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As It Happens 6:09 This Canadian is the new world champion of Excel spreadsheets It was down to the final 30 seconds at the Microsoft Excel World Championships in Las Vegas, and the crowd was going wild. Canada's Michael Jarman was in the lead, his eyes fixed on the scoreboard, desperately hoping nobody would come up from behind and snatch victory from his grasp. When the clock ran out, Jarman leapt from his computer and threw his hands up in celebration, as the spectators in the HyperX Arena erupted in cheers. Jarman, a Toronto financial modelling director, unseated Australia's three-time winner Andrew (The Annihilator) Ngai on Dec. 4 to become the undisputed world champion of managing spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. "It was an amazing feeling," Jarman told As It Happens guest host Peter Armstring. "It's definitely, you know, a really great memory for me, and will be for a long time." WATCH | Microsoft Excel World Championships: For his efforts, Jarman took home a $5,000 US ($7,033 Cdn.) cheque, and the event's signature pro-wrestling style championship belt. "We're thinking about how to put up on the wall," he said. Not enough spreadsheets at work You would think Jarman, who works for the project finance consulting firm Operis, would be sick of spreadsheets. But as he's risen through the ranks at work, he says he rarely has the opportunity to get down and dirty in the rows and cells anymore. "I'm very much at the stage of my career where I no longer do the modelling myself. I have to leave that for the juniors to do, while I go to meetings," he said. "So I'd say, actually, it placates me a little bit." Jarman competing in the 2024 Microsoft Excel World Championships in Las Vegas. (Financial Modeling World Cup/YouTube) Plus, the Excel World Championships' spreadsheets tend to be more exciting than the ones he sees at the office. The event is an offshoot of the more business-focused Financial Modelling World Cup. It's billed as an esports event, akin to competitive gaming, and sponsored by Excel maker Microsoft. "No finance, just Microsoft Excel and logical thinking skills," reads the competition's description. "Excel esports transforms a common office tool into a dynamic sport." Competitors are usually asked to build spreadsheets to perform tasks and solve problems based around a specific theme or game. Excel with orcs? This year's final battle involved using Excel to track stats in a simulated game of World of Warcraft (WoW), a long-running and wildly popular online video game featuring fantastical creatures like dragons, elves and orcs. "I mean, I'm not a WoW player myself, but it was pretty cool," Jarman said. "We were given an eight-page instruction manual before going on stage to read, so we had some idea of what was going on." To add a competitive edge the player with the lowest score is eliminated every five minutes, alluded to in the chorus of of the event's epic rock theme song: "It's the Excel World Championship / Who's going to win? / It's the Excel World Championship / Who's going in the spreadsheet bin?" As the competitors typed furiously into Excel, the spectators appeared enthralled. "The crowd was really quite electric this year," Jarman said. Jarman estimates there were a few hundred people watching in the arena. Another 60,000 people watched the YouTube livestream . As It Happens Harvard undergrad cracks code of knotted Inca rope used as 'an ancient Excel spreadsheet' As It Happens 'Pixel by pixel': MS Paint artist mourns his medium as Microsoft pulls the plug This is Jarman's fourth time competing, and his first time coming out on top. In the last three competitions, he finished second to Australia's Andrew Ngai. After 2023's championships, he told As It Happens : "Next year, it will be my year." He was proven right. But he's not done yet. Now that the belt is his at last, he's got his eyes on another goal. "The next vision is to ... win three more to break Andrew's record," he said. "I think that's virtually impossible to do, but you've got to give it a go."BEIRUT (AP) — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians , and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military had previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were “close to a deal." “It can happen within days,” he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. Two Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Netanyahu’s security Cabinet had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, but they said it remained unclear whether the Cabinet would vote to approve the deal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations. Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, told reporters Monday that he expected a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to have stages and to be discussed by leaders Monday or Tuesday. Still, he warned, “it’s not going to happen overnight.” After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force . Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel is demanding the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government has said that such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. A ceasefire could mark a step toward ending the regionwide war that ballooned after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . The lack of a ceasefire has emerged as a political liability for Israeli leaders including Netanyahu, particularly while 60,000 Israelis remain away from their homes in the country's north after more than a year of cross-border violence. Hezbollah rockets have reached as far south into Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers died fighting in the ground offensive in Lebanon. The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest of Iran’s armed proxies , is expected to significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition. A top Hamas official in Lebanon said the Palestinian militant group would support a ceasefire between its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Israel, despite Hezbollah’s previous promises to stop the fighting in Lebanon only if the war in Gaza ends. “Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices,” Osama Hamdan of Hamas' political wing told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, which is seen as politically allied with Hezbollah. While the ceasefire proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.” If the ceasefire talks fail, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, “it will mean more destruction and more and more animosity and more dehumanization and more hatred and more bitterness.” Speaking at a G7 meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, the last summit of its kind before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office, Safadi said such a failure "will doom the future of the region to more conflict and more killing and more destruction.” Federman reported from Jerusalem and Metz from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Nicole Winfield in Fiuggi, Italy, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-warego777 slot login download 。

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Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie believes talk of Premiership title challenges this early in the season is madness. The Dons suffered their first defeat of the Premiership campaign when they were With Celtic winning at Hearts, Jimmy Thelin’s side are now three points behind the Hoops, prompting discussion about whether the Dons can maintain a challenge. Shinnie insists all talk of a title challenge is outside noise as far as he and his team-mates are concerned. The Reds captain said: “People will talk, it’s the way it goes. “It’s a long season. People talk about title challenges in October and November – which is madness. “It’s so early, because within five games it can look very different if you get carried away. “I know it’s not what people want to hear and it’s boring, but things can change very quickly if you let yourself get carried away. “In-house we are just focused on getting back to winning ways and letting the outside noise be as it is.” ‘There will always be scrutiny’ Shinnie knows Aberdeen’s title prospects have been a subject of great debate among the media and football fans in Scotland this season. But the combative midfielder insists trying to keep apace with the champions has not been discussed at Pittodrie. He said: “There will always be the scrutiny of ‘can Aberdeen keep it up?’ – that’s not something we can control and is natural in football. “I wouldn’t say we’re trying to put pressure on Celtic. It’s about winning as many games as we can and picking up points. “We have opened up a gap below us so we don’t want to lose that – we want to build on that. “It’s up to us to carry that pressure, that’s what it’s like being at this club. “Whether it was last season when we were underperforming, or this season when we’re up at the top end of the league. “There is always pressure at clubs like this – whatever you do.” ‘Trophies is something I am desperate to do at Aberdeen’ – Shinnie It was the Hoops who ended Aberdeen’s unbeaten start to the season with a Brendan Rodgers has been a constant roadblock for the Dons captain during his time with Aberdeen, but Shinnie remains driven to bring silverware back to Pittodrie. He said: “I would never shy away from the fact winning trophies is something I am desperate to do at Aberdeen. “It’s tough, especially when Celtic have been as dominant as they have been over the years. “But there’s still life in me yet, so I’ll continue to fight for as long as I can. “It’s about handling that and it’s also about controlling what we can do and not letting it affect us.” Shinnie focused on getting the Dons back to moving ball quickly and winning Saturday’s league defeat was a sore one to take for Shinnie and his team-mates, but the captain is focused on responding when his side face Hibernian at Easter Road tonight. The Hibees are bottom of the Premiership, with one win from 13 games, but Shinnie says the focus is on what his club are doing. He said: “Hibs have had a lot of good performances but have lost a lot of late goals. “I think it’s four or five games – and if they’d held on they’d have been right up the league. “Obviously they are where they are for a reason, but I think they’re a good team with good players. We have to be aware of that. “This week will be about us. It’s about getting back to what we’re good at and getting back to winning ways. “We have had a great start to the season – we have to remember that – and can’t let one defeat derail what we’re doing. “On Saturday we didn’t do the things we had been doing well against St Mirren, so we have to get back to that. “We know we were too slow moving the ball, we didn’t move it fast enough or work it in behind enough. “In this league, if you don’t perform to a level, you get punished for it.”7 Infra developments in Visakhapatnam this week you can’t miss

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TBILISI (AP): Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union (EU) aspirations. Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder. “I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you ... . This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace. She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody”. Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December, given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures. In his speech on Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone’s president, regardless of whether they like me or not”. He called for the nation to unite behind him around “shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together”. Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an October 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing towards accession in the European Union, but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia. BOYCOTTED Georgia’s outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot. In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Critics have accused Georgian Dream –established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. Georgian Dream’s decision last month to suspend talks on their country’s bid to join the EU added to the opposition’s outrage and galvanised protests. Protesters in front of the parliament building on Sunday held red cards, in reference to Kavelashvili’s career in soccer. “Because today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be sending him off the pitch. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because it was a circus that they have held today in the parliament,” protester Sofia Shamanidi told The Associated Press. NEW ELECTIONS Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French foreign ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named her Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004. Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream’s support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her. Zourabichvili has rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence. “We are not demanding a revolution,” she told The Associated Press. “We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again.” Who is the new president? Georgia’s opposition has mocked Kavelashvili for lacking higher education. He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric. Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit critical organizations. The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the “foreign influence” law. HOW DID PROTESTS UNFOLD? Thousands of demonstrators converged on the parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on November 28. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by the police, and media workers accused the authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.EVLV LEGAL DEADLINE: Evolv Technologies Class Action Deadline is Approaching – Contact BFA Law if You Suffered Losses (Nasdaq:EVLV)

Casey concedes U.S. Senate race in PennsylvaniaThe holidays are a time for giving, celebrating, and spreading a little extra joy. This season, why not gift something that makes your loved ones feel their best? To help you find the perfect present, we asked our Haute Beauty experts to share their go-to recommendations for holiday gifting. Whether you’re shopping for a skincare enthusiast, a wellness lover, or someone who could use a little pampering, these expert-approved suggestions are guaranteed to charm everyone on your list. So, let the holiday shopping begin and make this season one to remember! Aesthetic Island NYC | Medical Spa | Brooklyn, NY SkinMedica by Allergan is my go-to recommendation for patients looking for holiday gift ideas. This medical-grade skincare line is known for delivering real results, making it a thoughtful and luxurious gift for anyone serious about their skin. At Aesthetic Island, we use SkinMedica products during our facial treatments because of their ability to enhance skin health and leave clients with a radiant glow. For the holiday season, we’ve curated the perfect gift set, which can be purchased directly from our office. It features three of SkinMedica’s most popular products: TNS Advanced+ Serum: A powerhouse anti-aging serum that smooths fine lines, firms skin, and improves texture. HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator: Delivers intense hydration and helps the skin retain moisture for a soft, plump finish. Instant Bright Eye Cream: Targets dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines for a refreshed, well-rested look. Whether you’re shopping for a loved one or treating yourself, these products are a must-have. Stop by and grab the gift set just in time for the holidays! For more information, visit Aesthetic Island NYC' s website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Jason Bloom | Face | Philadelphia, PA This holiday season, Trufacial is the gift that keeps on giving! This revolutionary beauty device delivers visible, wow-worthy results in just minutes, making it a game-changer for anyone looking to elevate their skincare routine. Its fast, 3-step process transforms everyday self-care into a luxurious experience, giving the gift of smoother, brighter, more radiant skin. Whether you’re treating yourself or someone special, Trufacial is the ultimate way to feel pampered and party-ready this holiday season. Reasons to Gift Trufacial: Confidence Boost : Smooth, glowing skin anyone would love. Feel Pampered : Achieve professional-grade results at home in just 10 minutes. Now Available : Perfect for beauty lovers who crave the latest and greatest. Timeless Beauty : A gift that empowers loved ones to feel radiant all year long. This holiday, gift innovation, simplicity, and luxury with Trufacial—the beauty must-have of the season! “This is the first true professional grade device to deliver results at home.” For more information, visit Dr. Bloom's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Marianna Farber | Smile | Midtown NY For a thoughtful holiday gift with a dental twist, consider electric toothbrush bundles. These bundles often feature top-notch brands and provide an easy, practical way to maintain oral health. Plus, they’re incredibly convenient, with refill options readily available to keep smiles bright all year long! For more information, visit Dr. Marianna Farber' s website and Instagram ! Heather Merlo, Sei Tu Bella Aesthetics | Medical Spa | Tampa, FL At Sei Tu Bella Aesthetics, we believe in the spirit of giving—and that includes giving to yourself! During the holiday season, it’s easy to feel guilty about self-care, but with our exclusive promotions, you can give the gift of beauty and wellness to others and enjoy some pampering, too. Medical-grade skincare like ZO Skin Health is perfect for both preventing and reversing skin damage, making it a thoughtful, lasting gift. Consider the impact of gifting experiences or a gift that improves quality of life rather than just items. Treat a loved one to a rejuvenating medical-grade SaltFacial, a powerful Lumecca Peak IPL treatment to reduce sun damage, or the gift of vaginal. Rejuvenation with VTONE, FORMA V, or MORPHEUS 8V to a mother struggling with conditions post childbirth or a premature menopausal woman forced to face her new symptoms post-breast cancer. You could even introduce a teenage grandchild to their first skincare experience. These treatments do more than offer immediate results; they foster self-confidence and a sense of empowerment. After all, the best gifts go beyond the tangible—they uplift, restore, and are felt deeply from the heart. This holiday season, give a gift that inspires self-love and radiance. For more information, visit Sei Tu Bella Aesthetics' website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Sarah Khan, ARA Med Spa | Medical Spa | Los Angeles, CA The winter holidays are the perfect time to gift packages of rejuvenating skincare treatments to your friends and family and treat yourself also! I recommend two procedures that can be performed for your face, neck, and hands to achieve the perfect winter holiday glow. As there is downtime with these treatments, schedule them a few days before any upcoming holiday events. Chemical peels are a topical solution applied to your skin intended to remove the top skin layers. The deeper skin underneath is then revealed, which is plump and youthful and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to some degree. There are several types of peels, a superficial peel involves just the removal of the outer layer or epidermis, whereas a medium peel works deeper through the dermis. Microneedling is a skin rejuvenation procedure that activates the natural skin healing process and can improve the appearance of acne scars and wrinkles. Firstly, microneedles create microchannels in the skin, which increase blood flow and remove toxins. Secondly, microneedling stimulates the production of granulation tissue with collagen proteins, which maintain the integrity of the skin matrix with results lasting up to 4 weeks. For more information, visit ARA Med Spa' s website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Malik Medical Aesthetics | Medical Spa | New Jersey As the holiday season approaches, it’s the perfect time to consider giving the gift of beauty and self-care. Here are some top recommendations for health and beauty products and treatments that will leave your loved ones glowing: For more information, visit Malik Medical Aesthetics' s website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Licensed Medical Esthetician, Celina Requejo, Careaga Plastic Surgery | Body | Miami, FL For the holiday season, I recommend two standout skincare products that make thoughtful and effective gifts for anyone prioritizing health and beauty. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic is a must-have antioxidant serum suitable for all skin types. This potent vitamin C formula not only combats aging but also enhances skin radiance, providing a natural glow. Its ability to protect against environmental stressors while promoting a brighter complexion makes it an ideal gift for skincare enthusiasts. For those focused on anti-aging, P-Tiox is an exceptional choice. This wrinkle-modulating peptide serum visibly reduces the appearance of all nine contraction lines, refining skin texture and boosting radiance. It’s a powerhouse product that delivers a smoother, rejuvenated complexion, making it perfect for anyone seeking advanced skincare solutions. Both products are elegant, results-driven gifts that cater to a wide range of skin concerns, ensuring your loved ones feel pampered and glowing throughout the holiday season. For more information, visit Careaga Plastic Surgery's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Victoria A. Cirillo-Hyland, MD, FAAD | Skin | Philadelphia, PA Be camera-ready this holiday season and gift a Hollywood Spectra Peel to yourself and your family and friends! It brightens uneven skin stones, gently exfoliates the skin, reduces sun damage, helps stimulate dermal collagen, reduces oil production, and softens skin tone and texture. 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Opt for clean and simple ingredients to avoid gifting something that could cause irritation and avoid fragrances, as many people are sensitive to stronger scents, and preferences can greatly vary. An alternate idea to gifting a mask is wrapping up a couple of your favorite travel-sized products. Check and see if your favorite products are offered in smaller, travel-sized packaging. A good recommendation for a friend is generally a welcomed one, and what better way to personalize a gift this season than with a glowing recommendation? For more information, visit Dr. Chacon's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg | Face | Long Island, NY A champion in the beauty space, Award Winning Celebrity Plastic Surgeon Stephen T. Greenberg, M.D., F.A.C.S., founder and medical director of Greenberg Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology, has been at the forefront of cosmetic plastic surgery for over 30 years. As a leading cosmetic plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg has built his reputation by developing and using only the most sophisticated techniques. An icon in cosmetic enhancement and correction, he meets the needs of patients from today’s top stars to the soccer mom next door. He has performed thousands of procedures ranging from breast augmentation, breast reduction, and breast lifts to tummy tucks, liposuction, facelifts, eyelid lifts, neck lifts, full body lifts, thigh lifts, rhinoplasty, vaginal rejuvenation, earlobe surgery, and injectable treatments. Dr. Greenberg is a proponent of combining cutting-edge technology with surgical procedures to provide the most effective outcomes. His favorite holiday season treatment combination is Jeuveau, a Neurotoxin to soften fine lines and wrinkles, and HydraFacial to keep skin clear and glowing. These are his top holiday beauty treatments and products to help you look and feel your best during the festive season: Skincare Treatments: At-Home Skincare Products: Example: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Example: Cosmetic Surgeon in a JarTM AM Brightening and PM Retinol Eye Creams Example: SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Example: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore Dr. Greenberg recommends investing in your skin; it’s going to represent you for a long time. For more information, visit Dr. Greenberg's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Brannon Claytor | Face | Philadelphia, PA The gift of beautiful skin is on everyone's list. This year, OmniluxTM Red Light facial contour therapy is the perfect gift for all. This FDA-approved device stimulates collagen and helps to boost the healing process after surgery or injectables. It reduces fine lines and wrinkles and promotes a healthy, glowing complexion. It also helps with pigmentation and psoriasis by reducing inflammation. LED red light therapy has the additional benefit of improving mood and reducing stress levels. Shannon O'Brien, the medical esthetician at Claytor Noone Plastic Surgery in Bryn Mawr, PA, says, "Omnilux TM boasts the highest light wavelength approved by the FDA, producing significantly improved results. On top of that, it is all-natural, has no side effects and no downtime, and can be used on all skin types. My patients love this device, and it helps keep their skin fresh and glowing between skin care treatments." For more information, visit Dr. Claytor's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Kian Karimi | Face | Los Angeles, CA As a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and head & neck surgeon, I encourage my patients to embrace a holistic approach to health and wellness. That’s why I’m excited about HealMD’s Wellness Starter Pack — it’s a thoughtful, practical gift for anyone looking to stay on track with their health and wellness goals as they enter the new year. The holiday season, while joyful, can often be overwhelming, leaving many of us feeling drained as we approach January. The Wellness Starter Pack helps reset the mind and body, offering a natural alternative for those looking to enhance their skin health and manage pain and anxiety. This curated collection of medical-grade cannabidiol oils is designed to improve all areas of your well-being, with multiple products to support relaxation, reduce stress, and promote balance in the body, providing an excellent foundation for those with health-minded resolutions. Whether it’s a soothing CBD balm for post-workout recovery, tinctures to support restful sleep or supplements that enhance focus and clarity, this pack makes integrating wellness into daily routines seamless. The Wellness Starter Pack is more than a gift; it’s about showing you care for their well-being, and it’s an investment in health happiness, and it’s a reminder to prioritize self-care and start the year with a health-focused mindset. For more information, visit Dr. Karimi's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Kiran Gill, Naples Aesthetic Institute | Body | Naples, FL As a plastic surgeon, I often recommend microneedling as a thoughtful and results-driven gift for those passionate about skincare. Microneedling, a minimally invasive procedure, promotes collagen production to improve skin texture, minimize fine lines, and address concerns such as scarring and hyperpigmentation. It’s an excellent choice for individuals seeking to rejuvenate their skin with clinically proven results. When gifting a microneedling package, I suggest including a series of treatments (commonly 3–6 sessions for optimal outcomes) at a reputable medical spa equipped with FDA-approved devices. To enhance the experience, consider pairing the package with additional services, such as a hydrating facial or a nutrient-rich serum infusion, which complement the regenerative effects of microneedling. At Naples Aesthetic Institute, many of our patients purchase microneedling packages every year because they love the results they are achieving. Providing aftercare is also essential. Including products like a gentle, physician-recommended cleanser, a high-quality hyaluronic acid serum for hydration, and a broad-spectrum SPF can support healing and maximize results. This gift offers the perfect combination of luxury, care, and clinical efficacy—an ideal choice for the holiday season. For more information, visit the Naples Aesthetic Institute' s website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Sam Rizk | Face | Upper East Side In the skilled hands of NYC's renowned super-surgeon, the deep plane facelift is more than just surgery—it’s pure magic. Welcome to the world of luxury plastic surgery, a hidden gem on an unassuming stretch of Park Avenue, where Dr. Sam Rizk, a sculptor-turned-surgeon, reigns supreme. Here, newly lifted patients gaze at reflections they thought they’d lost, their youthful contours restored with the finesse of an artist and the precision of a surgeon. This is where scalpels become wands, time travel feels possible, and confidence—genuine confidence—becomes a power of its own. Dr. Rizk’s facelifts are meticulously tailored, honoring each patient’s unique cultural and anatomical nuances to deliver hypernatural results that rejuvenate without compromising facial harmony. To complete this bespoke experience, patients may recover in one of three luxury hotels—the Lowell, the Aman, or the Carlyle—ensuring complete pampering and privacy. In just two weeks, they’re ready to return to their lives, camera-ready and refreshed. An invitation into Rizk’s world is the ultimate gift of the season, a gateway to age-defying artistry and unparalleled refinement. For more information, visit Dr. Rizk's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Aya Ahram, Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery | Skin | New York, NY Here are some great holiday gift ideas: The Rhode Kit : A curated set of Rhode essentials designed to deliver hydrated, glowing skin all year round. Qure or Omnilux Red Light Mask : These high-tech masks stimulate collagen production, plump and rejuvenate the skin, and soothe redness and inflammation—perfect for a radiant, refreshed complexion. Alastin Gentle Cleanser and Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer : Start with the Gentle Cleanser to remove makeup and environmental impurities, then follow up with the peptide-rich Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer to boost elasticity, support healthier skin, and reveal a radiant glow. These thoughtful gifts combine luxury and care, making them perfect for the holiday season! For more information, visit Dr. Ahram's website and Instagram ! Dr. Husam Almunajed | Smile | New York, NY As a dentist, I know flossing isn’t everyone’s favorite part of oral care. Many of my patients share their frustration with traditional floss, and I completely understand—it can be tricky and uncomfortable. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to a wonderful alternative: the water flosser. Over the years, water flossers have evolved into an incredibly effective and user-friendly tool for maintaining healthy gums and a fresh smile. Having tried a few myself, I can confidently say they’re an excellent addition to your oral care routine at home. A water flosser uses a gentle stream of water to remove food particles and plaque from between your teeth and along the gumline. It’s simple to use and especially helpful if you struggle with traditional flossing. What’s more, water flossers offer a soothing experience. Unlike string floss, which can be awkward or harsh, the gentle water flow feels refreshing and leaves your mouth clean and invigorated. With regular use, you’ll notice healthier gums, fresher breath, and a confident smile—perfect for social gatherings, family events, or just everyday life. If you’re looking to elevate your oral hygiene or want a thoughtful gift for loved ones, a water flosser is a fantastic choice everyone will appreciate! For more information, visit Dr. Almunajed's website , Instagram , or Facebook ! Dr. Jay Arora | Vision | Scottsdale, AZ The holidays are a great time for gifts and spoiling the ones you love. And nowadays, with an increased emphasis on overall health, what better way to show those you love how much you care for their well-being than with products that promote healthy habits? For those dealing with dry eyes or eye strain, preservative-free artificial tears or high-quality lubricating eye drops can offer much-needed relief. Warm compress eye masks, particularly those designed for dry eye therapy, are relaxing and effective. Blue light-blocking glasses can also be a valuable gift for individuals who spend long hours on digital devices, helping to reduce eye strain. For overall eye health, ophthalmologists may recommend omega-3 supplements, as they can support tear production and eye moisture. UV-blocking sunglasses are another stylish yet protective gift idea, shielding the eyes from harmful UV rays. Skincare products designed for the sensitive skin around the eyes, such as hypoallergenic creams or serums, can be appreciated by those interested in beauty and anti-aging. Lastly, humidifiers make excellent gifts for those with dry eyes, particularly during the winter months. These products not only promote eye comfort but also contribute to skin hydration and overall respiratory health, making them a versatile and thoughtful present. For more information, visit Dr. Arora's website , Instagram , or Facebook !

(The Center Square) – Paula Scanlan is hopeful the narrative around gender ideology is shifting, especially as Republicans prepare for majorities in both chambers of the 119th Congress and a seat in the White House. “I am hopeful that with the majorities now that we will be able to get across the finish line,” Scanlan told The Center Square on Thursday, speaking of more legislation on the way to protect women's spaces. “Obviously, this goes beyond sports ... So ideally, I think that the biggest thing would be to federally pass something that says this is what a woman is.” Scanlan a day earlier was part of a panel where U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., announced that Republicans plan to soon introduce legislation to “protect children from transgender medical procedures.” A report from the advocacy group Do No Harm released four weeks before Election Day included documented evidence of such activity being performed on a 7-year-old . “We’ll be introducing the STOP Act soon,” said Marshall . “We are going to use the Commerce Act to punish people who perform any type of surgery, or who use any type of medications on minors.” STOP is an acronym for Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors. The panel said that the legislation is an important and necessary step to protect children. Scanlan and Marshall, a host with the American Principles Project, were on the panel alongside U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill.; Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project; and Sarah Parshall Perry, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “We all know by now that so-called gender affirming care is anything but caring,” Tuberville said. “It is pure insanity and has caused irreversible damage to countless children. This isn’t about politics, this is about good and evil.” Scanlan is an ambassador for Independent Women's Voice and a former collegiate swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania. Swimming for the Quakers, she and teammates endured being not only on the same team but in the same locker room as a swimmer who for the first three years swam on the men's team. “I was a swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania and the administration, the university and the NCAA said , ‘Here's a man who wants to swim on your team, please accept him,’” she explained during the panel. “This entire situation really made all female athletes feel isolated and alone, and like they know where to go.” Scanlan said that it wasn’t just competing that isolated the female athletes. “Eighteen times per week, my teammates and I were forced to undress next to a 6-foot-4, fully-intact male,” Scanlan said. “As a female athlete, this was just something I couldn't even imagine. It was something I never imagined would happen to me when I went off to college.” The STOP Act is one of a few beginnings. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has proposed legislation seeking to protect women’s spaces on all federal property nationwide. This would include bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons. Scanlan said this shows that public opinion is on the side of her and the panel. “This is really the first time we're seeing more of these people in power stepping up and actually doing the right thing and saying enough is enough” she said. “Now, we are looking at entire teams that are feeling empowered to be able to boycott ... or object to competing against males. It's widespread.” A notable case of that is San Jose State, where Blaire Fleming's participation has led to seven opponents forfeiting rather than playing a women's team that includes a man saying he is a woman. Tuberville and Marshall emphasized they believe the majority of Americans would agree with the proposed legislation. "The American people are sick of this nonsense," Tuberville said . "It’s time we restore some sanity and get common sense back in this country." Scanlan said that while she supports the national legislation Republicans are considering, it is important for states to also continue to pass legislation. “I always remind people who are really excited about having a presidency that we don't know what might happen in four years," she said. "So, of course, it's also important to codify this in states. We are going to continue our efforts. There's still a lot of work to be done, and I don't really see it as a win until we've finished this on the state level.”Trump calls Florida meeting with Trudeau productive amid stiff tariff threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country's hardline Assad rule. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country's hardline Assad rule. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees. But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern, if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” 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. Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. ___ Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report. Advertisement AdvertisementAn airline pilot has revealed why passengers must put their phones on airplane mode when flying. "It's not a conspiracy" airline pilot Perchpoint said on TikTok, explaining just why you can't continue to scroll when on board a plane. "No, it's not the end of the world, no the plane won't fall out of the sky, and it won't even mess with the systems on board, however, it does have the potential to mess with the headsets," he said.  READ MORE: Best places to pick your own sunflowers around Australia "If you have an aircraft with 79, 80, 150 people on board, and even three or four people's phones start to try and make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves. "There's a potential that those radio waves can interfere with the radio waves of the headset that the pilots are using." He said on a flight the night before in San Francisco, when the plane was on its way to the runway, a problem arose. Because somebody broke the rules, his communications with air traffic control were affected. "There was this really annoying buzz," he said. READ MORE: Why you should 'expect the unexpected' when cruising the Arctic, says Catriona Rowntree "It kind of sounds like there's a mosquito in my ear. "It's not the end of the world but it's definitely pretty annoying when you're trying to copy instructions and it sounds like there's a wasp or something flying around you." Social media users were surprised by his revelation. "I didn't know it mattered," one person said. Another person suggested he should tell passengers on a flight why they should heed the warnings. READ MORE: The 22 travel destinations Australian travellers are being warned to avoid in 2025 "Why was I led to believe it would make the plane crash," another viewer asked. Another person asked if the sound was similar many people remember from the early days of mobiles, when a computer would buzz when a phone call or test was coming into a nearby phone. The pilot confirmed it was.Like most of life’s better ideas, the genesis of this article was in the pub. It came via a discussion about the merits or otherwise of Tottenham Hotspur ’s football team. You know the drill: they’re great to watch, can beat the best and lose to the worst. Spurs gonna Spurs, etc. The pub-based chat, though, became particularly heated when the topic turned to expected goals (xG). Advertisement “Spurs’ underlying xG numbers are pretty good, so I’d expect them to climb the table,” The Athletic opined. “Mate, seriously do not talk to me about xG, that’s just fancy journalism bulls*** that you lot use to make a point.” Enter this article’s protagonist, Dominic Townsend. Dom is a Wycombe Wanderers fan, middle class, educated to degree level and a likeable, right-minded fellow. He absolutely cannot stand xG and its use in modern mainstream media. What followed in The Salisbury, a cracking traditional boozer in Haringey, north London, was a wine-fuelled debate for the ages, arguing the toss over the merits or otherwise of xG and other data terms. At its conclusion, Dom was angry/drunk enough to accept the challenge of repeating his views to an international audience via the medium of the internet and agreed to continue the xG debate with a proper data expert. Enter The Athletic ’s very own Duncan Alexander, an ex-Opta OG in xG. Duncan is also a Wycombe fan — but, incredibly, the pair have never met. So what is xG? Why do we use it? What other data terms might cross over into the mainstream? And what about xA, PSxG, PPDA, field tilt, duels and progressive passes and carries? Dom v Duncan. Let battle the duel commence. Expected goals (xG) Dominic Townsend: “I should probably start by saying I actually work for a data company, so despite Tim’s protestations I’m definitely not anti-data. Expected goals, I’ve had explained to me a couple of times and I broadly get what it is. I think ‘possible goals’ is a better way of putting it. “I also think the xG figure should start at a hundred, and then every time you miss a chance it takes a certain percentage off. I don’t understand how you could have more possible/expected goals than you actually score, because there’s illogicality there.” Advertisement Duncan Alexander: “Well, not really. But yeah.” Townsend: “And it isn’t used in the right way on television. It gets flashed up on (BBC’s) Match of the Day and everyone is expected — pun intended — to know what it means, but I’m not sure everyone does. I don’t hear many other people talking about xG in a pub.” Alexander: “Maybe you’re going to the wrong pubs.” Townsend: “Haha, well maybe I’m not !” Alexander: “I think it has crossed into common parlance with younger generations.” Townsend: “You’re calling me old, basically.” Alexander: “Well, you’re younger than me, but yes. I think you make some really good points. The name... I worked with the person who basically invented the model, or borrowed it from ice hockey. He’ll admit as well that the name isn’t great — it makes people think it’s predicting stuff that’s happening in the future. “It’s a measure of chance quality. To your point about how you can have more expected goals than actual goals in a game... the easiest example to use is a penalty, which has a .78 xG rating because historically 78 per cent of penalties are scored. “And then a shot from the ‘D’ just outside the box probably has a 0.04 xG rating because four per cent of those shots go in.” Townsend: “OK, so that makes sense.” Alexander: “There’s an awful lot of data behind it — probably more than half a million shots are in the database. “It’s at its best when judging a team over a longer period. If you look at rolling xG over a large amount of games you can see where a team’s good and bad form kicks in. It’s OK in a one-off game scenario, and sort of OK in a one-off shot. The xG rolling average can show a team’s form over time “The other thing people sometimes get the wrong end of the stick is; ‘How can you measure Lionel Messi and Che Adams (editor: apologies to Che Adams) on the same expected goals basis, because they’re obviously different players in terms of skill and quality?’. “But the point is you’re rating everyone above or below the average. Messi has outscored his xG pretty much every season he’s played football. Son Heung-min at Spurs, Harry Kane ; these players consistently overperform.” Townsend: “So, hang on. Is xG a worldwide average based on overall stats and positions of shots, or is it a team stat against the average? I guess what I’m trying to say is: if you’re saying Messi, Kane and Son outperform xG, is that because it’s a worldwide average?” Alexander: “Essentially yes, although it’s not worldwide. Opta, the most common model, is taken from 10 or 11 leagues. Advertisement Townsend: “OK so how about if Liverpool and Southampton play each other and have the same xG of 2.10... but it’s not the same xG is it, because Liverpool’s players would be expected to score more goals because they have better players? Alexander: “Well that’s where the name doesn’t quite fit and possible goals would work better.” Townsend: “I think that’s the problem, you’ve just explained it to me and I’ve followed what you said but I still have a question mark around certain aspects. “And I guarantee you most pundits that use xG numbers in their analysis have no idea and wouldn’t be able to explain what you just did .” Alexander: “I won’t mention who it was but I was once on a Premier League programme with an ex-player talking about xG, he didn’t understand its usage but after 45 minutes of me going through the semi-famous Manchester United win at Arsenal when they battered them on xG but lost 3-1, he got it. He had a moment of realisation. “So yeah, you’re right. But it has only existed in the professional game for over a decade and it wasn’t until 2017 that it was pushed to the media. So certain old dogs just won’t have learned the new tricks. “I remember looking at Twitter the night Match of the Day first flashed up xG alongside shots, yellow cards and, yeah, it didn’t go down well. Seven years later, there are clearly still some sceptics...” Townsend: “Haha, yes. OK, just clarify something for me. Paul Gascoigne at Euro 96, that famous chance against Germany when the cross comes in and he slides in to score, but doesn’t actually touch the ball. It’s a huge chance for a goal, but not a shot, so is xG registered for that?” Alexander: “That’s a very good point. Opta have a metric called ‘Big Chance’ and that Gazza one would go down as one and get an xG value. It’s a niche example for data people: how can you get xG from a shot you didn’t have?” Townsend: “So it does count?” Alexander: “Yeah, but they’re rare. A better example is probably the Alejandro Garnacho overhead kick at Goodison Park last season. That had maybe a six per cent xG because his body was in a good position in the box, you’d expect to score a decent amount of goals from there, but what he actually did with his back to goal was a one-in-10,000 thing... xG didn’t take into account he was facing the wrong way and acrobatically flinging himself. “That’s why doing individual shot xG isn’t the perfect use. Where it really has powerful value is looking at how a team does over a season or multiple seasons.” Goal of the Season | Premier League 2023/24 🥇 Alejandro Garnacho (for Manchester United vs. Everton ) “Audacious acrobatics and devastating footwork... There have been plenty of brilliant goals this season, but none come close to this one.” #TAFCAwards | #MUFC pic.twitter.com/68gSOEdbd0 — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 21, 2024 Townsend: “The thing is — and obviously The Athletic is leading the charge here — it’s appealing to the way Americans talk about sport. I think that’s probably fine. But there are certain things that don’t translate as well. The Gascoigne one, let’s say wingers hit the byline and cross just over a striker’s head 20 times in a game, does that count? Because it’s a goal opportunity but the striker may have mistimed their run.” Alexander: “Well, that’s where we bring in our good friend expected assists (xA).” Expected assists (xA) Alexander: “How do you credit players for good passes that are not taken advantage of? Or how do you credit players who consistently do things that go unrecognised? “The Steven Gerrard figure, Hollywood-balling it across the pitch, or playing through balls, they get a lot of credit, but what about the player consistently making those passes that open up space? That’s the logic behind xA. You award a value to each pass, given how the sequence of play then progresses. Advertisement “Rather than just looking at each bit of the game as an individual pass, cross, header, etc, you start linking everything together and assigning value. “A difficult pass at the start of a chain, because it moves the opposition around, might lead to a good chance. So it’s a way of rewarding those players further back. How do you value Rodri , etc?” Townsend: “That’s a really interesting one. As you’ll know, having supported a lower league club, there are certain players who really stand out in games for being a class above League One /League Two level, but that class might not be properly reflected in their goals/assists numbers because their team-mates are crap. “When every pundit and journalist is asking what a team actually needs, xA can help fill in those gaps.” Alexander: “Data is not there to try to solve football. Or to turn football into a spreadsheet. What it’s there for is to explain stuff and add context to things we all know.” Townsend: “This is where I come back to pundits, because I feel it’s their responsibility to use the incredible amount of data available to them to back up their points. “Some of them, you can tell, were good players and think they’re above data because it’s all (points to forehead) up here.” Alexander: “That’s definitely true, but also if you’re on Match of the Day, that’s for a general football audience. My mum watches Match of the Day... no offence to my mum, I’ve told her about xG. “You do get some people who know about data in football who think they know better than an ex-pro, but in reality, they don’t because they’ve never played at that level. “Conversely, a lot of ex-pros don’t think they need to know about data because they scored a hat-trick at Mansfield once. “In the spirit of open-mindedness, whatever your position or knowledge base or history, everyone can enhance their understanding and knowledge of football at any point.” Post-shot expected goals (PSxG) Alexander: “Right, so xG is where the shot is taken from, but then if that shot is on target you can measure how likely it is that it would have been a goal. I.e., if you shoot at the top or bottom corner, it’s got a higher chance of being scored than if you hit it in the middle of the goal. “The most common usage is for goalkeepers. If they’ve saved 10 shots on target but all those shots were in the middle of the goal where they’re probably stood, then that’s valued less than if the shots were aimed at the top corner. Advertisement “It’s essentially an evolution and an add-on to the main xG model.” Townsend: “See, again, I like that as a metric but the name is terrible. Post-shot?” Alexander: “Yeah, to be honest, it can be xGOT (expected goals on target).” Townsend: “We really need to talk about the whole naming thing. At what point did the whole media industry get in a room and go: ‘Right, you know football has existed for 100-odd years and everyone is fine with shots, saves, assists, tackles, closing down...’.” Alexander: “Well, you say that...” Townsend: “Basically we’re going to get to change all these terms with weird naming conventions and we’re not going to tell anyone about it.” Alexander: “Yeah, that’s my fault, basically. But to be honest that happens in football all the time. If you go back and look at the reports of John Barnes’ home debut for Liverpool in 1987, it says he scored one and made one, which he did. Now, we’d say he got a goal and an assist, but ‘assists’ weren’t around then, that terminology came from American sport in the 1990s.” “People would have valued an assist in the 1890s, there just wasn’t the terminology. In the same way xG would have been understood in a different way... someone runs through on goal in 1905 for The Wednesday and they miss the shot, people would have said, ‘He should have scored that’. Essentially that’s still xG, but they were wearing more hats.” Townsend: “So for PSxG, the concept works well but again it’s about presenting it in a certain way. So the keeper is in the form of their life and this is why, here’s the data which backs it up.” Alexander: “Any kind of acronym, it’s not particularly helpful to start throwing letters around, speaking of which...” PPDA (passes per defensive action) Alexander: “This is an interesting one because it’s pretty basic and measures a team’s press. “If you’ve got a PPDA of 10, the opposition are having 10 passes for every defensive action you’re doing against them.” Townsend: “What’s a defensive action?” Alexander: “A tackle, a challenge, an aerial duel, any kind of defensive interaction from the offensive players.” Townsend: “So, tackle one to tackle two, there are 10 passes occurring?” Alexander: “Yes and some games that might be 25... it’s a proxy for the higher the figure, the less you are pressing or being intense against that team, because you’re allowing them to have 25 passes before you tackle or press them. Advertisement “Again, over a longer period of time, a PPDA for a season tallies that the lowest figures are for the teams that press the most and the highest figures are the ones who sit off and are passive or reactive. “It’s pretty simple. Just two numbers divided by each other. And it correlates pretty well with what happens on the pitch.” Townsend: “I like that a lot. That should be used more commonly, you hear so much about whether teams press high or not.” Alexander: “Of all the stats that get explained, that’s the one people go; ‘Oh yeah, fair enough, good, I like it’.” Townsend: “Good, I like it.” Duels Townsend: “This sounds quite medieval.” Alexander: “Duels have an interesting backstory. When Opta was in its infancy, it started working on English football and in England we like tackles. But in Germany, they value a metric called duels so when Opta started working with the Bundesliga , German clients asked them why Opta didn’t have duels data. “Essentially, any time two players from opposite teams come together it can be classed as a duel. So, it’s a composite metric of tackles, aerial challenges, dribbles, etc. “Aerial duels are a particularly good metric and high numbers tend to directly relate to players who are good in the air, like Chris Wood .” Townsend: “So it’s the number of duels and then the percentage of duels won? And that’s based on the duels you’ve won against everyone, not just your battles against a certain player?” Alexander: “Yeah, that’s right.” Townsend: “That’s absolutely reasonable. The word has been in medieval parlance for centuries. Well done the Germans.” Field Tilt Alexander: “Field tilt is a slightly improved version of possession: it’s the proportion of touches a team has in the final third. “You ignore the middle bit of the pitch, you just look at the defensive and attacking thirds and you say; ‘If Man City have got a field tilt of 82 per cent, they’re having loads of the ball in the attacking third’. Advertisement “If a team averages a 70 per cent field tilt over a season, you know they’ve been possession-heavy on the front foot.” Townsend: “Again, I get it, but again I’m going to sound like a broken record because I’ve got an issue with the name. It just makes me think of a sloping pitch.” Alexander: “Just imagine yourself in a pub shouting; ‘Come on, we’ve got to turn this field tilt around’.” The Athletic’s matchday snapshot from December’s Manchester Derby Townsend: “Can you see the traditional list of shots, fouls, corners evolving over time so that in 10 years we’ve got PPDA and field tilt being used in the mainstream media? “Because when I’m in the States, they have the most unbelievable rolling sports coverage and they go over every single play in detail. All of this parlance that’s coming into football feels influenced by the States. “Certain sports do lend themselves more naturally to stats — stop-start games like American Football, basketball, cricket and rugby, for example. “I think the difficulty over here is that, broadly speaking, you’ve got Match of the Day which clearly doesn’t have enough time. Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football is the only long-form mainstream show that uses data well. “And to be honest xG is actually one of the most complicated things we’ve explained today but it’s used the most, whereas some of the others like PPDA which are easier to understand and really helpful, don’t get used.” Alexander: “Yeah... I can’t argue with some of that. I do think as time goes on, people in their 20s now and younger are using those terms more. Terminologies become outdated and we’re in a permanent cycle of ‘In my day’. “I’m pretty sure when we’re old, we’ll say to some kid on a hoverboard: ‘In my day we called it xG’.” Progressive passes and carries Alexander: “Right, so this is related to metrics like xA. Data for a specific pass doesn’t tell you that much, but if you then ascribe value to a good pass, or a cross-field pass that opens up the pitch, or a pass that takes out four opposition players, progressive passes is a way of applying value to that. Advertisement “It’s the same with carries. Rather than just dribbles, which is going past a player, with carries you can measure distance. So players who have carries over 10 yards and then end with a key pass or a shot, it’s a better way of valuing what a player does. Townsend: “The very obvious comparison there would be yards carried in American Football? I think that makes a lot of sense. And progressive passes, does that mean forward passes?” Alexander: “At The Athletic , we count a completed pass as ‘progressive’ if it’s at least 10 metres long and moves the ball at least 25 per cent of the remaining distance to goal...” GO DEEPER Why progressive actions are football's most important metrics Townsend: “I like the idea of being able to judge someone via these metrics... it takes the fun out of saying; ‘My player’s better than yours, mate’. But as someone who likes to win arguments, having more data is probably quite handy. “Basically, where we’ve got to with all this is 1) I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said but 2) Everyone needs a Duncan in the pub with you to explain all this.” Alexander: “I’m happy to go to any pub in any town and offer that service.” Townsend: “Just make sure you call it ‘possible goals’.” (Top photos: Getty Images; design by Demetrius Robinson)None

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VANCOUVER — Taylor Swift's three-night run at BC Place, closing out the pop star's global Eras Tour, generated daily economic impact for Vancouver that could rival the 2010 Olympics and smashed data streaming records, industry figures say. The CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association, Ian Tostenson, said the shows that ended Sunday had an effect that went far beyond other concert or sporting events in the city. Tostenson said Monday that his group estimates there was a $25 million boost for Metro Vancouver’s establishments for each of the three show days. In comparison, a sold-out, highly anticipated Vancouver Canucks playoff game brings an estimated $3 million a day in economic impact, Tostenson said. “In the context of comparing to anything else, it’s not even believable almost — it’s such a huge impact,” Tostenson said. “I was out a little bit on Friday and Saturday, and every place I went to was absolutely lined up and packed.” Tostenson said the concerts rivalled the Olympics in drawing fans from regions far beyond what a typical playoff hockey game would, and while it is difficult to compare the 2010 Winter Games to the Taylor Swift weekend, the events were in the same magnitude in daily impact on restaurants. “The financial impact of the Olympics was massive, (but) it was spread out over a couple weeks in different venues and stuff,” he said. “So, you didn't sort of feel this concentration that you saw with Taylor Swift.” Tostenson also said Swifties bumped up business across Metro Vancouver all weekend, with one major restaurant owner with multiple locations reporting full capacity not just at its downtown location but also in North Vancouver and Olympic Village. He credits the festive mood brought by fans that had an emotional effect on people in general, which in turn has a major impact on restaurants, an industry built largely on discretionary spending. People consume more when the mood is right, he said. “From a financial point of view, the Olympics probably had a bigger impact,” Tostenson said. “But ... I'm going to venture to estimate that this, on a daily basis compared to the Olympics, was stronger.” Telecommunications giant Rogers said data used during the last show was enough to stream Swift's entire music catalogue 9,450 times. It said in a statement that fans on the company's network set a Canadian record when they used more than 11 terabytes of mobile data in just a few hours at BC Place. The company's chief technology officer Mark Kennedy said Monday that is the equivalent of uploading 307,000 photos and 2,180 hours of video streaming. The previous record was set Nov. 21, when fans at Swift's concert in Toronto used 7.4 terabytes of data on the Rogers network. Music industry publication Pollstar also said Monday that Swift's 149-show worldwide tour brought in revenue of US$2.2 billion in its 20-month run. Vancouver Police thanked residents and visitors for a "safe and memorable weekend." Const. Tania Visintin said in a social media post that police spent months preparing for the shows. "We've had so much fun meeting people of all ages from all around the world, trading friendship bracelets and showing what a great city it can really be when we all look out for one another," she said. Thirteen Swift-themed lighting installations were set up at locations around the city to celebrate the singer's arrival. Suzanne Walters, a spokeswoman for Destination Vancouver, said most of the lit-up letters will be coming down over the next few days, but the “Swiftcouver” display downtown will stay until Dec. 13 — Swift’s birthday. Walters said the letters will be reused for holiday displays over the month of December and then be part of a pool of rentable supplies. Swift told the 60,000 fans in BC Place at Sunday's show that they were part of a tour seen by 10 million people, and that it was the most thrilling chapter of her life to date. She said the legacy of the tour will be "a space of joy and togetherness and love" that the fans have created. Swiftie Alaina Robertson echoed Swift's sentiments after the show, saying she shed lots of tears watching the "once in a lifetime" spectacle. Robertson — who travelled from Camas, Wash., for the show and wore a "Reputation" inspired outfit along with a temporary silver bedazzled snake tattoo — said she doesn't think any other concert will be able to compare. "It's going to be hard to beat," she said of the show. "She's changing the world of music. She's changing entertainment entirely, and to be at the tour with the crowd here, getting to do the friendship bracelets, getting to get dressed up — it's just love and joy and friendship, and it's been really magical to be a part of it." Fan accounts on social media platform X have posted photos showing a number of television and music stars at BC Place Sunday night, including actors Jenna Fischer, Aubrey Plaza and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as well as Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Taylor Nation, Swift's official management team, took to social media after Sunday's show to thank fans who "took part in experiencing the joy" of the Eras Tour. "We saw you spend hours designing your costumes, trading friendship bracelets, singing and dancing nonstop to the entire setlist, spreading love to everyone, and welcoming each city into our shared traditions," it said in a post to X. "While the tour has come to an end, your smiles, tears, and friendships will last a lifetime. Remember to hold on to the memories — they will hold on to you." — With files from Ashley Joannou, Brieanna Charlebois and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press

BOSTON — Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points, and the Indiana Pacers bounced back from a 37-point loss to Boston two nights earlier by beating the Celtics 123-114 on Sunday night in the rematch. Andrew Nembhard, who returned after missing Friday’s game with tendinitis in his left knee, added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam chipped in with 17 points and Bennedict Mathurin had 14. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 31 points and six assists. Jayson Tatum had 22 points, nine boards and six assists. Payton Pritchard added 21 points and Derrick White scored 17. The Celtics lost their sixth game at home already this season. Last season, they went 37-4 at TD Garden during the regular season and 9-2 in the playoffs en route to the NBA championship. HAWKS 136, RAPTORS 107: Trae Young had 34 points and 10 assists, De’Andre Hunter scored 22 points, and visiting Atlanta beat Toronto for its fourth straight win. Clint Capela had 11 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks opened a six-game trip by handing the reeling Raptors their 10th consecutive loss. MAGIC 102, NETS 101: Cole Anthony drove for a layup with 0.2 seconds left to complete Orlando’s comeback from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun visiting Brooklyn. Anthony scored 10, and Tristan da Silva scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for Orlando, which trailed 71-51 midway through the third quarter. Goga Bitadze added 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. THUNDER 130, GRIZZLIES 106: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, and host Oklahoma City won its 11th straight game, routing short-handed Memphis in a matchup of Western Conference leaders that turned lopsided before halftime. Rookie Ajay Mitchell scored 17 points for the Thunder, who opened a five-game lead over second-place Memphis. The Grizzlies played without star Ja Morant. HEAT 104, ROCKETS 100: Tyler Herro scored 27 points before being one of six people ejected after a fight in the final minute of Miami’s victory in Houston. Herro was thrown to the ground by the Rockets’ Amen Thompson with 35 seconds left and the Heat leading 99-94. Players and coaches from both benches then came onto the court. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high

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In a Monday appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," former President Bill Clinton said, despite President-elect Donald Trump sweeping all seven battleground states in the general election, America is still "deeply" divided. The 42nd president of the United States spoke with Joe Scarborough about his November-published book, " Citizen: My Life after the White House ," and his reactions to the November results. "People are losing faith in the institutions, and in many, many places, they're going to reward the people that destroyed their faith," Clinton said. "I wouldn't bet against America. So far everybody that's bet against us has lost money. We just gotta stay after it." Clinton also chimed in on Vice President Kamala Harris ' campaign run saying, "She became a candidate at a time when no one else could legally access the money that had already been given to Joe Biden , and there was no time to have primaries." Essentially, she was a "stranger" to the public, he said. The 78-year-old had been stumping for Harris across the country and took the stage in support of her at the Democratic National Convention in August. Clinton's analysis of the election continued when he said the Trump team tried to claim economic wins he felt were a product of the Democratic administration before him. "I think the facts are that he inherited the end of the Obama-era's recovery," he said about Trump getting credit for a strong economy at the beginning of his first term. It's been just over a month since the Republicans won the White House and both houses of Congres s, and some Democratic officials are still trying to explain the loss of blue-collar, Latino, and women voters. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and a former presidential candidate blamed the loss on Democrats' failure to focus on working-class issues, and others are clamoring for new leadership. "If I see a dumpster fire and we've put it out and I want to work on how to prevent future dumpster fires , I'm not going to go talk to the arsonists," Aidan Kohn-Murphy, the founder of Gen Z for Change, a political activism group, said on TikTok.SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — DeMarr Langford Jr. put in the winning points off his offensive rebound at the buzzer and Amar'e Marshall scored 18 points as Albany defeated Kansas City 67-65 on Saturday. Marshall added five steals for the Great Danes (5-1). Langford added 16 points while going 7 of 8 and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line while he also had six rebounds. Justin Neely shot 2 of 4 from the field and 6 for 7 from the line to finish with 10 points. Anderson Kopp led the Roos (3-4) in scoring, finishing with 20 points and four assists. UMKC also got 18 points from Jayson Petty. Kasheem Grady II also had 16 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Makenzie McGill II ran for 155 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns and North Texas ended a five-game losing streak beating Temple 24-17 on Saturday in a regular-season ender for both teams. The win helped North Texas (6-6, 3-5 American Athletic Conference) reach bowl eligibility. Prior to Saturday, the Mean Green hadn't won since Oct. 12 when they beat Florida Atlantic 41-37. The game's scoring outcome was settled by halftime. Chandler Morris threw a 14-yard touchdown to DT Sheffield on the game's opening drive for a 7-0 UNT lead. Kali Nguma added a 36-yard field 19 seconds later following a Temple turnover. The Owls (3-9, 2-6) got on the board with Maddux Trujillo's 44-yard field goal. McGill made it 17-3 with a 39-yard scoring run. Eight seconds into the second quarter, McGill ran 51 yards to the end zone for a 24-3 edge. Temple got two touchdowns before the half ended when Joquez Smith and Evan Simon each ran it in from the 1 to reduce the deficit to 24-17. North Texas clinched a bowl berth for the 15th time in program history and eighth time since 2013. It's the first time in the Eric Morris era North Texas has qualified for a bowl. Temple hasn't posted a winning season since 2019 when it went 8-5 and ended the season with a 55-13 loss to North Carolina in the Northrop Grumman Military Bowl. The Owls have ended the last four seasons with records of 3-9. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football