FIRST ON FOX: A 75-year-old former school teacher in Monroe County, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a student at a school where she worked.
Anne Nelson-Koch was sentenced in prison on Friday afternoon in Monroe County after she was found guilty at trial on over a dozen counts, including sexual assault of child, child enticement-sexual contact and exposing genitals/pubic area/intimate parts to a child.
The sentences for the 25 convictions against Nelson-Koch will run concurrently, and after her release from prison, she will spend 15 years on probation known as “extended supervision.”
Nelson-Koch, a teacher at a private school in Tomah, is said to have assaulted the teenage boy in the basement of the school several times during the 2016-17 school year.
Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles told Fox News Digital that her office had asked for a sentence of 100 years and that the family wanted a sentence that would have kept Nelson-Koch behind bars for the rest of her natural life.
Skiles said the boy’s father made an “impactful” statement at Friday’s hearing, asking the judge to “protect his son because he felt that he had been unable to do so.”
Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Rick Radcliffe ultimately gave Nelson-Koch a lesser sentence after hearing from her friends about her character, which Skiles said was a “significantly mitigating factor” in the sentence.
“I think that this is a sentence that is hurtful for some people in our community,” Skiles told Fox News Digital.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
The Philadelphia 76ers star was fined $35,000 on Tuesday for delivering a WWE-inspired crotch chop celebration during the team’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars announced the discipline.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid reacts after his basket and a foul called against Portland Trail Blazers’ Malcolm Brogdon during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Embiid’s celebration occurred with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter. He received a full-court pass and made a layup as he was fouled. The fans at the Wells Fargo Center went wild and Embiid went full D-Generation X.
Philadelphia won the game 126-98. Embiid finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and six blocked shots.
As the fine was announced, WWE’s chief content officer Paul Levesque – better known in wrestling as Triple H – reminded Embiid there will be a better forum for him to unleash the celebration: WrestleMania 40.
WWE Superstar Triple H attends 2019 VidCon at Anaheim Convention Center on July 11, 2019 in Anaheim, California.(Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
“Hey @JoelEmbiid – I know a place where you can do that all day, and everyone will love it. @WrestleMania 40 is right there in Philly…,” Triple H wrote on X.
Embiid responded, “Yes sir!! I would love to but I don’t think I’m gonna be in Philly for that…”
WrestleMania 40 is set for April 6-7 next year at Lincoln Financial Field – the home of the Philadelphia Eagles.
For what it is worth, the 76ers would be in the middle of a road trip during that time. The 76ers are in Miami to play the Heat on April 4, then in Memphis for the Grizzlies on April 6 and then in San Antonio against the Spurs on April 7.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, left reacts to the call by official Ben Taylor, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Bitcoin (BTC) is at 17-month highs with just 164 days until the next Bitcoin halving event, alongside anticipation of a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval in the coming months.
Yet, amid Bitcoin’s 106.38% year-to-date gains, the stablecoin supply rate oscillator (SSRO) has raised a major flag despite suggesting the beginning of a new bull cycle.
Stablecoin buying power weakens ahead of Bitcoin ETF
This stablecoin supply ratio metric, which acts as an important measure of the dominance of stablecoins vs. Bitcoin, has surged to a new all-time high at 4.13 on Oct. 25, according to data from Glassnode. Such a surge hints at a significant appetite for Bitcoin accumulation on-chain.
The SSRO hit a new all-time high at 4.13 on Oct. 25. Source: Glassnode
However, this also suggests that the purchasing power of stablecoins is at a relative all-time low.
Historically, this is the highest SSRO divergence since 2019, when it rocketed up to 4.12 on June 26 — exactly 320 days before the May 2020 halving.
The emergence of this same top signal on the SSRO this week could, therefore, precede a retracement period before the next halving event in April 2024.
Nevertheless, while the relative buying power is currently weak — and a local top like the one in 2019 is certainly possible — the larger implication is that high SSRO levels have also aligned with the start of bigger bull market cycles.
“Reserve risk” suggests this BTC rally may be different
As a potential spot Bitcoin ETF approval tantalizes markets with implications for BTC’s price, one metric is painting a unique image of market sentiment, suggesting this Bitcoin rally could be different from 2019.
Namely, the reserve risk (RR) indicator, which measures the risk-reward incentives in relation to the current “HODL bank” and spot BTC price. As Glassnode puts it:
When confidence is high and price is low, there is an attractive risk/reward to invest (Reserve Risk is low). When confidence is low and price is high then risk/reward is unattractive at that time (Reserve Risk is high).”
The RR indicator measures the risk-reward incentives in relation to the current “HODL bank” and spot BTC price. Source: Glassnode
When the SSRO accelerated to similarly high levels in June 2019, the RR followed suit, climbing above the green band, as shown in the chart above.
Yet, amid the current record-high SSRO reading, the RR is still at multiyear lows at the bottom of the green band. Historically, buying Bitcoin when the RR is at such low levels (i.e., large hodl bank relative to current BTC price) has produced outsized returns.
It also implies that despite the Bitcoin price sitting at 17-month highs, confidence remains very high in Bitcoin’s future price performance.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Lawrence Faucette, the recipient of the world’s second genetically modified pig heart transplant, has died nearly six weeks after the surgery, as announced by the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) on Tuesday.
Faucette, who suffered from end-stage heart disease, had the experimental surgery on Sept. 20 at UMMC after receiving emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Just last week, Faucette’s doctors released a statement saying that he was doing well and showed no signs of infection or rejection of the organ.
Since the surgery, Faucette had made “significant progress,” the statement said, as he attended physical therapy and spent time with his wide, Ann Faucette, and other family members.
In this photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Lawrence Faucette sits with his wife, Ann, in the school’s hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in Sept. 2023, before receiving a pig heart transplant. Faucette, the second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig, has died, nearly six weeks after the highly experimental surgery, his doctors announced Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (Mark Teske/University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP)
“In recent days, his heart began to show initial signs of rejection — the most significant challenge with traditional transplants involving human organs as well,” the statement said.
“Despite the medical team’s greatest efforts, Mr. Faucette ultimately succumbed on Oct. 30.”
“Mr. Faucette’s last wish was for us to make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so others may be guaranteed a chance for a new heart when a human organ is unavailable.”
“We mourn the loss of Mr. Faucette, a remarkable patient, scientist, Navy veteran and family man who just wanted a little more time to spend with his loving wife, sons and family,” said Bartley P. Griffith, M.D., who surgically transplanted the pig heart.
“Mr. Faucette’s last wish was for us to make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so others may be guaranteed a chance for a new heart when a human organ is unavailable,” the doctor continued.
“He then told the team of doctors and nurses who gathered around him that he loved us. We will miss him tremendously.”
Larry Faucette, the patient who received the genetically modified pig heart, is pictured at left. Dr. Bartley Griffith, professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who performed the surgery, is shown at right.(University of Maryland Medicine)
Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, M.D., professor of surgery and program director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program at University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), added, “We cannot express enough gratitude to Mr. Faucette and his family for enabling us to continue to make significant advancements toward making xenotransplants a reality.”
Mohiuddin noted that as a scientist, Faucette understood the important contribution he was making in advancing this field.
“As with the first patient, David Bennett, Sr., we intend to conduct an extensive analysis to identify factors that can be prevented in future transplants; this will allow us to continue to move forward and educate our colleagues in the field on our experience,” the doctor added.
David Bennett, 57, received the first genetically modified pig heart on Jan. 7, 2022.
Bennett’s transplant functioned well after the surgery, but the patient died from heart failure two months later.
Faucette’s surgeons are shown during the pig heart transplant. Before transplanting the pig’s heart, the scientists had to “knock out” three genes in the donor pig in order to prevent the recipient’s antibodies from rejecting the organ.(University of Maryland Medicine)
He was deemed ineligible for a traditional heart transplant due to his advanced medical conditions, including peripheral vascular disease, the university said in a statement.
The FDA granted the emergency authorization for the pig heart transplant on Sept. 15.
The surgery was a success and Faucette was making strides toward regaining his ability to walk before his body began to reject the heart.
“This is a monumental achievement, and it takes Herculean efforts to move the transplant field forward,” said Christine Lau, M.D., MBA, chair of the Department of Surgery at UMSOM and surgeon-in-chief at UMMC, in the release.
“Lung transplants took decades to perfect, and the giants of those days carried a lot on their shoulders. Drs. Griffith, Mohiuddin and their entire treatment team, as well as Mr. Faucette and his family, are our heroes of today.”
UMMC surgeons are shown during the pig heart transplant. Faucette was only the second patient to undergo the experimental procedure.(University of Maryland Medicine)
The patient’s wife, Ann Faucette, also shared a statement.
“Larry started this journey with an open mind and complete confidence in Dr. Griffith and his staff. He knew his time with us was short, and this was his last chance to do for others,” she said. “He never imagined he would survive as long as he did, or provide as much data to the xenotransplant program.”
“This is a monumental achievement, and it takes Herculean efforts to move the transplant field forward.”
“He was a man who was always thinking of others, especially myself and his two sons,” she continued. “Larry was consistently telling the nurses, support staff, and doctors how much he appreciated what they were doing for him. He was not only thinking about how this journey was helping to advance the xenotransplant program, but how it affected his family.”
“The family thanks the staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center for the care given to Larry and the support given to family members through their many days.”
Lola Stars has been in the business of designing and manufacturing traditional high-quality costumes as well as their exciting and innovative printed costumes for over 14 years with customers in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North and South America.
Salt Lake City, Utah, November 1, 2023, Loftus Novelty was founded in 1939. The first shop was a tiny hole-in-the-wall business located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Loftus Novelty was the first business in Salt Lake City to offer novelty and magic to the public. In the 1960’s Loftus became a wholesale only company. At this time their inventory was greatly expanded to include items from all over the world.
They also became a major distributor of balloons in the United States. In 1995 Loftus Novelty was changed to Loftus International in response to their increased importing and exporting business. Loftus International has continued to grow into one of the premier novelty, magic and balloon distributors in the United States.To become a registered wholesale account, please visit their website www.loftus.com and complete the New Customer application.
With over 500 costume designs in this initial launch, Loftus will continue to expand its role as an important supplier in the Halloween industry. In addition to the partnership with Lola Stars, Loftus has been a valuable distribution partner for major brands such as Cinema Secrets, Mehron Makeup, Tinsley Transfers, Trick or Treat Studios, Visual Effects, and Zagone Studios. These partnerships and Loftus’ own line of Halloween and Everyday items make Loftus a first choice for Halloween buyers.
Lola stars started as a family operated, and is a women owned small business focused on the design and manufacturing of costumes and accessories since 2009.
Lola provides top quality customer service and value for the money. With 4 manufacturing sites and over 300 employees, Lola started out as a unique men/women costume design firm, branching out to kids, toddlers, and babies. With Lola Stars’ costumes, your customers will be the stars!
To formally introduce this partnership Loftus will hold a presentation via Microsoft Teams on Thursday, November 9 at 12:00 pm EST. Please contact media@loftus.com to secure an invite for this meeting.
Initial costume sales will go on sale as part of HCA’s Virtual Buying week December 5-7. To register for this event and see all the opportunities that are available please visit – https://www.hiaonline.org/page/vbw2023
In addition to offering great products from the Loftus family of brands, Loftus also distributes for some of the top manufacturers in the world with a broad product selection including:
Loftus Brands:
Empire
Joker
LaFéte
Star Power
Loftus distributes for some of the best brands in the industry:
Anagram Balloons
Berwick Offray
Betallic Balloons
Hi-Float
Ja-Ru Toys
Mehron Makeup
Pioneer Balloon maker of Qualatex Balloons
Plexipoles
Premium Conwin
Sempertex Balloons (previously Betallatex)
Tinsley Transfers
Trick or Treat Studio
Tuftex Balloons
uGlu
Visual Effects Ind.
Woochie by Cinema Secrets
Zagone Studios
Since 1939, Loftus International has been bringing mirth and amazement to customers across many different markets. From their humble beginnings as a mom-and-pop retail store, to a worldwide supplier of magic, novelty, balloons, toys and more, they have always looked for ways to better serve their customers. As the recognized “home of the rubber chicken” they have had plenty of opportunity during the last 80+ years to learn that bringing fun to the world and taking care of their customers are their most important objectives.
Loftus International Attn: Media Relations 865 S. 200 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84111 800-453-4879 media@loftus.com
Loftus International is Pleased to Announce a New Partnership With Lola Stars to Distribute Costumes in The US and Canada Under Loftus’ STAR POWER Brand 18
Patrick Amadon combines a passion for art and activism, and is articulate about how he intends for his work to have impact.
Self-described as a “digital disobedient,” the Los Angeles-based glitch artist has been no stranger to controversy, having made international headlines for his “No Rioters” digital billboard displayed at the Hong Kong Art Week in March that was eventually taken down for its political undertones.
He also made headlines when he pulled out of Sotheby’s first glitch show, taking a stance against a lineup of artists that featured no women or non-binary people.
(For the uninitiated, glitch art purposefully includes digital or analog errors.)
Like many other artists, Beeple’s historic $69 million NFT sale in March 2021 caught Amadon’s attention. He had been making digital art for over a decade prior but had no way to attribute value to it.
“When I saw all the press from the Beeple sale, I kind of brushed past the $69 million figure, that wasn’t that interesting to me, but I do remember thinking, ‘wait, somebody sold digital art, how does that work’,” says Amadon.
“I’ve been doing it for a decade but I got stuck in kind of no man’s land. I would make physical work but I liked making digital work more. My audience liked the digital work a lot more but there really wasn’t anything you could do with it in the art world.”
Digital disobedience
Amadon is a deep thinker and puts an incredible amount of effort into making his art purposeful. He also embraces much of the crypto ethos and believes those who are along for the ride are all in some way a little digital disobedient.
“I mean, if you’re in crypto, it’s because you’ve rejected something. You’ve rejected something in the financial world, you’re embracing sovereignty, you embrace self custody, self reliance. There’s some social element that you rejected, that got you here to begin with.”
“I think we’re really disrupting a lot of these existing structures. We’re causing hell for a lot of gatekeepers. We’re opening up the doors for a lot of artists. None of us here are obeying what we’re supposed to be doing.”
“I feel like all of us really have embraced disobedience in a lot of ways because nobody in traditional finance wants you to think that crypto is valid. Nobody in the art world wants you to think crypto is valid. By virtue of us being here, we’re all disobedient if you look at what society has deemed normal and acceptable.”
WAGMI by Patrick Amadon (SuperRare)
Art is a medium that Amadon values as a way to voice his passion for activism and for its ability to point out societal issues he cares about. He puts an incredible amount of effort into making his art have a purpose.
“I like doing something that has a purpose for doing it. Often, I like using art as an outlet to comment on some socio-economic or political situation. Or cultural nuance or just something to needle the space a little bit,” Amadon says.
“I think that the story of the narrative is the art and I think that the aesthetic is really just the voice that you tell it with. That’s why I think concept is kind of the most critical element of an art piece. It has to be saying something a lot of us can say the same thing. I mean, the aesthetic kind of becomes the voice of it again.”
‘No Rioters’ at Hong Kong Art Week
Embracing his digital disobedience and desire to use art for more than aesthetics, Amadon brazenly had his piece “No Rioters” displayed on a giant digital billboard above the Sogo Causeway Bay store during Hong Kong Art Week.
The glitch art is centered around a surveillance camera oscillating side to side but the primary provocation was showcasing the names and prion terms of activists in the pro-democracy movement from 2019.
“It was a billboard the size of the city block in the middle of Hong Kong Art Week which is sponsored by the government. I thought, let’s be a little disobedient. I’d followed the Hong Kong protest in 2019 pretty closely. I’ve been a news hawk since the dawn of the internet so I wanted to put up something to honor the protesters,” says Amadon.
“I put a giant security camera up there and then every 10th frame or so just flash protesters names, their sentences, and instances of the government beating up protesters, throwing them in jail. It’s all illegal under the Hong Kong national security law to put that in public and I had it on the biggest billboard in Hong Kong during Art Week for three straight days which was great.”
With the names being subtle and difficult to see flashing up in real-time throughout the artwork, the billboard stayed up for 72 hours before Art Innovation Gallery — the gallery that Amadon had worked with to display the piece — informed him that the owners of Sogo were concerned about the hidden political content behind the work.
“The free Hong Kong press found out about it so they wrote an article about it and then the next day it was the BBC and the Global Press covering it, and the Chinese press counterprogramming it, saying I’m pro-rioter — which I love because I am definitely pro-rioter.”
“So it got taken down by the government and I joined the list with Winnie the Pooh in terms of free speech expression being ripped down.”
Gatekeepers get out
Amadon believes that the Web3/crypto space has a long way to go, but he’s equally optimistic about the potential of the technology to democratize the art industry, for both artists and collectors.
“From a collecting standpoint, from an experiencing art standpoint, from a creation of art standpoint, it’s massive. You no longer need a brother, sister or cousin to be working at the Gagosian to get a shot at selling physical and be sitting at the main table of the art world,” Amadon says.
“It’s really tough to participate in the art world if you’re coming from a marginalized community or from a third-world country. What we’ve done with the technology is we really have flattened the space tremendously and we’ve allowed people like Osinachi and Ix Shells to participate meaningfully in the art world that would have been very difficult to access before. We are very accessible and very inclusive.”
In May this year, Amadon launched something unique with his Doppelganger drop in conjunction with Transient Labs. As an artist who is fascinated by the convergence of art and technology, Doppelganger explores what it’s like to link a nonfungible token to an array of art rather than point to a single image.
“Because we’re just beginning to scratch the surface on what’s possible in digital art and what’s possible in digital art when it’s paired with smart contracts on the blockchain, I reached out to Transient Labs and had them build a token that points to an array instead of a token that points to a single link. Doppelganger was built on that.”
Doppelganger by Patrick Amadon (OpenSea)
The contract is artist-owned and essentially can include multiple images into one NFT. Users can pick which artwork to point to with the artist having the ability to add new pieces of art but can never subtract.
“Essentially consider them frozen metadata. They will never change and only the collector has control over what it points to. As the collector you get to select what art you’d like to be displayed. I think we’re up to around 12-13 different pieces right now. I’m going to add another very shortly. I’m just going to keep expanding it because I can keep adding to it, but I can never subtract from it,” he says.
Doppelgänger now has 13 artworks you can select from. Plan to keep growing this for years. 🤝
Amadon’s first Ethereum mint was ZoFo and his inaugural mint on Tezos was RGB Glitch 2013.
Notable sales include:
BRAIN.WASH by Patrick Amadon: Sold for 8.69 ETH ($26,300 equivalent on date of sale) April 15, 2022. (SuperRare)Unknown and a Train: Sold for 10 ETH ($15,637 equivalent on date of sale) Oct. 18, 2023 to Sartoshi. (SuperRare)Rodeo Drive: Sold for 8.469 ETH ($24,900 equivalent on date of sale) March 3, 2022. (SuperRare)
Rapid-fire Q&A
Influences
“I really like Edward Snowden and Banksy. Aesthetically, I grew up with all the abstract artists so that’s how I first got into making art. I really like texture and abstract art. People like Richter [Gerhard].”
“From within the [Web3] space there’s a number of people like XCOPY, Max Capacity and Kidmograph. There was a community on Tumblr that was making glitch work that’s all still here so it’s cool to see. I have known Pak since back in 2013 because the Twitter art community transitioned over to NFTs in a lot of interesting ways.”
Grifter #098 by XCOPY (OpenSea)
Personal style of art
“Glitches. But my background is in street art. I photograph it, I contribute to it. I’ve always liked graffiti. Glitch blended with graffiti.”
“Banksy was always the artist that I’ve most looked up to in terms of how they approach the art world and how they approach messaging from their art.”
Notable collector
“I have to say Anonymoux. Anonymoux has become like family throughout this process. He picked up a number of my 1 of 1s. The relationship between collector and artist can be really strong. The amount of support that you get from them really makes it possible to do this on a greater level. Just the amount of support that I’ve received from Anonymoux over the past couple of years has honestly been life-changing.”
Which hot NFT artist should we be paying attention to?
“I would say one of the biggest initiatives I’m working on right now is the404 catalogue. It’s a quarterly exhibition, anyone can enter one piece per artist. It’s an opportunity for artists to strip away any change, strip away platform. I just wanted to be completely agnostic, social media and presence does not matter, just art and giving artists the opportunity to be seen just for their art.”
“I work completely in silence. If there’s any noise I’ll put headphones on noise cancellation mode. If there’s anything that’s distracting, I’ll be distracted.”
“That being said, in terms of music in the space that I like, I would mention Mariana Makwaia, I think she is an incredible musician but also doing some really interesting tech things in the space. She used a Doppelganger contract to build her album. Each track has its own metadata all on the same token which I think is a fantastic use of the technology.”
The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a
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Greg Oakford
Greg Oakford is the co-founder of NFT Fest Australia. A former marketing and communications specialist in the sports world, Greg now focuses his time on running events, creating content and consulting in web3. He is an avid NFT collector and hosts a weekly podcast covering all things NFTs.
Most of these teams, except one lone organization, have made it to the championship series. The Seattle Mariners are the only team in the MLB that have yet to appear in the World Series post season games.
While some teams have not yet won a title for their city, other teams have had extremely successful runs. The most successful team in baseball has unequivocally been the New York Yankees, who have the won the World Series 27 times.
Below are the six MLB teams that have yet to clinch a World Series title.
The Texas Rangers are seeking their first World Series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.(Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)
Texas Rangers
San Diego Padres
Milwaukee Brewers
Colorado Rockies
Tampa Bay Rays
Seattle Mariners
1. Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers appeared in the World Series in back-to-back seasons but were unable to secure the trophy. In 2010, the team first lost to the San Francisco Giants and to the St. Louis Cardinals the following year.
The Rangers are presently competing in their third World Series, this time against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
2. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres have been to the World Series twice, but not in recent history. The last time the Padres appeared in the World Series was 1998. Unfortunately, they were blown out by the New York Yankees four games to zero. The Yankees went on to also win the World Series in 1999 and 2000.
A few of the six teams who have not won the Fall Classic have made a couple of appearances. One of these teams is the San Diego Padres, who have been to the MLB championship twice.(Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Padres first made it to the World Series in 1984, when they played against the Detroit Tigers, who defeated the San Diego four games to one.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers have only been to the World Series once, and it was in 1982. They put up a good fight against the St. Louis Cardinals, but lost the series.
4. Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have only made one World Series appearance and the postseason five times as a franchise, as the National League wild card team each time.
The Colorado Rockies have not been able to take home the Commissioner’s Trophy yet.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
They advanced to the World Series just once in 2007, but lost in four games to the Boston Red Sox.
5. Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have made it to the series twice, but to no avail. The first time the Rays saw World Series dirt was in 2008, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.
In 2020, the Rays made a second appearance in the Fall Classic, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
6. Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are the only team in the MLB who have never been to the World Series since the franchise’s beginning in 1977.
The Seattle Mariners are the only MLB team that have not been to the World Series.(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
American XL Bully dogs will be banned in the United Kingdom next year following a series of attacks and deaths involving the muscular dog breed.
The U.K. government announced Tuesday that the breed is being added to the list of prohibited canines under the Dangerous Dogs Act, according to The Independent.
The law states it will be illegal to own an XL bully from Feb. 1, 2024, with owners facing a criminal record and an unlimited fine after that date unless their dog is on an exemption list and owners comply with strict requirements, such as microchipping and neutering their pets.
American XL Bully dogs are officially banned in the United Kingdom.(John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Under the new rules, XL Bullies older than 12 months on Jan. 1, 2024 must be neutered by the end of June, while dogs less than a year old on that date must be neutered by the end of 2024. Owners who opt to put their XL Bullies to sleep will be offered around $240, the U.K. government said.
Portions of the law will go into effect at the end of this year. From Dec. 31, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow American XL Bully dogs to stray in England and Wales. From this date, these dogs must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referred to the breed in September as a “danger to our communities,” after a man in England died in a suspected attack by two of the dogs. An 11-year-old girl was also injured by a suspected attack by an XL Bully.
In May, a 37-year-old man died after being mauled while looking after his friend’s dog, reported to be an XL Bully, according to Sky News. Last year a man and a woman were jailed after admitting to being in charge of a XL Bully that mauled a 10-year-old boy to death in 2021.
The series of attacks led to a public outcry.
Sunak called on government ministers to legally define the characteristics of the American XL Bully with the assistance of police and canine experts and vowed to outlaw the breed. The breed is not recognized by groups such as the Kennel Club in Britain or the American Kennel Club in the United States.
American XL Bully owners have held protests in London opposing the ban.
The American XL Bully was originally bred from the American pit bull terrier. Some campaigners have called for the type of dog to be added to the banned list because they believe dangerous characteristics have been bred into the animals.
The U.K. Kennel Club also does not recognize the breed but has argued that no breed is inherently dangerous. The organization does not believe that breed-specific bans address the most important factors contributing to attacks, primarily irresponsible dog owners who train their dogs to be aggressive.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to ban the dogs but stopped short of saying they should be euthanized. The dogs, which have huge, powerful jaws and can weigh over 132 pounds, have risen in popularity since the COVID-19 lockdowns, which saw dog ownership rise. Under Sunak’s plan, owners will have to register their dogs and muzzle them in public places. They will also be required to neuter them so that the dog type dies out within a decade.(HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Bully breeds’ names come from their origin used in blood sports, such as bull baiting. The dogs are muscular in stature and have heavier bone structures than pit bulls.
Pitbull terriers, Japanese tosas, dogo Argentinos and fila Brasileiros are already banned in the United Kingdom, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
Major cryptocurrency custody firm BitGo is reportedly expanding its regulatory compliance in Germany more than three years after launching a dedicated local subsidiary.
BitGo has obtained a cryptocurrency license from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), according to a Nov. 1 report by Finance Magnates. The firm has been storing crypto assets like Bitcoin (BTC) for its clients since 2019 under the supervision of BaFin as part of a transitional regime, the report notes.
The German license secures BitGo’s presence in the European market and is an important milestone for BitGo, BitGo Europe managing director Dejan Maljevic said.
“BaFin is recognized as one of the world’s key trendsetters in crypto regulation,” Maljevic noted, adding that the license “enables the progress that digital currencies entail while creating a secure regulatory framework.”
BitGo and BaFin have not yet responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, BitGo originally set up two regulated custodial entities in Germany and Switzerland in February 2020. BitGo’s German subsidiary, BitGo Deutschland GmbH, immediately started providing custody services in Germany and was expected to apply for regulatory approval in November 2020.
BitGo then secured a New York Trust license in March 2021, which allowed the firm to operate as an independent custodian in the state.
The news comes shortly after BitGo raised $100 million in a Series C financing round in August 2023, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.75 billion. Backed by major investment firms like Goldman Sachs and Galaxy, BitGo reportedly initiated discussions regarding at least two prospective deals using the new funding.
BitGo’s regulatory milestone in Germany is another sign of growing cryptocurrency adoption in the country. According to an October 2023 report by Chainalysis, Germany is the second largest cryptocurrency economy in the Central, Northern and Western Europe region after the United Kingdom.
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the most interesting teams of the 2023-24 NBA season, and their togetherness was on full display in their stunning win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Down three points with 10 seconds left in the game, Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama cleaned up a missed three-point attempt to cut the lead to two points, 114-113. Instead of calling a timeout, the Suns inbounded the ball to Kevin Durant.
San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson, #3, scores against Phoenix Suns’ Josh Okogie with just over a second left in an NBA basketball game in Phoenix, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023.(AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Durant was immediately double-teamed and coughed up the ball. Keldon Johnson took the ball from Durant and drove to the basket, scoring the go-ahead layup with 1.2 seconds remaining.
“I went for a steal (earlier) and I saw Tre (Jones) had him in the corner and I was just like, the worst that happens is they call a foul,” Johnson said after the game. “We had to make something happen.
“We kept fighting, stay together regardless of what’s going on. Try to correct our mistakes.”
Keldon Johnson, #3 of the San Antonio Spurs, dunks the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 31, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.(Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Johnson finished with 27 points as San Antonio used a 33-19 fourth quarter to come back and win.
Suns coach Frank Vogal believed Durant was fouled in the corner before Johnson stole the ball from him.
“They fouled him, the refs didn’t call it,” Vogel said. “They whacked him on the arm before the ball gets ripped out of his hands. No call. In a situation like that, we try to get a quick inbounds to our 90% free-throw shooter, and we did.”
The two teams will play again Thursday night in Phoenix.
Kevin Durant, #35 of the Phoenix Suns, looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 31, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.(Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
