CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — A Ukrainian girls’ hockey team is in Canada for a few days of peace and hockey in an arena that doesn’t have a missile-sized hole in its roof. After 56 hours of travel to Calgary, including a 24-hour bus ride from Dnipro to Warsaw, Poland, that required army escort for a portion of it, the Ukrainian Wings will join Wickfest, Hayley Wickenheiser’s annual girls’ hockey festival, on Thursday. The squad of players aged 11 to 13 was drawn from eight different cities in Ukraine, where sport facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Russia started its invasion in February 2022. “They all have a personal story of something awful happening,” said Wickenheiser. “We give them a week of peace and joy here, and I hope they can carry that with them. “We know full well they’re going back to difficult circumstances. It’s tough that way.” Nine players are from Kharkiv, where pictures show a large hole in the roof of the Saltovskiy Led arena where the girls’ team WHC Panthers once skated. “It was our home ice arena, and we played all our national team championships in this ice arena,” said Kateryna Seredenko, who oversees the Panthers program and is the Wings general manager. RELATED COVERAGE Minnesota Frost rookie Claire Thompson trades stethoscope for hockey stick to resume playing career PWHL New York Sirens’ trajectory points up with addition of rookie star Sarah Fillier and new home PWHL releases neutral-site schedule with games ranging from North Carolina to the Pacific Northwest Ukraine’s Olympic Committee posted photos and wrote in a Facebook post Sept. 1 that Kharkiv’s Sport Palace, which was home to multiple hockey teams, was also destroyed in an attack on the city. Seredenko says the Wings’ arduous journey to Calgary was worth it because it gives the girls hope. “It’s not a good situation in Ukraine, but when they come here, they can believe that everything will be good, everything will be fine, of course we will win soon and we must play hockey. We can’t stop because we love these girls and we will do everything for them,” she said. “So many girls on this Ukrainian team are future players of the national team.” Wickenheiser, a Hockey Hall of Famer , is the assistant general manager of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs and a doctor who works emergency room shifts in the Toronto area. The six-time Olympian and four-time gold medalist organized her first Wickfest after the 2010 Winter Games. She’s had teams from India, Mexico and the Czech Republic attend over the last decade and a half, but never a team that ran the Ukrainians’ gauntlet of logistics. The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health took on the task of arranging visas and paying for the team’s travel. “We care about women and children’s health. Sport is such a symbol. When you see a group of girls coming off the ice all sweaty and having worked hard on the ice, it’s a symbol of a healthy girl,” said chief executive officer Julia Anderson. “That’s a healthy kid that’s able to participate in sport. We really believe if we can get girls there, whether they’re in an active war zone, or here in Canada, those girls will change the world.” The Wings aren’t the first Ukrainians to seek a hockey haven in Canada since the war began. An under-25 men’s team played four games against university squads in early 2023 to prepare for that year’s world university games. Ukrainian teams have also twice played in the Quebec City International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. “It’s the first time in Ukrainian history where a girls’ team is coming to Canada to a very good tournament,” Seredenko said. “They can see how they can play in their future. And they can see how it is to play hockey in Canada.” ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsConservative Texas lawmakers and power brokers in recent years have criticized university professors for being “woke” activists who indoctrinate college students with far-left teachings and ideas. Now, as state lawmakers head back to the Capitol for the 2025 legislative session, they could limit the influence faculty have over campus culture and curriculum. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants lawmakers to recommend potential changes to the roles of faculty senates, which traditionally take the lead on developing curriculum — and ensuring professors have the academic freedom to teach and research their subject areas without fear of political interference. But conservatives say university curriculum has been infused with ideologies that have helped take higher education in Texas in an overly liberal direction. “If we’re going to refocus our universities on their mission of open inquiry and freedom of speech, we’ve got to take a look at the curriculum and who’s controlling it,” Sherry Sylvester, a fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, told state senators in November. Some Texas professors, though, fear the Republican-controlled Legislature could undermine a long-standing balance of power at universities that’s meant to protect higher education from politicization. Their concerns are that without a proper voice on campus, and a guarantee that faculty have control over their teaching and research, faculty might leave Texas or be less likely to take a job at a Texas university, research would be imperiled, and there would be no checks and balances on university leadership. “There’s very clearly an ideological based attack against higher education and more specifically against faculty,” said Michael Harris, a professor of higher education at Southern Methodist University, a private institution in Dallas. “A place where faculty are most noticeable is a faculty senate.” Here’s a look at faculty senates in Texas and the role they play in higher education. What faculty senates do Faculty senates are made up of professors from across a university. The body approves academic policies, curriculum design, faculty hiring and evaluation, and other issues that impact the academic mission. They also relay university-wide news and plans back to their colleagues.. The senates often meet monthly and invite guests from the administration to speak directly to faculty on university issues. “They provide a critical advisory voice on so many things we do on campus,” Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh recently told reporters. “The faculty senate does work that is fundamentally important to what we do as a university.” Faculty at many Texas universities elect a professor in their specific college to serve as a representative on the senate. Faculty will typically elect a chair or co-chairs for a one or two year term. Other faculty members can serve on specific committees that provide recommendations to leadership on specific issues, such as budget, research or facility planning. Faculty say that it’s vital that they have a voice in the decision making processes and that university boards of regents listen to those on the ground when making decisions that impact their work. “At a Fortune 500 company, you wouldn’t want the CEO to make every single decision,” said Harris, the SMU professor. “They don’t have time. People close to the product line or business aspect are best able to do that. The same thing is true here. You want your faculty who teach undergrads to make policy (about undergrads). They know the issues there better.” Bill Carroll served as president of the University of Texas at Arlington’s faculty senate four years ago. He said administrators often haven’t taught in a classroom in years and rely on current faculty to share their experiences that can help shape decision-making. “The faculty senate can provide that input and that information to administration so they can understand how the faculty are perceiving things and understand what faculty needs to do their job in an effective way,” he said. How faculty senates fit into a university’s power structure Public universities and university systems are overseen by boards of regents, who are appointed by the governor. Those boards hire university presidents, who serve as a CEO of the institution. While there is nothing in state law that specifies how faculty senates should be organized or function, many universities have adopted rules based on the American Association of University Professors’ guidance that faculty have academic freedom in the classroom and in research. They also rely on the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities to guide how boards, presidents and faculty senates interact to operate the university. This statement was developed by national organizations that represent faculty, university presidents and governing boards. The statement spells out who should handle each sector of university operations. “It’s not something that was just drawn up by faculty saying, ‘Here is our best practice, deal with it,’” said Joey Velasco, president of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates who also teaches at Sul Ross State University in Far West Texas. “It really was a joint effort.” Faculty should be responsible for curriculum, methods of instruction and research, the statement reads. If the governing board or university president ultimately makes a decision that goes against the faculty’s wishes, that statement urges the board or president to communicate those reasons with the faculty. “It’s through open dialogue and mutual respect and a shared vision that faculty, administrators and governing boards can ensure their institutions continue to thrive,” Velasco said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has routinely criticized faculty senates Faculty senates found themselves in Patrick’s crosshairs three years ago when he boldly declared he wanted to end tenure for new faculty hires at Texas’ public universities. It was a radical legislative priority condemned by faculty groups across the country. At the time, Patrick was honest about his motivations: he was angry at The Faculty Council at the University of Texas at Austin. The elected group of faculty had passed a nonbinding resolution reaffirming their right to teach critical race theory in the college classroom after the state banned its teaching in K-12 schools. In the statement, faculty at UT-Austin said they will “stand firm against any and all encroachment on faculty authority including by the legislature or the Board of Regents.” Patrick called the professors “Loony Marxists” on social media and accused them of poisoning the minds of college students with such teaching. Ending tenure would make it easier to terminate or punish faculty who were teaching these ideas. Patrick ultimately was unable to outright ban tenure at Texas’ public universities. But Harris said it’s clear that the Faculty Council “poked the bear.” “I do wonder, were it not for that, would it have been as much on the radar,” Harris said, though he feels like the wave of similar actions at universities in other states, such as Florida , would’ve led Texas to take similar routes. Faculty senates can formally voice a lack of confidence in university leadership Faculty senates largely garner the most attention outside the university when they issue a vote of no confidence in a school leader. These votes are non binding, but are meant as a way for faculty to express their discontent with the direction a president is taking the school. Sometimes, they can lead to the resignation of a university leader. Other times, they’re completely ignored. Last year, most faculty members at West Texas A&M University in Canyon said they lost confidence in the president for a variety of issues, including his decision to cancel a student drag show on campus. Nothing happened after the vote and Walter Wendler remained president. At Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, faculty took a vote of no confidence in the leadership of former President Scott Gordon after he accepted an $85,000 pay bump amid a COVID-19 budget shortfall. In that case, the board of regents stood behind Gordon despite the no confidence vote. Still, he stepped down six months later. Nationally, a Chronicle of Higher Education analysis found that a president ends up leaving office within a year of a no-confidence vote about half of the time. This spring, more than 600 faculty at UT-Austin signed a letter stating they had no confidence in President Jay Hartzell’s leadership after police arrested a swath of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza. However, that letter came from the UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors, not the Faculty Council. Other states have moved to limit faculty power Across the country, other states have sought to curtail the power and freedoms of faculty. The Arizona Legislature passed a law that would reduce the power of faculty senates. The bill eliminated language in the state that says the faculty “shall participate in” or “share responsibility” for academic and personnel decisions. Instead, professors could only “consult with” university leaders on decisions. Arizona’s Democratic governor vetoed the bill. When Florida passed a higher education bill that banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public institutions last year, it also included language that said public university presidents and administrators are not bound by faculty recommendations or opinions in hiring decisions. In Texas, at a November state Senate Higher Education Subcommittee meeting, Sylvestor, with the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, suggested that the Legislature require all faculty senate votes to be public, all meetings be open to the public and live streamed, and all curriculum changes made public. Many faculty senates at Texas universities already livestream their meetings and post agendas and minutes online. Velasco with the Texas Council for Faculty Senates said many votes are taken publicly, too. But there are instances when private voting is better, he said, such as when faculty vote whether to award tenure. ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For over a week, New Jersey residents have spotted unidentified aircraft in the northern part of the state, including Morris County and near Newark — and now the authorities are urging people to remain calm. The FBI’s Newark office, along with Morris County officials, recently issued a statement asking the public to they might have on the mysterious drones, while reiterating that there is “no known threat” to the public. And NJ Governor Phil Murphy said that his office is the situation. The drones were captured on camera by residents in multiple boroughs in the state, mostly at night. Some images and videos shared in and social media depict that look like small planes (or “ ”). Others seem like groups of consumer-level drone copters. The drones would fly back and forth for “hours,” some witnesses said. Following the reports, the FAA has banned drones from flying over President-elect Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf course, . For over a week, New Jersey residents have spotted unidentified aircraft in the northern part of the state, including Morris County and near Newark — and now the authorities are urging people to remain calm. The FBI’s Newark office, along with Morris County officials, recently issued a statement asking the public to they might have on the mysterious drones, while reiterating that there is “no known threat” to the public. And NJ Governor Phil Murphy said that his office is the situation. The drones were captured on camera by residents in multiple boroughs in the state, mostly at night. Some images and videos shared in and social media depict that look like small planes (or “ ”). Others seem like groups of consumer-level drone copters. The drones would fly back and forth for “hours,” some witnesses said. Following the reports, the FAA has banned drones from flying over President-elect Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf course, .None
With Q2 earnings season having left many investors disappointed, Mihir Vora , CIO, Trust Mutual Fund , says he is not in the slowdown camp as government spending is expected to pick up sharply in the second half of year and act as a kicker to growth. In this chat with ETMarkets, the Dalal Street veteran says he is bullish on three broad themes: rising income levels, physical asset creation and technological disruption . Edited excerpts: Mutual fund inflows have been strong even when the market is falling. How much cash are you deploying in your portfolios amid the market correction? We usually do not take big cash calls. In our existing Flexicap fund, the usual cash levels are 1 to 5%. We had about 7% cash and have deployed much of it in the fall. We were however fortunate as we just collected monies in our smallcap NFO, which we substantially deployed this month. SIPs have become a counter-force to selling by FIIs . Do you think the monthly SIP flow can hit the Rs 1 lakh crore mark as soon as 4-5 years? We are at about Rs. 25,000 crore monthly run rate. I would say that at 15-20% compounded growth rate, we could reach that level in 7 to 11 years. 5 years may be too optimistic. 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Are you cautious or bullish at this stage of the market? We are at an interesting juncture in the markets. After a stellar run over the past 12 months, we have seen a healthy correction and the market stands at crucial support levels. There are global tailwinds, with expectations that the US economy will continue to grow well and that the US Federal reserve will continue to keep monetary policy benign. On the other hand, China continues to struggle with growth. Domestically, rural demand is stabilising after a prolonged post-COVID weakness, while urban demand appears to be peaking. On the positive side, primary sales seem to be picking up in the festival season. We expect government spending, which was sluggish in the first half, to pick up significantly in the second half. The key state elections are also behind us with signals of continuity for the existing regime at the centre, a positive for markets. So, the next few weeks will be important, and I am cautiously optimistic. The India growth story remains intact. Do you think FII selling is done now and the market will bounce back to lifetime peak once again by the end of the calendar year? What are the chances of a Santa rally this time? The key reason for FII outflows (from all global markets, not only India) is the US dollar strength and expectations of US corporates doing well under the Trump regime. Moreover, we also need to see the bigger picture, which is that India also received massive inflows in June to September – almost $14 billion, out of which 10 flowed out in October. In the medium term, we expect the US dollar strength to plateau, bringing foreign flows back to normalcy and markets to continue the uptrend. The other big picture fact is that while FII flows are flat now for the calendar year, domestic institutional purchases are a staggering $57 billion so far this year. The market is well supported by flows. FII activity tends to slow down in December as they're in vacation mode. Moreover, FIIs are also very short in the futures segment. As they unwind their position and if the US dollar strength plateaus, we could see a Santa rally. How has your investing strategy changed after the Q2 earnings season? And do you think we will see recovery in H1FY25? Most of the downgrades have been seen in large caps, especially segments which are global in nature like commodities and IT. The wider market has been more resilient especially sectors which are more domestic oriented. So the Nifty50 stocks have seen sharper downgrades, not so much for the broader indices like the 500 or smallcap index. So we are not in the slowdown camp. Expect government spending to pick up sharply in the second half, which should be a kicker to growth. We follow the Growth at Reasonable Valuations approach. So we usually buy stocks where there is visibility of earnings growth. Moreover, we also pay close attention to upgrades or downgrades to earnings to see that the earnings momentum is intact. We need 50-60 stocks to build the portfolio and we find that it is not that difficult to find these from a wide universe of 500-800 stocks. Which sectors are on your watchlist from a longer term perspective? And which ones are you staying away from? We are bullish on three broad themes: rising income levels, physical asset creation and technological disruption. Rising income levels means that growth rates of segments catering to premium consumption will be higher. Some examples are premium vehicles, premium real estate, jewellery, consumer durables, hotels, airlines etc. It also means that segments that cater to financial savings will grow faster – insurance, wealth management, asset management, broking, exchanges, depositories, registrars, distributors of financial services and products etc. Physical asset creation includes sectors like real estate, capital goods, construction, infrastructure, power, defence, railways. Technological disruption includes all the new-age companies in the B2B and B2C space, which use technology to create new business models or to disrupt existing traditional models. So these segments continue to remain our core picks. However, in the recent few quarters, banks, finance companies, chemicals, defence have corrected more and have underperformed. These also offer a good balance of growth and valuation. We are usually underweight on global sectors like metals, commodities, oil & gas, large-cap IT etc. We also don't usually prefer sectors with too much regulation and controlled margins. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )
Hamilton and High Point knock off Hampton 76-73