BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minnesota In 2014, Lowell Trom hit a breaking point. For two decades, he had watched as his small farming community in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was taken over by hog factory farms. The first one was built in 1993. Five years later, another one went up. By 2014, there were 10, housing around 24,000 pigs within a three-mile radius of the 760-acre property where he grew corn and soybeans. Many were raising hogs for Holden Farms, a midsized pork company, according to his daughter, Sonja Trom Eayrs. The millions of gallons of waste that the pigs generated each year stank horribly and polluted the air and water, turning an otherwise pleasant town into a pigsty. The trucks that brought in feed for the hogs or loaded them up for trips to the slaughterhouse tore up the towns narrow roads. So when Dodge County approved a permit for another hog factory farm in 2014, My dad said, Enough is enough, Trom Eayrs told me. That year, Lowell sued the Dodge County Board of Commissioners and two people affiliated with the proposed farm, arguing that the county had issued the permit despite lacking critical information, like how it would handle all the manure.As soon as they started that lawsuit, thats when the harassment started from members of the local hog community, Trom Eayrs said. The intimidation and the midnight calls to my dad garbage in our road ditches and bullet holes in the stop sign near their home, she remembered, and lots of other tactics that were done to try and harass us and get us to shut up. (Trom Eayrs doesnt allege county officials had engaged in these tactics.)Sonja Trom Eayrs at her parents home. Over two decades, the Trom family saw 12 hog factory farms built, housing around 30,000 pigs total, within a three-mile radius of their farm. Sam Delgado/VoxAfter the Troms filed a lawsuit against the county and two local hog farm operators, they say they began to experience harassment and intimidation, including loads of garbage dumped on their property. Courtesy of Sonja Trom EayrsLowell Trom prevailed in that first lawsuit, which vacated the hog farms permit. In response, the county watered down the permit application requirements and approved the factory farm once again. Trom sued again, challenging the issuance of the second permit, which failed. A similar third lawsuit against a neighboring township and a hog farm operator, in which Trom argued the township had improperly approved a permit, also failed. There are now 12 hog factory farms within three miles of the Trom family property. Lowell died in 2019.Holden Farms didnt respond to a request for comment. The Troms family story, along with the story of how factory farms have reshaped US agriculture, are recounted in Trom Eayrss compelling new book, Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America. Trom Eayrs also documented similar stories of harassment experienced by fellow Midwesterners all farmers themselves whove protested factory farms coming into their towns: a bullet into a toddlers bedroom window; arson; dead animals left on someones car, in their mailbox, and their front porch; and plenty of death threats. One family in Illinois found a severed pigs head in their front yard after they complained about factory farm odors.Such harassment and intimidation isnt confined to Middle America. Over 1,000 miles away in Eastern North Carolina, where nearly all farm owners are white and affected residents are disproportionately low-income people of color, those who criticize factory farms have reported owners and employees following them in their cars, driving back and forth in front of their homes, threatening physical violence, and nearly running people over who were testing potentially polluted water by the roadside.Elsie Herring, who over time became the face of the movement against North Carolinas farm pollution, got it especially bad. In the mid-1990s, the hog factory farm next door to her mothers house began to spray manure on nearby cropland as fertilizer. But some of the manure would land on her mothers property even onto the exterior of the house. Herring complained to local, state, and federal authorities, which she said led to aggression from the hog farm owner. Elsie Herring walks in the backyard of her house in Wallace, North Carolina, where wastewater from the urine and feces of pigs is sprayed next to her home. We dont open our windows or doors, she told the Associated Press in 2018. We dont sit out. We dont cook out. We dont do anything. Gerry Broome/Associated PressOne day, Herring wrote in a 2019 testimony to Congress, the farm owners son entered her home uninvited and shook the chair her 98-year-old mother was sitting in, and yelled that he could do whatever he wanted to Herring and get away with it. On two occasions, the farm owners son showed up to her home with a gun.I live under a threat of intimidation and harassment that feels constant, Herring, who died from cancer in 2021, told Congress.The lawyers, scientists, politicians, and environmental advocates who work with communities to fight factory farm pollution have sometimes also found themselves the victims of harassment and intimidation, including death threats, aggressive political campaigns to block electoral candidates promising to reform factory farms, and even academic censorship and interference. The industry is always looking for pressure points, Trom Eayrs said. They will do anything to stay in power.What Eayrs, Herring, and others have experienced cuts against the image that the modern livestock industry has constructed of itself through deceptive marketing and a slick public relations machine. That image is one in which factory farms arent sites of mass pollution but rather small, family-owned businesses where farmers the so-called original environmental stewards are just trying to feed the world and eke out an honest living.Interior of a hog CAFO. Getty Images/iStockphotoExterior of two hog CAFOs in Iowa. Getty ImagesFactory farms, also called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), enable meat companies to pump out enormous amounts of animal products at a low price point, and with a lower carbon footprint on a per-pound basis compared to traditional farming, according to the industry. But they operate with little local, state, or federal environmental regulation, leaving those who live near them to suffer from toxic air quality, polluted drinking water, and the constant stench of animal waste. Many in factory farm communities feel that regulators and policymakers have failed them and that they need to take matters into their own hands by speaking out at local meetings, organizing petitions, or filing lawsuits all of which can put a target on their back.Most operators of large CAFOs, to be sure, dont harass and intimidate these critics. But that so many people who speak out against factory farm pollution find themselves in crosshairs figuratively but sometimes quite literally shows how far the industry is willing to go to maintain its stranglehold on the American food system, and to sacrifice the health of the communities on which they depend for a quick buck.A violation of the rural ethicOver the last century, the number of farms has shrunk precipitously while the number of animals per farm has shot up. Large and even mega-sized factory farms the kind that degraded Troms and Herrings quality of life have taken over, producing the vast majority of todays meat, milk, and eggs. Typically, the people who operate these factory farms raise animals as contractors, also known as contract growers, for a regional company, like the Minnesota-based pork and turkey producer Holden Farms. Then a massive multinational meatpacker, like JBS, Tyson Foods, or Smithfield Foods, slaughters the animals and sells their meat. Contract growers assume a lot of risk to build and operate their barns. They take out loans worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars; theyre responsible for managing the animals enormous volumes of manure; and they have no control over the quality of the feed or of the animals delivered to them. They dont even own the animals that they raise, which are the property of the larger, more powerful meat companies. Some of these farmers do just fine for themselves, while others financially struggle, unable to claw out of the hole of debt theyre put in. Their contracts with meat companies are notoriously hard to to make public, but Trom Eayrs found one as part of discovery in a 2013 lawsuit against Holden Farms by one of its contractors. The contract grower had to take out a $730,000 loan to build a 3,000-hog operation in Dodge County, Minnesota. In return, Holden Farms would pay the contractor $9,000 per month. Between the mortgage on the loan, labor, utilities, taxes, and insurance, the contractor would just about break even, according to an estimate by Trom Eayrs in her book. If I wasnt in it so deep, Id never do it again, a hog contract grower in Illinois unaffiliated with Holden Farms told the Chicago Tribune in 2016.These exploitative financial relationships have contributed to the hollowing out of rural economies, as farm income has become increasingly concentrated among the largest operations, the regional companies that own the animals, and the massive meatpackers. Now, in a given rural community, a network of factory farms and the slaughterhouse where they send their animals might be one of a handful of major employers or the only one. This is the fifth in a series of stories on how factory farming has shaped, and continues to impact, the US. Find the rest of the series and future installments here, and visit Voxs Future Perfect section for more coverage of Big Ag. The stories in this series are supported by Animal Charity Evaluators, which received a grant from Builders Initiative.Its not hard to imagine how this economic desperation, baked into the business model of factory farming, could drive some involved in the industry to engage in harassment and intimidation against their critics. Those who oppose factory farms are often told that if they stop a slaughterhouse or factory farm from coming into town, theyre killing jobs and also potential income for businesses that the meat companies might work with, like trucking or fertilizer companies. Criticizing the system can also get one labeled anti-farmer or anti-agriculture, even if the critic is a farmer themselves.That tension between protecting a communitys air and water from factory farms and welcoming the economic development they promise even if most of the profit goes to a select few can tear at the social fabric of rural life. You got some people that are making the money from the CAFOs, and then youve got neighbors around them that are suffering from health issues or odors, or they polluted their well or something, and so I think it kind of violates this rural ethic I think thats what tears the communities apart, John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, told me. That rural ethic, he explained, dictates that its fine if someone is making money so long as its not at their neighbors expense. But pointing out the violation of this principle that factory farms represent can lead not just to harassment and intimidation, but also to a subtler repercussion: social ostracism.Edith Haenel of Northwood, Iowa, has long been outspoken against factory farms in Worth County, and said a lot of people dont like her for her advocacy. But she has little choice but to act: I have epilepsy, and so the hydrogen sulfide and ammonia [from livestock manure] are two things that can trigger seizures, she told me. And the pervasive odor of animal manure is invasive, Haenel said.Jim Berge, who has protested the spread of factory farms in Iowa, points out a mound of chicken manure by the roadside in Worth County, Iowa. Sam Delgado/VoxEdith Haenel at her home in Worth County, Iowa, speaking about the public health effects of factory farms and her efforts to combat their proliferation in Iowa. Sam Delgado/VoxSome people have quietly thanked her for her advocacy but are scared to speak out themselves. Theyre afraid that theyll lose friends, theyll lose money, opportunities, she said. Small business people really have to watch it, she added, because even if theyre opposed to factory farms, they could lose customers if they let people know where they stand. Jim Berge, whos lived in Worth County all his life and has campaigned against factory farms with Haenel, said the animosity has become personal. They make fun of my life, make fun of me. They dont challenge me anymore on my thoughts and theories, they just challenge me personally, he said.Forty-five miles north, fights over factory farms have divided Trom Eayrs town of Blooming Prairie: [My father] was essentially persona non grata in his own church, and people wouldnt speak to him. You could see and sense this divisiveness, Trom Eayrs told me. There are wounds in this neighborhood that, frankly, will never heal. ... A wave of the hand is now met with a wave of the middle finger.Targeting career professionals who criticize factory farmingSome in the factory farm industry, and those connected to it, also engage in bad-faith politicking and alleged academic censorship against some of its critics. In the 1990s, Cindy Watson a Republican who represented a district of Eastern North Carolina in the states General Assembly one day visited Elsie Herring at her home to learn about CAFO pollution. The farmer next door called Watson a ni***r lover.After introducing bills to regulate the industry, Watson received a death threat over voicemail. In 1998, she lost her primary. That year, a North Carolina pork industry coalition group had spent $2.9 million against its critics in the statehouse, including around $10,000 per week against Watson at one point during the campaign.In 2018, a small Iowa farmer named Nick Schutt ran for Hardin County Board of Supervisors with a platform that included opposition to factory farms. One day, at the recycling plant where he worked, a number of his coworkers held a postcard mailed to them with his mugshot on it. THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, the caption read.Nick SchuttSchutt had indeed spent time in jail two years earlier but for just a few hours, after he and 29 others nonviolently protested the Dakota Access Pipeline in Iowa. He paid a small fine and went on with his life. The postcard, however, didnt include any of that context, seemingly with the intent to cast Schutt as a hardened criminal. Schutt lost his race.The postcard had been sent out by a shadowy group called Iowa Citizens for Truth. One of two people named on the groups 2016 IRS tax form is Steve Weiss, the same name of the founder and former chief financial officer of Iowa Select Farms the states largest pork producer and the fourth largest in the US. Weiss is now the CEO of NutriQuest, a livestock consultancy in Iowa.Weiss didnt respond to a request for comment. A receptionist at the NutriQuest office told me they werent interested and hung up.IRS documents from 2017 and 2019 appear to link two attorneys one current and one former from the law firm BrownWinick, which has long represented Iowa Select Farms, with Iowa Citizens for Truth. In the 2011 state legislative session, one of the attorneys also lobbied on behalf of Iowa Select Farms.If you campaign on an anti-factory farm ticket, the industry is going to make it so difficult for you to run, Schutt told me. Even if we did have a fair chance to run the Republicans in Hardin County outnumber the Democrats theres no reason for them to do an unfair contest.BrownWinick didnt respond to a request for comment. Some academics have said they faced retaliation for going up against Big Meat, including at land-grant universities, which historically have worked closely with the meat industry to build the factory farming system and further develop it.Randy Coon, a farmer and former agricultural economist at North Dakota State University, was involved with a group that opposed the construction of a large hog operation near his home in Buffalo, North Dakota. In early 2016, he spoke at a public hearing about the issue, and about a year later, the university was working on a project funded by farm commodity interest groups. Some of them complained because I was going to be on it and so I got taken off of it, Coon said. Then in early 2018, the chair of the agriculture department had a talk with him. I was pretty much told that I was anti-agriculture and I shouldnt be working in the College of Ag, and that I couldnt work on any ag-related projects, he said. The handwriting was on the wall. They didnt say, Youre fired, but, you know, We dont want you. He finished up a project and resigned a month later.North Dakota State University officials didnt respond to a request for comment.Chris Jones, a former research engineer and water quality expert at the University of Iowa, had long written critically about the states agricultural industry in a popular, university-hosted blog. One post in March 2023 mentioned a massive cattle operation that happened to be owned by the son-in-law of Republican state Sen. Dan Zumbach, whos a farmer himself. Days after it was published, according to a story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Joness boss said he received a call from Keith Saunders, the chief government relations officer at the Iowa Board of Regents, which oversees the University of Iowa. According to Joness boss, the officer said that Zumbach and another Republican state senator complained about the blog, saying that the universitys water quality experts were asking lawmakers for money while also allowing Jones to publish critical blog posts about agricultural pollution. There was no direct threat, but the message was clear. A sign outside Edith Haenels home in Worth County, Iowa. Sam Delgado/VoxSaunders didnt respond to the Chronicle of Higher Educations request for comment. No threat to funding was ever made because of the content of a blog, Zumbach told the Chronicle. The other lawmaker, state Sen. Tom Shipley who had once worked as a legislative liaison for the Iowa Cattlemens Association confirmed the meeting with Saunders about Joness blog to the Chronicle but didnt say what was discussed.About a week later, tired of the controversy and worried his work would threaten his departments funding, Jones announced his retirement. Over the following month, the state legislature voted to move $500,000 from a water quality program that Jones oversaw to a water program managed by the states department of agriculture, which has close ties to the industry. Jones said that the whole ordeal further revealed the industrys fragility without heavy subsidization, deregulation, and dependence on taxpayers to either tolerate its pollution or pay to clean it up, it wouldnt stand on its own.To maintain that house of cards, theyve got to keep everybody in line, he told me. Some peon like me, if Im a threat to them, Jesus, thats saying something how precarious that house of cards is. So theyre going to defend it from every angle, because they know that its vulnerable.Sam Delgado contributed reporting for this story.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

At their peak, the devastating wildfires that ignited around Los Angeles in January forced upward of 200,000 people to evacuate and torched more than 16,000 homes, offices, and shops. The total economic losses may reach as high as $275 billion. Now the blazes are fully contained and have mostly died down. As Angelenos grapple with their losses, the disaster has turned into an excuse for some to litigate their grievances with the state: President Donald Trump said that federal aid to California should be conditioned on policy changes like voter ID laws. He also ordered a reservoir that isnt connected to Southern Californias water supply to dump 2.2 billion gallons of water.There were indeed decisions that did make the fires more destructive than they needed to be. Wildfires are a natural part of the landscape in Southern California, but as more people move into vulnerable areas, the risk of sparking a fire and the scale of the ensuing destruction grow. And as average temperatures rise due to climate change, the Golden State is likely to experience more of the weather sequences that created the fuel for the recent wildfires. With thousands of people searching for housing, theres immense pressure to rebuild fast. The state has relaxed permitting rules to speed up reconstruction. But putting everything back exactly where it was will only recreate the conditions that led to these intense infernoes in the first place, or worse.We have not built for the hazards we face now, said Megan Mullin, faculty director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California Los Angeles. The kinds of destructive, life-taking, enormous property-damaging fires that we have seen over the last six or eight years actually are pretty new. But how exactly should the city rebuild? For communities like Pacific Palisades and Altadena that suffered the most intense destruction, the recovery now presents an opportunity to make them more resilient to future fires. The to-do list is long and some of the items are politically contentious and expensive. But, according to water, engineering, and policy experts I spoke to, these approaches are the best shot at surviving wildfires in a warming world. Here are the top items that should be on LAs post-fire to-do list, according to experts:Communities need a coherent fire strategyIt may not be the first thing that comes to mind in the wake of the blazes, but getting people to work with their neighbors to reduce fire risk is essential. The entirety of fire preparation and response engages with every aspect of how we govern our communities, Mullin said.The recent wildfires revealed that residents cant go it alone when it comes to major infernos. The most well-designed home built with fire-resistant materials held to the latest building codes can still ignite if every other house on the block is burning. And even if a home does stay standing, it will likely still lose water, power, and road access in the aftermath, rendering it unlivable for some time. So neighborhoods and municipalities need to form funded, accountable groups whose job it is to reduce fire risk, whether thats mapping out high-risk properties, renting goats to chew back flammable vegetation, building in fire breaks and green spaces between houses, maintaining fire hydrants, and enforcing building regulations. Pick building sites carefully and harden themThe next step is to think about how homes are built and whether they should be there at all. In some places where vegetation is too fire-prone or access is difficult for firefighters its not going to make sense to rebuild since the fire risk is too high. In particular, properties need to pull back from the wildland-urban interface, where structures encroach into flammable wilderness. But that does mean the makeup of some communities wont look the same as they did before. I dont believe everyone is coming back, said Lucio Soibelman, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Southern California. The buildings that do get built back have to be held to higher standards. We cannot rebuild the same things, Soibelman said. The steps to make homes resilient to fires is its own long to-do list: installing meshes on vents to block embers, fire-resistant siding, cutting vegetation back five feet from structures, breaking flammable connections between buildings like wooden fencing, and fire-resistant utility poles. These codes also have to be enforced on existing homes, which means some homeowners will have to undertake expensive retrofits or face penalties. Give insurers more flexibilityInsurance is a critical tool for providing the funds to rebuild, but private insurance companies have been leaving California in recent years, citing mounting wildfire threats and regulations that limit how much they can price that risk into their rates. The ones that remain are now facing whats likely to be the most expensive fire disaster in history, with low-end estimates of tens of billions in insured claims. For homeowners whove been dropped by private companies, their last option is the states FAIR Plan, the insurer of last resort. But this program is poised to run out of its cash reserves. To stabilize the market, insurance companies want more leeway to raise their rates in line with the risks they face now, as well as the growing damages they expect in the future. California has begun to make these changes, allowing insurers to use forward-looking catastrophe models. The challenge is that means homeowners will face higher housing costs, and some may choose to drop their insurance coverage, leaving them to rebuild out of pocket when the next fire ignites.Rising insurance premiums can serve as a disincentive for building in vulnerable areas. On the other hand, if insurers account for hardening tactics in individual homes and in communities, they could reward these measures with discounts. Start chipping away at the states housing crisisThe conditions that led to so many homes in the path of danger didnt emerge overnight and will take years to resolve, but the work has to start now. The real big picture is our housing crisis and what to do about that, said Bradley Franklin, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Weve effectively stumbled into creating a set of incentives for people to keep expanding real estate development into the wildland-urban interface.Decades of density restrictions and rising property values have left many Californians with few living options beyond sprawling into fire-prone regions. The costly reconstruction after the fires is likely to widen the already-stark class divides in Los Angeles. Solving this will require making it cheaper and easier to build more homes in safer areas. That means relaxing zoning regulations and speeding up the permitting process. California will also have to adapt to the changing climate and reduce its contribution to the problem. Higher temperatures means more moisture gets sucked out of the ecosystems and creates drier environments, which are more prone to fires, Franklin said. The Southern California wildfires erupted after a year of extreme weather dialed up. The region started 2024 with unprecedented flooding, followed by record-breaking heat in the summer and the driest start to winter ever witnessed. It led to a huge bloom of fast-growing chaparral, grasses, and shrubs that dried out in the heat and served as fuel for blazes. This whiplash between extremes is likely to become more common. Then the region was whipped by some of the strongest Santa Ana winds ever measured, with gusts up to 100 miles per hour.Curbing this threat will require clearing brush, thinning forests, and controlled burns, depending on the landscape. The state also needs to better conserve its scarce water. That can involve building new storage facilities, managing consumption with more efficient appliances, and phasing out irrigation of thirsty crops to feed cattle. Solving these long-running problems will also require resolving squabbles between businesses, private owners, state managers, and the federal government, who are all inclined to foist the responsibility and the bill for these measures onto someone else. It will take leadership and political risks to drive down the wildfire threat, but its not clear that will has manifested just yet.See More:

Rockstar Games' parent company's earnings call confirmed that the long-awaited GTA 6 is still on track to launch in Fall 2025, but didn't cover a lot elseTech10:51, 07 Feb 2025Updated 11:01, 07 Feb 2025We've had our plane tickets to Vice City purchased for years(Image: Rockstar)Take-Two Interactive held its first earnings call of 2025 last night. While it was relatively threadbare in its details about GTA 6, we did learn the game is still targeting 2025 for its release leaving other publishers worried.Developers Rockstar has remained tight-lipped for over 14 months since the game's first trailer dropped, there's still plenty of information we still don't know. We expected Take-Two to be a little more talkative, but naturally much of the focus was on last year's results.Here's everything we didn't learn about GTA 6 from yesterday's earnings call, including important updates like the price.One dev thinks GTA 6 is likely finished(Image: Rockstar)As Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two CEO, explained on the call, the company's slate for 2025 is stacked."Looking ahead, this calendar year is shaping up to be one of the strongest ever for Take-Two, as we plan to launch Sid Meiers Civilization VII on February 11th, Mafia: The Old Country in the Summer, Grand Theft Auto VI in the Fall, and Borderlands 4," Zelnick said.Zelnick also confirmed GTA 5 has hit 210 million sales, while commenting on the overperformance of NBA 2K, but other than that confirmation of a Fall release window, we're still waiting for fresh information.2025 could easily turn into 2026, of course, and Zelnick mentioned that when speaking to IGN."Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things," Zelnick said."So we feel really good about it," he added, which could lend credence to one former Rockstar developer's theory that the game is in a playable state and the studio is working on bug fixes.Sadly, Take-Two didn't comment on rumours that the game could launch in September, but it's still slated for PlayStation and Xbox, with no comment on a PC version.Traditionally, Rockstar releases PC ports later. The studio released GTA 5 on consoles in 2013, but it didn't come to PC until 2015, while Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on PC just over a year after the console versions.We also didn't hear anything about the potential for Rockstar to release the GTA Online side of GTA 6 as a separate purchase, which had been rumoured to allow for a cheaper entry point.Article continues belowFinally, that brings us to the price. The game had been tipped by some to release at a higher price point, giving other studios the confidence to do the same, but Take-Two didn't mention that. Expect that to happen with the company's next earnings call, if not sooner.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled, but with these nifty mods you can update Football Manager 2024 so it's as close as you can get to the real thing here's howTech10:40, 07 Feb 2025Updated 10:40, 07 Feb 2025Football Manager 2024 just gained a whole new reason to pick it up(Image: Sports Interactive)The latest edition of the Football Manager series, FM25, has been cancelled, developer Sports Interactive revealed this morning.After multiple delays that meant the game, and radio silence in January when an update was promised, the switch to Unity has meant the studio has cancelled the game outright, leaving fans wondering when they'll get to play another instalment.While Sports Interactive has seemingly switched its focus to Football Manager 26, enterprising fans have put together a way you can basically convert Football Manager 24 to Football Manager 25, complete with stat and transfer updates, and even contract changes.Here's how it works, and how to get it installed right now.Fans have often updated the game's database between the start of the season and the launch of the new game, but two big players in the Football Manager community have pulled together to release what are essentially overhauls to the game.FMInside.net and FMScout have both put together sizeable updates that collect multiple smaller updates together, essentially doing what developer Sports Interactive said they wouldn't as they concentrate on Football Manager 26.Sports Interactive's lengthy statement on Football Manager 25(Image: SEGA)Not only are transfers updated, but player ratings have been tweaked, contracts and ages are adjusted to be a year in the future, promotions and relegations are sorted. The new Champions League format has also been introduced albeit with the caveat that the in-game editor doesn't allow for 100% accuracy.The YouTube video from Zealand above is a great way to learn how to install and everything included, but it certainly goes beyond any data pack in the almost 20 years I've been playing the series.Considering these are free updates, I'll definitely be downloading them.Article continues belowThe Daily Star reached out to SEGA on January 31 and was told that the publisher had "nothing to share at this point", a week prior to the cancellation announcement.The title, which was to be the first on a new game engine, will now be eligible for refunds if you've pre-ordered itFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Nintendo Switch 2 patent reveals weird new controller and confirms mouse techAdam StarkeyPublished February 7, 2025 12:01pmUpdated February 7, 2025 12:01pm Prepare to drag your Joy-Con (Nintendo)Newly-published patents from Nintendo have seemingly confirmed a bunch of Switch 2 features, including how the Joy-Cons attach to the console.The Nintendo Switch 2 might have been officially revealed but we still know very little about the console itself, aside from its bigger size, backwards compatibility, and colour scheme.Some details are heavily implied in the reveal video, such as the mouse functionality and magnetic Joy-Cons which were previously mentioned in leaks but Nintendo has yet to confirm any of them directly.While Nintendo is likely waiting for its Direct presentation in April, to go into these details, a bunch of newly-published patents from the company may have given the game away.The patents, which were initially filed in August 2023 but published on February 6, 2025, appear to confirm several details about the Switch 2. An input device and system patent mentions a sensor for mouse operation which detects reflected light from a detected surface.It contains several drawings of how the mouse functionality works, showing a Joy-Con on its side, as a disembodied hand clicks on the shoulder buttons. Interestingly, the drawings also show both Joy-Con working like a mouse at the same time, and one functioning as a mouse while the other Joy-Con is raised in an upright position (likely for first person shooters). Is this how youll play Call Of Duty on console? (WIPO)Within the same patent, there are drawings of what appears to be an equivalent of a Switch Pro Controller albeit one which can detach into two halves and also be used like a mouse, with a sensor on the inside.This suggests that, rather than being a rarely used optional feature like the optical sensor on the original Joy-Cons Nintendo consider the mouse functionality vital enough that its also available when using alternative devices like the Pro Controller. Is this the new Pro Controller? (WIPO)A separate game controller patent is less interesting but it does outline the specifics of the magnetic connection within the Joy-Con. The game controller is detachably mounted to a body device that has a recess, it reads, that comprises a first magnet and a second magnet at the bottom of the recess, and that can execute game processing.The patent also clarifies how the Joy-Cons wont easily slip off during use, describing two buttons which are to be pressed by the user on the top surface of the protrusion, adding: The first button is attracted to the first magnet by a magnetic force. The second button is attracted to a second magnet by a magnetic force.More TrendingA third patent, titled attachment, shows a wrist strap for Switch 2 Joy-Con, which will similarly connect via magnets. Within the same document, there are also drawings for what appears to be some kind of charging station for the Joy-Cons, showing both the left and right controllers being laid down sideways in a dock.Theres a chance these patents have not been turned into actual products, but considering how much of it lines up with whats rumoured around the Switch 2, it all points to this being a strong indicator of how the console will actually function.Nintendo is expected to confirm these specifics in its Direct presentation on April 2, which will likely also include another look at the next Mario Kart.Following the presentation, Nintendo is set to tour the Switch 2 around the world at a series of public hands-on events from April to June. This might be a new kind of charging station (WIPO)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Football Manager 2026 confirmed for this year as Sega cancels FM25GameCentralPublished February 7, 2025 11:08amUpdated February 7, 2025 11:08am They think its all over it is now (Sega/Quentin)The new era of Football Manager is not going to arrive for several more months, as FM25 is cancelled and pre-orders refunded.After multiple delays, Sega has announced the inevitable: there will be no Football Manager 25 and the entire game has been cancelled. Although the good news is that there will be a Football Manager 26 and it will be out this year as usual.The problems started last year, when the game was twice delayed and ended up with a release date of March 2025, instead of the usual November launch. That didnt seem to make any sense, even just in terms of the football season being mostly over by then, but there were also doubts amongst fans as to whether the game would end up being rushed.All the issues stemmed from the fact that the game was meant to be a major overhaul for the series, with a new game engine and new features such as support for womens football and touchline shouts all of which were gradually cut from the release as it was delayed again and again.In that sense, todays annoucement has come as no surprise and has, in fact, been welcomed by many fans, even as theyre still worried about how Football Manager 2026 will turn out.Following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with Sega, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release, reads the official annoucement.For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support were very sorry to have let you down. No ones cheering this news (Sega)We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement, reads the explanation.Whilst many areas of the game have hit our targets, the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be. As extensive evaluation has demonstrated, including consumer playtesting, we have clear validation for the new direction of the game and are getting close however, were too far away from the standards you deserve.We could have pressed on, released FM25 in its current state, and fixed things down the line but thats not the right thing to do. We were also unwilling to go beyond a March release as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to then buy another game later in the year. All work will now be moved to Football Manager 26 (Sega)Although developer Sports Interactive is keen to imply that by skipping ahead to Football Manager 2026, presumably this November, everything will fall back into line there is, of course, no guarantee of that.The next release is essentially a brand new game, rather than just an incremental update, and thats a difficult thing to create given that the studio has been trying to make its usual yearly sequels at the same time.That means theres no guarantee there wont be further problems as autumn approaches and it certainly wouldnt be a surprise if features remained cut, just to get it out the door. The new game is switching to the Unity engine (Sega)The online reaction is relatively understanding but, as you can imagine, nobody is happy.They swapped engines and thought it would be a seamless transition. Turns out it wasnt even close lol, said Agreeable_Cheek_7161 on Reddit.This might be a blessing in disguise. Give the devs time to actually do a leap forwards, says a slightly more optimistic Predicted.More TrendingI find it astounding that they opened up pre-orders knowing full well it was looking like a car crash. I know that was the capitalist side of the company talking though and Im glad theyve realised that releasing a bad game would have been way more detrimental to the long-term brand of FM than just skipping a year and taking a short-term financial loss, adds another fan.How to get refunds for Football Manager 25Because the games usually come out on such a regular schedule, a lot of fans will have pre-ordered Football Manager 25 a long time ago, but Sega has insisted that everyone will get refunds.According to them pre-orders for the game will happen automatically if you paid for the game via an official Sega-approved retailer. Although that wont necessarily happen today, with Sega only saying that it will take place in due course.Theres a list of approved retailers here, which includes Steam and most online retailers. Since the vast majority of people play the game on PC it should be relatively easy to claim your refund, but Sega suggest contacting the retailer themselves not them if you have any problems. The year that never was (Sega)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Artist Studios and Creative Workspaces: 8 Latin American Projects that Blend Work, Living, and Exhibition SpacesSave this picture!Ceramics Workshop Liza Crea / - = + x -. Image Renato DuriaIn recent years, working from home has become increasingly common, creating a need for domestic spaces that accommodate both professional and personal life. This is especially true for artists, where the integration of living and working spaces is essential. Often, these spaces must also serve as areas for exhibiting artistic production, such as paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and more.This fusion of work and living environments has influenced architectural and interior design trends, prioritizing flexibility, multifunctionality, and aesthetics that foster both creativity and comfort. Open-plan layouts, modular furniture, and adaptable lighting solutions are now key elements in designs that support the seamless coexistence of work and personal life.Save this picture!For smaller offices and workshops, it's crucial to create environments that support well-being and high-quality working conditions. Many of these spaces establish a strong connection to nature, with abundant natural lighting and ventilation systems tailored to the specific activities taking place. Related Article Home Office: 35 Solutions for More Flexible Workspaces Below, we highlight eight projects from Latin America that thoughtfully address these needs. Through innovative approaches to space use, they redefine the harmonious coexistence of work, living, and creative expression.Daniela Riquelme Studio Workshop / AMASA EstudioThis renovation project for the artist aimed to adapt the upper floor where she usually worked with better conditions to support her artistic production. This included new openings, introducing natural lighting, creating custom furniture, and adding an exhibition area to the studio workshop.Save this picture!Save this picture!Taller Cermico Liza Crea / - = + x -This workshop is built with rammed earth, reflecting the clay ceramics produced inside. A central courtyard provides natural lighting and ventilation, while the rammed earth walls define and integrate the workshop and exhibition spaces.Save this picture!Save this picture!Taller Atemporal / Quinta Fachada | Arquitectura ConscienteThis 18 m space is seamlessly integrated with the natural landscape and designed for multiple functions, serving as a coworking area, showroom, project workshop, and primarily as our architecture office. Its adaptable spatial configuration enables these activities to coexist effortlessly, without the need for formal alterations, embodying a design approach centered on flexibility.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Ceramics workshop / #1028 Arquitectura y PaisajeThis light-filled ceramics workshop fits perfectly into a residual space in the artist's home. A sphere between the pergola and the ground shapes the sunshades into a dome, its radius echoed on the wall and faade. Beneath it, the potter's wheel spins in a space reminiscent of a presbytery. The pergola supports a gable roof, while sunscreens, a semi-arch faade, and shelves blend yellow metal and pine wood, creating a functional and expressive design.Save this picture!Save this picture!Campo Belo Atelier / Canoa ArquiteturaAn artist couple needed a new place to work. The atelier was created by installing a new roof, featuring a lightweight metal structure with acoustic tiles supported by reinforced 'U' profiles. Spanning transversely across the rear of the lot, it relies on the boundary walls as its primary support. Prioritizing natural light, the space opens onto the patio formed between the atelier and the house, enhancing its connection to the outdoors.Save this picture!Save this picture!Ateli Tabaet / Verri & Galvo ArquitetosThis project involved renovating an existing structure to accommodate the artists' workspace, production, and exhibition of their collections. The studio extends from the street to the backyard, with a showcase facing the neighborhood. Within it, exhibition, production, and daily activities are seamlessly integrated in a flexible layout.Save this picture!Save this picture!Costa Rica Studio / Huella Estudio + NBBO ArquitectosTwo workspaces from different disciplines coexist within the same building: a pottery studio and showroom, and an architecture studio. A wooden piece of furniture acts as a bridge between the two, integrating storage, kitchen elements, and shared objects. The central partition, intentionally kept at a low height, reinforces its role as a unifying element. Its design allows for the continuous flow of air and natural light while preserving cross ventilation.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Atelier-A / DUB ArquitecturaA highly personalized design for an artist who values a close connection to nature. The landscape is prominently experienced from the interior, not only through the stunning views offered by the expansive glazed facade but also through the movement of leaves, wind, and birds visible on the roof. Above, filtered natural light is a constant presence, allowing creativity to flow throughout the space as the day unfolds.Save this picture!Save this picture!Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorPaula PintosAuthorCite: Paula Pintos. "Artist Studios and Creative Workspaces: 8 Latin American Projects that Blend Work, Living, and Exhibition Spaces" 07 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026607/artist-studios-and-creative-workspaces-8-latin-american-projects-that-blend-work-living-and-exhibition-spaces&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Nation Office Building Intervention / TANK ArchitectesSave this picture! Julien LanooArchitects: TANK ArchitectesAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:7700 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Julien LanooMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Situated at Place de la Nation in Paris, this project reinterprets the urban fabric through the reconstruction of a distinctive office building. The intervention respects the architectural scale of its surroundings while contributing a refined contemporary presence. The program includes 1,700 m of retail space at ground level and approximately 6,000 m of office space, designed to prioritize comfort, natural light, and spatial quality. The project responds to its setting with a restrained yet expressive architectural language. Two faades address Place de la Nation and Avenue de Taillebourg, referencing the rhythm and proportions of Haussmann architecture while introducing a contemporary material palette and refined detailing. This approach ensures an understated integration within the historic streetscape while establishing a strong identity.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Workspaces and Human Experience - The design prioritizes workspaces that foster interaction, visibility, and well-being. A balance of formal and informal meeting areas enhances communication and collaboration. The spatial qualities of the interiors are carefully calibrated, ensuring optimal daylight penetration, thermal stability, and acoustic comfort. The use of high-quality materials and crafted details reinforces a sense of permanence and refinement. A key ambition of the project is the integration of nature within the workplace. Landscaped terraces, totaling 600 m, establish a continuous dialogue between architecture and greenery. Designed in layers that correspond to the building's vertical articulation, these terraces offer varying scales of vegetation, framing views and creating a sense of retreat within the urban setting. The planting strategy follows the guidelines of the City of Paris, selecting native and seasonal species to enhance biodiversity and introduce subtle variations throughout the year.Save this picture!A Dialogue Between History and Contemporary Practice - The transformation of Place de la Nation represents an evolution of the historic urban fabric. Originally formalized in the late 19th century, the square's Haussmann buildings set a precedent for rigorous architectural composition. The monument to the Republic by Jules Dalou, inaugurated in 1899, further established the square as a civic landmark. The new intervention acknowledges this layered history, contributing a measured yet contemporary response that complements its context while addressing contemporary needs.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Spatial and Material Composition - The project engages with its surroundings through careful articulation of massing and materiality. Large bow windows frame key urban perspectives, acting as extensions of the city within the office environment. The ground floor retail space enhances urban activation, its transparent faade reinforcing connectivity with the public realm. A spacious, naturally lit entrance hall along Avenue Taillebourg establishes a clear arrival sequence, leading to a vertical circulation core that opens onto the landscaped heart of the site. The architectural strategy embraces adaptability, allowing for future spatial and programmatic shifts. Floor plates of varying proportions generate dynamic interior environments, while visual connections to greenery enrich the experience of each level. Outdoor workspaces blur the threshold between interior and exterior, reinforcing the idea of a living workspace embedded in nature.Save this picture!Materiality and Light - The building is defined by a restrained material palette that emphasizes longevity and sensory experience. Light grey concrete, cast in horizontal strata, forms the primary structural expression, subtly referencing the limestone tones of Haussmann Paris. Towards the city, these layers become more fragmented, dissolving into the surrounding urban fabric. The play of light and shadow across these surfaces introduces a quiet dynamism, responding to the changing conditions of the day. The architecture engages with light as a primary element. Transparency, reflection, and depth are explored through an interplay of glass, shadow, and material tactility. The faades evolve throughout the day, capturing shifting tones and reflections from the sky and the surrounding city. This dialogue between solidity and lightness, permanence, and ephemerality, defines the project's identitya contemporary addition that enhances its historic setting while offering a timeless spatial experience.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Place de la Nation, Paris, FranceLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeTANK ArchitectesOfficeMaterialsGlassConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on February 07, 2025Cite: "Nation Office Building Intervention / TANK Architectes" 07 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026501/nation-office-building-intervention-tank-architectes&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

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