Rice builds up big lead early, hangs on to beat USF 35-28
NoneJapan's famous sake joins UNESCO's cultural heritage list, a boost to brewers and enthusiasts
Kansas City Chiefs fans and Hallmark movie lovers alike are in for a treat this Thanksgiving weekend. “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” premieres on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 (11/30/24) at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel . The movie spent time filming at Arrowhead Stadium and includes several, star-studded Kansas City Chiefs cameos. How to watch: Fans can watch “Holiday Touchdown” for free via a trial of Philo , DirecTV Stream or fuboTV , which is offering $30 off this month. Here’s what you need to know: What: “Holiday Touchdown” premiere When: Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: Hallmark Channel Live stream: Philo (free trial), fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) Kansas City Chiefs’ cameos: Head coach Andy Reid , offensive guard Trey Smith , wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. , running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and defensive end George Karlaftis . Donna Kelce , the mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , also plays a role in the Hallmark original. Film Synopsis: Chiefs superfan Alana [ Hunter King ] tries to win the Fan of the Year Award as a Christmas gift for her family, falling in love with someone in the Chiefs front office [Tyler Hynes] along the way. *** Here’s an entertainment story via the Associated Press: Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding. “Christmas in the Spotlight” on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world’s biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love — not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “It’s clearly inspired by Taylor and Travis, but I don’t know them and I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. I only know what’s been put out there,” said Eirene Tran Donohue, a longtime, devoted fan who jumped at the opportunity to write a script even loosely based on her favorite musician. She was inspired by the couple’s support of each other’s accomplishments, particularly Kelce’s ease with dating the star despite the glare of the spotlight, adding, “I love the way that he celebrates her.” Tran Donohue wants fellow Swift fans to know she wrote the script with them in mind. “There are so many Easter eggs,” she said of little details added that a Swift fan would pick up on. “I put in as many as I could.” Then, on Nov. 30, Hallmark will air “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” Instead of a nod to Swift, it’s an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark’s headquarters is also in Kansas City, so it makes sense why the company chose the Chiefs to be highlighted. In this story, written by Julie Sherman Wolfe, sparks fly when a new employee for the Chiefs organization (Tyler Hynes) meets a woman — played by Hunter King — whose family’s dedication to the team goes back generations. Sherman Wolfe, a San Francisco 49ers fan, said she got the call a week after Super Bowl LVIII, when the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22. “I was still nursing my wounds,” she said adding that Hallmark asked, ‘Can you can you separate yourself from the loss and do this movie? I said, ’Absolutely. I mean, I’m a professional,‘" Sherman Wolfe said, laughing. While “Holiday Touchdown” has no mention of Swift or Kelce, it does feature a few Chiefs player cameos and Donna Kelce also has a small role. “I kept botching my line,” Hynes said of working with Mama Kelce. “I was just like, Donna Kelce’s about to speak and I’m beside myself. It was so fun.” The actors also got to film at Arrowhead Stadium and on the field. RECOMMENDED • nj .com Which Kansas City Chiefs stars have cameos in Hallmark’s new Christmas movie? | How to watch ‘Holiday Touchdo Nov. 30, 2024, 6:00 a.m. How to watch the Las Vegas Raiders Black Friday game today (11/29/24) | FREE LIVE STREAM, time, TV channel fo Nov. 29, 2024, 6:00 a.m. “Those were just some of the coolest moments I’ve ever gotten to have working on a movie,” King said. (The Associated Press contributed to this report) Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.AI Transformations in the TV Market, USD 64.7 Billion Growth Forecast (2024-2028) Driven by Innovation and Premium Products - Technavio Report
As America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan came to a close, thousands of courageous men and women who risked their lives fighting for years to protect our country and our way of life began coming home and transitioning into civilian life. For so many of them, that transition left a gaping hole. Just a few weeks earlier, they had been a critical part of operations vital to national security. Decisions they made under fire had life and death implications for their brothers and sisters fighting to their left and right in the heat of battle. These were missions they carried out to keep their families and all Americans safe without any expectation of recognition or thanks. Arriving back home, their days seem empty in comparison. For many, the most important decision they now must make may be which of 12 brands of cereal on the grocery shelf they will choose or what to wear to work the next day. Ordinary daily life is a shock. Something is missing. That something is having a purpose. America is more divided than we have been since the Civil War, and political violence is on the rise. Politicians and media celebrities work to dehumanize the other side, and social media platforms fan the flames to drive clicks, views and revenue. We have been sorted into echo chambers where we seldom encounter other Americans who don’t think like us, act like us or look like us. Trust has been significantly eroded to be replaced by fear — not because of some horrific crime we have committed against one another, but because of perceptions we have of other Americans as our politics has become more and more partisan. Veterans can play a strong role in creating the trust America needs. Veterans are one of the most trusted institutions in America. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 61 percent of Americans trust the military “a great deal or quite a lot,” compared to Congress coming in at a staggeringly low 9 percent. Veterans hold a special place in American society. They are trusted on both the left and the right of the political divide in America; and therein lies the opportunity. Our brave men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan need a new hill to climb, and there is no greater hill to climb right now than to help unite the country across our political divide. Our veterans fought to defend American democracy overseas, and now we need them to do one more tour and fight for it again here at home. Veterans can be our greatest asset in this historically divisive time. I am one of those veterans who returned home from the wars with a gaping hole inside me, aching for purpose and meaning. As a result, I founded More Perfect Union, an organization and movement that could tap into the lessons we had learned downrange in combat to help unite the country that we all love and fought so hard to protect. Many of those lessons we learned while serving are still applicable to this new mission. In highly fragile regions, we were tasked with building trust among warring tribes in a village to prevent the infiltration of violent extremist organizations like al-Qaida and ISIS. We formed those bonds of trust using classic counterinsurgency tactics and hard-won lessons learned from two decades of asymmetric warfare. We learned how to map out communities to understand the real power dynamics within a community and across rival factions. We learned how to earn the trust of power brokers within each of those factions. We brought them together around a common project for the greater good of the community and region These projects were varied, like a large-scale farming cooperative, building a school ,or repairing basic infrastructure like roads and bridges to ensure trade routes stay open and communities maintain access to markets. Through these tactics, we were able to form strong bonds of trust among these warring factions to keep out extremist groups looking to exploit the weaknesses of isolation and division. As veterans come home from foreign wars, we are returning to a situation that seems shockingly all too familiar. We see two rival factions separated and exploited by the most extreme voices in our society. It’s time to use our battle-tested lessons here at home — restoring unity and hope to prevent those extreme voices from tearing us apart. In the wake of a particularly contentious election, veterans can help turn down the temperature in communities across the country — reminding all of us that we are not Republicans and we are not Democrats. We are Americans. We have one more mission to ask of our veterans. They can help us find a new patriotism in this important moment. They can help us remember that there is so much more that unites us than divides us. Veterans can help us find common ground, and then lead us beyond that to higher ground.
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MRI Coils Market Projected to Reach Over USD 9.3 Billion by 2034 | Transparency Market ResearchLUQUE, Paraguay — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It’s brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan’s culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity’s cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts after the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was officially named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold that breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-month process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan’s broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Japanese sake, a nominee for UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list, are displayed on Japan's delegation table, during a UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake’s image as Japan’s premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. Japanese breweries also expressed hope the listing could give a lift to the country’s export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. “I hope that this will also be an opportunity for Japanese people to take another look at sake, shochu and awamori, which are the essence of their culture,” Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the trade group Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, said in Tokyo. “I would like them to try it even once and see what it tastes like,” he said. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the association. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts as the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press Japan’s delegation appeared ready to celebrate Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” he said of the UNESCO designation. “This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he was “delighted” by UNESCO’s recognition of traditional sake-making techniques, and he congratulated those dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition. The crisp autumn air ushers in more than just pumpkin spice latte season. Consider cozying up inside with friends for a wine tasting and sharing delicious food and drinks with more complex flavors than cinnamon and sugar. Perhaps once thought of as stuffy affairs only for wine connoisseurs, today a tasting can be as casual as pouring a few bottles while doing another activity—say, bar games like darts or art activities like painting. The tasting can also be more traditional, especially if held at a winery or local wine shop, which is a great way to learn about what wines you might like to later serve at home. To host the ultimate wine tasting, it pays to do some R&D. One of the best aspects of hosting a wine tasting at home is that you get to establish the mood, tone, and guest list for the gathering—you can't pick a playlist when you sample wines at a bar or wine shop or make the dress code loungewear. So whether the mood is serious or playful, sophisticated or laid-back, the key to a successful tasting is enjoying and appreciating the wine and having fun with friends and family. Of course, there are a few other things to figure out along the way. Peerspace put together a few tips for hosting your wine-tasting party. Canva A tasting party is all about sampling different wines and evaluating and hopefully enjoying them—and there are a variety of ways to do that. Would you like to host a playful gathering where each guest brings a mystery bottle of wine within a certain price range—a BYOB affair? Or would it be better to have more control over which wines are featured by curating and supplying all the wines as a host? This decision sets the tone—a tasting where guests contribute wine can be a bit of a free-for-all, whereas one where you select wines you supply allows guests to sit back and simply enjoy. And you don't have to break the bank to buy excellent wines—there are lots of wine experts ready to share their affordable picks. How much folks know about wine differs—and that's a good thing. Tastings are group learning experiences. Expertise isn't necessary to host or attend a tasting, but it is helpful to think about what will keep guests comfortable and having fun. Decide whether the vibe will be relaxed and laid-back, like friends sipping wine fireside, or more upbeat and formal. Think about elements like the atmosphere and the location, and consider whether folks will be seated or standing. Will you have a spirited playlist (couldn't resist) or live music? Do you want an expert to introduce each wine, or will you be that expert? Consider how guests will share their thoughts on what they are tasting. Do you want to just talk about them or do something more organized, like take notes or give ratings? Then supply notebooks or notecards and pencils, with categories or questions established ahead of time—all of which can reflect your evening's tone as well. Canva Picking a theme is essential to curating the selection of wines—it's the organizing principle behind your selections. Otherwise, your tasting might as well be just walking down the wine aisle at the grocery store and taking sips from random bottles. There's too much wine out there not to be strategic about this. Plus, a theme helps you to tell the story of each wine better—it's the plot line of the night, if you will. Common themes are types of wine, regions they are from, or even price points—really, one can get as creative as they wish. For inspiration, check out local wine shops and see what they do for tastings. Often, they will follow seasonality and group wines in novel ways for their own in-house tastings. DavideAngelini // Shutterstock Don't let food be an afterthought for the festivities—after all, food can enhance particular qualities of wine and vice versa. There are many rules around what foods to pair with which wines, but consider this simple advice from Alder Yarrow's Vinography : "Stick with eating good food and drinking good wine." Since the focus is on the wines, allow the drinks to determine what food makes sense, but don't overthink it. Food is a supporting character here—at the very least, guests will need something to soak up all the alcohol (unless you are spitting it out). Eating foods that contain a mixture of protein, fats, and carbs when drinking helps increase the rate of alcohol elimination . Whether it's a full meal or heavy hors d'oeuvres, thoughtful noshes are necessary. Canva The bottom line is, however you do it, hosting the ultimate wine tasting should be fun. Wine can feel intimidating to many people, but most wine experts are passionate, inspired folks who want to share what they know and help you find wines you like. So visit your local wine store or winemaker and ask questions. There are good guides specifically concerning how to taste wine. Dig a little, taste a lot, and have fun. It's all research for your next ultimate wine tasting. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Peerspace and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. CanvaWestern Union Announces New $1 Billion Share Repurchase Program and $0.235 Quarterly Dividend