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France celebrated the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday at a special church service that featured a standing ovation for the firefighters who saved the 12th-century landmark from destruction during a 2019 blaze. A two-hour service attended by incoming US president Donald Trump among other world leaders began with the archbishop of Paris knocking on the doors of the cathedral three times. "Notre Dame, model of faith, open your doors to bring together the far-flung children of God in joy," archbishop Laurent Ulrich commanded, banging with a wooden staff crafted from a roof beam that survived the inferno five years ago. Trump could be seen sitting on the front row as guest of honour next to French President Emmanuel Macron, with invitees marvelling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul. In a short speech, Macron expressed the "gratitude of the French nation" for the restoration work, achieved at frenzied speed over the last five years. France had "rediscovered what great nations can do -- achieve the impossible", he said. One of the most moving moments came when firefighters in their protective gear walked through the congregation to thunderous applause as the word "Merci" ("Thank you") was beamed on the intricate facade and famous belltowers of the Gothic masterpiece. Small crowds of Parisians and tourists braved wet weather and high winds outside to witness the renaissance of a monument, which came close to collapsing due to the intensity of the inferno that toppled its roof and spire. "I find it really beautiful, even more so now that the spire has been restored," Marie Jean, a 27-year-old dentist from southwest France, told AFP outside. The reconstruction effort cost around 700 million euros ($750 million), financed from donations, with the re-opening achieved within a five-year deadline despite predictions it could take decades. Workers had to overcome problems with lead pollution, the Covid-19 epidemic, and the army general overseeing the project falling to his death while hiking in the Pyrenees last year. Saturday's service featured classical music, the cathedral's choir as well as the "re-awakening" of the 8,000-pipe organ which is considered the voice and soul of the cathedral. A televised public concert planned outside featuring Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang and possibly US singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams had to be pre-recorded on Friday night because of the stormy weather. More from this section Held up as an example of French creativity and resilience by Macron, Notre Dame's renaissance so soon after the fire comes at a difficult time for the country. The sense of national accomplishment in restoring a symbol of Paris has been undercut by political turmoil that has left France without a proper government since last week when prime minister Michel Barnier lost a confidence vote. Macron is hoping the re-opening might provide a fleeting sense of national pride and unity -- as the Paris Olympics did in July and August. He scored a major coup by attracting Trump along with around 40 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was given a round of applause as he entered Notre Dame. Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the presidential palace shortly before the ceremony, with future US military support for Ukraine's war effort against Russia's invasion expected to have been discussed. Trump has vowed to end the nearly three-year Ukraine war when he takes office on January 20, sparking fears in Kyiv that he will force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia. "It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that," Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for talks with Macron. One surprising absentee on Saturday was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church. He sent a message addressed to the French people and weighed into a row about whether the place of worship and tourist attraction should remain free to enter. The "immense" numbers set to visit Notre Dame should be welcomed "generously and free of charge", he said, clearly opposing a proposition from the French culture ministry to charge for entry. The exact cause of the 2019 blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason. On Sunday, the first mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 Paris priests will take place at 10:30 am (0930 GMT), followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30 pm which will be open to the public. adp-sjw/jjLegendary St. John's basketball coach Lou Carnesecca has died at the age of 99, News 4 sports reporter Bruce Beck has confirmed Saturday. Carnesecca, a two-time National Coach of the Year and three-time Big East Coach of the Year, was enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. In addition to his tenure at St. John's, he also coached the New York Nets of the ABA. The legendary coach own more than 500 games in his 24 seasons at St. John's, taking the team to the Final Four in 1985. He also helped pave the way for the BIG EAST as it is now known. "A founding father of the BIG EAST Conference and an international ambassador for the game worldwide, Coach Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. In addition to his legendary coaching career, he has touched the lives of countless individuals and has made a positive impact on the St. John’s University community for the last eight decades," the school posted in September. Beck posted a tribute to Carnesecca on social media: "With tears in my eyes - I say goodbye to Lou Carnesecca. What a run - 99 years of living life to its fullest. What a coach. What a man. What a friend. I was so honored to host his TV show for 7 years on @msgnetworks & so blessed to have him in my life for 46 years. RIP Louie. I have lost a second father - the world has lost a Saint. 💙💜 @StJohnsBBall @StJohnsU @naismith_hall ."Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC streetgstar288 。

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Springworks Therapeutics COO sells $839,335 in stockWhat spurs the capitalist economy? It is pure and simple greed. Or is it? The years between 1870 and 1900 in the U.S.A, for instance, were called the Gilded Age. Disparities between the rich and the poor grew exponentially in the period. However, new millionaires built extravagant abodes called the Newport mansions, and there were so many folk out there looking for jobs through political patronage. Those who supported the right side, got them. We could call what’s immediately past us, our own Gilded Age. We could also call it the age of unbridled excess. The nouveau riche flaunted their wealth, and most of them became wealthy through gaming of the system to their advantage. But the paradox of capitalism always has been that it is greed that to a great extent propels it forward. The rich are greedy, not because they want to feed their children. The grasping rich, want to flaunt their wealth, drive those monstrous Land Cruisers and buy those vanity number plates. They want mansions in foreign capitals, and insist on putting on a televised show even when they dole out for charity. The bottom line then is that, try as the Church and the Temple might, it is impossible to separate capitalism from greed. Greed is always present, but it sometimes grows exponentially and heightens the disparities between the rich and the poor to unimaginably toxic levels. That’s the type of greed that brought people on to the streets in this country in what was called the Aragalaya. 2022 was the culmination of years of unbridled greed in the form of a blowback against capitalist avarice and a political system that enabled it. DESIST In modern jargon, unbridled greed is sometimes known as neo-liberalism. However, though certainly most of the previous Governments kept to the neo-liberal dogma in the recent past, the greed was of a more personal nature. As stated, those who plundered, certainly didn’t do so to feed the children. They did so to show off conspicuous consumption. In society as a whole, this greed seemed to be duplicated on the part of the entrepreneur class, petty officialdom and the professional classes. If greed pervades all aspects of society, why should it be said that this greed was “neo-liberal greed?” There was no doubt that capitalism and more capitalism drove greed. We were one of the first countries to liberalise the economy in the 70s, but the greed that was conspicuously visible in society in the past two decades was glaring. It was our own Gilded Age with bling, and millionaire-owned bungalows, except that they were not in Newport. The Economist, in a recent article states that Sri Lanka, once a free market pioneer is now taking a leap to the left. The Economist editorial board ought to be advised to desist from jumping into conclusions. That the new dispensation promises to eradicate corruption and usher in a new dawn accompanied with systemic change, does not necessarily mean that there is a leap to the Left. The Government has by all accounts pledged not to interfere with free-market economics, and is committed to helping businessmen and young entrepreneurs. By any yardstick, this does not seem to signify any type of ‘leap to the left.” If a capitalist economy continues under this new dispensation, would the propellant of that capitalism be greed? This article began with the premise that all capitalism is propelled through greed. In and of itself, that statement should not necessarily be negative. Greed is part of the human condition, and it is humbling but true that greed per se is tolerable, but that excessive greed is abhorrent. In the past few decades, greed was contagious. Greed also became a trend, a societal tendency, a fad even. Ostentatious, conspicuous consumption by politicians seemed not only to be tolerated, it seemed at least in some ways, to be encouraged and applauded. But greed was grating, and no longer a fad when the ordinary folk had to forego essentials after the economy collapsed, and inflation went through the roof. By that time it was clear that greed had a human toll, and that conspicuous consumption came at a cost to society, even though it had come to a point at which everybody was aspiring for the SUV that the politician had acquired — after not having worked for it. So, greed can be seen as essentially tolerated under capitalism but frowned upon when it is a societal menace and not a systemic quirk or even a systemic imperative. It is not wise for any regime to attempt to extinguish the essential character of a capitalist society, if the regime wants economic growth and prosperity. It hasn’t happened in China. Though China is run by the Communist Party, it is now a capitalist country with all of the trappings of wealth and wretched excess being part of that equation. The wealthy in China certainly flaunt their wealth, even though the Government is tough on corruption. But corruption and displays of conspicuous consumption are two very different things. Many middle-class Chinese who suddenly acquire wealth feel the need to go drag racing in Ferraris or to use IPhones encased in gold. Chinese actors have been known to flaunt mind-boggling wealth including Rolex and Patek Phillippe watch collections that would be the envy of Hollywood actors. consumption Conspicuous consumption became such a social media trend that the Chinese authorities have now taken steps to ban displays of obscene wealth on social media accounts, with some social media profiles that have been known for flaunting wealth in an obscene manner, being taken down by the authorities. But the reader gets the picture. The country may be run by a Communist Party, but in China, capitalism is the norm as the stupendous economic growth achieved in the country is owed to capitalist entrepreneurship. Those who wrote The Economist opinion piece on Sri Lanka should have known that though the NPP has a Marxist background so-called, the party would not be stifling growth by curtailing the market economy and the culture of capitalist entrepreneurship. That was obvious from the time the party campaigned, meeting business leaders, and courting their support for the effort to win elections. Of course, the reality is that capitalism is driven by a certain level of greed on the part of the entrepreneur classes. Profit-motive it is, but mostly the profit-motive is driven by a desire to earn more than others, with conspicuous consumption almost always factored in. Some would call it greed, plain and simple. If greed is part of capitalism, and the free-market dynamic, so be it. Greed should prevail as long as it is not corrupt, and as long as it is not unconscionable and excessive greed. It’s not so much that greed should prevail than the fact that greed does prevail. It’s greed that drives entrepreneurial innovation, and then, when people start acting on their impulses, that develops into full blown business enterprises which provide the jobs and keep the economy ticking. It’s another one of those great paradoxes of life. Given that life is replete with paradoxes and this is one of them, suffice to say, short of saying let there be greed, let’s acknowledge there is greed. What’s reprehensible is when this greed knows no bounds, and when the next person is forgotten for the sake of unbridled greed. But, if China hasn’t reverted back to Communism in practice, there is no case for any other country to do so. Each country would have its own limits or boundaries within the Capitalist system, but essentially it all boils down to the same. Greed drives economies, and to some extent entrepreneurial greed is seen as the lubricant that moves the economy, as long as corruption is kept in check, and there is no exploitation of the working class.

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AP Business SummaryBrief at 8:43 a.m. ESTFrance celebrated the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday at a special church service that featured a standing ovation for the firefighters who saved the 12th-century landmark from destruction during a 2019 blaze. A two-hour service attended by incoming US president Donald Trump among other world leaders began with the archbishop of Paris knocking on the doors of the cathedral three times. "Notre Dame, model of faith, open your doors to bring together the far-flung children of God in joy," archbishop Laurent Ulrich commanded, banging with a wooden staff crafted from a roof beam that survived the inferno five years ago. Trump could be seen sitting on the front row as guest of honour next to French President Emmanuel Macron, with invitees marvelling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul. In a short speech, Macron expressed the "gratitude of the French nation" for the restoration work, achieved at frenzied speed over the last five years. France had "rediscovered what great nations can do -- achieve the impossible", he said. One of the most moving moments came when firefighters in their protective gear walked through the congregation to thunderous applause as the word "Merci" ("Thank you") was beamed on the intricate facade and famous belltowers of the Gothic masterpiece. Small crowds of Parisians and tourists braved wet weather and high winds outside to witness the renaissance of a monument, which came close to collapsing due to the intensity of the inferno that toppled its roof and spire. "I find it really beautiful, even more so now that the spire has been restored," Marie Jean, a 27-year-old dentist from southwest France, told AFP outside. The reconstruction effort cost around 700 million euros ($750 million), financed from donations, with the re-opening achieved within a five-year deadline despite predictions it could take decades. Workers had to overcome problems with lead pollution, the Covid-19 epidemic, and the army general overseeing the project falling to his death while hiking in the Pyrenees last year. Saturday's service featured classical music, the cathedral's choir as well as the "re-awakening" of the 8,000-pipe organ which is considered the voice and soul of the cathedral. A televised public concert planned outside featuring Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang and possibly US singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams had to be pre-recorded on Friday night because of the stormy weather. More from this section Held up as an example of French creativity and resilience by Macron, Notre Dame's renaissance so soon after the fire comes at a difficult time for the country. The sense of national accomplishment in restoring a symbol of Paris has been undercut by political turmoil that has left France without a proper government since last week when prime minister Michel Barnier lost a confidence vote. Macron is hoping the re-opening might provide a fleeting sense of national pride and unity -- as the Paris Olympics did in July and August. He scored a major coup by attracting Trump along with around 40 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was given a round of applause as he entered Notre Dame. Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the presidential palace shortly before the ceremony, with future US military support for Ukraine's war effort against Russia's invasion expected to have been discussed. Trump has vowed to end the nearly three-year Ukraine war when he takes office on January 20, sparking fears in Kyiv that he will force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia. "It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that," Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for talks with Macron. One surprising absentee on Saturday was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church. He sent a message addressed to the French people and weighed into a row about whether the place of worship and tourist attraction should remain free to enter. The "immense" numbers set to visit Notre Dame should be welcomed "generously and free of charge", he said, clearly opposing a proposition from the French culture ministry to charge for entry. The exact cause of the 2019 blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason. On Sunday, the first mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 Paris priests will take place at 10:30 am (0930 GMT), followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30 pm which will be open to the public. adp-sjw/jj

Tiruppur district is at the forefront in mobilising relief materials for people displaced by Fengal cyclone in Villupuram district. Over the last few days, Tiruppur district administration has despatched over 9,000 boxes of daily provisions, each containing five kg rice, one kg sugar, 500 grams packets of dal, rava and wheat flour, and 100 grams packets of turmeric powder, chilli powder, sambar powder, rasam powder and tea. Several volunteers have been engaged in packing the materials stocked in a marriage hall. The provisions were sent in 17 load vans. Public contributions have been coming in cash and kind from various quarters including individual philanthropists, service organisations, industry associations and more consignments are to be despatched, official sources said. Published - December 07, 2024 08:07 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

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