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super smash bros ultimate x vs zero Oregon’s Dan Lanning doesn’t flinch amid opportunity for 1st win over WashingtonPHILIPPI, W.Va (WV News) — Philip Barbour’s MacKenna Halfin ended a storybook career of high school volleyball with a third Class AA state title in four years last week. She and the rest of the senior Colts made the state championship match in all four seasons. In the state tournament, MacKenna had 20 or more kills in all three matches, totaling 67 kills in 11 sets while also collecting 41 total digs. “I think that once that switch flipped, she just started swinging,” Philip Barbour coach Heather Halfin said. “The passes got better, but I honestly felt like she couldn’t be stopped.” Coach Halfin calls her one of the most dominant players she has coached. It’s a pretty tall order considering the program has now won seven state titles and has been to the state tournament for 23 consecutive seasons. “I think that she’s one of the best,” coach Halfin said. “I’ve seen some really good players come through my program and others that are incredibly solid players. When I evaluate a player, I try to look at the total player. It’s not just how hard they hit the ball or how well they serve or set. I try not to just pick one aspect. I try to look at everything, and MacKenna is truly a total player.” Her career closes with unreal stat totals — 2,058 kills, 1,590 digs, 357 blocks, 151 aces and over 1,233 serve receives. With MacKenna serving as a middle in her final three seasons, coach Halfin calls her stats the stuff of legend. “I would chance to say that there are only a few middle blockers in West Virginia that have hit 2,000 kills,” coach Halfin said. “McKenzie Carpenter did for me. If you find more, they are usually the players that coaches are still talking about — Aana Wherry from Parkersburg and Cameron Yoho from Tyler Consolidated are two I can think of. To get to that number as a middle is unheard of. Those players are legends.” Her reasoning is due to MacKenna playing an unconventional position for a team’s strongest hitter. More often than not, that player plays on the outside and receives the more optimal set. “If you go to a hitting camp, you’ll have 75 out of 100 kids playing outside hitter,” coach Halfin said. “Because that push outside is an easier ball to adjust to, she has learned to adjust to sets coming from different areas of the floor.” Instead, MacKenna, as a middle blocker, is a centerpiece of the defense while also being a player that can read the floor from multiple angles and send the ball in either direction. “She can pound the ball from everywhere and cut the ball like no one I’ve ever seen,” coach Halfin said. “That’s something that her national and other travel coaches have pointed out about her — Anyone can be a good hitter with a good setter, but she adjusts so well to anything she is given. “That’s not an indictment of our setters, though,” coach Halfin continued. “They are trying to force the ball to her in the middle. If you watch high-level volleyball, you know that the ball is set to the outside more often than not. It’s the easiest set.” It shows that her game has plenty of potential as she will play volleyball collegiately next fall. “I’m confident that if she was an outside hitter, she could’ve had 3,000 kills,” coach Halfin said. “I think it makes her a more versatile player because she is able to get to any ball and kill it. I’ve seen her get a ball from everywhere on the court.” But while MacKenna will hit a ball with the force that makes players scatter, her defensive prowess sets her apart. “She struggled a little bit in the beginning of the championship game, but her back-row play has gotten really good,” coach Halfin said. “We’ll watch college games, and she can tell you exactly where the ball is going to be hit. She reads the court so well, and that makes a good player. She can read every spot.” Coach Halfin is quick to point out just how impressive 1,000 digs can be for any player, but she then points to how it is especially impressive for hitters to reach that mark. “Back row is out of your control,” coach Halfin said. “You are adjusting to where the other team is placing the ball. Any time that someone digs the ball 1,000 times, you have kept someone from a point 1,000 times. It’s impressive.” MacKenna, a middle blocker, had over 1,500. “Having 1,000 good digs is insane when it’s not your only job,” coach Halfin said. “It’s impressive when a libero or defensive specialist does it, but when you wear multiple hats, it becomes super. Any front row player getting that is impressive.” With the end of MacKenna’s career comes the end of coach Halfin’s time coaching her daughter. She calls her a true competitor and looks forward to watching her continue to grow. “She’s been listening to me gripe as a coach since she started going on trips with me,” coach Halfin said. “I remember her being in an infant seat and coming along. I don’t really think there was a turning point for her competitiveness until she was a freshman.” Coach Halfin points back to a team camp in the summer before MacKenna’s freshman season. “She had let a ball drop to the floor,” coach Halfin said. “She didn’t play it because someone called it out, which I didn’t know. I jumped all over her, ‘We don’t let a ball drop. You should know that.’ Of course, you’re always harder on your kids.” “She looked at me and was tearing up,” coach Halfin said. “So I took her out until she was okay. After the game, I remember looking at her and telling her that when she’s on the court, I am no longer her mother. I am coach. I told her to let me coach her.” “Alyssa Hill was a senior that year, and she just goes, ‘Listen MacKenna, your mom has made all of us cry at some point,’” coach Halfin said. “And I was like, no way. And then Emily (Denison) raises her hand and says, ‘Raise your hand if Halfin has made you cry,’ and they all did. After that, she realized not to take coaching personally.” Four years later, MacKenna will be remembered as one of the best to ever do it. “I would say that it’s hard to be her because she’s my kid,” coach Halfin said. “I have big shoulders, so people can say what they want to. She’s earned every second she was on the floor. There was never a question. She has also shared me as a mom since she has been alive, so that is hard, too. Once she got used to it, it all worked out.”

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Walter Musona named Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year as Khama Billiat picks his first major honour at annual PSL awardsDemocrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed before Congress adjournsNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation . The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 123.19 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8% to set its own record. The quiet trading came after the latest jobs report came in mixed enough to strengthen traders’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again at its next meeting in two weeks. The report showed U.S. employers hired more workers than expected last month, but it also said the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%. “This print doesn’t kill the holiday spirit and the Fed remains on track to deliver a cut in December,” according to Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector investing within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to offer more help for the slowing job market, after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower interest rates can ease the brakes off the economy, but they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts from the Fed have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times so far this year. And the Fed is part of a global surge: 62 central banks have lowered rates in the past three months, the most since 2020, according to Michael Hartnett and other strategists at Bank of America. Still, the jobs report may have included some notes of caution for Fed officials underneath the surface. Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, pointed to average wages for workers last month, which were a touch stronger than economists expected. While that’s good news for workers who would always like to make more, it could keep upward pressure on inflation. “This report tells the Fed that they still need to be careful as sticky housing/shelter/wage data shows that it won’t be easy to engineer meaningfully lower inflation from here in the nearer term,” Wren said. So, while traders are betting on an 85% probability the Fed will ease its main rate in two weeks, they’re much less certain about how many more cuts it will deliver next year, according to data from CME Group. For now, the hope is that the job market can help U.S. shoppers continue to spend and keep the U.S. economy out of a recession that had earlier seemed inevitable after the Fed began hiking interest rates swiftly to crush inflation. Several retailers offered encouragement after delivering better-than-expected results for the latest quarter. Ulta Beauty rallied 9% after topping expectations for both profit and revenue. The opening of new stores helped boost its revenue, and it raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for sales over this full year. Lululemon stretched 15.9% higher following its own profit report. It said stronger sales outside the United States helped it in particular, and its earnings topped analysts’ expectations. Retailers overall have been offering mixed signals on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain amid the slowing job market and still-high prices. Target gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season, for example, while Walmart gave a much more encouraging outlook. A report on Friday suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers may be improving more than economists expected. The preliminary reading from the University of Michigan’s survey hit its highest level in seven months. The survey found a surge in buying for some products as consumers tried to get ahead of possible increases in price due to higher tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened. In tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise jumped 10.6% for one of the S&P 500’s larger gains after reporting stronger profit and revenue than expected. Tech stocks were some of the market’s strongest this week, as Salesforce and other big companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. All told, the S&P 500 rose 15.16 points to 6,090.27. The Dow dipped 123.19 to 44,642.52, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 159.05 to 19,859.77. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.15% from 4.18% late Thursday. In stock markets abroad, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.3% after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to stay in office until the end of his term and to name a new prime minister within days. Earlier this week, far-right and left-wing lawmakers approved a no-confidence motion due to budget disputes, forcing Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his cabinet to resign. In Asia, stock indexes were mixed. They rallied 1.6% in Hong Kong and 1% in Shanghai ahead of an annual economic policy meeting scheduled for next week. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.6% as South Korea’s ruling party chief showed support for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and then revoked that earlier this week. Yoon is facing calls to resign and may be impeached. Bitcoin was sitting near $101,500 after briefly bursting above $103,000 to a record the day before. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.‘High Performance Saved My Life’ – Dean Walsh Beings Pro Journey Grateful for Recent Amateur Rivival

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products , a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . “The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well,” LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The guy on the Philly sports talk radio station had something to say, and he started to vent about the perceived strained relationship between star quarterback Jalen Hurts and standout wide receiver A.J. Brown. Why weren’t these two Pro Bowl Eagles on the same page? Why had their personal and professional relationship changed even with Philadelphia enjoying tremendous success? It was football gossip usually ripe for a hot-take host or fed-up fan to stir up on the air — only in this instance, the temperature check came from inside the locker room. Normally respected team leader Brandon Graham, who is sidelined with a triceps injury, noted in a radio appearance that “ things have changed ” between Hurts and Brown in the wake of a stale passing game in last week’s win over Carolina. An apologetic Graham walked back his comments. Hurts and Brown both insisted their relationship was cool in front of media hordes more appropriate for the Super Bowl. As for the rest of the Eagles, they were ready to squash the so-called controversy. “We are moving on,” offensive lineman and Christmas song crooner Jordan Mailata said. “It is the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Not the A.J. Brown and Jalen Show. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.” Oh yeah, the Steelers! Lost in the brouhaha ignited in a Philly sports bar is the fact that sitting — and winning — on the western side of Pennsylvania are the Steelers (10-3). Unlike most matchups in series history, this one Sunday at the Linc comes with the tantalizing appeal of a potential Super Bowl preview. The Steelers have won seven of eight, and the Eagles (11-2) have won nine straight and could clinch the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss or tie. It's the first time the teams — among the original eight NFL teams — will play each other when they both have a double-digit win total. Both teams are in strong position for a playoff run — the Eagles led by Saquon Barkley and his pursuit of Eric Dickerson's NFL season rushing record; Russell Wilson and the soft-schedule Steelers atop the AFC North in large part thanks to six wins against teams that currently have losing records. “I do like playing really good people, I think there's growth in it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “You've got to get the job done. But man, I think there's significant growth in pitting your collective talents and skills versus big-time opponents and they're certainly that.” Will the drama out of Philly this week affect the Eagles? They certainly don't think so and neither do the oddsmakers — the Eagles are 5 1/2-point favorites, per BetMGM. “What I’ve noticed about this football team is they’re so locked in and determined to get better each day,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We don’t really want anyone else talking to us about anything other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.” Good luck with that, Coach. Maybe playing the Steelers on Sunday at home can snap the Eagles out of their offensive malaise. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022. Barkley watch Barkley leads the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards, 216 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. He is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace, and with one more game to play than Dickerson had, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is on pace for 2,122 yards, which would put him just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984. Barkley doesn’t need much of a reminder from his 2020 performance when, while playing for the New York Giants, he ran into a Pittsburgh defense that seemed reminiscent of its famed Steel Curtain. The Steelers held Barkley to 6 yards on 15 carries. Bye, George The Steelers will have to find a way forward against the NFL’s toughest defense without wide receiver George Pickens, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh survived last week against Cleveland, with Mike Williams and Scotty Miller — afterthoughts of late — coming off the bench to make an impact. While Tomlin believes “the strength of the pack is the pack,” the reality is the Steelers don’t have anyone who can stretch the field like Pickens, who leads the team in receptions (55) and yards (850) by a wide margin. It’s a challenge, but considering the way Wilson has spread the ball around — eight players caught passes against the Browns — he won’t lack for options. “Everybody in the receiver room has a different skill set, different strengths,” Calvin Austin III said. “The coaching staff knows that and they know how to put us in position to be able to show that.” Playoff preview The cross-state trip to Philadelphia, where the Steelers haven’t won in nearly 60 years, is the start of an 11-day stretch in which Pittsburgh faces three teams likely bound for the playoffs. While Tomlin is leaning into the “nameless, gray faces” mantra he uses for every opponent, his players know facing the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in such a short period is a litmus test for what’s to come in January. “That’s why I’m in the league, period,” linebacker Patrick Queen said. “When you sign up to play football, you want to play at the highest level. ... I love to play the game the right way. I think these next few games is going to show that and it starts with the Eagles.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Dan Gelston, The Associated PressNoneWhere to watch Rams vs. 49ers on Amazon Prime Video tonight for free

Trump rings New York Stock Exchange's opening bellWhat Did You Do at School Today? by C.C. Lacavera announced by OnlineBookClub's CEO Scott Hughes as the December Book of the MonthExperts and academics have raised concerns about the negative impact of excessive reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research, warning that it diminishes researchers’ skills in analysis, critical thinking, and creativity. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), they highlighted that while AI tools can process and analyse data at impressive speeds, over-relying on them could result in poorer memory retention and academic performance. Recent studies have shown that excessive use of tools like ChatGPT has been linked to a decline in students’ cognitive abilities and academic outcomes. Dr Abdullah Hamad al-Muraikhi, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Qatar University, emphasised that when used properly, educational technology can enhance the learning experience. However, he noted a common misconception that AI would lead students to depend on it for completing assignments and conducting research. He attributed this fear to the traditional education system, which still focuses on assignments and exams that primarily assess rote memorisation skills. Dr al-Muraikhi explained that professors can often tell when a student’s work is not their own by comparing it to their in-class performance. He also pointed out that as AI tools evolve, it becomes harder to detect alterations in research that AI may have made, beyond what plagiarism detection software can identify. He stressed the need for a reevaluation of teaching and assessment methods to align with technological advances. Dr al-Muraikhi emphasised that AI should be viewed as a tool to support learning, not replace the vital human interaction between teachers and students. He also called for ethical guidelines to ensure AI is used responsibly, securely, and without bias, while respecting the learner’s cultural context. AI, he said, should reinforce core educational values such as respect, integrity, and self-confidence, rather than merely acting as an information delivery tool. For his part, Dr Khaled Waleed Mahmoud, a cybersecurity policy expert, shared similar concerns with QNA. He acknowledged the undeniable role of AI in advancing academic research, given the rapid pace of technological progress. AI has significantly enhanced traditional research methods by enabling researchers, particularly graduate students, to process vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently. For instance, at the high school level, students often rely on AI to generate ideas, organise information, and assist with data analysis, using tools like ChatGPT and smart search engines to gather research references. While at the university level, AI is increasingly being used to draft academic papers, collect data, and organise references. Graduate students are employing more advanced AI tools to analyse large datasets, apply algorithms to interpret results, and even predict certain scenarios, all while utilising machine learning and translation techniques to enhance accuracy. Dr Mahmoud acknowledged that AI not only increases research efficiency by saving time but also enhances the accuracy of results by utilising advanced data analysis tools. However, he also noted that AI opens new research possibilities, allowing scholars to explore questions and issues that were previously inaccessible just a few years ago. Dr Mahmoud, a researcher specialising in cyber policy, warned about the drawbacks of over-relying on AI tools, such as technological dependence. He explained that excessive use of AI can weaken researchers’ essential skills in analysis, critical thinking, and memory, leading to a generation with poorer academic performance. A recent study supports this, showing that students’ overuse of ChatGPT weakens memory and academic outcomes. Additionally, using AI in research writing raises ethical concerns, particularly around plagiarism and academic integrity, as AI-generated content can compromise the originality of research work. Algorithms may also reflect biases depending on how they’re programmed and trained. Dr Khaled emphasised the need for clear policies and guidelines from academic institutions to regulate AI usage in research. These policies should ensure the ethical use of AI, provide training for students and researchers on responsible AI practices, and reinforce traditional skills like critical thinking and analysis. He also stressed the importance of academic integrity by banning AI-generated research without proper attribution. Furthermore, developing tools to detect AI-assisted plagiarism is crucial to maintaining the integrity of academic work. This approach would strike a balance between benefiting from AI’s potential and preserving academic standards and research skills, requiring educational institutions to implement appropriate regulations. In turn, Dr Ammar Riyad, an academic specialising in AI and cybersecurity, highlighted AI’s promising potential to enhance education at all levels. AI allows teachers to tailor curricula to individual student needs and offer interactive learning experiences that increase student engagement. It can also help analyse student performance and provide personalised feedback, ultimately improving academic outcomes. Teachers can use AI to identify strengths and weaknesses in students, making education more targeted and effective. However, Dr Ammar stressed that total reliance on AI in education could be problematic, as the learning process needs human interaction to foster communication skills and critical thinking, which might diminish with increased use of AI. Overuse could also reduce personal analysis and independence, as students may start depending on technology to find answers instead of thinking critically themselves. In research, while AI enhances the speed and accuracy of data collection and analysis, it risks producing similar results when researchers rely on the same tools. At a time where this might be useful in confirming hypotheses, it also could stifle creativity and limit diversity in academic work. Dr Ammar stressed the importance of developing AI tools that offer diverse methods and encourage intellectual innovation. AI should complement, not replace, human interaction and critical thinking. It should enhance education and research, but with careful regulation to prevent over-dependence, especially in early education, where human engagement is key to developing students’ social and cognitive skills. In the field of research, using diverse analytical tools and methods is essential to avoid repetitive outcomes and biases, ensuring ongoing academic creativity and innovation.

Last asylum seekers leave controversial UK barge LONDON: The last remaining asylum seekers being housed on the controversial floating accommodation barge Bibby Stockholm in southern England have left, local authorities said on Wednesday. “We can confirm that the last residents moved off the barge” on Tuesday, Dorset Council told AFP, bringing an end to over one year of political wrangling over the vessel moored in Portland. The new Labour government decided not to renew a contract with the vessel due to expire in January 2025, after coming to power in July, citing additional costs to taxpayers. Local charity Portland Global Friendship Group said eight remaining asylum seekers had left the barge, with the residents “dispersed across the country” in line with an agreement not to house them locally in Dorset. “Portland Global Friendship Group continues to support some asylum seekers as they navigate the complex asylum process,” a spokesperson told AFP. Some had received “positive decisions, and some had their applications rejected, according to the spokesperson. Bibby Stockholm was championed by Rishi Sunak ́s previous Conservative government as a cost-cutting measure aimed at reducing the use of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers. However, it came under fierce criticism over reports of poor conditions on board, fears of Legionella bacteria and one man dying in a suspected suicide.