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No. 3 Nittany Lions relying on defensive depth in Big Ten title game and postseason run

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Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills More World Central Kitchen Aid Workers

In early September the foreign press made a big fuss because President Maduro “brought Christmas forward” to October 1st. In truth, this is something the Venezuelan leader had done before, nearly always as an effective strategy to cool down political, economic and social tensions. Press buzz aside, the measure is welcomed by retailers who could seamlessly move from their Halloween decorations to Christmas trees and glittered ornaments. It also generated an incentive for people to buy things “ahead of time,” “before the December price hike,” etc. But beyond that, the truth is that in Venezuela Christmas is felt way before December 24. In fact, our country is a living example of a famous slogan created by a Colombian radio station: “Since September it feels like December is around the corner.” Venezuelans have the holidays on their minds during the last trimester, and they start planning the most important gastronomic traditions: , ham bread and chicken salad. The is the main event, with its long preparation often becoming an opportunity for families to gather and catch up. There are many theories concerning its origin. One says that it was created from the scraps that the elites gave to their slaves during colonial times. Another is that it takes on a Spanish pie but made out of corn flour due to the shortage of wheat. But the theory I like the most – with solid bibliography to back it up – says that the can be traced back hundreds of years, to pre-Hispanic times, when Indigenous peoples prepared a corn dough wrapped in its own leaves and cooked in clay pots. Now, the stew that fills the does have a lot to do with the Spaniards, and it was later adapted and perfected. So a deconstructed has pre-colonial elements: corn and (achiote). As for the elements that came from the Iberian peninsula, some of them are clearly Spanish: onion, garlic, beef, pork, sugar cane and wine. But the rest, like olives, capers, raisins and almonds is actually inherited from the Moorish presence in Iberia for hundreds of years. All things considered, the hallaca is synonymous with Venezuela’s (mixing). It involved a brutal colonization, which shapes us to this day, but the traditions were adopted and molded by the people, with variants in different regions. The final result has a glorious balance between savory, sweet, acid and bitter. Not just that, have a perfect sidekick in ham bread ( ). The recipe was created in 1905 in a central Caracas bakery called Ramella. Its sole goal was to make use of leftover ham. How Venezuelan is that? We’re a country that always finds a workaround, making use of all scraps, itself as many times as it takes. As Venezuelan culinary editor Miró Popic points out, “ham bread was born before the discovery of oil, in a poor, austere country, where one day of Christmas tried to make up for 364 days of hardship.” And history can be cyclical. Still, during the worst economic crisis of the Fourth Republic (1958-1999) and the tough years of economic siege we’ve lived through, with 2016 and 2017 having been especially terrible, Venezuela held firm to its legitimate right to celebrate the holiday season. Rightly so, because our traditions are unique and full of life. The most traditional music genre is the , a popular rhythm from western Zulia state which bears African, Spanish and possibly Berber influences. In fact, the very name originally referred to , an Arab flute. This genre is furthermore traced back to slaves’ protest chants against their masters. Plantation owners granted their slaves a single day a year to hold their festivities. That meant a grand party, during which the enslaved peoples also voiced their discontent with all the oppression around them, not just from slave masters but also the Church. “Why has God abandoned us?” they asked. As a result, as time went on, became an instrument for popular classes to express their hopes and frustrations. There are plenty of songs denouncing inequality in cities like Maracaibo, where the oil riches and the poverty of the majority have always stood in stark contrast. This political facet of has remained heavily present to this day. When I was a little girl, before Hugo Chávez arrived in power, there was a that radio stations played all the time. “ ” by the Gran Coquivacoa group was a theme criticizing the government led by Social Christian Rafael Caldera, who held the presidency twice (1969-1974 and 1994-1999). Apart from the political songs, I have two favorite that are quite bittersweet. One is “ ” by Ricardo Cepeda: The other one is “ ” by Argenis Carruyo: Apart from , there are other synonymous with the holidays, with a stronger presence of religious themes. Aguinaldos and parrandas are two examples which in turn have different variants depending on the region. Then there are the crazy traditions, with origins that are harder to trace and a lot more dependent on people’s levels of superstition. One case is eating lentils on Christmas Eve to invoke prosperity. Never mind how often we already eat lentils throughout the year... Other examples include yellow underwear to attract riches, taking a suitcase out so that next year is full of traveling, or breaking out new clothes so that new experiences abound. No one actually in these things, but many will do them just in case! Nevertheless, my favorite one are the skateaways (“patinatas”), which are public celebrations carried out on the streets. Major avenues and roads are closed so that young and not-so-young kids can take over with their skateboards, bicycles and skates. It is often an occasion for kids to break out their Christmas gifts. As I watch them, I’m usually reminded of the essence of Christmas: working and fighting for children to be happy. And if we recall where Christmas is from, we wish and struggle so that children in Gaza can smile too.

In news deserts, Trump won in a landslide

By MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let him leave jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing that he will release his decision on Combs’ latest request for bail after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters addressing outstanding issues. Those letters are due at noon on Monday, Subramanian said. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their plan essentially amounts to putting Combs on house arrest, with strict limits on who he has contact with. But prosecutors argue that Combs has routinely flouted jail rules and can’t be trusted not to interfere with witnesses or the judicial process. “The argument that he’s a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions isn’t factually accurate,” Combs lawyer Anthony Ricco argued. “The idea that he’s an out-of-control individual who has to be detained isn’t factually accurate.” 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. The Bad Boy Records founder remains locked up at a Brooklyn federal jail, where he spent his Nov. 4 birthday. Two other judges previously concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released 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 jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. 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 taking a seat at the defense table. He 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 maintain that no bail conditions will mitigate the “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others” of releasing Combs from jail. Prosecutors contend that while locked up the “I’ll Be Missing You” artist has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool. They allege that he has also attempted to publicly leak materials he thinks would be helpful to his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued. Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos countered that, given the strict release conditions proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules.”