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☆ Franco Harris, Steelers Hall of Fame Running Back, Dies at 72
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Franco Harris won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers. PITTSBURGH—Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. Harris’ son, Dok, said his father died overnight. No cause of death was given.

☆ Franco Harris, legendary Steelers running back who caught 'The Immaculate Reception,' dies at 72
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Franco Harris, a Hall of Fame running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers known for one of the most famous plays in American football history and considered one of the NFL's most iconic athletes, has died. Representatives for the NFL and the Steelers did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News. He played in nine Pro Bowls, five AFC championships and four Super Bowls, according to the Hall of Fame. Harris' scoop of a deflected pass and subsequent run for the winning touchdown — forever known as the "Immaculate Reception" — has been voted the greatest play in NFL history. He should be measured by something more special, such as the sharing of teammates and fans," according to the Hall of Fame.

When it comes to persistent bad breath, the types of probiotic bacteria found in fermented foods like yogurt, sourdough bread and miso soup may help ease the offending odor, a new study suggests. A major cause of persistent bad breath is gaseous blends of sulfur and other elements, known as volatile sulfuric compounds, that are produced by mouth bacteria, the researchers note. To take a closer look at whether probiotic bacteria might help manage bad breath, the researchers scoured the medical literature for studies on the topic. Bad breath severity in the trials was assessed by measurements of the compounds detected in the mouth, along with a score that indicated how strong the bad breath odors were at various distances from the mouth. Nutritionist Perri Halperin said people with persistent bad breath should see a dentist for potential underlying health issues.

☆ Higher mortgage rates depress U.S. single-family housing starts, building permits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Housing starts fall 0.5% in NovemberSingle-family starts drop 4.1%; multi-family up 4.8%Building permits plunge 11.2%; single-family fall 7.1%WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled to a 2-1/2-year low in November and permits for future construction plunged as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. We don't know about the rest of the economy, but the housing market is clearly in recession." Single-family housing starts, which account for the biggest share of homebuilding, dropped 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 828,000 units last month. The jump in multi-family housing projects offset some of the drag from single-family housing units, resulting in overall housing starts falling only 0.5% to a rate of 1.427 million units last month. The single-family housing market boomed early in the pandemic as Americans sought bigger properties to accommodate home offices.

Major U.S. equity averages marked their fourth straight session of losses on Monday as investors shied away from riskier bets, worried that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes could push the U.S. economy into recession. Financial stocks (.SPSY) climbed 0.9%, with banks benefiting from a rise in Treasury yields. The Fed struck a hawkish tone last week at its policy meeting by saying that it expects interest rates to remain higher for longer, sparking a selloff across stock markets. Treasuries fell following the BOJ's shock move, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rising to a three-week high of 3.68%. The S&P index recorded one new 52-week high and 12 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 31 new highs and 228 new lows.

Wall Street's main indexes continued their losing streak for a fourth straight session on Monday as investors shied away from riskier bets, worried that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes could push the U.S. economy into recession. The Fed has managed to slow the economy down so it's likely that earnings estimates (for Q4) are going to come down. Treasuries fell following the BOJ's shock move, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rising to a three-week high of 3.66%. Earlier, data showed U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled in November as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. A slew of other economic data due this week including consumer confidence and core inflation will provide more clues to investors on future interest rate hikes.

☆ Over 3,000 minor victims were targeted in ‘sextortion’ crimes in the past year, U.S. law enforcement says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal law enforcement officers are cracking down on a scheme that aims to extort sexual imagery from children and teens after a dramatic increase in incidents over the past year. Sometimes, a predator shares imagery regardless of whether a victim meets payment demands, according to federal officials. Law enforcement officials say prevention is the best weapon against sextortion. The sextortion cycle generally ends when a victim tells an adult or the offender is discovered by law enforcement. "We will continue to partner with federal, state and local law enforcement to protect children from sexual exploitation in all its despicable forms."

Funding raised: $27 millionNumber of employees: 20Why it's set to take off next year: Provider burnout is getting worse, and it's exacerbating healthcare's staffing crisis. Nof said he expected Abridge's technology to be in demand next year as hospitals worked to reduce the administrative burdens on doctors. "They've reached a tipping point where people are desperate to gain efficiencies in their workday with all the physician burnout," he said. Abridge's technology takes the audio from doctor-patient interactions and automatically turns it into documentation for billing purposes or a summary of the visit for the patient. That means doctors are relieved of the "hours of pajama time in the evening that they previously spent doing clinical documentation," Cheatham said.

☆ How this HR director almost got scammed by a fake job: 'If it seems too good to be true, it probably is'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The new job opportunity was at Novum, a pharmaceutical research company, and after being out of work for several months, Baustert, an HR director, was elated to reenter the workforce. However, when a "concerning" check arrived in the mail, she knew it was too good to be true. "After doing my research, I found out they were a legit, good company." After receiving a follow-up letter asking to set up an interview, Baustert agreed. She downloaded RingCentral, a video conferencing and messaging app, at the interviewer's request and seemingly had a good interview.

☆ NHL roundup: Jordan Staal completes Hurricanes' rally vs. Penguins
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

December 19 - Jordan Staal's goal with 6:27 to play gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 comeback victory against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. However, Pittsburgh's seven-game winning streak, which was the longest active mark in the NHL, came to a close. Derek Stepan and Brady Skjei both had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who have three one-goal victories to begin a four-game homestand. Brock McGinn scored at the 5:03 mark of the third to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead before Skjei provided the equalizer and Staal put home the game-winner. Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck each had a goal and an assist as seven Rangers notched multiple points.

☆ NFL roundup: Patriots fumble away game to Raiders on last play
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Carr completed 20 of 38 passes for 231 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Bengals 34, Buccaneers 23Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes to help Cincinnati overcome a 17-point deficit and upend host Tampa Bay for its sixth straight win. Chicago regained possession trailing 17-13 with 8:25 to play after Jake Elliott's 38-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright. Saints 21, Falcons 18Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and Taysom Hill threw another one as host New Orleans defeated Atlanta. Dalton completed 11 of 17 passes for 151 yards and connected with Juwan Johnson for touchdowns of 19 and 22 yards.

☆ Anti-LGBTQ hate thrives online, spurs fears of more violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

On Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, researchers and LGBTQ advocates have tracked an increase in hate speech and threats of violence directed at LGBTQ people, groups and events, with much of it directed at transgender people. “A lot of that is happening online, and online threats are turning into threats of real violence offline.”Hospitals in Boston, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and other cities have received bomb threats and other harassing messages after misleading claims spread online about transgender care programs. There’s no simple explanation for the increase in hate speech documented by researchers recent years. Online hate speech has been linked to offline violence in the past, and many of the perpetrators of recent mass shootings were later found to be immersed in online worlds of bigotry and conspiracy theories. Despite rules prohibiting hate speech or violent threats, platforms such as Facebook and YouTube have struggled to identify and remove such content.

Three people were killed in a three-alarm fire in Pittsburgh overnight, according to officials. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire responded to the 3400 block of McClure Avenue after receiving multiple calls for a house on fire early Saturday morning. Pittsburgh Public SafetyThe fire started off as two-alarm, with "heavy fire throughout," but became a three-alarm fire a short time later, according to a tweet from Pittsburgh Public Safety. Roughly an hour later, officials reported that a female was taken to the hospital in "stable but serious condition." The three other occupants of the home were unaccounted for, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.

☆ Starbucks workers at 100 stores are planning three-day strike starting on Friday amid union push
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. Tambellini said workers are protesting understaffed stores, poor management and what she calls Starbucks’ “scorched earth method of union busting,” including closing stores that have unionized. Workers United noted that Starbucks recently closed the first store to unionize in Seattle, the company’s hometown.

☆ Flood of recount requests delays election certification in Pennsylvania
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“I think if people are able to come to the courts and delay certification results without any real evidence, that’s a problem, and I see some abuse of that process here,” Deluzio said. Judges authorized at least 19 precinct recounts in six counties. An AP survey of the Pennsylvania precinct recounts found the recount challenges altered vote tallies barely or not at all. Rep. Leanne Krueger, who leads the state House Democratic Campaign Committee, said those who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election have been trying to stop election certification for several years. Lycoming County elections chief Forrest Lehman said defending a single recount petition required making copies of poll books and collecting a variety of records.

Perry was chatting with his mother at 10:06 p.m. EST Nov. 13 as they approached campus, his parents, Happy and Sean Perry said. Minutes after hanging up, social media lit up with word of an active shooter on the Charlottesville campus, his parents said. “He said they were on the way back almost to campus and his phone was going dead," his mother told NBC News. Former Virginia football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. has been arrested and charged in the deadly shooting. "If we don't do something about it, it will continue," Sean Perry said.

☆ Brock Purdy: From 'Mr. Irrelevant' to beating the NFL's GOAT
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

And this bull is now a steer, so he’s irrelevant. Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesWhen Purdy was selected by the 49ers – and that famous red and white jersey was brought out with “Mr. Irrelevant” celebrations began in 1976, when former 49ers receiver Paul Salata founded “Irrelevant Week” in Newport Beach, California. Purdy celebrates at midfield after the Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 24-21 at Jack Trice Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ames, Iowa. “I’ve tried to keep myself from being surprised about Brock Purdy years ago because nothing surprises me anymore with him.”

☆ Home flipping profits drop at the fastest pace in over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It represents the smallest profit since the end of 2019 and the fastest quarterly drop since 2009. With that drop in gross profits, the return on investment fell to 25% from 30% in the previous quarter. With profits shrinking and higher mortgage rates hurting affordability for potential buyers, the share of home sales that were flips fell as well. Mortgage rates have come off their recent highs, but they are still more than twice what they were at the start of this year. Markets that showed the highest flip rates were Phoenix; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Atlanta and Gainesville in Georgia; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

☆ Home flipper profits are slumping at their fastest pace since the 2009 recession and the prognosis isn't any better for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Last quarter saw the fastest drop in home flipping profits since the Great Recession. down for the Warm and sunny places like Honolulu saw the lowest returns and cities like Buffalo saw the highest. "The high end market has basically vaporized, there's nothing there, " Sharga said, repeating the words of a flipper he knows. Those flippers have healthy profit margins even if the overall dollar amounts aren't as high as with luxury homes, he said. Meanwhile, flippers in cities with harsh winters like Pittsburgh — where the typical flipper made a 116.9% profit — and Buffalo, New York, had the largest returns.

☆ DeVante Parker: NFL says it is reviewing an apparent head injury incident during Monday's Patriots game
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

CNN —The NFL and the NFL Players Association are looking into an incident in which an apparent head injury to New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker seemingly went unnoticed by medical staff and spotters, league spokesman Brian McCarthy tells CNN. Jeff Dean/AP Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams catches a pass against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard on December 11. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

☆ Cardinals vs Patriots: Arizona's woes continue as Kyler Murray hurt in 27-13 loss to New England
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

Jeff Dean/AP Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams catches a pass against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard on December 11. Gary McCullough/AP Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure is tackled by Detroit Lions safety Will Harris. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

☆ Robots set their sights on a new job: sewing blue jeans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Timothy Aeppel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A robotic arm positions pieces of stiffened fabric for a demonstration of automated sewing at the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. August 19, 2021. Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center/Handout via REUTERSDec 12 (Reuters) - Will a robot ever make your blue jeans? Finding a way to cut out handwork in China and Bangladesh would allow more clothing manufacturing to move back to Western consumer markets, including the United States. Rather than teach robots how to handle cloth, the startup, Sewbo Inc., stiffens the fabric with chemicals so it can be handled more like a car bumper during production. The first step is getting robots into clothing factories.

☆ Von Miller: Buffalo Bills defensive star is out for the season with torn ACL
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

Tony Gutierrez/AP Buffalo wide receiver Stefon Diggs digs into a turkey leg after the Bills defeated Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Norm Hall/Getty Images Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen hurdles Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid as he scrambles for a first down. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

☆ Henry Anderson: Carolina Panthers defensive end reveals he recently had stroke -- but wants to play on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

Tony Gutierrez/AP Buffalo wide receiver Stefon Diggs digs into a turkey leg after the Bills defeated Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Gary McCullough/AP Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure is tackled by Detroit Lions safety Will Harris. Norm Hall/Getty Images Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen hurdles Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid as he scrambles for a first down. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

☆ How Big Law fumbled its own Rooney rule on diversity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elizabeth Olson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Several law firms adopted the Mansfield rule in 2017, which aims to increase diversity in leadership. It's effectively the NFL's two-decade-old Rooney rule: a requirement that nonwhite candidates be considered when teams hire for coaching and front-office jobs. Law firms followed professional football in 2017 with its version of the Rooney rule, called the Mansfield rule. At first, the Rooney rule seemed to catch on when teams started to hire more coaches of color and a dozen general managers of color when that position was added to the Rooney rule. "For the Rooney rule to work," he said, "there has to be a true commitment from the owners.

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