The Pittsburgh Steelers knew they needed a serious change on the offensive side of the football. After a dismal showing in the 2023 season, the front office made bold moves, bringing in Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and reshaping the quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields . While the offense has shown flashes of improvement in 2024, lingering issues, such as missed opportunities in the red zone and slow starts, have prevented the unit from reaching its full potential. One player feeling the impact of these changes is tight end Pat Freiermuth . Though his production hasn’t reached the level he or Steelers fans envisioned, his role within Smith’s system has highlighted his potential as a dynamic playmaker. Freiermuth’s route-running and reliability as a target have made him an integral piece of the offense, even as the team works through its growing pains. Despite the struggles, Freiermuth has expressed confidence in Smith's vision for the offense. He recently explained that the coordinator’s scheme and play-calling are not the root of the team's issues, suggesting that execution on the field remains the primary challenge. "It's execution, I believe in the calls," Freiermuth said. "I believe in the coaches. The players have got to do better. We'll be alright." Freiermuth’s comments reflect a belief in the system and a commitment to helping the Steelers turn things around as the season progresses. The goal has been to jump out to early leads and avoid playing from behind, but Freiermuth acknowledged that this goal fell short in the Steelers' 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football . "We put our defense in bad situations [against the Browns]," Freiermuth said. "That was the goal, to get up on them early. We didn't do that. We gave ourselves a chance at the end. It happens. We'll move past it." The Steelers' offense has shown flashes of promise throughout the 2024 season. When Wilson was named the starter, the offense came alive in ways Steeler Nation hadn’t seen in years, but there are still plenty of flaws to address. At times, the play calling has been questionable, and Smith has been working through some growing pains as he looks to get the offense fully up to speed. Freiermuth, a player with immense potential, has been held back by a struggling system and inconsistent quarterback play, with the exception of his rookie season when Ben Roethlisberger was under center. Now, with Wilson at quarterback and Smith—who has a strong track record of utilizing tight ends—working tirelessly to fix the offense, Freiermuth is working to become a key focal point. While it hasn't always been smooth sailing, there have been clear improvements, and Freiermuth is confident that with better execution, the offense will continue to grow. Steelers Need To Beat The Bengals To Get Bad Taste Out Of Their Mouth Freiermuth doesn't believe Smith is the problem. He’s happy in the system and eager for the offense to put together a complete game, showing Steelers fans exactly what they’re capable of. The entire team is focused on bouncing back against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. While it's not technically a must-win game, it certainly feels like one. A victory over the Bengals would help erase the disappointment of the loss to a struggling Browns team and get the Steelers back on track. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.World number one Jannik Sinner triumphed in singles and doubles to help Davis Cup holders Italy beat Argentina 2-1 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals. Italy will face Australia after they earlier defeated record 32-time winners the United States with a tense 2-1 victory. Sinner won his first two Grand Slams this season, as well as triumphing at the ATP Finals last week without dropping a set, and blew Sebastian Baez away 6-2, 6-1 after Francisco Cerundolo comfortably beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1 in the opening rubber. In the decisive doubles battle, Sinner and Matteo Berrettini shaded Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 7-5 to progress. “If they put me on the court in doubles I try my best,” said Sinner. “Matteo played unbelievable today, he carried me.” Italy booked a third consecutive return to the semi-finals and are favourites to win the Davis Cup for a second year running, in no small part because of Sinner’s presence. The 23-year-old is still waiting for the outcome of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal against his initial exoneration for twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in singles and doubles in last year’s semi-finals on the way to helping Italy end a 47-year wait to lift the trophy again. “I didn’t have time to adapt to this court (after the ATP Finals) so I’m very happy with how I handled the situation today,” Sinner told reporters. “It was a very good doubles (pairing), he played unbelievable, I tried to stay there (with Berrettini), he also gave me a lot of confidence to play.” The doubles teams were tied until the ninth game of the first set when Sinner won three points and then Molteni clipped his passing shot which was heading wide to hand Italy the decisive solitary break. The second set was even tighter with Italy breaking for a 6-5 lead and sealing their victory with a Sinner smash. Berrettini more than held his own alongside Sinner. “When you’re playing with Jannik the pressure is off a little bit, he’s going to play great,” said the world number 35. Argentina’s captain Guillermo Coria said he was pleased with his team taking Italy to the wire. “It speaks of the respect Italy have for us, and my doubles pairing, that they put the world number one out there,” he said. “We were close to taking out a powerful team like Italy.” Australia’s match-up with the USA was the most played in Davis Cup history with this their 48th meeting — the first was in 1905. In the opening rubber, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis edged Ben Shelton 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (16/14) with a gripping tie-break triumph. Taylor Fritz pulled the US level in the tie by beating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 before Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over Shelton and Tommy Paul. Australia, who have lifted the trophy 28 times, second only to the USA, last won the tournament in 2003 and finished as runners-up in the last two editions.
Canucks prospect stock watch: Who's up, who's down in Vancouver's system?A former federal prosecutor in the case that sent a man to death row says it is difficult to see a “remorseless murderer” be relieved of his sentence following President Biden’s decision on Monday to commute nearly all federal inmates facing execution. Brandon Council, of North Carolina, was sentenced to death by a federal jury on Oct. 3, 2019, after he was found guilty of killing two women who worked at a South Carolina bank during a robbery in 2017. Council was one of the 37 convicted murderers who will now spend life in prison without parole after Biden reclassified their death sentences. Derek Shoemake, former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina and one of the federal prosecutors in the case against Council, told Fox News Digital it was “one of the greatest professional honors” of his life to pursue justice for victims Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn Skeen, 36, and his heart aches for their families following Biden’s decision. “Donna and Katie were amazing women, wonderful mothers, and beacons of light in their community. Today my thoughts and prayers are with their families, and my heart aches for them as they process this news,” Shoemake said in a statement. He also said his thoughts and prayers are with the team who “worked for more than a year” getting justice for Major and Skeen, “ensuring a remorseless murderer received a sentence that spoke to the horrific nature of his senseless crimes.” Council entered CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, on Aug. 21, 2017, with the intention of robbing the business and killing its employees, according to a 2017 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina (USAO-SC). After making it inside, Council shot Major, who was the bank teller, multiple times with a revolver, the USAO-SC said at the time. He then ran into Skeen’s office, where she worked as the bank’s manager, and shot her multiple times while she hid under her desk. Before fleeing the bank, he stole keys to both victims’ cars, their bank cards, and more than $15,000 in cash. He took one of the vehicles to a motel he was staying at, packed his luggage, and drove off. “It is difficult to see a sentence wiped away from 400 miles away after it was legally imposed by a jury of men and women from South Carolina who spent weeks listening to evidence, deliberating, and carefully deciding the appropriate punishment,” Shoemake said. He also said it hurts that the victims’ families “will celebrate yet another Christmas without their loved ones,” while Council is among the 37 federally convicted murderers “celebrating a political victory.” Shoemake said his focus is not on the political debate surrounding Biden’s commutations, but on the “legacy of love, family, and faith” that Major and Skeen embodied. “I pray for their families, as I so often do, and I pray for all the victims’ families impacted today,” he said. In a White House statement announcing the commutations on Monday, Biden said he condemns the murderers and their “despicable acts,” and he grieves for the victims and families who have suffered “unimaginable and irreparable loss,” but he “cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.” Only three inmates remain on federal death row as Biden’s presidency nears its end. They are Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.Jewish doctors report rising antisemitism in new survey
Papastergiou at EU Telecommunications Council: National strategy on youth screen addiction to be presented soonAs an Asian and Jewish woman working in the hospital system, Serena Lee-Segal says antisemitism at work is a bigger problem now than her own experience of anti-Asian racism during COVID-19. “What I now experience as a Jewish health-care worker, the rise in this form of hate, has made me feel deeply uncomfortable and unsafe,” the occupational therapist told a news conference held by the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario (JMAO). “It’s scary and it’s something that urgently needs to be addressed.” The JMAO brought Lee-Segal and several doctors to the Ontario legislature this week to flag a “disturbing rise in antisemitism” experienced by some Jewish medical practitioners in the wake of the . “Many of our members have been doxxed and subjected to targeted harassment simply for being Jewish,” association president Dr. Lisa Salamon told a news conference Wednesday. “These attacks have profound mental health impacts and send a chilling message to all Jewish professionals in health care.” The association said its members have experienced antisemitism in comments or remarks by colleagues in conversation or at organized events, in clinical settings, at medical schools on university campuses, and in social media. A Toronto surgeon, who asked the Star to withhold her name for fear of further harassment, said she was recently the target of an “intense, hateful email campaign.” She received messages calling her a “Nazi” and a “white supremacist” among other insults after her email address was widely distributed by unknown doxxers. The JMAO’s concerns, which follow with a sharp rise in complaints about antisemitism, come amid a doctor shortage across the country. According to the Ontario Medical Association, the shortage has left 2.5 million people in this province without a family physician. The association used the news conference to present results of a survey of members of Jewish medical associations across the country. About 2,000 surveys were sent and 944 medical practitioners filled them out, including 476 in Ontario. Not all answered every question. The survey said just seven of the 944 — fewer than one per cent — felt antisemitism was severe in community, hospital or academic medical settings such as university medical schools before Oct. 7, 2023. A smaller number, 364, answered a question on whether they have experienced antisemitism on the job since then, with 294 saying “yes.” Asked if they are considering whether to leave North America in search of a better work environment, 236 of the 944 said “yes.” And asked if antisemitism since the Israel-Hamas war began has been the most professionally/personally challenging time of their life, 192 of 786 who responded to that question said “yes.” Of those 786 respondents, 43 said antisemitism has not changed their life significantly. Dr. Barry Pakes, who teaches at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and organized the survey to take the pulse of the profession, said the results point to a level of distress. “When Jewish health-care professionals are afraid and harassed, it sends a dangerous message that discrimination is tolerated in our institutions,” added Pakes, a former York Region medical officer of health. “It weakens our health-care system at a time when it is already under tremendous strain,” added Pakes, who noted he has swapped his kippa, a Jewish skullcap, for a baseball hat in some situations after experiencing “catcalls.” Dr. Samuel Silver, an associate professor of medicine at Queen’s University, warned that in a “toxic environment,” Canada risks losing Jewish medical students to other jurisdictions when they graduate. “It’s unacceptable for whatever happens in the international sphere, however people feel about anything going on in the world, to affect their ability to care for patients, to work with their colleagues, to teach,” said Dr. Ayelet Kuper, chair of the JMAO and an associate medical professor at U of T. “We are now feeling at the very pointy end, and it’s something we have to address in our institutions,” she added. Lee-Segal blamed her union, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), for “visibly targeting Jews with hatred” as fellow members have flown the union flag at “protests condoning terrorism.” Many Jews consider some statements at pro-Palestinian protests, such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” as a call for the eradication of Israel. Palestinian advocates dispute this interpretation. OPSEU, whose president JP Hornick appeared at rallies in support of the U of T pro-Palestinian encampment, did not reply to requests for comment on Lee-Segal’s allegations or on complaints filed against the union by Jewish members before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal two months ago. The encampment at U of T, established by students and activists outraged by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to pressure the university into restructuring its finances and academic relationships in order to sanction Israel, became a magnet for controversy. Before it was in early July, there were frequent rallies expressing support for protesters living in tents and solidarity with the people of Gaza. U of T president that there were incidents of offensive signs and language during the encampment and agreed antisemitism was a serious problem on campus. On social media and emails, these doctors are being harassed and professionally compromised. Lee-Segal said she was treating two patients in their eighties in hospital late last month — one of them a Holocaust survivor — who was “relieved” to see her wearing a Star of David necklace. “They expressed to me how nervous they were about the care they would receive due to the rise in antisemitism that they were seeing in our streets.” Antisemitic acts accounted for one-third of all reported hate crimes in Toronto in 2023, the last full year for which statistics are available, and were double the level of the previous year, Toronto police report. Seven per cent of reported hate crimes that year were anti-Muslim. In recent weeks, Toronto police charged two males with shooting at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School for Jewish girls on Oct. 12, which was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It was the second time this year the North York School was targeted with gunfire. The Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack by Hamas was the largest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust. Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and about 250 taken hostage by Hamas, with roughly 100 remaining in Gaza. One-third are believed to be dead, the Israel’s subsequent offensive against Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Canada and other countries, has killed over 44,500 Palestinians in Gaza, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many are combatants.
Braless Aubrey Plaza strips down to white briefs for sexy V Magazine shoot Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com By ALESIA STANFORD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 19:22 GMT, 26 November 2024 | Updated: 19:24 GMT, 26 November 2024 e-mail 14 shares 7 View comments Aubrey Plaza has stripped down to pair of Lacoste tight-whities for a very sexy shoot with V Magazine. The actress, 40, who recently had a disaster interview with Howard Stern , showed off her form in a tan blazer with an alligator stamped on the beast pocket and a pair of white high waist bottoms. The White Lotus star's dark hair was styled straight with a bit of teasing at the top and her makeup focused on a smoky eye and neutral lips. She was accessorized with a pair of hoop earrings from the Knot and a ring from Tiffany &Co. Full body shots revealed she donned white pumps to complete the look. For the magazine cover, the chameleon-like star was covered up in a furry red coat draped around her bare shoulders and a pair of sheer black stockings. Aubrey Plaza had no problem going braless as she showcased her curves in a sexy pictorial for V Magazine. The actress, 40, flaunted her form in a tan Lacoste blazer with an alligator stamped on the beast pocket and a pair of white high waist bottoms Read More Fans are 'ugly crying' over Aubrey Plaza comedy that's gone straight to number one on Amazon Prime The multi-talented actress spoke about the busy year she has enjoyed, starring in several projects, including Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, the Disney/Marvel series Agatha All Along and the Amazon Prime series My Old Ass. 'Baby, I always wanted to be in movies, That was always the plan,' Plaza said of her ambitions. 'But a Marvel TV show? I never thought I would do that. Fashion campaigns? I never thought that anyone would want me to do that. I mean, it blows my mind that I’m in a Coppola movie,' she told the outlet. In spite of her surprise about being asked to model for various designers including Chanel and Stella McCartney or Lacoste whose looks were featured in the article, Plaza knows how to perform for the camera, be it still or film. She showed off her lithe limbs, looking like the salsa dancer she is in a long sleeve body suit, sheer black stockings and pumps. Another look featured a long sleeve black catsuit with a plunging neckline and Christian Louboutin high heels. She also modeled the white bottoms with a sparkling silver top with sports socks and sneakers. A deceptively demure look put the Emmy nominee in a see-through white tennis bodysuit with a white pleated skirt featuring a waist high slit. Working on Agatha All Along reunited Plaza with her Danny and the Deep Blue Sea co-star Patti LuPone. Speaking of her successful 2024, in which she starred in Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, the Disney/Marvel series Agatha All Along and the Prime series My Old Ass, Plaza explained 'Baby, I always wanted to be in movies, That was always the plan' For the magazine cover, the chameleon-like star was covered up in a furry red coat draped around her bare shoulders and a pair of sheer black stockings Plaza modeled deceptively demure look put the Emmy nominee in a see-through white tennis bodysuit with a white pleated skirt featuring a waist high slit. 'Fashion campaigns? I never thought that anyone would want me to do that,' she told the outlet The two roomed together while the actress made her Broadway debut in November 2023. 'She and I love doing dumb bits and stupid characters,' she said of the Peabody Award winner, 75, adding,' We're both, like, troublemakers.' Plaza, who boasts Puerto Rican ancestry from her father's side of the family, spoke out about the typecasting of Latinas on film. Plaza, learned to salsa dance at an early age and looked like a dancer in a black catsuit and pumps. The chameleon-like star, who boasts Puerto Rican ancestry from her father's side of the family, spoke out about the typecasting of Latinas on film 'The Puerto Rican women in my family are sarcastic and funny,' she said. 'But for years and years and years, the stereotypes of Latina actresses or characters have been one-dimensional. Like there’s one kind of Latina woman, which is just not true,' she asserted Plaza has a busy 2025 ahead of her with a slate of projects, including a 'dream' movie with writer and director Jon Waters titled Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. ''I can't think of anything more crazy for myself than to have that to happen.' she said 'The Puerto Rican women in my family are sarcastic and funny,' she said. 'But for years and years and years, the stereotypes of Latina actresses or characters have been one-dimensional. Like there’s one kind of Latina woman, which is just not true,' she asserted. Plaza has a busy 2025 ahead of her with a slate of projects, including a 'dream' movie with writer and director Jon Waters titled Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. 'I can't think of anything more crazy for myself than to have that to happen. He's in his mid-seventies, but I actually think his films and his sensibility are so appropriate for the younger generation right now. I feel like they need a Jon Waters,' she said. Share or comment on this article: Braless Aubrey Plaza strips down to white briefs for sexy V Magazine shoot e-mail 14 shares Add comment
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MUMBAI: India's insurance penetration, which is measured as a ratio of annual premium to GDP, dipped in FY24 for the second year in a row after touching a peak of 4.2% in the wake of Covid. According to regulator Irdai's annual report released on Monday, India's insurance penetration was 3.7% in FY24 compared to 4% in 2022-23. The insurance penetration for the life insurance industry marginally declined from 3% in the previous year to 2.8% in 2023-24. The penetration for the non-life insurance industry remained unchanged at 1% during 2023-24, as in 2022-23. While the share of insurance to GDP declined, there was a modest increase in per capita premium (insurance density) from $92 in FY22 to $95 in FY23. India's experience goes against the global trend, where insurance penetration in both life and non-life segments has risen, with the global average at 7% in 2023 versus 6.8% in 2022. During 2023-24, the life insurance industry recorded a premium income of Rs 8.3 lakh crore, registering a 6.1% growth which was slower than the increase in GDP. Private sector life insurers clocked a growth of 15.1% in premium, while the public sector life insurer recorded a growth of 0.2%. The life insurance industry paid total benefits of Rs 5.8 lakh crore in 2023-24, constituting 70.2% of the net premium. Benefits paid on account of surrenders/withdrawals increased by 15.3% to Rs 2.3 lakh crore in 2023-24, of which the public sector life insurer accounted for 58.4%. During 2023-24, the non-life insurance industry underwrote a total direct premium of Rs 2.9 lakh crore in India, registering a growth of 12.8% over the previous year. A significant portion of the increase was because of individuals paying a higher premium for health insurance coupled with growth in motor insurance. During 2023-24, general and health insurers settled 2.7 crore health insurance claims and paid Rs 83,493 crore towards claim settlements. In FY24, general insurers, including specialised ones, paid total claims (excluding health insurance) amounting to Rs 1,01,050 crore. Of this, private general insurers paid 55% (Rs 55,524 crore), PSU general insurers paid 32% (Rs 32,131 crore), and specialised ones paid Rs 13,396 crore (13%). As of March 31, 2024, investments made by the insurance industry stood at Rs 67.6 lakh crore, compared to Rs 60 lakh crore as of March 31, 2023, registering an increase of 12.6%. The share of life insurers stood at 91.1%, while general insurers (including specialised and standalone health insurers) constituted 7%, and reinsurers, including branches of foreign reinsurers, made up 1.9%. The share of PSUs stood at 69.5%, and the private sector constituted 30.5% during the same period. Ready to Master Stock Valuation? ET’s Workshop is just around the corner!MoJ’s CLJS holds training courses toenhance skills of legal professionalsKinetic's Holiday Shopping Guide: Securing the Best Tech Devices for Children This Black Friday
Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou attended the EU Council of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Ministers of the European Union, which took place in Brussels on Friday. Papastergiou stressed in his speech that in addition to the measures to be taken by each state, EU member states must jointly take initiatives to force major digital platforms and social media to stop targeting user addiction.Papastergiou cited as an example at European level the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes specific provisions for the protection of minors and explicitly addresses the problem of addictive design. As he said "soon in Greece we will present the National Strategy for the protection of minors from algorithmic addiction. Social media and digital platforms must come to the table and show that they will take tangible, measurable actions to prioritise safety over profit. The design of their apps and services should be age-appropriate," he said, referring to the implementation of age verification and age assurance tools, age verification. Referring to other Council issues, Papastergiou stressed the need to adjust the objectives of the "Digital Decade" and targeted funding due to the rapid development of technologies such as 6G, Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing. He also referred to the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) and the usefulness of extending upgrade and retraining programmes for ICT professionals. He made particular reference to the role of ENISA (the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity) in improving common situational awareness and management of large-scale cyber incidents and crises in the EU, as well as the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC). In the margins of the Council, the Minister had an introductory meeting with the new Executive Vice President of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen. He also had bilateral contacts with ministers.
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