slot wow888 ALLEN PARK — After just three weeks in a Detroit Lions jersey, linebacker Kwon Alexander’s stint with the team has come to an end. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions waived Alexander on Thursday afternoon, days after their 34-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Pro Bowl linebacker, who started the last two games and logged 29 defensive snaps in that span, was a healthy scratch from Sunday’s lineup. With Trevor Nowaske returning to action after missing Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills due to injury, Alexander became the odd man out. Alexander was signed from the Denver Broncos’ practice squad ahead of the Lions’ Week 14 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. In his two appearances for Detroit, he recorded four tackles, including one solo stop. The 10-year veteran was brought in to address an urgent need at linebacker, as injuries sidelined Alex Anzalone, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez. Reeves-Maybin’s practice window has already opened, and he could see action as early as Monday against the 49ers. Lions head coach Dan Campbell also mentioned this week that Anzalone’s return to practice is nearing. The Lions reportedly hope to re-sign Alexander to their practice squad if he clears waivers.New York Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYMTM) To Go Ex-Dividend on December 31st

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Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military didn't immediate respond to questions about the WHO chief's statement. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home." He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of 67 people on board The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea. Officials in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia haven't commented on a possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation. Some commentators pointed out holes in the plane's tail section pictured after the crash as a sign that it could have been fired upon by air defense systems. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ian Schieffelin had 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in leading Clemson to a 75-67 win over Penn State on Tuesday and the championship of the Sunshine Slam Beach Division. Chase Hunter added 17 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14 and Del Jones 10 for the Tigers (6-1), who shot 44% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers led by Hunter's three. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 20 points and had 11 assists, Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points and Nick Kern Jr. 11 for the Nittany Lions (6-1), who shot 46% and were just 4 of 18 from the arc. Neither team had a double-digit lead in the game and it was tied with seven minutes to go. But Penn State had a six-minute drought without a field goal while committing three turnovers and the Tigers went up by six. A hook shot from Schieffelin with a minute to go made it a five-point lead and free throws sealed it from there. The eight-point final margin was the largest of the game. Konan Niederhauser's dunk to open the second half tied the game but a Hunter 3-pointer gave the lead back to Clemson. Penn State took its first lead of the second half on a 9-0 run, seven coming from Baldwin, to go up 57-54 with midway through the period. Penn State had its largest lead of seven in the first half but three consecutive 3s put Clemson ahead with three minutes to go and the Tigers led at 38-36 at halftime. Clemson had a 16-9 edge on points off turnovers. ___ 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-basketball

Feds remove GST, offer rebate for 'Working Canadians'• Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. • June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. • July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. • 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. • Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. • 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. • 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. • 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. • November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. • Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” • January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. • July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. • November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. • January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. • September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. • September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. • June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. • November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. • April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. • April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. • Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. • 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. • September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. • October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. • 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. • May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. • June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. • September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. • December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. • March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. • September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. • December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. • August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. • September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. • April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. • May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. • Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” • July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. • Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. • April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. • August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. • August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. • Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. • December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” • May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. • August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. • August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. • March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. • May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. • July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. • Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. • March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. • September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. • October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. • Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. • November 2020: The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. • Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. • Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. • July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. • Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. • Oct. 1, 2024: Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. • Oct. 16, 2024: Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. • Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Sees Recovery In Refining, Retail Challenges Persist, Says JP Morgan Report

Today's military forces have some of the most sophisticated hardware and crafts the world has seen. From military aircraft with four engines , to mind-boggling high-tech weapons that border on science fiction , the list of weapons and vehicles is seemingly endless. But with all its variety, the military has a few constant features. Among these is the practice of painting its aircraft and ships grey. The military has been painting its ships and aircraft grey for decades to help them blend with their environments, camouflaging them against enemy forces. The monotone color achieved this by allowing the military aircraft and vessels to blend in with several lighting conditions, making it the perfect color for obscuring vehicles. However, while this reason might be apparent to many, the history behind its use, which properties go into the paint today, and the various camouflage schemes the military used might not be. The history of military aircraft and ship camouflage shows how it has evolved with today's technology. Most military forces worldwide use a shade of grey in their equipment, whether uniforms or vehicles. The use of the color dates back to the turn of the 19th century, when countries like Austria determined that grey was a better camouflage color for their troops than the often-used green. The color was also cheaper to source, which, combined with its camouflage qualities, made it popular with troops such as the Confederate Forces in the 1860s, and the German Army between 1907 and 1945. By World War I, France and Germany had adopted grey as one of the primary colors of their aircraft. By World War II, Britain was opting for open grey and sea grey as replacements for its two-tone schemes, which had become dangerously visible at higher altitudes. By 1943, high-level aircraft like Spitfires and Welkins used shades of grey as their primary color scheme. As the century progressed, more aircraft adopted grey schemes. These included the F-14, counted among some of the best-looking fighter jets in military history , the MiG-17, the F-16, and the RAF Tornado ADV. Most modern military aircraft use shades of grey radar-absorbent paint with tiny iron spheres coated with either carbonyl iron or ferrite. Suppose the plane happens to be hit by electromagnetic radiation — which is common in most radar systems — the iron spheres absorb the radiation, releasing heat that dampens the waves, stopping most of them from reflecting back to the radar detectors. Like with aircraft, naval ships have featured the color grey for decades. The U.S. Navy was already considering camouflaging its vessels against enemy forces as early as 1899, with artist Robert DeForest Brush being a key player in the project. However, due to a scarcity of test facilities, the suggestions made by Brush didn't see any immediate implementation until 1914. The U.S. declared war in April 1917. With this declaration came a convergence of other well-known artists, each focused on providing input on the best naval camouflage. A research center in Rochester, New York, was established, breathing life to camouflage systems like the Herzog scheme — which used broad color bands in circular forms and arcs — and the Toch system, which focused on massive diagonal streaks of contrasting colors. Later systems, like the British-inspired dazzle system — which used irregular patterns meant to break up vertical and horizontal lines — were adopted by the U.S. Navy. One of the most prominent colors used in this system was blue-grey, which was sometimes mixed with shades of grey-white, grey-pink, and grey-green to produce more niche colors. The primary role of the dazzle paint scheme was to disrupt the ship's outline. Although the scheme made determining a ship's size, range, and speed difficult, advancements in rangefinder and radar technology made them impractical, necessitating a different approach. Grey had already proven to have low visibility, which made it the perfect color to switch to. It blended well with the horizon and most ocean and sea weather conditions. Ships received more than one shade of the color, with the Navy using darker tones near the waterline and lighter tones in the masts. With the war's conclusion, the Navy adopted a lighter shade of grey, similar to what exists today: haze grey.Countdown begins for ISRO’s Space Docking Experiment onboard PSLV-C60 rocketVancouver Police Board vice-chair resigns following social media comments

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A kiss. A handshake. A hammer. Jimmy Carter lost N.J. But he left an indelible impression.NEW DELHI: Eminent economist and former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday at AIIMS Delhi. He was 92. Singh was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on Thursday after experiencing breathing difficulties. It was Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra, who first announced the news through his X page. “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ji. My deepest condolences for his family and loved ones. Thank you for your service to our Nation. You will always be remembered for your Economic revolution and progressive changes, you brought to the country,” Robert Vadra on X. Singh remains India’s only Sikh prime minister and rose to prominence with his path-breaking liberal economic policies floated during his tenure as Finance minister in PV Narasimha Rao’s government. It was his brain that helped India’s economy to trudge the road of liberalization. A representative of the upper House from Assam for five consecutive times, Singh in 2019, changed course and got elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Manmohan Singh was born in Gah, now in Pakistan. His family migrated to India during the partition. He studied at Panjab University and later went to Cambridge to earn a degree in economics. In 2004, when the United Progressive Alliance came to power, the then-chairperson Sonia Gandhi befuddled political analysts after suggesting Singh to be the prime minister of India. His tenure lasted for 10 long years until Narendra Modi dethroned the UPA government in a landslide victory.

NASA Leadership to Visit, Strengthen Cooperation with MexicoSunday, December 29, 2024 China has unveiled the CR450 prototype, an advanced high-speed bullet train capable of reaching a record-breaking speed of 450 kilometers per hour, making it the world’s fastest high-speed train, state media reported on Sunday. Developed by the China State Railway Group Co. (China Railway), the CR450 is designed to significantly reduce travel times and enhance connectivity across the country, promising a more convenient and efficient travel experience for passengers. The train achieved its impressive speed during test runs, with key performance indicators such as operational speed, energy efficiency, interior noise, and braking distance setting new international standards, according to official reports. The CR450 outpaces the CR400 Fuxing high-speed rail currently in operation, which runs at speeds of 350 kilometers per hour. China Railway announced plans for further line tests and optimization of technical parameters to expedite the CR450’s entry into commercial service. China’s high-speed rail network, already the largest in the world, spans approximately 47,000 kilometers, connecting major cities across the nation. The introduction of the CR450 is expected to reinforce China’s leadership in high-speed rail technology, enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of its transportation infrastructure.Former state Sen. Tarky Lombardi Jr. dies at age 95

Russia missile suspected in Azerbaijani plane crash, Moscow warns against 'hypotheses'What's your favorite dressing for the holidays? Oyster, cornbread, andouille, dirty rice or something else? (File photo by Patrick Dennis, The Advocate) Lafayette, La chef Ronnie Stelly prepares his own brand of rice dressing mix. PROVIDED PHOTO Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Decades of tradition as depicted in books and movies might make some believe that Americans all eat the same thing at Thanksgiving. Not so. While a turkey and sides are the traditional stars of the show, regional menu variance thrives during the holiday season. Parts of the northeast are partial to oyster stuffing, while midwesterners start polishing their casserole dishes for endless varieties of "hot dish" this time of year. Depending on where one lives in the South, cornbread and rice dressings often take pride of place on the Thanksgiving table, as opposed to the herby, buttery, cubed bread stuffing popular in many homes in other parts of the country. And in south Louisiana, many rules that define the holiday in the rest of the country go out the window. Cajun and Creole people approach the Thanksgiving meal a little differently, according to one Lafayette chef who says that in Acadiana, flavor is everything. Ronnie Stelly, owner of the Catin’s Eatery food truck, pictured Wednesday, November 15, 2023, in Lafayette, La. "A Cajun fried turkey is something that I find stands out above everything else," says Ronnie Stelly, owner of Catin's Eatery food truck, which is currently closed . "We like to fry everything. It's what happens to the crispiness of the skin — it turns the wings almost into cracklins." Stelly admits that for the past several years, his wife has insisted on a roasted turkey. But regardless of the method of preparation, a Cajun turkey goes much further than just the Thanksgiving meal. "The rest gets turned into turkey gumbo and turkey stock to be used throughout the year," he said. "It's the culture to repurpose everything. We've been cooking like this for 100 years — it's how we get together. We meet up and we cook, and I've always found Thanksgiving is our Super Bowl." A famous Louisiana Thanksgiving bird If it's a matter of competition, one Louisiana Thanksgiving dish that surely stands out among the rest is the turducken. The history of this deboned chicken-duck-turkey , filled with a cornbread and pork stuffing, is hard to pin down. But, in keeping with the football analogy, it is known that John Madden was such a fan of the turduckens he tried in the New Orleans area in the 1990s, he talked about them repeatedly while sharing color commentary at Saints games — spreading the popularity of this stuffed bird creation around the country. A turducken from Gourmet Butcher Block in Gretna has turkey and chicken and duck between layers of dressing. While Paul Prudhomme claims to have invented the turducken at a lodge in Wyoming in the 1960s (he trademarked "Turducken" in 1986, but did not enforce the trademark), Acadiana residents are partial to a more local origin story explaining one of Louisiana's best-known Thanksgiving dishes. When Hebert's Specialty Meats opened in Maurice, Louisiana in 1984, Widley Hebert Jr. said that a local hunter came in with the three birds, and asked them to be deboned and stuffed. The results proved wildly popular. Samuel and Quinn Hebert say that they sell up to 3,000 of the specialty birds during Thanksgiving and Christmas. "It's become a part of a lot of family traditions," says co-owner Samuel Hebert. "It's just different from what anybody else has. You can have one bite with the turkey, duck, chicken and some cornbread dressing all together, and the drippings from the chicken keeps everything moist. We'll have people calling to order one for just six people — just to try it. But they feed 25, easily." Superior Cajun sides Rice dressing, green bean casserole, potato salad, corn maque choux — at Thanksgiving, the bird (or three birds in one) at the center of the meal can feel like an afterthought compared to the sheer variety of favorite side dishes that populate the rest of the table. Lafayette, La chef Ronnie Stelly prepares his own brand of rice dressing mix. Stelly says that he spent a Thanksgiving in Texas when he was younger, and that experience taught him an essential Cajun truth: "Texas has good barbecue," he says. "But Louisiana does better sides. No matter what you're talking about — potato salad, green bean casserole, rice dressing, mashed potatoes — Cajun sides are far superior." And while Thanksgiving might be the Super Bowl for Louisiana chefs, it's also one of those holiday meals where the responsibilities are divided, since everyone has that one dish they refuse to hand over. Nina Charles, owner of the Lafayette-based Nina Creole food truck, is a pastry chef (and former star of Netflix baking show "Is It Cake?" ) who says that she gets to take a break from baking during Thanksgiving. Her family holiday is a large gathering, where everyone meets at her mother's house in Carencro for a feast that typically features turkey, a turkey roll and ham as the central proteins. Lafayette, La chef Ronnie Stelly fried a turkey for an event benefitting honor roll students in 2018 "Rice dressing is the biggest thing that comes to my mind that I have to have for Thanksgiving," says Charles. "When I was in Texas or Florida, we never had it. People didn't even know what I was talking about unless I said 'Cajun rice.' I can't eat my turkey without rice dressing." Another thing she says she has to have this time of year is her grandmother's pecan candies, simply made in the traditional way of stirring milk, sugar and butter on the stovetop. "They're traditional to this area, my Mamaw still does them to this day," she says. "That's another thing I hated doing without in the period I was away." Her grandmother is 80 now, so Charles's family is taking the cooking burden off of her by doing a potluck Thanksgiving this year — but some traditions are too special to give up easily. Charles says that her grandmother will still be at the stove, stirring carefully to make sure her pecan candies don't burn. "We try to make her sit back, but she won't give that up," says Charles. At a south Louisiana Thanksgiving, one thing's for sure — we know what we like, and what we do better than anyone else.

Emerging markets, caught between economic giants, face tough 2025, JPMorgan saysThe Importance of Professional Deck Sealing ServicesPure Storage and Kioxia Collaborate to Drive Scalability, Efficiency, and Performance in Hyperscale Data Centers

New York Mortgage Trust, Inc. to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.44 (NASDAQ:NYMTZ)OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says while he supports the Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST break during the holidays, he won’t back the $250 rebate proposal unless the government expands eligibility to the most vulnerable. The Liberals announced a plan last week to cut the federal sales tax on a raft of items such as 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 said 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 said 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 said need the help. A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said it would be “categorically false” to say seniors and people with disabilities are excluded from the rebate. “In order to qualify, you just need to have made less than $150,000 in net income in 2023 and meet one of the three following criteria: received EI benefits, paid EI premiums or made CPP contributions,” press secretary Katherine Cuplinskas said in a statement. “Many, many seniors and Canadians with disabilities work.” 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 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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.