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How far off are the Chicago Bears in the NFC North? Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after the Week 16 win on Christmas Eve.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

Save for a couple of fourth-down disasters, it doesn’t take much for the mind to wander and think about the possibility of the Chicago Bears riding a six-game winning streak with two weeks remaining in the season.The failure to close out close games has been examined from every angle and the Bears didn’t allow Sunday’s meeting with the Arizona Cardinals to turn into that, finishing a 27-16 victory at Soldier Field. Theyimprove to 6-9 and have won five of their last nine games after a brutal start.In the spirit of the holiday season, here are 10 thoughts following the win with a look at how far off (or not) the Bears are in the NFC North.1. The NFC North was formed in 2002 when the league expanded to eight divisions and the Detroit Lions just clinched for the first time.The Green Bay Packers have won the division 12 times with the Minnesota Vikings owning five crowns and the Bears at four — and still trying to “take the North and not give it back” ...

Imprisoned Russian politician Navalny is now in a penal colony near the Arctic Circle

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Associates of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday that he has been located at a prison colony above the Arctic Circle nearly three weeks after contact with him was lost.Navalny, the most prominent foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. He had been imprisoned in the Vladimir region of central Russia, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Moscow, but his lawyers said they had not been able to reach him since Dec. 6.His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said he was located in a prison colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.Navalny is “fine — at least as much as possible after such a long stage” and a lawyer visited him, Yarmysh told The Associated Press.The region is notorious for long and severe winters. The town is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Vorkuta, whose coal mines were among the ...

An Israeli airstrike in Syria kills a high-ranking Iranian general

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighborhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said.The killing of Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria.Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighborhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran’s official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force who was slain in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020.Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack.Though IRNA didn’...

Vancouver resident says Gaza used to be ‘dressed like a bride’ during Christmas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

What Omar Mansour misses most about Christmas in the Gaza Strip is the music.Churches, schools and homes played Christmas music starting early December, said the Vancouver resident, and a permanent resident in Canada since 2014. The place would be “dressed like a bride” and twinkle with lights, he said.“It didn’t matter if you are Christian or Muslim,” Mansour said. “Everyone in Gaza celebrates Christmas.”On Christmas Eve, he said his family would bake bread, make za’atar — a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend that is eaten with the bread, get olives from his tree and other goodies, build a fire in the living room and talk about the highlights of the year.“It wasn’t very cold but it always rained on Christmas,” he said, reminiscing about the holidays. “My entire extended family would gather in our house and just talk and laugh and share stories.”It was a chance for his nieces and nephews to stay up lat...

Search for young girl who fell into Quebec river enters fourth day

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

DOLBEAU-MISTASSINI, Que. — Quebec provincial police are resuming a search for a four-year-old girl who fell into a river in a region north of Quebec City on Friday.The child was sledding with her mother in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Que. Friday afternoon when she passed through a safety barrier and fell into the Mistassibi River.Police ground, helicopter and diving teams have been searching for the girl ever since, but paused their efforts on Saturday and Sunday evenings for security reasons as darkness fell.Spokesperson Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu says the search continues this morning, but that rescuers are waiting for river ice to thicken before deploying diving teams to search under ice sheets.Firefighters had also been assisting with the search until today, but Beaulieu says they’ve done everything they can.A mobile police command unit remains in place today while teams search the riverbanks.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 25, 2023.The Canadian Press

Do you eat with your eyes, your gut or your brain? A neuroscientist explains how to listen to your hunger during the holidays

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

(THE CONVERSATION) The holiday season is upon us, and with it, opportunities to indulge in festive treats. The proverbial saying “you eat with your eyes first” seems particularly relevant at this time of year.The science behind eating behavior, however, reveals that the process of deciding what, when and how much to eat is far more complex than just consuming calories when your body needs fuel. Hunger cues are only part of why people choose to eat. As a scientist interested in the psychology and biology that drives eating behavior, I’m fascinated with how the brain’s experiences with food shape eating decisions.So how do people decide when to eat?Eating with your eyesFood-related visual cues can shape feeding behaviors in both people and animals. For example, wrapping food in McDonald’s packaging is sufficient to enhance taste preferences across a range of foods – from chicken nuggets to carrots – in young children. Visual food-related cues, such as presenting a ...

Creating toys that help children learn about their environment

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Wild Republic is a company that believes in sustainability. They have been creating toys designed to make us all think about wildlife while also educating children about nature and its importance.Melissa Klubnik is the Global Vice-President of Wild Republic. She speaks of the collaborative effort with the science community to understand the impact of the toys they create.The Green Guardian line looks at several factors during the development process. They include things like cord lengths, sharp edges and sharp points, small parts, plastic bags and plastic sheeting thickness. These are safety factor that Wild Republic believe makes their sustainable toys more appealing. Click here to see all the toys available from Wild Republic The toys, Klubnik says, are designed to inspire children about nature, and about preserving the animals' habitat.They go further in their effort by protecting bird habitat, and the gorilla habitat in the Congo. Money from any animal purchas...

Paxton files lawsuit for new federal greenhouse gas rule

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he filed a lawsuit to stop the federal Department of Transportation’s new greenhouse gas reporting measure.According to the AG’s office, the U.S. Department of Transportation does not have the authority to establish the rule.“The mandate violates the Administrative Procedure Act. Further, the rule is arbitrary and capricious and violates the Spending Clause by impermissibly restricting the use of federal funds by requiring TxDOT to implement the greenhouse gas measure,” Paxton said.According to a release from the AG’s office, the new rule would require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to establish a declining carbon dioxide target associated with transportation as a performance measure for the Interstate and National Highway System.“The federal government claims this mandate is necessary to meet the Biden administration’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reach net-zero across the economy by 20...

Gophers football vs. Bowling Green: Keys to bowl game, how to watch, who has edge

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

BOWLING GREEN vs. MINNESOTAWhat: Quick Lane BowlWhen: 1 p.m. CT, TuesdayWhere: Ford FieldTV: ESPNRadio: KFAN, 100.3 FMWeather: IndoorsBetting spread: Minnesota, minus-3.5Records: Minnesota (5-7) was winless in November but received a bowl berth due its high Academic Progress Rate (APR) and a shortage of six-win teams to fill out the 82 teams in the field. Bowling Green (7-5) has a Power Five Conference win over Georgia Tech, beating the Yellow Jackets 38-27 in September.History: The Gophers will put their six-game bowl winning streak on the line against a Falcons program that pulled off a shocker against the U in 2021. Minnesota was a 31-point home favorite but lost 14-10. “Whooped us,” head coach P.J. Fleck recalled earlier this month.Key matchup: Gophers defensive line vs. Bowling Green offensive line. Minnesota’s pass rushers, led by Jah Joyner with 21 total pressures, should be able to get to the quarterback because center Alex Padgett and tackle Alex Wollschlaeger a...

St. Charles 'Christmas Traditions' wraps up the 49th season

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:17:30 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The days leading up to this Christmas have been unlike any other. The holiday spirit in historic St. Charles continues with the unseasonably mild temperatures.Families from all over took advantage of the nice afternoon to listen to festive music, grab something to eat, or go shopping as a part of "Christmas Traditions."Main Street was closed off to traffic. the lone exception was a pair of horse-drawn carriages that paraded back and forth across the cobblestones.Santa Claus himself led Christmas carols with other holiday stars before heading up to the north pole for the big day ahead. The 49th edition of the spectacular event started on Thanksgiving and wrapped up on Sunday.