Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In mere months – March, to be exact – cult comedian Kate Berlant will complete her first-ever trip to Australia to perform. What she’ll perform when she gets here, though, she’s not yet sure. At this stage, she doesn’t even have the title. “What is the show?” Berlant deadpans, looking skyward as though contemplating a philosophical quandary she has no literal answer to. “That’s a really good question ... I mean, it’s just standup. I’m really just going to be doing standup.” Anyone familiar with Berlant’s comedy – her taped special Cinnamon in the Wind , for example; or her decade-long partnership with outlandish foil John Early (including their sketch special Would It Kill You To Laugh? ); even her podcast POOG (a play on GOOP) with fellow comedian Jacqueline Novak, and its spin-off Berlant & Novak – would understand that “just standup” is a loaded concept with Berlant. Although well-recognised from her acting work – she’s starred in films including Don’t Worry Darling , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Dream Scenario , and on TV in A League of Their Own , The Other Two and Search Party – her cerebral comedy, an act of onstage pomposity that folds the form in on itself with absurdist, and delightfully silly, abandon (“intellectual vaudeville”, a critic once branded it), has made Berlant a beatified icon of alt-comedy. If the fact she hasn’t got her new show sorted four months out from her booked dates fills you with secondhand anxiety, fear not: this is how Berlant works, working bits out on stage with the improvisational acuity of a surgeon. Since February, she’s been regularly taking the stage at Largo’s in Los Angeles, her hometown club, to riff on “themes of contemporary alienation”, with the goal of putting together a new hour. “Relying so much on improvisation is terrifying and oftentimes I’ve been doing standup and thought, wow, it would be so nice to just know what you’re gonna say every night,” says Berlant of her process. “But so much of standup is about hiding the work, hiding the fact that you’ve said this thing a million times, and I’ve always struggled with that because it’s just hard to keep up that performance in a way that feels authentic.” Advertisement It’s a dry autumn afternoon in Los Angeles when we speak over Zoom, and the twilight sun splashes through Berlant’s bedroom window (not to mention her incredible curls) like Cheezel dust. She’s spent the day dealing with a sudden and, at 37, completely unexpected allergic reaction to tomatoes and nightshade. “If I sound a little weird it’s because my mouth is inflamed,” she offers apologetically. And yet, she’s eager to discuss her return to standup because for the past couple of years she’s been focused entirely on her play, Kate . Berlant ended Kate in February after a string of sold-out runs across New York, Los Angeles and London. A one-woman show about a flailing actor’s desperate bid to be taken seriously, the conceit went deep. Shows reportedly featured Berlant herself mingling in crowded foyers before doors opened, holding a sign saying “Ignore me”. It premiered off-Broadway in September 2022, and earned rave reviews for its metatextual skewering of artistic self-indulgence. The Guardian labelled it the “one-woman show to end all one-woman shows”. Berlant says it was her biggest success yet. Which begs the question: why did she end it? Why is she not just bringing Kate to Australia? “Again, a really good question,” Berlant jokes. “It’s not that I’ll never do it again, but I do think it’s healthy to step away from things. I think things ripen and they absolutely rot. It just felt to me like it was time to do something else, just for my own brain.” “I just wanted to step away from it for a second”: Berlant during the opening night performance of her acclaimed play Kate in Pasadena in January. Credit: Getty Images She very well could have kept Kate going, Berlant concedes. But her hope is that, as the show operates in a separate universe to her standup, she can revive it a year from now, or two years from now, or even five years from now, and the material will organically grow with her. In the meantime, she’s been in discussions with her director, Bo Burnham, to potentially film and release it. “But that’s something for down the line. Because the show is extremely meta, it’s not just a show you throw a camera in front of,” says Berlant. “I just wanted to step away from it for a second and get back to what I really love doing the most, which is standup.” Advertisement When I speak to Berlant, it’s the week after Donald Trump’s crushing win in the US election – a desolate new landscape in America made real. “It’s scary, it’s dark, it’s intensely depressing, and kind of just surreal. It’s such a bizarre time to be alive,” Berlant says, staring into the camera, eyes like saucers to underscore the understatement. “It’s a really bizarre, rather depressing time.” Is that mood already affecting her new standup? “I’m reacting to it maybe in, like, a subtextual way, but not directly,” says Berlant. “No, certainly the show I’ll be doing will not be about me wrestling with, like, how to live in America under Trump. Like, I would sooner die.” It’s for the best. Because if there’s a through line to Berlant’s work, it’s that her performances have always been about the act of performing. Onstage, whether in a scripted play or in a standup set, she’s Kate, but she’s also “Kate”. The persona she’s made her own is of the self-serious artist desperate for attention, for fame, to be noticed as special. A piss take of the narcissism inherent in showbiz, it’s also a well-wrought personification of today’s wider condition, where social media has given everyone main character syndrome. “It just turns out that way with everything I do. My comedy is often about comedy and my performance is usually about performance, and so inevitably with my standup it’s hard for me to ignore how bizarre standup is when I’m doing standup, and it’s hard for me to not kind of call out how inherently strange the dynamic is and how strange it is as a form,” says Berlant. ‘Performing is inherently embarrassing and, I would say, something to be avoided if you can.’ “The idea of a person standing there and just talking about what’s on their mind, it denies that standup is such a highly constructed persona and performance, down to the shoes you wear. I’ve always looked at the conditions of performance as being really bizarre and also funny. And also just the fact that performance is, of course, a naked plea for attention and adoration. I can’t pretend that that’s not what’s going on in the room, you know?” The focus on performance is never far from Berlant; she’s been thinking about it forever (she even has degrees in the cultural anthropology of comedy and performance studies from New York University). A child actor, she scored her first onscreen gig at 15, playing Student #2 in an episode of Lizzie McGuire , and believed it would set her on a path to screen stardom (it didn’t). There was enough self-awareness in her failure to fuel another mode of expression: when she started doing comedy at 17, she quickly found that her standup landed on a self-referential conceit. Advertisement “I would end up kind of talking about standup in the standup. Which sounds awful,” Berlant laughs. “But, I mean, just talking about the encounter between performer and audience, and how performing is inherently embarrassing and, I would say, something to be avoided if you can.” She’d experienced something similar to that indescribable ick in her upbringing, too, as the only child of two artists – her father Tony Berlant is a prominent US sculptor; her mother Helen Mendez performed in experimental theatre before becoming a set designer. In an episode of Netflix’s The Characters , she portrayed an insufferable Marina Abramović type, lampooning the pretentious art world egos she’d witnessed growing up. “The self-importance of the art world, like the self-importance of Hollywood, there’s almost nothing to comment on because it’s so in plain sight,” Berlant says. “From an early age, I think I was aware of performance as not just being something people do on stage, but just as a child watching adults perform: perform being smart, perform being interesting, perform the performance of being an artist. “I mean, if you call yourself an ‘artist’ ...” she glances into the camera with an are you serious? stare. “That’s quite a part to play.” Berlant with her comedy partner John Early at this year’s Creative Arts Emmys, where their sketch special was nominated. Credit: Getty Images Is she never not aware of the performance? Like, even in this interview: me, playing the role of the politely probing interviewer, trying to dig at some defining childhood trauma; she, the subject, playing at being revealing, as if she’s never considered these stories before. “Yeah, it’s hard to separate, I think I’m always aware of it,” says Berlant. “But what I really find funny are people who don’t know that we can see them performing. We live in a world now where everyone’s a performer, even people who aren’t performers are used to performing for social media. So there’s been a huge breakdown in those terms and in their definitions.” Advertisement Complicating Berlant’s obsession with the artifice of authenticity in comedy and theatre is a sincere love of live performance. In a world where standup careers can thrive exclusively through crowd-work clips on TikTok, she still craves the sacredness of the club. Loading “When I started standup, the only way to get good or build a career was to perform, do shows, as many shows as you could do. Even just, like, spiritually, I feel so lucky that was how I came up,” she says. “So I do think that in today’s world, it’s still very exciting when people show up physically to see a show. I think that’s something that will persist, but it is feeling more and more rarefied and less valued.” It’s why Berlant is excited for the set she’ll be bringing to Australia, whatever shape it ends up taking. After her journey with Kate , a return to the spontaneous possibilities of her standup has been calling. “There’s something that feels good about just being like, okay, this is where I am right now in my life, this is how I’m reacting to it, and not being too precious about it or spending years crafting it. I think that’s what makes it feel alive, for me and the audience.” Kate Berlant will be performing at Melbourne Recital Hall on March 7 and at Sydney Opera House as part of All About Women on March 9. To read more from Spectrum , visit our page here .THIS Morning presenter Alison Hammond says she dodged using weight-loss jabs to shed the pounds — after learning she was pre-diabetic. The TV star, 49, said she exercised with the help of a personal trainer and changed her diet. Advertisement 1 Alison Hammond says she dodged using weight-loss jabs to shed pounds Credit: Rex But while drugs such as Ozempic have been popular with celebs, they did not appeal to Alison, whose late mum, Maria had Type 2 diabetes. She said: “For me, as soon as I hear any scare story, I get frightened. “So I haven’t wanted to use them, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t in the future, and I certainly wouldn’t look down on anyone who did. “My mum had type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me, so when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening. Advertisement READ MORE ON ALISON HAMMOND Food Flop This Morning's Alison Hammond in hysterics as Prue Leith fails in cooking demo Exit Shock 'Devastated' Alison Hammond breaks silence as Martin Frizell quits This Morning “I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop - and the fatty foods. “Twice a week I see my personal trainer, and I have a couple of weights in my bedroom. “I walk, I stretch and sometimes I do a bit of yoga. “I try to vary it so it’s not the same every day. Advertisement Most read in News TV DUTY CALLS Line of Duty's Martin Compston stars in new role worlds away from BBC cop drama BOILING POINT Lorraine Kelly fumes 'shut up' during rant about Gregg Wallace live on air 'SURREAL' Still Game fans stunned as star gets behind bar to serve punters at local pub Exclusive STATION HOP I'm a Celeb bosses plotted to poach BBC star, hoping she'd jump ship to ITV “After a session at the gym, I think I’m Venus Williams , with all those endorphins pumping around. “If I miss a session or two with my trainer, I notice it. That kick you get out of the way you feel is so good.” 'Devastated' Alison Hammond breaks silence on Martin Frizell quitting This Morning saying 'he has to leave' Alison told Good Housekeeping mag she achieved her goal with twice-a-week training sessions and changing her diet. But she added: “I’m no longer pre-diabetic — so I’m a bit naughtier with my food now.” Advertisement “But because my body’s working properly, I can allow myself a bit of sugar here and there. “I love my new shape and although I still have areas I’m conscious of, such as my arms and my tummy, it’s great being able to wear things I would never have been able to before. I mean, look at me, I’m a bombshell."genie shoes 。

HOUSTON, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BridgingApps ® , a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is partnering with Sentara Health Plans to create a revolutionary transition tool for children and youth with special health needs. Through this project, BridgingApps has created an online resource to assist Virginia families with children who have special health care needs access information to prepare and successfully help them transition to adulthood. The interactive tool, Virginia Youth2Adult , will empower youth with special health care needs to grow successfully into adulthood. Transition planning requires addressing many areas of need for a child with chronic health conditions, yet there is currently no simple method that tackles areas as wide ranging as health care to age appropriate social activities, independent living or employment in any meaningful way. Families will be able to use Virginia Youth2Adult to begin planning early, ask the right questions, and find resources on many areas of life as an adult. "BridgingApps is uniquely positioned to create an innovative, easy to use and sustainable online tool that will empower families to plan early, obtain assistance with the right questions to ask, and access current information to allow their children to live as fully participating members of our community," says Easter Seals Greater Houston's CEO Elise Hough. A focal point of Virginia Youth2Adult is the connection with BridgingApps' App Search Tool, a free online tool that allows users to find a variety of smartphone/tablet applications, or apps, to assist with many areas of transition, such as education, managing health information, and independent living. The database of apps is trialed and reviewed by therapists, special education teachers, experts, and special needs users and focuses on skill, rather than age or diagnosis. “Sentara Health Plans is proud to introduce the Virginia Youth2Adult website, in collaboration with BridgingApps, as an interactive tool designed to support youth and caregivers across Virginia,” said Randy Ricker, Medicaid Plan President and Vice President of Sentara Health Plans. “This comprehensive resource empowers all Virginians to actively participate in this critical life state, providing confidence and support as they navigate education, employment, health care and independent living for themselves and loved ones.” Earlier this year, BridgingApps created Sentara Health Plans’ Member Profile App Lists which transformed the way that their members manage their health decisions and develop important skillsets, ultimately improving their health and quality of life. BridgingApps will seek input from the local Easter Seals affiliate, organizations, and subject matter experts throughout Virginia to create this resource. Virginia Youth2Adult will be available in 2024 on a variety of platforms and distributed widely in Virginia with partners in the areas of health care, education, disability advocacy and housing. About BridgingApps BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, provides the access, education, and resources needed to effectively use mobile, touch-based devices to help people with disabilities communicate, exceed educational goals, and reach their fullest potential. BridgingApps includes a website, app reviews by therapists and special education teachers, a custom app search engine, assistive technology labs, training and certification options for parents, organizations and schools. For more information, visit www.bridgingapps.org . About Easter Seals Greater Houston Since 1947, Easter Seals of Greater Houston, Inc. has provided help, hope, and answers to Veterans, Service Members, children and adults with any type of disability, and the families who love them. The local non-profit is leading the way to 100% equity, inclusion, and access through essential resources and supports for every stage of life. Through therapy, training, education, and support services, Easter Seals Greater Houston creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work, and play in our community. For more information, visit www.eastersealshouston.org . About Sentara Health Sentara Health , an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 130 years in pursuit of its mission - "we improve health every day." Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety, and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health's "Top 15 Health Systems" (2021, 2018), and was recognized by Forbes as a "Best Employer for New Grads" (2022), "Best Employer for Veterans" (2022, 2023), and "Best Employer for Women" (2020). About Sentara Health Plans Sentara Health Plans provides health plan coverage to nearly one million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara Health Plans offers a full suite of commercial products including employee-owned and employer-sponsored plans, as well as Individual & Family Health Plans, Employee Assistance Programs and plans serving Dual-Eligible, Medicare, and Medicaid enrollees. Media Contacts : Easter Seals Greater Houston Public Relations Sadie Eckenrod seckenrod@eastersealshouston.org Sentara Corporate Communications & Public Relations news@sentara.com

What does a spy agency give for Christmas ? How about a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery. GCHQ, Britain’s electronic and cyber-intelligence agency , on Wednesday published its annual Christmas Challenge – a seasonal greeting card that doubles as a set of fiendishly difficult puzzles designed to excite young minds about solving cyphers and unearthing clues. The challenge is aimed at young people aged 11 to 18, who are encouraged to work in teams and use “lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance” to crack the seven brainteasers set by GCHQ’s “in-house puzzlers.” The card is sent by the head of GCHQ — short for Government Communications Headquarters — to other national security chiefs around the world. Puzzles were first included in 2015 and have become an annual tradition. The card can be downloaded from the GCHQ website, and has become popular with teachers – the agency says a third of British secondary schools have downloaded it. The agency admits the festive fun has an ulterior motive. GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler said she hoped the card would inspire young people to explore STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – “and to consider what a career in cybersecurity and intelligence might have to offer.” It also aims to dispel some myths about intelligence work, fueled by super-agent James Bond and other fictional spies. GCHQ’s “chief puzzler,” Colin, said the challenge is best solved by teamwork, in contrast to the popular image of the lone genius or solo secret agent. “Don’t get me wrong – we have geniuses in the department,” said Colin, who gave only his first name because of the secret nature of his work. “But critically what we have is a large number of people with different skills coming together. “The skills we want are quite diverse. We like analytical skills but also lateral thinking skills. And we like the idea with some of these puzzles that it involves a certain amount of perseverance to get to the answer.” The card features a map of the U.K., linked to the locations where GCHQ has bases, including its high-tech headquarters in Cheltenham, western England, nicknamed the doughnut because of its shape. Many British people are keen puzzle-solvers, and the link between puzzlers and spycraft is often celebrated – notably in the many books, films and TV shows about Bletchley Park, a complex of buildings and wooden huts northwest of London where, during World War II, hundreds of mathematicians, cryptologists, crossword puzzle experts and computer pioneers worked to crack Nazi Germany’s secret codes. Historians say their work shortened World War II by as much as two years. Colin said that among new recruits to GCHQ, “we now hear more and more that they first heard of GCHQ through puzzling.” “It definitely inspires people.” Technology has advanced immeasurably since the days of Bletchley Park, but — reassuringly — making and solving puzzles is one area that still needs the human touch. “AI doesn’t have a good record either setting or solving puzzles, not of this sort,” Colin said. “It is still the case that people are able to set interesting puzzles in a way that AI isn’t – thank goodness.”

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- ABC13 is your place to watch the SEC this Thanksgiving weekend. Texas is taking on Texas A &M in a matchup that will have big implications in the College Football Playoffs. ESPN College Football Analyst Roman Harper joined Eyewitness News to talk football and give his perspective on what is sure to be a great matchup. Harper agrees that for Texas A &M, the game at Kyle Field is the Aggies National Championship Game. "You know they would love to play spoiler versus Texas because I am looking at Texas. They had three games all year. This is the third game, and it is big time in Kyle Field," Harper said. You can watch the Lonestar Showdown on ABC13 on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. For more on this story, follow Jeff Ehling on Facebook , X and Instagram .Biden pledges £472m for rail project to improve access to Africa’s minerals

Steelers star T.J. Watt resistant to position switch, insider says

Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas treeWorkers assemble 5G network components at JMA Wireless' new factory in Syracuse on July 28, 2022. (Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com) Mark Weiner | mweiner@syracuse.com Washington – JMA Wireless plans to expand its research and manufacturing operations in Syracuse after winning a nearly $44 million federal grant from the CHIPS and Science Act, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said today. The expansion will initially lead to 30 new jobs, with the potential to grow significantly as JMA ramps up full production of its 5G wireless equipment, the company said. All told, JMA Wireless officials said the CHIPS Act grant will allow the company to invest $75 million to open a new production line and expand testing capabilities at its plant on Syracuse’s South Side, which opened in 2022. JMA is the only American-owned manufacturing plant that makes 5G wireless communications equipment used by cell phone companies like Verizon and AT&T. Schumer, D-N.Y., included in his CHIPS and Science Act a Wireless Innovation Fund to help U.S. companies compete with China and companies like Huawei in the development of 5G wireless networks. “We need the future of America’s 5G technology built in Central New York, not China,” Schumer said in a statement. “Investments like this show the federal government is serious about taking back the reins on critical technology like 5G and making sure the future of broadband and wireless technology is stamped ‘Made in America’ with JMA leading the way,” he said. JMA plans to use the federal money to accelerate production of its 5G open radio access network (ORAN) technology and locate it at their new Syracuse campus with their own testing laboratories. JMA said its goal is to produce and sell more than 12,000 state-of-the-art 5G ORAN radios per year made its Syracuse campus. The CHIPS and Science Act set aside $1.5 billion for the Wireless Innovation Fund, intended to boost U.S. technological leadership for the next generation of high-speed internet and strengthen U.S. supply chains. It’s a lesser-known section of the law, which set aside most of its $52 billion in funding to lure computer chip manufacturers back to the United States. Micron Technology earlier this week signed a deal with the federal government to receive $6.1 billion in CHIPS Act grants to build new chip plants in Central New York and Idaho. Micron will use about $4.6 billion of that funding to help build the first two of four manufacturing plants at White Pine Commerce Park off Route 31 in Clay. Micron said it would invest $100 billion in Clay over 20 years, leading to 9,000 direct and 40,000 spinoff jobs. JMA Wireless, founded in 2012, designs and manufactures 5G wireless platforms in Central New York. In 2022, the company opened the 5G component factory on the edge of downtown Syracuse in one of the city’s poorest, most neglected neighborhoods. JMA said the $50 million plant would initially employ about 200 people, with plans to expand into the neighborhood by creating a research and manufacturing campus in the coming years. In Onondaga County, JMA also operates a manufacturing plant in Clay that makes wireless equipment. The company has more than 500 local employees and 1,000 globally, with research and development offices in Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Virginia and Italy. In 2022, JMA Wireless bought the naming rights to Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome as part of a 10-year agreement. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751

( ) just reported the fiscal fourth quarter (Q4) and full-year 2024 results that disappointed the market. Investors are wondering if the pullback in the stock on the earnings news is a good opportunity to add BNS stock to a self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or (RRSP) portfolio. Bank of Nova Scotia share price Bank of Nova Scotia trades near $77 per share at the time of writing. The stock is off the 12-month high near $80 but is still up more than 20% in 2025. The bank is in a transition phase, which was launched by its new chief executive officer last year. Bank of Nova Scotia is shifting its growth strategy away from South America to focus more on Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In the past, the bank spent billions of dollars to acquire assets in Chile, Colombia, and Peru. These countries, along with Mexico, make up the core of the Pacific Alliance trade bloc that enables the free movement of goods, services, and capital among the member markets. The attraction for the bank has always been the growth potential as the middle class expands in these countries. Combined, they have a total population of more than 230 million with low bank services penetration compared to Canada. Economic and political turbulence, however, increases risks in these markets. That’s probably the reason investors have largely preferred the other big Canadian banks for several years. The new strategy of focusing on North American opportunities is designed to boost investors’ returns. In recent months, Bank of Nova Scotia announced a US$$2.8 billion deal to acquire a 14.9% stake in KeyCorp, a U.S. regional bank. The move gives Bank of Nova Scotia a platform to expand its American operations. Bank of Nova Scotia has also created a new executive position to oversee expansion in Quebec. Earnings Bank of Nova Scotia generated adjusted net income of $2.12 billion in fiscal Q4 2024 compared to $1.64 billion in the same period last year. For fiscal 2024, adjusted net income rose to $8.63 billion from $8.36 billion in 2023. Return on equity dipped slightly to 11.3% from 11.6%. Overall, the Q4 and full-year results are solid. Bank of Nova Scotia continues to maintain a strong capital position with a common equity tier-one (CET1) ratio of 13.1%. This gives the bank financial flexibility to ride out turbulence in the markets or to make additional acquisitions. The bank took a $430 million charge in the quarter related to a previous investment in China. Bank of Nova Scotia also reported fiscal Q4 provisions for credit losses (PCL) of $1.03 billion compared to $1.05 billion in the same period last year. Investors might have been hoping for a drop in PCL, given the cuts to interest rates in Canada and the United States in recent months. For fiscal 2024, PCL was $4.05 billion compared to $3.42 billion in 2023. The elevated PCL suggests that customers with too much debt are still struggling despite the decline in interest rates in the second half of this year. Risks High interest rates remain a headwind for the . Inflation rose in October in Canada and the U.S. after a steady decline over the past year. If the Trump administration moves ahead with planned tariffs next year, inflation in the U.S. could surge, potentially forcing the central bank to put rate cuts on hold. Tariffs would also put pressure on the Canadian economy. If the central banks are forced to slow down planned rate cuts or start to raise rates again, Bank of Nova Scotia and its peers might see defaults start to increase next year. Should you buy the dip? BNS stock is due for a pullback after the big gains this year. Given the uncertain outlook over the coming months, it might be best to wait for earnings reports from the other large Canadian banks to get a sense of where they see things headed in 2025. A better entry point might be on the horizon.LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Tahj Brooks ran for a season-high 188 yards and three touchdowns in the final home game for Texas Tech's all-time leading rusher, and the Red Raiders rolled to a 52-15 victory over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas Tech (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) kept alive faint hopes for a bid in the Big 12 championship game by winning at least eight games in the regular season for the first time since 2009 under the late Mike Leach. The Red Raiders scored at 50 points for the second week in a row and had a resounding response to consecutive home losses. “It was a big deal for us to play well at home,” coach Joey McGuire said. “Our last two home games, we’ve had incredible crowds that had great energy, that had our backs and we played really, really bad. We were embarrassed.” Garrett Greene threw an interception and lost a fumble on Terrell Tilmon's strip sack in the final three minutes of the first half as the Mountaineers (6-6, 5-4) raised more questions about the future of coach Neal Brown by falling behind 35-3 before the break. Behren Morton threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, including a 31-yarder to Caleb Douglas to put Texas Tech in front 42-3 early in the second half. Josh Kelly had 150 yards receiving. “I don’t think the first half of football defines who they are, who they are as individuals, who we are as a team,” Brown said of the Mountaineers. “Not pleased with that.” McGuire, who will have his third winning record in three seasons, called timeout with 5:57 remaining and his team leading 45-15 to take Brooks out of the game. Brooks was mobbed by teammates as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Brooks ran for at least 100 yards in all 11 regular-season games he played, breaking the single-season school record of 10 he shared with Byron Hanspard and Bam Morris. Brooks pushed his career total to 4,557 yards in his first home game since breaking Hanspard's 1996 school record of 4,219 yards two weeks ago at Jones AT&T Stadium. Two of Brooks' TDs came on 2-yard runs from direct snaps, and the other was a 37-yarder when he stumbled on a cut but stayed on his feet and bounced off defensive back Ty French. Brooks has 17 TDs rushing this season and 45 for his career. Brooks set up one of his short TDs with a 30-yard catch. Jahiem White ran for 124 yards with a spinning 21-yard touchdown for West Virginia, and Greene had a 15-yard scoring toss to Rodney Gallagher III. Greene threw two picks. The takeaway West Virginia: A perfect season on the road in the Big 12 ended with a thud. The Mountaineers were 3-0 away from home in conference before allowing 29 second-quarter points followed by another TD just 2:12 into the third. Texas Tech: Tight end Jalin Conyers, one of Brooks' fellow seniors playing his final home game, made up a for a dropped pass in the end zone with a juggling, diving catch for 18 yards to set up Morton's 1-yard scoring toss to Mason Tharp. Conyers, an Arizona State transfer, also had a 2-point conversion run on a swinging gate play from the PAT unit. Up next Both teams are eligible for bowl games. At game's end, Texas Tech's fate for a spot in the Big 12 title game was still up in the air. ___ 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

AP Business SummaryBrief at 1:57 p.m. ESTIs the world more dangerous than ever for travelers? A global risk expert weighs in

Pittsburgh Steelers second-year defensive tackle Keeanu Benton knew the NFL Films cameras would be present when he spoke to his teammates the night before the game, adding pressure for someone who doesn’t enjoy public speaking. “When I’m talking to people, I get nervous,” Benton said. “The words that I’m thinking before the speech is not always what comes out. It’s just off the top. I just said what was in my heart.” That’s why Benton called it “cringey” to watch himself on “Hard Knocks.” He was limited in practice by hip injury and said he’d had a bad week and “was down” both mentally and physically. During his drive, he had an epiphany that playing in the NFL is “what I’ve been dreaming of my whole life.” Benton drew laughs and cheers when he ended his talk by saying, “Let’s kick these boys’ ass.” “The whole camera being in there adds a little extra to everything, but I don’t feel like it was different,” Benton said. “I’ve talked to these guys before but being in that setting where we’re not in gear — we were getting ready to go to bed, essentially — to voice who I am and become a better leader.” Steelers defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk was impressed. “It’s awesome, especially him being so young,” Loudermilk said. “He’s a dominant player, as well. When he stands up and talks, everyone listens because we know what he can do on the field. And it is one of those situations where it is tough to talk, especially being a young person. But he did his thing. He stepped up willingly and delivered.” Ward waived In a move that could foretell the activation of defensive back Cory Trice off of injured reserve, the Steelers after Wednesday’s practice announced they had waived veteran running back Jonathan Ward. Ward had not played in the past four games despite signing to the active roster Nov. 12. A five-year veteran who joined the Steelers in May, Ward has five carries for 22 yards in four games and 10 offensive snaps this season. He does play a special-teams role and has been back as a returner for kickoffs. Trice, who has not played since Week 3 because of a hamstring injury, must be added to the 53-man roster this week or by rule he is out for the season. Thursday marks the 21-day mark since Trice returned to practice. On the injury report, Trice was listed as a limited participant Wednesday.

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