wow888 casino More than 2500 appointments for blood and plasma donations need to be filled in the Bay of Plenty region before Christmas to ensure demand can be met throughout the holidays, the New Zealand Blood Service says. A Bay donor says he loves knowing his donations can help people in life-threatening circumstances. In a media release, New Zealand Blood Service national marketing and communications manager Shane Paramore said summer was an “extremely challenging” time to meet demand for blood and blood products. Paramore said people were “understandably busy” before Christmas, then most took a well-earned break. “But the reality is the need for blood and plasma never stops and as New Zealanders stock up for Christmas, we need to do the same,” Paramore said.

Earnings Summary: Ncino Q3PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Let’s get the good news in Philadelphia out of the way first. The Eagles are riding a nine-game winning streak, Saquon Barkley is making a serious run at the NFL season rushing record and a playoff berth was clinched for the fourth straight year under coach Nick Sirianni. Now, about all that grumbling ... . Yes, Philly sports fans, media and social media doomsayers are usually the ones with a complaint even in the best of times for the pro teams. Perhaps it’s a bit unsettling around Philadelphia, then, that the grousing after a win over Carolina this weekend came from inside the locker room. Wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, and even Jalen Hurts, made public their complaints about the state of the (diminishing) passing game, putting the coaching staff on notice that enough was enough and it was time to rev up the engine on a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and get the offense humming headed into the postseason. Even Sirianni conceded that yes, it was fair to raise questions about an offense that allowed Smith and Brown to combine for only eight catches and 80 yards. RELATED COVERAGE Cowboys set to host Bengals under open roof after falling debris thwarted that plan against Texans Cardinals’ sudden 3-game tailspin has turned their once solid playoff hopes into a long shot The 49ers’ playoff hopes are still teetering even after get-right game against the Bears The problem this week? “Being on the same page,” Smith said. Smith is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has yet to break 100 in a game this season. Brown has four 100-yard games, well off last season’s run when he topped 100 yards in six straight games and seven times overall. Hurts threw for just 108 yards with two TDs passing and one rushing score. Should an offense getting on the same page develop into this much of a concern for the Eagles (11-2) after 13 games? “No. I just say no,” Hurts said. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . There are reasons the numbers are down. The easy one, of course, is that the traditionally pass-happy Eagles have leaned on Barkley and his team-record 1,623 yards to steer the offense in his first season. Hurts also shoulders his share of the blame given his propensity for holding on to the ball. He was sacked four times and missed Smith and Brown the few times he did chuck the ball deep to open receivers on long routes. Hurts didn’t throw Brown the ball a couple of times when he was open, including on a TD pass to Smith. “Have to find a way to come together and come and sync as a unit and play complementary ball,” Hurts said. Hurts has topped 300 yards passing only once this season and his last three games are at 179-118-108. He does have only five interceptions and has thrown just one during the winning streak. What needs help The offensive woes start at the beginning. The Eagles have yet to score a touchdown on their opening possession through the first 13 games and average only 10.7 points in the first half. They had only 46 total yards in the first quarter. The slow starts are one reason why teams with losing records such as Carolina, Jacksonville and Cleveland are able to keep games close at the Linc and make last-gasp drives at an upset victory. What’s working The running game. That really only means one name: Barkley. Barkley rushed for 124 yards to break the Eagles’ season record, and Eric Dickerson’s NFL mark is in his sights. Barkley needed just 13 games to pass McCoy, who rushed for 1,607 yards in 2013. Barkley also maintained his pace to break Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is one pace for 2,122 yards, just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 total. Stock up Linebackers Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean. Dean led the Eagles with 12 tackles while Baun had 11 tackles and a sack. They both had strong games in shutting down Carolina’s — albeit banged-up — running game. Stock down Jake Elliott. Elliott was wide right on a 52-yard attempt in the third quarter and has missed all five attempts of 50-plus yards this season. Injuries Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was evaluated for a concussion and treated for an additional injury in the fourth quarter but had a game-changing interception. Key number 9 — The Eagles won nine straight games only three other times, in the 2017, 2003 and 1960 seasons. Next steps The Eagles host cross-state rival Pittsburgh in a potential all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl preview. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears hoped the first in-season head coaching change in the founding NFL franchise’s history would be the parachute a free-falling team needed. Turns out, the issues go beyond that. A listless showing in a on Sunday stretched their losing streak to seven — and counting — in their first game since . “I believe in the people,” Brown said Monday. “I think it’s all about the guys we have in the locker room, the coaches that we have. I understand our mentality and our approach going forward. As I said at the beginning, we don’t have cowards in the locker room. We don’t have cowards in our coaching staff. Regardless of circumstance we will come to battle every single day.” The Bears (4-9) sure didn’t show much fight Sunday in a loss that was as embarrassing as any. It ensured they will finish with a non-winning record for the 12th time in 14 seasons. They were outgained 319-4 in the first half for the ninth-largest discrepancy since 1991 and trailed 24-0 at the break. They managed one first down while punting on their first five possessions. Chicago set a season high for points allowed and matched its second-worst total by giving up 452 yards. It all added up to the Bears’ most lopsided loss since a 41-10 blowout at Kansas City in Week 3 last season. It obviously wasn’t what they envisioned when they decided to buck their own history and fire Eberflus on Nov. 29. The tipping point came at , when Chicago ran out of time for a potential tying field goal despite having one timeout remaining, just the latest in a string of bad late-game decisions. Beyond that, there are clearly issues with the roster. Though , it’s fair to wonder if a few more losses like this would change those plans. The last-place Bears’ next two games are against the top two teams in the NFC North, with a Monday night game at Minnesota (11-2) followed by a home game against division-leading Detroit (12-1). Chicago then hosts NFC West leader Seattle (8-5) before the season finale at Green Bay (9-4). What’s working It’s hard to say anything worked when the Bears were so thoroughly dominated. What needs help Offensive line. The Bears were once again dominated in the trenches and allowed rookie Caleb Williams to get sacked seven times, bringing his league-leading total to 56. It’s the most for a Chicago quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Yes, Williams hangs onto the ball too long at times. But too often, the blockers aren’t giving him enough time. They’re not creating holes for the running backs, either. Things were particularly bad against San Francisco. And that was against a defense missing the injured Nick Bosa. Stock up LB T.J. Edwards. The veteran recorded Chicago’s lone sack and his second of the season to go with two tackles for loss. He led the team with 10 tackles. Stock down Williams. The No. 1 overall draft pick completed 17 of 34 passes for 134 yards with two late touchdowns to Rome Odunze. Though he played his seventh straight game without an interception, he lost a fumble. In the first three games with Brown calling plays after former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, Williams was 75 of 117 for 827 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 99.2. Injuries Brown had no update on returner DeAndre Carter (hamstring) and RB Travis Homer (head) after they left Sunday’s game. Key number 20 — The defense allowed nine plays of 20 yards or more, the most against Chicago in the past nine seasons. Next steps The Bears have a tough task trying to right themselves at Minnesota. The Vikings have won six straight, including an overtime victory at Soldier Field in Week 12, after Chicago scored 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. ___ AP NFL:PARKER: Democratic Party's monopoly on the Black vote is over

The Memphis Grizzlies are learning the benefits of giving this season. When Memphis hosts the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the Grizzlies will be seeking their sixth consecutive win and their 10th in their past 13 games. Their November success has been the result of an unselfish, team-oriented approach. The Grizzlies enter Saturday leading the NBA with 30.4 assists per game. Memphis dished out 36 assists on 47 made baskets in Friday's 120-109 home victory over New Orleans. "The ball movement (was) great," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. "I think we had nine or 10 guys with two or more assists -- or 10 out of 11 guys (with) an assist, which is great." Ja Morant, who missed Wednesday's home win against Detroit due to a bruised knee, led the Grizzlies with seven assists against New Orleans, and Marcus Smart had six off the bench. Despite being limited to 10 games this season, Morant leads the team with 9.1 assists per game, followed by Scotty Pippen Jr. (5.7) and Smart (4.1). "When the ball's moving, it's about getting everyone involved," Pippen said. "It makes it a lot of fun to play with everyone. So, I feel like that's (when we are) the most dangerous, when everyone's touching the ball and everyone feels aggressive." Friday's win marked Memphis' first NBA Cup victory in the second year of the event. The Grizzlies had lost their first seven games of NBA Cup group play. As for Indiana, the Pacers were eliminated from contention for the NBA Cup knockout round with their 130-106 home loss Friday to Detroit. Indiana is 0-3 in Cup play. The Pacers had won three straight games -- all at home -- before being overpowered by the Pistons. Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 21 and 19 points, respectively. While the Pacers have struggled during the first two months of the season, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said several of his younger players have shown signs of contributing at a significant level, including second-year forward Jarace Walker. Walker, 21, finished with 10 points and notched five of the team's nine steals off the bench on Friday. Additionally, third-year guard Bennedict Mathurin, 22, has excelled in a starting role and is averaging 17.7 points per game, while Quenton Jackson, 26, has averaged 10.3 points in his past three games. "(Walker) went in there (Friday against Detroit) and decisively stepped into shot and he was physical," Carlisle said. "Right now is a time for guys like Jarace and Q (Jackson) and Ben (Mathurin) to experience what it's like to have this kind of responsibility and respond as best they can." Mathurin is second on the team in scoring behind Siakam (19.9 points per game), while Haliburton's 16.6 scoring average ranks third. Sunday's game is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams. Indiana and Memphis split last season's two meetings, with each squad winning at home. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.XRAY Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Dentsply Sirona Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit