NexOptic Technology (CVE:NXO) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Drew Lock is likely going to start at quarterback for the New York Giants against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday when they try to end a franchise-record 10-game losing streak. Lock started against Atlanta last weekend and his status became an issue after the 34-7 loss when coach Brian Daboll said the 28-year-old was having an issue with his right shoulder. An MRI was done Monday and Daboll announced Tuesday that Lock would be his starter if he stayed healthy. “It came back good so rocking and rolling,” Lock said, noting he was hurt on a third down pass to Daniel Bellinger in the first quarter when Falcons linebacker Matthew Judon pulled his arm on the play. He finished the game. There were questions whether Daboll would switch back to Tommy DeVito after Lock threw two pick-6s and lost a fumble on a strip-sack against the Falcons. Lock has had three interceptions returned for scores in three starts this season, including two on tipped passes. Daboll said it was important to give Lock a couple of starts in which he was able to get all the reps in practice. “Knowing what we did the week before, take the things we need to get better at into this week and actually be able to go out there and do it is something I’m looking forward to,” Lock said. “Similar cadences with the guys, being in the huddle together. I think it can only be a positive for such a roller coaster out of that spot.” The one thing that might change this week is the Giants center. John Michael Schmitz has an ankle injury and he did not practice Tuesday. He left the locker room with a boot on his right foot. New York has moved veteran guard Greg Van Roten to center when Schmitz was hurt and Lock also worked with guard Austin Schlottmann as his center while playing in Denver. “I’m pretty familiar with all the guys that are rotating in there,” Lock said. The Giants have the NFL's worst scoring offense, averaging 14.3 points. They benched Daniel Jones coming out of their bye week and days later released him after he requested it. DeVito has started two games and Lock three since Jones was released. New York has scored 59 points in those games, with 20 coming against Dallas in a seven-point loss on Thanksgiving. Running back Tyrone Tracy (ankle), wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee-foot), cornerback Greg Stroman (shoulder-shin), defensive tackle Cory Durden (shoulder), inside linebacker Micah McFadden (neck) and cornerback Dru Phillips (shoulder) also did not practice on Tuesday, which is usually a day off. The team will have off on Christmas Day and return to practice on Thursday. The Giants opened practice on Tuesday with the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” blaring on the loudspeakers in their indoor practice facility. Jones, who is on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, sent the Giants offensive linemen Christmas gifts. “DJ comes in, saves me and Tommy once again, and then takes care of the guys,” Lock said. “I expected nothing less from the guy. That’s just who he is, and cares about these guys still.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’
Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in avalanche, aged 26TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Evans scored for the career-high fifth consecutive game and the surging Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 on Sunday night. Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Newhook also scored to help the Canadiens win for the fifth time in six games. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves. Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel scored for Tampa Bay. Jonas Johansson stopped 31 shots. Newhook opened the scoring on a one-timer midway through the first period. Hagel tied it 37 seconds into the second period, but Dvorak and Evans scored 5:54 apart in the period for a two-goal Montreal lead they would not relinquish. Canadiens: Montreal has scored four or more goals in six consecutive games. ... The Canadiens snapped a four-game losing streak to Tampa Bay. Lightning: LW Jake Guentzel missed the game because of an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. ... Tampa Bay fell to 0-7-1 when scoring fewer than three goals. After Hagel tied it 7 seconds into the second period, the Canadiens' Lane Hutson took a hooking call 13 seconds later to give Tampa Bay a power play. But Montreal’s penalty kill held the Lightning without a shot during the man advantage. Evans' five-game goals streak is tied for the longest active run in the NHL. Montreal is at Vegas on Tuesday. Tampa Bay is at San Jose on Thursday night. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
ALBANY — A road map for how New York State could revamp its nearly two-decade old method of allocating school funding was released late Monday, a month before the 2025 legislative session starts. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature earlier this year earmarked $2 million to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, an Albany-based think tank, to conduct an analysis of the state’s complex school aid formula, known as Foundation Aid. Education advocates for years have called for the formula to be updated to factor changing student populations, regional costs and changes in poverty. Foundation aid is the single-largest source of financial support for public schools in New York State, sending billions of dollars annually to schools in Nassau and Suffolk counties alone. The formula, first enacted in the 2007-08 school year, considers a number of factors to determine aid including student need, regional cost differences, the cost of a successful education and local district fiscal capacity, including how much districts expect to raise from local sources, primarily property taxes. Parts of the formula are updated regularly, but some are frozen. For example, it still uses 2000 census poverty data. The recommendations aim to more equitably distribute aid, so, for example, districts with larger populations and those in high-poverty areas would get more aid. The recommendations give more weight to students who have higher needs — for example, economically disadvantaged students, English Language Learners students with disabilities and those in foster care — so districts would get funding to better support them. And the report suggests changing how inflation is calculated in the formula to better reflect the costs faced by districts. Get the latest updates on how education is changing in your district. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . The report recommends a phased-in approach so no district sees large year-to-year changes in funding. "While the Foundation aid formula is a vast improvement on the education financing approach previously used by the State, several of its components have grown stale," Rockefeller Institute of Government President Bob Megna said in the report. 'Menu of Options' The 314-page report represents a "menu of options" for policymakers to address issues with the formula’s components "while giving school administrators the reliability and predictability they need," Megna wrote. The report describes five themes that emerged during public hearings held across the state, including Long Island, over the summer. They include the need to address the funding needs of for English Language Learners who typically need more resources; outdated poverty data; the accuracy and specificity of regional costs; and increased duties of school districts that weren't part of the original funding equation. State lawmakers and education advocates now have a month to absorb the report’s findings before the legislative session starts in January. At least some of the recommendations are expected to be included in the governor’s executive budget proposal in January for the next fiscal year, which begins April 1. Hochul's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. The complex formula was enacted after the state’s highest court ruled in 2006 that New York was underfunding schools and not meeting its constitutional burden to provide students with a "sound basic education." The original court case focused on New York City schools, but the state adopted the formula for all districts. It replaced more than 30 stand-alone aid categories, a move intended to create equity and giving school administrators a better idea of the aid they’d receive each year. Foundation aid was fully funded under Hochul. Last budget cycle, Hochul, citing declining school enrollments over the last decade, proposed ending a part of the formula known as "hold-harmless," which guarantees no school district receives less aid than the year before even if enrollment changes. The proposal was met with criticism from some education advocates, school leaders and state lawmakers who feared it would result in less state aid for districts. Hochul and lawmakers instead agreed to wait and study the formula. The report recommended several changes to hold-harmless, including creating a per-pupil local income and property wealth threshold. The report says that policymakers could create a three- or five-year phase out schedule for planned reductions of hold harmless. The study also recommends updating and revising the "successful schools model," which looked at successful districts’ per pupil spending. The model largely used test scores to measure academic outcome and the report recommends finding an alternative way to measure student success. The report calls for using a five-year average of inflation rates, through the U.S. Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region, to better reflect cost increases being faced by districts. It recommends replacing outdated poverty measures, which currently rely on free and reduced price lunch data, with the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates rate, which counts children ages five to 17 in poverty. The rate should prioritize districts with greater concentrations of student poverty receive more funding, the report said. It also recommended using the rate to better calculate student population, using a three-year average. The report recommends providing a different weight for English Language Learners based on their level of proficiency, rather than having a single weighting for all ELL students — providing more funding where it’s needed. The recommendations also include updating how regional costs and local contributions are calculated. Assemb. Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) Monday emphasized the urgent need for the formula to be updated, particularly with changes in technology, evolving job markets and new opportunities. "Ensuring our children have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s world is our most important responsibility," he said in a press release. "The outdated funding formula is shortchanging our local schools, depriving them of the resources necessary for critical programs that are essential to our students’ futures."Support fight against corruption, Works Minister tasks lawyersDiVincenzo scores 26 to lead Timberwolves past Spurs 112-110 despite 34 points from Wembanyamais here and we are on the hunt for incredible beauty deals on major gift-worthy makeup, skin- and hair-care at Amazon, Sephora, Walmart and Ulta. From the at its lowest price ever to , from Jennifer Aniston-beloved Tatcha that blurred my wrinkles to our pick for best of the year, we've got the inside track on the most "worth it" Cyber Monday beauty deals to shop now. As a longtime beauty editor, my shopping strategy is to streamline and make my shopping sprees as manageable as possible. Because, let's face it (no pun!): the depth and breadth of sales can be overwhelming. There's to buy, it can make your head spin. With that in mind, I've scoured hundreds of beauty sales and I've categorized my favorites into: skin care, hair care, beauty appliances and makeup. Check out my list of the best deals below and happy shopping! Clinique Almost Lipstick, Black Honey Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Grace & Stella Under Eye Mask (Gold, 24 Pairs) Clinique Dramatically Different Daily Moisturizing Lotion+ Dyson Airwrap Solawave 4-in-1 Radiant Renewal Facial Wand Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment Paula's Choice Brighter Days Ahead Kit with Vitamin C and AHA Tatcha The Serum Eye Brightener Stick NuFace Microcurrent Facial Toning Device Starter Kit Mario Badescu Super Collagen Mask Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Face Serum Dermora Golden Glow Under-Eye Patches, 15 Pairs Grace & Stella Hyaluronic Acid Serum Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Temporary Eye Tightener Crest 3D Whitestrips, 20 Strips Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Hydrating Mask (pack of 4) CosRx Snail Mucin 96% Power Repairing Essence Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch for Nose Baimei Jade Roller and Gua Sha Set Gold Bond Age Renew Neck & Chest Firming Cream Weleda Skin Food CosRx Snail Mucin Sheet Masks, 10-Pack RoC Retinol Correxion Anti-Aging Wrinkle Night Serum Crave Naturals Biggie Glide Thru Detangling Brush Nutrafol Women's Balance Hair Growth Supplements Pura D'or Anti-Thinning Biotin Shampoo & Deep Moisturizing Conditioner Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo Nexxus Unbreakable Care Root Lift Hair Thickening Spray Living Proof Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray GRO Hair Kit Zimasilk Mulberry Silk Pillowcase TouchBeauty Hair Trimmer for Nose, Ear and Face Infinitipro Conair Hair Dryer Nicebay Hair Dryer Brush Set T3 Afar Lightweight Travel-Size Hair Dryer XSoul IPL Hair Remover Beakey Makeup Sponges Set, 5-Pack NYX Bare With Me Concealer Serum Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Color Don't be fooled by the unassuming tube: This is among the most-loved lipsticks of all time. It's moisturizing, universally-flattering and would make an incredible gift. Act fast: This iconic beauty staple always sells out. The TikTok girlies may think they're the first to discover Bum Bum cream, but as with slip dresses, brown lipstick and crushes on wan men in tattered wool, us older ladies were there first. Bum Bum cream was one of the first products I fell in love with after moving to Los Angeles almost a decade ago, when my skin was super dry. I retested it recently for a story on the best body moisturizers, and I'm happy to report that it still lives up to the hype. This intoxicating lotion is whipped, which makes it feel like pillowy heaven on your skin. The scent is a light coconut vanilla that somehow smells like an expensive tropical vacation and not the dollar store sunscreen aisle. It's pricey, sure, but also a wildly indulgent treat for your skin. Best of all, it lasts: A little of this stuff goes a long way. Not a luxury item per se, but this is my favorite mascara of the year at the lowest price I've ever seen! It both thickens sparse lashes removes easily, which means there's less risk of delicate hair loss. More than 77,000 reviewers rave about Lash Sensational on Amazon, all stating something along the lines of, , I've ordered this six times now ... it's the best mascara I've ever used." Truly, it's that good. And right now you can scoop it up for just $7 — the lowest price of the year. Incredible deal alert! These gilded, Jessica Alba-approved eye masks incorporate hyaluronic acid, amino acids and sea moss to hydrate the delicate under-eye area, reducing dark circles and puffy bags and blurring fine lines as they go — and right now, they're 60% off! They're also paraben- and sulfate-free, vegan and gentle enough for most skin types. The luxe packaging makes them an excellent gift. This classic, good-for-all-skin-types face moisturizer is the ultimate mom gift — a beloved cream that's luxurious and she may have already been using for years. This multi-use hair tool goes on sale, and while it's certainly not cheap, it's currently down to the lowest price we've ever seen. With attachments for curling, smoothing, shaping and more, it'll feel like you have your own little handheld salon. Lowest price ever! Want to take boost collagen, even skin tone and make your complexion brighter overall? This beauty-editor-favorite Solawave wand is a more affordable way to try red light therapy than pricey (and often awkward) LED face masks. In just 10 minutes this easy-to-use device uses noninvasive LEDs to reduce signs of aging, redness and inflammation. If you want to try it for yourself, this 45% off price at Amazon is the best I've seen. A rare sale! Drew Barrymore's favorite hair serum product started as a salon-only treatment, but during the pandemic was made available to its devoted fans (including Margot Robbie) for at-home use. loved the hair-softening, hair-strengthening effects of this formula so much, she once used "Olaplexing" as verb. Even as a kind of obnoxious beauty snob, I can't tell you how excited I'd be to receive this stellar 3-in-1 skin-care kit as a gift. It's made specifically to treat an uneven complexion and each of the products — a mild exfoliator, a vitamin C serum and a high-quality sunscreen — works to brighten, lighten and smooth rough skin. If you haven't tried Paula's Choice products for yourself, they're among the most reliably effective and the brand is among the most trusted. The "skin perfecting" exfoliator, which is included in this set, has racked up tens of thousands of five-star reviews with legions of fans across the internet. It's especially good for addressing mature skin issues, like discoloration and enlarged pores. This Jennifer Aniston-fave serum stick is the ideal delivery system for softening fine lines, prepping skin for makeup and targeting dry patches (I've tried it — it actually blurred my wrinkles). Made of 80% squalane — a known skin fortifier — it's fragrance-free, cruelty-free and dermatologist-tested. This ultra-silky balm leaves behind a dewy finish plus it's beyond-amazing for smoothing the undereye area before applying concealer, to avoid makeup settling into fine lines. It's not just industry experts recommending you shop beauty appliances this month — I myself invested in this gold-standard at-home microcurrent device during Black Friday last year. It's a noninvasive way to tone and firm sagging skin on the face and neck — and, if used consistently (which, ahem, I’m guilty of not always doing!), it’s clinically proven to work. Plus, it's nearly $40 off on Amazon. Martha Stewart is a lady who loves facials. In fact, according to her , she's been getting the same one, at the same place — the — for 40 years. So it should come as little surprise that most all of her favorite skin care products are from the high-quality Mario Badescu line. Martha's faves include this mega popular collagen mask, which is specially formulated to work for both mature and sensitive skin. The award-winning product is made from collagen and kaolin clay and is meant to tighten, firm and bring moisture to parched faces, necks and even decolleté. Sunday Riley's Good Genes is one of the most effective beauty products I've ever tried, and this six-month supply will last you. Honestly, I like this skin rejuvenating serum so much, if I had to pick one desert-island beauty product (outside of ), it would be this. The lactic-acid treatment gently yet effectively exfoliates dull surface skin, promoting cell turnover and giving even the dullest, dreariest complexion a healthy, vibrant glow. It also smooths and plumps rough texture and clarifies an uneven tone. My skin never looks better than when I use this every night and, while this sale price still isn't cheap, a little goes a long way. Now this is a wild discount — currently just 40 cents a treatment! If your under-eyes are looking puffy, dark and tired, we're happy to report that there's an easy — and affordable — fix. These eye masks are formulated to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness while making you feel like you're getting a spa treatment in your own home. And who can resist a shimmery skin-care find? With real gold and ingredients like tea tree oil, glycerin, castor oil and collagen, these patches promise to revitalize your skin and reduce puffiness in 20 minutes. Since we lose moisture and elasticity as we age, the humectant hyaluronic acid, an ingredient which binds to water — and can hold a whopping 1,000 times its weight in water — is key to any quality . You'd be hard pressed to find a better hyaluronic acid serum than this award-winning version from Grace & Stella, especially at this discounted Black Friday price. I've been retesting eye creams to update our and, I have to say, I'm newly impressed with this version from Peter Thomas Roth. After three weeks of regular use, I found it minimized the fine lines under my eyes and had an immediate impact on my under-eye puffiness. No skin-care product will ever perform miracles, of course, but this eye cream helps smooth surface texture (the dreaded crepeyness!) on upper lids while improving the appearance of bags underneath. And at this moderate price point (not a total bargain, but still not ), it's an all-around win. Crest Whitestrips rarely drop in price unless it's a big sales event, and as far as we can tell, they haven't been much cheaper all year. Brighter smile, here you come (and for 45% off!). If your skin is dry and dull, look no further than this near-perfect, Tik-Tok famous overnight face mask which works to deeply penetrate and hydrate skin as you sleep so you wake up with a dewy glow. At this super-low Black Friday price, you can pick up a few to give as gifts. My beloved snail mucin from CosRx is excellent for evening skin tone and making your face look softer and brighter overall. It's won multiple awards, has over 56,000 five-star Amazon reviews and impresses most beauty editors I know. After using it the first time ( ), my face was noticeably dewier and other users have boasted about its ability to hydrate, repair and improve dullness in the skin — all of which helps wrinkles look less deep and crepey. When I tried it again this month, after a medi-spa laser treatment, I found it soothed and calmed my skin as it healed, lending a healthy sheen. Stubborn blackheads weirdly don't discriminate — they're often prevalent no matter if you're old or young. But these truly revolutionary patches help solve the problem fast, all while you sleep. Just apply, shuffle off to bed and let it do the hard work of clearing your pores while you sleep. In the morning, you'll be astonished when you see all the grime that was trapped inside. "Amazing" and "miraculous" are common themes among five-star reviewers. said, "I was amazed! It was slightly annoying to have on at night, but when I woke up, all of those problem blackheads on my nose were either gone or loosened up. ... The patch is easy to remove and doesn't hurt at all, like some of the other nose strips. I'm so impressed!" called it "Seriously an unexpected miracle. ... Pore strips have always pulled a few [blackheads] out, but mostly just left a white film behind. I applied this clear plastic patch and went to sleep. [In the morning] I could see that about 75% of my blackheads/sebum were gone." There are loads of pricey treatments and potions meant to decrease facial puffiness, promote collagen growth and improve the texture of aging skin, but the ancient art of face rolling is the easiest, least expensive and arguably the most relaxing. This high-quality jade roller and face massager tool set has over 27,000 five-star reviews and, right now, it's more than half off. This is the cream you want if you're, like, "I think tightening creams are BS but I also want to believe they are true because I currently hate my neck." The Gold Bond firming cream is no-frills but gets the job done (the job being tighter jowls and a less reptilian neck). The formula is lightweight and on the thin side, but the product absorbs well and is gentle enough not to irritate sensitive skin. Note: You'll need to use it consistently for about a month to see results, and it won't, of course, magically make you appear 25, but being able to snag this ample size for less makes this product worth a go. While it's not exactly meant as a face cream, this ultra-rich moisturizer is used for that purpose by most every seasoned beauty expert I know. It's hydrating, packed with nourishing plant-derived ingredients and is especially good as a nighttime treatment for faces, hands, feet, necks and even the décolleté. If I could, I'd buy every person I know a bottle of — it's truly a favorite product, one of the most effective skin-care items for complexion smoothing, skin softening and dark-spot lightening I've ever tried. But, because handing over a bottle of snail mucus on a major holiday might seem a wee but strange, these sheet masks are a quality alternative. They contain the award-winning snail slime, are hydrating and work for most any skin type. they help with skin inflammation and even rosacea, and this pack of 10 is a solid entry point into the famous K-beauty line — and you can't beat the price. While we're talking retinol, this Sarah Jessica Parker-favorite brand is a drugstore skin-care legend for a reason: It's proven. In a clinical study, 97% of those who tried RoC's Retinol Correxion night serum reported smoother skin after just a single night. Users said their skin was 63% more hydrated after a week and visibly firmer after a month. RoC's retinol serum is also recommended and tested by dermatologists. And, it's among Amazon’s highest-rated skin care products with more than 13,000 five-star reviews. Fine or thin hair tends to tangle more than thicker 'dos but many brushes can add to to thinning or shedding by tearing and damaging the strands you have left. Enter this wildly smooth and effective brush, which is a breeze to use on wet or dry hair and gentle enough for even those of us who are balding a bit. At this Black Friday price — nearly 60% off! — it's also a major value. A quick Nutrafol review: I did not want to like this product. It's waaayy too expensive. And I don't like swallowing four horse pills every morning. BUT — and this is a big "but" — when taken consistently, Nutrafol really works for thinning hair, it helped stop my shedding and, after four months, I even saw new hair growth. Right now is a good time to try it for yourself: a one month supply is currently 20% off. Pura D'or's bestselling anti-thinning shampoo and conditioner rarely go on sale! Now's the time to scoop up this award-winning set, which is made with a mix of biotin and organic ingredients like nettle extract, pumpkin seed and black cumin seed oil. It's also clinically proven to reduce hair thinning while promoting hair strength and reducing breakage. More than 20,000 happy Amazon customers give Pura D'd'or's set a perfect score, including one ecstatic fan who said: " I’ve been dealing with hair thinning and some breakage since 2020 and I’ve done everything and nothing worked. I’ve only used this shampoo and conditioner four times in two weeks and I have a lot of baby hair growing on top of my head. ... Whoever made this product, thank you very, very much!!!!" When your thin hair is fragile like mine is, frequent washing comes with serious risks. Just washing and blow drying can lead to excess shedding, which is why I avoid it as often as I can. Instead, I use high-quality dry shampoos a few times a week, like this one from Dry Bar. It smells amazing (like a luxe Hawaiian vacation), freshens my mop and boosts my hair's volume too. Scoop it up now at 30% off — it rarely, if ever, goes on sale. star Kyle Richards swears by this hair elixir which, she explains, gives her mane "the look and feel of 3,000 more strands." The lightweight, non-sticky spray is made with keratin, collagen and biotin and — according to both Richards and numerous five-star reviewers — effectively boosts hair volume along with strengthening fine and thin hair. "I have tried three other spray-in hair thickeners and this is the only one that has truly made my hair feel fuller," raved one . "The price is also reasonable. I can't afford super pricey hair products that I use daily." If I could only purchase one thickening hairspray for the rest of my days, it would be this truly fantastic product from beloved hair care line Living Proof. The lightweight, gorgeous-smelling spritz manages to thicken my fine strands without making my hair at all crunchy or weighed down. It's one of the few hair care products I travel with — the dry formula also extends shampoo time by days. I'm stocking up today: this Black Friday price is the lowest I've seen. Another major deal alert! This top-selling hair treatment is a favorite of celebs (including ) and we can see why: The wildly popular serum promises to promote growth and improve the appearance of thinning hair, leaving it looking thicker and fuller and, with this Black Friday deal, it's nearly 30% off. "After six weeks of usage, I can tell a notable difference in the amount of hair I am shedding as well as a visible increase in my hair density," . "I have a long way to go, but I am loving the results I am seeing now." At first you're going to feel like an overindulged princess when slumbering upon this luxurious silk pillowcase. But then you learn the facts: . Research shows they can help prevent shedding and breakage and can keep your hair from frizzing overnight, leading to less styling and a healthier mane overall. This ultra-portable, pen-size shaver eradicates unwanted facial hair with the touch of a button. The clever dual-head design works in a flash on unwanted nose and ear hair (it's good for brow touch-ups and one-off chin whiskers too, though it's too narrow to tackle larger swaths like a full mustache). I actually keep one of these in my car to zap unruly black strands whenever they unexpectedly appear. Another cool feature? The TouchBeauty is waterproof, so you can use it in the shower while you're waiting for your conditioner to set. Like many of the 22,000-plus five-star reviewers, I bought this truly excellent hair dryer last year and never looked back. It dries hair lightning fast while still being gentle and, from my experience, helps smooth frizz without a lot of time or any serious blowout skill. This multi-use hair tool works like the — at a fraction of the cost. It comes with three brush heads and a blow-dryer attachment to suit all hair types, whether you want to smooth and straighten or add curl and waves. Now you'll be able to give yourself a professional-level blowout while saving 75% — you're looking at one of the lowest-ever prices we've seen. I've rarely experienced a faster blowout than with this sleek, ion-air, travel-sized dryer from beloved brand T3. It's compact, but powerful enough to be used every day and designed to specifically, quickly and gently dry hair while minimizing frizz and — because it's so speedy — retaining glossiness and shine. If you're curious, now's the time to try it: it's currently 30% off, the lowest price I've seen all year. This would also be an amazing for any woman in your life who's frequently on the go. If you're tired of frequent shaving or the nonstop battle with stubble but don't want to invest hundreds in pricey hair removal treatments at a salon, XSoul's easy-to-use permanent follicle-banishing device just might be for you. " ," raved one of thousands of five-star reviewers. "The treatments are surprisingly painless, even on sensitive areas like the bikini line and underarms. After a few uses, I started noticing a real reduction in hair growth, especially on my legs and arms. If you're looking for a convenient and cost-effective way to tackle unwanted hair, this IPL device is a solid investment." These bestselling makeup blenders — now over 50% off — have been swirling around the beauty world for their bouncy, absorbent material and convenient teardrop shape (especially great for getting into corners, comparable to some of the more expensive blenders on the scene). They’re endorsed by over 75,000 customers (including me) and they’re hypoallergenic, latex-free and easy to clean. This gel formula serum and concealer goes on sheer and natural-looking, and the finish is satiny-smooth. It's buildable, so you can layer more on days when you need heavier coverage. It's also compact, comes in a dozen different shades and is — perhaps best of all — affordable. This wallet-friendly makeup is among the most effective I've tried — I even named it one of the . Sure, it costs more than I paid for a week's groceries when I was 25, but listen: Sometimes you just want a little luxury in your life, to know that all this hard work you do means you can occasionally splash out on yourself. This gorgeous, glossy-but-not-too-glossy, non-drying Tom Ford lipstick is worth the splurge. While there are six shades included in the current sale, I'm partial to "Ile D'Amour" — a sexy, '80s-business-lady-out-on-the-town red. If you have , you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. . (And by the way, those without still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.) See all of Shop the best expert-picked on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for . And find to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
Moment Princess Charlotte looks on in awe at ballet dancers as she steals the show at mum Kate Middleton’s carol service
Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland. Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team version of the same event. Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season. Her best result was a second place in St. Moritz in January. Story continues below video “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences,” said Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser in a statement. “(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon.” AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsBhopinder Singh | Why it’s crucial to call out all those who may be violating norms
Prolapse nightmare left Olympian fearing the life she had known was over
Died: December 29th, 2024 The death at 100 of the US’s 39th and longest living president , James Earl Carter, a peanut farmer and Baptist preacher, sees the passing of a remarkable Southerner who infused his politics with a rare down-to-earth moralism, sincerity and honesty. A refreshing outsider to Washington politics, he surprised all by sweeping aside the capital’s old post-Watergate elite to leave a legacy that pointed in new directions even if it never quite achieved his promise. “He decided to use power righteously,” biographer Kai Bird would write, “ignore politics, and do the right thing. He was, in fact, a fan of the establishment’s favourite Protestant theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, who wrote, ‘It is the sad duty of politics to establish justice in a sinful world’.” Although he had notable successes in office from 1977 to 1981, not least the Camp David Accord between Egypt and Israel, he would be the first incumbent president since Herbert Hoover in 1932 to lose a re-election bid. Ronald Reagan used the economic challenges and oil crisis faced by his administration, and the disastrously bungled attempted Iran hostage rescue, to successfully portray Carter as a weak and ineffectual leader. In some ways Carter was a paradox. Although an opponent of segregation in a segregationist state, he played the race card to get elected to governorship in 1971, then announcing that “the time of racial discrimination is over”. From then on, however, he was an unwavering champion of civil rights, and his presidential bid attracted some 85 per cent support from the black community. Born on October 1st, 1924, in tiny Plains, Georgia, to Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter snr, a shopkeeper and investor in farmland, the young Carter would successfully develop a peanut farm as an offshoot of the family business. His father was a descendant of English immigrant Thomas Carter, who settled in the Colony of Virginia in 1635. Carter enrolled in the US Naval Academy in 1946 and while there met and married Rosalynn Smith, a friend of his sister’s. He served in nuclear submarines, and was drafted in to assist in the dismantling of the Chalk River nuclear reactor in Canada following a partial meltdown. His experience, he would later say, shaped his views on atomic energy and led him to end development of the neutron bomb. The early death of his father saw his return to the family business and a gradual immersion in the Democratic politics of Georgia. Although opposed to segregation – as a member of the Baptist Church he spoke openly against racism and attempts to segregate worship – he tempered his approach when he ran for office, even courting the arch-segregationist Wallace vote. Still an outsider in national politics, he surprised observers by winning the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination and narrowly defeating incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford. As the campaign developed in the wake of the still-fresh reverberations of the Watergate scandal, Carter, now with running mate senator Walter Mondale, tirelessly travelled the country projecting himself as an outsider with an easy common touch, not averse to populist slogans. He won the popular vote by 50.1 per cent to 48.0 per cent. Within two days of assuming the presidency he took the controversial step of pardoning all Vietnam War draft evaders. Carter was actively engaged on the world stage, from day one, hoping above all to broker peace in the Middle East. He invited Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to the presidential lodge Camp David in September 1978 with the negotiations resulting in an end to the state of war between the two countries, Egypt formally recognising Israel for the first time, and the creation of an elected government in the West Bank and Gaza. [ Leo Varadkar could learn something from Jimmy Carter about how to retire Opens in new window ] He oversaw the return of the Panama Canal to Panama, and signed the landmark Salt II treaty on ballistic arms reductions with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. (Although the latter was signed in 1979 in Vienna, the US Senate refused to ratify it in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.) Following that invasion, Carter allowed the sale of military supplies to China and started talks about sharing military intelligence. He began a programme of what would become hugely controversial covert assistance to the Afghan mujahideen, some of them precursors to today’s Taliban. He sought closer relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), continuing the rapprochement engaged in by Richard Nixon. The end of his presidency was blighted by the Iran hostage crisis. Misbriefed by the CIA about the stability of the Shah’s regime, Carter pledged in 1977 that his administration would continue with positive relations between the US and Iran, calling the latter “strong, stable and progressive”. After the surprise revolution installed an Islamist regime in November 1979, a group of Iranian students took over the US embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for the next 444 days. An airborne mission to free them failed, leaving eight American servicemen dead and two aircraft destroyed. The hostages were freed immediately after Ronald Reagan succeeded Carter as president – leading figures in the Reagan campaign are reported to have signalled to the Iranians not to release the hostages until Carter was defeated, as Reagan would give them a better deal. Breaking with traditional US unwillingness to step out of line from its closest ally, the UK, Carter in 1977 agreed to issue a declaration on Ireland calling for the establishment in Northern Ireland of a government which would command widespread acceptance and for an overall solution which would involve the support of the Irish government. The US would facilitate any such agreement with assistance in creating jobs, he said. “The precedent created by Carter has facilitated the enormous involvement in Ireland of his successors,” Ireland’s then-ambassador to the US, Sean Donlon, has written. It was an engagement and pledge that would be honoured by Reagan in his talks with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and in the establishment of the International Fund for Ireland. The latter has seen close to $1 billion invested in Irish projects since then. In 1979, Carter invited taoiseach Jack Lynch on an official visit to the US and paid a private visit to Ireland in 1995, fishing in Kilkenny and indulging his woodworking skills by helping to build a house in Ballyfermot for Habitat for Humanity, an NGO he worked closely with. Domestically, Carter had an uneasy relationship with both his own party and Republicans in Congress. His tenure in office was marked by an economic malaise, a time of continuing inflation and recession, and the 1979 energy crisis. His administration established the department of energy and the department of education. He also created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. He installed solar water heating panels on the White House and wore sweaters to offset turning down the heat. He deregulated the airline industry, paving the way for middle-class Americans to fly for the first time in large numbers, and deregulated natural gas, laying the groundwork for the country’s current energy independence. He forced through the Alaska Land Act, tripling the size of the nation’s protected wilderness areas. The battle for renomination loomed. Carter had to run against his own stagflation-ridden economy, while the hostage crisis in Iran dominated the news every week. He alienated liberal college students, who were expected to be his base, by reinstating registration for the military draft. [ ‘He’s an inspiration’: tributes pour in after Jimmy Carter enters hospice care Opens in new window ] Though initially trailing Carter by several points, Reagan saw a surge in polling after the TV debate, in which he practised the patronising put-down – “there you go again” – that became his election mantra. Carter’s defeat was a landslide. After leaving the White House, he became an activist former president, ploughing a largely solitary but effective furrow. In the view of many it is his retirement that will be seen as his singular legacy. In 1982, he established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights. Its work would earn him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In July 2007, he joined Nelson Mandela to announce his participation with former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, among others, in The Elders, a group of independent global leaders who work on peace and human rights issues. He travelled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections and further the eradication of infectious diseases. He played a key role in the NGO Habitat for Humanity, and wrote books and memoirs, often sharply critical of US policy, not least over the Iraq War. In a work on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict he controversially labelled the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians “apartheid”. Though he praised Barack Obama in the early part of his tenure, Carter attacked the use of drone strikes against suspected terrorists and the decision to keep Guantánamo Bay detention camp open. His blunt critiques of his Democrat successors meant they would all keep him at arm’s length until Joe Biden latterly re-engaged with him enthusiastically. To the end he worked tirelessly. Biographer Bird, who insists that Carter “remains the most misunderstood president of the last century”, described one recent meeting: “He was in his early 90s yet was still rising with the dawn and getting to work early. I once saw him conduct a meeting at 7am at the Carter Center where he spent 40 minutes pacing back and forth onstage, explaining the details of his programme to wipe out Guinea worm disease. He was relentless. Later that day he gave me, his biographer, exactly 50 minutes to talk about his White House years. Those bright blue eyes bore into me with an alarming intensity. But he was clearly more interested in the Guinea worms. “Carter devoted his life to solving problems,” Bird says, “like an engineer, by paying attention to the minutiae of a complicated world. He once told me that he hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm. Last year there were only 13 cases of Guinea worm disease in humans. He may have succeeded.” Rosalynn Carter died in November 2023 and Jimmy Carter emerged from hospice care to mourn her. They had three sons, Jack, Chip and Jeff; one daughter, Amy; nine grandsons (one of whom is deceased), three granddaughters, five great-grandsons, and eight great-granddaughters.US stocks traded mostly higher on Monday, with technology stocks helping the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 hit records as members of the Federal Reserve talked about the potential for another interest rate cut later this month. Fed President Raphael Bostic told reporters on Monday that while he's undecided on whether to cut rates at the Fed's FOMC meeting on December 18, he's keeping his "options open." "The risks to achieving the committee's dual mandates of maximum employment and price stability have shifted such that they are roughly in balance, so we likewise should begin shifting monetary policy toward a stance that neither stimulates nor restrains economic activity," Bostic wrote in an essay released on Monday. Meanwhile, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Monday that he is "leaning toward" an interest rate cut. "Based on the economic data in hand today and forecasts that show that inflation will continue on its downward path to 2 percent over the medium term, at present I lean toward supporting a cut to the policy rate at our December meeting," said at a forum in Washington. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets see a 77% chance of a Fed rate cut at the December 18 FOMC meeting. That chance was at 65% earlier this morning. With the third-quarter earnings season mostly over, investors will turn their attention to economic data as the holiday shopping season heats up. The retail deal season continued following Black Friday, with Cyber Monday deals set to take over this week. According to data from Mastercard Spending Pulse, there was a 3.4% year-over-year increase in US retail sales on Black Friday, which included both in-person and online sales. The bulk of the Black Friday sales gains came from online sales, which were up 14.6%, compared to just a 0.7% increase in in-store sales, according to Mastercard. "Black Friday was a good indicator of how the holiday season is positively shaping up," said Michelle Meyer, chief economist at Mastercard Economics Institute. "Our real-time insights show that consumers are comfortably in the gift-giving spirit as price reductions and deals occur across sectors, supporting budgets for holiday shopping." Turning to economic data this week, investors will be eyeing November auto sales data on Tuesday, ADP employment data on Wednesday, and the November jobs report on Friday. The November nonfarm payroll report on Friday will be a particularly important input for the Fed's next policy decision as it looks to gauge how much it needs to do to prop up the economy. Economists expect 214,000 added in November, for a spike in hiring activity following October's dismal reading of 12,000 new hires. Read the original article on