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Amanda Hernández | (TNS) Stateline.org CHICAGO — Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. “There is this sense of brazenness that people have — they can just walk in and steal stuff. ... That hurts the consumer, and it hurts the company,” said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, in an interview. “That’s just the world we live in,” he said. “We need to get people to realize that you have to obey the law.” At least eight states — Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Vermont — passed a total of 14 bills in 2024 aimed at tackling retail theft, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The measures range from redefining retail crimes and adjusting penalties to allowing cross-county aggregation of theft charges and protecting retail workers. Major retailers have responded to rising theft since 2020 by locking up merchandise, upgrading security cameras, hiring private security firms and even closing stores. Still, the report indicates that shoplifting remains a stubborn problem. In Chicago, the rate of reported shoplifting incidents remained below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023 — but surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period a year ago. Shoplifting in Los Angeles was 87% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Police reports of shoplifting from January to October 2024 were lower than in 2023. Los Angeles adopted a new crime reporting system in March 2024, which has likely led to an undercount, according to the report. In New York, shoplifting rose 48% from 2021 to 2022, then dipped slightly last year. Still, the shoplifting rate was 55% higher in 2023 than in 2019. This year, the shoplifting rate increased by 3% from January to September compared with the same period last year. While shoplifting rates tend to rise in November and December, which coincides with in-person holiday shopping, data from the Council on Criminal Justice’s sample of 23 U.S. cities shows higher rates in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. Researchers found it surprising that rates went up despite retailers doing more to fight shoplifting. Experts say the spike might reflect improved reporting efforts rather than a spike in theft. “As retailers have been paying more attention to shoplifting, we would not expect the numbers to increase,” said Ernesto Lopez, the report’s author and a senior research specialist with the council. “It makes it a challenge to understand the trends of shoplifting.” In downtown Chicago on a recent early afternoon, potential shoppers shuffled through the streets and nearby malls, browsing for gifts ahead of the holidays. Edward Johnson, a guard at The Shops at North Bridge, said that malls have become quieter in the dozen or so years he has worked in mall security, with the rise of online retailers. As for shoplifters, Johnson said there isn’t a single type of person to look out for — they can come from any background. “I think good-hearted people see something they can’t afford and figure nothing is lost if they take something from the store,” Johnson said as he patrolled the mall, keeping an eye out for lost or suspicious items. Between 2018 and 2023, most shoplifting in Chicago was reported in the downtown area, as well as in the Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, according to a separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice. Newly sworn-in Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke this month lowered the threshold for charging retail theft as a felony in the county, which includes Chicago, from $1,000 to $300, aligning it with state law. “It sends a signal that she’s taking it seriously,” Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told Stateline. Nationally, retailers are worried about organized theft. The National Retail Federation’s latest report attributed 36% of the $112.1 billion in lost merchandise in 2022 to “external theft,” which includes organized retail crime. Organized retail crime typically involves coordinated efforts by groups to steal items with the intent to resell them for a profit. Commonly targeted goods include high-demand items such as baby formula, laundry detergent and electronics. The same report found that retailers’ fear of violence associated with theft also is on the rise, with more retailers taking a “hands-off approach.” More than 41% of respondents to the organization’s 2023 survey, up from 38% in 2022, reported that no employee is authorized to try and stop a shoplifter. (The federation’s reporting has come under criticism. It retracted a claim last year that attributed nearly half of lost merchandise in 2021 to organized retail crime; such theft accounted for only about 5%. The group announced this fall it will no longer publish its reports on lost merchandise.) Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills into law in August aimed at addressing retail theft. These measures make repeated theft convictions a felony, allow aggregation of crimes across multiple counties to be charged as a single felony, and permit police to arrest suspects for retail theft even if the crime wasn’t witnessed directly by an officer. In September, Newsom signed an additional bill that imposes steeper felony penalties for large-scale theft offenses. California voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that increases penalties for specific drug-related and theft crimes. Under the new law, people who are convicted of theft at least twice may face felony charges on their third offense, regardless of the stolen item’s value. “With these changes in the law, really it comes down to making sure that law enforcement is showing up to our stores in a timely manner, and that the prosecutors and the [district attorneys] are prosecuting,” Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, told Stateline. “That’s the only way we’re going to deter retail theft in our communities.” In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Better, more thorough reporting from retailers is essential to truly understanding shoplifting trends and its full impact, in part because some retail-related crimes, such as gift card fraud, are frequently underreported, according to Lopez, of the Council on Criminal Justice. Measuring crime across jurisdictions is notoriously difficult , and the council does not track organized retail theft specifically because law enforcement typically doesn’t identify it as such at the time of arrest — if an arrest even occurs — requiring further investigation, Lopez said. The council’s latest report found conflicting trends in the FBI’s national crime reporting systems. The FBI’s older system, the Summary Reporting System, known as SRS, suggests that reported shoplifting hadn’t gone up through 2023, remaining on par with 2019 levels. In contrast, the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, shows a 93% increase in shoplifting over the same period. The discrepancy may stem from the type of law enforcement agencies that have adopted the latter system, Lopez said. Some of those communities may have higher levels of shoplifting or other types of property crime, which could be what is driving the spike, Lopez said. Despite the discrepancies and varying levels of shoplifting across the country, Lopez said, it’s important for retailers to report these incidents, as doing so could help allocate law enforcement resources more effectively. “All law enforcement agencies have limited resources, and having the most accurate information allows for not just better policy, but also better implementation — better use of strategic resources,” Lopez said. Stateline staff writer Robbie Sequeira contributed to this report. ©2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Could Buying Boeing Stock Today Set You Up for Life?MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold tossed aside his stoic demeanor for a moment after realizing he was on the videoboard, aggressively twirling a towel to further stoke the crowd's fire after the Minnesota Vikings had pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons late in the game. “I just felt the buzz. That was pure passion, pure joy, man,” Darnold said. Darnold added yet another highlight to his brilliant first season with the Vikings, passing for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, in a 42-21 victory over the foundering Falcons on Sunday to stretch their winning streak to six games. “It just felt like it was one of those days to keep the gas pedal down,” said coach Kevin O'Connell, who enjoyed his team's first 40-point game in three seasons on the job. Darnold passed for 250 yards after halftime to help the Vikings (11-2) break a 21-all tie early in the fourth quarter and stay one game behind NFC North-leading Detroit with a final-week matchup looming with the Lions. Jordan Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores and Justin Jefferson racked up seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns after going the past six games without scoring. “This is something that we want to do and we can do every single week,” Jefferson said. Cousins, whose departure in free agency for Atlanta prompted Minnesota to sign Darnold as a bridge to currently injured rookie J.J. McCarthy, threw two more interceptions without a touchdown in this unhappy homecoming following a mixed six-year run with the Vikings. Booed as he took the field, Cousins and the Falcons (6-7) left with a fourth consecutive loss to tumble out of first place in the NFC South and fall one game behind Tampa Bay. “When you’re playing well you usually aren’t as good as people are telling you when they’re patting you on the back, and if you’re in a rut you’re usually not as bad as people kind of leaving you for dead,” Cousins said. “The reality’s usually somewhere in the middle. You just have to keep playing and see where the dust settles in January.” Cousins went 23 for 37 for 344 yards for the Falcons, who crossed midfield on all nine of their possessions and finished with 496 total yards. He overthrew Ray-Ray McCloud III on fourth down in the first quarter, and the Falcons settled for short field goals just before and right after halftime. Their fate was sealed when McCloud fumbled the kickoff at the 32 after the Vikings went 70 yards in six plays for the go-ahead touchdown pass to Addison, who scored again seven plays later. The Falcons handed the Vikings an earlier touchdown when Kentavious Street was called for defensive holding during a field-goal attempt late in the second quarter, giving Darnold a fresh set of downs before a 12-yard laser to Jefferson on a post route on third-and-6. “You just can’t have the self-inflicted wounds and expect to win football games like we had today,” coach Raheem Morris said. Bijan Robinson had 22 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Allgeier rushed nine times for 63 yards and a score for the Falcons against the NFL’s leading run defense. Cousins, who was picked off four times last week, hesitated as he wound up to throw on first down from the Minnesota 47 in a tie game early in the second quarter and then inexplicably fired a pass straight to Josh Metellus as he sat in a zone in front of Drake London. Cousins has a NFL -most 15 interceptions. Byron Murphy snagged an overthrow for the second one near the goal line with a 35-21 lead and 6:26 left. Darnold, who went 22 for 28 without a turnover-worthy play despite heavy first-half pressure, then directed a seven-play, 98-yard drive to seal it. “I think we grew up a lot today offensively,” O'Connell said. Standout stats Addison and Jefferson became the first duo in Vikings history to each have 100-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdown catches in the same game. Addison also became the first Vikings player with three receiving touchdowns in a game since Stefon Diggs caught three from Cousins in 2019. Murphy has six interceptions this season, the most for the Vikings since Jimmy Hitchcock had seven in 1998. Injury report Falcons: CB Mike Hughes (knee) was back in the lineup after missing two games. Minnesota's 2018 first-round draft pick returned an interception for a touchdown against Atlanta in his NFL debut here. Vikings: CB Stephon Gilmore (hamstring) and backup OLB Patrick Jones (knee) were out. TE Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle) returned from a two-game absence, and LS Andrew DePaola (hand) and PK Will Reichard (quadriceps) were back from four-game injured reserve stints. Up next Both teams play next Monday night, Dec. 16: Atlanta visits Las Vegas, and Minnesota hosts Chicago. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Dave Campbell, The Associated PressAmanda Hernández | (TNS) Stateline.org CHICAGO — Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. “There is this sense of brazenness that people have — they can just walk in and steal stuff. ... That hurts the consumer, and it hurts the company,” said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, in an interview. “That’s just the world we live in,” he said. “We need to get people to realize that you have to obey the law.” At least eight states — Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Vermont — passed a total of 14 bills in 2024 aimed at tackling retail theft, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The measures range from redefining retail crimes and adjusting penalties to allowing cross-county aggregation of theft charges and protecting retail workers. Major retailers have responded to rising theft since 2020 by locking up merchandise, upgrading security cameras, hiring private security firms and even closing stores. Still, the report indicates that shoplifting remains a stubborn problem. In Chicago, the rate of reported shoplifting incidents remained below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023 — but surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period a year ago. Shoplifting in Los Angeles was 87% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Police reports of shoplifting from January to October 2024 were lower than in 2023. Los Angeles adopted a new crime reporting system in March 2024, which has likely led to an undercount, according to the report. In New York, shoplifting rose 48% from 2021 to 2022, then dipped slightly last year. Still, the shoplifting rate was 55% higher in 2023 than in 2019. This year, the shoplifting rate increased by 3% from January to September compared with the same period last year. While shoplifting rates tend to rise in November and December, which coincides with in-person holiday shopping, data from the Council on Criminal Justice’s sample of 23 U.S. cities shows higher rates in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. Researchers found it surprising that rates went up despite retailers doing more to fight shoplifting. Experts say the spike might reflect improved reporting efforts rather than a spike in theft. “As retailers have been paying more attention to shoplifting, we would not expect the numbers to increase,” said Ernesto Lopez, the report’s author and a senior research specialist with the council. “It makes it a challenge to understand the trends of shoplifting.” Impact on retailers, communities In downtown Chicago on a recent early afternoon, potential shoppers shuffled through the streets and nearby malls, browsing for gifts ahead of the holidays. Edward Johnson, a guard at The Shops at North Bridge, said that malls have become quieter in the dozen or so years he has worked in mall security, with the rise of online retailers. As for shoplifters, Johnson said there isn’t a single type of person to look out for — they can come from any background. “I think good-hearted people see something they can’t afford and figure nothing is lost if they take something from the store,” Johnson said as he patrolled the mall, keeping an eye out for lost or suspicious items. Between 2018 and 2023, most shoplifting in Chicago was reported in the downtown area, as well as in the Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, according to a separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice. Newly sworn-in Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke this month lowered the threshold for charging retail theft as a felony in the county, which includes Chicago, from $1,000 to $300, aligning it with state law. “It sends a signal that she’s taking it seriously,” Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told Stateline. Nationally, retailers are worried about organized theft. The National Retail Federation’s latest report attributed 36% of the $112.1 billion in lost merchandise in 2022 to “external theft,” which includes organized retail crime. Organized retail crime typically involves coordinated efforts by groups to steal items with the intent to resell them for a profit. Commonly targeted goods include high-demand items such as baby formula, laundry detergent and electronics. The same report found that retailers’ fear of violence associated with theft also is on the rise, with more retailers taking a “hands-off approach.” More than 41% of respondents to the organization’s 2023 survey, up from 38% in 2022, reported that no employee is authorized to try and stop a shoplifter. (The federation’s reporting has come under criticism. It retracted a claim last year that attributed nearly half of lost merchandise in 2021 to organized retail crime; such theft accounted for only about 5%. The group announced this fall it will no longer publish its reports on lost merchandise.) Increased penalties Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills into law in August aimed at addressing retail theft. These measures make repeated theft convictions a felony, allow aggregation of crimes across multiple counties to be charged as a single felony, and permit police to arrest suspects for retail theft even if the crime wasn’t witnessed directly by an officer. In September, Newsom signed an additional bill that imposes steeper felony penalties for large-scale theft offenses. California voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that increases penalties for specific drug-related and theft crimes. Under the new law, people who are convicted of theft at least twice may face felony charges on their third offense, regardless of the stolen item’s value. “With these changes in the law, really it comes down to making sure that law enforcement is showing up to our stores in a timely manner, and that the prosecutors and the [district attorneys] are prosecuting,” Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, told Stateline. “That’s the only way we’re going to deter retail theft in our communities.” In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Retail theft data Better, more thorough reporting from retailers is essential to truly understanding shoplifting trends and its full impact, in part because some retail-related crimes, such as gift card fraud, are frequently underreported, according to Lopez, of the Council on Criminal Justice. Measuring crime across jurisdictions is notoriously difficult , and the council does not track organized retail theft specifically because law enforcement typically doesn’t identify it as such at the time of arrest — if an arrest even occurs — requiring further investigation, Lopez said. The council’s latest report found conflicting trends in the FBI’s national crime reporting systems. The FBI’s older system, the Summary Reporting System, known as SRS, suggests that reported shoplifting hadn’t gone up through 2023, remaining on par with 2019 levels. In contrast, the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, shows a 93% increase in shoplifting over the same period. The discrepancy may stem from the type of law enforcement agencies that have adopted the latter system, Lopez said. Some of those communities may have higher levels of shoplifting or other types of property crime, which could be what is driving the spike, Lopez said. Despite the discrepancies and varying levels of shoplifting across the country, Lopez said, it’s important for retailers to report these incidents, as doing so could help allocate law enforcement resources more effectively. “All law enforcement agencies have limited resources, and having the most accurate information allows for not just better policy, but also better implementation — better use of strategic resources,” Lopez said. Stateline staff writer Robbie Sequeira contributed to this report. ©2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Joseph Pinion had 22 points and eight rebounds, Dyondre Dominguez added 19 points and Arkansas State built a double-digit first-half lead to beat No. 16 Memphis 85-72 on Sunday. Pinion was 7 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 11 from outside the arc, giving the Red Wolves their second straight win and their first over a ranked team since 1991. Taryn Todd finished with 17 points for Arkansas State (7-3). PJ Haggerty led Memphis (7-2) with 29 points, and Dain Dainja finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Arkansas State held a double-digit lead for most of the game and led 68-57 with 8 minutes left. That was enough for the Red Wolves to defeat the Tigers, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Memphis. Arkansas State: The Red Wolves certainly got the nationally ranked Tigers' attention in the first half after they shot 7 of 18 from 3-point range and built an 18-point lead. The lead got to single digits a couple of times in the second half, but Arkansas State answered the pressure. Memphis: The Tigers suffered through a miserable first half, shooting under 20% late in the half. They turned up their defensive pressure, which cut into the lead, but Memphis never made a serious threat. Memphis got within 60-53 with 11 minutes left, but Arkansas State went on a 12-6 run that included 3-pointers from Pinion, Todd and Kobe Julien to stretch the Red Wolves' lead to 75-60 with 6:29 left in the game. Arkansas State's last win over a ranked team was when it defeated then-No. 21 New Orleans 76-65 in 1991. Arkansas State hosts UT-Arlington on Thursday, and Memphis travels to Clemson on Saturday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballHAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Khaden Bennett's 23 points helped Quinnipiac defeat Sacred Heart 83-73 on Sunday. Bennett added five rebounds for the Bobcats (5-5, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Amarri Tice added 19 points while shooting 6 for 16 (2 for 11 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line while they also had five rebounds and eight steals. Paul Otieno shot 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points, while adding three blocks. Amiri Stewart led the Pioneers (4-6, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Anquan Hill added 15 points for Sacred Heart. Bryce Johnson also had 11 points. Quinnipiac plays Tuesday against Holy Cross at home, and Sacred Heart hosts Albany (NY) on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Video games have become an important part of millions of people’s lives, offering unique opportunities for recreation, entertainment and personal development. But what makes us spend hours in front of the screen, immersed in virtual worlds? The answer to this question lies in psychology. Games affect the brain by activating pleasure centers, stimulating creativity and developing skills. They create the perfect environment for achieving goals, socializing with like-minded people, and temporarily escaping from everyday life. In this article, we’ll delve into why we are so attracted to games and how they influence our thinking and behavior. Games as a source of fulfillment and challenge Games provide a unique opportunity to accomplish goals and overcome challenges. Completing a level, winning a tournament, or learning a new skill provides an instant sense of satisfaction, triggering the release of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. This makes games especially appealing to those looking for challenge and a clear goal. For competitive games such as Dota 2, it’s not just reactions that are important, but also the ability to strategize. The tips available on resources such as dota 2 betting tips help players improve their skills, making gameplay more fun and successful. The social side of gaming Games create a unique social space where people from different parts of the world can interact, share experiences and work in teams. This makes games a powerful tool for creating and strengthening social connections. Equally important are platforms such as https://egamersworld.com/ , which offer valuable tips for players, strategy discussions and news updates. Such resources bring the gaming community together, creating a sense of belonging and collaboration. Emotional fulfillment and escape from reality Games provide a safe space where we can distract ourselves from real-life problems and enjoy the process. They allow us to temporarily forget about stresses, creating worlds filled with adventure and possibilities. Games with an engaging story, such as The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption, immerse us in emotional stories that help us cope with life’s challenges. For many players, these worlds become a source of inspiration and support during difficult times. Development and learning through games Many video games help develop cognitive skills such as attention, analytical thinking, and strategic planning. Simulation and strategy games like Civilization or Starcraft teach resource management and help you understand complex systems. For youth and adults, educational games like Minecraft: Education Edition become an important tool for learning math, physics, and even programming. Games teach through experimentation and creativity, making learning a fun process. Conclusion Video games are not only entertainment but also an important tool for personal and social development. They fulfill our need for achievement, create a space for socializing, and help us cope with everyday challenges. Resources such as dota 2 betting tips offer valuable advice and help players achieve success. And platforms like dota 2 betting tips support the gaming community by connecting people around the world. Gaming continues to inspire millions of players, helping them find joy, relaxation and meaning in virtual worlds.Health Headlines: Major Moves and Mandates Unfold

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government has fallen after a stunning territorial advance by opposition groups over the past few days. On Sunday morning, state television announced the “triumph of the great Syrian revolution and the fall of the criminal Assad regime.” Assad decided to step down and left the country, Russia’s foreign ministry later said in a statement. The toppling of the longtime ruler is sending shock waves through the Middle East and will be a major blow to Russia and Iran, his main foreign backers. Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, which has led the push to oust Assad and his government, entered Damascus on Saturday evening and captured the key city of Homs — about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the capital — around the same time. Other areas of the country, including in the north near the Turkish border and in the south, have been captured by different groups. Videos and broadcast footage showed Syrians in Damascus and elsewhere celebrating the downfall of the widely despised regime. There were also signs of jubilation in Turkey, which hosts millions of Syrian refugees. HTS’s leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, called on all of the Syrian government’s forces in the capital to stand down. Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, said Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali will remain in his role until there’s an official handover. Al-Jalali, speaking to Al Arabiya television, said he didn’t know where Assad was. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, said he took a flight from Damascus and left the country. U.S. officials currently believe Assad is in Moscow, according to a person familiar with the matter. The 59-year-old, who took over from his father Hafez in 2000, made a last-ditch attempt to remain in power, including indirect diplomatic overtures to the U.S. and President-elect Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. In a sign of how weak his military position was, he ordered his army to fall back on Damascus, essentially ceding much of the country, including Homs, to the insurgents. Syria was reclassified as a low-income country by the World Bank in 2018, with its gross domestic product collapsing by more than half between 2010 and 2020. Its exports chiefly comprise products such as olive oil, nuts and phosphates, according to the CIA World Factbook. It also produces and traffics narcotics, the U.S. State Department says. Trump took to social media to say that the U.S. should “have nothing to do with” the developments in Syria. “This is not our fight,” he said. “Let it play out. Do not get involved!” President Joe Biden’s administration, in power until next month, showed little inclination to intervene and has said the U.S. has nothing to do with HTS’s rebellion. The U.S. and Israel, which borders Syria, are watching warily. Assad was no ally of theirs, and Washington has severely sanctioned the Syrian government. But HTS is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other Western countries. On Sunday morning, Israel said it had deployed forces in a buffer zone near Syria to protect communities in the Golan Heights. The Israeli military added it’s not involved with what’s happening in Syria. “It should be remembered that these rebels aren’t lovers of Zion,” Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told Israel’s Channel 14. “It’s true that everyone is today welcoming the weakening of Iran — something that is certainly very significant from a regional perspective. But there is also concern that parties aligned with terrorist organizations” will use Assad’s weapons against Israel. HTS, a Sunni group, broke away from al-Qaeda in 2016 and has tried to portray itself since then as more moderate. Al-Sharaa, in an interview with CNN on Dec. 5, said non-Muslims and other minorities would be safe in Syrian areas overseen by HTS. The leader, in his early 40s, attributed the success of opposition forces to greater discipline and unity. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in a statement warned “the country must not now fall into the hands of other radicals — whatever guise.” France called on its partners “to do their utmost to help the Syrians find the path to reconciliation and reconstruction through an inclusive political solution.” Syria’s political situation is likely to remain fluid as various groups try to bolster their positions, according to risk consulting firm RANE. “The collapse will likely trigger a contested political process among competing rebel factions to create a provisional government,” said Freddy Khoueiry, RANE’s global security analyst. “This will likely be a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power, making an unstable and fragmented Syria the most likely outcome in the near term.” Assad lost large swaths of the northwest of the country in late November as opposition fighters made a sudden advance out of Idlib province. They first captured Aleppo, one of the biggest cities in Syria, and then advanced on Hama. The rapid collapse of Syria’s government has taken Russia, Iran and the U.S. by surprise. In 2015, Russia and Iran came to Assad’s aid and helped turn the tide in Syria’s war — which began four years earlier — in his favor. This time both Tehran and Moscow, which has a naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, have been stretched by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Iran tried to drum up support for Assad among Arab states. It also said it would send Iranian troops to Syria if he requested it, but was ultimately unwilling or unable to. Moreover, Tehran’s most powerful proxy militia group, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, has been hugely degraded since September by war with Israel. Its fighters were crucial to helping Assad stay in power from early in the civil war. The Syrian conflict has left between 300,000 to 500,000 people dead and displaced more than 10 million, with many of them fleeing abroad, according to United Nations agencies and Syrian organizations. (With assistance from Peter Martin, Dan Williams and Selcan Hacaoglu.) ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.He has put his left hand on the ground and used his right hand to snap the ball to the quarterback for every offensive play this season for the Giants. The total is all 811 snaps, covering all 12 games. So, when John Michael Schmitz is asked what his motivation is for the final five games of a lost season, pardon him for not exactly pondering the question for too long. As the starting center, his main concern is getting the play off, not dwelling on any big-picture scenarios. “I know it’s not the record we want to have but we’re going to go out there and compete, keep improving our fundamentals and details, especially as an O-line unit, continue to not be complacent and just keep getting better,’’ Schmitz told The Post. “Just keep working and finish the season strong.’’ Schmitz needs to be a central figure in the ongoing offensive line rebuild. The unit was performing at an acceptable level through the first six games, before left tackle Andrew Thomas went down with a season-ending foot injury. Since then, it has been mix and match at the tackle position. Schmitz has been an iron man, as has left guard Jon Runyan Jr. and right guard Greg Van Roten — all three have played every snap. “In the beginning half of the season it was the five out there, we were just starting to get a feel of how each other plays and just getting comfortable with one another,’’ Schmitz said. Is Schmitz part of the solution moving forward? He was a 2023 second-round draft pick and his progress is a matter of perspective. In 25 games, he has been called for just one holding penalty. He is hardly a dominant player in any aspect of the game and Pro Football Focus does not grade him favorably — 40th out of 60 centers in 2024. Schmitz and his teammates along the line put no stock in the PFF evaluations because only the coaches and players know the exact assignments on each play. “I do,’’ Schmitz said, when asked if he believes he has improved from his rookie season. “As a whole just getting up to the line of scrimmage, making the calls, setting the table, setting the front for the O-line is definitely in my mind been a lot better, making sure everyone’s going in the right direction, going to the right people, making the right combination calls.’’ With Tommy DeVito healthy as the No. 2 quarterback for the Giants, QB Tim Boyle was waived. Other roster moves: DT D.J. Davidson to injured reserve. DL Casey Rogers and DL Elijah Garcia signed from the practice squad. T Tyre Phillips, CB Greg Stroman elevated from the practice squad. Injuries could force the Giants to use Josh Ezeudu and Aaron Stinnie — a backup guard — as their starting offensive tackles. Other options are practice squad players Joshua Miles, Tyre Phillips and Marcellus Johnson. Darren Rizzi — the pride of Hillsdale, N.J. and later Oradell, N.J., also the hometown of Bill Parcells — took over as Saints interim head coach when Dennis Allen was fired after a 2-7 start. Rizzi is 2-1 since taking over. Giants head coach Brian Daboll knows him well, as they worked together with the Dolphins. “So, we became pretty close,’’ Daboll said. “Obviously, he’s a New Jersey guy, Bergen Catholic. I got a lot of respect for him. He’s been a good friend here for, I’d say, the last almost 15 years. Good football coach, good special teams coach and done a nice job since he’s been down there.’’OTTAWA — Canada appears to be barrelling toward a spring election now that the NDP is vowing to vote down the government early next year — whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stays on or not. Political watchers are abuzz over the possible scenarios that could play out in the coming year following that rocked Trudeau’s government, and a springtime national campaign is the one that’s solidifying the fastest. The exact timing is very much up in the air, but the best bet is for the government to fall by late March, and then a general election day would fall in April or May, said Yaroslav Baran, co-founder of the Pendulum Group and former chief of staff to Conservative house leader Jay Hill. “The greatest likelihood would be that the government would fall at some point between late February and late March,” he said, making April or May the “most likely scenario” for the election day. If the government falls on a non-confidence vote, the prime minister would then be obliged to go to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to inform her and advise her on election timing. The window for a campaign is a minimum of 36 days and a maximum of 50 days, according to Elections Canada. The events in Ottawa of the past week appear to have moved up the political calendar by somewhere around five months, since the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland dealt a stunning blow to Trudeau’s grip on the party and has renewed the internal push for him to step down as leader. Trudeau is said to now be reflecting on his future. The prime minister’s office did not respond Monday when asked about his plans for the holidays. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has vowed he will help defeat the governing Liberals in a confidence vote when the House returns. The Conservatives, locked firmly ahead in the polls, have been demanding an election all fall, while the Bloc has also recently called for an election early in the new year. Singh could still change his mind and many scenarios remain possible, such as an opposition party negotiating a big-ticket item into the budget then having a fall election as scheduled, but that’s looking less and less tenable. “It no longer makes a whole lot of sense to cut some sort of a deal and be a partner to the government that you’re about to vilify a couple of months later as Public Enemy no. 1,” Baran said. “Obviously, the Liberals no longer enjoy the support of any of the opposition parties. So, the likelihood of a spring election is high — regardless of whether the government prorogues,” said Brittney Kerr, founding partner at Framepoint Public Affairs and former Liberal campaign co-chair in 2019. “It won’t be lost on anyone at the centre (in the Prime Minister’s Office) how complex the political equation is to win, given overwhelming public sentiment in favour of the Conservatives, coupled with the prime minister’s long tenure.” The government can still prorogue, which would hit the stop button on Parliament and put it into a deep winter sleep for as long as several months. That would allow breathing room for a leadership race should Trudeau decide to step down. But Baran said such a move would only take him so far given the opposition parties all now appear ready to go to the polls and parliament has to return before long to approve finances and keep paying public servants — and face the music on those key votes. “If the prime minister prorogues, it allows him to not have to face Parliament on January 27th. So, he can buy some time for planning, for regrouping, et cetera, but it would be really difficult for that prorogation period to last beyond the end of March.” A leadership race would be a hurried affair compared to Liberal party contests in the past. When Trudeau was elected leader in 2013, the race took some six months, though in 1993 the Progressive Conservatives elected Kim Campbell in a contest lasting about three months. Former Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick said proroguing just as Donald Trump is inaugurated as president on Jan. 20 would power down parliament at a bad time — stripping options off the table to respond to possible sudden trade moves that could hurt Canada. “The question is not whether the prime minister can prorogue. It’s whether he should. My sense is that it would be a very bad choice to drop our shields before January 20th. I think we may need Parliament to be around and functional.” The Liberals have been weaving a narrative that an experienced government needs to be in place to deal with an unpredictable Trump, and opposition parties too are positioning that the public should choose a stronger leader than Trudeau to deal with an aggressive Trump White House. Wernick said Canada should look to get its election out of the way sooner in the year rather than later. “The best thing for the country would be to get the election over with as soon as possible and be very clear who Canadians have chosen to lead us,” he said. “The more we prolong this performance theatre and house of cards — who’s got legitimacy, who’s got confidence, who’s the leader, who’s going to be the successor — dragging this out is weakening the country.” Wernick suggested the political parties could, given the high stakes of the Trump presidency, reach a sort of partisan-ceasefire agreement to pass as much legislation as they could in a short few weeks, such as Bill C-65 which would amend the Canada Elections Act, and then have their election-triggering confidence vote. “The Republicans and the Democrats can do negotiations in Washington. Surely our parties can.” .

MoS Jitin Prasada to inaugurate fourth edition of India Internet Governance Forum in Delhi

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump is promising expedited federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion. But like other Trump plans, the idea is likely to run into regulatory and legislative hurdles, including a landmark law that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impact before deciding on major projects. In a post on his Truth Social site Tuesday, Trump said anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States “will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.” “GET READY TO ROCK!!!" he added. While Trump did not specify who would be eligible for accelerated approvals, dozens of energy projects proposed nationwide, from natural gas pipelines and export terminals to solar farms and offshore wind turbines, meet the billion-dollar criteria. Environmental groups slammed the proposal, calling it illegal on its face and a clear violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, a 54-year-old law that requires federal agencies to study the potential environmental impact of proposed actions and consider alternatives. “Trump is unabashedly and literally offering to sell out America to the highest corporate bidder,'' said Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group. She said the plan was “obviously illegal” and another example of Trump “putting special interests and corporate polluters in the driver’s seat, which would result in more pollution, higher costs and fewer energy choices for the American people.” Alexandra Adams, chief policy advocacy officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Trump should be careful what he wishes for. “What if someone wants to build a waste incinerator next to Mar-a-Lago or a coal mine next to Bedminster golf course?" she asked, referring to Trump's Florida home and New Jersey golf club, respectively. “There’s a reason Congress requires the government to take a hard look at community impacts to make sure we don’t greenlight projects that do more harm than good. Cheerleading on social media doesn’t change that reality,” Adams said. Energy analyst Kevin Book said Trump's post showed his usual flair for showmanship but said there was a real concern underlying it: a bipartisan push for permitting reform to speed up major environmental projects that now take years to win approval. “The substance here is he is really serious about trying to get permitting reform done," said Book, managing partner at ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington research firm. “Permitting delays are an impediment in many sectors — including energy — and there are multiple billion-dollar investments waiting for permitting reform," Book said. A bipartisan plan championed by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the committee's top Republican, would speed up permitting for major energy and mineral projects, but its chances are uncertain in the final few weeks of the current Congress. Their plan would boost energy projects of all types, bringing down prices, creating domestic jobs and allowing the U.S. to continue as a global energy leader, Barrasso and Manchin say. Critics say the bill would open major expanses of public lands and waters for oil and gas drilling and gut executive and judicial review. “Checking off wish lists for oil, gas and mining companies is not permitting reform,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He called the bill “a dirty deal” that would exempt some oil and gas drilling projects from federal review and “let mining companies dump even more toxic waste on our public lands.” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, said Trump's second term will be a “golden age of regulation-cutting,'' including a promise to “drill, baby, drill.'' “If you want to bring in money, he’s going to move heaven and earth to get that money in the door and get it invested in the United States,'' Miller said Tuesday at a conference organized by the Wall Street Journal. The plan applies to both domestic and foreign investment, Miller said: “He wants to get the money and he wants to get the regulations cut and get the economy moving again. ” In the short term, Trump's post makes permitting reform less likely this year, Book said, as Republicans seek to wait until next year when they will control both chambers of Congress and the White House. But the issue is likely to return quickly in the new year. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this story.Falcons Announce Clear Decision on Kirk Cousins After Vikings Loss

Cordilia scores 21, Mount St. Mary's downs Fairfield 101-94

Fmr LLC reduced its position in Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. ( NASDAQ:PLRX – Free Report ) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,899,481 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,278 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned 6.41% of Pliant Therapeutics worth $43,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Great Point Partners LLC boosted its stake in Pliant Therapeutics by 42.4% in the second quarter. Great Point Partners LLC now owns 2,636,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,346,000 after acquiring an additional 785,000 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Pliant Therapeutics by 52.0% during the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 833,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,957,000 after purchasing an additional 285,216 shares during the last quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC now owns 513,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,752,000 after purchasing an additional 16,850 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Pliant Therapeutics by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 456,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,119,000 after buying an additional 19,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Pliant Therapeutics by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 305,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,282,000 after buying an additional 5,152 shares in the last quarter. 97.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PLRX shares. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, September 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Pliant Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $40.57. Pliant Therapeutics Stock Performance Shares of NASDAQ PLRX opened at $14.69 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.75. The stock has a market cap of $893.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.40 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 10.26, a quick ratio of 10.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.22 and a 12 month high of $19.62. Pliant Therapeutics Profile ( Free Report ) Pliant Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases in the United States. The company's lead candidate is bexotegrast, an oral, small-molecule, dual selective inhibitor of avß6 and avß1 integrins, which is in phase 2b trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in phase 2a trial for primary sclerosing cholangitis. Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Pliant Therapeutics What Are Trending Stocks? Trending Stocks Explained Fast-Growing Companies That Are Still Undervalued Stock Trading Terms – Stock Terms Every Investor Needs to Know Top Cybersecurity Stock Picks for 2025 How the NYSE and NASDAQ are Different, Why That Matters to Investors Archer or Joby: Which Aviation Company Might Rise Fastest? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PLRX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. ( NASDAQ:PLRX – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Pliant Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pliant Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Altoona McDonald’s slammed with 1-star ‘rat’ reviews after Luigi Mangione arrest

Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Robert W. Baird Analyst Says

On 23rd December, India celebrates the National Farmer’s Day or the Rashtriya Kisan Diwas to commemorate the significant contribution of farmers, the backbone of Indian economy and rural prosperity. Rashtriya Kisan Divas is observed to mark the birth anniversary of Late Chaudhary Charan Singh, India’s fifth Prime Minister. The day is popular amongst India’s agricultural and farming states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and others. In India, the day marks the contributions of Chaudhary Charan Singh to the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers. Almost 50% of the population of the country is dependent on agriculture. And that is why National Farmer’s Day was recognised by the 10th government of independent India in 2001. Contributions of Chaudhary Charan Singh An Indian politician and a freedom fighter, Chaudhary Charan Singh was born in Meerut. After completing his studies, Singh entered politics as part of the Indian Independence Movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. In the following years, he was jailed twice by the British government. Singh remained a Congress person for most of this time. But during the national emergency, imposed by Indira Gandhi between 1975 to 1977, Chaudhary Charan Singh became part of an emergency opposing political movement led by Morarji Desai. Under the name of ‘Janata Party’, the movement became the first, other than the Indian National Congress, to form a government in Uttar Pradesh. And Charan Singh became the first non-congress chief minister in Northern India. Desai’s political movement defeated the Congress in 1977 general elections to elect Morarji Desai as the Prime Minister of the post emergency India. By 1979, the Janata Party started splitting because of loyalty of some of its members towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation. During this time, Murari Desai resigned, and Singh was appointed the Prime Minister. His government was supported by Indira Gandhi’s Congress party, the same leader against whom Singh signed an arrest order as the union home minister. But this sport came with a cost. Indira Gandhi had conditions for supporting Singh. And the conditions were to drop all charges against her and son Sanjay Gandhi. Charan Singh decided to not agree to the conditions, and had to resign just after 23 days of Prime Ministership. This made him the only Prime Minister of the country to never face a Parliament session. Charan Singh continued as the caretaker Prime Minister until January 1980. In 1979, Singh founded the Lok Dal in 1979. He led Lok Dal until his death in 1987. His last remains rest at Kisan Ghat in Delhi. Champion of Farmers Chaudhary Charan Singh left behind a rich legacy of agricultural landscape in India. With his instrumental role in piloting pro-formal legislations, like the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reform Act of 1950, he became the chief architect of land reforms in Uttar Pradesh. His formulation of the Debt Redemption Bill in 1939 eased the burden of debt on the agricultural community of India. As the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Charan Singh enacted the Land Holding Act of 1960 that aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings. This called for a uniform land sharing system across the state, promoting fair distribution and addressing disparities in land ownership. Because of his contributions to the agricultural society, Chaudhary Charan Singh was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2024. On This Day On 24th December, the Rashtriya Kisan Diwas is observed to recognise the sacrifice and efforts of the farming community of India. The day is used to campaign for digital literacy, economic independence and technological knowledge sharing in the field of agriculture.Traditionally, the holidays are for spending time with family and friends, perhaps with a varying degree of religious rituals or practices. There's also pressure not to miss certain family celebrations, but there will be times you can't make it – whether by choice or circumstance. So, if you're spending the holidays alone this year, you're actually not alone in wondering if it's OK to be alone. You hold the ticket to your happiness, even if you're spending the holidays (or any special day of the year) in a less conventional way—all by yourself. There's no correct formula for how to spend the holidays, experts say, and keeping that in mind is key when you're not going to be around your loved ones. Spending the holidays alone can feel lonely or empty, but it doesn't have to be that way. Loneliness is an issue during the winter holidays for many students and other clients, according to Diana Winston, director of UCLA Mindful , the mindfulness education center at UCLA Health. Not having people to spend the days with, "can compound any existing loneliness and worsen it during the holiday times," Winston said. New York psychologist Dr. Bryant Williams agreed, noting that being alone during the holidays "accentuates existing problems." Both experts suggest taking action to strengthen your mindset and fill your days with activities that you know nurture you. Go on a hike, take a walk in a park, visit the beach or engage in nature in a way that suits your lifestyle and location. Get out into "whatever nature you have available to you," Winston said, highlighting the importance of seizing opportunities to be outdoors. The benefits of simply being outside and surrounding yourself with nature are plenty, and why not rack up those benefits when you're spending the day or week alone? In the practice of forest bathing, one spends time in nature through activities like a walk or sitting and enjoying the environment, Dr. Leana Wen previously told CNN. "Forest therapy" can lower anxiety, improve mood and reduce blood pressure, studies show . You can simply take a walk, and make the most of that walk. A higher daily step count is linked to fewer depressive symptoms, according to a recent study in the journal JAMA Network Open. And it's not an impossible number—even 7,000 steps can lead to better mental health, said clinical psychologist Dr. Karmel Choi, who previously spoke to CNN. You don't have to miss out on all the fun just because you can't be there to celebrate in person. Williams recommended people take action to reach out to people with a phone or video call. Do something "similar to what people did during the pandemic, when people were so isolated," he said. "People, because they weren't spending time with each other in person, started spending a lot of time on Zoom." Social experiences are important to health, so carving out time for this can improve your well-being. More specifically, reach out to loved ones who make you feel good about yourself since positive social interactions are linked to better coping and lower stress, research shows. If your schedule and circumstances allow for catching up in-person, aim for a spontaneous coffee meetup with a friend or accept your colleague's invitation to join their festivities. None of the plans have to be grand, orchestrated celebrations. The point is to connect with someone at some point during the holidays if possible. Volunteering, such as at a children's hospital or at a nursing home, can be beneficial for those spending this season alone. You can also find opportunities to serve meals at a soup kitchen or food bank in your community. Some locations could use the help to hand out food at a holiday meal pick-up center. "There's all sorts of structured activities that people can engage in when they're spending time with other people, even strangers, and they're doing something thoughtful and nice for them," Williams said. That kind of an activity can impact one's brain in a positive way. "If someone takes action, they get outside of themselves, then they're thinking about other people," Williams said. "People generally feel better when that happens." You might be missing only your grandma's mac-and-cheese or wishing you were baking pies for many to enjoy. It's common for holidays to evoke images of people gathering around a shared meal. If you're alone, try to cook something special, order takeout or order something delicious at a restaurant, Winston said. If you're going to be out of town on a work trip, research the best nearby restaurants to your liking and splurge on a nice dinner. If you're choosing to be a homebody this year, be as lazy or as complex as you'd like with the meal—if it nurtures you. Rituals and fun family routines around the holidays are an important part of celebrating and maybe what you are missing most this time of year. "Can they perform some ritual that punctuates the day and makes it feel special in some way?" Williams said. Taking a hot bath, getting a massage or playing a sport can be nurturing to some people, Winston said. Light the menorah, hang up a stocking on your fireplace, or do the New Year's Eve countdown for yourself. You can observe the days however you'd like without disagreements with others, judgment or the pressure of expectations. Having a sense of accomplishment, such as by working on a home project, during this solitary time can also be one way to get through the holidays, Winston said. "People can be creative about their use of their time," she said. Seasonal chores like raking leaves or shoveling snow, decorating your house or decluttering your closets can also count as functional exercise without hitting the gym. Another more introspective activity is to take advantage of the solitude to plan for the new year or review the past year. "Especially for (the) new year, people love to reflect on the previous year," Williams said. "And doing that in an intentional, structured way and even outlining the ways they want the new year to be different or even citing specific goals for the new year." Spend the holiday creating new traditions, like creating a vision board or reviewing the highs and lows of your year in a journal. Winston suggests coupling actions with a strong mental approach—a mindfulness perspective— to help one with loneliness feelings. "Paying attention to our present moment experiences with openness, curiosity and a willingness to be with that experience" is mindfulness, according to Winston. "It's really about learning to live in the present moment, not lost in the past or the future." Understandably, the willpower to focus only on the now and block out the other noise can be challenging, and fully accepting that present reality is key. When things look and feel different and when one is in a transition period, clinical psychologist Dr. Adam Brown previously told CNN that there is no requirement to have the holidays look or feel the same as they had in the past. "Be compassionate with yourself and do the best that you can and know that this is a particular moment in the year," Winston said. "There's nothing wrong with you and you will get through it." It's also helpful to remember that not all those who are spending their holidays surrounded by people are having a good time. "We have a lot of input, demands and stress in general that is elevated during the holidays, so it is extra important to be attentive to your need for alone time," Sophie Lazarus, a clinical psychologist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State University told CNN earlier this month. Due to some last-minute logistical challenges last month, I was unable to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Even though I knew I would be able to fly home the next day, I was still bummed to miss my family traditions. To make the best of the situation, I did as many of my favorite things as I could: I walked around my neighborhood, read news magazines and sat for hours in a bustling coffee shop to write. To cap it off, I went to a special Thanksgiving dinner by myself at a local restaurant. I missed time with my family, but I would say I still had an experts-approved day. I highly recommend turning your day alone into a gratifying one, and even if you're not going to be alone, try to carve out time for yourself in the midst of social obligations to help keep you grounded and serene.Heads up: SantaCon events are upon us in NJ, NYC

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