When the holidays roll around, a lot of hard news opportunities evaporate. Aside from a handful of ne’er-do-wells stealing Christmas packages off of front porches, people tend to calm down. Lots of seasonal events provide ample material for the newspaper, but investigative fodder grows thin on the vine. We try to provide light features, as well as comic relief. And that’s where the website brownielocks.com has come in handy. We can localize topics of national interest, and over the years, we’ve come up with some good ones. There are real doozy “holidays” in October, and Sept. 1-7 was International Enthusiasm Week – except no one is enthused about much these days. October is always a good month. I like the spooks and haunted houses and creepy celebrations. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and not just because of what I call the “scary pumpkins.” Actually, they are “mallowcreme pumpkins” – kind of like candy corn, only bigger and sweeter. I shouldn’t be eating them, but sometimes, I can’t help it. I’m ashamed to admit I devoured three bags this year. November is fine, but sources start taking vacations then, and that’s when brownielocks.com comes into play. It’s Adopt a Turkey Month, although the only turkeys I’ve had much contact with were “adopted” by someone’s oven. It’s also Banana Pudding Appreciation Month, and I’m not sure why that needs an official declaration; who doesn’t appreciate banana pudding? Thanks to Tahlequah’s unique infrastructure, we won an award once on a Historic Bridge Awareness Month feature. November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and since I’m a Type 2 diabetic – what aging, overweight, sugar-loving woman isn’t? – that’s a relevant topic. National Adoption Month is important, too; many great kids need forever homes. I think this year we’ll need to focus on National COPD Month, because our friends suffering that ailment have been in particular jeopardy from COVID. And Military Family Appreciation Month – now there’s a group of people who deserve all the kudos we can give them. But several “holidays” don’t make much sense for us. There are no manatees to photograph here, for Manatee Awareness Month. Since Oklahoma isn’t Georgia, we have no need to discuss Georgia pecans, though we have our own breeds of “papershell” and “hardshell.” I’ve mentioned I grew up with an orchard of about 250 trees. Another topic for which we could find no sources would be National Impotency Month, since no man would publicly admit that ailment. I’m not sure whether the status should be celebrated or mourned, but I suspect it’s been used as a marketing ploy for Viagra. Peanut Butter Lovers Month? Don’t get me started. The PB wars in our family are legendary. My grandmother, who preferred Peter Pan, used to ridicule my father for jumping onto the JIF bandwagon. My husband and son are Skippy men, although they’ll take Peter Pan in a pinch. Literacy Month needs a spotlight shined on it, more now than ever, based on what I’m seeing both on the TDP Facebook page and in various social media posts by the Beltway boobs. Even more critical is National Medical Science Liaison Awareness Month. I don’t know about the liaison part, but there doesn’t seem to be much scientific awareness among those who would rather deworm themselves than take a vaccination for COVID – or anything else, thanks to the weird ramblings of RFK Jr., who – speaking of worms – lost part of his brain to a voracious one and will now be a star in Trump’s Cabinet. Also seemingly important in these parts are Young Readers Week, Medical Cannabis Week, and National Bible Week. Based on what I’m seeing, people could use a little less selective scripture reading and a little more biblical literacy – especially among the people who lately have told me God informed them Trump is the “Second Coming.” Personally, I had hoped for a more eloquent and physically fit fellow. One would think December would be simple in terms of story ideas, but that’s not always the case, and even more people go off the grid – whether to set up their trees or start buying gifts is anybody’s guess. By the time December arrives, most locals already have their trees up. If the holiday list is any indication, courts and crime writers will be busy at work, because it’s National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, as well as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, which seem to overlap. December also brings us Cookie Cutter Week, which makes sense, as well as Saturnalia, whatever that is – though I think we may have done a feature on it once. It might have something to do with rings around planets. Then there’s Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, which applies to people like me. I wonder whether they dispense advice on the hazards of flipping someone the finger who cuts you off on the highway. There are some super-weird ones, which I could define if I bothered to look them up: Andisop, which turns out to be Meterological Fiddling; Hand Washing Week, which we can all relate to, thanks to the events of recent years; Gluten-Free Baking Week, though I can’t see the point; and Posadas, whatever that is. And finally, we end with It’s About Time Week. I have no idea what it’s about time for – unless it’s about time I stopped writing about ridiculous holidays. I take the hint.'It's Miserable': Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Blasts NFL for Christmas Games, Making Teams Play 3 Times in 11 Days
AP Business SummaryBrief at 4:20 p.m. ESTCollege Football Playoff director Rich Clark isn't happy there was a leak that spoiled the biggest surprise of this year's 12-team field. Moments before ESPN's final selection show aired Sunday, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network reported SMU was awarded the final at-large bid in the CFP. That was notable because the biggest debate going into the show was whether the last spot would go to the Mustangs or Alabama. "I was furious," Clark said Tuesday, per Matt Hayes of USA Today . "I told all involved, you've betrayed the process." Clark said he learned of the leak when his son texted him right before the release. "There are only a certain number of people who know," he said. "I know one thing, it wasn't me. There's the selection committee, ESPN and our staff. Someone in that group (is the leak)." While the news was spoiled before the show actually started, it didn't quell the debate. The biggest argument from this year's field was whether a three-loss Alabama with a strength of schedule advantage and notable wins over Georgia and South Carolina to go with ugly losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt would get in over two-loss SMU. SMU controlled its own destiny going into Saturday's ACC Championship Game but lost in stunning fashion when Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired. It was the Mustangs' second three-point loss of the season, which stood in stark contrast to Alabama's 24-3 loss to 6-6 Oklahoma. Still, SMU also couldn't match the Crimson Tide's victories and overall strength of schedule. The committee ultimately gave the nod to the Mustangs, meaning they weren't punished for playing in a conference title game when Alabama was sitting at home with its three regular-season losses. College football fans who were paying attention to social media knew that was the direction the committee went even before ESPN's show aired.
It is official. What has been speculated for some months now is now a fact. Honda, the second largest Japanese automaker and Nissan, the third largest, have announced that they would be merging the two companies. The whole process would be complete by 2026. Nissan as the larger shareholder will have a majority in the combined board post-merger. Nissan is the largest shareholder in the smaller Mitsubishi carmakers. Mitsubishi said that it would be considering being a part of the megamerger. The Honda-Nissan merger would create the third largest automaker in the world after Toyota and Volkswagen. In a press conference held on Friday, the chief executives of all the three companies, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi, announced the merger plan and explained the reasons for the decision. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said, “The rise of Chinese automakers and new players has changed the car industry quite a lot. We have to build up capabilities to fight with them by 2030, otherwise we’ll be beaten.” That is a candid confession from the Japanese automakers who have dominated the global car scene for more than half-a-century, and literally broke the monopoly of American and European carmakers. The merger move can be seen as the Japanese showing enough alacrity in the face of the changing situation, and responding to it. The merger is expected to yield combined sales of $191 billion and a profit of $19 billion. The merger has ramifications for Honda’s and Nissan’s international tie-ups. French automakers Renault said that it would discuss with Nissan the changes brought about by the merger. Honda’s Mibe said that Nissan’s arrangements with Renault would continue and so would Honda’s with the American carmaker General Motors. There are two challenges that the two Japanese auto majors have to face after the merger. It is the production of electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrids because that is the future because of the pressure to curb carbon emissions. America’s Tesla and China’s BYD are seen as the lead players, and in Japan there are smaller car manufacturers who have displayed agility with the new technologies needed to make the EVs. Honda and Nissan want to move into the EV market in a big way and with a strong base. Meanwhile, Honda has made it clear that the merger with Nissan was not because of the losses that Honda was making. As a matter of fact Honda has recovered from its losses and its two-wheelers are still dominating the market. The carmakers, especially the fossil-fuel dependent vehicle manufacturers, are moving out of their comfort zones of producing the petrol- and diesel-run cars. It is not the case that Tesla and BYD will make the other car manufacturers redundant. The demand for cars will continue, and in place of ICE vehicles, it will now be EVs, and neither Tesla nor the Chinese EV-makers can meet the global demand on their own. So there is time for the car manufacturers to switch to the new technology of EVs and keep their share of the global car market. Tesla and Chinese EV-makers have shown what the future looks like. The others have no other option but to change and adapt. It should not come as a surprise that major changes are taking place in the way industries are being run. They have run in a certain way for the last 150 years, based on fossil fuels like coal and oil. The crisis of climate change has made it necessary to change the mode of production, especially the energy sources that were in use till now. Clean and renewable energy is the demand of the day. There are many countries, governments and industries which are still resistant to the idea of decarbonising the economy, but it cannot be resisted for too long. Switching to green energy is inevitable. And the carmakers are moving in the right direction.NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high . They’re the first back-to-back losses for the index in nearly a month, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 6.7% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped more than 80% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show similar increases as the month before. Wednesday’s update and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates . The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to take pressure off the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts through next year have been a big reason the S&P 500 has set so many records this year. Trading in the options market suggests traders aren’t expecting a very big move for U.S. stocks following Wednesday’s report, according to strategists at Barclays. But a reading far off expectations in either direction could quickly change that. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn to stay high and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 6.9% even though it delivered profit and revenue for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January. Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.2% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul . Boeing climbed 4.5% after saying it’s resuming production of its bestselling plane , the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.5% after the ski resort operator reported a smaller first-quarter loss than analysts expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. All told, the S&P 500 fell 17.94 points to 6,034.91. The Dow dipped 154.10 to 44,247.83, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 49.45 to 19,687.24. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. Indexes fell across much of Europe ahead of a meeting this week by the European Central Bank, where the widespread expectation is for another cut in interest rates. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from "significant widespread misinformation" about the policy. "To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services," the statement said. "The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines." Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used "physician work time values," which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it’s unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to "reverse the proposal immediately," saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It’s not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado . People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the "nuanced, unpredictable human element" of surgery and was a clear "money grab." "It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care," he said. "If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses." Prior to Anthem’s announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the "concerning" policy wouldn’t affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City.A Harwich-based international food company has been named as one of the UK's top suppliers. Surya Foods has secured the 116th position in the OC&C Top 150 Suppliers 2024 chart. This annual survey, produced by fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) strategy consultants OC&C, ranks the UK's biggest food and drink manufacturers. The annual chart is featured in the leading food industry trade magazine, The Grocer. Harry Dulai, group chief executive officer of Surya Foods, said: "We are incredibly excited to have been recognised in the UK’s top 150 suppliers, sitting alongside global household names. "It is testament to a lot of hard work and a reflection of our commitment to create a portfolio of brands recognised the world over. "The UK’s love of international food is stronger than ever. "We are especially seeing a shift in how younger generations are interacting with continental cuisines as social media broadens their horizons. "Consumers now want to explore authentic, bold flavours from around the world, from the comfort of their homes. "We only expect these trends to accelerate further and are committed to staying ahead of the curve. "We are currently focused on developing new products to meet changing consumer demands and expanding shelf presence in both local and international markets." The achievement follows significant growth by the company, which now supplies nearly half of the UK's branded dry rice supply and has established itself as one of the largest suppliers of world foods to the UK food sector. The food giant has announced plans for further expansion, including recent upgrades at its Harwich site and the creation of 200 new jobs over the next three years. The company, which saw a 30 per cent increase in revenue last year, is also set to open a new head office and distribution centre in 2026. The custom-built 40-acre site will feature 250,000 sq ft of storage facilities. By 2027, the company plans to devote its Harwich site exclusively to manufacturing. Surya Foods' extensive catalogue has made it a major supplier of international foods to supermarket giants Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, and Morrisons.
‘Pressure makes diamonds’: how Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout can get even faster
Greene Jr. runs for 3 TDs, Matthews adds 134 yards and a score to lead Towson over Campbell 45-23The 39-year-old takes charge for the first time in Sunday’s Premier League trip to promoted Ipswich having been confirmed as Erik ten Hag’s successor at the beginning of November. Amorim has made a positive impression since starting work at the United in an international fortnight that ended with an impressive first appearance in front of the media. 🆚 Ipswich Town.🏟️ Portman Road.⏰ 16:30 GMT. 🫡 We will be there. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/0eHCSDYmhE — Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 21, 2024 The Portuguese was gregarious, engaging and smiley throughout Friday’s press conference but that warmth comes with a ruthlessness edge if players do not adhere to his approach. “You can be the same person,” head coach Amorim said. “Be a positive person that can understand this is one place to be, then there is the dressing room, there are some places to have fun, there are some places to work hard. “So, I can be ruthless when I have to be. If you think as a team, I will be the nicest guy you have ever seen. If there is someone just thinking about himself, I will be a different person. “I’m not that type of guy that wants to show that he is the boss. “They will feel it in the small details, that I can be the smiling one but then when we have a job to do I will be a different person, and they understand that.” ‘The Smiling One’ follows ‘the Special One’ as United’s second Portuguese manager, with Jose Mourinho one of five managers to try and fail to reach the heights scaled by Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot retired as a Premier League champion in 2013 and the Red Devils have failed to launch a sustained title bid since adding that 20th top-flight crown. Asked about whether he will lean on Ferguson to understand the history of United and whether he has met him, Amorim said: “No, not yet. I didn’t have that opportunity. “It’s hard to copy someone, so I have to be me. Of course I’m not the best person in here to show the history of Manchester United. “It should be the club first and also me because I’m always paying attention on those details and try to focus our players in the history of the club, not the recent history. “You have to be very demanding. This is a club that needs to win, has to win, so we have to show that to our players but it’s a different time. “I cannot be the same guy that Sir Alex Ferguson was. It’s a different time. “I have to have a different approach, but I can also be demanding with a different approach, so that is my focus.” Like Ferguson in 1986, Amorim starts life at United in the November of a season that started with a paltry points tally. The 39-year-old acknowledges the timing makes “it’s so much harder” for him to imprint his style at a club whose youth foundations look in safe hands. “It’s the project of Manchester United,” Amorim said. “Nowadays, you need young guys, guys from the academy for everything. “To bring that history of the club because they feel the club in a different way. “And also because you have all these rules with financial fair play, when a player from our academy is so much different to the players that we bought and then we sell. “So, everything is connected. I will try to help all the players, especially the young ones.” Amorim’s first match will be a fascinating watch for onlookers, who have kept a particularly close eye on his work during his farewell to Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese managed three final matches after being confirmed as United head coach, including a 4-1 Champions League win against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have dominated English football in recent years and the City boss this week signed a new deal until 2027. “I think it’s a problem for everybody here, but we have so much to do, we cannot focus on anyone,” Amorim said. “We just have to focus on our club, improve our club and not focus on the other clubs, so let’s focus on Manchester United. “It’s amazing (the test) – if you can beat that team it’s a good sign but, like I said, we are focused on Manchester United.”Lineman from state champion Stewartville commits to Winona State
After being listed as the #17 team in the state in the CCCMBCA poll earlier this week, the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team improved to 5-1 with a 77-67 win over American River College on Thursday to begin the Ed Boyle Invitational tournament in Ukiah. The win moves the Corsairs into the semifinals in the tournament, as they’ll now face Los Medanos on Friday evening for a spot in the championship game on Saturday. Los Medanos is the only team that has beaten CR so far this season, winning 75-70 earlier this month in Napa. “Our guys have been saying for weeks they wanted a rematch against Los Medanos,” Corsairs’ head coach Ryan Bisio said. “And now they got it.” The Corsairs held a 34-30 lead at halftime before the scoring picked up in the second half but CR was able to hold off the now 3-3 Beavers. CR connected on 12 three-pointers in the game, with sophomore forward Brandon Lucas hitting five himself en route to scoring a team-high 19 points in the win. Lucas is averaging 9.8 points per game in his first season with CR. Through six games this year, the Corsairs have had a different leading scorer five different times with freshman forward Houston Klug being the only player to lead CR in multiple games. “Brandon Lucas really showed how much of a matchup nightmare he can be today,” Bisio said. “We went small against their behemoth big man and we ended up ahead in the exchange due to Brandon’s ability as a marksman from deep.” The 5-1 start is an inverse from how the Corsairs began the 2023-2024 season, starting 1-5 before closing the season 18-7. The hot start isn’t the best the Corsairs have seen under Bisio, starting the 2022-2023 season with seven straight wins. “As most folks in Northern California can imagine, traveling through this awful storm to the game was grueling and stressful. Today’s performance was about grittiness – it was never going to look pretty for either team,” Bisio said. “I have tremendous respect for the fight our guys showed in that second half today. American River looks like a playoff team to me, and to beat them when we weren’t playing our best ball is very encouraging.” Los Medanos and College of the Redwoods will tip off at 5:00 p.m. Friday night with the winner advancing to the championship game where they’ll await the winner of the College of the Siskiyous-Mendocino semifinal. Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526