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With the NBA preparing to expand by two teams, some executives from Western Conference clubs think the NBA might eliminate conferences entirely and seed the playoffs 1-16. That's a dramatic solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. Western Conference executives believe the NBA could eliminate conferences and have the top 16 teams make the playoffs when the league expands to 32 teams, per @WindhorstESPN “Instead of dealing with that thorny competition, West executives told ESPN they believe both issues can... pic.twitter.com/Oe9yVyaRXd The NBA is planning to add two new expansion teams, targeting the 2027-28 season for their move to 32 teams. Las Vegas and Seattle are widely considered the leading candidates, which would create a regional imbalance. One Western Conference team will have to move to the East — we think it should be the Minnesota Timberwolves — to preserve the 16-team conferences. But ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports that some frustrated NBA executives from the West think expansion should push the NBA to rethink the playoffs and seed teams 1-16 based on their records "regardless of geography." That idea has come up in the past but may be gaining momentum this season, as only four Eastern Conference teams have winning records one month into the season. But there's a straightforward reason why disregarding geography for the playoffs is a bad idea: Time zones. Right now, the NBA can guarantee that it has games that fit into two windows for playoff games. The East teams are in one of two time zones, meaning their start times range from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Eastern. There's a natural fit for doubleheaders with games starting at 7-7:30 Pacific. Seeding games 1-16 is going to make playoff scheduling convoluted, as well as adding extra travel for many teams who'd find themselves flying cross-country between first-round games. All to make slight changes to a playoff system that's already working really well. It simply doesn't make a big difference in what teams make the playoffs. In 2014-15, the 45-37 Oklahoma City Thunder would have replaced the 38-44 Brooklyn Nets. In 2015-16, the 42-40 Detroit Pistons would have taken the spot of the 41-41 Houston Rockets. The Denver Nuggets (46-36) would have pushed out the Washington Wizards (43-39) in 2017-18, and the Memphis Grizzlies (34-39) would have aced out the Orlando Magic (33-40) in 2019-20. The NBA expanded the play-in tournament to 10 teams for the 2020-21 season, so in 2021-22, the New York Knicks (37-45) would have replaced the San Antonio Spurs (34-48) and last season, the Houston Rockets (41-41) would have made the play-in over the Atlanta Hawks (36-46). ( via Basketball-Reference ) Those are six changes to the playoff teams in a decade, with four West teams and two East teams benefiting. Three of the benefiting teams didn’t even have winning records. It’s not worth upending the entire structure of the NBA playoffs. The play-in tournament makes things more complicated, but if the NBA truly cared about keeping bad teams out of the postseason, they wouldn't have set up a play-in tournament that gives two-thirds of the league a shot at the playoffs, after an 82-game regular season. Plus, the NBA would lose one of the biggest things that makes the playoffs great: Rivalries. LeBron James has an intense rivalry with the Boston Celtics that stems from facing them in the playoffs seven times. The Celtics have had four intense matchups with the Miami Heat in five years, leading to some very memorable series. Games between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets still mean a lot after they played four playoff series in five seasons from 2015-19, even though no Rockets remain from those rosters. Plus, Western teams only need to finish in 10th place to get a shot in the play-in. It's hard to feel like a team is getting screwed over by the playoff format if they can't finish better than 11th in a group of 15 teams. And who's to say the West remains the superior conference into the future? The NBA is always tempted to tinker, but the playoffs are working fine. Getting rid of conferences makes everything more logistically difficult and confusing for fans — imagine explaining that 1-16 geography-free bracket to a casual basketball watcher, or your grandparent — without much discernable upside. Let's hope the Western executives are simply complaining and blowing off steam because eliminating conferences will also eliminate some fan interest.2024 28th Sanya Tianya Haijiao Wedding Celebration Festival and Sanya Romantic Grand Ceremony was kicked off to present a romantic journey 12-16-2024 09:38 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: SHENZHEN HMEDIUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD When a couple comes to the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Spot, their love will become forever and they will be surrounded by happiness and niceness. On the evening of December 14, 2024, the 28th Sanya Tianya Haijiao Wedding Celebration Festival and Sanya Romantic Grand Ceremony (hereinafter referred to as "the Festival") was gradually kicked off at Tianya Haijiao Scenic Spot, Sanya City. Themed by "Romantic Sanya, Borderless Love", the Festival attracted a number of guests and tourists, all of whom witnessed the eternality of love together. Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/70e09b8f72bbce7266d88c2e6d13ad70.jpg The whole activity was full of romance since the guests' sign-in and arrival on site. Guests were granted a gift (bell) after sign-in, which embodies full sense of ceremony. The Festival was kicked off formally while the fireworks were shot off. Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/94a60dccf7c5deaad861020ab1c9c9ac.jpg Xie Yifa, the Deputy Secretary General of the People's Government of Sanya delivered a speech. Xie said, "Great achievements have been made to Sanya's wedding industry over the past one year. According to the statistics, the whole Sanya City received 200,000 couples who came here for shooting their wedding photographs, held over 10,000 wedding ceremonies, and received over 200,000 couples coming here for their honeymoon in 2023. Our total revenues of tourism broke through RMB 10 billion in 2023. With the acceleration of Sanya's internationalization and our constant exploration and practice, Tianya Haijiao Festival will become a bridge connecting the whole world and transmitting love and hope." Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/e905a629f2b339de7b28cb9d62b7f96a.jpg Wang Feng, the General Manager of Sanya Tourism Culture Development Co., Ltd. said, "We used the theme of "Romantic Sanya, Borderless Love" for the Festival and positioned and upgraded our activity IP differently. We made transformation from the original concept of wedding ceremony to today's romance banquet and expanded the activity scope to more groups such as couples that just married, lovers and tourists from the original wedding ceremonies. We've also planned a series of colorful and attractive activities. We cooperated with hotels, commercial complexes and scenic spots this time and set tick-off points in Sanya Dongtian Park Tourist Attraction, Luhuitou Scenic Spot, Dadonghai Tourist Attraction and Sanya Joy City Shopping Center to intensify the deep integration with cultural tourism industry. To enable our tourists to experience more and different sites, we've opened the bus route for the round trip of Tianya Haijiao and Joy City on December 13-15. The buses will depart from Tianya Haijiao Bus Stop at 10:00, 14:30 and 17:00 every day." Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/30c1e8d78dc74adc3106ba7a23fc8473.jpg As one of the highlights for the ceremony, the show of Chinese and western wedding dresses were displayed on the stage. Both the marvelous and beautiful western wedding dresses and the amazing and magnificent Chinese wedding dresses impressed the audiences and won applauses from them. Ms. Zhou, a tourist from Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province fully praised these dresses, "they're really amazing and touching; they are just what I imagine about wedding ceremony." She also said she would choose her own wedding dress from these brands. It was learnt that the Western wedding dresses shown this time are from ENZOANI, a premium western wedding dress brand while the Chinese dresses from Tianxi China, an advanced customization brand under Jusere Group. The designers said they hoped to allow more couples to know about the diversity of wedding dresses and formal dresses through this Festival to help them create the image they dreamt of. The designer Su Ying interpreted and shared the stage design on the opening ceremony. Stage design concept: "Encountering you, offering you, joining hands with you and spending the rest time of life with you"; the stage model was designed creatively through decomposing and re-assembling the coastal elements such as coconut forest, beach and sea wave. The center of the stage was designed in the form of a flying wing and the edges of the whole stage were decorated to foster the glistening light of waves on the sea. The whole stage seems like an island, which is decorated with gauze curtain, to bring the effect of tide and wedding dress dancing with wind. Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/1ad4d9f84e96a518fe34102b5b68965e.jpg As a highlight of the opening ceremony,15 couples wearing the Western and Chinese wedding dresses arrived at the site of Tianya Haijiao wedding ceremony by Sanle tourism railway, adding the romantic atmosphere to the whole Sanya City. On the amazing stage, these couples made their debut via different ways, such as helicopter, yacht, sports car, etc., representing the traditions and custom of "Three Letters and Six Etiquettes" and "marriage". The link of oath in modern western marriage ceremony was also designed to make a difference through the interaction of the Chinese and western culture. The Festival was held successfully, which not only brings couples unforgettable and special wedding ceremony but also builds a bridge for the exchange and cooperation of wedding ceremony industry and promotes the inheritance and development of wedding ceremony culture. The Festival has become a wedding ceremony tourism brand with worldwide influence in Sanya City after successful holding for 28 sessions. The iconic brand has not only improved Sanya City's charm as a destination for romantic wedding ceremony but also served as a key point for attracting tourists home and abroad. In the future, the Festival will create more romantic moments for couples by virtue of its special charms. The Festival was guided by the People's Government of Sanya City, sponsored by Sanya Tourism Culture Development Co., Ltd., co-sponsored by Sanya Tianyahaijiao Tourism Development Co., Ltd., executed by Sanya Tianya Haijiao Wedding Ceremony Services Development Co., Ltd. and Sanya Tianya Haijiao International Exhibition Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Sanya Joy City, CNSC (Sanya Store), Guiyang Performing Arts Industry Association, Marriott, Hyatt Hotel Tianli Bay, Sanya, Sanya Daxiaodongtian Development Co., Ltd., Sanya Luhuitou Tourism Development Co., Ltd. and Sanya Tourism Investment & Scenic Spot Operation Management Co., Ltd. Media Contact Company Name: Sanya Tianya Haijiao Tourism Development Co., Ltd. Contact Person: Fu Jun Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=2024-28th-sanya-tianya-haijiao-wedding-celebration-festival-and-sanya-romantic-grand-ceremony-was-kicked-off-to-present-a-romantic-journey ] City: Sanya Country: China Website: http://www.aitianya.cn/ This release was published on openPR.Nonesports running 。

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Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries

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Residents of Chicago’s south suburbs deal with crushing tax increases

Degrees of sufferingIt’s almost Thanksgiving, and you know what that means ... it’s almost holiday gift shopping season. It can be both fun and stressful trying to find the right gift for special people in your lives. If you are wanting something unique, I suggest a personalized gift made in the makerspace here at the library. Erica Rogers There are a lot of fun and unique gifts you can create in our makerspace. With the sublimation printer you can make an array of custom photo gifts. We have puzzles, Christmas ornaments and keychains. You can also create festive drinkware such as coffee mugs or tumblers. We have all of these items available for a small charge. There’s something cozy about drinking your morning coffee in a personalized mug with people you love on it. You can also bring in your own supplies, such as bags, aprons, or socks to sublimate on as well. They just have to be 60% (or higher) polyester. I love photo gifts, and we have a great selection. You can also make a lot of fun things on the laser cutter. In general for this machine you need to bring in your own supplies, but then the engraving is free. Charcuterie boards and cutting boards have been very popular this past year. You can even bring in an old recipe card and we can scan it and engrave it on the wood boards. Speaking of engraving, we can also engrave glassware such as wine glasses, vases or other drinking glasses. Just make sure they aren’t crystal glass or they will break. Think of all the cute things that you can engrave and personalize. My favorite thing to make using our Cricut machine is T-shirts. Unlike with sublimation, you can’t use photographs to make these shirts. You can however put all the words and simple graphics you want. It’s great for inside jokes or making matching t-shirts for the whole family. Another fun think you can do with the Cricut is create vinyl decals. These might be cute sayings for your walls to decorate, or you can also put them on your car windows. It’s fun to personalize your car with cute little images or sayings. All of our vinyl, which is what we use to make the T-shirts and decals, is $2.50 per foot. You can get a lot out of a foot of vinyl if you try. There’s a lot of other equipment available. We also have the 3D printer, which creates things out of plastic. It’s fun to make toys or fidgets for kids on this machine. We also have a hat press available. This machine allows you to press vinyl or iron-on patches onto hats. Another fun piece of equipment we have is a coil book binder. This allows you to make books. So you can hunt down some old favorite recipes and bind them together to give away, or maybe gather up a bunch of your kids artwork and bind it together to make a book for the grandparents. Finally we have button machines. These might not sound exciting, but once you start making buttons it’s hard to quit. I’m not sure what it is, but its kind of addicting. You can put pictures, drawings, or whatever you want on them. If you want to make something in the makerspace, you need to give us a call at 308-385-5333. We will set you up with an appointment the best we can. With it being the holiday season, things tend to get busier so the more time in advance you call, the better we will be able to get you in. I love working with people and seeing all of the fun things you create, especially when it comes to gifts for other people. I love being able to help you come in with an idea and make it a reality. So use your imagination, and give me a call ... I hope to see you soon. Erica Rogers serves as the technology and teen librarian for the Grand Island Public Library. Email her at ericar@gilibrary.org Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

NUEVA YORK (AP) — La reciente cena que sostuvo el virtual presidente electo Donald Trump con el primer ministro canadiense Justin Trudeau y su visita a París para la reapertura de la Catedral de Notre Dame no sólo fueron ejercicios de política y diplomacia. También fueron oportunidades inmejorables para los troleos de Trump. A lo largo de su primer mandato y durante toda su campaña presidencial más reciente, Trump ha hecho innumerables declaraciones provocativas, antagónicas y burlonas. Apodos despectivos para sus rivales políticos, imitaciones de otras figuras políticas y una gran cantidad de memes que compartió en las redes sociales. Ahora que se prepara para regresar al Despacho Oval, Trump ha vuelto a la carga, y sus provocaciones están atrayendo mayor atención... y desaprobación. El domingo, Trump convirtió una foto en la que aparece cerca de una sonriente Jill Biden durante la ceremonia en Notre Dame en una oportunidad para promover su nueva línea de perfumes con el eslogan: “¡Una fragancia que ni tus enemigos pueden resistir!”. La oficina de la primera dama se negó a comentar al respecto. RELATED COVERAGE Perro fugitivo se vuelve viral en Nueva Orleans después de eludir su captura durante meses NY recorta albergues para migrantes por menor cruces en frontera y amenazas de deportación de Trump EEUU: “Dreamers” quedarán excluidos de la cobertura de salud en 19 estados Cuando Trudeau viajó a toda prisa el mes pasado a Florida para reunirse con Trump y abordar las amenazas del republicano de imponer un arancel del 25% sobre todos los productos canadienses que ingresen a Estados Unidos, el virtual presidente electo planteó la idea de que Canadá se convirtiera en el estado número 51 de Estados Unidos. Los canadienses dejaron pasar el comentario como una broma, pero Trump ha insistido en el tema, incluida una publicación el martes en su plataforma de redes sociales en la que se refiere al primer ministro como “gobernador Justin Trudeau del gran estado de Canadá”. Después de varias décadas en la industria del entretenimiento y el mundo de las celebridades, Trump ha desarrollado una reputación como un provocador que busca atraer la atención y, en su más reciente versión como político, por movilizar a sus seguidores. Siempre ha disfrutado de burlarse de sus oponentes, tanto para menospreciarlos y minimizarlos como para deleitar a los seguidores que comparten en línea sus irreverentes comentarios y publicaciones. Para beneplácito de sus seguidores, Trump lanzó su primera burla pública a Canadá hace una semana, cuando publicó en su red social una imagen generada por IA en que aparecía de pie en la cima de una montaña con una bandera canadiense junto a él y la leyenda “¡Oh Canadá!”. Después de su más reciente publicación, el ministro de Inmigración de Canadá, Marc Miller, dijo el martes: “Parece que estamos en un episodio de South Park”. Trudeau dijo a principios de esta semana que, cuando se trata de Trump, “su enfoque a menudo será el de desafiar a las personas, desestabilizar a un socio negociador, ofrecer incertidumbre e incluso a veces un poco de caos en los pasillos bien establecidos de las democracias y las instituciones y una de las cosas más importantes que debemos hacer es no entrar en pánico”. Ni siquiera la cena de Acción de Gracias está libre de provocaciones para los adversarios de Trump. El Día de Acción de Gracias Trump publicó un video de la película “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” con los rostros superpuestos del presidente Joe Biden y otros demócratas en una parodia de la escena en la que se corta el pavo. El video muestra a Trump quien aparece de repente desde el interior del pavo entre un torbellino de chispas moradas y baila rígidamente al ritmo de una de sus canciones favoritas, “Y.M.C.A.” de Village People. Durante las más recientes primarias republicanas, Trump se burló del gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, negándose a llamar a su rival por su nombre y en su lugar refiriéndose a él como “Ron DeSanturrón”. Para dejar las cosas en claro, publicó posteriormente en su plataforma de redes sociales Truth Social: “Nunca le diré Ron ‘Albondigón’ a Ron DeSanturrón, como insisten en las noticias falsas”. Mientras hacía campaña contra Biden, Trump lo provocó tanto con publicaciones en línea como con comentarios e imitaciones en sus mítines, ridiculizando al presidente por su intelecto, su forma de caminar, su nivel para jugar al golf e incluso su cuerpo en traje de baño. Después de que la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris tomó el lugar de Biden como la nominada demócrata, Trump insinuó en varias ocasiones que ella nunca trabajó en un McDonald’s mientras estudiaba en la universidad. Fiel a su estilo, Trump convirtió su burla en un espectáculo al aparecer en un McDonald’s de Pensilvania en octubre, donde estuvo a cargo de la estación de papas fritas y sostuvo una conferencia de prensa improvisada desde el servicio al automóvil del restaurante. El equipo de Trump piensa que la gente debería tener sentido del humor. “El presidente Trump es un maestro del mensaje y siempre es alguien con el que la persona promedio se puede identificar, mientras que muchos miembros de la prensa se toman demasiado en serio y no tienen concepto de ninguna otra cosa más que de sufrir del Síndrome de Trastorno por Trump”, dijo Steven Cheung, director de comunicaciones de Trump. “El presidente Trump hará que Estados Unidos sea Grande Otra Vez y estamos recuperando una sensación de optimismo después de cuatro años tumultuosos”. Aunque las campañas de Biden y Harris crearon y compartieron memes y lanzaron otras estrategias para responder a las provocaciones de Trump, los canadienses no han mordido el anzuelo hasta ahora. “No creo que necesariamente debemos buscar en Truth social para hacer política pública”, dijo Miller. Gerald Butts, un exasesor de Trudeau, dijo que, durante su primer mandato Trump le comentó varias veces a Trudeau sobre convertir a Canadá en el estado 51. “Oh Dios”, dijo Butts el martes. “Al menos media docena de veces”. “Así es él. Lo que le gusta es tratar de desestabilizar a todos y hacer que la gente se sienta ansiosa”, dijo Butts. “Está tratando de poner a la gente a la defensiva y ansiosa y, por lo tanto, dispuesta a hacer cosas que no considerarían si estuvieran tranquilos. No sé por qué alguien se sorprende”. ___ Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.