Lockheed Martin Elects John C. Aquilino to Board of DirectorsNoneMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell's stirring locker room tribute to his team last week at Seattle was respectfully interrupted by seven-year veteran right tackle Brian O'Neill, who flipped the script on the game ball awards by tossing one to the boss in honor of his second 13-win season in three years. The Vikings have obliterated even the most optimistic of external predictions for this transitional season, taking a sparkling 13-2 record into their matchup against the Green Bay Packers that has made O'Connell the current favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award. “It’s a credit to who he is as a person, as a coach and as a leader,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to play under him.” The Vikings can not only win the NFC North for a second time in three seasons, but get the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC tournament if they beat both the Packers at home on Sunday and the Detroit Lions on the road next week. Don't expect the Vikings to ponder that possibility, though, as tantalizing as it would be. “It can be a very tired cliché to talk about going 1-0 until you’ve systematically built your entire operation daily of just trying to do that every single day,” O'Connell said after Minnesota's eighth consecutive victory . “These guys, it’s not a cliché at that point. It becomes part of your football foundation and the makeup of your locker room, of your leadership, your coaching staff.” The Packers could be forgiven for being less than impressed by the impact O'Connell has made, for a reason beyond simply him coaching their biggest rival. Green Bay enjoyed even better out-of-the-gate success under coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019 and won 13 regular-season games in each of his first three years. Though they're in third place at 11-4, two games behind the Lions and the Vikings, the Packers too have secured a place in the playoffs even if they can't win their loaded division. They'll likely be the visiting team as long as they're alive this postseason. "I think that just all of us going against one another, it’s forced you to be at your best every week," LaFleur said. “You can’t afford a slip-up, just to keep up with everybody.” The road team has won each of the past three matchups in this series. The Packers are 0-4 against the teams with the top three records in the NFC: Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia. “We’ve got to be able to go win these games against the really good teams in the league and set ourselves up for the situation we’ll be in for the playoffs,” quarterback Jordan Love said. Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries for Minnesota in a 31-29 victory at Green Bay on Sept. 29. Released by the Packers for salary cap relief in favor of their premier free agency addition, the three-plus-years-younger Josh Jacobs, Jones just hit the 1,000-yard mark last week and can't hide from the significance of facing his former team. "They respect you because they were on your team or they've seen the work that you put in, but you want to gain their respect in another way from playing against them, like, ‘Man, this dude is really as good as I thought he was,’" Jones said. Jacobs, for his part, is fourth in the NFL entering Week 17 with 1,216 rushing yards for the most by a Packers player in a season since Ryan Grant (1,253) in 2009. The earlier matchup this season featured seven combined turnovers, four by the Packers and three by the Vikings. Both of these teams are among the NFL's best in the turnover department, with Green Bay at a plus-12 margin and Minnesota at a plus-10. The Packers have allowed a total of three sacks and have committed just two turnovers over their past five games. The Vikings are eagerly anticipating the return of second-year linebacker Ivan Pace, the sparkplug who has missed four games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. They’ll be cautious with him and the tricky nature of that injury, but getting Pace back in the middle of the action with fellow linebacker Blake Cashman would be a big boost to the play-calling options for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. “He flies around. When he blitzes, he’s as impactful as anybody, and when you can really get him and Cash out there at the same time, they both can really play to their strengths,” O’Connell said. “They’re both really good blitzers. Cash is phenomenal in coverage and reading the quarterback, and when you can kind of pair those guys together, run and pass, that’s when we’re at our best.” Brayden Narveson missed both of his field-goal attempts for Green Bay, from 37 and 49 yards, in the two-point decision at Lambeau Field in Week 4. The Packers released Narveson a couple of weeks later in favor of 11-year veteran Brandon McManus, who has gone 16 of 17 on field-goal tries including game-winners as time expired against Houston and Jacksonville. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Sydney Shaw scored 20 points and made four 3-pointers, JJ Quinerly added 14 points and No. 12 West Virginia handed Boise State its first loss, 82-47 on Saturday in the Gulf Coast Showcase. West Virginia advances to the championship game on Sunday, while Boise State plays for third place. The Mountaineers have started 8-0 in back-to-back seasons after last year's 11-0 beginning. Quinerly also had three steals to help West Virginia reach double figures in that category in every game this season. The Mountaineers also forced 20-plus turnovers for the eighth straight game. Boise State was held to just six points in the first and third quarters. West Virginia went on two 10-0 runs in the first quarter to build a 16-point lead. The Mountaineers led by double figures the rest of the way. It was 45-23 at halftime then Quinerly scored four straight points to begin a 9-0 run that ended in a 32-point lead. Freshman Jordan Thomas, coming off her first career double-double, had 10 points and six rebounds for West Virginia. Elodie Lalotte scored 11 points for Boise State (7-1). Teryn Gardner addd 10. West Virginia was coming off an 89-54 victory over High Point on Friday to begin the tournament. The Mountaineers led by as many as 39 points and forced 22 turnovers in that one. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP women’s college basketball: and
Sinn Fein actively pursuing route into government, insists leader McDonald
Commissioner Goodell says no change to NFL’s relationship with Jay-Z amid rape allegationsVICTORIA — A Vancouver Island First Nation whose people were the first to greet European explorers in the region almost 250 years ago is taking British Columbia to court, seeking title to its traditional territories and financial compensation. The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation filed a claim Thursday in B.C. Supreme Court seeking a return of decision-making, resource and ecological stewardship, said Chief Mike Maquinna, a descendent of the former Chief Maquinna who met British explorer Capt. James Cook in 1776. Crown-authorized forest industry activities approved by the province without the consent of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation have resulted in cultural, economic and environmental impacts, he said at a news conference on Thursday. "Our people, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht, have endured many hardships since first meeting Capt. Cook, who was the explorer who first came into our territory," said Maquinna. "As a result of the explorations of our territory, the natural resources of our lands have been taken. We want to correct rights and wrongs here and hopefully as time goes on this will show that Mowachaht/Muchalaht has been infringed upon since time of contact." Capt. Cook and Chief Maquinna met in March 1776 at the traditional Mowachaht/Muchalaht whale-hunting village of Yuquot, later named Friendly Cove by Cook. The Parks Canada website says Yuquot was designated a national historic site in 1923 as the ancestral home of the First Nation, which was continuously occupied for more than 4,300 years and the centre of their social, political and economic world. The Parks Canada website says the village became the capital for all 17 tribes of the Nootka Sound region. Maquinna said the province has been acting as the sole decision-making authority in the Gold River-Tahsis areas of northern Vancouver Island, especially with regards to the forest resource, without the consent of his nation. Hereditary Chief Jerry Jack said the claim seeks title to about 430,000 hectares of land on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island and an amount of financial compensation to be determined by the court. "It is common knowledge we were here long before Capt. Cook and now we have to go to court and definitively prove that," he said. "I don't like that we have to prove that we owned it before he showed up to my territory, to my beach." The land title case does not make any claims against private land owners, homeowners or recreational hunting and fishing operators, said Jack. Premier David Eby said the B.C. government prefers negotiated land-claims settlements rather than become involved in lengthy, expensive court cases, but the Mowachaht/Muchalaht have the right to take that route. "We have no problem with them doing that," he said at an unrelated news conference in Langley. "We'd rather sit down and find a path forward." The 15-page notice of claim seeks declarations that the First Nation has Aboriginal title to its lands and that B.C.'s Forest Act and Land Act will no longer apply to Mowachaht/Muchalaht lands once title is declared. Jack said the nation decided against pursuing formal treaty talks with the federal and provincial government years ago and has been planning the land title court case "for many decades." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024. Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press( MENAFN - IANS) New Delhi: In today's world success is largely determined by the ability to make knowledge-based decisions -- in both personal and professional spheres. Knowledge helps one realise what should be done and what one should not do. This enables one to be discrete at work, to have smooth interactions not only with seniors but also with colleagues, and to make meaningful contributions to organizational improvement. This is, in fact, a management skill from which it can be inferred that good management also depends on competent handling of information-external or internal-as well as of the people one is dealing with. Even a family is like a small organisational unit and its head has to have the qualities of a good manager while bringing up children as a parent and tackling other family issues. Innocence is bliss no more and one has to be reasonably aware of the environment as it exists in the neighbourhood and also in the wider world, in the interest of one's safety and well-being. One should be able to 'observe' what one sees, 'absorb' what one observes, and 'analyse' what one absorbs for any learning that could be deduced from it. The use of 'intelligence' -- which is a product of 'information' -- contributes to what can be termed as smart living. Being 'smart' by definition is the ability to achieve better results or higher productivity out of the given resources of money, human assistance, and time. Information can be defined as "an intelligible fact or data that tells you what you did not already know". It is clear that being better informed than somebody else can become a matter of competitive advantage in a given situation where that particular information is relevant. Knowledge of what happened in the past or what was happening in the present adds to one's knowledge but an idea of what lay ahead -- often derived from an analysis of this knowledge -- can become the ultimate guarantor of success. Information on a future happening is called intelligence and it can be sourced directly or deduced through a competent analysis of what was already in the public domain. By definition, intelligence is the specially procured information of proven reliability that gives you a peep into the future. Information of intelligence value is important not only in the context of national security but in day-to-day life as well -- for personal security and business advancement -- since it enables you to visualise both opportunities and risks lying ahead. Intelligence today is an important determinant of corporate and managerial success. Major businesses invest in establishing intelligence units to analyse the market environment and study the competitors. Being well-informed means having the right information at the right time and having the information that makes the difference between a decision and a guess. Also, being well-informed is not a one-time event -- one has to remain well-informed continually as new information often keeps coming in. Being information savvy is a basic requirement of one's progress in any field. There are certain characteristics of information-savvy people. Firstly, they tend to read a lot -- an individual who is averse to reading cannot be a well-informed person. They like to keep information in the categorised form as they have an innate ability to analyse the facts in front of them. They have the discipline of a logical progression of thought and quickly go through the What?, Why? and Where? in any situation. Secondly, information-savvy persons have an insatiable curiosity rooted in a spirit of inquiry. Remember, information does not reach you, you have to reach out to the same. Thirdly, such people have a healthy interest in human psychology and behaviour. All business or social interaction is a human activity and one must understand where somebody's response is coming from. Fourth -- and this is very important -- the ability to identify the most useful information from the rest is a 'gift' in today's fast-moving world. Everybody does not have it. The capacity to distinguish essentials from non-essentials corresponds to the famous Pareto's Law that says 'there are a significant few amongst the insignificant many'. Finally, information-savvy people prefer an authoritative opinion to gossip. There is no dearth of credulous people in the world. In this age of misinformation and cyber fraud, the reliability of information being acted upon has to be ensured -- through a double-check system of some sort. A lot of information can be accessed by tapping open sources. Publications and online databases are very important. The government is the biggest publisher of information. Associations give out useful information in specialised fields as illustrated by Harvard Business Review (HBR) and the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). Stanford Research Institute produces and mails special reports on markets and industries to members for a fee. Libraries -- the traditional centers of knowledge -- remain as useful as before. Media reports of credible investigative journalists can be listed as another source of open information. Today, 'Think Tanks' produces a lot of information but the advice here is that one should accept their facts not necessarily their findings. Meetings and conferences have emerged as another major source of business information and so is the case with industrial fares and exhibitions. There is a caution for those relying heavily on online information. Do not believe that all that is there on the Internet is trustworthy and remember that social media presently has become an instrument of 'influence warfare'. A corporate body is possibly still missing out on tapping the wealth of information that was there within the organisation and outside because the system of interaction with its managers, consultants, and employees was inadequate and the feedback from its suppliers, bankers, and customers was not mopped up and analysed. Business organisations are waking up to this now and realising that no one might know everything but 'everybody knows something'. Information or knowledge is a valuable instrument for success and the leaders of an organisation owe it to themselves to enhance its quantum by whatever means possible. They should be able to garner the 'tacit knowledge' that today's employees carry with them. Sharpening everybody's observation power should be on their agenda. As already mentioned, we see without observing, observe without absorbing, and absorb without discrimination only causing a clogging of the mind. Further, there is a learning for leadership from what Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of all times, famously said -- 'Imagination is more important than knowledge'. To be able to see the big picture behind what was in front and not miss the wood for the tree is one connotation of this profound observation. Imagination strengthens the power of anticipation and adds to the ability to make analytical deductions. Flawless communication also serves the cause of knowledge enhancement -- the person passing on the information must make sure that there is no ambiguity about its interpretation. Those seeking information must work with enthusiasm presuming that what they were looking for was available somewhere. Above all, an understanding of what confidentiality means in an organisational context goes with the function of handling information. In today's competitive world, all members must have an idea of what was to be preserved as the organisation's 'exclusive' information. The importance of information has further increased because of the speed with which businesses are transacted and decisions are required to be taken. Globalisation has set a new bar to competitiveness and the need to monitor competition has grown manifold. Moreover, there has to be a certain 'completeness' about the information one has, for sound decision-making. This is because knowledge comes in integral packages -- for a business owner employing men and women knowledge of laws against harassment of women at the workplace was essential just as a teacher of children ought to have an idea of child psychology and parental stress as this is part of an integral package. Finally, data analytics today has acquired a newfound importance as a knowledge enhancer and this is how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the business world. It helps in evaluating business matters ranging from authentic user reviews and buying patterns of purchasers to the customer's feedback faster than was ever possible before. The larger the data bank better the application of AI for decision-making. AI is producing 'writing assistants' to help the efforts that would add to the company's productivity. With the rise in living standards, 'automation' is more and more in demand and AI is facilitating that. However, while AI is the most advanced use of Internet technology it is subject to the limitation that it would produce correct results only when the data fed into the system was reliable. One has to remember that there are both promises and perils associated with AI. Machine learning helps to increase productivity by improving the 'processing' of information. Nonetheless, AI operations cannot succeed totally without the aid of human intellect that provides the power of logic and imagination not available to the 'machine'. (The writer is a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Views are personal) MENAFN30112024000231011071ID1108942388 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Tarleton St. 61, Hofstra 59
TransMedics Group (NASDAQ:TMDX) Stock Price Down 5% – Here’s WhyMD_Prather 25 pass from Morris (Howes kick), 14:46. PSU_FG Barker 49, 12:47. PSU_Singleton 2 run (Barker kick), 12:53. PSU_Allar 1 run (Barker kick), 10:11. PSU_Pribula 1 run (Barker kick), 6:53. PSU_Warren 7 pass from Allar (Barker kick), 1:46. PSU_Singleton 18 run (Barker kick), 14:14. PSU_Denmark 15 pass from Pribula, :00. RUSHING_Maryland, Hemby 13-64, Ray 9-51, C.Long 1-0, Morris 8-(minus 29). Penn St., Singleton 14-89, Allen 13-34, Warren 3-32, Smith 6-25, Allar 6-21, Pribula 5-17, Martin 2-0. PASSING_Maryland, Morris 14-24-3-112, C.Long 1-2-0-10. Penn St., Allar 16-26-0-147, Allen 1-1-0-24, Pribula 2-3-0-13, Warren 1-1-0-9. RECEIVING_Maryland, Felton 4-27, Hemby 3-20, Wade 2-17, Howard 2-12, Prather 1-25, Ray 1-10, Wisloski 1-9, Haughton 1-2. Penn St., Warren 6-68, Evans 4-49, Kh.Dinkins 3-36, Singleton 3-17, Denmark 1-15, Clifford 1-5, Fleming 1-5, Smith 1-(minus 2). MISSED FIELD GOALS_Penn St., Barker 53.
Chicago's top 10 news stories of 2024
Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status Thursday after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from a three-game trip. The 39-year-old broke the leg in a shin-on-shin collision Monday night with Utah's Jack McBain, and some of his closest teammates knew it was not good news even before Ovechkin was listed as week to week and placed on injured reserve. “Everyone’s bummed out,” said winger Tom Wilson, who has played with Ovechkin since 2013. “We were sitting there saying: ‘This is weird. Like, it’s unbelievable that he’s actually hurt.’ It’s one of those things where like, he’s going to miss games? I’ve been around a long time, and it’s new to me.” Ovechkin in his first 19 seasons missed 59 games — and just 35 because of injury. Durability even while throwing his body around with his physical style is a big reason he is on track to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals that once looked unapproachable. “He doesn’t go out there and just coast around,” Wilson said. “He’s played 20 years every shift running over guys and skating. He’s a power forward, the best goal-scorer ever maybe, and he’s a power forward that plays the game really hard.” Ovechkin surged to the top of the league with 15 goals in his first 18 games this season. He was on pace to break the record and score No. 895 sometime in February. “You know when goal-scorers start scoring, it’s dangerous,” said defenseman John Carlson, who has been teammates with Ovechkin since 2009-10. “There was a bit of that in the downs that everyone was feeling about it too, of course. We see him coming to the rink every day, we know what’s at stake. You never want anyone to get injured, but there’s a lot to it and certainly he was playing his best hockey in years.” ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl Stephen Whyno, The Associated PressAP News Summary at 6:01 p.m. EST
Minnesotans break their own record with $37 million donated to local nonprofits on Give to the Max DayAnt McPartlin stuns I’m A Celeb co-stars as he makes VERY racy joke about Britain’s Got Talent’s Amanda Holden
How will bribery charges impact Adani?Former UFC champ Jamahal Hill is over Magomed Ankalaev’s ongoing online antics as the two light heavyweights close in on a title shot. Jamahal Hill will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon on the UFC’s first pay-per-view card of 2025. He hasn’t fought since suffering a knockout to Alex Pereira at UFC 300 and suffered an injury ahead of his scheduled return at UFC 303 against Khalil Rountree Jr. Hill is looking to get back into the mix at 205lbs and potentially earn himself a future rematch with Pereira. First thing’s first for Hill, as he looks to get back in the win column and cement himself as a top light heavyweight contender. In the meantime, Ankalaev is the most likely next title challenger for Pereira after defeating Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308. He’s on a 13-fight unbeaten streak and is aiming to right the wrong of a controversial draw he recorded against Jan Blachowicz in their vacant title bout at UFC 282. During his ascent up the light heavyweight ladder, Ankalaev has become more animated in an attempt to better promote himself. He’s traded barbs with some of the top light heavyweights on social media, including Hill , during his rise. Hill is done with Ankalaev’s attempts to get under his skin. READ MORE: Tom Aspinall earns shock ‘greatest heavyweight of all time’ label from revered coach ahead of Jon Jones clash Jamahal Hill goes scorched earth on Magomed Ankalaev after recent online taunts In a recent interview with Inside Fighting , Hill responded to Ankalaev’s recent antics in a fiery rant. “I want to knock out Magomed just because to me, he’s a b****, and he f***ing talks like a b**** and reacts like a b****,” Hill said. “So I don’t really f*** with him much, at all, so f*** him. I’m not even talking to this weirdo, and he’s coming and trying to take shots at me because he’s so f***ing lame, and he sees that the fanbase kind of has a thing for me, so he kind of tries to ride that wave. Couple other people do that s***, but he’s the cheesiest f***ing one that does it. “Even after they announced the Khalil Rountree fight [at UFC 307], I thought it should’ve been Magomed,” Hill continued. “So I said that, and this motherf***er is trying to talk about I was crying? Hold on, I’m just saying what I’m thinking...you want real beef? I can do beef like that, f*** you.” Despite Hill’s disdain for Ankalaev, he acknowledges that outside of himself, the Dagestani stands the best chance in the 205lb division to dethrone Pereira. “Alex is a forward, pressure fighter...leaves himself exposed to counters. Ankalaev counters with combinations, so there will be openings for him there to land,” Hill admitted. “Plus, Ankalaev’s a southpaw, so that’s another factor of the puzzle that he’s going to have to figure out...I give Ankalaev a big chance at winning it, just because of the style he fights...he draws things out.” Ankalaev is one of the few top light heavyweight contenders yet to face Pereira. After defeating Rountree at UFC 307, which made a cageside Hill bored , Pereira will likely face Ankalaev for his next title defense. READ MORE: ‘This is wrong!’... Bellator champs, including Patricio Pitbull, scorch PFL over inactivity Jamahal Hill faces a former light heavyweight champ in UFC 311 return Hill and Jiří Procházka will clash in a high-profile light heavyweight bout at UFC 311 in Los Angeles. The winner could potentially earn themselves another title shot against the Pereira vs. Ankalaev winner, assuming the UFC finalizes the title fight . Hill is looking to reclaim the form that led him to the light heavyweight throne, defeating the likes of Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos on his way up the ranks. His UFC 283 victory over Teixeira for the then-vacant title stands as his most recent victory. Time will tell if Hill and Ankalaev come face-to-face in the Octagon. In the meantime, tensions are reaching a boiling point, especially from Hill’s perspective. READ MORE: I’m a doctor who hides brutal second career from parents – but they are about to find out after UFC KO of the Year contenderBBC Shetland fans 'call it a day' as they fume over 'worst' final episodeNone
‘I’m human, I make mistakes,’ says Simon Harris after Cork carer controversy
My daughter loves to hear about my past. And by that, I mean my childhood. She has said many, many times that I, and my brothers and sister, grew up feral. By the basic meaning of that, that would suggest that my mother and grandmother (who was more prominent in my childhood since my dad died when I was 8), were nowhere to be found to dole out discipline or instruct us in the proper way to live our lives. That was not the case, mostly. They were there, of course. My grandmother only left the house to grocery shop, go to church (daily) and to escape to her sister’s house in South Philly every so often. When my mom wasn’t working, going to one of our games, or to a meeting for St. Pat’s, she was home. Usually on the phone with one of her thousands of friends, but she was home. They did indeed teach us the proper way to live our lives – by faith. And they taught us that lesson by example – by trusting in their faith every day – through some of the most crushing times that our family faced. But they both stood tall and firm in their beliefs, and that dominant example has served me, my sister and my brothers all well. But back to memory lane.... When Kaitlyn peppers me with questions, and trust me, she does, I’m always happy to lead her down my memory lane. While some of the memories aren’t the greatest, most end with my daughter laughing, and marveling that I survived growing up at 1709 Pine Street. Truth be told, I’m sometimes amazed that I survived growing up with my brothers and my sister (Trust me, she was not a conscientious objector. Mary Beth was a full-on warrior when she had to be). Lately, the questions Kate ask have been about my childhood Christmases, and that’s a bit of nostalgia that never gets old, as far as I’m concerned. Because Christmases past, heck – they were a breeze. When I was a kid, I wasn’t responsible for anything. The most pressing thing, and face it, only thing, on my “to-do list,” was just that, make a list. My mom didn’t require that I make a list. That was all on me – but that’s only because I had specific demands that needed to be met. I’ve written before about the best things I ever found under our (cutting-edge for the early 1970s) fake tree – the Barbie camper (special shout outs to Nana Min – the original finder of said camper, and Joe Maccolini, who followed up decades later with same said camper) and my ABA (red, white and blue striped) basketball; and my Little Kiddles Townhouse (with a working elevator!). And....I didn’t have to cook, clean, buy or wrap. I just had to be me, which came easy enough, most of the time. All I had to do was wait for Christmas to come. As a kid, that’s all I had to do, wait. As I was thinking the other day about that waiting, it hit me – what’s missing now from Christmas is the magic that comes from that glorious anticipation. As a kid, the greenlight for Christmas came once that Sears Wish Book was delivered. So, each day I’d wait for the mailman (not carrier, not back then, just mailman.) Once that book hit our mailbox, that’s when I knew it was “go time.” I scanned, studied, memorized, compared and contrasted, circled and then listed all the things I needed to see under our beautiful fake tree on Christmas. Then came Phase 2 of the Christmas operation – scanning the television listings for any and all Christmas specials. I didn’t care if it was Charlie Brown and Linus, Frosty, Rudolph, Santa, the Burgermeister Meisterburger or Jack Frost – I watched, and loved, them all – but I had to make sure I knew when they were on, and what channel. Because if I miscalculated, or misread the listings – that was it. I had to wait another year for Rudolph to guide the sleigh for Santa. These days, if you’re nostalgic for anything produced by Rankin and Bass, just turn to YouTube or Google. You can visit the Island of Misfit Toys in April, make Frosty come to life in August, and prompt Santa to come to town in February. Heck, Rudolph can light up on the Fourth of July. The anticipation of those magical moments of broadcast television and those holiday specials no longer exist. Phase 3 of the Christmas operation came when my mom decided it was time to start decorating. She put me in charge of setting up the fake tree (after my dad died there was no way my mom was dealing with the aggravation that came with getting a real tree). The branches were color coated, so it was easy enough even for a 10-year-old to assemble. Then came the anticipation of setting out all the ornaments. My favorite part of decorating the tree was finding the perfect branch for each ornament, but I had to wait until the lights were on. And that meant waiting for my mom or my brother Terry to take care of that particular chore. Which always seemed to take days (in reality, it was probably minutes). As an adult, decorating our tree has taken on a new look, so to speak. I do love getting out all our ornaments – which seem to number in the thousands (yes, exaggerating, but not by much). My mother-in-law collected Hallmark ornaments, so we have all of hers. And Jim and I started collecting our own when we got married in 1988, and some years we got more than one if I couldn’t decide on one. Then, we started collecting ornaments from any and all trips we took. Then all the ornaments the kids made in school... So, a few years ago we realized we needed to put up a second tree. My job is to unbox and unwrap each ornament, but the so-called decorating? I leave that to the experts. Because as a rule, I place one ornament on each tree, wait for each ornament to drop to the ground because they always do, no matter what (I always, always pick a non-breakable one), and then turn everything over to Matthew and Kaitlyn. My responsibility – in that phase of Christmas at least, was met. But as I unbox and unwrap each of those ornaments, whether they’re from my childhood, my marriage or my children, I’m reminded of their stories. And each one does indeed have a story. As I tell those stories to Kaitlyn and Matthew, those ornaments, those stories, connect me to the people I love and lost over a lifetime of Christmases. The stories with those ornaments are always joyful, and the memories always warm my heart. But those ornaments remind me that the magic of Christmas was never in the pages of that Sears Wish Book, or produced by Rankin and Bass or placed under an artificial tree. The magic of Christmas was, and always will be, wrapped up neatly in the people in our lives, past, present and future.The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" -- wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month. At that time, Washington used its veto power on the Council -- as it has before -- to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack. It has insisted on the idea of making a ceasefire conditional on the release of all hostages in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity. Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood repeated that position Wednesday, saying it would be "shameful and wrong" to adopt the text. Ahead of the vote, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said: "The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic. (...) The vote today is not a vote for compassion. It is a vote for complicity." The General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the Security Council, which has been largely paralyzed on hot-button issues such as Gaza and Ukraine due to internal politics, and this time is no different. The resolution, which is non-binding, demands "immediate access" to widespread humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, especially in the besieged north of the territory. Dozens of representatives of UN member states addressed the Assembly before the vote to offer their support to the Palestinians. "Gaza doesn't exist anymore. It is destroyed," said Slovenia's UN envoy Samuel Zbogar. "History is the harshest critic of inaction." - 'Price of silence' - That criticism was echoed by Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui, who said: "The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow." Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the United Nations. "Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the first day of debate in the Assembly's special session on the issue. "The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare," he said, calling for an end to the "impunity." After Wednesday's vote, he said "we will keep knocking on the doors of the Security Council and the General Assembly until we see an immediate and unconditional ceasefire put in place." The Gaza resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present "proposals on how the United Nations could help to advance accountability" by using existing mechanisms or creating new ones based on past experience. The Assembly, for example, created an international mechanism to gather evidence of crimes committed in Syria starting from the outbreak of civil war in 2011. A second resolution calling on Israel to respect the mandate of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and allow it to continue its operations was passed Wednesday by a vote of 159-9 with 11 abstentions. Israel has voted to ban the organization starting January 28, after accusing some UNRWA employees of taking part in Hamas's devastating attack. abd/sst/jgc/nro/des
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NoneAustralia has voted in favour of United Nations draft resolutions demanding "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza", and supporting the mandate of UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. The votes in the UN General Assembly come after the United States vetoed a similar action in the UN Security Council last month. Only four out of 14 Security Council votes on the Hamas-Israel war have passed, with the US, Russia and China often using their veto powers to defeat the resolutions. Australia was among 158 countries supporting the resolution for a Gaza ceasefire, which also called for the release by the military group Hamas of its Israeli hostages. Israel, the US, and seven other countries voted against it, and there were 13 abstentions. Some 159 countries voted in favour of demanding Israel reverse its ban on UNRWA and "enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction", while nine voted against it, and 13 abstained. This is a developing story and this article will be updated. Follow the latest from SBS News at www.sbs.com.au/news , or on the SBS News app available on iOS or Android .