wild 9 gameplay

wild 9 gameplay “Are you guys chefs or something?” It’s a question Oliver Poilevey, Marcos Ascencio and Alex Martinez get asked a lot when they tailgate at Bears home games. They hear it while setting up their butane burners and putting the blue-and-white tablecloths on their folding tables. They hear it when doing prep work. And they definitely hear it once the various dishes — seafood paella, truffle-topped soft scrambled eggs and brioche French toast with foie gras, for example — are ready and shared with those fortunate to be nearby. No surprise then that the answer is a resounding yes. Poilevey is chef/partner at Le Bouchon, Obelix, Mariscos San Pedro and Taqueria Chingon; Ascencio is chef/partner at Mariscos and Chingon; and Martinez is chef/partner at Mariscos. ( Taqueria Chingon ‘s last day in Wicker Park is Nov. 26, but the search for a new location is underway.) Season ticket holders for the last three years, the trio regularly bring their A-game to their tailgating at the 31st Street parking lot near Soldier Field — even if the Bears don’t bring theirs. Of the three, Poilevey is the biggest Bears fan and gets the most heartbroken over the team’s losses, while Ascencio and Martinez have learned to roll with the inevitable punches. Whether they’re doing a crawfish boil, steakhouse-style fare, or whatever the three conjure up, the menu planning often begins at the previous tailgate. “We’re constantly like, ‘Hey, what should we do next week?’” says Ascencio of the informal planning, which is sometimes influenced by the team the Bears are playing, or more often by what they have on hand at the restaurants. Poilevey admits having top-notch ingredients at their fingertips is a major advantage. For a recent tailgate, the plan was to do dishes that represented all their restaurants. At the end of one Saturday night’s service, the chefs gathered last-minute ingredients for the next day’s tailgate. A large plastic bin was stocked with steaks, duck breasts, caviar, cheese, butter and chorizo. Containers of various sauces, their names and dates clearly marked on blue masking tape, went into the bin too. “You don’t want to save too much of that stuff for the day of, especially if it’s a noon game,” Poilevey says. “You’re waking up at 7 a.m. after working the night before and you will forget something.” Aiding in the preparation process is a ready-to-go kit that includes the basics — dubbed “the Bear essentials” — such as towels, knives, seasonings, wipes, cutting boards and utensils. Post-game, the kit goes back to one of the restaurants where items are cleaned and replaced as needed. An avid camper, Ascencio takes charge of the kit. Ideally, everything goes back in the box, except for that time when the salt didn’t (don’t ask). On game day, Ascencio typically arrives first as his SUV is packed with the equipment, kit and coolers. The unpacking of it resembles those circus clown cars with item after item endlessly coming out. Setup, on the other hand, looks like a race car pit change with each chef quickly organizing their respective stations. Conversation isn’t needed as they know exactly what to do. Ascencio lights the charcoal for the small Japanese grill and sets up the paella propane cooker, while Poilevey readies the snacks, such as freshly shucked oysters, pate en croute and raw tuna topped with salsa negra. “We like to have something to eat as we work,” says Poilevey, who’s also in charge of caviar bumps. “This man never leaves the house without caviar,” quips his girlfriend, Sonia Balzak. Freshly baked croissants and doughnuts grabbed from Obelix that morning are unboxed. Meanwhile, Martinez is warming up duck consommé, which will be paired with maitake mushrooms that Poilevey has thinly sliced and placed into cups for easy serving. Chicken stock for paella is warmed up on a second butane burner. Once it’s done, Martinez will get started on the soft scrambled eggs prepared in a bain-marie. Their handiwork hasn’t gone unnoticed. “You guys are fun to watch,” says Clarence Boot of Naperville, who, along with two friends, has been eyeing the chefs from their neighboring spot. “You guys are doing it right,” adds Dick Patton, also from Naperville. After the duck consommé is served — a paper cup is MacGyvered as a ladle as they forgot to bring one — Martinez gets to work on the torre de mariscos, think a multi-layered cake but with tuna, octopus, shrimp and scallops. The fish tower rests on a bed of red and green salsas and is topped with sliced avocado. Poilevey steps away from his station to help man the grill and lightly sears Wagyu steak, octopus and duck breasts. Those are topped simply with salt and sliced, making for tasty finger food. “Typically, we’re not trying to put together really complex dishes with a bunch of ingredients,” Poilevey says. “It’s more about really great product, cooked well and seasoned right.” Little by little friends and co-workers arrive, as do the Champagne splits, bottles of wine and beer. The tequila comes out later. “They all know we tailgate for home games and are invited,” Martinez says. Ascencio is now in full paella mode, methodically adding each ingredient to the large pan. There’s chorizo, mussels, shrimp, calamari and squid in addition to the rice. Chicken stock is added in waves. At 10:30 a.m., the finished product is topped with peas and drizzled with a spicy crema before being handed out to anyone who asks, including some who have gotten to know the trio from previous tailgates and search them out. “If you’re making something nice, bring enough to share,” Ascensio says. “Spreading love is what food and hospitality is about.” “Oh, paella, holy s−−−,” shouts a guy walking by. “That’s a work of art.” At the parking spot next door, Robert McClendon of Crown Point, Indiana, has been watching closely, sampling dishes here and there. Initially, he wasn’t so sure about the paella, but after trying it, he comes back for a heaping plate to bring home to his wife. “I’m glad we got parked next to them,” he says. Sharing their culinary knowledge is a big part of the chefs’ tailgating experience. “It’s not only about cooking and enjoying that but also educating too,” Martinez says. “We like to show people what we do and introduce them to new stuff.” An added bonus: Some of those folks end up visiting the restaurants. By 11 a.m. attention turns to cleanup. There is, after all, a Bears game to go to in case you forgot. Like other aspects of their tailgating, that has a system too. Early on, Ascencio sourced out where still-warm coals and garbage can be discarded, a process that’s been ongoing. Another tip? “I always tell people when they tailgate to clean as you go,” he says. Similar to setup, the breakdown is equally disciplined, although now those co-workers and friends help. Soon the only evidence of their tailgating is a small piece of octopus on the ground. Then they start their 30-minute trek to Soldier Field. So why would these chefs want to spend their day off once again cooking for others? “We don’t turn this off. It’s in our blood,” Poilevey says. “We’re chefs for a living because we love to cook and host and that carries over to all other aspects of our lives.” Lisa Shames is a freelance writer.By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec. 24: The 98th meeting of Kathmandu University’s Senate on Monday formed a seven-member facilitation committee to prepare a resolution proposal to address the issues between Kathmandu University and Dhulikhel Hospital. The committee is chaired by Gita Kumari Poudel Adhikari, a member of the National Planning Commission. The meeting, held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar under the chairmanship of the university’s Chancellor and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, authorised the committee to carry out homework and dialogue with the concerned parties and present a formal report at the Senate meeting scheduled for January 17. The committee includes Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa, Dean of the School of Medical Sciences Prof. Dr. Manoj Humagain, and Dean of the School of Law Dr. Rishikesh Wagle representing the university. Representing the hospital are Executive Director Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju Shrestha, Administrative Director Dr. Birajman Karmacharya, and Research Director Prof. Dr. Rajeev Shrestha. Dispute arose between the two institutions, which have been working together under a mutual agreement since April 2, 2003. In the 97th Senate meeting on August 14, Chancellor and Prime Minister Oli proposed resolving the matter through dialogue, which was approved. Meanwhile, during Monday’s meeting, discussions were held on the initiatives taken and various options for resolution led by Minister for Education, Science, and Technology Minister and Pro-Chancellor Bidya Bhattarai to bring both parties to a point of negotiation and agreement. The dispute emerged after the hospital expressed dissatisfaction over unilateral decisions by the university that allegedly contradicted financial and employee regulations. Meanwhile, the meeting decided to rectify the grace list of the university’s recent convocation after it was found that the grace list of the university’s recent convocation included the names of seven students who had not passed. The university’s Registrar, Dr. Achyut Prasad Wagley, informed the meeting that an investigation has begun to determine how the names of those students appeared on the list, and that the students have not received the certificates.

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 added 1.1% Tuesday. Trading closed early ahead of the holiday. Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and chip company Broadcom helped pull the market higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market. On Tuesday: The S&P 500 rose 65.97 points, or 1.1%, to 6,040.04. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 390.08 points, or 0.9%, to 43,297.03. The Nasdaq composite rose 266.24 points, or 1.3%, to 20,031.13. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 22.42 points, or 1%, to 2,259.85 For the week: The S&P 500 is up 109.19 points, or 1.8%. The Dow is up 456.77 points, or 1.1%. The Nasdaq is up 458.53 points, or 2.3%. The Russell 2000 is up 17.48 points, or 0.8%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,270.21 points, or 26.3%. The Dow is up 5,607.49 points, or 14.9%. The Nasdaq is up 5,019.77 points, or 33.4%. The Russell 2000 is up 232.78 points, or 11.5%.

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has no shortage of memories of the Iowa football program. An Iowa native born in Davenport, Holgorsen’s days as a Hawkeye fan are long in the past — but he remembers what it’s like to coach against them. An experience that Holgorsen first underwent as a young Texas Tech assistant in 2001 will be reprised again this weekend. “Twenty-some years later, it’s the same scheme, the same coach, the same everything; this is crazy,” Holgorsen said of Iowa. “It’s going to take another good effort and more improvement to be able to go to Iowa and play in that atmosphere against a good football team.” Nebraska’s recent surge on offense will have the Huskers feeling confident about their upcoming matchup. While Nebraska may not have equaled its recent 44-point outburst against Wisconsin during a loss to USC two weeks prior, foundational improvements were there from the start in Holgorsen’s eyes. Despite scoring 13 points on offense against the Trojans, the Husker offense “just felt better” in that game, Holgorsen said, leading to a “very motivated team” during the week’s practice efforts. And when NU hit the field on Saturday, improvements were there. After struggling to finish drives against USC, Nebraska scored five touchdowns in its seven red zone attempts against Wisconsin. Nebraska threw the ball well, protected its quarterback and found a "difference-maker" in running back Emmett Johnson. “We ran the ball better; that’s the second week in a row I thought the O-line has played well,” Holgorsen said. “Dylan (Raiola) hasn’t been hit a whole lot, he feels good, he’s getting better and processing things well. We’re throwing it and catching it better and our receivers are in the right spots.” It’s been no easy task to drive those improvements in a short amount of time. Holgorsen has only been in Lincoln for a little over three weeks, having first been summoned by head coach Matt Rhule to evaluate the team’s offense before taking over control of it. Midseason coordinator changes may not be rare, but hiring a new face from outside the program is, and Holgorsen admits it made for a “rough” first week on the job. After all, none of the Husker coaches Holgorsen was joining and players he was beginning to coach knew exactly how the situation would play out. Instead, they had to go through it together. “I started getting into the offensive room and those coaches were looking at me crazy like, ‘What are you doing here?’ It’s just true, so we had to sit down and talk and start feeling things out and start working together,” Holgorsen said. “Give those assistant coaches a lot of credit because they didn’t bat an eye. I thought we were smart with how we handled it — I could’ve came in here and changed specific things and that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do for the coaches and the players. I was the one that had to learn.” A desire to challenge himself was one reason Holgorsen said he took the Nebraska job, something which showed up in the new offensive language he needed to familiarize himself with. Having come up as a young coach in the Air Raid offense, Holgorsen exclusively learned, mastered and taught those principles in the years since. It had been 35 years since he last had to learn a new offensive language, Holgorsen estimated. Flash cards with terminology from the Nebraska offense and help from other assistants have helped smooth over that process. Holgorsen may not have been able to stamp his identity all over the offense yet, but he has been able to tweak things, including the very playbook Nebraska operates from. Rhule’s original concepts of a pro-style offense have been added to, transformed and adjusted over the years, with current coaches Marcus Satterfield, Glenn Thomas and Donovan Raiola all bringing different principles and focuses to the playbook. “There’s just all kinds of ideas, so that playbook got pretty big,” Holgorsen said. “I was just like, ‘Look, there’s only one sheet and whatever’s on the sheet is what’s going to get called.’” Trimming down the number of plays Nebraska practices is one such adjustment Holgorsen has made, a process that is collaborative among the Husker coaching staff. Holgorsen also said Nebraska was “probably playing people in too many different spots,” something he’s looked to change so players can focus on their individual roles with more accuracy. “We’ve done a good job of coming together and coming up with a plan of what makes sense to our players,” Holgorsen said. “If it don’t make sense to me, it ain’t gonna make sense to them.” Those changes, and the potential Nebraska showed on offense last week, have excited Husker fans about what the future of a Holgorsen-led offense will look like. However, nothing is guaranteed yet. Holgorsen said that when taking the job he told Rhule he’d get the team ready for USC, Wisconsin and Iowa before figuring out what the future holds. “I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to know what’s next,” Holgorsen. What Holgorsen does know is that he’s enjoying the opportunity in front of him. In part because of the responsibilities he had as a head coach compared to being an offensive coordinator, Holgorsen said he had “more fun on Saturday than I’ve had in a long time” overseeing the Husker offense. As Holgorsen continues furthering improvements within the Nebraska offense, the only guarantee Husker fans have is that he’ll be on the sidelines Friday. It’s currently “the plan” that he will continue as Nebraska’s playcaller during its bowl game, Holgorsen said. “My plan’s to focus on Iowa, try to beat Iowa and see what happens after that.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!Robert Milton stocks up on sand Monday at the Auburn Public Works sand supply shed on Gracelawn Road in Auburn. The predicted incoming ice storm on Tuesday comes ahead of a rain and wind storm expected on Wednesday. “It’s Maine,” Milton said, “You just have to be ready for it.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay’s surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. The Buccaneers will need help to repeat in the NFC South , but only if they first and foremost give themselves a chance. That means winning their remaining games at home against Carolina and New Orleans, while the Atlanta Falcons lose at least once in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bucs (8-7) and Falcons share the best record in the division, however Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Tampa Bay, which has won three consecutive division titles, is the only NFC team that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. “We’ve got to take care of business or else we’ve got no shot,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said after a 26-24 loss at Dallas cost the Bucs control of the NFC South race. “This one, we’ve got to take it on the chin,” Mayfield added. “It’s a short week. It’s Christmas week. We’ve got to focus on Carolina and figure out a way to win.” If Atlanta is able to maintain its lead, Tampa Bay could make the postseason as a wild card if the Bucs win out and the Commanders lose twice. RELATED COVERAGE Rams don’t dominate, but they’re rolling toward the playoffs with superb complementary football The Darnold-Jefferson connection is thriving for the surging Vikings Patriots coach Jerod Mayo believes narrow loss to Bills shows potential of his young team Coach Todd Bowles sounds confident that his players understand the challenge ahead and will clean up mistakes that contributed to the end of their four-game win streak. “We’ve got to win a ballgame (this week). If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance,” Bowles said Monday. “We have to focus on us like we’ve been doing,” the coach added. “We have to correct the mistakes, and we have to go out and win Sunday, and we’ve got to win the next week, and then we’ll see what happens after that.” What’s working The offense, which ranks third in the NFL at 389.8 yards per game, isn’t a fluke. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Tampa Bay finished with 410 yards total offense. It was the team’s fifth straight game — as well as an NFL-high ninth overall — with 400-plus yards. The Bucs are seventh in rushing (143.7 yards per game) after ranking 32nd each of the past two seasons. What needs helps The defense yielded 292 yards passing against the Cowboys, 226 of it in the first half when Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bowles said shoddy tackling was the biggest issue — not poor coverage. Lamb had one reception for 5 yards after halftime. Stock up Mayfield’s chemistry with rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who has 27 receptions for 336 yards and five TDs, continues to grow. McMillan had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — his fourth in the past three games — against Dallas. He was also the intended receiver on Mayfield’s deep throw that CB Jourdan Lewis intercepted in the end zone to help the Cowboys hold off the Bucs in the closing minutes. Stock down Turnovers were costly against Dallas. The end-zone interception stopped the Bucs from cutting into a 26-17 deficit with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rachaad White’s fumble with 1:31 left ended any hope for a last-minute victory. On both plays, defenders ripped the ball out of the grasp of the offensive player. “We knew they were going to rake at the ball going into the ballgame,” Bowles said. “We just have to have two hands on the ball, and we have to fight for it. We have to take better care of the football. That’s priority No. 1.” Injuries Bowles said it’s too early to project the status of several starters for coming games, including S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), who has missed the past two games. TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB K.J. Britt (ankle) were inactive against the Cowboys, while reserve WR Sterling Shepard left during the game with a hamstring injury. Key number 80. Bucky Irving leads all NFL rookie RBs with 920 yards rushing. He needs 80 over the next two games to reach 1,000. He scored his seventh rushing touchdown against Dallas. That tied Errict Rhett and Lars Tate for the second-most rushing TDs by a rookie running back in franchise history. Doug Martin set the record of 11 in 2012. Next up Host Carolina on Sunday. ___ NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflZambian footballer Barbra Banda has received a barrage of abuse on social media after winning the BBC ’s Women’s Footballer of the Year award. Banda, a prolific goalscorer for US team Orlando Pride, was surprised with the award during a team meeting. Her teammates cheered and applauded while Banda said she was “shocked and surprised” to receive the accolade. “To the young girl in Africa dreaming big,” she tweeted, “keep that dream and work hard, am telling you it does come true.” But she was on the receiving end of abuse with hundreds of comments accusing her of being “a man” and “cheating” other female athletes out of the prize. The accusations stem from reports two years ago that the Zambian football federation (Faz) withdrew Banda from its squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco over concerns that she would fail a gender verification test, as mandated by the Confederation of African Football (Caf). Although it was later established that she never took such a test, the president of the Zambian federation, Andrew Kamanga, said at the time: “All players had to undergo gender verification, a Caf requirement, and unfortunately she did not meet the criteria set by Caf.” It has since been widely reported that Banda’s natural testosterone levels were above the Caf’s maximum allowance, and that she rejected hormone suppression drugs due to concerns about the potential side effects. Banda’s agent, Anton Maksimov, clarified at the time that she was never “banned” from competing at Wafcon, and that she had not undergone any gender verification testing before the competition. “The decision not to currently feature Barbra at the tournament is Faz’s internal decision based on their own evaluation of her physical conditions before coming to Morocco,” he said. “I reiterate that nothing, no existing regulations that we are aware of, prevents Barbra’s participation in the Wafcon 2022. Barbra has not failed any medical tests in this regard either.” But despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing, and despite Banda continuing her career in peace in the US, she has received waves of insults, much of which has focused on her appearance. The BBC has also come in for major criticism despite having no role in choosing Banda as its winner. The award’s shortlist was decided by a panel of independent football experts, and the winner was then selected by public vote. The former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies posted: “It’s so sad the BBC are actively encouraging the destruction & loss of opportunities for female athletes in sport. I’m so disheartened & disappointed they are actively cheering this unfairness on.” The author JK Rowling tweeted: “Presumably the BBC decided this was more time efficient than going door to door to spit directly in women’s faces.” The BBC said in a statement: “As well as playing in the past two Olympic Games and the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, Barbra Banda plays for the Zambian national women’s team and in the USA for Orlando Pride making her fully eligible for the award which celebrates talent in women’s football. “The five-player shortlist was decided by an expert panel made up of current and former professionals, coaches and journalists based on performances in the last twelve months, with the winner voted for by the public.”

The Green Bay Packers pitched a shutout. Green Bay concluded Week 16 with a 34-0 home rout over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football . > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Jordan Love didn't have the best performance in the victory, but a solid rushing attack got the Packers over the line. The Saints tried to compete with injury issues, but Spencer Rattler couldn't help put any points on the board. New Orleans dropped to 5-10 with the loss having already been eliminated from postseason contention. Green Bay improved to 11-4 and clinched its spot for the second straight season with Love. Let's analyze the game further with winners and losers: WINNER: Green Bay's rushing attack The Packers were propelled by Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks on the ground. Jacobs, as usual, led the way with 69 yards on 13 carries, while Wilson added 52 yards on 11 carries. Josh Jacobs confirmed STRONG pic.twitter.com/fORemLJWIf Brooks tacked on 23 yards on six tries, with all three rushers scoring a touchdown apiece. With a total of 188 ground yards between nine different rushers (including Malik Willis' three QB kneels), Green Bay easily outpaced New Orleans. LOSER: New Orleans' rushing attack It was the opposite story on the ground for the Saints. Without leading rusher Alvin Kamara, no option could generate any momentum against the Packers' front. Rattler led the way with 28 yards on five attempts. Three other rushers tallied 15 carries for just 39 yards, with Jordan Mims' 16 yards on four attempts leading the way. Kendre Miller had 15 yards on eight runs. WINNER: Playoff berths The win moved Green Bay to 11-4 and officially clinched the team a playoff spot. The Packers are currently the No. 6 seed after being No. 7 last season and showcasing the potential for a deep run. Right above Green Bay is the Minnesota Vikings, which is 13-2 and duking it out with the also 13-2 Detroit Lions for the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the NFC. Green Bay will need help if it hopes to climb the ladder. LOSER: QB play While the Packers put up 34 points, Love wasn't as influential as he could've been on the night. He completed just 16 of 28 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and no picks. Love had a strong run in the playoffs last season, but he's struggled with inconsistency this year. Though he avoided throwing a pick, he'll need to be much better to give the Packers a chance against the real contenders. Rattler was also predictably poor, completing 50% of his passes for 153 yards, no touchdowns and a pick. WINNER: Shutouts Green Bay's win became the first shutout of the 2024 regular season. As the league continues to focus on offensive play and scoring, New Orleans had nothing to show. With Derek Carr and a healthier offense things could've been different, but for now the Saints entered the wrong side of history despite their ability to light up the scoreboard in the first few weeks.Inside the six pledges Keir Starmer will make to get back on track

Jerry Jones credits Cowboys coach for team's effort, performanceATLANTA — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington. As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race, held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating their neighbors’ pets, he didn't just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hold their fists in the air after she delivered a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election Nov. 6 on the campus of Howard University in Washington. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris' loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. Supporters cheer during a community rally with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Oct. 27 in Philadelphia. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women's concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people. Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,''' she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Where can Black women feel supported and flourish financially? When posed that question, Dr. Lori Martin, a professor of African and African American studies and sociology at Louisiana State University, had this to say: "A livable place for Black women is safe, and for women with children, it is home to schools where all students have access to an excellent education. It would also be diverse, with a visible and thriving Black community, including Black businesses." While the socioeconomic realities of our current time touch all corners of the country, there are pockets of the U.S. where the wealth gap narrows and Black women have more opportunities. MoneyGeek analyzed data on income, the cost of crime , homeownership , and poverty levels from 164 cities across the United States to rank the best — and worst — cities for Black women to live and financially flourish in. MoneyGeek ranked 164 cities with populations greater than 65,000 from the best to the worst for Black women. The ranking includes analysis of income, poverty rate, homeownership, educational attainment and health insurance gaps between Black women and the entire population nationally and locally. The size of the local Black population and the cost of crime in the area were included in the ranking to reflect the presence of the Black community and safety, respectively. Southfield — a suburb of Detroit — and Pearland — a Houston suburb — ranked as the top two cities in the analysis. Notably, Southern cities make up the majority of cities in the top 25, with 13 located in this region. In contrast, Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranked as the worst city for Black women. In Minneapolis, Black women face high poverty rates in absolute and relative terms and have low rates of health insurance coverage compared to the cities analyzed. Meanwhile, Miami ranks as the second least favorable city, with a significant local income gap — there, white men earn almost triple the income of Black women. Income disparity is a key measure of how well Black women are doing today. For each city in the analysis, we calculated the local Equal Pay Day — the day in the following year when Black women would make an equivalent amount as white men — using the median income of Black women working full time and the median income of white men working full time in each locality. In Carson, California, the median pay of Black women is higher than the median pay of white men. However, in Evanston, Illinois, Black women make just over a third of white men's earnings, meaning they would need to work until September 24, 2024, to earn the equivalent of a white man's 2022 pay. Economic challenges faced by Black women include restricted career advancement opportunities, insufficient health insurance, and inadequate retirement savings. Survey data from Goldman Sachs indicates that 42% of Black women perceive limited career growth opportunities compared to 35% of U.S. adults, and merely 43% are able to obtain health insurance through their employer, in contrast to 53% nationwide. Additionally, 71% of Black women feel they are living paycheck to paycheck, compared to 63% of the general population. The intersection of racial and gender bias contributes to these challenges, resulting in low-wage jobs and a considerable wealth gap. Our analysis validates this, demonstrating that Black women who work full-time, year-round, earn 64 cents for every dollar white men earn working full-time, year-round. Less access to economic opportunities puts Black women at a disadvantage in building wealth. The FDIC's National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households found that 11.3% of Black households were unbanked compared to just 2.1% of white households. Unbanked households are credit invisible — that is, they don't have a credit history and, therefore, can't build credit. Having no credit history makes it difficult to utilize credit cards to manage cash needs and mortgages to buy homes. Advocating for economic opportunities for Black women The struggle for economic equity remains a persistent challenge for Black women in America, who have historically faced systemic wage disparities and employment obstacles. However, there are tools and resources that can provide Black women with economic opportunities and empowerment. Dr. Ukanwa shares additional solutions, such as: 1. Invest in education: Research has already shown that degrees increase lifetime earnings, close some societal gaps, and increase job security. But if degrees are not your path, it also means continuing to build that knowledge and expertise in something you can be the best at. Figure out your expertise and what you bring to the table. 2. After building your expertise in a field, build your reputation and personal brand: With an excellent reputation and personal brand, people will start to seek you out rather than the other way around. This increases the worth of your expertise. 3. Find out what your expertise is worth: Educate yourself on how to negotiate . Negotiate to be paid what you are worth. 4. Get into the habit of ownership: Build your own equity, which decreases the dependence on someone else for your income. For example, this could be your own business, stocks , or real estate. To rank the best cities for Black women, MoneyGeek analyzed data from the American Community Survey , MoneyGeek's Safest Cities and Safest Small Cities and Towns studies, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The analysis started with over 500 places in America with populations of 65,000 or more. Places without granular data about Black women or lacking other data points for the analysis were removed to get to the final set of 164 cities. The ranking of the best cities for Black women was based on eight factors: safety, Black population, educational attainment, poverty rates, income, employment, health insurance, and homeownership. Each factor was weighted equally and scaled to a score between 0 and 1. The factors were calculated as follows: Safety (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. Percent of local population that is Black (full weight): This percentage represents the proportion of Black individuals within a city's total population, as reported by the United States Census Bureau's five-year American Community Survey (ACS) from 2021, the most recent data available. Educational attainment (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. Poverty rate (full weight): The percentage point difference between the city's rate of Black women earning at or above the poverty level and the rate of all women living above the poverty level nationally. This finding comes from the 2021 Census ACS five-year data, the latest available source covering over 200 cities. Income (full weight): This factor equally comprises two metrics. Employment (full weight): The difference in percentage points between the Black female employment rate and the white male employment rate in the locality. Health insurance (full weight): This metric reveals the percentage point difference between Black women (ages 19-64) and white men (ages 19-64) with health insurance. This information comes from the Census ACS five-year data from 2021, the most recent data source available. Black female homeownership (full weight): This factor comprises three metrics. The full data set can be found here . This story was produced by MoneyGeek and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Ministers warned of cuts as ‘every pound’ of spending to face reviewI shopped at Kohl's to see how stores are taking 'aggressive action' to boost plummeting sales

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay’s surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. The Buccaneers will need help to repeat in the NFC South, but only if they first and foremost give themselves a chance. That means winning their remaining games at home against Carolina and New Orleans, while the Atlanta Falcons lose at least once in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bucs (8-7) and Falcons share the best record in the division, however Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Tampa Bay, which has won three consecutive division titles, is the only NFC team that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. “We’ve got to take care of business or else we’ve got no shot,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said after a 26-24 loss at Dallas cost the Bucs control of the NFC South race. “This one, we’ve got to take it on the chin,” Mayfield added. “It’s a short week. It’s Christmas week. We’ve got to focus on Carolina and figure out a way to win.” If Atlanta is able to maintain its lead, Tampa Bay could make the postseason as a wild card if the Bucs win out and the Commanders lose twice. Coach Todd Bowles sounds confident that his players understand the challenge ahead and will clean up mistakes that contributed to the end of their four-game win streak. “We’ve got to win a ballgame (this week). If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance,” Bowles said Monday. “We have to focus on us like we’ve been doing,” the coach added. “We have to correct the mistakes, and we have to go out and win Sunday, and we’ve got to win the next week, and then we’ll see what happens after that.” What’s working The offense, which ranks third in the NFL at 389.8 yards per game, isn’t a fluke. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Tampa Bay finished with 410 yards total offense. It was the team’s fifth straight game — as well as an NFL-high ninth overall — with 400-plus yards. The Bucs are seventh in rushing (143.7 yards per game) after ranking 32nd each of the past two seasons. What needs helps The defense yielded 292 yards passing against the Cowboys, 226 of it in the first half when Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bowles said shoddy tackling was the biggest issue — not poor coverage. Lamb had one reception for 5 yards after halftime. Stock up Mayfield’s chemistry with rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who has 27 receptions for 336 yards and five TDs, continues to grow. McMillan had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — his fourth in the past three games — against Dallas. He was also the intended receiver on Mayfield’s deep throw that CB Jourdan Lewis intercepted in the end zone to help the Cowboys hold off the Bucs in the closing minutes. Stock down Turnovers were costly against Dallas. The end-zone interception stopped the Bucs from cutting into a 26-17 deficit with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rachaad White’s fumble with 1:31 left ended any hope for a last-minute victory. On both plays, defenders ripped the ball out of the grasp of the offensive player. “We knew they were going to rake at the ball going into the ballgame,” Bowles said. “We just have to have two hands on the ball, and we have to fight for it. We have to take better care of the football. That’s priority No. 1.” Injuries Bowles said it’s too early to project the status of several starters for coming games, including S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), who has missed the past two games. TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB K.J. Britt (ankle) were inactive against the Cowboys, while reserve WR Sterling Shepard left during the game with a hamstring injury. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 80. Bucky Irving leads all NFL rookie RBs with 920 yards rushing. He needs 80 over the next two games to reach 1,000. He scored his seventh rushing touchdown against Dallas. That tied Errict Rhett and Lars Tate for the second-most rushing TDs by a rookie running back in franchise history. Doug Martin set the record of 11 in 2012. Next up Host Carolina on Sunday. ___ NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement Advertisement"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.

Cabinet approved Rs. 219.37 b supplementary estimate for remaining 2024 expenses

Arsenal make Mikel Arteta proud after smashing Sporting Lisbon