capitalism as an economic philosophy for “total dummies,” the likes of CatTurd2 will cheer—and call anyone who still sticks up for markets a hated enemy and, well, a pussy. 
—Todd Seavey is the author of Libertarianism for Beginners and is on X at @ToddSeavey

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MicroStrategy, a global leader in bitcoin holdings, is proposing a massive increase in its shares to finance the purchase of more bitcoins. This initiative, aiming to raise $42 billion, reflects the company’s ambitious strategy to strengthen its position in BTC treasury management.
MicroStrategy, the largest bitcoin-holding company in the world, has recently proposed a massive increase in its shares to finance the purchase of more BTC. This proposal, submitted to shareholders, aims to increase the number of Class A common shares from 330 million to 10.33 billion and preferred shares from 5 million to 1.005 billion.
This initiative is part of MicroStrategy’s “21/21” plan, an ambitious three-year program aimed at raising $42 billion, to be evenly distributed between equity capital and debt instruments. This plan supports the company’s strategy to acquire more bitcoin, thereby consolidating its position as a leader in bitcoin treasury management.
In addition to the share increase, MicroStrategy has also proposed a new stock incentive plan, which would automatically grant stock rewards to new directors. This proposal reflects a new step in the evolution of the company as a bitcoin treasury firm and its ambitious goals for the future.
Despite these announcements, the share price of MicroStrategy (MSTR) fell by 8.78% at the close of Monday, reaching $332.23, and has lost 17.6% over the past month. Nevertheless, MicroStrategy’s shares have seen impressive growth of 450% over the past year.
Additionally, Michael Saylor announced that the company has recently acquired an additional 5,262 bitcoins for about $561 million, bringing its total holdings to 444,262 BTC, currently valued at over $41.6 billion.
In summary, the proposed increase in MicroStrategy’s shares driven by Michael Saylor marks a significant step in its bitcoin acquisition strategy, reflecting its continued confidence in the long-term potential of this cryptocurrency.
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Le monde évolue et l’adaptation est la meilleure arme pour survivre dans cet univers ondoyant. Community manager crypto à la base, je m’intéresse à tout ce qui touche de près ou de loin à la blockchain et ses dérivés. Dans l’optique de partager mon expérience et de faire connaître un domaine qui me passionne, rien de mieux que de rédiger des articles informatifs et décontractés à la fois.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
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Every Fashion Editor I Know Is in Love With Zara’s Sister Brand  Who What Wear
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since 2001
Bird flu has swooped into 108 countries across five continents, according to the UN health agency. 
Outbreaks of the virus, officially known as H5N1, are a yearly occurrence. But this year, it has infected not only hundreds of millions of poultry but also some 900 herds of dairy cows in at least 16 US states. It’s also affected several species of wild animals that ate infected birds.
Aside from the resulting threat to food security, the most worrying aspect is that approximately 60 cases of human avian flu have been reported in the United States among people who had direct contact with infected birds. 
While human cases were not unheard of in previous years, they were quite rare.
This is leading to worries that H5N1 could cause the next pandemic — especially because the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that kicked off the Covid-19 pandemic also is believed to have jumped from animals to humans.
We asked an Israeli expert whether there’s real reason for concern.
The current avian influenza spread “is alarming, but we do not believe it will be next pandemic,” says Prof. Cyrille Cohen, dean of Bar-Ilan University’s Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and head of its immunotherapy lab.
“We know that the strain is able to infect mammalians including humans, and throughout this year we’ve seen about 60 cases in nine states. It’s alarming that we just saw a severe human case in Louisiana, because usually it just causes fever and conjunctivitis. This severe case may point toward a change in the behavior of the virus,” Cohen continues.
“But it’s not like Covid, because there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza. It’s only when you are in contact with infected animals that you may get sick,” Cohen explains.
Indeed, UN health officials have found “no evidence so far that the H5N1 viruses have adapted to spread between people.”
“That being said,” Cohen cautions, “we need to be on the lookout for possible changes in the behavior of the virus — like a person coinfected with a human strain of flu and avian flu may develop a variant that could propagate in the population. But that’s a bit farfetched.”
He also emphasizes that bird flu is very different than Covid. 
“In Covid, a lot of patients were asymptomatic so they could spread the virus quite freely. With avian flu, you feel sick and will stay home and infect fewer people,” he says. 
And so, Cohen assures us, “We are not talking about a pandemic.” 
In Israel, there’s another reason for optimism: This season’s bird flu is nowhere near as serious as the outbreak in 2022 during peak bird migration season.
At that time, tens of thousands of migratory common cranes arrived from Europe and western Asia already infected with the flu. More than 5,000 crane carcasses were collected at Agamon Hula Lake Nature Park in the Upper Galilee. 
The virus then spread to egg and turkey farms, prompting the Israel Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Service to declare a state of emergency. Half a million laying hens and 90,000 turkeys were destroyed to stop the spread.
Fortunately, that situation is not repeating itself.
“There are very few cases this year,” says Prof. Israel Rozenboim, vice dean for research and development at Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture and a specialist in avian physiology, reproduction and management.
“Compared to what’s going on in the US, where it’s a big catastrophe because it’s going to dairy cows, in Israel we haven’t yet seen a lot of cases in live birds — just here and there,” Rozenboim tells ISRAEL21c.
He says that while many countries are starting to vaccinate all poultry against avian influenza – including nearby Egypt, where the virus remains endemic — Israel is not vaccinating poultry flocks but rather destroying flocks in which birds test positive for the virus. 
“The virus is not eliminated after you vaccinate,” he points out. “The thinking here is that by eradicating flocks, you eliminate the virus.”
Rozenboim also sees a possible connection between Israel’s year-long war with Hezbollah and the low incidence of bird flu in northern poultry farms, which were severely affected by the outbreak in 2022. 
“Two years ago, the problem was in Agamon Hula, a small lake where the wild cranes arrived contaminated and were being fed. They stayed put and infected all the flocks around the Hula,” he says.
“Today, because of the war, people have not gone to the Hula to feed the animals.”
And then he mentions that it’s a huge relief not to have to worry about bird flu in Israel at this time.
“Right now, we have other concerns,” he says wryly, understating the obvious.

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Tis’ the season for joy, making holiday cookies in the comfort of your cozy kitchen, the smell of pine needles and sipping piping hot cocoa. But for many folks who are estranged from loved ones, including me, it’s also the season for something a little less merry: grief.
My mother and I were estranged for eleven years. I say were because she is no longer earthside, but somewhere out in the ether, depending on who you ask. Of course, with that loss comes its own kind of bereavement. But before she died in 2019 after a methamphetamine overdose, our estrangement felt something like an eternal sadness, one that can’t be taped over and wrapped with a bow — especially around the holiday season.
The months that mark the end of the year, a supposed-to-be-happy shift into a new year are, perhaps, the hardest months when you’re estranged from a loved one, a friend or for many people, their entire family. For me, that was certainly the case. My mother, the person we all are connected to deeply in ways we can’t always understand, wasn’t around. She always loved Christmas time, but Halloween was her favorite, and as our eleven-year estrangement went on, I found myself a little melancholy as the spooky season approached. It went well into December, too.
We missed out on the wrapping of presents together, the jaunt to go look at the holiday lights or even watch silly movies about elves and St. Nick and those Hallmark movies she loved. And with every missed holiday together, it marked something we could never get back. Time. Memories. Joy. Sorrow. Love. This came and went every year.
Amid our estrangement, around year three, I decided to find ways to cope with the sadness. I didn’t want to stay stuck in this loop. After all, I wanted to enjoy the holidays, too. We all deserve that. So I set out to do what I knew would help me: I got a therapist booked out, every year, to talk to before the holiday season kicked in. Even if I didn’t keep the sessions throughout the months, I found that having someone (a trained professional) to make a plan with — like what to do when I feel depression coming on or what I could do to help myself if I got angry messages from my mother — was a way to protect myself.
I always knew that, around the holidays, each of our feelings would be exacerbated. I’d feel the call to continue to protect myself, and she, a struggling addict, would feel the call to reach out to me and reconnect. I’d feel sad to not be able to hug her, and she’d, presumably, feel sad she couldn’t hug me, too.

I used to imagine her sitting in her home that I’d never seen or been invited to before, and I’d wonder if she thought about me, or what we’d do if we were together. Over the years, I found that, instead of pushing these thoughts and feelings away, embracing them actually made things easier. We should feel all of our things, and even if they’re hard, that is the reality of many folks who are estranged.
Making the decision to get professional help, and let myself notice and acknowledge how I felt, gave me permission to live in the duality: I could have complicated emotions and still live my joyful life. Of course, it also helped to confide in trusted friends, indulge in my Granny’s Christmas cookies, head to the three-story mall with my little sister to shop for gifts and give myself restful days when I needed them.
Now, even after my mother has passed on, I think the process of grieving her while she was still alive, was somehow, more difficult than grieving her death. That’s the thing about estrangement, it forces us to grieve a person who is still living, but who, in some ways, feels dead. Around the holidays, this always leaves me still with a sadness, that I suppose will always be there. But I can continue on.
A few years before my mother’s passing, I got a card in the mail a week after Christmas. It was postmarked on December 24th. The address was one of a drug addiction treatment center, where she had checked herself in on Christmas Eve, a time when the holidays must have helped her reevaluate her life. The note simply read, “Merry Christmas, I love you.” For the first time, I wholly knew, she felt the hardness of the holidays, too.
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