DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar on Wednesday unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan 
village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing 
toward the lower end of what's available for the upcoming World Cup just
 days away from starting.

As journalists toured the cabins, desert
 winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometer (1.1 square-mile) 
site, which housed a metro station, a bus stop, and a planned temporary 
restaurant and convenience store. The area could in theory hold as many 
as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.

Artificial
 green grass coveredare the walkways outside, with common areas filled 
with large bean-bag style chairs under a gray sky Wednesday. Competing 
nations' flags flapped in the strong desert wind, a large screen also 
present at the site for fans to watch matches. Workers milled about the 
site, checking on its final touches.

The brightly colored cabins, 
each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin 
beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet 
and a shower inside.

Each will go for around $200 a night — $270 
with board — as the tournament goes on. Some 60% of the cabins are 
already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of 
accommodation at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for 
the tournament.

There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night 
farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad 
International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours
 during the tournament. Planes rumbled overhead during the visit 
Wednesday.

Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.

“Most
 of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the 
apartment and villa,” al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by
 French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget 
accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, 
he said.

In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel 
room space and high prices for the rooms available have trailed Qatar, 
which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans 
at the World Cup. So Doha has created <a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-soccer-sports-international-world-cup-be7873252ed55295ad0d75c83b8fcbd8">camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games.</a>

Qatar has estimated it will have 130,000 rooms per day for the tournament.

Already, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-soccer-sports-health-travel-1fadb56a4ffb7b45837f7c26f168a436">nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has planned for an influx of World Cup fans</a> who want to stay there where their money may go further.

“Now,
 the shuttle flights option, it’s one of the options for the people who 
stay already in our neighbor countries and ... they would like to just 
to spend a day for to attend the match,” al-Jaber said. “So this is a 
good option for them in a state of their case.”

He added: “If they
 would like to come and stay, they are more than welcome, of course, and
 there is a many, many options for them."

There are still multiple
 options available for fans in Qatar available to rent, ranging from 
hotels, cruise ship rooms, traditional dhow sailing vessels and tents, 
the fan village, porta cabins and caravans. al-Jaber said.

“We 
have enough accommodation and people still they can come and enjoy the 
tournament and of course they can choose what they are looking for from 
the accommodation," he said.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar on Wednesday unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan 
village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing 
toward the lower end of what's available for the upcoming World Cup just
 days away from starting.As journalists toured the cabins, desert
 winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometer (1.1 square-mile) 
site, which housed a metro station, a bus stop, and a planned temporary 
restaurant and convenience store. The area could in theory hold as many 
as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.Artificial
 green grass coveredare the walkways outside, with common areas filled 
with large bean-bag style chairs under a gray sky Wednesday. Competing 
nations' flags flapped in the strong desert wind, a large screen also 
present at the site for fans to watch matches. Workers milled about the 
site, checking on its final touches.The brightly colored cabins, 
each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin 
beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet 
and a shower inside.Each will go for around $200 a night — $270 
with board — as the tournament goes on. Some 60% of the cabins are 
already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of 
accommodation at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for 
the tournament.There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night 
farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad 
International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours
 during the tournament. Planes rumbled overhead during the visit 
Wednesday.Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666968926967.jpeg" alt="AP Photo/Darko Bandic" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Darko Bandic</figcaption>
 </figure>“Most
 of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the 
apartment and villa,” al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by
 French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget 
accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, 
he said.In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel 
room space and high prices for the rooms available have trailed Qatar, 
which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans 
at the World Cup. So Doha has created <a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-soccer-sports-international-world-cup-be7873252ed55295ad0d75c83b8fcbd8">camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games.</a>Qatar has estimated it will have 130,000 rooms per day for the tournament.Already, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-soccer-sports-health-travel-1fadb56a4ffb7b45837f7c26f168a436">nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has planned for an influx of World Cup fans</a> who want to stay there where their money may go further.“Now,
 the shuttle flights option, it’s one of the options for the people who 
stay already in our neighbor countries and ... they would like to just 
to spend a day for to attend the match,” al-Jaber said. “So this is a 
good option for them in a state of their case.”He added: “If they
 would like to come and stay, they are more than welcome, of course, and
 there is a many, many options for them."There are still multiple
 options available for fans in Qatar available to rent, ranging from 
hotels, cruise ship rooms, traditional dhow sailing vessels and tents, 
the fan village, porta cabins and caravans. al-Jaber said.“We 
have enough accommodation and people still they can come and enjoy the 
tournament and of course they can choose what they are looking for from 
the accommodation," he said.

Qatar unveils 6,000-cabin World Cup fan village near airport

In a Securities and Exchange Commissioner filing Wednesday, Gannett Co. Inc. said <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/maribel-perez-wadsworth-is-leaving-gannett/">Maribel Perez Wadsworth</a>, president of Gannett Media, has announced her intention to resign from the company.

Gannett is the owner of the USA Today Network. Its predecessor company, Gatehouse, formerly owned the Hays Daily News before selling it and several other properties to Cherryroad Media.

In Kansas, Gannett still operates newspapers in Hutchinson, Salina and Topeka.

Gannett, which still operates more than 200 newspapers across the country, recently announced it had lost $54 million in the second quarter — <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/gannett-announces-new-cuts-including-mandatory-unpaid-leave-and-buyouts/">a result that led to the severe cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, mandatory furloughs and suspension of 401(k) contributions.</a>

Hays PostIn a Securities and Exchange Commissioner filing Wednesday, Gannett Co. Inc. said <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/maribel-perez-wadsworth-is-leaving-gannett/">Maribel Perez Wadsworth</a>, president of Gannett Media, has announced her intention to resign from the company.Gannett is the owner of the USA Today Network. Its predecessor company, Gatehouse, formerly owned the Hays Daily News before selling it and several other properties to Cherryroad Media.In Kansas, Gannett still operates newspapers in Hutchinson, Salina and Topeka.Gannett, which still operates more than 200 newspapers across the country, recently announced it had lost $54 million in the second quarter — <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/gannett-announces-new-cuts-including-mandatory-unpaid-leave-and-buyouts/">a result that led to the severe cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, mandatory furloughs and suspension of 401(k) contributions.</a>

Gannett Media president announces resignation

DENVER (AP) — A vote to decide whether Colorado will become the second state, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-oregon-elections-a7bf2c4477ca38a31bd140848c023061">after Oregon</a>, to create a legalized system for the use of psychedelic mushrooms was too early to call Tuesday.

The
 ballot initiative would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for those 
21 and older and create state-regulated “healing centers” where 
participants can experience the drug under the supervision of a licensed
 “facilitator.” The measure would establish a regulated system for using
 substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals 
found in some mushrooms. It also would allow private personal use of the
 drugs.

If passed, the initiative would take effect toward the end
 of 2024. It also would permit a state advisory board to add other 
plant-based psychedelic drugs to the program in 2026. Those include 
dimethyltryptamine, also known as DMT, ibogaine and mescaline not 
derived from peyote, which is considered sacred by some Native 
Americans.

Proponents argued that Colorado’s current approach to 
mental health has failed and that naturally occurring psychedelics, 
which have been used for hundreds of years, can treat depression, PTSD, 
anxiety, addiction and other conditions. They also said jailing people 
for the nonviolent offense of using naturally occurring substances costs
 taxpayers money.

But critics noted the Food and Drug 
Administration has not approved the substances as medicine. They also 
argued allowing healing centers to operate and permitting personal use 
would jeopardize public safety and send the wrong message to kids and 
adults alike that the substances are healthy.

The move comes a 
decade after Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana after 
initially allowing its use for medical reasons, which led to a 
multibillion-dollar industry with hundreds of dispensaries popping up 
across the state. Critics of the latest ballot initiative say the same 
deep-pocketed players who were involved in legalizing recreational 
marijuana are using a similar playbook to create a commercial market, 
and eventually recreational dispensaries, for dangerous substances.

Voter
 James Hampl said Tuesday he worries that legalizing the medical use of 
mushrooms would also open the door to legalizing their recreational use 
and cause more drug addiction.

“I don’t think we need more psychos running around the street,” he said. “I need to worry about my family.”

But
 Laura Owsly, 28, who works in the tourism industry, said she supported 
the measure because she is hopeful psychedelic mushrooms could help 
people struggling with PTSD.

Allowing their medical would be an 
important step in researching the efficacy of mushrooms, Owsly said. She
 was was not concerned it would lead to an increase in addiction.

“It didn’t happen with marijuana, and it’s not going to happen with hallucinogens,” she said.

Under
 the measure, the psychedelics that would be decriminalized are listed 
as schedule 1 controlled substances under state and federal law and are 
defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use with a high 
potential for abuse.

Even so, the FDA has designated psilocybin a 
“breakthrough therapy” to treat major depressive disorder. The 
designation can expedite research, development and review of a drug if 
it might offer substantial improvements over existing treatments.

Colorado’s
 ballot initiative would allow those 21 and older to grow, possess and 
share the psychedelic substances but not sell them for personal use. It 
also would allow people who have been convicted of offenses involving 
the substances to have their criminal records sealed.

In 2020, 
Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the therapeutic,
 supervised use of psilocybin after 56% of voters approved Ballot 
Measure 109. But unlike the Colorado measure, Oregon allows counties to 
opt out of the program if their constituents vote to do so.

Oregon’s initiative is expected to take effect at the beginning of next year.

Washington,
 D.C., and Denver have partially decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms by
 requiring law enforcement officers to treat them as their lowest 
priority.

DENVER (AP) — A vote to decide whether Colorado will become the second state, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-oregon-elections-a7bf2c4477ca38a31bd140848c023061">after Oregon</a>, to create a legalized system for the use of psychedelic mushrooms was too early to call Tuesday.The
 ballot initiative would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for those 
21 and older and create state-regulated “healing centers” where 
participants can experience the drug under the supervision of a licensed
 “facilitator.” The measure would establish a regulated system for using
 substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals 
found in some mushrooms. It also would allow private personal use of the
 drugs.If passed, the initiative would take effect toward the end
 of 2024. It also would permit a state advisory board to add other 
plant-based psychedelic drugs to the program in 2026. Those include 
dimethyltryptamine, also known as DMT, ibogaine and mescaline not 
derived from peyote, which is considered sacred by some Native 
Americans.Proponents argued that Colorado’s current approach to 
mental health has failed and that naturally occurring psychedelics, 
which have been used for hundreds of years, can treat depression, PTSD, 
anxiety, addiction and other conditions. They also said jailing people 
for the nonviolent offense of using naturally occurring substances costs
 taxpayers money.But critics noted the Food and Drug 
Administration has not approved the substances as medicine. They also 
argued allowing healing centers to operate and permitting personal use 
would jeopardize public safety and send the wrong message to kids and 
adults alike that the substances are healthy.The move comes a 
decade after Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana after 
initially allowing its use for medical reasons, which led to a 
multibillion-dollar industry with hundreds of dispensaries popping up 
across the state. Critics of the latest ballot initiative say the same 
deep-pocketed players who were involved in legalizing recreational 
marijuana are using a similar playbook to create a commercial market, 
and eventually recreational dispensaries, for dangerous substances.Voter
 James Hampl said Tuesday he worries that legalizing the medical use of 
mushrooms would also open the door to legalizing their recreational use 
and cause more drug addiction.“I don’t think we need more psychos running around the street,” he said. “I need to worry about my family.”But
 Laura Owsly, 28, who works in the tourism industry, said she supported 
the measure because she is hopeful psychedelic mushrooms could help 
people struggling with PTSD.Allowing their medical would be an 
important step in researching the efficacy of mushrooms, Owsly said. She
 was was not concerned it would lead to an increase in addiction.“It didn’t happen with marijuana, and it’s not going to happen with hallucinogens,” she said.Under
 the measure, the psychedelics that would be decriminalized are listed 
as schedule 1 controlled substances under state and federal law and are 
defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use with a high 
potential for abuse.Even so, the FDA has designated psilocybin a 
“breakthrough therapy” to treat major depressive disorder. The 
designation can expedite research, development and review of a drug if 
it might offer substantial improvements over existing treatments.Colorado’s
 ballot initiative would allow those 21 and older to grow, possess and 
share the psychedelic substances but not sell them for personal use. It 
also would allow people who have been convicted of offenses involving 
the substances to have their criminal records sealed.In 2020, 
Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the therapeutic,
 supervised use of psilocybin after 56% of voters approved Ballot 
Measure 109. But unlike the Colorado measure, Oregon allows counties to 
opt out of the program if their constituents vote to do so.Oregon’s initiative is expected to take effect at the beginning of next year.Washington,
 D.C., and Denver have partially decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms by
 requiring law enforcement officers to treat them as their lowest 
priority.

'Magic mushrooms' vote too early to call in Colorado

Facebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce, as it <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-earnings-reports-8d24203456813802a4239e54d1b444d4">contends with faltering revenue</a> and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2022/11/mark-zuckerberg-layoff-message-to-employees/">a letter to employees</a> Wednesday.

The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-business-climate-and-environment-9ab47198753931c7bea91f6e678f1d17">billionaire Elon Musk</a>. There have been numerous job cuts at other tech companies that hired rapidly during the pandemic.

Zuckerberg
 as well said that he had made the decision to hire aggressively, 
anticipating rapid growth even after the pandemic ended.

“Unfortunately,
 this did not play out the way I expected,” Zuckerberg said in a 
prepared statement. “Not only has online commerce returned to prior 
trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads 
signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected. I
 got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

Meta, like 
other social media companies, enjoyed a financial boost during the 
pandemic lockdown era because more people stayed home and scrolled on 
their phones and computers. But as the lockdowns ended and people 
started going outside again, revenue growth began to falter.

Of particular concern to investors, Meta poured over <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-entertainment-lifestyle-business-fiction-c5702329ad3c52f7e39a2179165e07d4">$10 billion a year into the “metaverse”</a>
 as it shifts its focus away from social media. Zuckerberg predicts the 
metaverse, an immersive digital universe, will eventually replace 
smartphones as the primary way people use technology.

Spooked 
investors have sent company shares tumbling more than 71% since the 
beginning of the year and the stock now trades at levels last seen in 
2015.

An economic slowdown and a grim outlook for online 
advertising — by far Meta’s biggest revenue source — have contributed to
 Meta's woes as well. This summer, Meta posted its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-first-ever-revenue-decline-a7632a8ef1a970dc69753980e03c026b">first quarterly revenue decline in history</a>, followed by another, bigger decline in the fall.

Some of the pain is company-specific, while some is tied to broader economic and technological forces.

Last week, Twitter laid off about half of its 7,500 employees, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-business-layoffs-c0334da78b3af9faf2f43cf3f6e52ffa">part of a chaotic overhaul</a>
 as Musk took the helm. He tweeted that there was no choice but to cut 
the jobs “when the company is losing over $4M/day," though did not 
provide details about the losses.

Meta and its advertisers are bracing for a potential recession. There’s also the challenge of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-general-news-technology-a96d8900ab6167f1fd9ca1f26b9556e1">Apple's privacy tools</a>,
 which make it more difficult for social media platforms like Facebook, 
Instagram and Snap to track people without their consent and target ads 
to them.

Competition from TikTok is also an a growing threat as 
younger people flock to the video sharing app over Instagram, which Meta
 also owns.

“We’ve cut costs across our business, including 
scaling back budgets, reducing perks, and shrinking our real estate 
footprint," Zuckerberg said. ”We’re restructuring teams to increase our 
efficiency. But these measures alone won’t bring our expenses in line 
with our revenue growth, so I’ve also made the hard decision to let 
people go."

A hiring freeze at the company will be extended 
through the first quarter of 2023, Zuckerberg said. The company has also
 slashed its real estate footprint and he said that with so many 
employees working outside of the office, the company will transition to 
desk sharing for those that remain.

More cost cuts at Meta will be rolled out in coming months, Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg
 told employees Wednesday that they will receive an email letting them 
know if they are among those being let go. Access to most company 
systems will be cut off for people losing their jobs, he said, due to 
the sensitive nature of that information.

“We’re keeping email addresses active throughout the day so everyone can say farewell,” Zuckerberg said.

Former
 employees will receive 16 weeks of base pay, plus two additional weeks 
for every year with the company, Zuckerberg said. Health insurance for 
those employees and their families will continue for six months.

Shares of Meta Platforms Inc. jumped almost 5% before the opening bell Wednesday.

Associated PressFacebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce, as it <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-earnings-reports-8d24203456813802a4239e54d1b444d4">contends with faltering revenue</a> and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2022/11/mark-zuckerberg-layoff-message-to-employees/">a letter to employees</a> Wednesday.The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-business-climate-and-environment-9ab47198753931c7bea91f6e678f1d17">billionaire Elon Musk</a>. There have been numerous job cuts at other tech companies that hired rapidly during the pandemic.Zuckerberg
 as well said that he had made the decision to hire aggressively, 
anticipating rapid growth even after the pandemic ended.“Unfortunately,
 this did not play out the way I expected,” Zuckerberg said in a 
prepared statement. “Not only has online commerce returned to prior 
trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads 
signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected. I
 got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”Meta, like 
other social media companies, enjoyed a financial boost during the 
pandemic lockdown era because more people stayed home and scrolled on 
their phones and computers. But as the lockdowns ended and people 
started going outside again, revenue growth began to falter.Of particular concern to investors, Meta poured over <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-entertainment-lifestyle-business-fiction-c5702329ad3c52f7e39a2179165e07d4">$10 billion a year into the “metaverse”</a>
 as it shifts its focus away from social media. Zuckerberg predicts the 
metaverse, an immersive digital universe, will eventually replace 
smartphones as the primary way people use technology.Spooked 
investors have sent company shares tumbling more than 71% since the 
beginning of the year and the stock now trades at levels last seen in 
2015.An economic slowdown and a grim outlook for online 
advertising — by far Meta’s biggest revenue source — have contributed to
 Meta's woes as well. This summer, Meta posted its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-first-ever-revenue-decline-a7632a8ef1a970dc69753980e03c026b">first quarterly revenue decline in history</a>, followed by another, bigger decline in the fall.Some of the pain is company-specific, while some is tied to broader economic and technological forces.Last week, Twitter laid off about half of its 7,500 employees, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-business-layoffs-c0334da78b3af9faf2f43cf3f6e52ffa">part of a chaotic overhaul</a>
 as Musk took the helm. He tweeted that there was no choice but to cut 
the jobs “when the company is losing over $4M/day," though did not 
provide details about the losses.Meta and its advertisers are bracing for a potential recession. There’s also the challenge of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-general-news-technology-a96d8900ab6167f1fd9ca1f26b9556e1">Apple's privacy tools</a>,
 which make it more difficult for social media platforms like Facebook, 
Instagram and Snap to track people without their consent and target ads 
to them.Competition from TikTok is also an a growing threat as 
younger people flock to the video sharing app over Instagram, which Meta
 also owns.“We’ve cut costs across our business, including 
scaling back budgets, reducing perks, and shrinking our real estate 
footprint," Zuckerberg said. ”We’re restructuring teams to increase our 
efficiency. But these measures alone won’t bring our expenses in line 
with our revenue growth, so I’ve also made the hard decision to let 
people go."A hiring freeze at the company will be extended 
through the first quarter of 2023, Zuckerberg said. The company has also
 slashed its real estate footprint and he said that with so many 
employees working outside of the office, the company will transition to 
desk sharing for those that remain.More cost cuts at Meta will be rolled out in coming months, Zuckerberg said.Zuckerberg
 told employees Wednesday that they will receive an email letting them 
know if they are among those being let go. Access to most company 
systems will be cut off for people losing their jobs, he said, due to 
the sensitive nature of that information.“We’re keeping email addresses active throughout the day so everyone can say farewell,” Zuckerberg said.Former
 employees will receive 16 weeks of base pay, plus two additional weeks 
for every year with the company, Zuckerberg said. Health insurance for 
those employees and their families will continue for six months.Shares of Meta Platforms Inc. jumped almost 5% before the opening bell Wednesday.

Facebook parent Meta cuts 11,000 jobs, 13% of workforce

LONDON
 (AP) — A protester was arrested Wednesday after hurling eggs and 
vitriol at King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, as they 
walked in the northern England city of York.

The incident happened
 as the king and his wife were entering York through Micklegate Bar, a 
medieval gateway where monarchs are traditionally welcomed to the city.

Video
 footage showed several eggs in motion and smashed on the ground. None 
appeared to hit the royal couple, who continued to greet crowds.

Several
 police officers could be seen grappling with a man at a crowd barrier. 
Britain's PA news agency reported that he booed and shouted “This 
country was built on the blood of slaves” as he was being detained.

Other members of the crowd tried to drown him out by chanting “Shame on you” and “God save the King.”

Charles
 and Camilla traveled to York as part of a series of engagements around 
the U.K. marking the start of the new king's reign. They also visited 
the city’s cathedral, York Minster, and unveiled a statue of the king's 
mother. Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September after 70 years on the 
throne.

LONDON
 (AP) — A protester was arrested Wednesday after hurling eggs and 
vitriol at King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, as they 
walked in the northern England city of York.The incident happened
 as the king and his wife were entering York through Micklegate Bar, a 
medieval gateway where monarchs are traditionally welcomed to the city.Video
 footage showed several eggs in motion and smashed on the ground. None 
appeared to hit the royal couple, who continued to greet crowds.Several
 police officers could be seen grappling with a man at a crowd barrier. 
Britain's PA news agency reported that he booed and shouted “This 
country was built on the blood of slaves” as he was being detained.Other members of the crowd tried to drown him out by chanting “Shame on you” and “God save the King.”Charles
 and Camilla traveled to York as part of a series of engagements around 
the U.K. marking the start of the new king's reign. They also visited 
the city’s cathedral, York Minster, and unveiled a statue of the king's 
mother. Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September after 70 years on the 
throne.

Police detain man after eggs thrown at King Charles III

WASHINGTON (AP) —Former President Donald Trump and some other Republicans are twisting minor voting problems in <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">U.S. midterm elections</a>
 into conspiracy theories and false claims to sow doubt about Democratic
 victories, continuing efforts since 2020 to undermine Americans’ 
confidence in voting.

Election Day unfolded without major or 
widespread voting snags, yet some GOP candidates sought to distort the 
severity of the few hitches that occurred, such as voting <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-arizona-4e15278b82452878d6f6aa45b2984579">machines temporarily malfunctioning in Arizona’s largest county</a> and some Detroit voters wrongly being told they had already cast ballots.

“The
 most concerning thing is the way those isolated incidents are being 
used to spread mis- and disinformation and lies around the election in 
an attempt to undermine people’s confidence and faith in the election,” 
said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for the nonpartisan
 group Common Cause.

In 2020, conspiracies about a rigged election
 were fueled by bogus reports of suitcases stuffed with fraudulent 
ballots at a Georgia vote-counting operation and ‘’ballot mules’’ 
loading up drop boxes with fraudulent ballots.

The GOP has kept up the rhetoric since then and laid the groundwork for contesting this year's midterm elections. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-lawsuits-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-b5bbd44a2fe3ade45a1f6cf2a59c0639">More than 100 lawsuits were filed</a>
 across the country before Election Day, targeting mail-in voting rules,
 voting machine security and access for partisan poll watchers.

After
 Trump lost Arizona to President Joe Biden by just over 10,000 votes, he
 and his supporters peddled a string of allegations about election 
wrongdoing that crumbled under scrutiny.

Two years later, the state remains pivotal. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-274fa547d321f88762954f8f8806c88d">Democrats held narrow leads early Wednesday</a> in too-close-to-call races for governor and U.S. Senate.

Trump
 and some of his supporters sought to amplify problems with 
vote-tabulation equipment in roughly 25% of polling places in Maricopa 
County, home to Phoenix and the majority of the state’s population.

Codes
 on ballots that were printed too lightly to be be read by tabulating 
scanners caused the confusion. Impacted voters were given a choice: 
Leave their ballots in a locked box at their polling place to be counted
 at a central office on Wednesday, or take them to another voting center
 on Tuesday.

Trump seized on the problem in a message on his 
social network. He said the problem, which appeared similar to a voting 
issue in New Jersey’s Mercer County, was an effort by Democrats to 
“steal the election.”

“Every national election you have problems 
like these somewhere,” said Lawrence Norden, senior director of the 
Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. “The
 fact that we’re talking about them the next day speaks to the fact that
 there was an organized effort to weaponize these types of things.”

The
 Republican official overseeing the election in Maricopa County 
apologized for the inconvenience and pledged that every legal vote would
 be counted no matter which method voters chose.

But Kari Lake, 
the Republican candidate for governor, told her supporters that they 
should leave the ballot to be counted later only if they couldn’t wait —
 and that they should not take it to another polling place.

In a late-night speech to supporters, Lake focused entirely on election issues.

“The
 system we have right now does not work,” she said. “We the people 
deserve to know on election night the winner and the loser and we will 
bring that kind of election back to Arizona. I assure you of that.”

Election
 critics also focused on a glitch in Detroit. Some electronic poll books
 used for signing in voters displayed an error message stating that 
numbers on ballots already had been assigned to an absentee ballot. Poll
 workers were able to use paper backup poll books when the electronic 
ones had problems.

Detroit is a Democratic stronghold in a swing state, so turnout there can be key in election outcomes. On Tuesday, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-a91578081bc2141151efdf74bb4b3ccb">Democrat Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected</a> as governor. Democrats also won races for attorney general and secretary of state, defeating <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-donald-trump-0ee9afeb304662dcec28e8af0f18bc1d">Republicans who questioned the 2020 election results</a>.

“It
 was identified and resolved quite quickly” and voters who were wrongly 
flagged were given ballots, said Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the 
Michigan Secretary of State office.

But that didn’t keep Trump from urging his supporters to protest in Detroit — actions that did not materialize on Tuesday.

“We
 have seen misinformation spread about nuances and complexity of 
elections for more than two years,” Rollow said. “It continues to be a 
threat to our democracy, a threat to voters’ faith in our elections and 
really just an unfortunate part of the current political era.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —Former President Donald Trump and some other Republicans are twisting minor voting problems in <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">U.S. midterm elections</a>
 into conspiracy theories and false claims to sow doubt about Democratic
 victories, continuing efforts since 2020 to undermine Americans’ 
confidence in voting.Election Day unfolded without major or 
widespread voting snags, yet some GOP candidates sought to distort the 
severity of the few hitches that occurred, such as voting <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-arizona-4e15278b82452878d6f6aa45b2984579">machines temporarily malfunctioning in Arizona’s largest county</a> and some Detroit voters wrongly being told they had already cast ballots.“The
 most concerning thing is the way those isolated incidents are being 
used to spread mis- and disinformation and lies around the election in 
an attempt to undermine people’s confidence and faith in the election,” 
said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for the nonpartisan
 group Common Cause.In 2020, conspiracies about a rigged election
 were fueled by bogus reports of suitcases stuffed with fraudulent 
ballots at a Georgia vote-counting operation and ‘’ballot mules’’ 
loading up drop boxes with fraudulent ballots.The GOP has kept up the rhetoric since then and laid the groundwork for contesting this year's midterm elections. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-lawsuits-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-b5bbd44a2fe3ade45a1f6cf2a59c0639">More than 100 lawsuits were filed</a>
 across the country before Election Day, targeting mail-in voting rules,
 voting machine security and access for partisan poll watchers.After
 Trump lost Arizona to President Joe Biden by just over 10,000 votes, he
 and his supporters peddled a string of allegations about election 
wrongdoing that crumbled under scrutiny.Two years later, the state remains pivotal. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-274fa547d321f88762954f8f8806c88d">Democrats held narrow leads early Wednesday</a> in too-close-to-call races for governor and U.S. Senate.Trump
 and some of his supporters sought to amplify problems with 
vote-tabulation equipment in roughly 25% of polling places in Maricopa 
County, home to Phoenix and the majority of the state’s population.Codes
 on ballots that were printed too lightly to be be read by tabulating 
scanners caused the confusion. Impacted voters were given a choice: 
Leave their ballots in a locked box at their polling place to be counted
 at a central office on Wednesday, or take them to another voting center
 on Tuesday.Trump seized on the problem in a message on his 
social network. He said the problem, which appeared similar to a voting 
issue in New Jersey’s Mercer County, was an effort by Democrats to 
“steal the election.”“Every national election you have problems 
like these somewhere,” said Lawrence Norden, senior director of the 
Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. “The
 fact that we’re talking about them the next day speaks to the fact that
 there was an organized effort to weaponize these types of things.”The
 Republican official overseeing the election in Maricopa County 
apologized for the inconvenience and pledged that every legal vote would
 be counted no matter which method voters chose.But Kari Lake, 
the Republican candidate for governor, told her supporters that they 
should leave the ballot to be counted later only if they couldn’t wait —
 and that they should not take it to another polling place.In a late-night speech to supporters, Lake focused entirely on election issues.“The
 system we have right now does not work,” she said. “We the people 
deserve to know on election night the winner and the loser and we will 
bring that kind of election back to Arizona. I assure you of that.”Election
 critics also focused on a glitch in Detroit. Some electronic poll books
 used for signing in voters displayed an error message stating that 
numbers on ballots already had been assigned to an absentee ballot. Poll
 workers were able to use paper backup poll books when the electronic 
ones had problems.Detroit is a Democratic stronghold in a swing state, so turnout there can be key in election outcomes. On Tuesday, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-a91578081bc2141151efdf74bb4b3ccb">Democrat Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected</a> as governor. Democrats also won races for attorney general and secretary of state, defeating <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-donald-trump-0ee9afeb304662dcec28e8af0f18bc1d">Republicans who questioned the 2020 election results</a>.“It
 was identified and resolved quite quickly” and voters who were wrongly 
flagged were given ballots, said Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the 
Michigan Secretary of State office.But that didn’t keep Trump from urging his supporters to protest in Detroit — actions that did not materialize on Tuesday.“We
 have seen misinformation spread about nuances and complexity of 
elections for more than two years,” Rollow said. “It continues to be a 
threat to our democracy, a threat to voters’ faith in our elections and 
really just an unfortunate part of the current political era.”

Minor poll problems twisted into false US election claims

GENEVA
 (AP) — A pear-shaped 18-carat pink diamond billed as a rarity sold at a
 Geneva auction for 28.4 million Swiss francs ($28.8 million), including
 fees and taxes, on the lower end of the expected range.

The 
“Fortune Pink” fancy vivid pink stone, said to be the largest of its 
kind and shape to go on the block, headlined Christie's latest Geneva 
sale of jewelry. It had been expected to fetch between $25 million and 
$35 million.

The auction house said an unidentified Asian buyer snapped up the diamond.

Max
 Fawcett, head of Christie’s jewelry department in Geneva, said the 
stone with a strong, saturated pink color was mined in Brazil more than 
15 years ago. He declined to identify its owner, but described the 
diamond as “a true miracle of nature.”

Christie’s says the first 
pink diamonds ever recorded were found in India’s Golconda mines in the 
16th century, before others turned up over the centuries in places like 
Africa, Australia, Brazil and Russia.

The pink stone’s auction followed a showroom tour in New York, Shanghai, Singapore and Taiwan before its arrival in Geneva.

Managing director Tobias Kormind of 77 Diamonds, an online diamond jeweler, called the sale price disappointing.

“The
 extraordinary Fortune Pink diamond sold in Geneva, with its auspicious 
18.18 carat weight, which signifies prosperity in Asia, sadly didn’t 
bring the luck or uplift in fortunes many had hoped for," he said.

He
 suggested the result could be reflection of a “shaky global economy” 
and other financial factors, which have been “giving rise to worries 
creeping in, even among the top echelon of wealthy buyers.”

The 
auction comes six months after Christie's sold “The Rock” — a 228-carat 
egg-sized white diamond billed as the largest of its kind to go up for 
auction — for more than $21.75 million, including fees. That was also at
 the low end of the expected range.

GENEVA
 (AP) — A pear-shaped 18-carat pink diamond billed as a rarity sold at a
 Geneva auction for 28.4 million Swiss francs ($28.8 million), including
 fees and taxes, on the lower end of the expected range.The 
“Fortune Pink” fancy vivid pink stone, said to be the largest of its 
kind and shape to go on the block, headlined Christie's latest Geneva 
sale of jewelry. It had been expected to fetch between $25 million and 
$35 million.The auction house said an unidentified Asian buyer snapped up the diamond.Max
 Fawcett, head of Christie’s jewelry department in Geneva, said the 
stone with a strong, saturated pink color was mined in Brazil more than 
15 years ago. He declined to identify its owner, but described the 
diamond as “a true miracle of nature.”Christie’s says the first 
pink diamonds ever recorded were found in India’s Golconda mines in the 
16th century, before others turned up over the centuries in places like 
Africa, Australia, Brazil and Russia.The pink stone’s auction followed a showroom tour in New York, Shanghai, Singapore and Taiwan before its arrival in Geneva.Managing director Tobias Kormind of 77 Diamonds, an online diamond jeweler, called the sale price disappointing.“The
 extraordinary Fortune Pink diamond sold in Geneva, with its auspicious 
18.18 carat weight, which signifies prosperity in Asia, sadly didn’t 
bring the luck or uplift in fortunes many had hoped for," he said.He
 suggested the result could be reflection of a “shaky global economy” 
and other financial factors, which have been “giving rise to worries 
creeping in, even among the top echelon of wealthy buyers.”The 
auction comes six months after Christie's sold “The Rock” — a 228-carat 
egg-sized white diamond billed as the largest of its kind to go up for 
auction — for more than $21.75 million, including fees. That was also at
 the low end of the expected range.

18-carat pink diamond reaps $28.8 million at Geneva auction

By JAKE COYLE Associated Press

Made in the wake of tragedy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z3QKkl1WyM">“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”</a>
 reverberates with the agony of loss, piercing the usually less 
consequential superhero realm. Like someone going through the stages of 
grief, Ryan Coogler’s movie is at turns mournful and rootless, full of 
rage and blessed with clarity. In the fantastical Marvel Cinematic 
Universe where mortality is almost always a plaything, wrestling with 
the genuine article, in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-race-and-ethnicity-ca-state-wire-entertainment-sc-state-wire-5f4352111fdead278da3651b44d311b8">the death of T’Challa star Chadwick Boseman</a>, makes for an unusually uncertain, soul-searching kind of blockbuster-scale entertainment.

It’s
 a fine line, of course, between paying tribute and trading on it. I did
 cringe a little when the Marvel logo unspooled with images of Boseman 
within the letters: Eulogy as branding. That “Black Panther,” a cultural
 phenomenon and a box-office smash, would get a sequel, at all, was 
momentarily in doubt after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer 
in 2020. Radically reworked by Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole, 
“Wakanda Forever” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-health-movies-covid-6852dcc0e6cc687a42a45907cff1bfac">pushed ahead in hopes of honoring both Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world of the landmark original.</a> In its admirably muddled way, it succeeds in both.

Part of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-film-reviews-north-america-ap-top-news-ryan-coogler-90ba27dfd7ed46a98092857ab92dda27">the profound appeal of Coogler’s first “Black Panther”</a>
 resided in its deft channeling of the real world into mythology. It fed
 centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle 
of identity and resistance. In an invented African nation, Coogler 
conjured both a fanciful could-have-been history and emotional right-now
 reality.

“Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters Thursday, 
expands on that, weaving in a Latin American perspective with a similar 
degree of cultural specificity in the introduction of the Aztec-inspired
 antagonist Namor (Tenoch Huerta), king of the ancient underwater world 
of Talokan. At the same time, Boseman’s death is poignantly filtered 
into the story from the start, beginning with off-screen death throes.

“Time
 is running out,” we hear whispered while the screen is still black. 
Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s tech-wiz sister, is frantically 
trying to craft something in her AI lab to save her brother. But in a 
moment, their mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), informs her: “Your
 brother is with the ancestors.” He’s laid to rest in a glorious, 
celebratory procession, carried through a multi-tiered channel of 
white-clad, singing-and-dancing Wakandans. It’s as stunning as anything 
Coogler has shot.

After this prologue, “Wakanda Forever” shifts to
 a year later. “Black Panther” took some of the spy-thriller shape of a 
Bond movie, and the sequel carries that on in a new geopolitical 
context. At the United Nations, the United States and France are 
pressuring for access to vibranium, the rare metal that Wakanda has 
built its empire on. Soon after, a U.S. military expedition discovers 
vibranium at the bottom of the ocean. But just as they’re celebrating, a
 mysterious tribe of blue underwater people, led by Namor, a 
pointy-eared monarch in green short-shorts with wings on his ankles, 
ruthlessly wipe out the entire expedition.

You can feel “Wakanda 
Forever” searching for a way forward in these early scenes. After such 
an anguished beginning, how much care can we summon for the whereabouts 
of magical ores? And more blue people? “Avatar,” you might think, has 
already laid claim to them. What steadies the film is Bassett. Her 
awesome presence leads “Wakanda Forever” through grief with a staunch 
defense of Wakanda that rebalances the newly king-less kingdom. She 
carries on.

What follows is a globe-trotting plot that draws the 
film away from perhaps its greatest asset in Wakanda but uncovers new 
places of latent power among historically exploited people. Shuri and 
Okoye (Danai Gurira), the Dora Milaje general, travel to Cambridge, 
Massachusetts, to seek the student (Dominique Thorne) who created a 
vibranium detector. In the Washington D.C. area, Wakanda’s friendly CIA 
officer (Martin Freeman) experiences new scrutiny from his boss, played 
by an unannounced comic actress familiar to Beltway politics.

But,
 mostly, a series of exchanges draw Wakanda and Talokan closer. Are they
 friends and foes? They are, at least, a captivating tweak to the 
mythology of Atlantis. Talokan, dark and watery, is no Wakanda, though, 
and there’s less hint this time of a larger society. Still, Huerta 
brings a magnetism to Namor. In many ways, he’s a corollary to Michael 
B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a non-villain whose fury is in many ways 
justified. His anger appeals to the still-grieving Shuri who finds 
herself ready, after T’Challa’s death, to “burn the world.”

As in 
the first “Black Panther,” the question again hangs in the balance of 
whether, in a pain-ridden and prejudiced world, rage is the answer. This
 time, it applies to another powerful civilization, too. "Wakanda 
Forever,” where the role of Black Panther is passed down, is in more 
ways than one about the transfer of power.

Wakanda and Talokan are
 brought together a little haphazardly in conflict, as Namor pressures 
the African nation to join his brewing surface war. “Wakanda Forever” 
proceeds as a murky, middle-act film that may ultimately serve as a 
bridge to future “Black Panther” chapters. But along the way, there are 
countless marvels that Coogler conjures with returning magic-workers 
like production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. 
Carter. How the Talokan are flung into the air by whales. The fierce 
friendliness of Gurira’s performance. Lupita Nyong’o is unfortunately 
less central here, but every time her Nakia (who has been laying low in 
Haiti) is present, she graces the film.

“Wakanda Forever” is 
overlong, a little unwieldy and somewhat mystifyingly steers toward a 
climax on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic. But Coogler's fluid 
command of mixing intimacy with spectacle remains gripping. He extends 
the rich detail and non-binary complexity that distinguished “Black 
Panther” in sometimes awkward but often thrilling ways. “Wakanda 
Forever," grappling in the aftermath of loss, ultimately seeks something
 rare in the battle-ready superhero landscape: Peace.

"Black 
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG-13 by 
the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of strong 
violence, action and some language. Running time: 161 minutes. Three 
stars out of four.

By JAKE COYLE Associated PressMade in the wake of tragedy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z3QKkl1WyM">“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”</a>
 reverberates with the agony of loss, piercing the usually less 
consequential superhero realm. Like someone going through the stages of 
grief, Ryan Coogler’s movie is at turns mournful and rootless, full of 
rage and blessed with clarity. In the fantastical Marvel Cinematic 
Universe where mortality is almost always a plaything, wrestling with 
the genuine article, in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-race-and-ethnicity-ca-state-wire-entertainment-sc-state-wire-5f4352111fdead278da3651b44d311b8">the death of T’Challa star Chadwick Boseman</a>, makes for an unusually uncertain, soul-searching kind of blockbuster-scale entertainment.It’s
 a fine line, of course, between paying tribute and trading on it. I did
 cringe a little when the Marvel logo unspooled with images of Boseman 
within the letters: Eulogy as branding. That “Black Panther,” a cultural
 phenomenon and a box-office smash, would get a sequel, at all, was 
momentarily in doubt after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer 
in 2020. Radically reworked by Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole, 
“Wakanda Forever” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-health-movies-covid-6852dcc0e6cc687a42a45907cff1bfac">pushed ahead in hopes of honoring both Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world of the landmark original.</a> In its admirably muddled way, it succeeds in both.Part of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-film-reviews-north-america-ap-top-news-ryan-coogler-90ba27dfd7ed46a98092857ab92dda27">the profound appeal of Coogler’s first “Black Panther”</a>
 resided in its deft channeling of the real world into mythology. It fed
 centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle 
of identity and resistance. In an invented African nation, Coogler 
conjured both a fanciful could-have-been history and emotional right-now
 reality.“Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters Thursday, 
expands on that, weaving in a Latin American perspective with a similar 
degree of cultural specificity in the introduction of the Aztec-inspired
 antagonist Namor (Tenoch Huerta), king of the ancient underwater world 
of Talokan. At the same time, Boseman’s death is poignantly filtered 
into the story from the start, beginning with off-screen death throes.“Time
 is running out,” we hear whispered while the screen is still black. 
Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s tech-wiz sister, is frantically 
trying to craft something in her AI lab to save her brother. But in a 
moment, their mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), informs her: “Your
 brother is with the ancestors.” He’s laid to rest in a glorious, 
celebratory procession, carried through a multi-tiered channel of 
white-clad, singing-and-dancing Wakandans. It’s as stunning as anything 
Coogler has shot.After this prologue, “Wakanda Forever” shifts to
 a year later. “Black Panther” took some of the spy-thriller shape of a 
Bond movie, and the sequel carries that on in a new geopolitical 
context. At the United Nations, the United States and France are 
pressuring for access to vibranium, the rare metal that Wakanda has 
built its empire on. Soon after, a U.S. military expedition discovers 
vibranium at the bottom of the ocean. But just as they’re celebrating, a
 mysterious tribe of blue underwater people, led by Namor, a 
pointy-eared monarch in green short-shorts with wings on his ankles, 
ruthlessly wipe out the entire expedition.You can feel “Wakanda 
Forever” searching for a way forward in these early scenes. After such 
an anguished beginning, how much care can we summon for the whereabouts 
of magical ores? And more blue people? “Avatar,” you might think, has 
already laid claim to them. What steadies the film is Bassett. Her 
awesome presence leads “Wakanda Forever” through grief with a staunch 
defense of Wakanda that rebalances the newly king-less kingdom. She 
carries on.What follows is a globe-trotting plot that draws the 
film away from perhaps its greatest asset in Wakanda but uncovers new 
places of latent power among historically exploited people. Shuri and 
Okoye (Danai Gurira), the Dora Milaje general, travel to Cambridge, 
Massachusetts, to seek the student (Dominique Thorne) who created a 
vibranium detector. In the Washington D.C. area, Wakanda’s friendly CIA 
officer (Martin Freeman) experiences new scrutiny from his boss, played 
by an unannounced comic actress familiar to Beltway politics.But,
 mostly, a series of exchanges draw Wakanda and Talokan closer. Are they
 friends and foes? They are, at least, a captivating tweak to the 
mythology of Atlantis. Talokan, dark and watery, is no Wakanda, though, 
and there’s less hint this time of a larger society. Still, Huerta 
brings a magnetism to Namor. In many ways, he’s a corollary to Michael 
B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a non-villain whose fury is in many ways 
justified. His anger appeals to the still-grieving Shuri who finds 
herself ready, after T’Challa’s death, to “burn the world.”As in 
the first “Black Panther,” the question again hangs in the balance of 
whether, in a pain-ridden and prejudiced world, rage is the answer. This
 time, it applies to another powerful civilization, too. "Wakanda 
Forever,” where the role of Black Panther is passed down, is in more 
ways than one about the transfer of power.Wakanda and Talokan are
 brought together a little haphazardly in conflict, as Namor pressures 
the African nation to join his brewing surface war. “Wakanda Forever” 
proceeds as a murky, middle-act film that may ultimately serve as a 
bridge to future “Black Panther” chapters. But along the way, there are 
countless marvels that Coogler conjures with returning magic-workers 
like production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. 
Carter. How the Talokan are flung into the air by whales. The fierce 
friendliness of Gurira’s performance. Lupita Nyong’o is unfortunately 
less central here, but every time her Nakia (who has been laying low in 
Haiti) is present, she graces the film.“Wakanda Forever” is 
overlong, a little unwieldy and somewhat mystifyingly steers toward a 
climax on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic. But Coogler's fluid 
command of mixing intimacy with spectacle remains gripping. He extends 
the rich detail and non-binary complexity that distinguished “Black 
Panther” in sometimes awkward but often thrilling ways. “Wakanda 
Forever," grappling in the aftermath of loss, ultimately seeks something
 rare in the battle-ready superhero landscape: Peace."Black 
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG-13 by 
the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of strong 
violence, action and some language. Running time: 161 minutes. Three 
stars out of four.

Review: In 'Wakanda Forever,' an empire mourns and rebuilds

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Houston Astros' six-game victory over the 
Philadelphia Phillies finished as the second least-watched World Series 
on television.

The six games averaged 11,784,000 on Fox, down 1.3%
 from the 11,940,000 for the Atlanta Braves' six-game win over the 
Astros last year and ahead of only the 9,946,000 for the Los Angeles 
Dodgers' six-game victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020.

Houston’s
 3-1 win in Game 6 on Saturday night was seen by 12,549,000 viewers on 
Fox, down 11% from 14,140,000 Atlanta’s 7-0 victory over the Astros in 
last year’s finale, played on a Tuesday night. Including Fox Deportes 
and streaming, this year's Game 6 was viewed by 12,871,000.

Game 6
 was played opposite several college football games, including 
Alabama-LSU on ESPN, Clemson-Notre Dame on NBC and Florida State-Miami 
on ABC.

The Series finished with a 6.1 Nielsen rating and 17 
share. The rating was the second-lowest behind the 5.2 for 2020, which 
had a 12 share. This year's share marked a 1% increase from last year.

Including Fox Deportes and streaming, this year's Series averaged 12,023,000 viewers.

Viewers peaked at 51,560,000 for Game 7 of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

Totals declined with the rise of cable television and then of streaming services, giving viewers more choices.

The Series had a 25.0 rating and a 52 share in Philadelphia and a 24.0/55 in Houston.

The
 rating is the percentage of television households tuned in to a 
broadcast. The share is the percentage viewing a telecast among those 
households with TVs on at the time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667851581822.jpeg" alt="Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)" />
 <figcaption>Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Houston Astros' six-game victory over the 
Philadelphia Phillies finished as the second least-watched World Series 
on television.The six games averaged 11,784,000 on Fox, down 1.3%
 from the 11,940,000 for the Atlanta Braves' six-game win over the 
Astros last year and ahead of only the 9,946,000 for the Los Angeles 
Dodgers' six-game victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020.Houston’s
 3-1 win in Game 6 on Saturday night was seen by 12,549,000 viewers on 
Fox, down 11% from 14,140,000 Atlanta’s 7-0 victory over the Astros in 
last year’s finale, played on a Tuesday night. Including Fox Deportes 
and streaming, this year's Game 6 was viewed by 12,871,000.Game 6
 was played opposite several college football games, including 
Alabama-LSU on ESPN, Clemson-Notre Dame on NBC and Florida State-Miami 
on ABC.The Series finished with a 6.1 Nielsen rating and 17 
share. The rating was the second-lowest behind the 5.2 for 2020, which 
had a 12 share. This year's share marked a 1% increase from last year.Including Fox Deportes and streaming, this year's Series averaged 12,023,000 viewers.Viewers peaked at 51,560,000 for Game 7 of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.Totals declined with the rise of cable television and then of streaming services, giving viewers more choices.The Series had a 25.0 rating and a 52 share in Philadelphia and a 24.0/55 in Houston.The
 rating is the percentage of television households tuned in to a 
broadcast. The share is the percentage viewing a telecast among those 
households with TVs on at the time.

This year's World Series is 2nd-least watched on TV

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in 
Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot 
after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.

The
 winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw 
studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the 
red Powerball was 10.

The jackpot ticket was sold at Joe’s Service
 Center in Altadena, an unincorporated community in the foothills 
northeast of Los Angeles. A voicemail left for Joe’s Service Center was 
not immediately returned.

The jackpot was by far the largest 
lottery prize ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize
 won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-d074aec16d0f17eba2cc51c814faa99e">Only four previous jackpots</a>
 have topped $1 billion, but none of those are close to the current 
prize, which started at $20 million back on Aug. 6 and over three 
winless months has grown massive. No one has won the jackpot since Aug. 
3.

The jackpot was initially reported as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-drawing-today-what-to-know-75a57b3d83a5c5d1e0264c55261671cf">an estimated $1.9 billion</a> on Monday, but the prize was increased to $2.04 billion Tuesday morning after updated calculations.

The
 Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday night’s scheduled drawing 
was delayed by nearly 10 hours until Tuesday because a participating 
lottery had issues processing sales.

The problems in holding a 
drawing Monday night were blamed on one participating lottery's 
inability to process its sales data. After the lottery, which wasn't 
identified, completed its pre-draw procedures, the drawing was able to 
go ahead.

“Protecting the integrity of the draw is of upmost 
importance, and we were able to do that during this historic drawing 
with the cooperation of all participating lotteries,” said Drew Svitko, 
the chairman of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of 
the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Terry Rich, a former director of the 
Iowa Lottery who also served on the Powerball board, said the delay was 
likely due to a two-part verification system of ticket sales that makes 
use of an outside vendor to ensure all is in order before the game's 
numbers are drawn.

“Each state must verify through a dual process 
that all of the sales and dollars match before the Multi-State Lottery 
Association can do the draw," said Rich, who headed the Iowa Lottery for
 10 years and was president of the North American Lottery Association. 
“This is a state-by-state procedure, which separates the whole process 
and has been very effective."

Rich said state lotteries deal with 
similar problems several times a year but the delays usually don't 
attract much attention because the potential jackpots are far less than 
was up for grabs this week.

The winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing were posted to the Powerball's YouTube channel.

The $2.04 billion prize is for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">winner who chooses an annuity</a>, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners instead opt for cash, which was valued at $997.6 million.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

The game is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667933043117.jpeg" alt="AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in 
Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot 
after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.The
 winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw 
studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the 
red Powerball was 10.The jackpot ticket was sold at Joe’s Service
 Center in Altadena, an unincorporated community in the foothills 
northeast of Los Angeles. A voicemail left for Joe’s Service Center was 
not immediately returned.The jackpot was by far the largest 
lottery prize ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize
 won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-d074aec16d0f17eba2cc51c814faa99e">Only four previous jackpots</a>
 have topped $1 billion, but none of those are close to the current 
prize, which started at $20 million back on Aug. 6 and over three 
winless months has grown massive. No one has won the jackpot since Aug. 
3.The jackpot was initially reported as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-drawing-today-what-to-know-75a57b3d83a5c5d1e0264c55261671cf">an estimated $1.9 billion</a> on Monday, but the prize was increased to $2.04 billion Tuesday morning after updated calculations.The
 Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday night’s scheduled drawing 
was delayed by nearly 10 hours until Tuesday because a participating 
lottery had issues processing sales.The problems in holding a 
drawing Monday night were blamed on one participating lottery's 
inability to process its sales data. After the lottery, which wasn't 
identified, completed its pre-draw procedures, the drawing was able to 
go ahead.“Protecting the integrity of the draw is of upmost 
importance, and we were able to do that during this historic drawing 
with the cooperation of all participating lotteries,” said Drew Svitko, 
the chairman of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of 
the Pennsylvania Lottery.Terry Rich, a former director of the 
Iowa Lottery who also served on the Powerball board, said the delay was 
likely due to a two-part verification system of ticket sales that makes 
use of an outside vendor to ensure all is in order before the game's 
numbers are drawn.“Each state must verify through a dual process 
that all of the sales and dollars match before the Multi-State Lottery 
Association can do the draw," said Rich, who headed the Iowa Lottery for
 10 years and was president of the North American Lottery Association. 
“This is a state-by-state procedure, which separates the whole process 
and has been very effective."Rich said state lotteries deal with 
similar problems several times a year but the delays usually don't 
attract much attention because the potential jackpots are far less than 
was up for grabs this week.The winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing were posted to the Powerball's YouTube channel.The $2.04 billion prize is for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">winner who chooses an annuity</a>, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners instead opt for cash, which was valued at $997.6 million.The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.The game is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball ticket sold in California snags record $2.04B win

HOUSTON — Fans were celebrating the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-astros-world-series-champions-phillies-af94071eece8c17cb91322a0bd398cd9">Houston Astros' World Series</a> win with a downtown parade on Monday.

Houston
 Mayor Sylvester Turner said he encouraged fans coming to the victory 
parade to “arrive early, wear Astros' colors, be loud and celebrate 
safely.” The parade started at noon.

Yordan Alvarez hit a towering
 three-run homer and the Astros clinched their second World Series title
 in six seasons on Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in 
Game 6.

The city said in a news release that the downtown <a href="https://apnews.com/article/parades-ap-top-news-baseball-houston-george-springer-2685ff95965d4e178480bceafea3166f">parade after the Astros' 2017 win</a> brought in about 1 million people, and organizers expected about that many people to attend Monday's parade.

Saturday's win gave the Astros' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dusty-baker-world-series-most-games-bb60066be88e056332df1bb637b77d7f">73-year-old manager Dusty Baker</a> his first title in 25 seasons as a manager, the last three in Houston.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667851581822.jpeg" alt="Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)" />
 <figcaption>Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressHOUSTON — Fans were celebrating the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-astros-world-series-champions-phillies-af94071eece8c17cb91322a0bd398cd9">Houston Astros' World Series</a> win with a downtown parade on Monday.Houston
 Mayor Sylvester Turner said he encouraged fans coming to the victory 
parade to “arrive early, wear Astros' colors, be loud and celebrate 
safely.” The parade started at noon.Yordan Alvarez hit a towering
 three-run homer and the Astros clinched their second World Series title
 in six seasons on Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in 
Game 6.The city said in a news release that the downtown <a href="https://apnews.com/article/parades-ap-top-news-baseball-houston-george-springer-2685ff95965d4e178480bceafea3166f">parade after the Astros' 2017 win</a> brought in about 1 million people, and organizers expected about that many people to attend Monday's parade.Saturday's win gave the Astros' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dusty-baker-world-series-most-games-bb60066be88e056332df1bb637b77d7f">73-year-old manager Dusty Baker</a> his first title in 25 seasons as a manager, the last three in Houston.

Fans celebrate Houston Astros' World Series win with parade

&nbsp;By LINDSEY BAHR Associated Press

Jimmy Kimmel is ready to host the Oscars again, completing a trilogy 
that started with him presiding over the chaotic “envelope-gate" 
ceremony.

The late-night talk show host will preside over the ceremony in March, the show’s producers said Monday.

“We’re
 super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage,”
 executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner said
 in a joint statement. “We know he will be funny and ready for 
anything!”

Kimmel has hosted the show twice before, in 2017, when he managed the chaotic final moments in which the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/62158a8bf146420784f738fefd9505fe">wrong best picture winner was called</a>, and then the next year, which came just months into the #MeToo reckoning.

“Being
 invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a
 trap,” Kimmel said. “Either way, I am grateful to the academy for 
asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”

After the 90th 
Oscars in 2018, which Kimmel hosted to generally positive reviews, the 
Academy Awards went without a host until the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-oscars-show-9a69424884de11649b68a12a284353a1">94th ceremony earlier this year</a> when Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes shared the stage.

“Jimmy
 is the perfect host to help us recognize the incredible artists and 
films of our 95th Oscars,” added academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy 
President Janet Yang. “His love of movies, live TV expertise, and 
ability to connect with our global audiences will create an 
unforgettable experience for our millions of viewers worldwide.”

Molly
 McNearney, who is the co-head writer and executive producer of “Jimmy 
Kimmel Live!” and is married to Kimmel, will also serve as an executive 
producer <a href="https://oscars.org/">on the Oscars broadcast.</a> Ratings have been a bit a of a rollercoaster for the esteemed Hollywood awards show. The 94th Oscars was an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-oscars-ratings-ed962eb7824c0d994e8a86b15d69abbd">improvement with 15.36 million viewers</a>, but that was also in comparison to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-arts-and-entertainment-entertainment-academy-awards-television-d17308440bfa7388a2d21ca8c2d7fee8">previous year’s record low</a>, which befell many COVID-modified awards shows. As always ratings will be paramount for broadcaster ABC.

“Having
 Jimmy Kimmel return to host the Oscars is a dream come true. As we see 
every night on his own show, Jimmy can handle anything with both heart 
and humor, and we know that he will deliver the laughs and celebratory 
moments that define the Oscars,” said Craig Erwich, president of ABC 
Entertainment, Hulu &amp; Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals.
 “We love being the home of Hollywood’s biggest night and can’t wait to 
toast the success of this year’s cinema and storytelling.”

This 
next event is a landmark anniversary year for the show, and the first to
 follow The Slap, in which Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock on 
stage. Smith, who went on to win best actor that night, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-smith-oscars-ban-664346ac2d2441939764f35be2d8026b">was banned from the Oscars for 10 years as a result</a>. The organization's leadership has said that they'd like to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-rock-entertainment-movies-will-smith-7eb32aa3cb65a1deecdbfcabebc4d8b8">move on from the slap</a> and focus on a ceremony that celebrates cinema.

The
 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in 
Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on ABC in more than 200 
territories worldwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667851376804.jpeg" alt="Associated Press graphic" />
 <figcaption>Associated Press graphic</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;By LINDSEY BAHR Associated PressJimmy Kimmel is ready to host the Oscars again, completing a trilogy 
that started with him presiding over the chaotic “envelope-gate" 
ceremony.The late-night talk show host will preside over the ceremony in March, the show’s producers said Monday.“We’re
 super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage,”
 executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner said
 in a joint statement. “We know he will be funny and ready for 
anything!”Kimmel has hosted the show twice before, in 2017, when he managed the chaotic final moments in which the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/62158a8bf146420784f738fefd9505fe">wrong best picture winner was called</a>, and then the next year, which came just months into the #MeToo reckoning.“Being
 invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a
 trap,” Kimmel said. “Either way, I am grateful to the academy for 
asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”After the 90th 
Oscars in 2018, which Kimmel hosted to generally positive reviews, the 
Academy Awards went without a host until the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-oscars-show-9a69424884de11649b68a12a284353a1">94th ceremony earlier this year</a> when Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes shared the stage.“Jimmy
 is the perfect host to help us recognize the incredible artists and 
films of our 95th Oscars,” added academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy 
President Janet Yang. “His love of movies, live TV expertise, and 
ability to connect with our global audiences will create an 
unforgettable experience for our millions of viewers worldwide.”Molly
 McNearney, who is the co-head writer and executive producer of “Jimmy 
Kimmel Live!” and is married to Kimmel, will also serve as an executive 
producer <a href="https://oscars.org/">on the Oscars broadcast.</a> Ratings have been a bit a of a rollercoaster for the esteemed Hollywood awards show. The 94th Oscars was an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-oscars-ratings-ed962eb7824c0d994e8a86b15d69abbd">improvement with 15.36 million viewers</a>, but that was also in comparison to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-arts-and-entertainment-entertainment-academy-awards-television-d17308440bfa7388a2d21ca8c2d7fee8">previous year’s record low</a>, which befell many COVID-modified awards shows. As always ratings will be paramount for broadcaster ABC.“Having
 Jimmy Kimmel return to host the Oscars is a dream come true. As we see 
every night on his own show, Jimmy can handle anything with both heart 
and humor, and we know that he will deliver the laughs and celebratory 
moments that define the Oscars,” said Craig Erwich, president of ABC 
Entertainment, Hulu &amp; Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals.
 “We love being the home of Hollywood’s biggest night and can’t wait to 
toast the success of this year’s cinema and storytelling.”This 
next event is a landmark anniversary year for the show, and the first to
 follow The Slap, in which Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock on 
stage. Smith, who went on to win best actor that night, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-smith-oscars-ban-664346ac2d2441939764f35be2d8026b">was banned from the Oscars for 10 years as a result</a>. The organization's leadership has said that they'd like to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-rock-entertainment-movies-will-smith-7eb32aa3cb65a1deecdbfcabebc4d8b8">move on from the slap</a> and focus on a ceremony that celebrates cinema.The
 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in 
Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on ABC in more than 200 
territories worldwide.

Jimmy Kimmel to host Oscars again: 'Great honor or a trap'

By JOSH WOODS <a href="https://theconversation.com/pickleballs-uphill-climb-to-mainstream-success-193052">The Conversation</a>

Most newer sports are hybrids of older ones, and pickleball is no 
exception. The progeny of tennis, badminton and pingpong, pickleball is 
played by singles or doubles teams who hit a ball back and forth over a 
3-foot-high net until one opponent commits a fault.

In 1965, the <a href="https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/">inventors of pickleball</a> played with what they had – a repurposed badminton setup, pingpong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.

Today’s <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">4.8 million</a> American pickleballers have much more to play with: In the U.S. there are <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">38,140</a> courts, <a href="https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/05/24/pickleball-fastest-growing-sport-daily-cover">300</a> manufacturers of pickleball equipment and
<a href="https://usapickleball.org/get-involved/pickleball-clubs/">hundreds</a> of grassroots clubs.

There’s been a good amount of speculation about the explosion of 
pickleball’s popularity. But now the sport seems poised to burst into 
the mainstream, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/sports/major-league-pickleball.html">Lebron James</a> and other luminaries of the NBA and NFL recently announcing large investments in the professional circuit.

Still, the young sport is not immune to growing pains. As I argue in my book “<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-76457-9">Emerging Sports as Social Movements</a>,”
 the popularity of some fledgling sports may seem self-evident in 
splashy headlines. But their less visible social undercurrents 
ultimately shape whether they’ll continue to attract new players and 
fans.

For an organized sport to grow, it needs structure – a common set of 
rules, rankings, equipment standards, scheduled events and a sense of 
identity that can unite players and fans.

At present, pickleball’s social fabric is spread thin and woven 
together by a network of competing interests. For every headline about 
pickleball’s miraculous growth you can also find stories about conflicts
 and infighting among various leagues and governing bodies, as well as 
between pickleballers and tennis players.

The sport has three professional leagues battling for control of the 
pickleball kingdom. It has two international governing bodies: the 
International Federation of Pickleball and the World Pickleball 
Federation. The lesser lords of pickleball also <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/07/25/can-pickleball-save-america">feud with tennis players</a> over dual-use courts and plans for expansion in public parks, with reports of “<a href="https://jezebel.com/pickleball-turf-wars-are-the-niche-drama-ravaging-the-c-1849678697">turf wars</a>” and “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/20/pickleball-growth-tennis/">a tug-of-war</a>” between the two racket sports.

“<a href="https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/05/24/pickleball-fastest-growing-sport-daily-cover">Picklebalkanization</a>,” anyone?

Internal squabbles are common in emerging sports movements. Cornhole, disc golf and esports, for instance, have faced <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-76457-9">similar challenges</a>.
 In some cases, conflict can be a good thing. It may spur innovation. 
But it can also leave some would-be fans, sponsors and players wondering
 whom they should watch, invest in or play for.

Compared with traditional racket sports, pickleball is less 
expensive, requires less space and may be more compatible with the aches
 and pains that come with age. And unlike other emerging sports, 
pickleball’s future seems bright. But for now it has more in common with
 <a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03781-3.html">French feudalism</a>
 of the ninth century – when territorial disputes were commonplace – 
than a modern unified sport movement headed for the Olympics.

If two strangers meet in a bar and happen to share an interest in 
pickleball, they won’t be strangers for long. Shared passion is the glue
 and fuel of emerging sports communities. But the human tendency to bond
 with those who are like us also poses a problem for sports seeking to 
achieve widespread popularity.

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415">Sociological studies</a>
 show that our love of sameness partly explains why our groups and 
social networks tend to be homogeneous, such as male-dominated 
occupations, predominantly white community groups, and friendship 
circles united by a single religion. For grassroots sports, which spread
 through social networks, the sameness problem can limit growth by 
narrowing the flock to those with similar feathers.

Pickleball insiders like to talk about the sport’s relatively balanced <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">gender ratio</a>,
 which stands at roughly 60% to 70% men and 30% to 40% women. The newest
 professional league, Major League Pickleball, is promoting the sport 
through <a href="https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/mlp-descriptions">mixed-gender competitions</a>, with teams comprising two men and two women – a unique format in the male-dominated world of pro sports.

But grassroots sports sprout from the ground up, and long-term growth
 depends partly on the demographic diversity of core players. Pickleball
 may be trending younger, but one-third of its avid players are of <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">retirement age</a>.
 Roughly half the population of pickleball players probably saw the 
Apollo 11 moon landing. Calculating accurate statistics on niche 
communities is difficult, but based on my review of multiple academic 
and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081257674/americas-fastest-growing-sport-pickleball">journalistic sources</a>,
 pickleballers are predominantly older, white, affluent and suburban. 
For instance, two survey-based studies with large samples estimated the 
proportion of white players at <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31629346/">93.5%</a> and <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/japa/27/1/article-p28.xml">94.1%</a>.

Demographic homogeneity is a tough trend to buck. Of course, some sports, like golf and NASCAR, have expanded their reach <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/which-sports-have-the-whitest-richest-oldest-fans/283626/">without solving the sameness problem</a>.
 But given the nation’s reckoning around race and gender, a successful 
push for greater diversity could be the one thing that separates 
pickleball from the crowd of dreamer upstarts.

Will the revolution even need to be televised?

That sports grow when mainstream media pay attention to them seems 
obvious. Increased media coverage from ESPN or CBS attracts more 
participants and consumers, enticing sponsors and fostering stronger 
sport institutions.

Yet, as a growth strategy, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/24/744775904/cornhole-and-other-less-traditional-sports-gather-more-attention">buying airtime</a>
 on ESPN – which sports like cornhole and ax throwing are doing – may 
provide little more than airy hope. As pickleball strives to expand its 
audience, it faces stiff competition from traditional sports brands like
 the NFL and NBA, as well as emerging brands like esports, mixed martial
 arts, disc golf, cornhole, drone racing, round net, darts and ax 
throwing.

With so many options, some sports just won’t make it big. The history
 of emerging sports is filled with booms and busts. Interest in gambling
 sports like jai alai and horse racing has <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/longform/2013/2/28/4036934/jai-alai-sport-in-america-miami">declined tremendously</a> since the late 20th century. ESPN’s X Games popularized alternative sports like <a href="https://www.goskate.com/top/47-facts-about-x-games-skateboarding/">skateboarding</a> in the late 1990s, but some disciplines, like <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/x-games">street luge</a>, were left behind. Drop “poker” in a <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends">Google Trends</a> search box and you’ll see that the Texas hold ‘em boom lasted for about three years, from 2004 to 2006.

The next big thing in sports may not boom at all. Given that younger consumers are <a href="https://www.theringer.com/sports/2021/4/15/22385705/live-sports-streaming-wars-future-industry">migrating to streaming services</a>, the revolution may not be televised to a mass audience but instead will be streamed to die-hard fans.

Niche sports like pickleball may have an advantage as sports 
spectatorship fragments. For small sports, a modest audience with slow 
but steady growth could be a recipe for sustainable success. There are 
numerous options for watching pickleball matches, such as YouTube 
channels, livestreams via Facebook, fuboTV, and some coverage on 
broadcast and cable channels, but demand for live coverage <a href="https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/zane-explains-3/">remains modest</a>.

Ultimately, with so many shiny new sports to choose from, the winners
 will be determined not by flashy media exposure or top-down commercial 
forces but rather by bottom-up community development. No matter how hot 
the publicity gets around pickleball, the consumer base for watching the
 sport will draw heavily on people who already love playing it. The love
 of any sport has roots in culture – not commerce.

If pickleball lives up to the hype, it will do so on the backs of 
volunteers and grassroots organizers who can transform a loose network 
of casual players into an international community of pickleball 
fanatics.

Josh Woods is a Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667837607677.jpg" alt="For every headline about pickleball’s miraculous growth, you can also find stories about conflicts and infighting. Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>For every headline about pickleball’s miraculous growth, you can also find stories about conflicts and infighting. Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOSH WOODS <a href="https://theconversation.com/pickleballs-uphill-climb-to-mainstream-success-193052">The Conversation</a>Most newer sports are hybrids of older ones, and pickleball is no 
exception. The progeny of tennis, badminton and pingpong, pickleball is 
played by singles or doubles teams who hit a ball back and forth over a 
3-foot-high net until one opponent commits a fault.In 1965, the <a href="https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/">inventors of pickleball</a> played with what they had – a repurposed badminton setup, pingpong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Today’s <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">4.8 million</a> American pickleballers have much more to play with: In the U.S. there are <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">38,140</a> courts, <a href="https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/05/24/pickleball-fastest-growing-sport-daily-cover">300</a> manufacturers of pickleball equipment and
<a href="https://usapickleball.org/get-involved/pickleball-clubs/">hundreds</a> of grassroots clubs.There’s been a good amount of speculation about the explosion of 
pickleball’s popularity. But now the sport seems poised to burst into 
the mainstream, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/sports/major-league-pickleball.html">Lebron James</a> and other luminaries of the NBA and NFL recently announcing large investments in the professional circuit.Still, the young sport is not immune to growing pains. As I argue in my book “<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-76457-9">Emerging Sports as Social Movements</a>,”
 the popularity of some fledgling sports may seem self-evident in 
splashy headlines. But their less visible social undercurrents 
ultimately shape whether they’ll continue to attract new players and 
fans. <h2>Pickleball’s feudal period</h2>For an organized sport to grow, it needs structure – a common set of 
rules, rankings, equipment standards, scheduled events and a sense of 
identity that can unite players and fans.At present, pickleball’s social fabric is spread thin and woven 
together by a network of competing interests. For every headline about 
pickleball’s miraculous growth you can also find stories about conflicts
 and infighting among various leagues and governing bodies, as well as 
between pickleballers and tennis players.The sport has three professional leagues battling for control of the 
pickleball kingdom. It has two international governing bodies: the 
International Federation of Pickleball and the World Pickleball 
Federation. The lesser lords of pickleball also <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/07/25/can-pickleball-save-america">feud with tennis players</a> over dual-use courts and plans for expansion in public parks, with reports of “<a href="https://jezebel.com/pickleball-turf-wars-are-the-niche-drama-ravaging-the-c-1849678697">turf wars</a>” and “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/20/pickleball-growth-tennis/">a tug-of-war</a>” between the two racket sports.“<a href="https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/05/24/pickleball-fastest-growing-sport-daily-cover">Picklebalkanization</a>,” anyone?Internal squabbles are common in emerging sports movements. Cornhole, disc golf and esports, for instance, have faced <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-76457-9">similar challenges</a>.
 In some cases, conflict can be a good thing. It may spur innovation. 
But it can also leave some would-be fans, sponsors and players wondering
 whom they should watch, invest in or play for.Compared with traditional racket sports, pickleball is less 
expensive, requires less space and may be more compatible with the aches
 and pains that come with age. And unlike other emerging sports, 
pickleball’s future seems bright. But for now it has more in common with
 <a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03781-3.html">French feudalism</a>
 of the ninth century – when territorial disputes were commonplace – 
than a modern unified sport movement headed for the Olympics.<h2>Birds of a feather dink together</h2>If two strangers meet in a bar and happen to share an interest in 
pickleball, they won’t be strangers for long. Shared passion is the glue
 and fuel of emerging sports communities. But the human tendency to bond
 with those who are like us also poses a problem for sports seeking to 
achieve widespread popularity.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415">Sociological studies</a>
 show that our love of sameness partly explains why our groups and 
social networks tend to be homogeneous, such as male-dominated 
occupations, predominantly white community groups, and friendship 
circles united by a single religion. For grassroots sports, which spread
 through social networks, the sameness problem can limit growth by 
narrowing the flock to those with similar feathers.Pickleball insiders like to talk about the sport’s relatively balanced <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">gender ratio</a>,
 which stands at roughly 60% to 70% men and 30% to 40% women. The newest
 professional league, Major League Pickleball, is promoting the sport 
through <a href="https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/mlp-descriptions">mixed-gender competitions</a>, with teams comprising two men and two women – a unique format in the male-dominated world of pro sports.But grassroots sports sprout from the ground up, and long-term growth
 depends partly on the demographic diversity of core players. Pickleball
 may be trending younger, but one-third of its avid players are of <a href="https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/">retirement age</a>.
 Roughly half the population of pickleball players probably saw the 
Apollo 11 moon landing. Calculating accurate statistics on niche 
communities is difficult, but based on my review of multiple academic 
and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081257674/americas-fastest-growing-sport-pickleball">journalistic sources</a>,
 pickleballers are predominantly older, white, affluent and suburban. 
For instance, two survey-based studies with large samples estimated the 
proportion of white players at <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31629346/">93.5%</a> and <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/japa/27/1/article-p28.xml">94.1%</a>.Demographic homogeneity is a tough trend to buck. Of course, some sports, like golf and NASCAR, have expanded their reach <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/which-sports-have-the-whitest-richest-oldest-fans/283626/">without solving the sameness problem</a>.
 But given the nation’s reckoning around race and gender, a successful 
push for greater diversity could be the one thing that separates 
pickleball from the crowd of dreamer upstarts.<h2>Will the revolution even need to be televised?</h2>That sports grow when mainstream media pay attention to them seems 
obvious. Increased media coverage from ESPN or CBS attracts more 
participants and consumers, enticing sponsors and fostering stronger 
sport institutions.Yet, as a growth strategy, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/24/744775904/cornhole-and-other-less-traditional-sports-gather-more-attention">buying airtime</a>
 on ESPN – which sports like cornhole and ax throwing are doing – may 
provide little more than airy hope. As pickleball strives to expand its 
audience, it faces stiff competition from traditional sports brands like
 the NFL and NBA, as well as emerging brands like esports, mixed martial
 arts, disc golf, cornhole, drone racing, round net, darts and ax 
throwing.With so many options, some sports just won’t make it big. The history
 of emerging sports is filled with booms and busts. Interest in gambling
 sports like jai alai and horse racing has <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/longform/2013/2/28/4036934/jai-alai-sport-in-america-miami">declined tremendously</a> since the late 20th century. ESPN’s X Games popularized alternative sports like <a href="https://www.goskate.com/top/47-facts-about-x-games-skateboarding/">skateboarding</a> in the late 1990s, but some disciplines, like <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/x-games">street luge</a>, were left behind. Drop “poker” in a <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends">Google Trends</a> search box and you’ll see that the Texas hold ‘em boom lasted for about three years, from 2004 to 2006.The next big thing in sports may not boom at all. Given that younger consumers are <a href="https://www.theringer.com/sports/2021/4/15/22385705/live-sports-streaming-wars-future-industry">migrating to streaming services</a>, the revolution may not be televised to a mass audience but instead will be streamed to die-hard fans. Niche sports like pickleball may have an advantage as sports 
spectatorship fragments. For small sports, a modest audience with slow 
but steady growth could be a recipe for sustainable success. There are 
numerous options for watching pickleball matches, such as YouTube 
channels, livestreams via Facebook, fuboTV, and some coverage on 
broadcast and cable channels, but demand for live coverage <a href="https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/zane-explains-3/">remains modest</a>.Ultimately, with so many shiny new sports to choose from, the winners
 will be determined not by flashy media exposure or top-down commercial 
forces but rather by bottom-up community development. No matter how hot 
the publicity gets around pickleball, the consumer base for watching the
 sport will draw heavily on people who already love playing it. The love
 of any sport has roots in culture – not commerce.If pickleball lives up to the hype, it will do so on the backs of 
volunteers and grassroots organizers who can transform a loose network 
of casual players into an international community of pickleball 
fanatics.Josh Woods is a Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193052/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Pickleball’s uphill climb to mainstream success

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Richie soared. Pat Benatar roared. Duran Duran stumbled but stayed sophisticated. Eminem was Eminem.

The
 four acts found very different ways to celebrate on Saturday night, but
 all can now forever say they're Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Famers. So are 
Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Harry Belafonte, Judas Priest and Dolly Parton,
 who gave the honor an enthusiastic embrace after temporarily turning it
 down.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Richie soared. Pat Benatar roared. Duran Duran stumbled but stayed sophisticated. Eminem was Eminem.The
 four acts found very different ways to celebrate on Saturday night, but
 all can now forever say they're Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Famers. So are 
Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Harry Belafonte, Judas Priest and Dolly Parton,
 who gave the honor an enthusiastic embrace after temporarily turning it
 down.The first act inducted at the Microsoft Theater in Los 
Angeles after a memorable speech from a shaven-headed Robert Downey Jr.,
 Duran Duran took the stage and launched into their 1981 breakthrough 
hit “Girls on Film.”The shrieking crowd was there for it, but the
 music wasn't. The band was all but inaudible other than singer Simon Le
 Bon, whose vocals were essentially a cappella.It was a fun if inauspicious beginning to a mostly slick and often triumphant show.“The wonderful spontaneous world of rock ‘n’ roll!” the 64-year-old Le Bon shouted as the band stopped for a do-over.They
 kicked back in at full volume, playing a set that included “Hungry Like
 the Wolf” and “Ordinary World," quickly snapping back into what Downey 
called their essential quality: “CSF — cool, sophisticated fun.”Lionel
 Richie brought both chill and warmth to the room hours later, opening 
his set with a spare rendition of his ballad “Hello" that seemed to make
 him nearly break down from the weight of the moment.“His songs are the soundtrack of my life, your life, everyone’s life," Lenny Kravitz said in inducting Richie.After
 “Hello,” Richie breezed into his 1977 hit with the Commodores, “Easy.” 
The vibe went from smooth to triumphant when Foo Fighters front man Dave
 Grohl made a surprise appearance to play a guitar solo and swap vocals 
with Richie. That led into a singalong, celebratory rendition of 1983's 
“All Night Long” that brought the night's biggest reaction.In his acceptance speech, Richie lashed out at those during his career who accused him of straying too far from his Black roots.“Rock
 ‘n’ roll is not a color,” he said. “It is a feeling. It is a vibe. And 
if we let that vibe come through, this room will grow and grow and 
grow.”Eurythmics took the stage next with a soulful, danceable rendition of 1986's “Missionary Man.”“Well
 I was born an original sinner, I was born from original sin,” singer 
Annie Lennox belted, bringing the audience clapping and to its feet four
 hours into the show. It was followed by a rousing rendition of their 
best-known hit, “Sweet Dreams.”Moments later her musical partner,
 Dave Stewart, called Lennox “one of the greatest performers, singers 
and songwriters of all time.”“Thank you, Dave, for this great adventure,” a tearful Lennox said.As
 he has been throughout his career, Eminem was the outlier. He was the 
only hip-hop artist among the inductees, the only one whose heyday came 
after the 1980s, and he brought an edge to the evening that was 
otherwise missing outside of the heavy metal stylings of Judas Priest.He
 also took the guest star game to another level. After opening briefly 
with 1999's “My Name Is,” he brought on Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to sing
 the chorus of “Dream On” for 2003's “Sing for the Moment,” which 
samples the Aerosmith classic. Then he brought on Ed Sheeran to sing his
 part on the 2017 Eminem jam “River” as rain fell on the stage.“I'm
 probably not supposed to actually be here tonight for a couple of 
reasons,” Eminem, wearing a black hoodie, said as he accepted the honor.
 “One, I know, is that I’m a rapper and this is the Rock &amp; Roll Hall
 of Fame.”He's only the 10th hip-hop artist among well over 300 members of the Hall of Fame.He was inducted by his producer and mentor Dr. Dre, whom he credited with saving his life.But hitmakers of the 1980s defined the night.“Pat
 always reached into the deepest part of herself and came roaring out of
 the speakers," Sheryl Crow said in her speech inducting Benatar.Benatar,
 inducted along with her longtime musical partner and husband Neil 
Giraldo, took the stage with him and displayed that power moments later.“We
 are young!” the 69-year-old sang, her long, gray hair flowing as she 
soared through a version of 1983's “Love is a Battlefield."Inductees
 absent from the ceremony included Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, 
who is four years into a fight with advanced prostate cancer, the 
95-year-old Belafonte and Simon, who lost sisters <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-joanna-simon-new-york-obituaries-8d3e1b9f8dd0b2ed1c19b5671dfbf0a0">Joanna Simon and Lucy Simon</a>, both also singers, to cancer on back-to-back days last month.Carly
 Simon was a first-time nominee this year more than 25 years after 
becoming eligible. Olivia Rodrigo, 60 years Simon's junior and by far 
the youngest performer of the night, took the stage to sing Simon's 
signature song, “You're So Vain.”Janet Jackson appeared in a 
black suit with a massive pile of hair atop her head, remaking the cover
 of her breakthrough album “Control," as she inducted the two men who 
made that and many other records with her, writer-producers <a href="https://apnews.com/article/britney-spears-entertainment-travel-music-8ee900272c36979c2d64e4fa79bd12b4">Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.</a>When the nominees were announced in May, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-travel-music-arts-and-lifestyle-0f9e881aa60f31f1f1550d340315b70c">Parton “respectfully” declined</a>,
 saying it didn't seem suitable for her to take a spot as a 
country-to-the-core artist. She was convinced otherwise, and ended up 
the headliner Saturday night.“I’m a rock star now!” she shouted as she accepted the honor. "This is a very, very, very special night."Parton said she would have to retroactively earn her spot.She
 disappeared and emerged moments later decked out in black leather with 
an electric guitar and broke into a song she wrote just for the 
occasion.“I‘ve been rockin’ rockin' rockin' rockin' since the day I was born,” she sang, “and I'll be rockin' to the day I'm gone.”She
 closed the night leading an all-star jam of her fellow inductees on her
 country classic “Jolene.” Le Bon, Benatar and even Judas Priest singer 
Rob Halford took a verse.“We got a star-studded stage up here,” Parton said. “I feel like a hillbilly in the city.”

Misc