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‘You’re going to be a grandpa’: Alec Baldwin, 64, stunned over daughter Ireland Baldwin’s baby news

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‘You’re going to be a grandpa’: Alec Baldwin, 64, left stunned over daughter Ireland Baldwin’s baby news… as his young kids prepare to become aunts and uncles

By Mark Mcgreal For Dailymail.Com and Sonia Horon For Dailymail.Com

Published: | Updated:

Alec Baldwin was left stunned as he learned he was going to be a grandfather amid news of his daughter Ireland Baldwin’s pregnancy. 

The 64-year-old actor and his 38-year-old wife Hilaria Baldwin appeared in a video posted onto Instagram where their daughter Carmen, 9, explained the news to their other kids. 

‘So you guys know what uncle means?’ Carmen asked her siblings before explaining the term to her siblings. 

Congratulations:Alec Baldwin was left stunned as he learned he was going to be a grandfather amid news of his daughter Ireland Baldwin’s pregnancy in an Instagram video which featured his wife Hilaria, 38, and their kids

She then pointed to each of her siblings explaining if they would be an uncle or an aunt before telling her dad that he would be called a grandpa. 

Once he heard the term grandfather, the stunned actor put his hands over his eyes in mock distress. 

Carmen then broke the news to her siblings that their half-sister Ireland, 27, is pregnant. 

Alec, Hilaria and their children all appeared at the end of the video giving their heartfelt congratulations to Alec’s oldest daughter who he shares with Kim Basinger. 

Short clip: The 64-year-old actor and his 38-year-old wife appeared in a video where their daughter Carmen, 9, explained the news to their other kids

‘Uncle’: ‘So you guys know what uncle means?’ Carmen asked her siblings before explaining the term to her siblings.

Grandpa Alec: Once he heard the term grandfather, he put his hands over his eyes in mock distress

Big news: Ireland announced the good news on Friday, December 30

Alec and Hilaria share seven children: Carmen, seven-year-old Rafael, six-year-old Leonardo, four-year-old Romeo, two-year-old Eduardo and two-year-old Lucia and infant Ilaria. 

‘From all these excited tiny uncles and aunties and grandpa Alec and grandma me… We are so happy for you, Ireland and Andre…can’t wait to meet the little babe ❤️,’ Hilaria wrote in the videos caption. 

Ireland announced the good news on Friday, December 30. She shared the happy news via a sweet Instagram snap of a sonogram picture.

‘Happy New Year ❤️ ‘ she wrote in the caption, tagging her boyfriend RAC, born Andre Allen Anjos. 

Expecting! Ireland Baldwin revealed she is expecting her first child on Friday. Alec Baldwin’s daughter, 27, shared the happy news via a sweet Instagram snap of a sonogram picture

Parents to be: ‘Happy New Year ❤️ ‘ she wrote in the caption, tagging her boyfriend RAC; Pictured in June

RAC also shared the photo to his own Instagram in a joint post. 

Baldwin then took to her Stories to confirm the good news with a photo of a pregnancy test.

‘It’s not a dog lol,’ she wrote, after some commentators thought she was playing a prank.

It’s real! Baldwin then took to her Stories to confirm the good news with a photo of a pregnancy test writing, ‘It’s not a dog lol’

Morning sickness: She also shared that the pregnancy has made her queasy, posting a photo of herself experiencing morning sickness next to a toilet

She also shared that the pregnancy has made her queasy, posting a photo of herself experiencing morning sickness next to a toilet, and adding that if anyone had trouble getting in touch with her, ‘it’s because this was me for the past while.’

Ireland’s 678K followers were thrilled by the news, with singer Kathryn Gallagher writing, ‘CONGRATS!!!!!’

Meanwhile actress Michele Maturo added, ‘Welcome to the coolest club, mama!!’

Read original article here

US

EXPLAINER: How blizzard stunned even winter-wise Buffalo

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The toll from the weekend blizzard that hit the Buffalo area was approaching 40 deaths Wednesday from the region’s deadliest storm in generations. Homes are only beginning to warm after days without heat. Drivers are still claiming cars they had abandoned.

In a region that prides itself on being able to handle frequent and heavy snowfall, the natural question is: Why was this storm so paralyzing?

Officials note that they declared emergencies, warned residents, and positioned crews and equipment well before the first storm winds blew in. But the ferocity of a blizzard packing near-hurricane-force winds and more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow severely limited what crews could do, even in responding to 911 calls.

On Wednesday, tensions surfaced between the region’s two top elected officials, with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz swiping at snow-removal efforts in the county seat of Buffalo, where a driving ban remained in place and National Guard troops helped to enforce it.

“The city, unfortunately, is always the last one to open,” Poloncarz said. “It’s embarrassing, to tell you the truth.”

In the aftermath of the storm, many of the dead were found outside, and others were in snow-covered vehicles and unheated homes. Some were stricken after clearing snow. Others died while awaiting help during a medical crisis.

A look at the response and aftermath:

THE FORECAST

Meteorologists saw it coming. Four days before the arrival of bad weather, the National Weather Service on Dec. 19 warned of a powerful storm and repeated the warning with increasing detail each day. An urgent advisory on Dec. 20 warned of blizzard conditions and heavy snow. By Dec. 21, forecasters termed it a “once-in-a-generation” storm. On Thursday, a blizzard warning was posted to take effect at 7 a.m. Friday, describing heavy snow, high winds, windchills of minus 10 to 25 degrees (minus 23 to 32 below Celsius) and “difficult to impossible travel” through Christmas weekend.

PREPARATIONS AND RESPONSE

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, saying “a potentially life-threatening storm” was coming, announced Thursday that the city would be under a state of emergency once the storm arrived the next morning. Closures of schools, churches and offices, including government offices in Erie and neighboring Niagara and Chautauqua counties, poured in.

Gov. Kathy Hochul expanded the state of emergency to the entire state Thursday and said state equipment and personnel were standing by, and the state Thruway Authority — which oversees the interstate highways linking Buffalo to other major cities statewide — announced commercial vehicles would be banned for a stretch in the area at 6 a.m. Friday.

“We highly recommend private businesses to close on Friday and Saturday,” Erie County Executive Poloncarz said at a public briefing, using a slideshow to illustrate the forecast, blizzard conditions, and dangers of frostbite and hypothermia.

By Friday, the county upgraded a travel advisory to a ban — too late, critics said, for employees who were instructed to go into work. Poloncarz said later the intent was to allow third-shift workers to get home, that conditions deteriorated more quickly than expected.

Some people ventured out anyway. Among them was Sean Reisch, a 41-year-old salesman from the suburb of Cheektowaga, who came to regret the decision to pick up milk and bread Friday afternoon.

“As I pulled on one of our main streets, it was like incredibly whiteout conditions to the point where you literally couldn’t see anything.,” he said.

The store was closing when he arrived, and when he got stuck in the parking lot someone lent him a shovel to dig out his Nissan Sentra, loaded with presents for his young children.

He barely made it home, sticking his head out the window in a cold wind that “took your breath away” to dodge drifts. At last he stumbled into his house, stunned.

“I kept saying to my wife all night long, ’I don’t think you understand how lucky I am to be here.′ How lucky? I can’t believe I made it home through all that.”

STORM VETERANS

It’s no surprise that getting people to heed warnings is a challenge. But with climate change intensifying all kinds of global weather events, according to experts, the stakes are higher.

“People tend to normalize … ‘Well, I’ve lived here all my life. I went through the worst blizzard. I know what I’m doing,’” said Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Obama administration. “This is something I think we’re going to really wrestle with with extreme weather … We’re seeing events that are exceeding our past experiences, and they’re exceeding our understanding.”

Fugate pointed to Hurricane Ian’s death toll in Lee County, Florida, in the fall, and the criticism the county faced for issuing a mandatory evacuation order just one day before the storm hit, choosing to wait while surrounding counties posted theirs.

With the blizzard arriving on the last shopping day before Christmas Eve, many employees, some citing the lack of a driving ban, said they felt pressured to go to work.

“If there’s criticism that it wasn’t done right, I’ll take it,” Poloncarz responded Wednesday.

THE HOLIDAY

Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner Dan Neaverth Jr. said he had to put his foot down to keep his own family members from running last-minute holiday errands in the storm, something many of those stranded were likely doing.

“How this fell, exactly where it did, heading into a holiday weekend,” he said, “I think that that had a tremendous impact on people wanting and feeling that need. … but not everybody had the benefit of a father who said, ‘Absolutely not, under no circumstances should you go out.’”

THE CRITICISM

Some residents of Buffalo, about 27% of whom live in poverty, bristled at instructions to “stock up” on food and medicine before the storm, calling it unrealistic.

Others questioned whether the region has enough specialized equipment to handle increasingly common extreme weather after volunteer snowmobile operators and emergency responders from outside agencies sent people and equipment. Poloncarz suggested Wednesday that the county, with more money and other resources, should take over the city’s future storm operations.

As National Guard members knocked on doors Wednesday conducting wellness checks, guard spokesperson Eric Durr addressed complaints members did not respond to the sometimes desperate pleas filling social media from people trapped in cars, freezing in homes without power or suffering medical emergencies.

Hochul had said Friday that 54 members of the National Guard and five vehicles would be deployed in Erie County to help.

At one point Saturday, almost every fire truck in Buffalo was stranded, along with numerous police vehicles, and residents of Buffalo and several suburbs were told emergency services were unavailable. Even plows were pulled from roads.

“If the fire department isn’t there, chances are the National Guard can’t get there,” Durr said.

On Saturday, Hochul announced additional troops. By Tuesday, more than 500 National Guard members were in western New York, her office said.

POLITICAL FALLOUT

Responding to Poloncarz’s critique of the city’s response, Brown said that the city bore the brunt of the storm and that its narrow residential streets posed challenges. He suggested Poloncarz, a fellow Democrat, was “crumbling” under stress.

“Some keep working, some keep trying to helping the residents of our community,” Brown said, “and some break down and lash out.”

“I don’t have any feud,” he said.

THE FUTURE

Erie County Sheriff John Garcia was among those looking for ways to improve after first responders were prevented from answering calls, saying “better equipment, more equipment” would help.

“We never thought that it was going to be as bad as it was,” he said. “So do we have to get better? Absolutely.”

Fugate said FEMA has benefited from talking with survivors of hurricanes to ask why they made the decisions they did.

“We can’t ask that of those who lost their lives, but we can people who were stranded,” he said. “We can ask the questions: What more information did you need to make a better decision?”

___

Associated Press reporter Heather Hollingsworth contributed from Mission, Kansas.

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Sports

NFL scores, schedule, live Week 15 updates: Cowboys, Pats stunned on last play; Tom Brady handed historic loss

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It’s Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season, and we’re keeping you updated on all the action and biggest storylines throughout the day. This week’s 15 slate has some fantastic matchups and storylines, including three Saturday games, and we’re here to help you watch it unfold. Check back often to find out everything you need to know.

Week 15 schedule

Thursday

49ers 21, Seahawks 13 (Takeaways)

Saturday

Vikings 39, Colts 36, OT (Takeaways)
Browns 13, Ravens 3 (Takeaways)
Bills 32, Dolphins 29 (Takeaways)

Sunday 

Jaguars 40, Cowboys 34 (OT) (Takeaways)
Lions 20 Jets 17 (Takeaways)
Saints 21, Falcons 18 (Recap)
Eagles 25, Bears 20 (Takeaways)
Chiefs 30, Texans 24 (OT) (Recap)
Steelers 24, Panthers 16 (Recap)
Raiders 30, Patriots 24 (Takeaways)
Broncos 24, Cardinals 15 (Recap)
Chargers 17, Titans 14 (Takeaways)
Bengals 34, Buccaneers 23 (Takeaways)
Giants 20, Commanders 12 (Takeaways)

Monday

Rams at Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET (Preview)

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

So far this weekend, there’s been the biggest comeback in NFL history (Vikings), a walk-off touchdown run in overtime (Chiefs) and a walk-off pick-six in overtime (Jaguars).

Raiders: hold my beer.

In one of the wildest endings in NFL history, Las Vegas won on a walk-off touchdown from edge rusher Chandler Jones. And how it happened was unfathomable. On third-and-10 with three seconds left in regulation, the Patriots were content with going to overtime, as they simply handed the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson. He actually looked like he could make something happen, as he got to the Raiders’ 35-yard line before he met any resistance.

At that point, he pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, who ran backward 8 yards and then, inexplicably, THREW A PASS BACK TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD. The only Patriot there was Mac Jones, but the ball landed right into the hands of Chandler Jones just past midfield, and Chandler Jones proceeded to stiff-arm Mac Jones’ head into the Bermuda turf and rumble the other way. The only players to catch him were clad in black and grey, celebrating with their teammate and he crossed the goal line for the 48-yard touchdown.

The loss dropped the Patriots to 7-7 and out of the AFC playoff picture with just three weeks to play. If New England ends up missing the postseason, you can bet Stevenson, Meyers, Jones, Bill Belichick and others will be haunted by one of the most insane football endings you’ll ever see.

Dicker the kicker! 

Credit to the Titans, with hardly any proven pass catchers, driving 74 yards for the game-tying score in the final minutes. But also credit to Brandon Staley, who called his timeouts as Tennessee was in goal-to-go situations. If you have Justin Herbert, you give him every chance to let him win the game in regulation.

The Titans ended up tying the game on Ryan Tannehill’s quarterback sneak, but the Chargers still had 48 seconds to get into field goal range. And on second-and-4 from their own 45, Herbert rolled out right (while shooing away a defender) and launched a laser down the right sideline that Mike Williams caught in double coverage for a 35-yard pickup. 

Los Angeles couldn’t get any closer, but Herbert had done his job. From there, it was Cameron Dicker drilling the 43-yard field goal to put the Chargers back in the playoff (as the No. 6 seed) with just three weeks left to play.

Wild fourth quarter! 

It’s the Raiders, so what did you expect? Leading by 13-plus points at halftime for the fifth time this season, they were on the verge of going to 0-5 when Rhamondre Stevenson broke through the line of scrimmage and was gone, from 34 yards out, to give the Patriots the lead with fewer than four minutes to play.

Of course, the Raiders stormed back, going nine plays and 81 yards — including a fourth-and-10 conversion at the beginning of the drive — to tie the game on a controversial 30-yard touchdown catch from Keelan Cole with just 32 seconds left. It looked as if one foot was out of bounds, but after ruling the play a touchdown on the field, the referees apparently didn’t see enough to overturn it. Las Vegas had tied the game at 24.

INT No. 3

In a game between a backup QB and a third-string QB, the backup QB has had the upper hand. Well, kind of. This has really been about the Broncos defense, which secured three interceptions against the combination of Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley and got enough from QB Brett Rypien and the running game to secure the 24-15 victrory.

Bengals battle all the way back

It’s truly been a tale of two halves in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers completely dominated the first half en route to taking a 17-3 advantage into the break. In the third quarter, they turned the ball over FOUR TIMES, which has resulted in 24 Cincinnati points to put the Bucs in a 10-point hole. Here are the turnovers and subsequent scores, in order from earliest to most recent:

Herbert picked off again

It’s been nearly a year since Justin Herbert throw multiple interceptions … until Sunday. Five plays after Nasir Adderley secured his interception, Kevin Byard jumped in front of Mike Williams to give the Titans offense back possession. It’s the first time since Week 15 of 2021 that Herbert has thrown more than one interception. (For more on the first interception, click here.)

Leaping INT

The Chargers defense has showed up for the second straight week. After limiting a high-flying Dolphins offense to 17 points, it has shut down the Titans — aside from one direct snap touchdown from Derrick Henry. Locked in a 7-7 game midway through the third quarter, Nasir Adderley got the ball back for Los Angeles with a leaping interception of Ryan Tannehill.

Patriots back in it

Most teams would feel comfortable up double digits. Not the Raiders, who inexcusably gave up a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Rams just last week! Las Vegas fans hope it can keep a lead this time, but it’s not looking great. Up 17-3 at halftime, Derek Carr proceeded to throw an awful interception on a screen pass that Kyle Dugger easily took for a touchdown. Now the Patriots have added an interception to pull within four with more than a quarter to play.

Interception of the year!

If you’ve seen an interception like this before, please send me it (@kylefstackpole on Twitter), because I’ve never seen what Titans rookie Roger McCreary did at the end of the first half. The pass from Justin Herbert was going out of bounds, which was fine because then the Chargers could line up for a field goal before the break. But then McCreary made one of the best defensive plays of the year, catching the ball and passing it to his teammate in midair for the interception!

Joshua Kalu will get credit in the stat sheet, but he better get his rookie counterpart something nice for Christmas for gift-wrapping him his first-career interception.

All Bucs in first half

If you missed the first half between the Bucs and Bengals, I’ll quickly recap it here: Tampa Bay had double the plays (40 to 20), more than triple the yards (261 to 83) and 14 more points through the game’s opening 30 minutes. It’s been the Tom Brady show, as the greatest QB of all-time has thrown for nearly 200 yards on 17 of 23 passing and found Russell Gage and Chris Godwin for touchdowns.

And while Joe Burrow led the Bengals to a field goal to make it 17-3 at halftime, he’s thrown an interception while barely being on the field.

JAGUARS WIN

The Lions’ and Chiefs’ wins were exciting (read more about them below), but neither compares to what the Jaguars accomplished against the Cowboys. Down, 27-10, with about 20 minutes to play, Trevor Lawrence (four TD passes), Zay Jones (three TD catches) and Riley Patterson (game-tying FG) combined to shock the Cowboys and force overtime. But if you thought Dallas’ collapse was surprising, how it lost was shocking. Take a look:

The pass, intended for Noah Brown, popped right into the hands of Rayshawn Jenkins, who then completed the stunning victory by following his blockers down the right sideline for the walk-off 51-yard score.

CHIEFS WIN

You have to feel for Texans fans. In back-to-back weeks, Houston has taken the Cowboys down to the wire and the Chiefs to overtime. Both times, they’ve lost in heartbreaking fashion. In Dallas, the Texans allowed Dak Prescott and the offense to drive 98 yards for the game-winning score with just 41 seconds left. On Sunday, they forced Kansas City to punt in overtime, only to have Frank Clark immediately strip Davis Mills and then Willie Gay Jr. rip away the ball from a Texans player at the bottom of the pile.

On the next play, this happened:

With Jerick McKinnon’s walk-off 25-yard scamper, the Chiefs clinched the AFC West title for the seventh straight year. On the bright side for Houston, it moved that much closer to securing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft and getting its quarterback of the future.

LIONS WIN

The Lions started 1-6. They’re now 7-7 (!) after surviving a back-and-forth nail-biter with the playoff-contending Jets. The biggest play came on a fourth-and-inches with fewer than two minutes to play. Needing a touchdown down by four, Jared Goff faked the hand-off and found Brock Wright, who slipped free across the middle after helping block at the line of scrimmage. At first, it seemed like Wright would get Detroit closer to the end zone; instead, Wright weaved his way all the way across the goal line for the go-ahead 51-yard score!

Zach Wilson, filling in for the injured Mike White, made things very interesting with miraculous conversions on third-and-19 AND fourth-and-18, which set up the Jets just outside of the Lions 40-yard line. Greg Zuerlein had a chance to send a third game of the early window to overtime, but he hooked his 58-yard field goal attempt wide right to keep the Lions’ playoff hopes alive.

OT in Jacksonville! 

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, then let me be the first to tell you: Trevor Lawrence has arrived. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has been magnificent in recent weeks, and he’s torched the stout Dallas defense on Sunday. Even more importantly, with the game on the line, Lawrence, who threw four touchdowns in regulation, led the Jaguars 41 yards in seven plays in about a minute to set up the game-tying field goal. Riley Patterson delivered, sending the game to the extra period.

OT in Houston!

Harrison Butker entered 2022 as one of the NFL’s best kickers, but 2022 has been up and down. He missed several games with an injury, and since coming has been volatile. The Chiefs got the bad Butker on Sunday, as he not only missed an extra point but also missed the 51-yard field goal that would have given the Chiefs a walk-off win.

Hurts, Fields run wild

One is the MVP frontrunner. The other is a Year 2 breakout. Both quarterbacks delivered in the Eagles’ 25-20 win over the Bears on Sunday. 

Hurts, despite throwing multiple interceptions for the first time all season, still threw for more than 300 yards while finding the end zone THREE TIMES on the ground. When Philadelphia needed its QB to make a play, Hurts did what needed to be done to help the Eagles improve to 13-1.

Fields, meanwhile, had another miraculous run, which served as the highlight of his 152-passing-yard, 95-rushing-yard, two-touchdown performance that put Chicago on the brink of pulling a big upset. Both franchises are in good hands with their respective QBs.

Cowboys!

The Cowboys offense has been terrible in the second half, but in need of a score after a 17-point collapse, Dak Prescott and Co. delivered: 13 plays, 75 yards and the go-ahead score from Prescott to Noah Brown to put Dallas back ahead.

Jags!

With 5 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third quarter, the Cowboys kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 17 points. Since then, it’s been ALL Jacksonville. Here’s the drive-by-drive sequence: 

  • 59-yard touchdown from Trevor Lawrence to Zay Jones
  • Dak Prescott interception
  • Lawrence touchdown pass to Marvin Jones
  • Three-and-out
  • Another touchdown pass from Lawrence to Zay Jones

In just over 10 minutes of game action, the Jaguars went from being down 27-10 to up 31-10. It’s been a collapse from the Cowboys but also a roaring comeback from Lawrence, who is up to four touchdown passes.

Offseason signee Haason Reddick has been a great addition to the Eagles defense, with Sunday serving as his best outing of 2022. In just three quarters, the veteran pass rusher has two sacks, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed.

Zay Jones makes father proud

Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones’ father is former NFL linebacker Robert Jones, who won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in the early 1990s. Playing against his dad’s team Sunday, Jones has put fourth a incredible performance to the tune of five receptions, 90 yards and three scores to keep the Jaguars in the game.

21-play drive!

There are clock-eating drives, and then there is the drive the Steelers went on to start the second half. Pittsburgh marched 91 yards in 21 PLAYS (and 11:43 off the clock!) on a possession that ended with Mitch Trubisky’s second quarterback sneak attempt resulting in a touchdown. It marked the longest drive of the season and just the 20th drive of 20-plus plays since 2001, per Pro Football Reference. This was just the sixth to result in a touchdown, as nine drives ended in field goals and five ended in no points.

Thrust back into the starting role with Mike White out with a rib injury, Zach Wilson looked very sharp in the first half versus the Lions. He threw for 185 yards on just eight completions, the biggest of which were a 40-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah and a 50-yard connection to Jeff Smith that set up the game-tying field goal before halftime.

However, the second half did not start out how Wilson would have liked. The former No. 2 overall pick floated a pass with multiple Lions in the area, and Jerry Jacobs came down with the interception and proceeded to take it deep into Jets territory. New York’s defense held strong, though, limiting Detroit to another field goal.

The Texans?

Look out, NFL, because the Texans are frisky. A week after nearly pulling off a historic upset against the Cowboys, Houston took the lead over the Chiefs with two first-half touchdowns. The much more unlikely one was Davis Mills taking the snap, looking right for a long time and then rolling left, where he had plenty of room. So much room, in fact, that he ran untouched for the 17-yard score.

He’s done it again. On second-and-27 from around midfield, Justin Fields not only ran for the first down, he nearly scored, breaking tackles and juking several Eagles en route to what would have been the most incredible touchdown of the 2022 season. Unfortunately, Fields stepped out of bounds at the 9-yard line, but no matter. On the next play, David Montgomery scored to give the Bears a surprising lead.

Dak x2

The Cowboys offense has done whatever it has wanted in the first half against the Jaguars. Dak Prescott has completed 12 of his first 13 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, the first a dart to tight end Peyton Hendershot and the second on a creative play call that resulted in a Noah Brown one-yard score.

Taysom goes DEEP

Usually when Taysom Hill lines up at quarterback, he’s looking to run over every defender in his path. But on the rare occasion, he’ll drop back and sling it, which is exactly what he did midway through the first quarter Sunday. Hill delivered a laser over the middle to impressive undrafted rookie Rashid Shaheed, who caught the ball in stride over the outstretched arms of a defensive back and was off to the races for a 68-yard score.

Zeke = TD machine

Before his injury, after his injury — it doesn’t matter. Whenever Ezekiel Elliott has seen the field over the past two months, he’s found the end zone. On Sunday against the Jaguars, his 10-yard scamper marked his seventh straight game with a score.

Get off me!

Safety Jeremy Chinn had a chance to stop Najee Harris on first-and-goal from the seven-yard line. Instead, Harris stiff-armed him and then went after another defender as he crossed the goal line to open the game’s scoring.

Punt return TD!

The Jets seemed to snatch the momentum away from the Lions when they stuffed touchdown-machine Jamaal Williams at the goal line on fourth down, but Detroit immediately gained it back following a three-and-out. That forced New York to punt out of its own end zone, and Kalif Raymond took full advantage, making the first man miss and then exploding through a small crease and his teammates make key blocks on his way for the 47-yard punt return score.

The Ravens-Browns matchup did not feature much action in the first half, but Justin Tucker did set the Ravens franchise record for most career field goals made with 355. With just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Tucker converted on a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at three apiece, and set the Ravens record.

Tucker is the best kicker in the NFL, and owns the record for longest field goal made in NFL history. You probably remember it from last year — a 66-yard, game-winning kick to down the Lions.

Vikings pull off largest comeback in NFL history

If you chose to turn off the TV at halftime of Colts-Vikings, you truly missed out. Minnesota embarked on a 39-3 run in the second half, including overtime as Greg Joseph’s 40-yard field goal capped the comeback. With this win, the Vikings clinch the NFC North. Coach Kevin O’Connell also clinched the largest comeback in NFL history, as the Vikings came back from down 33-0! 

DALVIN COOK TO THE HOUSE

With 2:15 remaining, the Vikings took over down eight points. Turns out, they needed just one play to get to the end zone.

Cook took it 64 yards to the house, and then T.J. Hockenson scored the two-point conversion to tie the game at 36 apiece. A 36-3 run!  

Matt Ryan QB sneak fail

The Colts had the ball up eight points with 2:52 remaining, and successfully drained the Vikings of all three of their timeouts. Facing a fourth-and-1 with 2:31 remaining, Ryan attempted to pick up the yard himself. The officials ruled him short, however, so Jeff Saturday challenged the call on the field. After further review, the call on the field stood.

Back in the second quarter, it appeared the Vikings pulled off a momentous scoop-and-score thanks to Chandon Sullivan. However, the refs ruled the play dead as Michael Pittman was attempting to fight for extra yards.

Then, in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings were fighting to pull off the comeback, Jackson clearly fumbled possession, and Sullivan again picked up the ball and ran it back for six. 

However, the officials ruled it dead. 

Sullivan was beside himself, and picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  

Adam Thielen cuts Colts lead to eight points with 5 mins remaining!

The Vikings were down 33 points heading into the second half. Kevin O’Connell’s squad has cut that lead to just eight points with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Don’t tell Matt Ryan, but Minnesota is currently on a 28-3 run, and has a legitimate chance to pull off the comeback.

Cousins led the Vikings on a five-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a one-yard Thielen touchdown. All of Minnesota’s wide receivers are eating today.

Justin Jefferson pulls Vikings within two scores in fourth

We might just have a game on our hands. Cousins led a six-play, 61-yard drive early in the fourth quarter that was capped by this nasty Justin Jefferson touchdown. If Stephon Gilmore can’t keep up, no one can.  

K.J. Osborn gets Vikings on the board

The Vikings finally got on the board in the third quarter, and that’s thanks to K.J. Osborn. The wideout failed to reel in a long pass in the first half, but made up for it with a 63-yard catch and run that got Minnesota down to the Colts’ 4-yard line. Three plays later, Osborn finished off the drive with a touchdown.

Pick-six puts Colts up 30-0 before halftime

Things went from bad to worse for the Vikings on Saturday as their nightmare of a first half continued. With the Vikings facing a third-and-3 deep in their own territory, Cousins missed Jalen Reagor on a curl route, and Julian Blackmon picked it off and returned it to the end zone for Indy’s third touchdown of the first half. 

Colts DOMINATE Vikings in first quarter

The first quarter of the Colts-Vikings matchup was an absolute disaster for the home team. Who saw the Colts being up 17-0 at the end of the opening quarter?

Indy got the ball first, and Matt Ryan orchestrated an 11-play, 44-yard drive which was capped by a 26-yard field goal. On the Vikings’ first possession, they went three-and-out, and then this happened.

Down 10-0 in the blink of an eye, Kirk Cousins and Co. needed to right the ship. Instead, Dalvin Cook fumbled away possession two plays later. Ryan then led a seven-play, 66-yard drive which ended with the Colts’ first offensive touchdown of the afternoon. 

The Colts are also doing this without the services of Jonathan Taylor, who left the game during the opening drive. He was quickly ruled out with an ankle injury.

Miami arrives in snowy Buffalo with trunks of cold weather gear

The Dolphins aren’t in Miami anymore. Old Man Winter arrived in Buffalo on Friday night, and left behind about eight inches of the white stuff. Buffalo isn’t done with the snow just yet either, as a Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect until 1 p.m. ET Sunday. According to the hourly forecast, precipitation will go from a “few snow showers” at 2 p.m. ET, to “snow showers” by 5 p.m. ET and then just straight up “snow” by kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET. 

The Dolphins are doing their best to come prepared for the bleak conditions, as they’ve brought 1,400 pounds of trunks with cold weather gear to Orchard Park, per NFL Media. Every player has multiple cleats to try on to find the best footing in the snow. 

Contenders or pretenders? Let’s find out

Saturday NFL games are always bittersweet. 

On one hand, it’s the unofficial beginning of the end of the regular season. Before we know it, more than half of the league will be watching the playoffs from the couch.

On the other hand, have I mentioned we get NFL games on a Saturday?! No offense to the LendingTree Bowl or the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. It’s just that I, like many other football fans around the world, would rather watch Justin Jefferson and Jonathan Taylor; Mark Andrews and Nick Chubb; and Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa. Starting from 1 p.m. ET on Saturday to 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, there will be professional football on for 21 of a possible 34.5 hours! (And you’ll be sleeping for most of that off time.)

But not only is there a quantity of NFL on this weekend, there are plenty of intriguing showdowns. Do the Lions, Jaguars and Panthers actually have a chance to improbably sneak into the playoffs? For it to happen, Detroit must defeat the stingy Jets and Jacksonville must down the Cowboys. Carolina has a little more wiggle room in the putrid NFC South, but losing to the Kenny Pickett-less Steelers would be a bad look.

Elsewhere, the AFC wild card teams have gut-check-type matchups. We’ve already mentioned the Jets, but there’s also the Patriots going to Las Vegas, the Chargers attempting to out-physical the Titans and the Dolphins looking to win in freezing and snowy weather (against one of the Super Bowl favorites). 

In the NFC, there’s basically an elimination game between the Saints and Falcons, an “are they really going to miss the playoffs?” bout for the Buccaneers versus the Bengals, and a monstrous NFC East matchup between the Giants and Commanders on “Sunday Night Football.”

There’s so much football to watch and so much on the line for so many of these teams. Let’s see who steps up with the season on the line.

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Entertainment

Britney Spears Posts Loving Tribute to Estranged Sister Jamie Lynn Spears, Leaving Fans Stunned

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On Friday night (Dec. 2), Britney Spears raised eyebrows among her fans when she posted a loving tribute to her estranged sister Jamie Lynn Spears, with whom she’s been in a public war of words for a year.

The Instagram post, shared on Britney’s 41st birthday, included two pics of Jamie Lynn — one of her holding a guitar and one of her posing in a kitchen — and gave photo credit to the younger Spears sister in the caption.

More from Billboard

“It’s my b-day but you’re my heart so I’m thinking about you,” the caption reads. “Congratulations on being so brave, inspiring, and showing guts and glory in your show !!! You ain’t alone … if anybody knows what that feels like … I get it. My baby sister !!! I love you !!!”

The show the caption is likely referencing is the celebrity reality competition series Special Forces: The Ultimate Test, which premieres next month on Fox and features the younger Spears and other familiar faces competing in the same challenges used in the military’s special forces selection process.

The Spears sisters have been publicly estranged for the past year, with Britney calling out the release of Jamie Lynn’s tell-all memoir Things I Should Have Said and bringing up other grievances in lengthy Instagram captions. “Please please stop with these crazy lies for the Hollywood books !!!” Britney wrote in one such post back in January.

Britney’s fans aren’t convinced that the new Instagram post signals a truce for the feuding siblings. In fact, they’re more convinced that the elder Spears isn’t in charge of her own Instagram account. Billboard has reached out to a rep for Britney Spears to confirm that Britney is behind the new post.

See Britney’s new post and some of the confused fan reaction below.

Click here to read the full article.

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Sports

Bruins’ Mitchell Miller signing ‘stunned’ bullying victim’s family — mother says son ‘not doing well’ after the news

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TORONTO — On Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Nick Foligno made it clear they do not endorse their employer’s signing of Mitchell Miller. Joni Meyer-Crothers, mother of Isaiah, the victim of Miller’s bullying and racist comments, heard those statements.

“I was very impressed with what they said. Extremely impressed,” Meyer-Crothers told The Athletic. “That definitely gave us comfort.”

It was a breath of relief in what Meyer-Crothers termed a whirlwind since the Bruins signed Miller to an NHL entry-level contract on Friday. She never believed the day would come.

“We were totally blindsided,” said Meyer-Crothers of herself, husband Jamie Crothers and her family. “I never thought an NHL team would sign him. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that. I was just stunned.”

Meyer-Crothers read the Bruins’ press release. She saw how general manager Don Sweeney explained the signing. Sweeney noted how Miller’s offensive style gave him NHL potential.

“It’s sad in that Mitchell and his family think his career trumps being a good person? That’s kind of the message the Bruins are sending out too — that talent trumps what you do,” said Meyer-Crothers. “I can’t say it enough. We want Mitchell to get the help that he needs. Because he needs help, too. So we’re not against that, at all. But it’s a privilege to play hockey. Maybe he should have been rehabilitated, and then re-focused and re-looked at to play hockey after he truly was rehabilitated and understood the magnitude of what he’s done to our son.”

As much as Meyer-Crothers appreciated what the Bruins’ players said, she has not heard directly from anybody from the Bruins, either before or after the signing. (The Athletic reached out to the Bruins for comment on this without response.)

If she had heard from them, Meyer-Crothers said she would have described how Isaiah and her family are still dealing with the aftermath of Miller’s repeated mistreatment. She described Isaiah as “not doing well at all” following Friday’s news of Miller’s signing.

“Every time this is brought up, it puts him right back to where he was,” said Meyer-Crothers of her adopted son. “To sit at the table with Mitchell in seventh grade, he had to say he was his N-word, or he had to sit by himself at the lunch room. It’s all this stuff that keeps replaying in his mind all the time. That he’s not of value. That his life doesn’t matter. He was told his Black mom and dad didn’t love him; that’s why he has White parents. Imagine the identity problems that Isaiah’s dealing with.

“He was already behind the eight-ball because he had fetal alcohol syndrome and drug exposure. So cognitively, he’s already behind. Then you’re adding this stuff on to a kid that just wants to have friends. Because he already knows he’s not functioning like the other kids. He was tormented. That’s where I’m struggling.”

After hearing Bergeron, Marchand and Foligno speak, Meyer-Crothers said she would welcome the players to their home. She would explain how Miller’s mistreatment affected Isaiah and her family. She would share the reports she has received on Isaiah’s mental health. 

Meyer-Crothers said she is not interested in speaking with Sweeney because of how he explained the situation.

“No, I wouldn’t want to speak to him. No,” Meyer-Crothers said. “He made it known that it didn’t really matter what we had to say.”

Both Meyer-Crothers and Crothers also said they do not want to speak to Miller. According to Crothers, Miller reached out to Isaiah on social media approximately a week and a half ago.

“This has been something every time when Mitchell turns around and tries to get on to another hockey team,” Crothers said. “Last year, it was his USHL team. Being drafted by Arizona. Every time this comes up, everybody reaches out to us and to him. This is like the third or fourth time we’ve been through this circus, all over the same situation. Every time, Mitchell has chosen never to reach out and apologize.

“The only time he sought Isaiah out to apologize to him was about a week and a half ago when Boston told him, ‘We’re not signing you unless you apologize.’ So then he decided, ‘Hey, I better get ahold of Isaiah and apologize.’ At that point, he was sorry, but it wasn’t hockey-related. He told Isaiah specifically that he was sorry, that this was not hockey-related, he just really wanted to help kids in a similar situation. That’s why he was reaching out. He tried to sit down with Isaiah and tell him he was sorry, but it was all because of this, because of being signed by Boston. It was about hockey. It wasn’t about kids. It wasn’t about being sorry. It was about his hockey. So it’s empty.”

Crothers and Meyer-Crothers are unhappy with Miller. They are also dissatisfied with the Bruins for how, in their Friday press release, they did not acknowledge Miller’s repeated harassment. 

“The biggest thing people need to know is it’s not a one-time thing,” Meyer-Crothers said. “It was years and years and years of abuse and torment. Our son is an emotional mess at the hands of Mitchell. I’m so thankful the organization wants to help Mitchell. But you’re forgetting that there’s a victim that is traumatized for the rest of his life. What are we doing for him? Because he doesn’t have a hockey talent, his life isn’t as significant? That’s how we kind of feel.

“They keep using the word mistake. He made a ‘mistake’ when he was 14. My problem with Sweeney and with Mitchell is, let’s call it what it was. It was years of abuse. It wasn’t one time. A mistake is maybe something stupid. But what he did really is a lot more. It was premeditated.”

Meyer-Crothers concluded the interview with a final statement.

“Isaiah is just victimized over and over again because Mitchell’s a good hockey player,” she said. “So it’s like you don’t have to show that you’ve grown and you’re remorseful because you’re a good hockey player, so that trumps everything Isaiah’s went through. So it minimizes what Isaiah’s went through and makes him feel like he went through everything in vain. That his life doesn’t matter. And his life does matter. His life matters significantly.”

(Top photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)



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World

Wife stunned to learn husband is female after months of sex

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An Indonesian woman is reeling after learning her husband of 10 months is actually female — despite the fact they frequently “had sex.”

The 22-year-old wife — identified only as NA — has now pressed charges against her estranged spouse over the deceit.

“I’m still scared. I’m shaking when I go out,” the jilted bride is quoted as saying in a report published in the local outlet Tribun News.

According to the website, NA first met her spouse — who went by the name Ahnaf Arrafif — on the dating app Tantan last year.

Arrafif purportedly claimed to be a doctor who was educated in New York, and the two soon hit it off via message.

The pair met in person in May 2021 after Arrafif traveled to NA’s hometown of Jambi. Arrafif proposed a short time later and they tied the knot in July.

Erayani Arrafif (pictured) has reportedly been charged with fraud in Indonesia after posing as a man and tricking a woman, identified as NA, into getting married. The couple were married for 10 months before the truth of Arrafif’s sex was revealed.
Tribun-video.com

NA admitted to being intimate with her spouse during their marriage, saying she believed they had engaged in penetrative intercourse.

However, she admitted that she was asked “not to look directly at Arrafif’s genitals” and that her “eyes were covered with a cloth” whenever things turned steamy.

NA also alleged that Arrafif would only get naked with the lights off, so that sex was had “in a state of blackout,” Suara.com reports.

Arrafif claimed to be a man named Ahnaf Arrafif. They matched with NA on a dating app before they met up in May 2021. They wed two months later.
Tribun-video.com
Arrafif reportedly forced NA to have sex with the lights off. The bride was also ordered to be blindfolded whenever the couple became intimate.
Tribun-video.com

While NA’s mother was reportedly charmed by Arrafif prior to the marriage, she soon became suspicious when it appeared he did not actually have a job.

Arrafif moved in with NA and her mother, and promptly began asking for money. In the ensuing months, NA’s meddling mama became more and more convinced that her “son-in-law” was a fraudster. She also started to become skeptical that Arrafif was a man, and she tried to obtain identification documents.

This past April, she finally confronted Arrafif and ordered him to strip naked. At that point., Arrafif is said to have admitted to being a woman who was actually named Erayani Arrafif.

Arrafif is seen with NA in a photo published by media in Indonesia. The case has generated widespread attention in the region.
Tribun-video.com

NA and her mother contacted the police, and Arrafif has reportedly been charged with fraud.

The scam artist admitted to cops that they tricked NA into thinking she was having penetrative sex by using fingers.

It’s currently unclear whether Arrafif is likely to face jail time if convicted of the fraud. A court date has not yet been announced.

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US

Buffalo alleged shooter Payton Gendron quiet hometown stunned after supermarket shooting

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Residents of rural Conklin, New York were stunned Saturday by the news the gunman accused in the Buffalo supermarket attack was a teenager who lived in their town.

Payton Gendron, 18, allegedly drove his parents’ car over 200 miles from Conklin to Buffalo Saturday to massacre 10 people in a racially motivated mass shooting he live streamed on Twitch.

Conklin is a sleepy community of about 5,000 people on the Susquehanna River just north of the Pennsylvania border in Broome County and 10 miles south of Binghamton. The population is 95.7 percent white, according to Census estimates.

“It’s disturbing — this kid went to the same school system as I did … how can someone that had a similar upbringing do this?” said Alexis Sorbello, who was bartending at Jumbo’s the only bar in town open late Saturday.

The local bar on Saturday had an American flag hanging by the pool table and pro wrestling and a baseball game on the big screens— but no sign of the shooting that hours ago brought national spotlight to their small community.

Alexis Sorbello the bartender at the town’s only open bar Jumbo’s called the incident “disturbing.”
Jumbo’s
Payton Gendron was arrested on first-degree murder charges.
AP

Sorbello, who described the community as Trump country, said she first heard of the shooting from a local volunteer firefighter.

Construction worker Fran said he knew few details of the shooting but wasn’t shocked by the news.

“It could happen here because the society we’re living in is unstable,” he told The Post.

Of the town, he said many people work at a nearby distribution center for Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“There’s job opportunities here for every walk and race every type of person,” Fran said.

Police officers outside alleged Buffalo mass shooter Payton Gendron’s home in Conklin, NY.
REUTERS
Jumbo’s bar in Gendron’s rual hometown of Conklin, NY.
Zach Williams
Three New York State troopers were stationed outside Payton Gundren’s home.
REUTERS

A woman in her 30s who did not wish to be named said she knew Gendron’s family, who she described as “fantastic” people active in the community.

Gendron’s mother was “super involved” in the local school, she said, adding that her son attended birthday parties for Payton Gendron’s younger brother. 

“They were fine. They were fantastic,” she told The Post. “They’re close-knit. His mom was super involved with the PTA [and] helped me with a couple of different things, like we were both on board together. So when I heard the news today I was at work and doesn’t make sense at all.”

Gendron was arrested on first-degree murder charges after he shot 13 people — 11 of them black – after he posted a rambling, white supremacist manifesto online that outlined the shooting step-by-step.

Payton Gendren allegedly shot 13 people 11 of whom were black.
REUTERS
Payton Gendren allegedly posted a white supremacist manifesto on the internet.
AP

“[I] never would have thought, literally never would have thought from what I had met a couple years ago that he would ever grow up to be that kid,” she said.

She said Payton Gendron is one of three brothers who lived with their mother and father in the town, she said. He had seemed like a “fun-loving sports kid” who played baseball, she added.

Three New York State troopers were posted outside of the Gendrons’ two-story, one-car garage home. The home sits near the end of a quiet road of large single-family homes with manicured lawns but was closed off amid the police investigation.

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Sports

March Madness: No. 1 seeds Gonzaga and Arizona are stunned in Sweet 16

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No. 1 overall seed and last year’s runner-up Gonzaga was upset by No. 4 seed Arkansas 74-68, before another No. 1 seed, Arizona, lost to No. 5 seed Houston 72-60 shortly after.

With defending champion and the other top seed Baylor already knocked out, the only No. 1 seed left is Kansas.

Arkansas’ progression to the Elite Eight of the men’s NCAA tournament is their second in a row, but just their third since 1995.

After shocking Gonzaga and advancing to the next round where they’ll face Duke, Razorbacks’ head coach Eric Musselman told CBS: “Thank you to everybody that said we had no chance.”

“We grinded in our prep. I give these guys a ton of credit. We took a four-hour flight after traveling from Buffalo to Fayetteville for 24 hours to here, and then we went straight to an hour and 45-minute practice,” Musselman said.

“Can’t compliment these guys and the entire team enough for the way that they buy in to game preparation. It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of that they just kind of do what we ask.”

For Houston, they led wire-to-wire against Arizona, scoring the first basket and never trailing against the Wildcats.

Jamal Shead led the way for the Cougars with 21 points, with Kyler Edwards hitting five three-pointers as he added 19 points.

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”I knew we were going to make them uncomfortable, that’s what we do,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said. ”Our team, we’re a tough bunch … They’re not afraid of anybody.”

Dalen Terry led scoring for Arizona with 17 points. Houston will now face Villanova on Saturday in the Elite Eight.

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Health

I was stunned to learn why my breast milk turned blue

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A mom has shared a video of her breast milk that turned blue – which according to an expert, is completely normal.

Breast milk can also turn pink, green or beige, which may come as a surprise to new moms. 

Cárina-Natalie Worley, a 23-year-old mom-of-three, said she was “amazed” at the human body as she showed off the lightly blue-tinged liquid.

Posting to TikTok, the Aussie said her milk turned blue “because my son is sick so my body is producing antibodies to fight it off”.

Breast milk contains antibodies belonging to the mom, which are passed to the baby to give them immunity against an array of illnesses. 

However, the blue tint is more likely to occur because of its fat content, an expert explained.

Piroska Cavell, who worked as an agency midwife at NHS trusts all over the UK, and in the private sector, told The Sun: “Breast milk then changes as your baby grows it can change to a pale white even a blueish color. 

“The fore milk, which is the first part of the feed your baby receives, is designed to quench its thirst and is a paler blueish color.

“The next part of the feed is the hind milk and it contains all the fats and nutrients for baby. This is what fills baby up and can range from white to cream to a pale tan color.

“Your boobs and your body are so clever that when the temperature rises outside, your breast automatically provides more of the thirst quenching fore milk for the baby.”

Fore milk is lower in fat, so it’s important the baby still gets enough of the hind milk. 

Blue-tinged milk can also be a result of how it is stored after being pumped, according to Donna Murray, a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University.

She wrote for Verywell Family: “When you pump and store breast milk, it can change a little bit. In the refrigerator, breast milk may separate into layers. 

“There may be a thick, white or yellow creamy layer on top, and a thinner clear or blue-tinted layer on the bottom. 

“You don’t have to worry. It’s normal, and it doesn’t mean the milk went bad.

“It’s just that when it sits, the fat rises to the top. When you’re ready to use it, you just have to mix the layers by gently swirling the bottle.”

Cárina-Natalie Worley, a 23-year-old mom-of-three, said she was “amazed” at the human body as she showed off the lightly blue-tinged liquid.
Courtesy of @carinanatalie0

Colors of the rainbow

Piroska, who runs wellbeing clinic Clinic Sese, in Whitstable, Kent, explained that breast milk changes in order to fit the baby’s needs.

She said: “Breast milk is another example of how fantastically clever the human body is. Your boobs are brilliant! 

“Without consciously doing anything you can provide your baby with the exact amount of antibodies and the correct balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins for it to thrive and develop as it should.

“Breast milk automatically adapts to your baby’s needs. The amount created at each feed and the calorific and nutrient content is designed to exactly match the size of your baby’s stomach.”

Breast milk can alter depending on what you eat, drink or take as medication.

Piroska said: “A lot of green veg can give it a pale green hue. 

“Lots of fruit and berries and beetroot can give it a pinkish tint. 

“Some medications can also influence the color of your milk, so always check with your pharmacist or doctor that it is safe to take any prescribed medication, over-the-counter drugs or supplements whilst breastfeeding.

“Colours of breast milk that warrant a check up by your midwife or doctor are bloodstained-this could be infection related or it could be from sore nipples. This is often easily resolved.

“If it is dark orange or brown, seek medical advice. It could be an indication of a more severe issue or being given an unsuitable medication for you whilst breastfeeding.

“If you are concerned about the color of your milk, any lumps or pain do not hesitate to get it checked out by your midwife or doctor.”

The fluid produced by the breasts in the first few days after birth is called colostrum. 

It’s thick and usually a golden yellow color as it is very concentrated.

Piroska said: “Before and shortly after birth breasts start to manufacture what is called colostrum. 

“This is what can surprise first time moms as your breasts can start to leak quite a while before baby is due.

“Ask your midwife for some collection syringes and to show you how to collect it. Why? because this is invaluable if your baby arrives early or struggles to feed initially. 

“Your small syringes of colostrum will be able to support your baby through those early days and still provide all the building blocks and protection from disease it needs. 

“The color ranges form orangey/gold to creamy and it is quite a thick sticky consistency.”

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Business

‘The shops are gone’: How Reliance stunned Amazon in battle for India’s Future Retail

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  • Reliance began stealth seizure of Future stores on Feb. 25
  • Much of Future management was in the dark about takeover-sources
  • Reliance to rebrand stores, keep Future employees on -sources
  • After takeover of stores, Amazon and Future to commence talks

MUMBAI, March 6 (Reuters) – At a large Future Retail (FRTL.NS) supermarket in Mumbai last week, workers were unloading hundreds of bright blue grocery crates belonging to India’s biggest retailer Reliance.

Prospective customers were turned back by security, disappointed at the closed state of the store that still carries the signage of Future’s biggest brand, Big Bazaar, but which will likely soon be rebranded as a Reliance outlet.

Across India, similar scenes are being played out as Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), India’s biggest conglomerate run by Mukesh Ambani, the country’s richest man, presses ahead with a shock de facto takeover of prized retail real estate that Amazon.com Inc has been keen to take part-ownership of.

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The high-profile bitter dispute between corporate titans in which Amazon has sought to block Reliance’s planned $3.4 billion purchase of Future Group’s retail assets is currently before India’s Supreme Court.

Reliance’s takeover began with utmost stealth on the night of Feb. 25 when its staff began arriving at Future stores. Many in Future’s management were in the dark about the plans as store employees from all over the country frantically began to call, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

“It was tense, everybody was panicking. We didn’t know who they were. They wanted access and seniors didn’t know about it,” a New Delhi Big Bazaar store employee said, describing what happened around 8 p.m. that day.

At a Future store in Sonipat town in northern Haryana state, announcements were made asking customers to leave as Reliance seized control, one source said. In Vadodara in western Gujarat, Future employees arriving for work the next morning were asked to go back home with no explanation, said another source.

Citing unpaid payments by Future, Reliance has taken control of operations of some 200 Big Bazaar stores and has plans to seize another 250 of Future’s retail outlets. Combined, they represent the crown jewels of Future’s retail network and around a third of all Future outlets. read more

Although Reliance had not played a large public role in the legal dispute, it had, according to sources, for some months assumed many of the leases held by cash-strapped Future, India’s No. 2 retailer and Amazon’s estranged business partner.

Reliance’s sudden possession of the stores appears to have landed what some analysts are calling a coup de grace that spoils Amazon’s chances of untangling the transfer of Future’s assets to Reliance. That’s despite a series of legal battles won by the U.S. e-commerce giant to date blocking the 2020 deal announced between the two Indian companies.

“What will Amazon fight for now?” said a source close to the U.S. company with knowledge of the legal dispute. “The shops are gone.”

Representatives for Reliance, Amazon and Future did not respond to Reuters queries for this article. Sources asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the dispute.

AFTER THE TAKEOVER, TALKS

Future Retail said on Feb. 26 it was “scaling down its operations” to cut losses although it made no mention of Reliance in its statement. Future Group as a whole has more than $4 billion in debt.

Reliance plans to retain Future’s employees at the stores it takes over, sources have said.

Amazon, which has a stake in a separate Future Group unit that it argues prevents Future from selling retail assets without its permission, has called the supermarkets and other stores an “irreplaceable” network in a sector worth $900 billion in revenues annually.

The legal wrangles had over time become increasingly high-stakes and marked by ugly rhetoric. At one point, Amazon sought for Future Chief Executive Kishore Biyani to be detained in prison for disobeying a legal order. And Future once likened Amazon to Alexander the Great and his “ruthless ambition to scorch the earth”.

But on Thursday, six days after Reliance’s move, Amazon at a Supreme Court hearing unexpectedly called for cordial talks to end the dispute – a proposal Future agreed to.

“People have taken over shops … let’s at least have a conversation,” Amazon’s lawyer Gopal Subramanium said.

Discussions are expected to begin soon. read more

Whatever the outcome of the talks, analysts say Amazon had gravely underestimated Reliance.

“If anybody should have seen this coming, it should have been Amazon and they should have prepared against it,” said Devangshu Dutta of retail consultancy Third Eyesight.

“Clearly, they didn’t.”

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Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi and Abhirup Roy in Mumbai; Additional reporting by Francis Mascarenhas in Mumbai and Amit Dave in Ahemedabad; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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