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NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs ' lawyers tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let the hip-hop mogul out of jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week as prosecutors warned of his “concerted effort” from behind bars to disrupt the case. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he’ll rule promptly on Combs’ bail request after the defense and prosecution file letters by noon Monday fleshing out some of the arguments they made during at a two-hour hearing in Manhattan federal court. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either at his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — at an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their $50 million bail proposal, secured by his Florida home, essentially amounts to keeping Combs on house arrest instead of in custody at the troubled Brooklyn federal jail where he’s been held for 67 days since his September arrest. Under their plan, Combs’ lawyers said he’ll be under near-total restrictions on his ability to see or contact anyone but them. But prosecutors argued that no bail conditions can mitigate Combs’ “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others.” RELATED COVERAGE Prosecutors ordered not to use papers taken from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ jail cell for now Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawyers claim seizure of writings from cell is ‘outrageous government conduct’ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is trying to obstruct justice from jail, prosecutors say Combs has routinely flouted jail rules while locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, prosecutors said, accusing him of attempting to interfere with witnesses and taint the jury pool. “Really, this amounts to the defendant paying his way out of custody,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik told Subramanian. Defense lawyer Anthony Ricco countered that the prosecution’s portrayal of Combs as “a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions” or “an out-of-control individual who has to be detained” is inaccurate. Another Combs lawyer, Teny Geragos, added that given the strict release conditions they’ve proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules.” Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. His trial is slated to begin May 5. Two other judges previously concluded that the Bad Boy Records founder would be a danger to the community if he is freed, and an appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. Friday’s hearing was the second time Combs was in court this week. On Tuesday, a judge blocked prosecutors from using as evidence papers that were seized from his cell during a jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons. As he entered through a side door, Combs waved to relatives including his mother and several of his children in the courtroom gallery, tapping his hand to his heart and blowing kisses at them. He then hugged his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, before sitting at the defense table. Combs was not handcuffed or shackled and wore a beige jail uniform, occasionally pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket as he peered at papers in front of him. Prosecutors contend that while incarcerated the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at influencing potential jurors. They allege that he has also attempted to leak materials he believes would help his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Slavik argued. In renewing their push for Combs’ release, his lawyers sought to undercut the strength of a potential key piece of evidence: a March 2016 video showing him hitting and kicking his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie , in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors contend the assault happened during a “Freak Off,” an event in which they allege Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers. Combs’ lawyers said in court papers that newly unearthed evidence refutes that, and that the video, which first aired on CNN in May, was “a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship” between Combs and Cassie. Slavik, responding to defense claims that the recording was manipulated or taken out of context, said prosecutors don’t have the full version because Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 “to make the original video go away.” “This is a case about violence,” Slavik told Subramanian in a final plea to keep Combs locked up. “The defendant has engaged in physical, sexual and emotional abuse of his romantic partners for years. ... He’s hit. He’s kicked. He’s dragged.”
Trump gave Interior nominee one directive for a half-billion acres of US land: ‘Drill.’The NBA got viewers for Christmas, even while going up against NFL games. The NBA's five-game Christmas lineup was the league's most-watched in five years, with the games averaging about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, the league said Thursday based on Nielsen's preliminary numbers. It's an 84% rise over the NBA's Christmas numbers from 2023. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said. Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years. “I love the NFL,” James said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.” The NBA said all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama's holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases. Wednesday's numbers pushed NBA viewership for the season across ESPN platforms to up 4% over last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms Wednesday, a new record. For the NBA, those are all good signs amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting. “Ratings are down a bit at beginning of the season. But cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month. “You know, we’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programing on streaming than they are on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.” Part of that new package of television deals that the NBA is entering into next season also increases the number of regular season games broadcast on television from 15 to 75. AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
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A Kelowna group with concerns over a holiday sign in the downtown core has apparently got their wish. Each year, the Knights of Columbus put up a nativity scene display as part of the downtown Christmas decorations. The Knights go through a permitting process to do this, according to the City of Kelowna. This year, a sign saying "Keep Christ in Christmas" was part of the display, upsetting some people in the community, including the Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association (KASHA). However, the sign has since been removed. According to the city, the sign wasn't part of the permit. It was taken down on Tuesday, Dec. 10. On Monday, Dec. 9, (KASHA) expressed in a letter that it understands the nativity scene is part of Christmas symbols like "lights, festive trees, and other decorative displays." But KASHA had concerns with the "Keep Christ in Christmas" sign. "This message is not merely festive—it is political, advocating for a specific religious interpretation of the holiday," said KASHA in its letter to Black Press Media. "It may appear inoffensive and inconsequential for the city to endorse one religion so overtly. But it is important to understand that this does impact people of other faiths, and people who have no religious beliefs. It makes them feel less Canadian." Capital News has reached out to Knights of Columbus for comment.
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Gatineau man charged in connection with Dec. 1 homicide in Val-des-MontsMovie Review: Brave, mesmerizing Amy Adams triumphs over frustratingly odd script in ‘Nightbitch’ The question sounds so basic and friendly. But it’s actually loaded, as many mothers can attest. “Do you just love getting to be home with him all the time?” asks the younger, more put-together woman in the supermarket. “Must be so wonderful. Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press Dec 5, 2024 3:49 PM Dec 5, 2024 3:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Amy Adams in a scene from "Nightbitch." (Searchlight Pictures via AP) The question sounds so basic and friendly. But it’s actually loaded, as many mothers can attest. “Do you just love getting to be home with him all the time?” asks the younger, more put-together woman in the supermarket. “Must be so wonderful.” Wonderful, of course — and sometimes brain-numbing and soul-draining too, some exhausted fulltime moms might reply. Especially if, like Amy Adams’ character in Marielle Heller's “Nightbitch," they’d left their prized art gallery job to this other woman. And so Adams responds, twice, showing in this very opening scene exactly why her typically brave, brutally frank performance lifts this movie from an oddly uneven script to something unequivocally worth seeing. First we get the honest answer, the one no one really gives until later in the shower: she feels “stuck inside of a prison of my own creation,” where she torments herself and ends up binge-eating Fig Newtons to keep from crying. She is angry all the time. Oh and, she has gotten dumber. Then we rewind and director-writer Heller has Adams give her real answer: “I do, I love it! I love being a Mom.” There we are, two minutes and 13 seconds into “Nightbitch” and you may already find yourself wowed by Adams. If not, just wait until her Mother is sitting at a chic restaurant with a bunch of colleagues from the art world, and her fangs come out. And we don’t mean figuratively. We mean literally. Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we? “Nightbitch” is based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder, a feminist fable that the author has said came from her own malaise when pausing work for child-rearing. She sets her tale in an unidentified suburb of an unidentified city. Mother (characters all have generic names), formerly an admired installation artist, spends her weekdays alone with her adorable, blond 2-year old Son. Husband has a job that seems to bring him home only on weekends. The early scenes depicting Mother’s life are tight and impactful, a contrast to the confused havoc that will come toward the end of the film. Life revolves around the playground and the home, with occasional trips to storytime at the library where she notes, in narration, that she has no interest in the company of other moms — why should they be friends just because they're moms? In fact, Mother lives in solitude, and director Heller does a nice job illustrating how that feels you can almost feel the weight of the afternoon coming around, at this comfortable but hardly ostentatious home, when it’s too early for dinner and you’ve done all the activities already and you wonder if you can make it through the day. Then things start to get weird. In the bathroom mirror, Mother starts noticing things. Her teeth are getting sharper. There’s something weird coming out of an apparent cyst at the bottom of her spine. She finds extra nipples. And that’s before she starts eating rare meat. (Also, if you love cats, you may want to close your eyes at one point.) Somewhow Adams, who also produces here, makes these things seem, if not quite natural, then logical. What's happening is that Mother’s frustration is becoming ferocious. Dangerously ferocious. But also — empowering. At night, or so she thinks, she is a wild dog. Aspects of the film work wonderfully. Mother’s relationship with Son (twins Arleigh and Emmett Snowden) is lovely, largely due to a decision to let the young boys talk freely, with the adult actors reacting to their words. It lends a grounding realism to a film that quickly veers surreal. Less successful is the relationship between Mother and Husband (Scoot McNairy), which takes on too much importance as the film goes on, in a baffling way, rather than Mother’s transformation. (Also, just asking, has anyone in this movie ever heard of a babysitter?) More importantly, a story that posits itself on such a tantalizing idea — that by transforming into a dog, Mother discovers her true nature and power —resorts late in the game to a safer story about a marriage that never seemed appealing enough for us to care about anyway. It doesn't help that it's hard to grasp the distracting subplot about Mother’s own mother. None of this takes away from the strength of Adams’ performance. You believe her love for her child as much as you believe her resentment for what he is taking away from her. And Adams can make almost any line work, including one about a walnut. But we digress. It’s an irony that for reasons of storytelling, characters have generic names — because Adams is such a singular and particular, talent. The journey she embarks upon is bizarre indeed, but you won’t regret taking it with her. “Nightbitch,” a Searchlight Pictures release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association “for language and some sexuality. “ Running time: 98 minutes. Two stars out of four. Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More Entertainment News Specially minted Paul McCartney UK coins to go on sale as part of legends collection Dec 5, 2024 4:11 PM Exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof's definition of home is shifting Dec 5, 2024 1:44 PM Q&A: Binoche and Fiennes on reuniting for ‘The Return' and fighting for meaningful movies Dec 5, 2024 1:23 PM Featured Flyer
The New Jersey Devils hope the momentum they built leading up to the NHL's holiday break will carry over after the three days off, as the Metropolitan Division leaders start a two-day, home-and-home series with the third-place Carolina Hurricanes on Friday in Newark, N.J. Coach Sheldon Keefe's team has won five of its last six games, including the previous two by shutouts. Jacob Markstrom stopped a dozen shots in the Devils' 5-0 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Monday. That came just two days after he made 12 saves in a 3-0 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to the league's record book, the Devils have posted three straight shutouts once, April 1-6, 1997. Jack Hughes scored two goals and added an assist in Monday's win. Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer each notched a goal and an assist, and Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes both recorded a pair of assists. The Devils' offense has been on display during the last six games, with the team scoring 19 times in the five wins. However, the team's defense has been playing equally as strong. New Jersey has not allowed an opponent to put more than 20 shots on goal in seven games. That's the longest such streak since the NHL started tracking the stat beginning in the 1955-56 season. It's a streak Keefe didn't even know the league tracked when he talked to reporters after the win over the Rangers, but he said it is the result of a team showing the willingness to defend the middle of the rink and keeping the opposition from getting multiple attempts on scoring chances. "Whether it's having the puck well and managing it well or closing space when we don't have it, it's just a really tremendous buy-in and commitment from our guys," Keefe said. "Couldn't ask for more in that regard." That shot-on-goal streak may be in jeopardy Friday as the Devils face a Hurricanes team that averages 31.6 shots per game. Carolina wraps up a four-game road trip Friday. On Monday, it lost for the second time in three contests, falling 5-2 against the Nashville Predators. The Hurricanes trailed 4-0 less than three minutes into the third period before Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho scored 40 seconds apart, but that was as close as the team would get. Coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters afterward the Hurricanes' struggles of late are not due to a lack of effort. "We got to keep working it, trying to find the right combinations to spice things," he said. "We know a couple things that we know work, and then it's just finding the rest. But (Monday), we just as a group weren't hard enough to play against for the majority of the game, and we got what we deserved." The holiday break may have come at an opportune time for Martin Necas. The center continues to lead Carolina in scoring, with 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 34 games. However, the 25-year-old Czech is mired in a season-long eight-game goal drought. He's gone the last four games without an assist, which is another season-long streak, and has posted only one in his last six. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.
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I am the embarrassed owner of a Christmas doormat. It cost $2.50, was possibly made by slave labour, and adds to the world's supply of useless junk. I bought it on late-night impulse, and feel guilty every time I look at it. Black Friday Sale Subscribe Now! Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue December is the perfect time for thank-you gifts for those who've offered friendship or helped beyond the call of duty, even for those who don't celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Pancha Ganapati, Kwanzaa or a possible visit by Santa Claus. Potted succulents and cacti can withstand much neglect. Picture Shutterstock The best gift is what the recipient needs or loves. (It probably won't be a Christmas doormat). This isn't easy unless they tell you, you're telepathic, or you know them very well. Back in my youth (just before the invention of the wheel) the standard "I don't know what to buy" gift was talcum powder for females, and socks for a bloke. The perfect gift this year would be "plants". Okay, I'm biased, but there's evidence that a plant gift makes almost anyone happy. Every decade or so there's at least one study showing that tall trees, green leaves and white flowers reduce stress and make people feel more secure. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) may have been among the first to write that the ill or injured get better faster when they have green growth around them. The most recent report I've read was in New Scientist magazine, but even back in the 60s and 70s studies showed the crime rate lowered dramatically if greenery was added to the local landscape, not just parks to wander in, but footpath trees, vertical gardens, vast green or flower-draped pergolas (there should be one over every carpark), pots or hanging baskets of flowers or greenery on patios and doorsteps, especially just outside your home. If your home faces concrete, it's time for tall pots or hanging baskets. If anyone steals them, hopefully they'll enjoy them too, adding a speck to the world's happiness index. So here are 20 excellent plant gifts, from cheap to the lavish: 1. A large pot of red-leafed basil, repotted into a better looking container so it can be placed and smelled on a sunny desk or windowsill. 2. A large pot of frothy green and white curly mint; ditto. 3. Cat thyme (teucrium marum) for anyone with a cat. It's low growing, drought tolerant with purple flowers in summer, and more intoxicating for a cat than catnip. 4. A dwarf bougainvillea in a pot for a hot patio, or one that can be hung from the eaves where it will get strong sunlight, for bright colour all through the heat. READ MORE JACKIE FRENCH : My top 20 tips for growing fuss-free roses This is what a gourmet's garden looks like If you can't smell a rose from the footpath, it's not the one you want 5. A large pot or hanging baskets planted with thyme, winter savoury and white alyssum. Buy the basket, potting mix and herbs and combine. 6. A similar hanging basket filled with 'hen and chickens' and a few taller cactus, for a gift that will survive extreme neglect. 7. A good-looking ceramic pot with prostrate rosemary that will spill down the edges 'for remembrance'. 8. A bird bath that can be hung from the eaves or attached to a patio railing. 9. A garden gnome, or tiny concrete duck or wombat to peer out of the foliage, because every garden or plant-filled patio needs something silly. 10. A rose whose name is the same as the giftee's, or sends a message, or any gorgeous potted rose in bloom. 11. A large potted kentia palm for indoors, or two for either side of the front door, almost unkillable. 12. A small terrarium to sit on a desk. You'll need a tall or rounded glass container with a lid, potting mix and ferns, and a small pot-bellied fig or other tiny indoor plants to make your own. A glass teapot makes a great 'desk' terrarium. 19. A potted lemonade tree, Meyer lemon or calamondin (hardier and more fruitful than a cumquat) for summer drinks, salad dressing and garnishes. 20. A small bonsai, with emphatic instructions to keep it by a sunny window or whatever other site and care it needs. 22. Two bay trees in tall matching pots to sit either side of a doorway, traditionally one for 'peace' and one for 'happiness' for all those who live inside. 23. A NSW Christmas bush with red calyxes, decorated with a few twists of tinsel. 24. Whatever gorgeous plant breeders have chosen to tempt us this Christmas, from poinsettias 'forced' into mid-summer bloom, to red 'finger' bananas'. 25. And for the extravagant: a mobile backyard chook house (but no chooks in case the recipient is about to go on holidays). 26. An elegant row of tall matching pots filled with low-care standard Iceberg roses that will bloom almost every day; or sun-loving grass trees: native lemon myrtles for their scent; tall and slender 'Strait and Narrow' lillypillies ( Syzygium australe ); the striking red-stemmed Red Areca palm ( Areca vestiaria 'Red Form' ) or equally spectacular fast-growing and 'keep it in a pot' China Gold Bamboo ( Bambusa eutuldoides viridi )with its bright gold stems, or topiaried olive trees to make a privacy screen by the front door or along the veranda. This week I am: Pulling out most of the gone-to-seed parsley I planted too early, keeping some to guzzle now, and planting a second lot to last us till next summer. This is the time to plant everything that thrives in summer, from beans to corn and mini melons. Hoping one mow/whipper-snip will keep the grass short and tender enough to tempt roos, wallabies and wombats into munching enough of it so it doesn't need mowing again. Wondering why our passionfruit vine that did nothing much for two years has suddenly turned rampant, covered itself in flowers and fruit. Loving the pink rambling roses that wander through our crab apple trees, so we get blossom, roses, autumn leaves or crab apples to enjoy almost all year round. Making a note to get both edges of the fence whipper-snipped before the school holidays in case visiting dogs sniff interesting smells where a snake has decided to hide or lay its eggs. Pruning off the tatty tree fern, hellebore and other leaves from plants which have loved the rain, with new lush growth springing up daily. Adoring the bright orange-red pomegranate flowers that bloom when other fruit blossom has finished. Jackie French is a regular contributor. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Jackie French Canberra Times columnist Jackie French is an Australian author, historian, ecologist and honourary wombat (part time), 2014-2015 Australian Children' Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. She also writes a gardening column for The Canberra Times. Jackie French is an Australian author, historian, ecologist and honourary wombat (part time), 2014-2015 Australian Children' Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. She also writes a gardening column for The Canberra Times. More from Canberra 13 years ago six kinder kids were front page news. They just finished year 12 32m ago No comment s How to play a fan-made Survivor series (from an unexpected challenge beast) 32m ago No comment s Our safety nets have gaping holes. 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Trump gave Interior nominee one directive for a half-billion acres of US land: ‘Drill.’
Seattle (7-5) at Arizona (6-6) Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS BetMGM NFL Odds: Cardinals by 2 1/2. Series record: Seahawks lead 28-22-1. Against the spread: Seahawks 5-6-1, Cardinals 8-4. Last meeting: Seahawks beat Cardinals 16-6 on Nov. 24, 2024, in Seattle. Last week: Seahawks beat Chargers, 26-21; Cardinals lost to Vikings, 23-22. Seahawks offense: overall (16), rush (28), pass (2), scoring (15). Seahawks defense: overall (18), rush (21), pass (12), scoring (12). Cardinals offense: overall (11), rush (6), pass (22), scoring (17). Cardinals defense: overall (17), rush (13), pass (18), scoring (11). Turnover differential: Seahawks minus-6, Cardinals minus-1. DT Leonard Williams has been one of the most dominant players in the league over the past two weeks. Williams had 2 1/2 sacks, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits two weeks ago against the Cardinals. Williams sacked Aaron Rodgers twice and scored his first career touchdown on a 92-yard pick-6. QB Kyler Murray has had some good moments over the past two games and completed 31 of 45 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. But he also threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter which proved costly. QB Geno Smith vs. Arizona's defense. Smith has had another solid season and now he'll face an Arizona defense that's been vastly improved over the past 1 1/2 months. The Cardinals have been much more productive in the pass rush with 23 sacks over the past six games. That ranks third in the NFL over that span. Coach Mike Macdonald said he is optimistic that P Michael Dickson (back spasms) will be able to play this weekend, but bringing in another punter this week is “on the table.”.. LB Uchenna Nwosu has a chance to play this week. Nwosu missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury, then injured his thigh in his first game back in Week 5, and has been on injured reserve since. ... The Cardinals are relatively healthy. DLs Darius Robinson (calf) and Dante Stills (back) have been limited in practice this week. The Seahawks have won six straight games in the series going back to 2022. The Cardinals last won 23-13 on Nov. 21, 2021. The Cardinals haven't won at home against the Seahawks since 2020. The Seahawks' next win will be the 400th in franchise history. ... Since Week 9, Seattle’s defense ranks fifth in the NFL with 17.5 points allowed per game, 299 yards allowed per game, and 84.3 rushing yards allowed per game, while ranking sixth in the league with 18.8 first downs allowed. ... The Seahawks have two pick-6s in the past two games, the first time the team has done so since 2012. ... The Seahawks have held three straight opponents to under 300 yards, and fewer than 100 rushing yards. ... Seattle has outscored its opponents by 37 points in the final two minutes of halves this season, the best in the NFL. .. WR DK Metcalf needs one receiving TD to pass Steve Largent for the most in a player’s first six seasons in franchise history with 47. ... Smith needs one 300-yard game to tie Russell Wilson for the most 300-yard games in a single season in franchise history with five. ... WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Needs 171 yards for his first 1,000-yard season, and to become the 10th player in franchise history to reach that mark. ... Arizona has won three straight games at home. The Cardinals outscored those opponents 77-30 while scoring nine touchdowns and allowing none. ... TE Trey McBride has caught 12 passes in two straight games, which is the first time a tight end has had at least 12 receptions in two straight games in NFL history. ... Arizona's six losses have come to teams with a combined 55-18 record this season entering Week 14. ... S Budda Baker has 114 tackles this season, which ranks sixth in the league. ... McBride's caught 73 passes this season. He needs just nine more catches over the next five games to break his franchise record for a tight end. ... WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught seven TD passes this season, which leads all NFL rookies. ... The Cardinals have been flagged for 61 penalties this season, which is the fewest in the NFL. But the team was flagged 10 times in last week's loss to the Vikings. Arizona's defense is a strong play at home. The Cardinals are giving up just 17 points per game at State Farm Stadium, which is second in the league behind Pittsburgh. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflI am the embarrassed owner of a Christmas doormat. It cost $2.50, was possibly made by slave labour, and adds to the world's supply of useless junk. I bought it on late-night impulse, and feel guilty every time I look at it. Black Friday Sale Subscribe Now! Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue December is the perfect time for thank-you gifts for those who've offered friendship or helped beyond the call of duty, even for those who don't celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Pancha Ganapati, Kwanzaa or a possible visit by Santa Claus. Potted succulents and cacti can withstand much neglect. Picture Shutterstock The best gift is what the recipient needs or loves. (It probably won't be a Christmas doormat). This isn't easy unless they tell you, you're telepathic, or you know them very well. Back in my youth (just before the invention of the wheel) the standard "I don't know what to buy" gift was talcum powder for females, and socks for a bloke. The perfect gift this year would be "plants". Okay, I'm biased, but there's evidence that a plant gift makes almost anyone happy. Every decade or so there's at least one study showing that tall trees, green leaves and white flowers reduce stress and make people feel more secure. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) may have been among the first to write that the ill or injured get better faster when they have green growth around them. The most recent report I've read was in New Scientist magazine, but even back in the 60s and 70s studies showed the crime rate lowered dramatically if greenery was added to the local landscape, not just parks to wander in, but footpath trees, vertical gardens, vast green or flower-draped pergolas (there should be one over every carpark), pots or hanging baskets of flowers or greenery on patios and doorsteps, especially just outside your home. If your home faces concrete, it's time for tall pots or hanging baskets. If anyone steals them, hopefully they'll enjoy them too, adding a speck to the world's happiness index. So here are 20 excellent plant gifts, from cheap to the lavish: 1. A large pot of red-leafed basil, repotted into a better looking container so it can be placed and smelled on a sunny desk or windowsill. 2. A large pot of frothy green and white curly mint; ditto. 3. Cat thyme (teucrium marum) for anyone with a cat. It's low growing, drought tolerant with purple flowers in summer, and more intoxicating for a cat than catnip. 4. A dwarf bougainvillea in a pot for a hot patio, or one that can be hung from the eaves where it will get strong sunlight, for bright colour all through the heat. READ MORE JACKIE FRENCH : My top 20 tips for growing fuss-free roses This is what a gourmet's garden looks like If you can't smell a rose from the footpath, it's not the one you want 5. A large pot or hanging baskets planted with thyme, winter savoury and white alyssum. Buy the basket, potting mix and herbs and combine. 6. A similar hanging basket filled with 'hen and chickens' and a few taller cactus, for a gift that will survive extreme neglect. 7. A good-looking ceramic pot with prostrate rosemary that will spill down the edges 'for remembrance'. 8. A bird bath that can be hung from the eaves or attached to a patio railing. 9. A garden gnome, or tiny concrete duck or wombat to peer out of the foliage, because every garden or plant-filled patio needs something silly. 10. A rose whose name is the same as the giftee's, or sends a message, or any gorgeous potted rose in bloom. 11. A large potted kentia palm for indoors, or two for either side of the front door, almost unkillable. 12. A small terrarium to sit on a desk. You'll need a tall or rounded glass container with a lid, potting mix and ferns, and a small pot-bellied fig or other tiny indoor plants to make your own. A glass teapot makes a great 'desk' terrarium. 19. A potted lemonade tree, Meyer lemon or calamondin (hardier and more fruitful than a cumquat) for summer drinks, salad dressing and garnishes. 20. A small bonsai, with emphatic instructions to keep it by a sunny window or whatever other site and care it needs. 22. Two bay trees in tall matching pots to sit either side of a doorway, traditionally one for 'peace' and one for 'happiness' for all those who live inside. 23. A NSW Christmas bush with red calyxes, decorated with a few twists of tinsel. 24. Whatever gorgeous plant breeders have chosen to tempt us this Christmas, from poinsettias 'forced' into mid-summer bloom, to red 'finger' bananas'. 25. And for the extravagant: a mobile backyard chook house (but no chooks in case the recipient is about to go on holidays). 26. An elegant row of tall matching pots filled with low-care standard Iceberg roses that will bloom almost every day; or sun-loving grass trees: native lemon myrtles for their scent; tall and slender 'Strait and Narrow' lillypillies ( Syzygium australe ); the striking red-stemmed Red Areca palm ( Areca vestiaria 'Red Form' ) or equally spectacular fast-growing and 'keep it in a pot' China Gold Bamboo ( Bambusa eutuldoides viridi )with its bright gold stems, or topiaried olive trees to make a privacy screen by the front door or along the veranda. This week I am: Pulling out most of the gone-to-seed parsley I planted too early, keeping some to guzzle now, and planting a second lot to last us till next summer. This is the time to plant everything that thrives in summer, from beans to corn and mini melons. Hoping one mow/whipper-snip will keep the grass short and tender enough to tempt roos, wallabies and wombats into munching enough of it so it doesn't need mowing again. Wondering why our passionfruit vine that did nothing much for two years has suddenly turned rampant, covered itself in flowers and fruit. Loving the pink rambling roses that wander through our crab apple trees, so we get blossom, roses, autumn leaves or crab apples to enjoy almost all year round. Making a note to get both edges of the fence whipper-snipped before the school holidays in case visiting dogs sniff interesting smells where a snake has decided to hide or lay its eggs. Pruning off the tatty tree fern, hellebore and other leaves from plants which have loved the rain, with new lush growth springing up daily. Adoring the bright orange-red pomegranate flowers that bloom when other fruit blossom has finished. Jackie French is a regular contributor. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Jackie French Canberra Times columnist Jackie French is an Australian author, historian, ecologist and honourary wombat (part time), 2014-2015 Australian Children' Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. She also writes a gardening column for The Canberra Times. Jackie French is an Australian author, historian, ecologist and honourary wombat (part time), 2014-2015 Australian Children' Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. She also writes a gardening column for The Canberra Times. More from Canberra 13 years ago six kinder kids were front page news. They just finished year 12 32m ago No comment s How to play a fan-made Survivor series (from an unexpected challenge beast) 32m ago No comment s Our safety nets have gaping holes. 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