Summertown High School offers its students an opportunity to select gifts at no cost from their Christmas Store and is asking the public to donate items to help support the worthy cause. The store is offered not only to SHS students, but also to students at Summertown Middle School. They offer items that include: (all sizes) sweatshirts, packages of socks, T-shirts, hats, toboggans, scarves, blankets, bath sets, gift sets, deodorant, shampoo, soap, body spray, small toys and gift cards. All items must be new. Once the store is fully stocked, students are allowed to visit and shop for their families and themselves. A donation box has been placed in the SHS front office. Donations must be received no later than Monday, Dec. 15.
https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/lawrencecountyadvocate/donations-sought-for-summertown-high-school-christmas-store/
Tag: opportunity
How to defeat the Astral Academy bird boss in Constance
The fight against the bird in the Astral Academy can be a tough one to get down right away. Luckily we’ve got a method that makes this boss fight much more of a walk in the park, as long as you’ve got a little bit of patience. How to beat the bird in the Astral Academy The fight begins with the bird generating several spinning circles of fire that you’ve encountered on the path toward this boss room. The fire will spawn in the direction that you’re either standing in or moving toward. This makes it difficult to try to go for attacks on the bird, so you’ll want to primarily focus on just avoiding the fire for now, but you can go for an attack if you happen to be within a close enough distance after dodging. For the bird’s next attack, it transforms into a barrage of papers that fly toward you fairly quickly, along with a line of books that either fall or fly up toward you. You’ll need to Paint Dive through the papers and the books. You don’t need to worry about landing on a platform after diving, as falling off the map will just make you respawn on the last platform you touched and won’t take any health. You can even use that to your advantage, since you do get a brief period of invulnerability after respawning. After this series of attacks ends, the bird will surround itself with sheets of paper, using them to throw paper planes at you one by one. As the bird is shooting its paper planes, it will be encircling the room, stopping briefly at each of the four corner platforms. This is where you’ll have the safest opportunity to attack. At this point, you should have the Paint Clone ability, in which you place down a painted version of yourself that can be exploded to deal damage. Place a Paint Clone at the opposite end of the room from the bird. Then, wait for the bird to move close to the clone and detonate it. This is the safest way to attack since you can easily dodge the paper planes, and the bird’s movements are extremely predictable. Once you’ve done enough damage, the bird will fly up, and a few portal hook points will spawn in the air. You’ll need to figure out the correct order to Paint Stroke through each of these portals until you get high enough to use Paint Stroke through the bird, after which, it will fall to the ground, allowing you to get a few hits in. A good way to get even more damage here is to drop a Paint Clone on the middle platform before launching through the portals, and detonate it when the bird falls down. That way, you can get your few hits in on top of the extra damage from the Paint Clone explosion. This process will repeat a few times. Just keep following the method above for each attack, and you’ll eventually see that sweet victory screen.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146947/how-to-defeat-the-astral-academy-bird-boss-in-constance
Dispatch is “freaking fantastic” and full of lessons, says 007 First Light developer
IO Interactive’s CEO Hakan Abrak recently spoke to gamesindustry. biz about 007 First Light, Hitman, and what’s going on at the studio. During the interview, Abrak hails Dispatch as a “freaking fantastic” game and believes it is full of potential lessons for how to successfully pull off episodic releases in the future. Abrak was asked about Dispatch because of how its success compares to Hitman in 2016. Dispatch is showing episodic releases can still be highly successful, meanwhile, Hitman was heavily criticized. The IO Interactive CEO sings the praises of Dispatch as “freaking fantastic” and a “very, very nice game”. Abrak also admits that IO Interactive was “too early with the concept, and there were many, many mistakes made”. One of the biggest mistakes was the developer “banging on [about how] one Hitman level can yield 50 hours plus of gameplay, whereas the Dispatch structure is a bit different”. This is because “It’s a much more episodic format, where yes, you can go back and kiss Mandy, or not kiss her,” but there’s still less replay, and “when there’s less replay opportunity, then you want to have the next episode coming sooner”. Abrak believes “there are learnings” from Dispatch and that it’s a “huge topic”. These potential lessons raise questions about “the future of gaming,” such as “Do all games need to be 40 hours?”. 007 First Light is coming out on March 27, and IO says they wanted to “make our own James Bond”. The game isn’t episodic, so it doesn’t need to worry about criticisms levied at Hitman, but Abrak is “thinking” about potential lessons from Dispatch “for future instalments”. Dispatch shows path to success for episodic releases Dispatch shows that episodic releases can still be extremely successful. The key reason for its success is that Episodes 1 and 2 came out on October 22, capped off by Episodes 7 and 8 on November 12. All episodes were out in three weeks, which is much faster than Hitman, where it took seven months for all six episodes to release. The Dispatch model is also a lot quicker than Telltale Games’. Telltale attempted to release new episodes every month, but sometimes it took much longer. Thanks to its episodic format, the Dispatch player count got bigger every week, thanks to extremely positive word of mouth. This helped it sell over 1 million copies in just 10 days and also contributed to the game being on track to beat its three-year sales target in just three months.
https://www.videogamer.com/news/dispatch-freaking-fantastic-says-007-first-light-developer/
Peddie’s Aubrey Shaulis leads way for Blue team in big Mooch Senior Game victory
HAMILTON For those who did not get the chance to see Aubrey Shaulis play soccer for the Peddie School this fall, you were missing out. When matched with about 30 of her peers Sunday in the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame/Glenn “Mooch” Myernick Senior Girls’ Game at Al Cowell Sr. Field in Veterans Park, all Shaulis did was score two goals, assist on another, then move to goal and make four saves to help the Blue team pull away from the White squad for a 9-2 victory. The event, which honors the memory of Myernick, who grew up playing soccer in Lawrence and went on to earn national and international fame as a player and coach before dying suddenly 19 years ago, took the opportunity to also honor Bruce Angebranndt, one of the Mooch Senior Games’ key committee members who passed away suddenly this fall, by having the clubs wear Blue and White jerseys this year (as opposed to the usual Red and White jerseys remembering Myernick). Shaulis helped give the opposition the blues from the time she opened scoring 6: 50 into the game. Running alongside a very talented entourage from Princeton Day School, Shaulis added an assist with 5: 10 left in the first half when she led the Panthers’ Zuri Graham for a goal, then scored another 1: 50 after the break to put the Blue team up, 5-0. PDS’ Jules Hartmann and Emma Burns added first-half tallies. “I like playing forward, but we had a strong team,” Shaulis said. “I just wanted to go out here and have some fun one last time this year as I begin preparing for college.” While she is not sure what role soccer will play in her future, Shaulis, who battled back from turf toe to help head coach Matt Roach’s Falcons go 9-5-3 this season, showed she is very capable wherever she is asked to play on the field, including when she moved into net midway through the second half to help stymie any thoughts the White team may have had of mounting a comeback. Even with all that Shaulis did, the hardest working player of the day was, hands down, Hopewell Valley goalkeeper Eva Giambanco. As the lone pure goalie in the game, Giambanco spent the whole game in net for the White side facing the Blue team’s relentless assault and making 12 saves. “I wanted to come out and have fun one last time this year. That’s why I spent the whole game laughing,” said Giambanco, who also plays softball for the Bulldogs. “I didn’t mind that I had to do so much work. I was just happy to get to play with people I had played against all season.” That was the big theme of the day with the direction of MCHOF standouts who donated their time to help with coaching and running the event smoothly like Bobby Smith, Rico Scardelletti, George Tiger, Bruce Brodowski, Art Napolitano, the Fink brothers (John, Joe, Sid and Bird), Tony Rosica and Greg Harvell. The Blue girls made sure they had plenty of fun with Notre Dame’s Avery Whittle adding a goal and two assists, plus the Irish’s Anna Guido adding a goal and an assist, along with Princeton Day’s Nica Martin. Ava “A. J.” Szalbofka also scored to give every Panther in the game a goal. Meanwhile, at the other end of the field, West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Meadow Boateng helped make things a little more interesting for the White team in the second half when she connected on a pair of goals with 30: 30 and 6: 02 remaining off leads from Hopewell’s Delainey Ross and Hightstown’s Liz Reisbord, respectively. White 0 2 2 Blue 4 5 9 Goals: Boateng 2 (W), Shaulis 2, Hartmann, Graham, Burns, Guido, Whittle, Szalbofka, Martin (B); Assists: Ross, Reisbord (W), Guido, Shaulis, Whittle 2, Martin (B). Shots: 11 (W), 21 (B); Saves: Giambanco 12 (W), Gladkowski 2, Daley 1, Szalbolfka 1, Shaulis 4, Muenzen 1 (B).
https://www.trentonian.com/2025/11/23/peddies-aubrey-shaulis-leads-way-for-blue-team-in-big-mooch-senior-game-victory/
WWE star doubtful of his place in the company; makes shocking admission: “I can’t even say”
A current WWE star feels doubts about his place in the biggest wrestling company in the world. He made a surprising admission regarding his thoughts on his future. Je’Von Evans is one of the most exciting prospects on the roster today. He’s a high-flying maniac capable of stealing the show every night. He still needs work on his overall character, but he has shown tremendous improvement over the past year. At just 21 years old, Evans is also one of the youngest talents in WWE and has already wrestled on the main roster a few times. He spoke to Cameron Hawkins of Yahoo! Sports’ Uncrowned and discussed a variety of topics, including where he sees himself on the main roster. “I can’t even say where I fit in or what I bring to the table. I just know that I can bring excitement. I can bring hands. I can bring a whole type of different energy. Whatever you need, I got you,” Evans said. While Je’Von Evans had doubts about his place in the company, he was confident about his ability to become an entertainer. He trusts his skills inside the ring will do the work for him and make the most out of every opportunity. Je’Von Evans grew up being a fan of current WWE champion In the same interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Uncrowned, Je’Von Evans revealed that he was a huge fan of John Cena growing up. He even wore Cena merch during his first WWE event. Things come full circle on Monday when he participates in the Last Time Is Now tournament. “I’ve always been a fan of Cena, especially me being younger. He always played to the younger fans. I’m so blessed to be in this position and have this opportunity. There’s a picture of my first WWE event. I’m wearing John Cena’s headband and wrist joints. This is insane,” Evans said. Evans added that he’d be content about his career if he gets to win the tournament and ends Cena’s career at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D. C.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-wwe-star-doubtful-place-company-makes-shocking-admission-i-even-say
“The fans don’t understand” – Former Liverpool star makes surprise claim about Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid
Former Premier League player Jermaine Pennant has criticized Liverpool fans for booing Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold during his return to Anfield. Pennant believes that the fans do not fully understand the allure of the Spanish club and emphasized that the Englishman had achieved everything at Liverpool before his departure.
Speaking to AS, Pennant acknowledged the passion of Liverpool supporters and understood their disappointment at Alexander-Arnold’s exit. However, he disagreed with the notion that the player abandoned the club and the city.
“It’s difficult because Liverpool fans are so passionate. Obviously, they didn’t like that he left. The fans don’t understand. They think he should stay at Liverpool because it’s more than a club, it’s a family. They feel he has abandoned the club, the city, and the fans. I understand why the fans are upset. Nobody wants to see a great player leave their club, especially when he’s been there so long,” Pennant said.
Highlighting Trent’s achievements, Pennant added that the defender had been brilliant since his academy days and should be celebrated for his career at Anfield. He also explained that it was natural for the player to want to experience a different league.
“The other side of the coin is that he was a great servant of Liverpool. He’d been at the club since he was very young and rose through the ranks to win everything with them. Would they have had the same success without him? He was a great player, but there comes a time in a player’s career when they want to try something different, and the opportunity to play for a club like Real Madrid isn’t something that’s available to most players and is very difficult to turn down. On the other hand, I appreciate that some fans are thanking him for what he’s done and wishing him all the best at Real Madrid,” Pennant added.
Meanwhile, Manchester United has also criticized Liverpool fans for booing Trent Alexander-Arnold during his recent return to Anfield.
Trent Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool for Real Madrid in the summer after running down his contract with the Reds. Initially set to join on a free transfer, Real Madrid paid a £10 million fee to secure his services a month earlier than planned, ahead of their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Since his move, the Englishman has been competing for the right-back position with Dani Carvajal. However, injuries to both players this season have led coach Xabi Alonso to deploy midfielder Federico Valverde in the role.
Alexander-Arnold made his first return to Anfield earlier this month, featuring in the second half of Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-the-fans-understand-former-liverpool-star-makes-surprise-claim-trent-alexander-arnold-joining-real-madrid
OpenAI signs deal with PayPal to let users link wallets to ChatGPT for transactions
It appears that ChatGPT will soon make it easier for users with PayPal accounts to buy and sell products and services through the platform. PayPal and OpenAI have announced the signing of a partnership that will allow users to link their PayPal wallets directly to ChatGPT.
This integration and its associated benefits are expected to go live in early 2026. PayPal shared details of the collaboration in a press release published on its newsroom website earlier this week.
As part of the deal, PayPal will adopt the “Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)” to connect its payment and commerce system to ChatGPT. This move will enable merchants who use ChatGPT to sell goods and services to seamlessly link their PayPal accounts for transactions.
Moreover, PayPal will integrate its merchant network with ChatGPT, allowing small businesses and brands to conduct transactional business directly within the platform. This integration represents a significant opportunity for PayPal to expand its merchant and commerce markets into a vibrant and active ecosystem.
PayPal President and CEO Alex Chriss highlighted the potential impact of this partnership, emphasizing its importance for the company’s growth and innovation strategies.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146549/openai-paypal-deal-wallet-chatgpt