49 jili Millions of meals served at St. Vincent de Paul each yearWas your 2024 Spotify Wrapped disappointing? A former engineer explains why it felt like a flop this yearJim Larrañaga could handle—and repeatedly thrived—in the old college sports system, where athletes could only get paid under-the-table, even if that meant the Feds might subpoena his text messages. But the 75-year-old University of Miami head men’s basketball coach acknowledged this week that he didn’t have what it takes—at least not at this point in his career—to compete for talent in the unfolding open market. This, despite the fact that Larrañaga’s 2022-23 national semifinalist team, led by Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack, became an early archetype for the new epoch of booster-funded NIL. In a surprise announcement Thursday, Larrañaga said he would be immediately stepping down as the Hurricanes’ coach, just two seasons after leading the program to its first Final Four. His current contract, which was extended in May 2023, ran through the end of next academic year. Miami is currently 4-8 this season after winning its first three games. As a private university, Miami is not forced to disclose its employees’ contracts. However, in the school’s 2023 tax filing, which is public, it showed that Larrañaga earned $2.85 million in annual compensation. “I’m exhausted,” Larrañaga told reporters in a press conference. “I’ve tried every which way to keep this going. And I know I’m going to be asked a lot of questions but I want to answer them before I am even asked.” He explained he was “shocked...beyond belief” when, in the wake of the team’s historic Final Four appearance 20 months ago, eight of his players decided to put their names in the transfer portal. Lamented Larrañaga: “The opportunity to make money some place else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach: What is this all about?” Larrañaga’s chagrin echoes that of several other big-time college basketball coaches—including Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Virginia’s Tony Bennett and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim—who have retired in the four years since the NCAA’s rule changes that now allow college athletes to sell their NIL. Boeheim, incidentally, publicly accused Miami of having “bought” its Final Four team with NIL money. Arguably, Larrañaga should be perfectly well-positioned to explain the forces of capitalism motivating his players to seek more money elsewhere. In 2011, at the age of 61, Larrañaga left his long-time head coaching job at George Mason—which he had led to its only Final Four run five years earlier—to take the reins at UofM. Prior to that, he had spurned other offers, including from Providence, citing his comfort and familiarity with Northern Virginia, where he had coached the Patriots since 1997. The change of scenery quickly proved fruitful. In his second season, the Hurricanes won the ACC regular season title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s tournament. But Coral Gables would have its dark days as well. In 2017, Larrañaga received a grand jury subpoena as part of the Department of Justice’s college basketball corruption investigation, and he later acknowledged cooperating with the authorities. Larrañaga was never charged or accused of wrongdoing by the government, but in court filings that identified him as “Coach-3,” he was said to have been mentioned in a wiretapped phone call between two of the defendants as soliciting Adidas’ help in facilitating a $150,000 payment to a recruit Miami hoped to sign. Larrañaga denied the allegation that he or his assistants were involved in any bribes to athletes. “It’s been a strain—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually,” he said at the time, according to the . “But it’s something that’s there. I have to deal with it. And I have the support of my wife and a wonderful family. I have the support of the university and the support of my staff and players. So we just have to keep moving forward.” He persevered, but the team slogged through three losing seasons following his subpoena. Then, in 2021-22, they turned it around, posting a 26-11 record and earning a berth to the Elite Eight. A month later, the Hurricanes landed Pack thanks to a two-year $800,000 NIL deal with LifeWallet, the company founded by UM booster John Ruiz. With Pack leading the way, Miami went 29-8 the following year on its way to the Final Four. Including Pack, now playing a fifth-year graduate student, Miami’s current roster sports eight Division I transfers. Sign up for . For the latest news, follow us on , , and .

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I was excited to go to the Christmas markets for first date with dream man – then I discovered cruel truthDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An American citizen who disappeared seven months ago into former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system was suddenly discovered Thursday outside Damascus after being released and handed over to rebel forces, Syria’s new authorities said. The political affairs office of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the lightning offensive to topple Assad’s government, said the group had secured the release of U.S. citizen Travis Timmerman. In interviews with media in Syria, Timmerman said he was imprisoned after crossing from Lebanon into Syria on a Christian pilgrimage. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Judge grants dismissal of election subversion case against Trump

uniQure's AMT-130: A Bold Step For Huntington's, But Not Without HurdlesHappy holidays from Bad Bunny , who announced Thursday he will release a new album Jan. 5. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which translates to “I should have taken more photos,” is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. His debut album, 2018’s “X 100PRE," arrived around Christmas and 2020's “El Último Tour del Mundo” near Thanksgiving. The January release date is just before “Día de Reyes,” or Three Kings Day, and is a Sunday — unlike the industry's standard Friday release date. The Puerto Rican musician announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” A day before, Bad Bunny teased a 17-track list on social media, with each song titled “BOMBA,” perhaps in reference to the Puerto Rican musical style and dance. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” follows 2023's “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (“Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow”), which was met with mixed reviews. On that album, Bad Bunny's reggaeton offerings were limited, returning instead to the Latin trap of “X 100PRE” in songs like “MONACO” and “GRACIAS POR NADA.” The announcement caps a busy year for El Conejo Malo. Bad Bunny made headlines after he threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after a comedian at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally made crude jokes about Latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” He also canvassed North America on his “Most Wanted Tour,” which made The Associated Press' list of the best concerts of the year.

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Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EST, NFL Network BetMGM NFL odds : Rams by 6 1/2. Against the spread: Cardinals 9-6; Rams 8-7. Series record: Rams lead 50-41-2. Last meeting: Cardinals beat Rams 41-10 in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 15. Last week: Cardinals lost to Carolina 36-30, OT; Rams beat New York Jets 19-9. Cardinals offense: overall (11), rush (5), pass (20), scoring (14). Cardinals defense: overall (20), rush (22), pass (13), scoring (T-13). Rams offense: overall (15), rush (20), pass (13), scoring (17). Rams defense: overall (24), rush (25), pass (19), scoring (21). Turnover differential: Cardinals minus-4; Rams plus-5. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has had a relatively productive rookie season with 51 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. But it’s also true that he hasn’t always looked like the true franchise changing force the Cardinals expected when they took him with the No. 4 overall pick. Arizona might be out of the playoff race, but Harrison’s development continues to be a major focus for the team down the stretch. RB Kyren Williams is coming off his best game of the season after rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries to help Los Angeles grind out a win at the Meadowlands. He hardly factored into the first meeting against Arizona, a game the Rams trailed 14-0 halfway into the first quarter and 24-3 at halftime, getting 12 carries and running for 25 yards and a touchdown behind a battered offensive line. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray vs. Rams defensive line. Los Angeles had no answers for Murray in September as he threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns without an interception and added 59 yards rushing. But their defensive front is much more cohesive than it was in the second week of the season, with rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske proving to be menaces in the backfield. If Murray feels that pressure and can’t keep his eyes downfield, the Rams will be in much better shape to limit Arizona’s passing game. The Cardinals have been beat up over the past two games. Both of the starting tackles — Paris Johnson Jr. (knee) and Jonah Williams (knee) — are out for the season after they were put on injured reserve this week. Others such as RB James Conner (knee), LB Baron Browning (neck), LB Mack Wilson Sr. (concussion) and DL Darius Robinson (calf) have been limited during practice. ... The Rams are in good shape, a far cry from where they were to start the season. RT Rob Havenstein was the only name on their injury report through Wednesday, when he was limited because of a shoulder injury. Arizona has not swept the season series since 2014 when the Rams were playing in St. Louis. ... The Rams and Cardinals have split the past four meetings. Arizona had dropped 11 of the previous 12 in the series. ... Los Angeles is 3-2 against Arizona since moving into SoFi Stadium in 2020, kickstarting its run to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season with a 34-11 win in an NFC wild-card game. The Cardinals have lost four of their past five games and were eliminated from the playoff race after last week’s 36-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals have made the playoffs just once over the past nine seasons. That was in 2021 ... Harrison had four catches for 130 yards and two TDs vs. the Rams in Week 2. All of that production came in the span of seven plays in the first quarter. ... The Cardinals are No. 5 in the NFL with 145.8 yards rushing per game. They also rank No. 2 with 5.28 yards per carry. ... Chad Ryland has made 25 field goals since his debut in Week 5, which ranks fourth in the NFL over that span. ... Safety Budda Baker has a career-high 148 tackles this season, which broke his previous high of 147 set in 2019. ... James Conner has 1,500 yards from scrimmage this season, including 1,090 rushing and 410 receiving. ... Trey McBride has caught 91 passes this season, which is a franchise record at tight end for the Cardinals. ... The Rams can clinch a playoff spot with a win and either a Seahawks loss or tie or a series of results elsewhere to secure the strength of victory tiebreaker. ... Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw for 110 yards against the Jets. Los Angeles has won all four games this season where Stafford has finished with fewer than 200 yards through the air. ... WR Puka Nacua had a record-setting rookie season, but Arizona was the one team that kept him in check. Nacua made four catches in each of the two meetings in 2023, finishing with 26 and 27 yards. ... The Rams didn’t have LT Alaric Jackson (suspension), LG Steve Avila (knee) or Nacua (knee) in the Week 2 game against the Cardinals. ... Los Angeles has run for at least 132 yards in four straight games, with Williams accounting for at least 87 yards in each outing that span. Cooper Kupp likely sank many a fantasy title push with his limited production over the past month, and the Rams WR should remain on benches this week for any owners still in the mix. Kupp has topped 44 yards receiving once in his past five games against Arizona. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLWhich gifts were popular this year? This list from Apple offers clues.Legal AI Software Market Size & Trends To 2030