Braid: Who's the boss at Calgary city hall? Council budget debate shows bureaucracy in chargeLiverpool powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United's dismal 2-0 defeat at lowly Wolves. Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but it was United's travails and Liverpool's remarkable run that took centre-stage on Thursday. Arne Slot's side were shocked by Jordan Ayew's early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalise just before the interval through Cody Gakpo. England midfielder Jones marked his 100th top-flight appearance with the second goal soon after half-time. Mohamed Salah's 19th goal this term wrapped up Liverpool's 11th win in their last 13 games in all competitions. "We created enough, but because we went 1-0 down it was a game," Liverpool manager Slot said. "Then you saw how good we are and Leicester didn't want to come back into the game." Liverpool's comeback lifted them well clear of second-placed Chelsea, who were defeated 2-1 by Fulham earlier in the day. United suffered a third successive loss in all competitions to leave new boss Ruben Amorim with five defeats in his first 10 games. Fernandes was dismissed two minutes into the second half at Molineux for a second bookable offence. United's 10 men cracked in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha's corner went straight in as goalkeeper Andre Onana flapped under pressure. Hwang Hee-chan compounded Amorim's misery when he tapped in with just seconds left. Losing to fourth-bottom Wolves was another bitter blow for United, who endured a humiliating 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Old Trafford last weekend after losing 4-3 in the League Cup at Tottenham. With his team marooned in 14th place -- just eight points above the relegation zone -- Amorim's woes might not be over, with United facing in-form Newcastle on Monday before travelling to Liverpool in their first game of 2025. "It's so tough to win games in this league with 11 men. With 10 men, it's more difficult," Amorim said. Champions Manchester City have just one victory in their last 13 games in all competitions as their Christmas schedule started in disappointing fashion. Bernardo Silva put City in front early on before Iliman Ndiaye salvaged a point for Everton. Seven minutes into the second half, Haaland had the chance to end his longest goal drought at the Etihad but Jordan Pickford denied him. City are languishing in seventh place and sit five points adrift of the top four, with their astonishing decline showing no sign of ending. "Of course we need results and we didn't get it. The team played really good again in all departments and unfortunately could not win," said City boss Pep Guardiola. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were stunned by Fulham's late fightback in a dramatic west London derby. It was Chelsea's first home defeat against Fulham since 1979. Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead after 16 minutes, the England forward drilling home from the edge of the area after weaving through the Fulham defence in dazzling style. But Fulham levelled with eight minutes left when Harry Wilson nodded in from close range. There was worse to come for the Blues when Rodrigo Muniz completed the turnaround in the 95th minute. Nottingham Forest climbed to third place after a 1-0 win against sputtering Tottenham at the City Ground. Forest's fourth successive win was sweet revenge for boss Nuno Espirito Santo, whose former club Tottenham had Djed Spence sent off in the closing moments for a second booking. Tottenham are stuck in 11th as the pressure mounts on boss Ange Postecoglou. Newcastle swatted aside 10-man Aston Villa 3-0, moving up to fifth place after winning three consecutive league games for the first time since 2023. Jarrod Bowen's 59th-minute goal gave West Ham a 1-0 win at bottom of the table Southampton after the visitors saw Guido Rodriguez's red card overturned by VAR. It was a frustrating start for new Saints boss Ivan Juric, who has replaced the sacked Russell Martin. Bournemouth and Crystal Palace shared a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium. smg/nf
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Report: Institutional neutrality favored at Carolina, Wake, DukeCLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler's staff in 2020, becoming the majors' first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt — the AL Manager of the Year. With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Her exact duties are still being determined. "We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,” the Giants said in a statement on Friday. "Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community. “As she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that she’ll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.” Nakken is the second on-field female coach hired by the Guardians. In 2023, the club brought in Amanda Kamekona as their hitting development coach for their year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona. Last season, she was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbHenry Ewunonu pays tribute to Paul Gowon Jibrin, a medical doctor who gave his all As the rites of passage and funeral arrangements commence towards committing the remains of late Dr. Paul Jibrin to mother earth on the 28th of December, 2024, I have chosen to rise and wrestle with melancholy, grief, and all other forms of negative emotions to pen down my appreciation of Dr. Paul Jibrin who lived for others’ wellbeing and development. Until his death, he was a Chief Consultant Histopathologist at the National Hospital Abuja. Dr. Paul as he’s called by acquaintances came into my life in the early 1990s when he came to the University of Calabar in my Pathology year at Med-school as a young doctor. He became the toast of the students as his smile was charming, his calm words soothing as it was therapeutic. He counselled, prodded and encouraged many as he maintained that all things including passing our examinations and ultimately graduating are all possibilities. Again, after Med-school, we met at the National Hospital where he transferred his services to the Dept. of Morbid Anatomy/Histopathology. The kind disposition to and warm relationship with all were universal. He never discriminated against anyone. Age, social class, educational status, tribe and religion were mere human creations. In him was a combination of a brother, father, counsellor, mentor and pastor. He loved his profession and gave his life for it. He was never satisfied with what pathologists refer to as ‘H&E’- only diagnosis – the very primary diagnostic modality in histopathological evaluations. Dr. Jibrin regularized Immunohistochemistry and made it a routine in our practice and worked tirelessly to make the intra-operative diagnosis (frozen section) also a routine. He was restless in the last few years of his earthly existence as he forayed into the arena of molecular diagnosis in which a cancer cell is not just assigned a name and nativity but also characterized by how it behaves- what it does, feeds on, looks like and products manufactured. All these make it possible for scientists to design appropriate onco-pharmacologic armamentariums to either force them to commit suicide or have them roasted with modern treatment modalities He started engaging with collaborators, especially in Breast, Prostate and gynaecological cancers. Most times, he used his resources to augment the deficiencies in the Department to avoid disruption of services. He was always at work, even on weekends. He was one of the few ‘ogas’ in local parlance who opened the office at the beginning of a working day and locked it at the end of the day. He didn’t mind. He insisted that patients shouldn’t suffer extra anxiety or pains caused by delays in issuing histology reports. He worked tirelessly to shorten the turn-around time (TAT) so that patients commence their treatments without delays. What didn’t he do to invigorate histopathological services at the National Hospital Abuja? He would repair the broken-down mortuary freezers with his funds to be later reimbursed by Management. He would stand with the technicians during repairs. Dr. Jibrin served humanity as he would, God. He took no for an answer as he insisted that despite the prevailing gloomy circumstances in the nation, Nigeria would not scatter from his hands. He gave all. He did all. His last vision was to make the Dept. of Histopathology of the National Hospital a regional hub for Molecular Diagnosis. He worked with NICRAT, CAPTSI and other Research organisations. Some of those proposals had commenced with tissue banking/cryopreservation. At the Faculty of Pathology of the National Post Graduate of Nigeria and the International Academy of Pathology West African Division, he gave his best and served meritoriously. Arrangements for recruiting, training and retraining of personnel were also in the pipeline but death did its worst. Dr. Paul Jibrin was a man of many parts. He was a serial entrepreneur having the golden genes of enterprise from his father the great Jibrin Adama of Adokpa Enjema Ankpa in Kogi State. He was an ardent believer in the cliché “dignity in labour” and believed in the Biblical dictum of no work, no food but he showed mercy to all. He wasn’t a lazy man but taught as he practised the multiple streams of income paradigm without stealing the time of his primary employer for personal gain. He could be described as a pastor without a church building or parish as many will say. He witnessed for Christ at any and every occasion that presented itself. He invited everyone to his Church the Dunamis International Gospel Centre at any slightest opportunity. He was a counsellor per excellence. In every life experience, Dr. Jibrin had a message for everyone. He presented God in a very simple form yet professed his almightiness in every scene of life. To young people male or female, he was a strong, broad and reliable shoulder to lean upon. All who passed through our Department for an internship or NYSC posting will attest to this. He endowed many with material gifts and even followed up on the very home where such came from as he solved challenges from their very foundations. He never discriminated against anyone. To some, he was too lenient but he was a good shepherd who knew how to tend both foolish and wise flocks. To the weak, he gave strength; to the lawless, a very long rope to seeing reasons and repent, and to the visionless and lost, he provided a compass for direction. Why will such an angel then face the sudden unexpected death and not live long enough to see his children’s children as the Scripture has promised? Only God knows why. I have a consolation. It says “Good people pass away; the Godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.” Isaiah 57:1 (NLT). Paul Jibrin has been saved from the harsh realities of living in today’s Nigeria. He will no longer suffer the anxiety of the uncertainties of the economy, security and safety and hopelessness. Dr. Paul was a heavy burden bearer, problem solver, innovative solutions provider, critical thinker and ebullient motivator. He faced life and whatever it brought with equanimity. He detested laziness and called it evil. His value for the marriage institution and the pricelessness of family life was second to none. Yet, I lost him to the cold merciless hands of death. As you stand before your creator in judgement as the Holy Bible foretold, may mercy speak for you. May you benefit from that same uncommon spirit of benevolence that made you squeeze yourself to make others happy. Go well my teacher who made me his brother and friend. Dr. Paul Jibrin hearkened to the admonition of Frantz Fanon who stated that “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it.” He fulfilled his mission. To Madam Mercy, Ojochenemi, Deborah, Esther, Emmanuella Obed; the entire Jibrin family and fellow mourners, our hero has answered the ultimate call. We submit to the supremacy of God in all affairs. The Oga that made me his brother and friend, Rest on! We shall meet to part no more. Dr. Ewunonu writes from Abuja
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