The week after adjusting their roster to protect prospects and define their depth, the Cardinals continued that annual addition of minor league deals to fill organizational openings with the signing of a rival's former top prospect. The Cardinals formally announced a minor league agreement with infielder Jose Barrero on Monday afternoon, a week or so after reaching a deal with the shortstop who was Cincinnati's No. 1 prospect entering the 2022 season. He was their opening day shortstop in 2023. Viewed as a slick fielder, Barrero's offense hasn't kept pace, and the Reds moved him off the roster when peers surpassed him. Barrero, now 26, played 139 games for the Reds in the majors and has a .186/.242/.255 slash line through four different seasons. In 2023, he began the year as the Reds' starting shortstop, and through 46 games that year, he had his best stretch of production, with a .218 average, a .295 on-base percentage and a .619 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) through 149 plate appearances. In around 600 innings at shortstop from 2022-23 in the majors, Barrero registered a minus-7 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. A native of Havana, Cuba, Barrero was one of the Reds' high-dollar signings from the international free-agent marketplace within the past decade. They outbid other teams with a $5 million offer, and within a few years, Barrero stood out within Cincinnati's organization for his potential. He represented the Reds in the 2021 Futures Game. Baseball America ranked him the No. 33rd prospect in all of the minors entering the 2022 season, and BA also had him No. 1 within the Reds organization. That put him ahead of No. 2 Hunter Greene, No. 3 Nick Lodolo and No. 4 Elly De La Cruz. In a projection of the Reds' 2025 lineup, Baseball America had Barrero at shortstop and electrifying talent De La Cruz at third base. This past March, the Reds placed Barrero on waivers, and the Rangers picked him up. He played 49 games at Class AAA Round Rock and hit .188/.277/.345 for a .622 OPS. His season was abbreviated by an injury that ultimately put him on the 60-day injured list. He did not play after an on-field collision, and journalist Francys Romero reported that Barrero had to have his spleen removed as a result of the collision. This month, Barrero had the right to choose minor league free agency and did. Now healthy, Barrero has been playing in the Dominican Republic's winter league. For Estrellas and its manager Fernando Tatis Sr., Barrero hit .238 with a .360 on-base percentage and a .492 slugging percentage through his first 21 games and 71 plate appearances. So far this offseason, the Cardinals have acquired depth at two spots they and many other clubs usually go shopping for this time of year: pitching and middle infield. The Cardinals claimed right-hander Roddery Munoz off waivers from Miami, and they signed right-hander Michael Gomez to a minor league deal. Gomez and Barrero both received invites to major league spring training as part of their new contracts. Minor league deals mean the player is not on the 40-player roster. This past week, the Cardinals did not present a contract to right-hander Adam Kloffenstein, allowing him to become a free agent. The Cardinals presented contracts to every other member of the 40-player roster who was not already signed for the 2025 season. They have two openings on the 40-player roster. The Cardinals opted to keep infielder Jose Fermin as depth at multiple positions, and Barrero adds a challenger for that same role with the possibility of backing up at shortstop. Barrero also gives the Cardinals a shortstop at Class AAA Memphis as prospect Thomas Saggese makes his bid for the big league club. With the exception of the Los Angeles Angels and their beat-the-rush signings of a few free agents, the hot stove has yet to warm this winter. A lot of attention has been on the courtship of Juan Soto. Throughout Major League Baseball, the expectation is that activity will accelerate into a flurry around the annual winter meetings, which are set to start Dec. 9 in Dallas. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told the Post-Dispatch recently that the "pace" of his conversations with other teams and free agents are pointing toward activity at the winter meetings.The only sport that Alabamians enjoy more than Alabama politics is college football. We especially love the Alabama vs. Auburn football game – one of the fiercest of college football rivalries. It is the game of the year. It is a state civil war that divides friends and families. It is bragging rights for the entire year. The loser must live with his boasting next-door neighbor for 364 days. You must choose a side even if you despise college football and could not care less who wins. Newcomers to our state are bewildered on this fall day each year. They cannot comprehend the madness that surrounds this epic war. Steve Flowers Young boys all over Alabama grow up playing football in their front yards and dream of playing in this big game. It is often said that when these two rivals meet one can throw out the record books. However, this is not true. In 90% of the meetings the favorite has won. A lot of SEC championships and bowl games have been decided in this game. It has made many Alabamians’ Thanksgiving holiday either joyous or sad. The game was not played for 40 years between 1908 and 1948. Myth has it that the game was halted because of the intense rivalry. However, that is not the case. The history is that after the 1907 game, the schools could not agree on the terms of the contract. The dispute involved meal money, lodging, officials, and how many players each side could bring. Football was not the passion it is today, so the two schools let the matter rest and the fans did not seem to care. That began to change as college football grew to a major sport in the 1940s. When the series resumed, a popular rumor is the Alabama legislature called a special meeting and forced the teams to play. That never happened, but the House of Representatives did pass a resolution in 1947 to encourage, not force, the schools to meet in football, and officials at Alabama and Auburn agreed. The presidents of Auburn and Alabama simply decided it would be in the best interest of the schools to start playing again. A contract was drawn up, papers signed, and the rivals literally buried the hatchet. On the morning of December 4, 1948, the presidents of each school’s student body dug a hole in Birmingham’s Woodrow Wilson Park, tossed a hatchet in, and buried it. The series resumed in 1948 with a 55-0 Alabama victory and the teams have squared off every season since. Many of you have seen signs and car tags that simply say, “A house divided,” with half the tag emblem being Auburn and the other symbolic of the Alabama Crimson Tide. There are many families in our state where one spouse went to Auburn and the other attended Alabama. The family that epitomizes this “house divided” adage of my generation is Joe and Katie Espy of Montgomery. Joe is an Alabama man through and through. Espy is one of our state’s most gifted and successful attorneys. He grew up in Abbeville and journeyed onto the University of Alabama where he began his meteoric legal/political career. He was President of the SGA at the Capstone, then graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law. Many expected Joe to enter politics and probably become governor. However, he has lived a better life as one of the state’s top lawyers. Katie Espy was born and raised in Eufaula. She was “Miss Everything” at Eufaula High School, including head cheerleader. She went straight to Auburn where she became a cheerleader for the Auburn Tigers. Joe and Katie have been married for 54 years. Every Auburn vs. Alabama game, Katie dons her orange and blue attire and Joe dresses in crimson and white. As stated earlier, Joe Espy is from Abbeville. Guess who grew up around the corner from him? None other than Jimmy Rane, the Yella Fella. Espy and Rane are both 78 and were born only three months apart and grew up as best friends and neighbors. Joe has probably been the most ardent Alabama alumnus and fan in history. He was a University of Alabama trustee for over a decade. Jimmy Rane is the most devoted Auburn man in Auburn history. He has been one of the largest benefactors of Auburn for 50 years and a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees for 25 years. These two outstanding gentlemen epitomize loyalty to their alma maters and grew up together in Abbeville – a town of 2,000, which is probably evenly divided on Iron Bowl Day. As I have said many times in the past, Alabama is one big front porch. WAR EAGLE and ROLL TIDE! See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steve@steveflowers.us . Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!NEW YORK (AP) — There's no place like home for the holidays. And that may not necessarily be a good thing. In the wake of the very contentious and divisive 2024 presidential election, the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving and the ramp-up of the winter holiday season could be a boon for some — a respite from the events of the larger world in the gathering of family and loved ones. Hours and even days spent with people who have played the largest roles in our lives. Another chapter in a lifetime of memories. That's one scenario. For others, that same period — particularly because of the polarizing presidential campaign — is something to dread. There is the likelihood of disagreements, harsh words, hurt feelings and raised voices looming large. Those who make a study of people and their relationships to each other in an increasingly complex 21st-century say there are choices that those with potentially fraught personal situations can make — things to do and things to avoid — that could help them and their families get through this time with a minimum of open conflict and a chance at getting to the point of the holidays in the first place. For those who feel strongly about the election's outcome, and know that the people they would be spending the holiday feel just as strongly in the other direction, take the time to honestly assess if you're ready to spend time together in THIS moment, barely a few weeks after Election Day — and a time when feelings are still running high. The answer might be that you're not, and it might be better to take a temporary break, says Justin Jones-Fosu, author of “I Respectfully Disagree: How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Divided World.” “You have to assess your own readiness,” he says, “Each person is going be very different in this.” He emphasizes that it's not about taking a permanent step back. “Right now is that moment that we’re talking about because it’s still so fresh. Christmas may be different.” Keep focused on why why you decided to go in the first place, Jones-Fosu says. Maybe it’s because there’s a relative there you don’t get to see often, or a loved one is getting up in age, or your kids want to see their cousins. Keeping that reason in mind could help you get through the time. If you decide getting together is the way to go, but you know politics is still a dicey subject, set a goal of making the holiday a politics-free zone and stick with it, says Karl Pillemer, a professor at Cornell University whose work includes research on family estrangement. “Will a political conversation change anyone’s mind?" he says. “If there is no possibility of changing anyone’s mind, then create a demilitarized zone and don’t talk about it.” Let’s be honest. Sometimes, despite best efforts and intentions to keep the holiday gathering politics- and drama-free, there’s someone who’s got something to say and is going to say it. In that case, avoid getting drawn into it, says Tracy Hutchinson, a professor in the graduate clinical mental health counseling program at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. “Not to take the hook is one of the most important things, and it is challenging,” she says. After all, you don’t have to go to every argument you’re invited to. If you risk getting caught up in the moment, consider engaging in what Pillemer calls “forward mapping.” This involves thinking medium and long term rather than just about right now — strategy rather than tactics. Maybe imagine yourself six months from now looking back on the dinner and thinking about the memories you'd want to have. “Think about how you would like to remember this holiday,” he says. “Do you want to remember it with your brother and sister-in-law storming out and going home because you’ve had a two-hour argument?” Things getting intense? Defuse the situation. Walk away. And it doesn't have to be in a huff. Sometimes a calm and collected time out is just what you — and the family — might need. Says Hutchinson: “If they do start to do something like that, you could say, `I’ve got to make this phone call. I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I’m going to take a walk around the block.'"y7 casino 。

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said dealing with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on trade will be "a little more challenging" than the last time he was in the White House. Speaking at an event put on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau said that's because Trump's team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016. Even still, Trudeau said the answer is not to panic and said Canada can rally together to address the tough scenario the nation will face following Trump's inauguration in January. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, if the two nations do not beef up their borders to his satisfaction. On the weekend, Trump appeared in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," where the president-elect said he can't guarantee the tariffs won't raise prices for U.S. consumers but that eventually tariffs will "make us rich." "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," he said. Trudeau warned that steep tariffs could be "devastating for the Canadian economy" and cause "just horrific losses in all of our communities," and that Trump's approach is to introduce "a bit of chaos" to destabilize his negotiating partners. But he also said that Canada exports a range of goods to the U.S., from steel and aluminum to crude oil and agricultural commodities, all of which would get more expensive and mean real hardship for Americans at the same time. "For years, Americans have been paying more for their homes than they should because of unjust tariffs on softwood lumber. Maybe this level of tariffs will actually have them realize that this is something they are doing to themselves," Trudeau said. "Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive." Experts, including Canada's former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul, have warned the country needs to be ready to respond if Trump goes through with his tariff threats. The prime minister said his government is still mulling over "the right ways" to respond, referencing Canada's calculated approach when Trump hit Canada with steel and aluminum tariffs. "It was the fact that we put tariffs on bourbon and Harley-Davidsons and playing cards and Heinz ketchup and cherries and a number of other things that were very carefully targeted because they were politically impactful to the president's party and colleagues," he said. That's how Canada was able to "punch back in a way that was actually felt by Americans," he added. Trudeau also said the country needs to rally together and work past its political differences. He offered up some rare words of praise for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — a frequent political thorn in his side and "no big fan of mine" — as one of Canada's strongest voices during that tumultuous time period when NAFTA was under threat. "His voice with governors down south, his making the case for Canadian workers and Canadian trade in a way that complemented the arguments that we were making, did a better job of showing what Canadian unity was and (what) Canada's negotiating position could be to a United States that has a political system that is incredibly fractured and fractious," Trudeau said. On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said "every single Conservative would tell every single American" that tariffs on Canada would be a bad idea — and also took time to bill Trudeau as a weak leader. One member of his caucus, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, said he had dinner with incoming vice-president JD Vance and British Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch over the weekend in Arlington, Va. He said it's crucial right now to be building "strong relationships with our allies." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press, Kelly Geraldine Malone and Rosa Saba in Toronto Kyle Duggan, The Canadian PressHas the Robotics Revolution Arrived?

Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

Solo Leveling Season 2: New trailer, release date and plot revealedNew York/New Delhi, Nov 21: Billionaire Gautam Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of an elaborate scheme to pay USD 265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts. The bombshell allegations, which Adani group denied saying it is innocent until proven guilty, may have a widespread fallout ranging from reputational risk to the conglomerate, inability to raise funds from the US market and the billionaire being forced to restrict his overseas travels to opening a political pandora’s box that will give the Opposition another tool to target the government just as Parliament meets for the winter session, starting Monday. Adani, India’s second-richest man, and seven others, including his nephew Sagar, have been charged by the US Department of Justice with paying bribes to unidentified officials of state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to buy expensive solar power, potentially earning more than USD 2 billion in profit over 20 years. Prosecutors said the US started an investigation in 2022. They alleged that the group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm’s anti-bribery practices and policies as well as reports of the bribery probe. According to the indictment, Adani Green Energy – the renewable energy arm of the group – in 2021 won a tender to supply 8 gigawatts of solar power to the government-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India. New Delhi-based Azure Power, whose officials too have been named along with former executives of Canadian public pension fund manager CDPQ in the case, won a similar 4 GW tender. SECI was unsuccessful in finding buyers for the power at the prices contracted with Adani and Azure. Adani, in 2021 and 2022, met personally with government officials and offered them bribes to sign power sale agreements with SECI, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Following the promise of bribes, electricity distribution companies in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh entered into agreements with SECI. The indictment alleges that Rs 25 lakh per megawatt was paid to an official of the Andhra Pradesh state government, after which the state agreed to purchase 7,000 MW (7 GW) of solar power from SECI. Odisha purchased 500 MW of power through the same route. While the Adani group denied all charges and termed them baseless, it scrapped a USD 600 million bond issue by Adani Green Energy Ltd. The issue was oversubscribed three times hours before the indictment. “In light of these developments, our subsidiaries have presently decided not to proceed with the proposed USD-denominated bond offerings,” Adani Green Energy said in a stock exchange filing. Stating that it is innocent unless and until proven guilty, a group spokesperson said, “The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied”. The group said it will take all possible legal recourse. Adani group stocks tanked in the Mumbai trade. Ten listed firms of the group lost about USD 26 billion (Rs 2.19 lakh crore) in market value — more than double of what the conglomerate had lost when US short-seller Hindenburg brought out a damning report in January 2023. Seizing on the allegations, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanded the arrest of Adani. Other opposition parties, including TMC, also attacked Adani over the allegations.