Author: jeff

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Unami

UN mission, Arab League call for end to escalation amid protests in Iraq

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and Arab League have called for an end to the escalation in the country during protests against the nomination of Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani for the post of Prime Minister.

“The ongoing escalation is extremely concerning. Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence,” the UNAMI said on Twitter on Saturday, encouraging all sides to “de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis”.

Meanwhile, the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Saturday also appealed to all Iraqi political forces to work quickly to stop the escalation and start a real and sincere dialogue, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The Secretary-General stresses that getting things out of control will not be in the interest of Iraq or in the interest of any party,” the Arab League said on Facebook.

On Wednesday, hundreds of followers of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr broke into the parliament building after the Coordination Framework, an umbrella group of Shia parliamentary parties, nominated al-Sudani on Monday for the post of Prime Minister.

Earlier in the day, al-Sadr’s followers entered the Iraqi parliament building again and started a protest in the building.

The Coordination Framework became the largest alliance in the Iraqi parliament after al-Sadr ordered his followers in the Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner in the elections held on October 10, 2021, with 73 seats, to withdraw from the parliament.

During the past months, the continued dispute among the Shia parties have hampered the formation of a new Iraqi government, as the parliament has been unable to elect a new President by a two-thirds majority of the 329-seat parliament under the constitution.

During the past months, the continued dispute among the Shia parties have hampered the formation of…

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Munsee

Microsoft confirms reduction in time to start Xbox Series X and S

At best deals,
no tail tied

Microsoft is working on streamlining the time it takes to launch both the Xbox Series X and Series S. Some users of Xbox Insiders, a program that lets gamers test features before they reach the public, have noticed this. After some questions on Twitter, Josh Munsee, the company’s integrated marketing director, confirmed the news.

Xbox Series S + Series XXbox Series S + Series XXbox Series S + Series X (Image: Vitor Pádua/Tecnoblog)

Currently, if you don’t leave your console on standby, it takes about 9 seconds between turning it on and opening the Xbox dashboard. The change Microsoft is working on is intended to reduce that time to four seconds. Undoubtedly, a big difference.

This was announced in a response to a tweet from a member of the Xbox Insiders program. In the reply, Josh Munsee pointed out the difference:

I can confirm – I worked with @harrisonhoffman and @jakerose27 to create a shorter start animation (~4s) than the original (~9s), helping to reduce the overall start time.

Free translation of Josh Munsee’s tweet

As it is still part of a test wave, there is still no information on when Microsoft will make this news available to the public. In my opinion, I always get excited when load times or the like are shortened. Therefore, I consider this addition to be very welcome.

Discord is also coming to Xbox consoles

Another cool…

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Mohegan

TerrifiCon hosts comic book writers, actors at Mohegan Sun

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Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?1of26

Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?

Jessica FillbackShow MoreShow Less Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?2of26

Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?

Jessica FillbackShow MoreShow Less 3of26 Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?4of26

Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT from Friday July 30 to Sunday Aug 1, 2021. The convention featured comic book creators, actors from superhero and sci-fi films, and memorabilia vendors. Were you SEEN?

Jessica FillbackShow MoreShow Less Comic book convention, Terrificon, held its annual event at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT... <br /> <a href=Continue reading

Categories
Unami

UN chief ‘concerned’ over ongoing Al-Sadr-backed protests in Iraq; calls for de-escalation

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Saturday voiced “deep concern” over the ongoing escalation of protests in Iraq. In a statement, the UNAMI wrote that the situation was “extremely concerning” after agitators stormed the Iraqi Parliament to demonstrate against the nomination of Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani for the Prime Ministerial post. The UNAMI called on involved parties to immediately “de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis.”

“The ongoing escalation is deeply concerning. Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence. All actors are encouraged to de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis,” the UNAMI said in a Twitter post.

US ‘closely following’ Iraq, asks all parties to abstain from violence

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Baghdad also called on protestors to resort to peaceful demonstrations, expressing concern over reports of violence. In a statement, the US embassy stated that they are “closely monitoring the unrest in Baghdad today and are concerned about reports of violence.” It added, “We join the call by parties across the Iraqi political spectrum to remain calm, abstain from violence, and resolve their political differences through a peaceful process guided by the Iraqi constitution,” as protestors stormed the capital’s fortified Green Zone. The US embassy in Baghdad also urged protestors to refrain from violence and seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue.

On the other hand, the Arab League also appealed to demonstrators to abstain from violence. “The secretary-general (of Arab League- Ahmed Aboul-Gheit) stresses that getting things out of control will not be in the interest of Iraq or…

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Mohican

Bigfoot howl? Loudonville woman convinced she recorded a Yeti

Audio clip to be discussed during community town hall

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Recording of potential Mohican Bigfoot howling

Suzanne Ferencak recorded this audio clip that she believes contains the sound of a Bigfoot howl July 3, 2022.

Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal

After several years with no trace of the creature, Suzanne Ferencak thinks Bigfoot has finally returned to Mohican, and she believes she has audio proof.

“This is the first time I ever recorded howls,” Ferencak said.

The two-minute-long recording — which she shared with the News Journal — was described by an analyst as having “high potential” for containing the sound of one Bigfoot attempting to locate another.

“The first howler has a brassy tone to its voice that can be indicative of (Sasquatch),” the analyst wrote. “There are a couple features in the execution, such as shifting to an ‘AA’ phoneme at the end of the call that are indicative as well, most noticeable in the last two howls.”

She plans to discuss her encounters during the “Bigfoot Basecamp Weekend” Sept. 9-11 at Pleasant Hill Lake Park.

‘I always have a recorder going’

Ferencak said she first caught a glimpse of the bipedal brute when it jumped over a back road southeast of Loudonville in May of 2013.

Her description of the 7½-foot tall, hairy beast matches those commonly used to depict creatures known as Sasquatch, Yeti and Grassman….

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Munsee

Xbox Series X and S Boot Up 5 Seconds Faster Following Update

Gamers are about to get some of their valuable time back. 

Microsoft confirmed on Saturday that its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles will now boot faster thanks to a speedier startup animation. The changes improve boot times by 5 seconds.

Xbox’s director of integrated marketing Josh Munsee tweeted about the improvement over the weekend. 

Last-generation Xbox One consoles will speed up as well, according to Xbox senior product manager Jake Rosenberg, who tweeted: “Not only is the animation shorter, but Xbox One generation consoles are booting noticeably faster with these changes!”

Right now, these improvements are available to members of the Xbox Insider program. The program gives Xbox owners access to updates before they go live to the broader public.

Xbox Series X and S owners can set their consoles to two different standby modes. One is energy-saving, which turns off the console completely. The other is an instant-on mode, leaving the console on but at a low-energy state. Before the energy-saving mode change, the console bootup took 20 seconds, but the new update brought that down to 15. Instant-on, as the name suggests, would load up an Xbox almost instantly.

The company made improvements to energy-saving mode earlier this year, allowing gamers to download games in the background. Energy-saving mode also became the default option for owners setting up a new Xbox back in March.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, said in a report last year that Xbox’s low-power standby mode would cost American owners an…

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Mohegan

Improv and Voice Actor Phil LaMarr Comes to Terrificon At Mohegan Sun

Terrificon is returning to the Mohegan Sun Expo Center in Uncasville on July 29, 30 and 31 and will feature comic book artists and writers, Q&A sessions, a costume contest for cosplayers, over 350 comic, toy and art vendors — even a kid-friendly convention within the convention.

Also appearing is Phil LaMarr, a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV, and the voice and personality behind a number of animated characters.

Ahead of his appearance, LaMarr talked to CT Examiner about his connection to Connecticut, his path from improv to voice acting, and how the two relate, and his current involvement in a Sherlock Holmes series.

RD: When you attended Yale, you helped found the improv comedy group Purple Crayon which is still in operation today. What inspired you to get into improv? Was it Saturday Night Live, Monty Python, stand-up comedy, or something else?

PL: Actually, Yale was my introduction to improv. A friend of mine, Eric Berg, was from Chicago, we did plays together and then one summer he was in Chicago taking classes at Second City and with Del Close at ImprovOlympic. Then he came back that fall saying “Hey guys! You guys wanna do some improv?!!!” and we were all like “Um…what? Ok, sure. Why not?”. This little grouping of theater pals turned into a decades-long running institution and not only did it help change the entertainment world at the university, it definitely changed all of us. Being in your early 20s and being introduced to the philosophy of improv shows that life is about collaboration and agreement, that’s how you achieve things.

If you do that together, you can make up amazing stuff of your own without ever having to think it through and that just blew my mind. The interesting thing…

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Mohican

‘Special connection’: Razz, the dog that couldn’t walk two months ago, has new home

Once immobile and abandoned, dog now has a home and is able to walk

Razz the dog is adjusting to his new home.

A 1-year-old pit/Staffordshire bull terrier mix, Razz captured the hearts of many animal lovers after his owner abandoned him by dumping him off in the outdoor kennels at the Richland County Dog Shelter on May 3.

Dog Warden Missy Houghton remembers him well.

“When he first came in, he was completely immobile,” she said. “He couldn’t move at all.”

Razz’s story: Abandoned, immobile dog at Richland County shelter now able to walk

In addition, Razz is deaf.

More than two months later, Razz can walk. He sort of lopes along, with the tops of his paws scraping the ground, causing them to bleed.

‘I fell in love with him when I first met him’

Bethany Higgins, his new owner, is a veterinary assistant at Mohican Veterinary Wellness Center, where Razz goes for weekly acupuncture and laser treatments.

“I fell in love with him when I first met him, but so did everyone,” Higgins said. “We had a pretty special connection from the beginning, and everyone could see it. It got to a point where it was kind of hard to deny it.”

Things to do: Sarah’s Pooch Parlor celebrates grand opening in Shelby

Higgins made up her mind May 25, when Mohican held an open house. Her 6-year-old daughter Amelia got the chance to meet Razz that day.

They, too, formed a fast friendship. Razz tends to follow Amelia around on her bike, a turquoise and purple Schwinn with training wheels.

Asked what she likes to do with Razz, Amelia replied, “Everything.”

Razz’s health has continued to improve after leaving Richland County Dog Shelter

Razz has beefed up to 73 pounds, though his tendency to eat dead grass probably hasn’t contributed much.

“He likes to eat…

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Munsee

Xbox Series X and Series S now boot faster

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S already boot quite fast thanks to their internal solid-state drives, but Microsoft has made some tweaks to make it even faster. Noted by Josh Munsee, who is an Xbox Integrated Marketing Director, boot times are now even shorter on the next-gen consoles thanks to a short boot animation (via The Verge.)

More technically, Microsoft has reduced the bootup animation time on the consoles by 5 seconds with a recent Xbox Insider Build. As seen in Munsee’s tweet above, the new boot animation is less than 4 seconds, whereas the previous one was about 9 seconds. It is important to note though, that this only applies if your Xbox is in Energy Saver mode, where it always fully turns off, instead of being in standby. Check it out in the video below from a fellow Xbox user.

The Verge’s Tom Warren actually put this to the test and believes that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S now cold boot in 15 seconds, instead of 20 seconds. It’s not clear which Xbox Insider build applied this update, but some people still have additional feedback for Microsoft, like muting the boot animation noise. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Nanticoke

Day 4 of Go Joe’s 25th Anniversary Bike Ride for St. Joseph’s Center

It’s day four of Go Joe’s 25th Anniversary Bike Ride for St. Joseph’s Center.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — Day 4 of Go Joe 25 kicked off Thursday morning in Columbia County.

Joe Snedeker will start his ride in Bloomsburg.

He will ride through Lightstreet, Berwick, Shickshinny (Susquehanna Warrior Trail Park), Nanticoke, Plymouth (Miner’s Monument – Carolina & Main), Kingston (Kingston Fire Department), Swoyersville (American Legion Pavilion), and West Pittston (at the closed entrance to Water Street Bridge).

He will finish the day in downtown Old Forge.

The intrepid bicycling meteorologist is raising money for St. Joseph’s Center, a place that cares for people with disabilities and provides medical daycare and adoptions.

Newswatch 16’s Chris Keating will be will Joe during his ride. Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter @CKeatingWNEP.

RELATED: Go Joe 25: Joe Snedeker’s charity bike ride for St. Joseph’s Center

St. Joseph’s Center Festival

The St. Joseph’s Center Festival returns for food, fun, and games on the campus of Marywood University, Dunmore.  

  • Friday, July 29, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 30, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 31, noon to 7 p.m.

Telethon

The festival at Marywood University includes WNEP’S Telethon for St. Joe’s, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, right here on WNEP, WNEP.com, ROKU, and Fire TV.

Donations and Go Joe Shirts

You can DONATE or ORDER a Go Joe Shirt RIGHT HERE!

Go Joe shirt orders cannot be taken by mail, but if you’d like to mail in a donation, make checks payable to St. Joseph’s Center and mail to Go Joe 25,…

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