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Oklahoma State's 3-point accuracy sends Miami to defeatNone

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Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer ideas that will bring festive joy without breaking the bank? Here are some fun and functional finds that are sure to delight your loved ones this holiday season. Whether you're stuffing stockings for family, friends or coworkers, these thoughtful little gifts are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer. Start with the a quirky and nostalgic gift for music lovers that doubles as a practical home accessory. For those who are always on-the-go, and make a stylish and useful stocking stuffer, helping them keep their devices safe and clean. Cosy are a warm and snug treat, perfect for chilly winter mornings. Need something to help keep the home fresh during the holidays? are a subtle yet effective solution for keeping rooms smelling holiday-fresh. And for those who like to stay organized, are ideal for jotting down gift lists, holiday recipes or to-do lists while adding a pop of colour to their stationery collection. These stocking stuffers are not only thoughtful but practical, ensuring that your gifts are both memorable and useful all season long! Stay organized and inspired with the , a stunning blend of style and functionality. With its compact size and (64 sheets), this planner is designed to be your perfect on-the-go scheduling tool. Whether you’re a student, a busy professional or someone who simply loves to stay organized, find everything you need to keep your life on track while adding a touch of creativity and colour to your day. Simplify your note-taking and organizing with these innovative . Designed for both functionality and flexibility, they’re perfect for students, professionals or anyone who loves staying on top of things. Tackle unwanted odours with the power of . This three-pack of deodorizing balls is the ultimate solution for keeping your spaces smelling fresh and clean. Protect your Apple AirPods Pro (first and second generation) with this silicone The durable, waterproof case ensures protection while supporting wireless charging. The cleaning kit features a silicone nib, sponge and brush to keep your earbuds spotless. Includes a carabiner for portability, offering a perfect combination of style, functionality and care.UBS's Lefkowitz says U.S. stock valuations are 'reasonable'

Unamused 49ers GM: Cool it with Kyle Shanahan 'hot seat' talk:Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who will complete one year in office on Saturday, will have a unique feather in his cap: He is perhaps the only Congress Chief Minister who was spared of dissidence within his Cabinet as well as in the party. It is a feat that even party strongman Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy could not achieve due to constant and open opposition from the likes of senior party leaders P. Janardhan Reddy and D. Srinivas. Considered a political lightweight at the time of assuming office, Revanth Reddy has seen bitter critics like roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy turn friends and openly pledge loyalty on several occasions. Revanth Reddy has also established a professional working relation with potential contender for the top post, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The first success came with the smooth formation of the Cabinet and allocation of portfolios last year. “Every minister in the Cabinet was assured of one good portfolio. I believe in collective responsibility and also know the limitations in a party like the Congress,” Revanth Reddy said, revealing the secret of his success in an informal chat with Deccan Chronicle recently. This was in sharp contrast to acrimonious political battle witnessed on the day the Kiran Kumar Reddy Cabinet took oath in 2010. “Yet, the first session of the Assembly post the 2023 polls was shocking,” a confidant of the Chief minister pointed out. “It was a one man show by Revanth and none came to his defence when the Opposition attacked him personally.” Things have changed, and the Lok Sabha polls, in which the arch rival BRS of former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao were reduced to zero, helped Revanth Reddy settle down and turn the tables against the Opposition. A good orator, Revanth Reddy immediately connects with party cadres at public meetings though he has been often criticised for using harsh language against his political rivals. However, sources close to the Chief Minister point out that he singularly brought down the stature of Chandrashekar Rao by replying to him in the same harsh language that the BRS president was known to use. In a striking contrast to his predecessor Revanth Reddy has also been clearly distinguishing between politics and administration when it comes to dealing with the Centre. A stickler to protocol, he has been keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and Governor Jishnu Dev Varma in good humour. “Certain issues like securing defence land for elevated corridors in Cantonment could not be resolved during strong YSR regime which coincided with UPA rule at the Centre. I convinced the Centre and got the necessary approvals,” Revanth Reddy pointed out. On the political front, he was also quick to turn the tables against the BJP central leadership for allegedly protecting the BRS by delaying sanction to investigate former minister K.T. Rama Rao in the Formula E scam. With the honeymoon over and people, though in sporadic incidents, exhibiting their anger, the real test for Revanth Reddy would begin in the New Year when the state goes for local body polls. While the BRS supremo still prefers to be in political oblivion, the BJP central leadership upped the ante in the aftermath of Maharastra elections with Modi giving a call to Telangana party workers to work with a sole objective of dislodging Congress.

The Golden State Valkyries will be selecting Kate Martin and Kayla Thornton in the 2025 WNBA expansion draft , a source briefed on the decision told The Athletic . The full results of the draft will be announced Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Per the rules outlined by the league and the collective bargaining agreement for the expansion draft, the 12 current WNBA franchises are allowed to protect six players. The Valkyries are then able to choose one unprotected player from each team; that can be a player on the active roster, a player who the organization has draft rights to, or is on their international rights list. Advertisement Martin will arguably be the most popular player taken by Golden State Friday. The 2024 rookie out of Iowa, where she helped Caitlin Clark lead the Hawkeyes to two consecutive trips to the national title game, had a strong start to her first WNBA season. As the Las Vegas Aces dealt with the absence of Chelsea Gray , Martin averaged 19.3 minutes over her first ten games and made 37 percent of her 3-pointers. However, Martin saw less court time as the Aces returned to full health, cracking double-digit minutes only twice in the second half of the season. Her postseason minutes consisted of one appearance in a blowout. Las Vegas was always going to protect its core four of A’ja Wilson , Kelsey Plum , Jackie Young , and Gray in the draft, but Martin could have been one of the final two players. Instead, Martin will start the second chapter of her WNBA career with the Valkyries, and the expansion team will benefit from the three remaining cost-controlled seasons on her rookie deal. The New York Liberty had to make some of the toughest decisions league-wide thanks to the depth of their roster. The reigning champions had to prioritize their full starting lineup and Nyara Sabally , who was the X-factor in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. That left their entire international list — including Marine Johannès and Han Xu — exposed, as well as critical bench players. Golden State is electing to take one of those veteran reserves in Kayla Thornton, a player who general manager Ohemaa Nyanin is intimately familiar with, as Nyanin was the assistant GM in New York prior to joining the Valkyries. Thornton appeared in every playoff game for the Liberty during their title run, averaging the second-most minutes (12.5) among bench players. Her best peformance of the postseason came in Game 2 of the semifinals against Las Vegas, when she was a game-best plus-13 and helped New York take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. Golden State will be the fourth stop in Thornton’s WNBA career, and the 32-year-old veteran has one year remaining on a contract extension she signed with the Liberty in 2023. Required reading (Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

Spread holiday cheer with these fun and festive stocking stuffer ideas

Lea en español For many people, this time of year is all about the shopping. And there's a fair chance many feel less than joyful about the prospect. If fulfilling your lengthy list feels overwhelming, learning what brain science and evolutionary psychology say about shopping and gift-giving might help you understand exactly why you're stressed – and even point you toward a healthier, happier holiday season. Our reactions are encoded into our nervous system, said Dr. Beth Frates, a part-time associate professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "By understanding these brain responses, people can develop strategies to manage stress better, such as setting realistic expectations, focusing on mindfulness and simplifying holiday preparations," said Frates, who also is the immediate past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The idea of exchanging gifts at this time of year can be traced back to pagan solstice celebrations. But the drive to share with another is as old as humanity itself, said Dr. Diego Guevara Beltran, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson who studies cooperation and generosity. The science of generosity is more about survival than stocking stuffers, Guevara Beltran said. Sharing food gave early humans an evolutionary advantage. "Generosity is just one of the ways by which we can accumulate resources, be it wealth itself or friendships or work partners or more attractive, more intelligent mates," he said. Sharing with other people, Guevara Beltran said, is "a signal that communicates how much you value them, their welfare, your relationship with them." Research has shown that helping people makes us feel good. Part of that, he said, is because when someone is part of a community, they feel protected. One way this manifests is through the act of giving gifts. But to derive happiness from gift-giving, the giver needs to feel both that it was not an obligation and that it was effective, according to the 2019 World Happiness Report . That means it could be stressful to be in a culture where gift-giving feels mandatory, or if we can't see that a gift helped someone, Guevara Beltran speculated. It also might be stressful if gift-giving becomes a competition to show that you care about somebody more than the others around them. Our brains on shopping Stressful shopping can cause several physiological responses to kick in, Frates said. First is the "fight or flight" reaction that comes with stress. The release of chemicals that increase our heart rate, raise our blood pressure and intensify our breathing evolved to give us bursts of energy to escape danger. Frates said that while holiday stressors are not life-threatening, they can still trigger the stress response. The pressure to stay within budget could create a sense of scarcity, she said. "This taps into an evolutionary response, where the fear of losing resources like money can feel urgent and distressing." The holiday season also involves a lot of choices. "The brain has limited capacity for decision-making, and making multiple decisions can lead to decision fatigue," Frates said. "This fatigue reduces the ability to self-regulate and cope, which can lead to heightened stress responses when confronted with even minor setbacks, like a long line or out-of-stock item." The stress of needing to complete tasks within a limited time can intensify the fight-or-flight response, she said, as the brain interprets the ticking clock as a sense of urgency or threat. Meanwhile, Frates said, holiday shopping can also trigger brain chemicals that affect our feelings. "Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, is released when we anticipate something exciting or enjoyable, like finding a great gift or finding a good deal," she said. "This anticipation can feel rewarding even before any actual purchase is made." For some people, this dopamine boost can make shopping a relaxing experience. "It provides a temporary distraction from other stressors and allows them to focus on something positive, creating a 'holiday high,'" Frates said. For some people, that can be problematic. "When shopping becomes a way to chase that next dopamine hit, it can lead to excessive spending or impulsive purchases," she said. "This can become a trap, particularly during the holidays, when deals, sales and gift-giving pressures are everywhere." Understanding how all these processes work can help people recognize why they feel the way they do and adopt strategies to cope, Frates said. Here are some of her suggestions. 1. Start with self-care before shopping Prioritizing self-care means people can be their best selves and make good decisions, Frates said. So, "eat food that is delicious and nutritious. Get seven to nine hours of sleep. Make sure to enjoy physical activity. Take walks when you can and invite friends along. Practice stress reduction like meditation or yoga to help you calm your body and mind." Before going shopping, try taking deep breaths using stress-relieving techniques such as 4-7-8 breathing (inhale through your nose for four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale through your mouth for eight) or box breathing (inhale through the nose for four counts, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, then hold for four). 2. Be strategic Don't shop when you're hungry, tired, lonely or stressed, Frates said. And don't start shopping 15 minutes before a store closes or a website's online deals end, she said. That's setting yourself up for triggering the fight-or-flight response. 3. Be mindful Before making a purchase, take a moment to consider whether it's truly needed or whether it's an impulsive choice. To avoid overindulging, set a specific budget or limit yourself to a couple of hours or specific shopping days. "This keeps dopamine-driven spending in check while still allowing for the enjoyable aspects of holiday shopping," Frates said. Look for post-shopping activities that provide rewards without the financial cost. That can satisfy your brain's desire for more dopamine in a healthier way. "Plan enjoyable, stress-relieving activities after shopping, like going for a walk, spending time with friends or indulging in a hobby," she said. 4. Bring a friend Not only does this support healthy social connections, Frates said, but if things start feeling stressful, "you have a buddy, and you have a support system right there for you." 5. Rethink the focus of the season "With gift-giving, we need to change mindsets in order to be able to manage the stress," Frates said. The holidays could be used to emphasize social connections, she said. "Thinking about the connection with the person and making gift-giving more about deepening the connection than anything else, I think, will really help to reduce the stress around the process," she said. So instead of scouring shops and websites for the "perfect" gift, think about making a meaningful and personal one, she suggested. It could be a poem, a painting, a song or a framed photograph that captured a special time. 6. Lessons for children It's easy to get caught up in the hunt for a hard-to-get item, Frates said. But ask yourself what the holiday means in your family's traditions. "Is it about getting that perfect gift for the child? Or is it about celebrating the meaning of that holiday?" So instead of having children ask for one specific toy, or a specific brand of clothing, teach them to leave a little leeway on their lists. "It is a good reminder to express to children that this season is about giving and sharing what we can in the best way that we can," she said, "and sometimes the exact gift is not available." Encouraging such an attitude can be a tall order, Frates said, but it's a place to start. "A simple mindset shift could be the difference between a stressful holiday shopping season or a joyful journey to find meaningful gifts for people you care about." American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!