SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Dan Campbell stood at the podium after Detroit blew a 17-point lead to San Francisco in last season's NFC title game and talked about how that might have been the Lions' only shot at reaching the Super Bowl. The coach knew how difficult it would be to maintain that high level of play through injuries, attrition and with a target on their back as a top contender in the NFC. Eleven months later as Campbell and the Lions prepare to return to Levi's Stadium for the first time since that loss , that has proved to be prophetic — for San Francisco instead of Detroit. The Lions (13-2) head into the rematch Monday night with the inside track at the top seed in the NFC playoffs, while the 49ers (6-9) have already been eliminated from postseason contention . The element of revenge for last season's 34-31 loss is secondary for Detroit, considering what's on the line the last two weeks of the season. The Lions can clinch the top seed in the NFC by winning their final two games or with a win against the Niners if Minnesota loses to Green Bay on Sunday. “Anytime we lose, the thought of losing is going to motivate you to not want to lose again, particularly with where you were at,” Campbell said. “So, that’s always going to bring its own level of motivation to it. But this is where we’re at in the season, we know that we need another win, we understand where we’re at in the division and the NFC, so I think it’s all encompassing.” While the Lions have no need to search for motivation, that's not the case for the 49ers, who are playing out the string of a lost season after making losing back-to-back NFC title games in 2021-22 and the Super Bowl last season. A run of injuries to key players like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk, combined with inconsistent play all season have led to the 49ers having nothing to play for in the final two games. “It’s obviously not where you want to be this time of year,” Bosa said. "It’s different, especially watching where we’re at last year against this team. Just that feeling of December, January football is a feeling that I’ve gotten used to being really competitive and being in the mix. I think we’re doing a good job of staying engaged and obviously this is our job, so we’re going to finish it strong. Go ing deep Detroit’s faith in Jameson Williams is paying off, taking advantage of his game-breaking abilities with big plays. Jared Goff heaved an 82-yard touchdown pass over Williams’ shoulders and into his hands in last week’s win at Chicago. Earlier this season, Goff threw 70-, 64- and 52-yard passes for scores to the third-year receiver. “We work on it a ton, him and I do, and it’s a testament to him,” Goff said. “He’s asking for it. He wants that work, and I’m more than happy to give it to him during the week. It’s good. Our connection continues to grow. He’s obviously one of the best deep threats in our league, even when it’s not perfect.” Makeshift line The 49ers head into the game scrambling to put together an offensive line. Williams has been out for more than a month with an ankle injury and his backup at left tackle, Jaylon Moore, is now sidelined by a quadriceps injury. Left guard Aaron Banks injured his knee last week, while his backup Ben Bartch is already out with an ankle injury. That will leave the Niners with two third-stringers protecting Brock Purdy. But Shanahan said he isn’t thinking of sitting Purdy to protect him. “People deal with that throughout the year on other weeks, too,” he said. “I mean, we’ve got a football team. We’ve got to go out and we’ve got two games here and we’ve got to see what guys we can put out there and whatever we do we’re going to put a game plan together to, as best as we can to give us a chance to win.” Bag of tricks Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who may have a chance for the second straight offseason to be an NFL head coach, routinely pulls off trick plays and his latest was a doozy. Goff intentionally stumbled after taking a snap and Jahmyr Gibbs went to the ground as their teammates yelled, “fumble,” to fool the Bears on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta. “Those make you feel good because everybody is invested in it,” Campbell said. “It’s fun. It’s different. It’s sound. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s sound.” Just for kicks San Francisco kicker Jake Moody is having a rough second season after being drafted in the third round a year ago. Moody has missed seven field goals this season, including a 41-yarder last week at Miami. Moody is just 10 for 16 since coming back from a high ankle sprain in his kicking foot, but Shanahan said he still has confidence in him. “I still feel the same about him, that I believe he’ll be our guy,” Shanahan said. "I mean everyone’s got to perform and do things like that. I think he has had a tough year. Before his high ankle sprain, he missed one. ... I think he was 12 of 13 before that, so I thought he was doing really well." ___ AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

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OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out “the most vulnerable.” The Liberals announced a plan last week to cut the federal sales tax on a raft of items like toys and restaurant meals for two months, and to give $250 to more than 18.7 million Canadians in the spring. Speaking after a Canadian Labour Congress event in Ottawa, Singh says he’s open to passing the GST legislation, but the rebate needs to include seniors, students, people who are on disability benefits and those who were not able to work last year. Singh says he initially supported the idea because he thought the rebate cheques would go to anyone who earned under $150,000 last year. But the so-called working Canadians rebate will be sent to those who had an income, leaving out people Singh says need the help. The government intends to include the measures in the fall economic statement, which has not yet been introduced in the House of Commons. The proposed GST holiday would begin in mid-December, lasting for two months. It would remove the GST on prepared foods at grocery stores, some alcoholic drinks, children’s clothes and toys, Christmas trees, restaurant meals, books, video games and physical newspapers. A privilege debate has held up all government business in the House since late September, with the Conservatives pledging to continue a filibuster until the government hands over unredacted documents related to misspending at a green technology fund. The NDP said last week they had agreed to pause the privilege debate in order to pass the legislation to usher in the GST holiday. Singh said Tuesday that unless there are changes to the proposed legislation, he will not support pausing the debate. The Bloc Québécois is also pushing for the rebates to be sent to seniors and retirees.

Lions head into NFC title game rematch vs. 49ers seeking top seed more than revengeSoftware-Defined Data Center Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report Forecast Period (2024-2031).

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Leila Hedary was already a mother of nine when she and her husband, Antoine, decided to leave their war-torn home of Lebanon and come to the United States. The couple had planned such a move for a long time. “She gave us names that could fit into the United States, because that’s what they hoped for,” Liliane “Lilo” Garza, youngest of the Hedary children, said. Hedary, who helped her husband run the venerable Hedary’s Mediterranean Restaurant in Fort Worth for 40 years before it closed in 2016, died Dec. 6. She was 81. Hedary raised her children, kept the house, cooked in the restaurant and served the needy through her church, her family recalled. “My mom was there to feed all 11 of us every day,” Marios Hedary, one of her children, said. The births of her children, all in Lebanon, occurred during breaks in her work. In one such instance, Garza said, recounting a family story, her mother was making tabouli while in labor and finally took a break when she finished. Almost all of Hedary’s children were born at home, with assistance of midwives. “She’d have to stop what she was doing to go have a baby,” Garza says. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. Hedary retired from the restaurant in 2016 to dote on her children and grandchildren and continue serving her church. Hedary’s subsequently closed the restaurant, in the 6333 center on Camp Bowie Boulevard. Marios Hedary had already opened Byblos Mediterranean Restaurant in 1992 on Fort Worth’s Northside and continues to run that today. One of his brothers, George, owns a Hedary’s restaurant in Allen . “We always talk about opening a Hedary’s in Fort Worth (again) one day, but this is Hedary’s,” Marios said, referring to Byblos. The family’s story in Fort Worth began in the mid-1970s when the Hedarys moved to Cowtown, joining a family member who was already in the city studying to become a mechanical engineer. They opened a restaurant in 1976, but not without difficulty. For one, the Hedarys met resistance from public school officials when they removed their children from the schools to work in the restaurant. Leila and Antoine changed their business hours to dinner-only so their children could attend school. Just months after moving to Fort Worth, the family sold the restaurant and moved back to Lebanon. Finding much of their former life there gone because of the civil war, they moved back to Fort Worth for good. Leila and Antoine, who operated a restaurant in Lebanon before their first move to the United States, soon established themselves with a new spot on Camp Bowie Boulevard. While Antoine ran the restaurant, Leila did much of the prep and cooking. “She was the best cook,” Marios says. “I’ve tried and tried and tried to cook like her.” Away from the restaurant, Leila couldn’t turn off her need to feed someone. “When you have that many kids and you’re a mom all the time, she was overtaken with the need to feed all the time,” Garza says. “We’d visit her house and she’d start chopping and, all of a sudden, a pile of fruit would appear out of nowhere in front of you.” “Eat,” Leila would instruct, Garza says. Of Leila’s nine children, five were girls. The children ranged in age by 16 years. Leila had 16 grandchildren. “With every childbirth, she was there,” Garza says. “She always went and stayed with whoever had the baby until they got their feet on the ground.” Leila also committed to ensuring her children and grandchildren were members of the Catholic Communion. When one of her children went through a divorce, Leila set out to make sure the couple’s two children received First Communion and were confirmed, Garza said. “Those two kids have her to thank.” Leila was born Oct. 5, 1943, in Beirut. She and Antoine met in Beirut and married in 1957. She is survived by her children, Joseph Hedary (Arlete), George Hedary (Elizabeth), Fanie Tabet (Mouhib), Marios Hedary, Christine Hedary, Mariz Khoury, Frank Hedary, Clara Hedary and Liliane Garza (Marcus); grandchildren, Tony Tabet, Alida Tabet, AJ Hedary (Elissa), Elaine Hedary, Hedy Hedary-Pena (Jason), George Abi-Hanna, Olivia Hedary, Rami Khoury, Christian Khoury, Andre Khoury, Dylan Khoury, Elvis Hedary, Anjolie Hedary, Nina Garza, Nicholas Garza and Chloé Hedary; and great-grandchildren, Aubreanah Madrid-Tabet, Patrick Juarez, Ema Juarez, Trinidad Hedary, Aleena Arreguin, Alayla Pinales, Juliana Hedary and Jesiah Aragon-Hedary; and brother, George Bazourji. Leila was preceded in death by Antoine Hedary; her father, Michel Bazourji, and mother, Marie Baladi; and sisters, Alice Feghali (Joseph), Laudi Bazourji and Nouhad Zeytoune (Georges).The family requests memorials be made to Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Lewisville. Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report December 23, 2024

Leila Hedary, wife, mother, servant of God, longtime Fort Worth restaurateur, dies at 81

Kansas City (14-1) at Pittsburgh (10-5) Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Kansas City (14-1) at Pittsburgh (10-5) Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Kansas City (14-1) at Pittsburgh (10-5) Wednesday, 1 p.m., EST, Netflix. BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 2 1/2. Against the spread: Chiefs 7-8; Steelers 10-5 Series record: Steelers lead 25-14. Last meeting: Chiefs beat Steelers 42-21 in the first round of the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2022, in Kansas City. Last week: Chiefs beat Texans 27-19; Steelers lost to Ravens 34-17 Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (15), pass (12), scoring (11). Chiefs defense: overall (3), rush (3), pass (17), scoring (3). Steelers offense: overall (19), rush (11), pass (25), scoring (12). Steelers defense: overall (11), rush (8), pass (20), scoring (7). Turnover differential: Chiefs plus-4; Steelers plus-16. Chiefs player to watch WR Marquise Brown, who hurt his shoulder on the first play of the preseason and landed on injured reserve, made an impressive regular-season debut against Houston last week. “Hollywood” caught five passes for 45 yards, including an early 13-yarder that converted a fourth down and led to an eventual touchdown. But perhaps most importantly, Brown’s mere presence kept Houston from double-teaming Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce all afternoon. Steelers player to watch LB T.J. Watt. The perennial All-Pro is dealing with an ankle injury and had a quiet game in the loss to Baltimore, finishing with just four tackles and didn’t have a single hit against Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Pittsburgh’s best chance at pulling the upset relies heavily on disrupting Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes at every turn. To do it, Watt will need to do some Watt-like things. The 30-year-old leads the NFL in forced fumbles for a defense that thrives on takeaways. Key matchup Steelers RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris against the Chiefs rush defense, which is ranked third in the NFL and allowing just 91.4 yards per game. The Chiefs held the Texans’ Joe Mixon to just 57 yards rushing last week, the latest in a season-long trend of shutting down top running backs. The Browns’ Nick Chubb had 41 yards the previous week, and the Ravens’ Derrick Henry, the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson and the Saints’ Alvin Kamara are among those who have similarly struggled against Kansas City. Key injuries Chiefs: LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring) and CB Chamarri Conner (concussion) are likely to miss a second straight game. DT Chris Jones (calf) and RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) are iffy after getting hurt against Houston. Steelers: WR George Pickens (hamstring) should return after missing the past three games. S DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and DT Larry Ogunjobi (groin) may also be back after sitting the past two weeks. Starting CB Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and backup wide receiver/special teams ace Ben Skowronek (hip) are out. Series notes The Steelers have dominated the series, leading 23-14, but the Chiefs have won the past three games. That includes a 42-21 rout in their most recent matchup in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2022 — the last game played by Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Prior to the Chiefs’ three-game win streak, the Steelers had won three in a row, including an 18-16 victory in the divisional round on Jan. 15, 2017, that they won despite not scoring a touchdown. Stats and stuff 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. Kansas City can clinch the No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye with a win over the Steelers, or if the Bills lose or tie when they play the Jets on Sunday. ... Pittsburgh has dropped two straight, but can still earn its first AFC North title since 2020 by winning its last two games. ... The Chiefs can set a franchise record for regular-season wins with their 15th by beating Pittsburgh or Denver in their regular-season finale, breaking a tie with the 2020 and ‘22 teams. ... The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes needs three TD passes to break Peyton Manning’s record of 244 for a QB’s first eight seasons. Mahomes did not start as a rookie and has played just 111 games while Manning played 128 over that span. ... Mahomes has dominated the Steelers so far in his career, throwing 14 touchdowns without a pick while leading Kansas City to three victories in as many tries. ... Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins has an NFL-leading 177 straight games with a catch. TE Travis Kelce is second with 173. ... Kelce has 76 TD catches, tied with Tony Gonzalez for the Chiefs record. Kelce has 79 total TDs, four shy of Priest Holmes’ franchise record. ... WR Xavier Worthy has five TD catches, tied for the sixth most by a rookie in Chiefs history. Worthy also has three TD runs, and the eight total is also tied for sixth most in franchise history. ... Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie has intercepted a pass in back-to-back games. He did not have a pick in his first 48 games. ... This is the 12th game in Steelers history to be played on Wednesday and the first since 2020, when a showdown with the Ravens was repeatedly postponed because of COVID-19 issues. Pittsburgh is 5-6 all time on Wednesdays. ... A healthy Pickens will likely give the Steelers passing game a serious boost. QB Russell Wilson is averaging just 167.7 yards per game in Pickens’ absence, down from 271 yards per game with Pickens in the lineup. ... This is Pittsburgh’s first regular-season game against a team with 14 wins. ... The Steelers have five wins against the defending Super Bowl champions since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. ... Pittsburgh is 26-12 in Weeks 17 and 18 since the start of the 1990 season, the second-most wins in the NFL over that span behind Green Bay (28). ... The Steelers have won seven straight games and 12 of their past 13 the week following a loss of at least 17 points. ... Pittsburgh leads the NFL with 31 takeaways. and has forced at least two turnovers 11 times. Fantasy tip It might be championship week in your league, so why not turn to a championship quarterback. Mahomes has earned the benefit of the doubt even in a “down” season by his standards and with Pittsburgh missing its top cornerback and the pass rush slowed of late, give Mahomes a start against a team he has toyed with in his career. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement AdvertisementLions head into NFC title game rematch vs. 49ers seeking top seed more than revenge

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There’s no denying the significance of the agriculture sector to Pakistan’s economic growth and food security. However, a long list of challenges in recent years, such as low growth rates and the loss of farmland due to flooding, deemed it necessary for the administration to consider out-of-the-box solutions to expand cultivable land, optimise land use, minimise water losses, and attract foreign investment. The construction of the Cholistan Canal under the Green Pakistan Initiative, thus, marks a crucial milestone in Pakistan’s quest for a more sustainable agricultural sector. Scheduled for completion by 2027, this flagship project is set to irrigate 1.2 million acres of land in the Greater Cholistan region. By converting wasteland into irrigated agricultural land, these projects will enhance agricultural productivity, trigger income generation, and create employment opportunities. The use of advanced telemetry systems will bring accuracy in monitoring and ensure efficient water distribution. This improved communication infrastructure will give farmers better access to markets, while large-scale corporate farming using High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems will result in higher yields and lower water usage. A holistic approach can ensure that Pakistan’s agricultural sector remains resilient in the face of changing climate patterns, something that has become the primary challenge in the face of unprecedented and frequent natural disasters. As always, true benefits and progress towards the creation of a more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural sector would rely upon the political will to look beyond petty squabble and strengthen the country’s food security. If the provincial and federal authorities join hands to ensure an expanded and efficient agricultural network all the while prioritising the welfare and livelihoods of locals, the completion of these projects will undoubtedly have a positive impact on Pakistan’s economy. The fact that Sindh has already raised concerns about the potential impact on water supply also needs to be addressed transparently to pave the path for across-the-board consensus. *

VANCOUVER - A pet food company in Oregon sent out a voluntary recall after a house cat died from eating its products, which tested positive for bird flu, and the company says the same contaminated batch was sold in British Columbia. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * VANCOUVER - A pet food company in Oregon sent out a voluntary recall after a house cat died from eating its products, which tested positive for bird flu, and the company says the same contaminated batch was sold in British Columbia. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? VANCOUVER – A pet food company in Oregon sent out a voluntary recall after a house cat died from eating its products, which tested positive for bird flu, and the company says the same contaminated batch was sold in British Columbia. Northwest Naturals in Portland, Oregon, says in a statement that it is recalling one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. The company says the same product was sold in several states including California, Colorado, Washington and B.C. in Canada. The Oregon Department of Agriculture says in a warning issued on Thursday that tests confirm that a house cat in Washington County was infected with H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food sold by Northwest Naturals. The test results have triggered a nationwide voluntary recall with the company alerting consumers to check their products. The recall applies to products packaged in two-pound plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates between May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. Northwest Naturals says customers who have purchased the recalled product should immediately throw away the product. 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. Dr. Ryan Scholz, a state veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, says in a statement that they are confident that this cat contracted bird flu by eating Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food, especially since this cat was “strictly an indoor cat,” which could not be exposed to the virus in its living environment. The Oregon Department of Agriculture says to date, no human cases of bird flu have been linked to the incident. It also says this case reminds pet owners that feeding raw meat to pets can lead to severe illness and these harmful pathogens, including H5N1, can be destroyed when meat is thoroughly cooked. Health Canada hasn’t officially recalled the products and it has not yet responded to media requests. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2024. Advertisement AdvertisementPokémon as a franchise has been around for more than 25 years, and in that time we've seen hundreds of characters introduced across the games, anime, manga, movies, and even the trading card game. While there are plenty of no-name carbon copy trainers and NPCs scattered throughout Pokémon, the characters that are part of the story tend to be wildly varied, with no two major characters being all that alike. You've got the eclectic cowboy gym leader Clay from the Unova region, the flamboyant gym leader-turned-champion Wallace, the Twitch streamer gym leader Iono, and so many more. What's largely lacking among these major characters, though, is LGBT+ representation. In recent years, The Pokémon Company has made some efforts to be a little more LGBT-friendly – the decision to let either gender player character in Scarlet and Violet wear any clothes, accessories, and hairstyles is a welcome move – but actual canon LGBT+ characters are few and far between. It might surprise you to learn, though, that there are actually a few canon LGBT+ Pokémon characters, and a few more that are heavily implied but not outright confirmed — yet, at least. Some characters are better than others, but the franchise has actually had LGBT+ characters for almost as long as it's been around. Pokémon's first foray into LGBT+ representation was all the way back in 1999, with the release of a manga called How I Became a Pokémon Card. This series featured largely standalone stories with each chapter, each designed to expand upon the artwork of a specific Pokémon card. The 38th and final chapter of How I Became a Pokémon Card introduced a character called Akari, a trans boy who longed to be a cool trainer. He begged his mom to get him a cool Pokémon to have as his first partner – his friend Akira bagged himself a Scyther – but his mom thought that a cute Pokémon like Pikachu was a better choice. Akari is actually handled surprisingly well, given it's Pokémon in Japan in the 90s — not typically a great combination for LGBT+ representation. There are small hints at the struggles he faces as a trans boy, along with some much more overt issues, like being forced to wear a skirt in middle school. Akari wasn't featured in anything else beyond that one chapter of a Japan-exclusive manga, and that's a bit of a bummer, given it's handled as well as it is. The next canon LGBT+ character wouldn't come for another decade and change, and if you weren't paying attention, you might have missed them altogether. There's a random Beauty Nova in Pokémon X and Y who has the following line when defeated: "A mere half year ago I was a Black Belt! Quite the transformation, wouldn't you say?" On its face, this probably doesn't seem particularly indicative of LGBT+ representation, but reading between the lines makes things much more interesting. The Black Belt class in Pokémon X and Y – and most other games in which they appear – is exclusively masculine-presenting. There are no Black Belt trainers that are women, and likewise, there are no Beauty Nova trainers that are men. The logical conclusion, then, is that this character once presented as a man – a Black Belt – and now presents as a woman. If that's not enough to convince you, though, we should look at the Japanese text for the same character. Here it is, as translated by Legends of Localization : "I was a Karate King just half a year ago; the power of medical science is awesome, wouldn't you say?!" The explicit mention of medical science makes clear that this isn't just a change in careers, it's a change in gender identity as a whole. It's a small detail for a minor character, and one that was made more ambiguous in the localization process, but it's definitely there, and it's definitely real. The most recent canon LGBT+ representation in Pokémon comes from a bit of an unlikely source: Pokémon Go. And it's not in the form of some random NPC either — the Team Mystic team leader Blanche, who roughly a third of players interact with every day in the game, is explicitly non-binary. There's a swathe of evidence for this, too. No piece of official English media has ever used gendered pronouns for the character — every single one either refers to Blanche directly by name, or uses they/them pronouns. Languages that are inherently gendered, like Spanish and French, use feminine prose when referring to Blanche, but it's worth noting that in many of those languages, it's common for non-binary people to use feminine-gendered language as the default, in lieu of other options. Japanese is not a particularly gendered language at all, so Blanche's (along with every other character's) pronouns are largely not used there, but German is a gendered language, and the German version of Pokémon Go, as well as social media accounts, have made concerted efforts to use non-gendered language when referring to them, after initially using feminine language. Blanche actually shares this trait with Rhi, a member of the GO Ultra Recon Squad, who typically resides in Ultra Space. Rhi is referred to explicitly with they/them pronouns in English, though in an opposite situation to Blanche, they're typically referred to using masculine pronouns in heavily gendered languages. These three – or four, if you count Rhi – characters are, so far, the only canon LGBT+ characters confirmed so far, but that doesn't mean they're the only ones in the franchise. There have been hints here and there in Pokémon Masters, for example, that Steven and Wallace might be in some kind of romantic relationship. A Valentine's Day update added new dialogue where they express affection for each other, and Barry stops short of saying the two are romantically involved, but it's certainly implied, nonetheless. The franchise's latest anime series, Pokémon Horizons, similarly hints at the potential for queer romance. Many fans have interpreted Murdock – the Brave Olivine's chef – and his history with another man named Mitchell as potentially romantic. Similarly, in a more recent episode, ship mechanic Orla said some very interesting things towards Poké Ball craftswoman Karnathat certainly seemed to have some level of romance behind them. None of these are outright confirmed, of course, but the sexualities and gender expressions of most characters in most media rarely is. More explicit LGBT+ representation in Pokémon would be a massive win for the franchise, and I'd absolutely love to see gay and lesbian couples represented in some way, in much the same way that straight relationships are shown. Whether or not that will happen anytime soon is anyone's guess, but as time marches on, so too does social progress, and it's really only a matter of time before we see real representation front and center.LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers headline the action-packed Christmas Day lineup and will go against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors . James still looks forward to playing against his former foe during the holiday season because of their shared court experience. Fans will tune in to ESPN and ABC on Dec, 25 as the Lakers-Warriors game will be the fourth out of the five games on the special day. On Monday, James and his team suffered a 117-114 loss against the Detroit Pistons . The All-Star forward discussed playing his former adversary over the holidays after the game. “Anytime you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete versus one of the greats that have played this game,” James said. “You don’t take it for granted. Like I said, ‘How many more opportunities we’ll get them to go against each other, so it’s always fun.” Over the summer, James and Curry played together for Team USA, leading the national team to a gold medal finish. The Lakers star was asked what it would mean if he wins against his former national team colleague on Christmas. “Depends on what side I’m on,” he continued. “Got to see it this past summer with Team USA and it’s been a great feeling, I’ve seen on the other side and that’s what we’re for.” When the Lakers and Warriors match up Wednesday, it will be the 4th time LeBron James and Stephen Curry will have played each other on Christmas. LeBron: “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’re going to get to go against each other ...” pic.twitter.com/y8MCZJR1aD — Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 24, 2024 James has been around in the league and appeared in 18 Christmas Day games. During that stretch, he’s averaged 26.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists with a 10-8 record. Curry, on the other hand, has played 10 games on the special holiday, earning a 4-6 record. During the holidays, he’s averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists. LeBron James wants the Lakers to play with more physicality Following the Lakers’ loss to the Pistons, LeBron James addressed one of the main issues the team has struggled with. According to him, Los Angeles needs to match the opposing team’s physicality to try and win. “We just gotta match physicality with physicality,” James said. “ I can’t speak for nobody but myself when it comes to there. I’m a football player so I don’t mind physicality, to be honest. As a team, we just gotta be better with it – just be strong, that’s all.” LeBron was asked if opposing teams’ physicality is getting the best of the Lakers. His response: “I’m a football player so I don’t mind physicality, to be honest.” (via @mcten ) pic.twitter.com/1eNGRLTdVr — Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 24, 2024 This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday the country had received $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund, which would be used for key budget expenditure. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said Ukraine had already received $5.4 billion from the IMF so far this year. Kyiv relies heavily on foreign financial aid to cover social expenditure and to support the economy as Ukraine’s military continues to battle Russian forces, almost three years since Moscow launched full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. Ukraine allocates its own revenues to security and defence. Source: ReutersCMG Deadline: CMG Investors with Losses in Excess of $100K Have Opportunity to Lead Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit Filed by The Rosen Law Firm