13 jiliasia

13 jiliasia Visiting an ATM. Making a reservation at a restaurant. Using your customer loyalty card at the coffee shop. Reading a news article. Paying for groceries. Buying license plates for your car. Visiting your doctor. Signing your child up for daycare. What do these things have in common? At some point during each of these everyday activities, whether you realize it or not, information about you or your loved ones travels across the internet. So, while most people might not think that cybersecurity affects their lives, it matters every day. Malicious programmers can intercept personal information, shut down entire computer networks, and infiltrate computers to steal data, delete files, and disrupt operations. The term “cyberattack” may seem abstract, something read about in the news. However, such attacks can, and do, happen to individuals, companies of all sizes and even federal agencies. As destructive as these everyday occurrences are, cybersecurity experts lose sleep imagining worse scenarios: hackers disabling entire power grids, shutting down 911 services, or holding corporate or military secrets ransom. With so much reliance on interconnected computer systems, cybersecurity experts work continually behind the scenes to develop robust defenses in an unending race to prevent such nightmare scenarios. Researchers and students at Montana State University stand at the forefront of this crucial branch of infrastructure defense. The breadth of MSU’s cybersecurity instruction and research reflects how vital the subject is to the state and nation. MSU engineers solutions that can measure the quality of software before its deployment in critical infrastructure and builds resilient computers programmed with redundant hardware to stand guard for potential malicious activity. Its students learn to think like the bad guys and consequently learn how to defend against them while enrolled in rigorous two-year and four-year training programs and graduate-level programs. Partnerships with MilTech and the Applied Research Laboratory have proven critical to the evolution of the Software Engineering and Cybersecurity Laboratory that conducts numerous experiments, some designated top-secret by the U.S. government. “Cybersecurity is one of MSU’s core competencies, and it’s a challenge that matches the expertise we have on campus,” said Alison Harmon, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development. “This enables us to serve the national interests. Cybersecurity is important to society at all levels, from national to global, from local to personal: We’ve all probably had our data compromised.” The centerpiece of MSU’s myriad cybersecurity research is the Software Engineering and Cybersecurity Laboratory, which ties together these initiatives and others. The SECL receives funding from the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security Science and Technology, national laboratories, NASA, the National Science Foundation, Collins Aerospace, BlackSky, Resilient Computing, and Blackthorne Consulting, among others. Collaborations with established organizations like MSU’s TechLink, MSU’s MilTech, the Montana Engineering Education Research Center directed by Brock LaMeres, the EECE Machine Learning Laboratory directed by Brad Whitaker, and other partner universities also enhance the capabilities and capacity of SECL. “We can do this type of work for these defense companies because MSU has the Applied Research Lab where we can do classified research at the top-secret level,” said Clem Izurieta, professor of computer science in the Gianforte School of Computing, who codirects the laboratory with Ann Marie Reinhold, an assistant professor of data science. “The impact of the SECL is far-reaching. Our capabilities are vast and varied.” Izurieta and Reinhold each are on faculty in the Gianforte School of Computing. MSU’s Applied Research Lab is a separate facility designed with multiple layers of security that surpass stringent requirements of the U.S. government. Researchers there are developing technologies that address national security interests, many of them classified at the highest levels. “The ARL enables eligible students to acquire security clearances before they graduate,” Reinhold said. “Having a clearance opens the door to a number of impactful and well-paying jobs.” The SECL evolved from MSU’s Software Engineering Laboratory, founded in 2011. It was renamed in 2020 when the facility dedicated its work to software quality assurance and cybersecurity. The SECL, which has six affiliated faculty members and 22 graduate (8 Ph.D.) and undergraduate students, has secured more than $14 million in grants since the shift in its research emphasis. “Cyber threats are multifaceted. Surmounting them requires innovation across disciplines,” Reinhold said. One of the strengths of the SECL is the diversity of the researchers’ skills. Reinhold and Izurieta draw from their complementary backgrounds to train their students to investigate threats and engineer solutions that are secure by design. “Our approach to cyber research and development is deliberate, meticulous and courageous,” she said. One area of MSU’s cybersecurity expertise stems from an unlikely outpost: Earth’s moon. A computer developed at MSU and designed to function on our planet’s natural satellite may also help boost cybersecurity for critical infrastructure on Earth. “Hackers tend to go after the big servers, but the big servers have a lot of software to protect them,” said MSU researcher LaMeres. “Now hackers are figuring out they can go after small computers like those that control a valve at a water treatment plant, for instance. It can have a big impact on national security.” LaMeres is a professor in MSU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. And, along with colleague Izurieta, invented the recently patented technology behind this computer. Both are part of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. The computer, called RadPC, is three times as stable as the current state-of-the-art satellite computers due to its ability to withstand potentially crippling radiation emitted by the sun and other celestial bodies. The NASA-funded computer is about the size of a slice of bread, and, like most space computers, RadPC has underwhelming processor speeds by off-the-shelf PC standards and RAM that’s measured in kilobytes, not the gigabytes of a home PC. That’s not to say RadPC doesn’t pack computative punch. It meets NASA’s stringent expectations while operating in the harsh environment of space. But computers engineered for space, LaMeres explained, are designed to perform hyper-specific jobs—not streaming YouTube while multitasking in resource-intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop. However, thanks to LaMeres’ recent upgrade to the technology behind the moon computer, the next generation of RadPCs may prove effective in protecting an often-overlooked area of our nation’s critical infrastructure. This technology could improve the resiliency of smaller computers that are vulnerable to cyberattacks by using both the computer’s hardware and software to keep a hacker from taking control. The moon computer and the upgraded RadPC rely on four redundant computers mounted on the same chip. Each runs software to check the others to ensure there is no discrepancy in their identical coding. “If one of them has a different value than the other three, we know it is corrupted,” LaMeres said. “We can find the malware the instant it starts executing. At this point, we can remove it by restoring the software to its original state. We can also copy the malware to protected memory to get an idea of who launched the attack, to see whether it came from a different country.” The technology is being commercialized by an MSU spinoff company called Resilient Computing, based in Bozeman. Raytheon, Idaho National Laboratory and the U.S. Special Operations Command provided additional funding. The computer cost $10 million to develop over 15 years. “The goal is to get the cost of the computer down to $25,000,” said LaMeres. Back on Earth, MSU students sharpen their cyber skills with Capture the Flag as members of the learn2ctf team. The learn2ctf team is organized by the MSU’s Harnessing Automation in Cybersecurity Reasoning Lab and teaches offensive security techniques. In CTF, students rely on their MSU cybersecurity education to locate a hidden file or bit of information—the “flag”—somewhere in a program or computer system. This summer, the HACR Lab joined as a partner to the ACE Institute at Arizona State University to support the use of hands-on CTF challenges for cybersecurity education.“You have to be offensive-minded to be defensive,” said Matt Revelle, assistant professor of computer science and director of the HACR research lab. “The offensive mindset is really critical when doing defensive work. When we identify potential vulnerabilities, we evaluate whether an attacker might be able to exploit that vulnerability.” At MSU, he said, students and faculty gather weekly to work through practice challenges to figure out how to reverse-engineer a program or try to successfully exploit a vulnerability. “They’re little puzzles waiting to be solved,” he said. This offensive mindset is also included in the research performed by members of the HACR lab. Researchers in the lab develop new program analysis and machine learning techniques for automatically discovering vulnerabilities and exploits. Current research in the lab includes using graph neural networks to identify known functions in compiled code and formal modeling of software exploits. Fangtian Zhong, assistant professor of computer science, is working to help MSU students and faculty visualize those puzzle pieces. “We are developing mathematically grounded and computationally efficient solutions to guide our tools in locating these sequences,” he said. “I visualize the process using charts and graphs to make the identification of malicious or vulnerable code sequences more transparent.” Another significant opportunity for students to build a career in cybersecurity comes from Gallatin College MSU, which offers a two-year associate degree in cybersecurity. In 2023, the U.S. National Security Agency designated Gallatin College MSU’s cybersecurity program as a National Center of Academic Excellence in cyber defense. “This designation offers our students huge opportunities with scholarships as well as opportunities to work with government agencies,” said Ronda Black, program director for Gallatin College MSU’s information technology. The cybersecurity training at Gallatin College MSU is specifically designed to enhance workforce development opportunities for students in Montana and the nation. “When people think about cybersecurity, they think about national security,” Harmon said. “That is why this field is one of MSU’s priorities.” Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.NoneNokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 10.12.2024When measuring the impact of creatives, marketers typically rely on circumstantial evidence. Brand awareness and sales trends are important and provide useful KPI numbers, but they reflect the entire campaign. They don’t tell you what part of the creative is connecting with people. Is it the copy, the images, the audio? And while A/B testing can shed some light, it doesn’t get to a granular level. It doesn’t tell you if some parts are more effective than others. This explains why only 36% of marketers in a recent survey said they are ‘very confident’ in their ability to track creative performance effectively. The survey, from Plus Company, gathered information from 350 senior marketing professionals at B2B and B2C organizations in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Germany with more than 1,500 employees. Sixty-eight percent said difficulties in assessing creatives lead to inefficient resource allocation, and 44% said they missed opportunities for growth because of it. Fortunately, there is now a tool that is seemingly designed for measuring creative impact: artificial intelligence. “AI is good at breaking something into its component parts,” said Michael Cohen, chief data & analytics officer for Plus Company and the study’s co-author. “In the classic image recognition problem, it’s fundamentally breaking it down to be able to answer the question.” Multiple data sources The ability to do that makes it possible to tag aspects of the creatives. The AI can then find the common elements in the highest-performing campaigns. That information can be used in campaign iterations. The data can be enriched with information about individual reactions to the creative that lead to successful interactions. “You have the knowledge about who is seeing a particular creative in a particular configuration and who is not,” said Cohen. “So you learn how effective that creative was in a particular communication moment for a particular individual.” This would be a huge step up from how marketers are currently gathering information to improve their campaigns. Three-quarters of those in the Plus Company survey say that still rely on methods like lift studies, media mix and attribution modeling, and incrementality testings. These time and labor-intensive approaches mean missed opportunities and reduced competitiveness in an increasingly fast-paced market. This gap in real-time access can seriously impact a brand’s ability to stay relevant. Something marketers are keenly aware of: 58% of those surveyed cited a lack of real-time data and insights as hindering their ability to adapt creative strategies on the fly. A new power of connection “It comes down to AI unlocking this new power of connection that has been a really broken part of our category for a pretty long time,” said ​​Crystalyn Stuart-Loayza, the study’s other co-author and chief digital officer for two of Plus Company’s agencies. “Historically, experiments have been done in silos as opposed to really integrated, fulsome motions that let us test and experiment with all facets of a program and have real-time learnings.” Marketers seeking to use AI to measure creative impact are going to face non-technological hurdles. Even though 88% of marketers say AI is valuable for generating responsive content, only 52% have fully integrated it into workflows. A common barrier? Resistance to change, 45% of marketers say is a significant problem, a figure that rises to 71% in smaller companies. This reluctance to adopt new technologies combines with less interest in AI at higher levels of organizations. Mid-level marketing professionals are the most enthusiastic about AI, with 57% calling it“very helpful.” However, at the VP level, that enthusiasm drops to 49%, largely due to very reasonable concerns about costs. The full survey can be found (no registration required). Email:

Matsuya Co Ltd, through its consolidated subsidiary company, Matsuya Ginza.com, on Wednesday announced its new online shopping hub . This hub brings the elegance and innovation of Matsuya Ginza into the digital realm. Its unparalleled aesthetics and cutting-edge technological features further enhance the customer experience, ushering in a new era for luxury shopping in Japan. Matsuya has been shaping Japan’s luxury retail landscape for more than 150 years, first serving as a kimono retailer before opening as a luxury department store, offering fashion, cosmetics, food and homewares. The new platform makes Matsuya Ginza the first Japanese department store to offer global customers a “click and collect” service, including tax refund.The product lineup includes MIU MIU, Prada, Roger Vivier, Aesop and Tom Ford Beauty and others. Matsuya said the launch marks a deep digital transformation for the store, providing a seamless shopping experience that optimizes customer convenience and personalization. Customers can utilize the hub’s “click and collect” function to browse Matsuya Ginza’s extensive product lineup from the comfort of their homes and collect them at the store’s 4th-floor pick-up counter. Japan residents can opt to have their products delivered to their homes at an extra cost. International customers can make their shopping experience far more efficient, by receiving tax refunds on their purchases at the same pick-up counter. This multi-purpose platform also allows customers to reserve products. Matsuya Ginza is revered for its comprehensive curation of “glocal” products, offering high-end international products and traditional, regional items that support Japan’s artisans, designers and architects. The new platform will ensure international shoppers and busy locals alike can avoid the disappointment of finding that these unique items are out of stock by reserving them in advance. Takehiko Furuya, Representative Director of Matsuya Co Ltd and Chairman of Matsuya Ginza.com, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch of the new matsuyaginza.com hub: "We’re excited about this move to enhance Matsuya Ginza’s shopping experience through matsuyaginza.com and maintain our position as the premier luxury shopping experience in Ginza. This launch will be especially valuable to overseas visitors to Japan who can reserve items they want to buy before they even arrive in Japan. They’ll benefit from being assured the products they want will be waiting for them in store and that the pickup will be quick and easy, ensuring they don’t spend their precious time in Japan queuing.” This customer-centric digital platform further elevates the services offered by Matsuya Ginza. New products, brand insights, concierge shopping appointments and in-store pickup are all designed to provide 360-degree support by seamlessly integrating communication, information sharing, and sales into a single, user-friendly platform. To celebrate the launch of this new platform, Matsuya Ginza will host an interactive launch event daily until Dec 3, inviting customers to experience a fusion of in-store tradition and digital innovation. There will be activity areas inside and outside the store featuring original games for customers, which they can join by scanning QR codes placed at each activity area or by visiting matsuyaginza.com and registering as a new member. Activities and events include: Interactive Window Experience Visitors can personalize their shopping journey by creating custom characters for a virtual store adventure or projecting their wishes. Beauty Cart Experience Visitors will receive a package of cosmetics samples, an original crane candy, a cookie, and a 1,000-yen coupon. Source: Matsuya GinzaDusty May, No. 14 Michigan try to continue strong start vs. Arkansas

LINCOLN — Republican Gov. Jim Pillen plans to toss his party’s right flank some red meat next year before addressing the harder politics of closing Nebraska’s projected $432 million budget shortfall. One reason could be the potential of Pillen facing Republican primary challengers in 2026. Those could include his top 2022 GOP primary opponent, Charles Herbster. Pillen denied “political” motivations for picking any of his top legislative priorities for the 2025 legislative session, which he announced last week and detailed in an interview Friday. But all four policies are likely to be popular with the GOP base that typically decides races for Nebraska governor. Echoing themes from his 2022 campaign and speeches around the state, he said his four goals for the session would benefit Nebraska’s “kids, taxes, agriculture and values.” “Those four words, there’s a lot of opportunity to make a difference along,” Pillen said of the upcoming session, set to start on Jan. 8. “That’s what guides ’25.” He outlined those goals in a Dec. 1 statement and clarified them during the pre-session sit-down. Some highlights: Missing from the priorities was closing the state’s projected $432 million budget gap, which was largely driven by Pillen’s previous tax-cut and tax-relief changes. Another contributing factor is more spending than the governor’s budget shows, an Examiner analysis indicates. Pillen highlights his first two years of spending increases as being fiscally conservative. He cites budget documents listing the increases at 3.9% in fiscal year 2023 and 1.9% in fiscal year 2024. But a review of two decades of state budgets shows Pillen’s team kept the spending figures lower than his predecessors’ budgets, partly by classifying some significant expenditures as budget transfers rather than direct spending. This affects the numbers because money that is moved between funds, such as moving it from the general fund or the rainy day fund to the state’s new Education Future Fund, is classified as a transfer and not as spending, even if the money is being moved to spend on a specific purpose. A key example is how Pillen’s administration lists a $1 billion investment in the Education Future Fund and follow-up investments in the fund as transfers. The fund is intended to cover special education costs and create a new baseline of K-12 public school aid, which Pillen has said would reduce some of the reliance on local property taxes. Pillen’s budget numbers show that the general fund in fiscal year 2023 increased from $5.15 billion to $5.35 billion. If he had included the $1 billion in Education Future Fund spending, the general fund budget would have jumped to $6.35 billion. If Pillen had classified the fund the same way other governors have done with similar investments, it would push the general fund annual spending increase to 23.5% in Pillen’s first year as governor. His combined two-year spending increase would be 22.5%, instead of the listed 5.9%. By contrast, spending increased a combined 8.9% in the first two years of Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts’ administration. Previous Gov. Dave Heineman, also a Republican, increased spending a combined 9.6% in his first two years, an Examiner analysis found. “The Education Future Fund is an investment in our kids,” Pillen said. “If somebody wants to call that spending, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me, but I believe in investing in our kids.” Pillen also signed income tax rate cuts into law in 2023 that were projected to reduce revenues by $3.3 billion from 2024-2029. He and State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha have called the cuts needed to compete better with neighboring states. Those cuts phased in a reduction of the top income tax rate from 6.84% to 3.99% by 2027 and lowered corporate taxes. The governor’s critics say those changes risk the structural balance of future budgets. Some have questioned whether the state can afford the school spending changes Pillen wants. On sports and spaces, the governor said he wants to see the next Legislature revisit the core of Legislative Bill 575, known as the Sports and Spaces Act, which fell to a filibuster in 2024. Pillen said Nebraskans are right to want to “protect their kids” and act on their “values.” He repeated his stance that he has no ill will toward transgender kids or adults. He said he thinks they should have the right to be who they want to be once they are old enough to understand the ramifications of their actions and mature enough to decide for themselves. But he wants specific legislation to protect women’s sports. His issue, he said, is having a student with male characteristics playing against girls or “showering with your daughter and granddaughter.” “That’s not going to happen if I can do anything about it,” he said. He said he has less of a problem with women competing against men, because there is no “competitive advantage.” He wants a new law to require separate locker rooms, though. “If there’s two young girls that are really good at wrestling and there’s not enough to have women’s wrestling, hey, it’s great to wrestle boys,” Pillen said. “That’s not a problem.” The Nebraska School Activities Association, which governs middle and high school sports, has had a policy addressing locker rooms and sports eligibility of trans student-athletes since 2016. In response to a question, Pillen said he didn’t have any concerns about a sports and spaces ban potentially impacting Nebraska’s longstanding relationship with the NCAA, which oversees college sports. The NCAA, which has specific guidelines for each sport to allow trans athletes to participate, signs contracts that let Omaha host the College World Series and NCAA tournament games, including volleyball and basketball. Pillen, who played defensive back for Nebraska football, said he does not think the organization would change where it holds one of its signature championships “over a state doing what’s right.” “All due respect, the NCAA has failed college athletics miserably for the last 20 years,” Pillen said. “Whatever their opinion is, from my seat it really doesn’t hold any water.” The author of LB 575, State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, said she appreciates that Pillen remains committed to protecting “opportunities, safety and privacy” for women and girls. “I am grateful he is willing to make this issue a priority,” she said. Kauth has not yet shared a new version of her proposal or said how or whether her approach might change to secure more legislative votes. She has said she wants a proposal to include collegiate athletics . Critics of the sports and spaces restrictions have said LB 575 and similar measures needlessly attack a tiny minority of children who are transgender and already at higher risk of self-harm. Advocates for LGBTQ kids have said the governor and supporters of similar policies in this and other states risk creating a public panic that leads to increases in bullying or worse. State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, who helped filibuster the bill, said it was “embarrassing” but not surprising to see Pillen prioritize cultural issues instead of kitchen-table economics. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature to address the budget deficit, child care, affordable housing, and other priorities for our state,” Hunt said. Pillen said he understands the challenge of pushing for changes to the state aid formula for K-12 education because legislative support often comes down to the impact on schools in senators’ legislative districts. He said his focus remains reducing the property tax burden. He has been sharing tax rankings that he says hurt the state when he is trying to recruit new businesses and residents. He says lawmakers hear demands for change from their constituents. He repeated many of the arguments he made last year when pushing for broader property tax reform: including that the state leans too heavily on property taxpayers to pay for schooling. He said he still wants to broaden the sales tax base to ease the burden of property taxes. This year, he is focused on adapting sales taxes to the modern service economy. He said he expects pushback from people who don’t want to pay more for haircuts, massages and lawn care but said he would focus on taxing services people could do for themselves. “Most of us agree we have a property tax crisis, so how do we come up with the fairest way?” Pillen asked. “If all of us are unhappy, then that’s going to be pretty good policy.” He believes the state should fund the cost of operations — the costs of teachers, staff and classroom learning. He said local property taxpayers should fund the cost of school buildings, athletic facilities, and school grounds and maintenance. He said buildings and maintenance would represent about $650 million of the $3.1 billion in property taxes spent each year on K-12 education in Nebraska. “The school districts, the school boards, the communities, they decide what kind of buildings they want to have their kids in, and that stays on the property tax,” Pillen said. “If you want to build a Taj Mahal, good for you. Your people pay for it.” He said he wants to fund education and work with school district leaders to spend less money on things that don’t help educate kids — the middle managers, administrators and “checkers of the checkers” who distract teachers from teaching. Pillen says he is focused on finding government efficiencies. He says his team is working with school superintendents, the Legislature and the Nebraska Department of Education to reduce the number of costly state mandates on schools. Legislation meant to curb unfunded mandates has stalled for years in the Legislature. His goal is “decrease the administrative bloat“ and get more money back into classrooms. The next version of the state aid formula should build off the idea that it costs a certain amount to educate each child, he said. He says he is hearing from lawmakers and people in education about the need to make sure that any formula accounts for fast-growing districts and that rearranging aid per student will make that easier. Some school leaders have publicly supported the idea of shifting more school funding to the state. Others have questioned whether the state will be able to meet its K-12 commitments when the farm economy sours or when state receipts drop. “I think running state government is just like life,” Pillen said. “It’s priorities. Education’s a top priority. We’re always going to find the money there.” Pillen wants Nebraska to join Florida and Alabama in banning the sale of meat alternatives, or if sales of some products that cannot be stopped to no longer be labeled as meat, which he said was misleading. He called it “bioreactor meat.” He considers the proposal part of his years-long effort to fight against animal-rights activists and others who have tried to demonize production agriculture and animal agriculture, which is personal for him as an owner of a Columbus-based hog operation. He said he hears from dairy producers dealing with labeling like almond milk, which he calls “almond nut juice.” He said companies shouldn’t be able to confuse potential consumers about what they’re buying. He said he knows some Nebraskans might want to purchase lab-grown meat, but they “ain’t gonna buy it in Nebraska.” Lab meat defenders say they reduce greenhouse emissions, cut down on the use of antibiotics and reduce cruelty to animals. “Cattle is king,” Pillen said. “We can’t stand back and reactive. We need to be proactive. So our policies are going to be aggressive ... so we lead and create the dust, not eat the dust.” Pillen also wants to make 2024 the last time Democrats can win a “blue dot” in the Omaha area’s 2nd Congressional District from a Republican candidate. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb has said Republicans would rather change the rules than continue to compete. Pillen says he wants to make Nebraska like 48 other states. Nebraska and Maine are the only states that award Electoral College votes to candidates for president by congressional district, in addition to giving two votes to the winner statewide. Pillen pressed the Legislature to make the change in time for the 2024 general election but fell short of votes when State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Democrat-turned-Republican, said he wouldn’t back it. He needed 33 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster from senators in the Omaha area. One reason supporters like the current practice is seeing tens of millions of dollars being spent every four years on political ads and campaigns. Many of those senators also like the boost to Democratic voter turnout in the 1st and 2nd Districts. Nebraska Republicans have wanted to make the change for decades. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the state more than 2-to-1 by registration, though nonpartisan and third-party registrants make up about a fourth of the state’s registered voters. President-elect Donald Trump tried to persuade Nebraska senators to make the change earlier this year . Trump praised Pillen publicly for trying, but if Pillen can finish the job it could help him if he faces another run against Herbster, a multi-state businessman and top Trump donor whom Trump endorsed in 2022. Pillen on Friday said there are 33 Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature and noted that McDonnell leaves office in January. “My belief is that it was a mistake 30 years ago (to stop using winner-take-all),” Pillen said. “If it was such a great policy ... we’d have a lot of other states that have the same policy.” He said he wants all states to play by the same rules when electing a president. He said he doesn’t believe the outside political money coming into Omaha is helpful. He does not see the change as a means of voter suppression and said people shouldn’t need the extra motivation of a competitive presidential race to choose to vote. “This is Nebraska,” he said. “This should be decided by Nebraskans, not lots of other people’s money. ... Democracy is way more important. Our values are way more important.”

Juan Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets on Sunday, heating things up at baseball’s winter meetings. Ashley Landis/Associated Press DALLAS — The major league winter meetings started with a bang. Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets broke a logjam that had some of the top-spending clubs waiting for a decision. There wasn’t a flurry of announcements in the immediate aftermath Monday, but plenty of rumors were flying. The Boston Red Sox were one of several teams that just missed out on Soto, offering him a deal reportedly worth over $700 million. The Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays were all in on Soto; now all three AL East teams are pivoting to Plan B. For Boston, that means pitching. Top-line starting pitchers are now taking center stage, with Corbin Burnes and Max Fried looking at nine-figure contracts. It’s a lot of money, but a lot less than what Soto got. And the Sox need a starting pitcher more than they need a left-handed bat, even if it’s in the hands of one of the game’s top hitters. Talking to Red Sox front office staff in Boston, it would seem the left-handed Fried is a slightly better fit than Burnes. The Sox rotation is stocked with righties, and a left-handed ace would give Manager Alex Cora more versatility in any series. Make no mistake, either would help Boston. The Red Sox are reportedly interesting in adding left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried. John Bazemore/Associated Press So would a right-handed bat. That’s why talk of a Teoscar Hernandez or Alex Bregman signing picked up just moments after the Soto announcement. Either free agent would help balance Cora’s lineup, which is predominantly left-handed. Having a right-handed bat between Rafael Devers and Triston Casas would help fire up the engine that powers the Red Sox offense. The Sox could add to either the offense or pitching staff via a trade. They have one of the top farm systems in the game, and certainly have the prospect capital to bring in a top-of-the-line starter like Garrett Crochet or a veteran slugger like Nolan Arenado. Hitting on two or three of these plans could make the Sox a contender next year. Imagine an offense bolstered by Fried and Crochet, and a lineup with Hernandez driving bombs over the Green Monster. You could argue that’s a far more successful offseason than one that saw Soto and Soto only coming to town. In recent years the meetings have been a bore. Deals are done before or, more often, after the meetings themselves. Last year teams waited months before top free-agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery signed. That’s why the activity – even though it’s only in the discussion stage – is so much fun. This is a big week for the baseball industry. When news breaks at the winter meetings, there is a massive contingent of media on hand to cover it. Those reports fuel the hot stove discussions that teams want people to have over the holidays. Last year the winter was hamstrung by free agents who waited well into the winter to make decisions. The Montgomery and Snell signings didn’t happen until spring training was starting. Teams were waiting to see if they could land either. Those who didn’t had little time to move on to other plans. That’s not the case here. Soto made his decision early. Now we’ll see if the Red Sox are willing to use some of the money they offered him to improve the roster in other ways. The buzz here in Dallas is that the Red Sox are acting like one of the most aggressive teams this offseason. Back in Boston, that’s good news. But after three years without a playoff appearance, fans want to see an official announcement before buying into the plan. That plan, even if it’s Plan B, is coming together behind closed doors. Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousAs the highly charged battle to decide on real 'Sena' will be settled on November 23, Saturday, Thane's Kopri-Pachpakhadi has emerged as a crucial seat where Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is currently fighting against Uddhav Thackeray's faction leader Kedar Dighe. The Thane seat emerges as essential battleground as the Chief Minister has been winning this seat for every election, though with undivided Shiv Sena. This would be the first time when he is contesting on the seat after split in the Sena. Apart from looking forward to results, this seat holds importance for Shinde as his rival is nephew of Shinde's mentor the late Anand Dighe, who wielded immense influence in the Thane region as a Shiv Sena leader. Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly Elections 2024: Poll and result date The Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20. The results for Kopri-Pachpakhadi in Maharashtra will be announced on November 23. Candidates for Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly Election 2024 The 2024 Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly election is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive race, with key political figures vying for the seat. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde is contesting against his mentor's nephew, Kedar Prakash Dighe, from Uddhav Thackeray's Sena faction. Additionally, Babukumar Kashinath Kamble is contesting on behalf of the Lokrajya Party. Past Winners of Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly: 2009: Eknath Shinde - Shiv Sena (Undivided) Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrow's Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By - Study At Home, Quality Education Anytime, Anywhere View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Office Productivity Microsoft Word Mastery: From Beginner to Expert By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI for Everyone: Understanding and Applying the Basics on Artificial Intelligence By - Ritesh Vajariya, Generative AI Expert View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By - Neil Patel, Co-Founder and Author at Neil Patel Digital Digital Marketing Guru View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development C++ Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program 2014: Eknath Shinde - Shiv Sena (Undivided) 2019: Eknath Shinde - Shiv Sena (Undivided) What dominated this year's polls? The poll season was dominated by conflicting narratives ranging from the opposition's planks on economic distress, farmers's woes, the Centre's "discrimination" against Maharashtra and the BJP's alleged role in breaking up the two regional parties. Meanwhile, the ruling alliance touted its welfare schemes, development projects and the Hindutva agenda against what it slammed as the MVA's appeasement politics. The election featured two major political alliances competing for a majority: Mahayuti alliance (NDA): Led by the BJP, the alliance includes Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP. Maha Vikas Aghadi (INDIA bloc): This opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar's faction of the NCP. Both groups campaigned extensively across the state, aiming to secure a mandate to govern Maharashtra. (with agency inputs) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

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Where to watch Girona vs. Liverpool, lineups, odds: Champions League live stream, pick, predictionThe diabolical establishment media has lost credibility everywhere except among establishment figures whose interests it protects. Unfortunately, some of those establishment figures serve as senators who must vote to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. Thus, cognizant of the need to counter the media narrative, many former colleagues took to the social media platform X on Tuesday and early Wednesday to defend , Trump’s nominee for secretary of Defense, against an anonymously-sourced NBC hit piece. A decorated veteran and longtime Fox News host, Hegseth last month after receiving Trump’s nomination. reported on Tuesday that “10 current and former Fox employees,” each of whom “asked not to be named because of fear of retaliation,” spoke with the establishment outlet about their concerns regarding what they described as Hegseth’s history of excessive drinking. “Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” an unnamed former Fox employee recalled. Needless to say, that sort of “journalism” did not sit well with many of supporters. In fact, a number of former colleagues went on the record to refute the NBC hit piece. “I’ve worked with @PeteHegseth since the beginning,” Fox News co-host and weather anchor Janice Dean posted. “Never witnessed any of this behavior from him. Always kind, professional and hard working. A good man that loves his family and his country.” I’ve worked with since the beginning. Never witnessed any of this behavior from him. Always kind, professional and hard working. A good man that loves his family and his country. — Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-hosts Will Cain and Rachel Campos-Duffy denounced the hit piece in more colorful terms. Each called the anonymously-sourced story “horses***.” Cain, in fact, offered himself to NBC as “your only on the record source.” Your story is horseshit . Put my name on it. On the record. It’ll be your only on the record source. Signed, The guy who sat next to him for 8 hours every week for five years starting at 6am. — Will Cain (@willcain) “You now have 2 people who sat next to him 8+ hours a week on the record. Will you retract or correct your story?” Campos-Duffy wrote. The losers at never reached out to me either. is right – your story IS horseshit. You now have 2 people who sat next to him 8+ hours a week on the record. Will you retract or correct your story? — Rachel Campos-Duffy (@RCamposDuffy) Meanwhile, former Fox booking producer Breanna Morello drafted a letter in support of . She posted it to X and pledged to send it to “EVERY” senator. Running a hit piece on a man that’s solely based on anonymous sources is cowardly and isn’t journalism. I’m willing to go on the record regarding Pete Hegseth. As a former Fox booking producer, I’ve never heard a negative remark about Hegseth–until now. This is the letter I... — Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) Longtime colleague Dr. Nicole Saphier confirmed that in eight years she never once suspected that Hegseth had “consumed anything other than an egg sandwich and coffee before going on air.” I have routinely sat on the couch with for 8 years. Not once did I suspect he had consumed anything other than an egg sandwich and coffee before going on air. — Nicole Saphier, MD (@NBSaphierMD) Indeed, the list of Hegseth defenders and NBC critics on X grew quite long. Add me also. Pete has always been the epitome of a class act and a great guy. These attacks are shameful BS. — Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) No one ask me my opinion about the great aka my friend! Here I am sitting next to this great American! — LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) I’ve co-hosted with Pete and have never experienced anything like what was claimed in this anonymously-sourced report. — Guy Benson (@guypbenson) I have known since we were both at The Blaze way back when and as a contributor for Fox since 2017, I have never once seen this type of reported lies or behavior. He’s always been a gentleman and great guy! — Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) I can’t stand the propaganda practice of using anonymous sources to smear political opponents, as NBC does here. FWIW, I have nothing but good things to say about Pete and the anonymously sourced stories don’t match my personal experience in any way. Quite the contrary, in fact. — Mollie (@MZHemingway) As often happens, the establishment’s assault on Hegseth appears coordinated. For instance, late Tuesday a report broke that Trump had considered replacing Hegseth with Republican Gov. of Florida. Whether or not that happens, the establishment and its media minions have not yet had their pound of flesh. First, they attacked former Republican Rep. of Florida, Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Then, when Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, they turned on Hegseth. If they succeed in tanking Hegseth’s nomination, they will turn to another anti-establishment candidate. , Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, and , the president-elect’s choice as secretary of Health and Human Services, will almost certainly endure similar treatment. Thus, senators must know what Hegseth’s former colleagues — at least the brave ones — actually think of him. Then, if the defense of Hegseth succeeds, perhaps those same senators will learn what so many of us learned a long time ago: always ignore the lying establishment media. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. .

Zoomcar director Mark Bailey buys $787,999 in common stockLos Angeles Chargers (7-4) at Atlanta (6-5) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 1 1/2 Series record: Falcons lead 8-4. Against the spread: Chargers 7-3-1, Falcons 5-6. Last meeting: Chargers beat Falcons 20-17 on Nov. 6, 2022, in Atlanta. Last week: Ravens beat Chargers, 30-23; Falcons had bye week following 38-6 loss at Denver on Nov. 17. Chargers offense: overall (21), rush (13), pass (20), scoring (18). Chargers defense: overall (13), rush (10), pass (10), scoring (13). Falcons offense: overall (8), rush (14), pass (5), scoring (16). Falcons defense: overall (25), rush (19), pass (26), scoring (26). Turnover differential: Chargers plus-8, Falcons minus-3. Chargers player to watch RB Gus Edwards could move up as the lead back for Los Angeles as J.K Dobbins (knee) is expected to miss the game . Edwards was activated from injured reserve earlier this month following an ankle injury and had nine carries for 11 yards with a touchdown in Monday night's 30-23 loss to Baltimore. Falcons player to watch WR Drake London has 61 catches, leaving him four away from becoming the first player in team history to have at least 65 receptions in each of his first three seasons. London has 710 receiving yards, leaving him 140 away from becoming the first player in team history with at least 850 in each of his first three seasons. Key matchup Falcons RB Bijan Robinson vs. Chargers run defense. Robinson was shut down by Denver, gaining only 35 yards on 12 carries, and the Atlanta offense couldn't recover. The Chargers rank 10th in the league against the run, so it will be a challenge for the Falcons to find a way to establish a ground game with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. A solid running attack would create an opportunity for offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to establish the play-action passes for quarterback Kirk Cousins. Key injuries Dobbins appeared to injure his right knee in the first half of the loss to the Ravens, though coach Jim Harbaugh did not provide details. ... The Falcons needed the bye to give a long list of injured players an opportunity to heal. WR WR KhaDarel Hodge (neck) did not practice on Wednesday. WR Darnell Mooney (Achilles), CB Kevin King (concussion), DL Zach Harrison (knee, Achilles) and WR Casey Washington (concussion) were hurt in the 38-6 loss at Denver on Nov. 17 and were limited on Wednesday. CB Mike Hughes (neck), nickel back Dee Alford (hamstring), ILB Troy Andersen (knee), TE Charlie Woerner (concussion) and ILB JD Bertrand (concussion) also were limited on Wednesday after not playing against Denver. C Drew Dalman (ankle) could return. Series notes The Chargers have won the past three games in the series following six consecutive wins by the Falcons from 1991-2012. Los Angeles took a 33-30 overtime win in Atlanta in 2016 before the Chargers added 20-17 wins at home in 2020 and in Atlanta in 2022. The Falcons won the first meeting between the teams, 41-0 in San Diego in 1973. Stats and stuff Each team has built its record on success against the soft NFC South. Atlanta is 4-1 against division rivals. Los Angeles is 2-0 against the NFC South this season. The Chargers have a four-game winning streak against the division. ... Atlanta is 0-2 against AFC West teams, following a 22-17 loss to Kansas City and the lopsided loss at Denver. They will complete their tour of the AFC West with a game at the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 16. ... The Falcons are the league's only first-place team with a negative points differential. Atlanta has been outscored 274-244. Fantasy tip The loss of Dobbins, who has rushed for eight touchdowns, could put more pressure on QB Justin Hebert and the passing game. Herbert's favorite option has been WR Ladd McConkey, who has four TD receptions among his 49 catches for 698 yards. McConkey, the former University of Georgia standout who was drafted in the second round, could enjoy a productive return to the state against a Falcons defense that ranks only 26th against the pass. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl The Associated Press

NoneIt has taken new Michigan coach Dusty May just nine games to guide the Wolverines into the Top 25. May and the Wolverines enter the poll at No. 14 and strive to continue their strong start when they face Arkansas in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night in New York. Michigan (8-1) has reeled off seven straight wins to crack the rankings for the first time in nearly 25 months. "All this stuff doesn't matter to me," May said of the rankings. "It does change the complexion of what we think about and things like that. Overall, I like where we are. We have guys who work well together and they put in the time." The Wolverines look to remain hot against the Razorbacks (7-2). John Calipari's first Arkansas squad has won its past two games. Calipari spent the previous 15 seasons as coach of Kentucky and claims he's excited to be in Arkansas. "I'm not bitter about anything. I'm not," Calipari said. "This is the first page of the first chapter of a new book. The timing for me and my career and my life, this is perfect. And I appreciate the fans and everybody giving me the opportunity to do that." The Razorbacks will be searching for their initial milestone victory under Calipari during their first visit to Madison Square Garden since 1997. Their losses this season are to then-No. 8 Baylor and Illinois on neutral courts. Calipari grabbed several players out of the transfer portal in the offseason, including guard Johnell Davis, one of the stars of the Florida Atlantic team that reached the 2023 Final Four. That squad was coached by May. One of the other Florida Atlantic starters was center Vladislav Goldin, who followed May to Michigan after the coach was hired in the offseason. Goldin has strung together three straight solid games, including a season-best 24 points in a 67-64 road win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 3. He followed that up with 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in Saturday's 85-83 home win over Iowa. "He's just been a guy that you can see when he's really locked in and focused there's a different level of play," said May, "and I think now he's finding that level of play." Goldin is part of a balanced attack. Roddy Gayle Jr. averages a team-best 12.2 points per game, followed by Tre Donaldson and Danny Wolf at 12.1 and Goldin at 12.0. Wolf averages a team-best 10 rebounds per game. Arkansas is coming off a 75-60 home victory over UTSA on Saturday. Adou Thiero excelled by matching his career high of 26 points to go with 10 rebounds. Thiero scored 17 points in the second half when the Razorbacks overcame a five-point halftime deficit to outscore the Roadrunners by 20. "We've been seeing that the whole summer," Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile said of Thiero's strong play. "Him dominating. Dominating in practice and (Calipari) pushing him. This is just a reflection of the work he's done this summer and him trusting the coaches." Thiero leads the Razorbacks with averages of 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Boogie Fland is averaging 15 points and Zvonimir Ivisic is scoring 12 per game. Davis (9.3) started slow with just two double-digit outings in the first seven games before averaging 12.5 over the last two games. Michigan holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series. The Wolverines recorded an 80-67 home victory on Dec. 8, 2012 in the most recent meeting. --Field Level Media

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On Wednesday, ( ) stock earned a positive adjustment to its , from 67 to 71. This exclusive rating from Investor's Business Daily identifies market leadership with a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score. The rating shows how a stock's price performance over the last 52 weeks stacks up against all the other stocks in our database. Decades of market research reveals that the top-performing stocks often have an RS Rating of at least 80 in the early stages of their moves. See if Dynatrace stock can continue to rebound and hit that benchmark. Is Dynatrace Stock A Buy? Dynatrace stock broke out of a cup with handle pattern on Wednesday with a 57.39 and is still within the buy range. The security software platform showed 19% earnings growth in its most recent report, while sales growth came in at 19%. Dynatrace stock holds the No. 22 rank among its peers in the Computer Software-Enterprise industry group. ( ), ( ) and ( ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group.New Jersey Harassment Lawyer Adam M. Lustberg Releases Insightful Article on Harassment Laws in New Jersey

Inflation is predicted to average 2.5% this year and 2.6% next year, according to forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The British Medical Association said the Government showed a “poor grasp” of unresolved issues from two years of industrial action, and the Royal College of Nursing called the pay recommendation “deeply offensive”. The National Education Union’s chief said teachers were “putting the Government on notice” that the proposed increase “won’t do”. The pay recommendations came after Chancellor Rachel Reeves called for every Government department to cut costs by 5%, as she started work on a sweeping multi-year spending review to be published in 2025. Independent pay review bodies will consider the proposals for pay rises for teachers, NHS workers and senior civil servants. The Department of Health said it viewed 2.8% as a “reasonable amount” to set aside, in its recommendations to the NHS Pay Review Body and the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration Board remit groups. A 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26 would “maintain the competitiveness of teachers’ pay despite the challenging financial backdrop the Government is facing”, the Department for Education said. The Cabinet Office also suggested pay increases for senior civil servants should be kept to no more than 2.8%. Paul Johnson, director of the influential economics think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said it was “not a bad ballpark figure” and feels “just about affordable” given the Government’s public spending plans. The downside, he said, is that public sector workers have lost out since 2010 and unions will be upset that this is not making up the gap, he told Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge. “But given the constraints facing the Chancellor I think it’s pretty hard to argue for more for public sector pay when public sector services ... are under real strain,” he said. Unions expressed their disappointment in the recommendations, with some hinting they could be willing to launch industrial action. The Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive called for “open direct talks now” to avoid “further escalation to disputes and ballots”. Professor Nicola Ranger said: “The Government has today told nursing staff they are worth as little as £2 extra a day, less than the price of a coffee. “Nursing is in crisis – there are fewer joining and too many experienced professionals leaving. This is deeply offensive to nursing staff, detrimental to their patients and contradictory to hopes of rebuilding the NHS. “The public understands the value of nursing and they know that meaningful reform of the NHS requires addressing the crisis in nursing. “We pulled out of the Pay Review Body process, alongside other unions, because it is not the route to address the current crisis. “That has been demonstrated today. “Fair pay must be matched by structural reform. Let’s open direct talks now and avoid further escalation to disputes and ballots – I have said that directly to government today.” Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of the British Medical Association’s council, urged the sector’s pay review body to “show it is now truly independent”. “For this Government to give evidence to the doctors’ and dentists’ pay review body (DDRB) believing a 2.8% pay rise is enough, indicates a poor grasp of the unresolved issues from two years of industrial action,” he said. He said the proposal is far below the current rate of inflation and that the Government was “under no illusion” when doctors accepted pay offers in the summer that there was a “very real risk of further industrial action” if “pay erosion” was not addressed in future pay rounds. “This sub-inflationary suggestion from the current Government serves as a test to the DDRB. “The BMA expects it to take this opportunity to show it is now truly independent, to take an objective view of the evidence it receives from all parties, not just the Government, and to make an offer that reflects the value of doctors’ skills and expertise in a global market, and that moves them visibly further along the path to full pay restoration.” The NEU’s general secretary, Daniel Kebede, said teachers’ pay had been cut by more than one-fifth in real terms since 2010. “Along with sky-high workload, the pay cuts have resulted in a devastating recruitment and retention crisis. Teacher shortages across the school system hit pupils and parents too. “A 2.8% increase is likely to be below inflation and behind wage increases in the wider economy. This will only deepen the crisis in education.” In a hint that there could be a return to industrial action he added: “NEU members fought to win the pay increases of 2023 and 2024. “We are putting the Government on notice. Our members care deeply about education and feel the depth of the crisis. This won’t do.” The offer for teachers is the “exact opposite of fixing the foundations” and will result in bigger class sizes and more cuts to the curriculum, Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The inadequacy of the proposed pay award is compounded by the Government’s intention that schools should foot the bill out of their existing allocations. “Given that per-pupil funding will increase on average by less than 1% next year, and the Government’s proposal is for an unfunded 2.8% pay award, it is obvious that this is in fact an announcement of further school cuts.” Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: This recommendation falls far short of what is needed to restore the competitiveness of the teaching profession, to enable it to retain experienced professionals and attract new talent. Unison head of health Helga Pile said: “The Government has inherited a financial mess from its predecessors, but this is not what NHS workers wanted to hear. “Staff are crucial in turning around the fortunes of the NHS. Improving performance is a key Government pledge, but the pay rise proposed is barely above the cost of living.”17 MVCC students join Spire honor societyNone

No. 7 Tennessee outscored UT Martin by 28 points in the second half in routing the visiting Skyhawks 78-35 on Friday afternoon in Knoxville. Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 18 points for the Volunteers (7-0), who expanded on a 35-20 halftime lead with a 43-15 second half. Felix Okpara had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, helping Tennessee command the paint along with Igor Milicic, who added nine points and 13 rebounds. Zakai Zeigler nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine assists. The Volunteers used their size to their advantage, outscoring UT Martin 36-10 in the paint and out rebounding the Skyhawks 49-24. That included 20 offensive rebounds for Tennessee, which led to 19 second-chance points. UT Martin (2-5) was cold coming out of the locker room after halftime, missing its first eight shots. Conversely, the Vols started the second half with a nine-point run to extend their lead to 24 points. The Vols never let the Skyhawks score consecutive baskets in the first half, holding UT Martin to 25 percent shooting (4 of 16) from beyond the arc and allowing a total of only three points from the starting five. For the game, guard Josue Grullon led UT Martin with 15 points. The leading scorer in the Ohio Valley Conference entering Friday at 18.2 points per game, Grullon has not started any game for head coach Jeremy Shulman. Most of the Skyhawks' points -- 28 of 35 -- came from their reserves. The starting five combined to score seven points -- six points from Matija Zuzic and a free throw for Lamine Niag. The starters went a combined 2 of 18 from the floor, while UT Martin as a team shot 22.6 percent (12 of 53) from the field. The Skyhawks made 5 of 7 free-throw attempts and made 18 turnovers. The Volunteers, who got 23 points off the bench, were 8-for-10 and had 11 turnovers. Tennessee improved to 6-0 all-time against UT Martin since 1993. --Field Level MediaWINNIPEG — Mike O’Shea stood in front of reporters Friday and kept his cool while answering questions about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 41-24 Grey Cup loss to the Toronto Argonauts last weekend. The head coach was asked if he made a mistake keeping injured quarterback Zach Collaros in the game, why star running back Brady Oliveira didn’t get the ball more and whether a flawed game plan led to Winnipeg’s third consecutive championship loss. “As an entire team, we didn’t have our best game,” O’Shea said in his end-of-the-season press conference. “We didn’t lack effort. We didn’t lack desire. “We didn’t have our best game as an entire team. Three phases. Coaches — everybody. Me especially.” O’Shea admitted he missed calling a timeout in the fourth quarter when there were only 11 Blue Bombers on the field instead of 12. “I don't get the count over the headset as quickly as I probably need to, we can't count. As I'm seeing a guy come off, that's the right time for that timeout that I should have used,” O’Shea said. He also said he should have used a challenge flag earlier on a play he didn’t identify, and checked on his players more during the game. But hindsight wouldn’t change his decision to put Collaros back in the game after the index finger on his throwing hand was cut deep when it hit a defender’s helmet. “He absolutely deserves every opportunity to lead this team,” O’Shea said. “From what I saw and from chatting with him very briefly, I felt really comfortable with that. I didn't think it was going to be easy, but I thought it's Zach, so...” The injury to Collaros’s finger happened late in the third quarter when the Blue Bombers were trailing the Argonauts 17-10. The veteran left the game and returned with a bandaged finger that needed five stitches and a numbing agent. He wore a glove on the hand and told reporters earlier this week it was difficult to grip the ball. Collaros said he warned receivers in the huddle his throws might not have the usual zip and they should be prepared to come back for the ball. “(I) saw him delivering the ball on the sidelines. Then you see him deliver a couple balls out there and some of them are pretty damn good, right?” O’Shea said. “The awareness of Zach to say to the receivers, ‘hey, work a little harder for me,’ I think it’s natural and what should be said. I think they already know that.” When Collaros re-entered the game, he threw interceptions in back-to-back series. “On one of them he got rid of the ball and I thought it was a good ball and the defensive player made a good play,” O’Shea said of the picks. “One slipped right out of his hand or I don't know if it got tipped or not. You've got to give him that opportunity.” Oliveira was questioning his lack of opportunities in the game when he spoke to reporters earlier in the week. The CFL’s newly minted most outstanding player and top Canadian only had 11 carries for 84 yards and one late touchdown. About 17 or 18 run plays were called, O’Shea said. “One starts off with a procedure penalty in the first and then six of those get pulled because there's X number of guys in the box or the read says this is not a run play anymore, this is now a pass play,” he said. “You call that many runs and then a pile of them get pulled because of the structure of the defence. That's OK with me at that point.” O’Shea said Bombers offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce has been granted permission to talk to CFL teams with head-coaching job openings. The B.C. Lions are reportedly interested in Pierce. The Edmonton Elks also have a vacant head coach spot. If Pierce doesn’t become a head coach, O’Shea said he wants him to stay in Winnipeg. He believes Pierce had the offence “extremely well-prepared” for the Grey Cup. “I’m never going to question the play-calling, and I think what’s going on here is we’re questioning,” O’Shea said. “We’re trying to find blame and fault when that’s nowhere in our DNA of how we built this eight, nine, 10 years ago. We’re starting to try and find all these answers and question all these people that were 0-4 and 2-6 and then 10-1, and we just didn’t play our best game.” The Bombers finished 11-7 and claimed the West Division title that earned them a fifth consecutive trip to the Grey Cup. They won the championship in 2019 and ’21, but lost 28-24 to the Montreal Alouettes last year and 24-23 to Toronto in 2023. “We're the same group that got there, that went on a phenomenal run after a bad start, and a bad start for a lot of reasons that we overcame,” O’Shea said. “I just, I don't question any of it. I look for answers, too. I watch the film over and over and over again. And look to already make notes on how we're going to be better, how we're going to get back there again.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024. Judy Owen, The Canadian PressMarinakis Q&A: Edu, VAR and Forest's 'realistic' top-six ambitionsNone