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Science & Environment

Taylor Swift consoles Brittany Mahomes as Chiefs fall to…


The Kansas City Chiefs lost a tough one to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday afternoon, 20-14.

The Chiefs’ miscues turned out to be a boon for the Raiders as Bilal Nichols and Jack Jones both scored on the defensive side for Las Vegas and stole the game away from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. It was even tough on the Chiefs stars’ significant others, too.

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Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes look on during the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift were both on hand for the Christmas Day matinee. And as the clock hit triple zeroes, Swift was seen consoling Mahomes as their guys walked off the field.

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Swift was seen arriving at Arrowhead Stadium and meeting with Santa Claus in the suite as well.

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Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce both expressed emotion during the game. Mahomes was seen tearing into his offensive line on the sidelines while Kelce tossed his helmet in frustration.

Kansas City was down 20-7 late in the fourth quarter when Mahomes engineered a nine-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Justin Watson. It cut the deficit to six points. But Kansas City wouldn’t get the ball back.

Las Vegas ended the game with a six-play, 61-yard drive.

Taylor Swift rings the bell

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes look on during the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Mahomes was 27 of 44 with 235 passing yards, a touchdown pass, an interception and he was sacked four times. Kelce had five catches for 44 yards.

The Raiders got a giant game from running back Zamir White. He rushed for 145 yards. Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell only had 62 passing yards in the game.

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Maxx Crosby stares down Patrick Mahomes

Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs exchange words after a play during the third quarter, Dec. 25, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Chiefs fell to 9-6 and the Raiders improved to 7-8 on the year.

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Science & Environment

Woman missing after going under river ice trying to…



Officials in Alaska plan to resume on Tuesday a search for a woman who went into an Anchorage area river over the weekend to save a dog but disappeared under the ice, Alaska State Troopers said.

A man and a woman were walking on the North Fork Eagle River Trail at about 2:15 p.m. Saturday when one of their dogs went into the water, troopers said in a statement Monday.

Both of them went in the river to help the dog, but the woman disappeared after entering an open spot of water, troopers said.

The woman “entered an open spot of water on the Eagle River and disappeared under the ice,” Alaska State Troopers’ communication director Austin McDaniel said Monday. “That was the last she was seen by the adult male that was with her.”

A dive and search team and troopers on Sunday searched under the ice for her, but did not find the woman, troopers said. The next search is scheduled for Tuesday.

The man was not injured.

The trailhead of the North Fork Eagle River Trail is around 20 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage. The Eagle river runs northwest in the region, north of downtown, into the Cook Inlet.

Science & Environment

Extroverts navigate Alzheimer’s better than introverts – but it…


Researchers discovered a significant correlation between personality traits and dementia diagnoses

Extroverts navigate Alzheimers better than introverts – but it has a downside

Alzheimer’s, a condition potentially more prevalent than perceived, unveils a complex relationship with personality traits, hindering accurate diagnoses, according to a study from the University of California and Northwestern University in Canada. 

Conscientious, extroverted individuals with a positive mindset appear less likely to receive a dementia diagnosis, despite exhibiting brain hallmarks of the disease, prompting scientists to explore the intriguing dynamics between personality and cognitive health.

Dr Emorie Beck, the study’s first author, expressed surprise at the findings, emphasising the disparity between personality traits’ predictive impact on cognitive tests and their lack of correlation with pathological brain changes associated with dementia. 

While previous studies indicated a discrepancy in Alzheimer’s diagnoses—only 10% of individuals over 65 were diagnosed, yet 50% showed brain signs postmortem—the recent research sheds light on the potential influence of personality in navigating symptoms.

Examining eight studies involving 44,000 participants, researchers discovered a significant correlation between personality traits and dementia diagnoses. 

A 10% increase in conscientiousness, characterised by carefulness, corresponded to a 14% lower likelihood of receiving a dementia diagnosis. Conversely, a 10% rise in neuroticism, linked to emotional instability, revealed a 12% higher chance of diagnosis.

The implications of these findings are profound, challenging the conventional approach to dementia screening. Staying socially engaged and embracing life may mitigate cognitive decline, suggesting that not everyone requires brain screening for dementia. 

The study hints at a potential avenue for enhancing neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself—which may be boosted by positive mindsets and openness to new experiences.

Dr Beck noted that personality could play a crucial role in the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s, emphasising the importance of a holistic perspective. 

Individuals exhibiting traits such as conscientiousness, positivity, and sociability may unknowingly adopt healthier lifestyles, reducing the overall risk of dementia.

The researchers remain uncertain about the exact mechanisms behind the protective influence of personality traits but speculate that enhanced neuroplasticity and healthier living habits may be contributing factors. 

As the study challenges conventional wisdom, the team plans to delve deeper into understanding individuals with significant Alzheimer’s markers in the brain yet minimal observable symptoms.

With an estimated 944,000 people living with dementia in Britain, the majority facing Alzheimer’s, this research underscores the urgency of unravelling the complexities surrounding Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the role of personality traits in shaping cognitive outcomes.

Science & Environment

What Lies Beneath the Vatican of the Zapotecs?



An archaeological expedition in Mexico seeks what’s left of the sprawling, centuries-old catacombs hidden below the ruins of Mitla.

Science & Environment

New movies open on Christmas as


A look at your new movie options this holiday season


A look at your new movie options this holiday season

03:26

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ” led a crowd of new releases at the box office on the weekend before Christmas Monday. The DC and Warner Bros. superhero sequel starring Jason Momoa earned an estimated $28.1 million in its first three days of release in 3,706 locations in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. By Monday it is projected to have around $40 million in domestic ticket sales.

Despite many new offerings — including the family friendly animated film “Migration,” the R-rated romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” the wrestling family tragedy “The Iron Claw” and a ghostly tearjerker in “All of Us Strangers ” — this will go down as a quieter pre-holiday tally at the box office. 

It is never great for Hollywood or theaters when Christmas Eve falls on a prime weekend day, but the last time Christmas was on a Monday, in 2017, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” dominated the four-day charts with $71.5 million from its second weekend.

On Christmas Day, which often brings big crowds back to the theaters, they’ll be joined by several highly anticipated new films. 

Those include the big budget musical adaptation of “The Color Purple,” starring Fantasia Barrino Taylor, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo and Corey Hawkins. Oprah Winfrey, who played Sofia in the 1985 film adaptation of the novel by Alice Walker, is serving as a producer.


Fantasia Barrino Taylor explains why she took on the role of Celie in “The Color Purple”

08:07

In an interview with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning,” Henson described the message of the film: “As long as you got a beat in your heart, there’s time to make your wildest dreams come true.”

“It just reminds me of how powerful we are as women when we stick together. And that just doesn’t mean that we’re comin’ after you, men!” Henson laughed. “If we stick together, you’re taken care of. Relax! You know, men get nervous. The women and girls are stickin’ together! You will benefit, trust me.”


Taraji P. Henson on “The Color Purple”

07:24

Also arriving on Christmas is Michael Mann’s racing film “Ferrari,” starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley; and George Clooney‘s adaptation of the rowing drama “The Boys in the Boat,” based on the best-selling book by Daniel James Brown that recounted the underdog journey of the American oarsmen at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

All should get a boost between Christmas and New Years, a traditionally lucrative time for movie theaters.

But none will compare some of the biggest holiday earners, like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Avatar” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” It was not lost on social media that this was the weekend that Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars movie “Rogue Squadron” was supposed to come out.

“Seven openers in the course of four days is unusual,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is estimated to have cost around $200 million to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs. Including international estimates at $80 million through Monday, “Aquaman” is heading toward a $120 million global debut.

Actor Jason Momoa holds a trident at an event for his new film,
Actor Jason Momoa holds a trident at an event to celebrate his new film, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” in London, Dec. 12, 2023,

Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Warner Bros.


The first film opened to $67.8 million in 2018 and went on to make almost $1.2 billion globally. Dergarabedian noted that the first film also earned more than 70% of its box office internationally.

The “Aquaman” opening ends a tricky, transitional year for DC superhero films, full of box office disappointments including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle,” as the studio phases out this slate to welcome in James Gunn’s vision for the future. “Aquaman 2” was the final “holdover” of the previous administration.

Its studio, Warner Bros. also has the No. 2 movie of the weekend, “Wonka ” and one of the major Christmas openings, “The Color Purple,” a buffet of big movies that was sorely needed by theaters — especially without no new movie from the Walt Disney Company or Paramount. By Monday, Warner Bros. will likely have three spots in the top five.

“Warners has something for everybody” said Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s head of domestic distribution. “With lots of holiday time to see all three.”

“Wonka,” in its second weekend, earned an estimated $17.7 million over the weekend and $26.1 million including Monday, bringing its total domestic earnings to $83.6 million.

Third place went to Illumination and Universal’s “Migration,” a PG-rated animated adventure about a family of mallards traveling south. Voice actors include Kumail Najiani, Elizabeth Banks and Awkwafina. It earned an estimated $12.3 million from 3,761 locations in North America through Sunday, which will likely increase to $17.1 million by the end of Monday. Its global total through Sunday is sitting at an estimated $34.3 million, and it could soar with kids out of school.

Birds in an image from animated film
An image from the animated film “Migration,” about a family of birds flying south for the winter.

Illumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures via AP


“‘Migration’ flew into theaters with really, really exciting audience reactions pointing to what we think won’t just be a fantastic run throughout the holidays but also into the next year,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution.

Aside from Disney’s re-releases of some of its Pixar titles early in the year, there will be no new direct competition until “Kung Fu Panda 4” comes out on March 8.

Weekend box office earnings dropped off significantly further down the list, with the romantic comedy “Anyone But You” in fourth place with an estimated $6.2 million from its first three days, expected to reach $9 million including Monday. Directed by Will Gluck, the movie, loosely inspired by “Much Ado About Nothing,” divided critics sharply. Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore.

In fifth place was the Telugu-language action film “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire,” which made $5.5 million from only 802 theaters. The top 10 included another Indian film, the Hindi-language “Dunki,” and two Japanese films, “Godzilla Minus One” and “The Boy and the Heron.”

A24’s “The Iron Claw,” about the tragedy-stricken Von Erich wrestling family, opened on 2,774 screens riding a wave of good reviews praising Zac Efron’s lead performance. 

“No matter where the box office ends up on the 31st, whether it hits $9 billion or is just close, this is just a boom time to be a moviegoer,” Dergarabedian said. “The top 10 reads like a greatest hits of every type of cinema.”

Below is a list of estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures including Christmas Day will be released Tuesday.

1. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $28.1 million.
2. “Wonka,” $17.7 million.
3. “Migration,” $12.3 million.
4. “Anyone But You,” $6.2 million.
5. “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire,” $5.5 million.
6. “The Iron Claw,” $5.1 million.
7. “The Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes,” $3.2 million
8. “The Boy and the Heron,” $3.2 million.
9. “Godzilla Minus One,” $2.7 million.
10. “Dunki,” $2.7 million.

Science & Environment

Russian opposition leader Navalny’s team finally locates him in…


Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team has announced that they have found him in a Siberian penal colony following a weekslong search. 

“We found Alexei Navalny,” spokesperson Kira Yarmysh announced on Christmas Day, the BBC reported. Yarmysh added that Navalny’s lawyer was able to meet with him. 

Yarmysh announced the update on Telegram, where she clarified that Navalny, 47, had been moved to the IK-3 penal colony, also known as “Polar Wolf,” in Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets district in Northern Russia. 

Previously, Russian authorities had held him at a facility roughly 145 miles east of Moscow. Navalny’s team lost contact with him on Dec. 5 after he failed to appear in court via video link for a hearing, kicking off a desperate search. 

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Alexei Navalny

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny prepares to speak to journalists outside a courtroom in Moscow after his appeal against the country’s top investigative agency was rejected on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Yarmysh at the time said prison officials had blamed electrical problems and that lawyers had not been able to meet with their client for nearly a week. Officials finally admitted to the lawyer that Navalny was no longer among the inmates and “refused to say” where he had gone. 

Navalny has stood as the most significant opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, leading to an assassination attempt in 2020 when Navalny suffered poisoning from a suspected Novichok nerve agent. He remained in a coma for several weeks while doctors in Germany fought to keep him alive. 

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Alexei Navalny court appearance

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a TV screen as he appears by video link in a Moscow courtroom on Wednesday, April 26. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Navalny returned to Russia in 2021, when authorities immediately arrested him and later sentenced him to 19 years in prison on extremism charges. His team has repeatedly raised concerns about his treatment following his return.

Ivan Zhadov, an aide to the opposition leader and head of his anti-corruption foundation, criticized the Russian government for putting Navalny in the “most remote colonies” to “isolate and suppress” him, The New York Times reported. 

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Russian Court Navalny

In this photo taken on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 and provided by the Babuskinsky District Court, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny writes a note in a cage during a hearing on charges of defamation in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow. (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP)

“Aleksei’s situation is a clear example of how the system treats political prisoners,” Zhadov said in a post on X. He added that although Navalny spoke with his lawyer, officials tried to delay the meeting. 

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Zhadov also claimed that government officials had likely decided months ago to move Navalny to IK-3.

“Thanks to those who continue to write and spread information about Alexei and other political prisoners, we continue the fight,” Zhadov wrote. “Thank you. Freedom for Navalny.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Science & Environment

FMIA Holiday Special: On the Steelers’ Cam Heyward and…


Merry Christmas! I hope it’s been a wonderful weekend for all, and a peaceful weekend for all. And I hope the combination of football and the holiday has been fun, if you’re watching. Some big ones today too.

This is my first NFL weekend off in 40 years. Feels revolutionary. NBC offered me my own personal bye week at Christmas last spring as we discussed my 2023 season contract, and I took it. This column was written Thursday as I flew west for a family Christmas in Berkeley, Calif. It’s a different kind of column. Shorter, for one thing. And topical—if you consider writing about goodness topical for the most wonderful time of the year.

As I’ve covered the league over the years, I’ve encountered lots of giving, unselfish players and coaches who realize how fortunate they are in this life, and who want to do things to say thanks for that good fortune. A month or so ago, NBC asked me to conjure up a feature for this weekend’s games on NBC and Peacock. I chose Pittsburgh defensive end Cam Heyward, 34, in his 13th season as a Steeler. The TV story for Saturday’s “Football Night in America” show is embedded in this column. For those interested in my take on Heyward in words, that’s what this week’s column is. I’ll be back next Monday, New Year’s Day, with a regular column.

I’m glad to throw a changeup this week, because it’s good to celebrate one of the good people in the game, and to realize it’s okay to get off the weekly treadmill once in a great while.

To answer a likely question: Why Cam Heyward, over the scores of good-deed-doers around the NFL?

One of the things that drew me to Heyward is the great number of causes he’s taken on that are not the usual athlete causes; some are directly related to paying homage to his dad, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, the former NFL fullback who died of a brain tumor in 2006, when Cam was a high-school junior. Craig Heyward had one suit for his high school and college years, so the son has established rooms he calls “Craig’s Closet” in 11 Pittsburgh public high schools; Cam Heyward goes into each school to talk to impressionable boys and help fit them in the suits. He funded a grief group to counsel boys and girls and spouses who’ve lost a mom or dad or sibling; this year, he did art therapy with grieving children. In honor of his maternal grandparents, both of whom taught in Pittsburgh public schools, Heyward has helped build four free little libraries in underserved neighborhoods. This year, he recorded book-readings for patients in a children’s hospital too sick to leave their room, so they could have Cam Heyward read them stories. He has hosted teacher appreciation dinners for public school teachers. He advises high school students who are making their way through a Pittsburgh school with an elevated rate of violence. Every year, he performs seven daily acts of kindness around the city in “Cam’s Kindness Week.”

“In the two decades that I’ve been at Pittsburgh Public Schools, I have never known a professional athlete to be as hands-on with our students as Cam Heyward has been,” said Merecedes Williams, the system’s director of communications. “I can tell you because I’ve been there: It’s not just a publicity stunt, it’s not to check boxes. It’s him loving and caring for our students.”

That’s why I picked Heyward.

Have a great day.

PITTSBURGH—It had been a long day. After a very long night.

The Steelers stunk it up against the Patriots on a Thursday night, and the season was headed toward the tank. Heyward had a couple of appointments to fulfill on Friday—one at a Craig’s Closet at the Pittsburgh Academy of Science and Technology near the Pitt campus in Oakland, one at the Steelers facility with a mom and her three boys still striving to cope after the 2018 death of her husband and their father.

Now, a wrench. Friday had originally been an off day. Now Mike Tomlin had the players and coaches coming to work for half a day in the afternoon. So massive rescheduling. Heyward would go to Craig’s Closet for an hour at 10 a.m., then meet at the Steelers facility at dusk with widow Maria Perry and her three boys for some Cam time. I was along for the ride on a (former) in-season off day for Heyward.

Just before he went into meetings—presumably to be chastised for the Steelers losing to the Cards and Patriots at home in short order—I talked to Heyward for 30 minutes about his football life and his other life. We started with a story his mother told me.

One Christmas season for the Heyward family in Georgia, when young Cameron was in kindergarten or first grade, Charlotte Heyward talked to her son about a holiday present for his teacher. Cameron and mom figured that out. But then the boy said, What about Mr. Carl, the custodian, and the lunch ladies, and the teacher’s aide, and the principal and when the list was finished, there wasn’t one gift to buy. There were 12.

I asked Heyward: “Why did you become a person who wanted to give to so many?”

Heyward, 34, sitting in the Steelers’ offices, not far from the display of six Super Bowl trophies, is the elder statesman of a flagship NFL franchise. It takes him zero seconds to think of an answer. “Because I was one of those people who received so much from so, so many other people,” he said. “When my dad passed away, it was my mom stepping up, the coaches in my life stepping up, the teachers, my friends. So if I don’t go out and do the same for others now, I feel like I’m doing everyone an injustice.”

That’s why it was 5 in the afternoon on this day, and Heyward was playing with Maria Perry’s boys for an hour. He was walking a little stiff. He’d finished a football game 18 hours earlier, playing 48 snaps and recording a sack (career total: 80.5), two pressures and five tackles. But he was throwing and punting and advising with Elijah, 11, Josiah, 9, and Andrew, 5 and it went on for an hour. Maria’s husband died of leukemia in 2018, five days after this little whippet sprinting around the field, Andrew, was born.

The mom without a dad, trying daily to wrangle these three energetic boys through tough times, on the verge of tears watching a star for the Pittsburgh Steelers playing with her kids. It’s emotional just looking at her.

“It’s a lot of life to grow up without a dad,” Maria Perry said, as Heyward threw a bomb to Elijah 30 yards downfield. “And a lot of their friends, even if they don’t have dad in their lives, it’s not because they’ve died. It’s more because they’re not there or they’ve taken off. These other dads, during the soccer games, are on the sidelines, and they’re yelling at the boys or they’re just, you know, there. Or Christmas. To get all the Christmas cards, and my boys don’t have their dad included in the Christmas cards. Those are probably the times that they miss the most. I’m always like, ‘Well, he’s cheering you on from heaven and I know that he’s proud of the men that you’re becoming.’ And I just encourage them that there is still a future for you. I think that gives them glimpses of hope, even when it’s dark.”

She wiped away a tear when Heyward, laughing, gets deked by Elijah.

Man.

A minute later, Heyward looked at the boys running around. “I look at them, and I think of what it was like for my little brother when our dad died,” he said.

The little brother Connor. Now a Steeler tight end. The family ties are pretty amazing. Cam Heyward had to be a dad figure to Connor after their dad died on May 27, 2006. Cam Heyward was 17. Connor was 7. Cam dealt with his dad’s death by watching the news for hours on the crawl on ESPN. Connor had no concept of it at the time. What he knew was his big brother Cam taking over his life. That’s just what you do when your dad dies and you’ve got a big brother who figures he has to take care of his little brother.

Cam Heyward, still watching the Perry boys romp, said: “You have a legacy for your family. I have a legacy for mine. I want people to know I’m a product of loss. Everything I do is because I’ve lost people in my life. I want to make sure these boys know you can still keep battling back. You can continue to keep living your life and making people proud of you.”

Now the best thing Heyward said all day:

“I think I’m leaving breadcrumbs. If I can have a conversation or if I can just be there, I think that can mean a lot to a kid. I don’t know how much, but I want to know that I gave something.”

I asked Maria if I could talk to one of the boys about how they’re feeling without a dad, with what Cam Heyward has meant in these occasional visits. She called over the two older boys, Josiah and Elijah. Josiah, a karate kid with a big interest in baking. Elijah, a soccer player who loves all sports. JoJo, as he’s called, took the lead.

He said, “It just feels good to have someone who understands what it’s like to not have a dad.”

Back to reality. Maria has to get Elijah to a two-hour soccer practice, and Elijah has an 8 a.m. game tomorrow. (Who schedules these things anyway?) But there’s one last thing. Josiah has an Instagram account. He makes cakes. He’s actually made a wedding cake. At 9! He is totally into baking. So there is a deal made: Josiah will make a Christmas cake for Cam Heyward. If the Steelers beat Indianapolis in their next game, Cam gets a free cake. If the Steelers lose, Cam has to pay for it.

“I’ll do that!” Josiah says, and so the bet is on.

None of this happens without Heyward the football player. A three-time first-team all-pro, Heyward has joined the long Steeler tradition of being great, leading by words and example, and never leaving—something that’s become exceedingly rare in the free-agency era. “His level of professionalism in terms of how he goes about his business and has for such a long period of time is just a blueprint for young guys,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I think that’s a component of the team that we don’t talk about enough, the modeling component that young guys get an opportunity to watch. Then there’s the talent and play-making and longevity. That’s not mystical. It’s born out of those habits.”

It’s not always gentlemanly. “There’s blackout Cam, when he gets crazy and he gets in this rage,” T.J. Watt said. “I mean, every training camp he gets in a fight. You have to separate him and be like, ‘Dude, just relax. It’s training camp. We know you’re the big dog.’ He’s asserting his dominance.

“He truly wants it. Most of his leadership is by example, but he has his vocal side too. He understands his words carry a lot of weight, and you don’t want to abuse that power. He never does. That’s why when he talks, people listen and people follow.”

There’s something about Heyward’s presence here. It just feels right. When players are drafted, they can go to any of 32 places. Let’s count the way Heyward fits on this team, in this city, in this culture. He came out of Ohio State as a classic 3-4 defensive end, and the Steelers are a 3-4 team. His dad was a college football legend at Pitt. His mom’s from here, the daughter of cornerstone educators in the public schools. The teams in Pittsburgh are interconnected with the city, particularly the Steelers. “When you walk down the street in Pittsburgh on Monday morning,” Dan Rooney used to say, “you can always tell if we won or lost the previous day. You don’t have to ask anybody.” Cam Heyward always wanted to set down roots—he married an Ohio State classmate and they have three children, and they love it here—and not move around as a pro. And there has been one very unexpected bonus.

The little brother he helped raise, Connor, a tight end from Michigan State, is here. The Steelers drafted Connor Heyward in the sixth round last year, and he’s making his way as a backup tight end and special-teamer. Which fills Cam Heyward with pride, and a little bit of regret about what his father is missing.

“I just wish he had a chance to see this, to wear the black and gold as a fan and be proud of us,” Cam Heyward said.

“People think LaVar Ball (father of three pro basketball players) is bad,” Connor Heyward said. “Our dad would have been 10 times worse. That’s how proud he would be right now.”

Ironhead would have been bursting on Dec. 4, 2022. The Steelers were in Atlanta. This is where Ironhead and wife Charlotte raised the family, and now where there was an eerie reunion. The morning of the game, Cam and Connor got permission from Mike Tomlin to visit their dad’s grave. The two boys talked to their dad like he was there. And before the game, Cam Heyward told the team what this game meant to the two Heywards. That afternoon, in the city where their dad scored 19 touchdowns playing for the Falcons, Cam had a third-down sack to force Atlanta to settle for a field goal in the second quarter. On the next series, Connor Heyward, a little-used backup behind Pat Freiermuth, found himself in the huddle, Steelers driving at the Atlanta 17-yard line.

One rookie (quarterback Kenny Pickett) said to another (Connor Heyward), “We’re gonna get you a touchdown.” Heyward lined up to the right of the formation, jab-stepped toward the right pylon, then ran a straight post, easily outrunning the Atlanta safety. Pickett arced a perfect throw for Connor Heyward’s first NFL touchdown.

In the span of five plays, one Heyward had a sack, the other had a touchdown. That’s some kind of day.

Their mom, Charlotte Heyward Wesley, said Craig Heyward would be ecstatic to see two sons playing down the street from his college field. “I wish he could have seen that game in Atlanta,” she said. “To have two sons play here and one be the captain of this storied franchise, I pinch myself and I’m like, ‘Thank you, Lord.’”

Four days before Christmas. Gift exchange for the players. Cam Heyward doesn’t do gift cards. Last year, he got linemate Larry Ogunjobi a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. This year, linebacker Alex Highsmith got Heyward’s canine gift: a Bernadoodle. Highsmith named him Ace.

There was another surprise in store on this afternoon. The Perry family came back, and they brought the cake Josiah made for the Heyward family. A four-layer vanilla cake with cookie-dough filling, iced by white chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache, topped with cookies. It looked like something from the Great British Baking Show.

Josiah, again, is 9.

Nine.

“I bake, and he learned a lot from YouTube videos,” Maria Perry said. “But he did that cake all on his own.”

In the car on the way home, Josiah was flying high. Cam liked the cake. Cam loved the surprise.

“Mom, this is just so cool!” Josiah said, the weight of his world vanishing, on this day anyway. “I actually got to make a cake for Cam! How many 9-year-olds get to make something for a famous person, like one in a million?!”

That’s right. One in a million.



Science & Environment

What is the viral shoe theory? Why girlfriends fear…


It can be a struggle to decide what to get your significant other for Christmas, but TikTok is warning that – if anything – they shouldn’t be given shoes.

According to users on the social media platform, giving your loved ones a pair of shoes means they’ll eventually “walk out on you” – or that a breakup is on its way. One TikToker named Angela Chan explained that she first learned about the theory from her mother when she was a little girl. “If you gift someone a pair of shoes, they will eventually walk out on you,” she said, adding that the Chinese word for “shoes” sounds similar to the word for “evil” or “bad luck”.

Many people on the platform have since dissected theory for themselves, explaining whether they believe in the theory or not. For example, one TikToker named Katie said that she originally believed the theory was “dumb”. This was until she had a “lightbulb moment” and remembered that she did give her ex a pair of shoes, and it was the only time she had ever gifted anyone the present. “They definitely walked out of my life,” she said.

In the comments of her video, many people commented that they believed the theory was bogus. “They likely would have left your life regardless, it seems like connecting two things that don’t even make sense lol,” one commenter wrote.

Another agreed, writing: “I gifted my partner a pair of shoes the first month we were together, it didn’t do anything.”

But some people did go on to prove the theory right with their own experiences, like one person who wrote: “I’ve never heard of this but literally the only person I ever bought shoes for is the only person who’s ‘walked out of my life’ unexpectedly.”

“Got my husband a pair of shoes for Christmas two years ago. The following March, days after our daughter’s bday, found he had been having a one-year affair,” read another comment.

The viral shoe theory is just one of many relationship trends that have popped up on TikTok over the past year. Prior to the shoe theory was the “name a woman” trend, which saw women asking their husbands or boyfriends to provide the name of any woman out of the blue. Based on the name that first comes to his mind, viewers and commenters then determine whether or not the man in question gave an “acceptable” answer.

In an ideal scenario, the man is supposed to respond with the name of his significant other, but some people have also accepted A-list celebrities like Zendaya or Taylor Swift. Historical figures have also been deemed acceptable answers as well, with some men naming Hillary Clinton or Susan B Anthony in response to the prompt. One of the only answers that has drawn concern is when a man responds with a common woman’s name that isn’t his partner’s.

While the viral videos are usually not taken very seriously, Yasmine Saad – a licensed clinical psychologist – said in an interview with Business Insider that there could be more consequential results for couples. For example, she said the man could give the name of a woman his partner might have feared he is interested in, or even name a woman that has wronged her in the past.

“In all cases, this challenge is based on the idea that there is something hidden and by asking an innocuous question, their partner will either pass a test or not,” Saad said. “Depending on the answer, the partner is either betraying the woman or is not triggering negative emotions and therefore passing the test.”

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