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United Airlines travelers with lost luggage have a new tool to track their bags. If the lost bag has an Apple AirTag in it, that information can now be passed directly to United, the airline announced Thursday. The new feature, called Share Item Location, allows travelers with an AirTag or other Find My network accessory to share the location with the airline’s customer service team to help locate their luggage in the event it’s misplaced. The feature is now available with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 or macOS 15.2. “Apple’s new Share Item Location feature will help customers travel with even more confidence, knowing they have another way to access their bag’s precise location with AirTag or their Find My accessory of choice,” said David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer. People are also reading... Muskogee board rejects Matt Hennesy's return as Roughers' head football coach Berry Tramel: OSU football makeover, from players to coaches, is unprecedented Ex-Sooners QB Jackson Arnold transfers to Auburn: 'There's no other place I want to be' What does OU do if they can't land quarterback John Mateer in the transfer portal? Mike Gundy appears headed for complete turnover among coaching staff Michael Hawkins Jr. addresses future at OU ahead of bowl game: 'I’m gonna be at Oklahoma' Why does OU's Brent Venables have faith that OC Ben Arbuckle can win with current staff? Daughter of country music star Wynonna Judd pleads guilty to drug, theft charges Where to eat on Christmas Day Oklahoma State on track for its best portal class ever, what impact will newcomers have in 2025? Four-day school week, tax credits and Ryan Walters among Jenks legislative forum topics Gov. Kevin Stitt orders state agencies to end most remote work Muskogee board set to vote on Wagoner's Dale Condict as head football coach Bible, Christianity feature heavily in proposed social studies standards for students Many city councilors oppose using local police for Trump's mass deportation plan Travelers on United whose bags do not arrive at their destination can file a delayed baggage report with United and share the link to the item’s location either through the United app or via text message. After the report has been submitted, customer service agents will be able to locate the item on an interactive map alongside a timestamp of a recent update. The shared location will be disabled after a customer has the bag, and customers can also stop sharing the location of the item at any time on their own. The location link will also automatically expire after seven days. Using AirTags or other tracking devices on luggage is increasingly popular among frequent travelers, with a significant boom following the 2022 Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown , which displaced thousands of travelers over Christmas and into 2023, alongside much of their belongings. United says lost bags are rare, with more than 99% of its customers arriving with their bags. It says the new technology will help those with lost bags to recover them more quickly because the airline will have more information about them. Apple previously announced the new service will also be integrated at other air carriers, including Delta Air Lines. Others include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling.

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Dallas Cowboys star guard Zack Martin is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders due to ankle and shoulder injuries. Martin didn't practice at all this week. He also physically struggled during Monday night's loss to the Houston Texas. Martin, who turned 34 on Wednesday, has started all 162 games played in 11 seasons with the Cowboys. He's a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a seven-time first-team All-Pro. Tight end Jake Ferguson (concussion) and safety Markquese Bell (shoulder) have been ruled out. Neither player practiced this week after being hurt against the Texans. Cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) practiced in full this week and will make his season debut. He was injured in August. Star wideout CeeDee Lamb (back/foot) was a full practice participant on Friday and is good to go. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) and receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) are among six players listed as questionable. The others are offensive tackle Chuma Edoga (toe), guard Tyler Smith (ankle/knee), defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (knee) and linebacker Nick Vigil (foot). --Field Level MediaCompanies tighten security after a health care CEO's killing leads to a surge of threats

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Allowing two kickoff return touchdowns and missing an extra point all in the final few minutes added up to the Washington Commanders losing a third consecutive game in excruciating fashion. The underlying reason for this slide continuing was a problem long before that. An offense led by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels that was among the NFL's best for a long stretch of the season put up just nine points and 169 yards for the first three-plus quarters against Dallas before falling behind 20-9 and teeing off on the Cowboys' conservative defense. “We just couldn’t really get it going,” said receiver Terry McLaurin , whose lengthy touchdown with 21 seconds left masked that he had just three catches for 16 yards through three quarters. “We’ve got to find a way to start faster and sustain drives, and that’s everybody: the whole coaching staff and the offensive players just going out there and figuring out ways that we can stay on the field.” This is not a new problem for Washington, which had a season-low 242 yards in a Nov. 10 home loss to Pittsburgh and 264 yards four days later in a defeat at Philadelphia. Since returning from a rib injury that knocked him out of a game last month, Daniels has completed just under 61% of his passes, after 75.6% over his first seven professional starts. Daniels and coach Dan Quinn have insisted this isn't about injury. The coaching staff blamed a lack of adequate practice time, but a full week of it before facing the Cowboys did not solve the problem. It is now fair to wonder if opponents have seen enough film of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's system to figure it out. “I think teams and coordinators are going to see what other teams have success against us and try to figure out how they could incorporate that into their scheme," Daniels said after going 12 of 22 for 80 yards passing through three quarters in the Dallas game. "We’ve been in third and longer a lot these past couple games, so that’s kind of where you get into the exotic pressures and stuff like that. We’ve just got to be better on first and second downs and stay ahead of the chains.” Daniels has a point there, and it predates this losing streak. The Commanders have converted just 36% of third-down opportunities (27 for 75) over their past seven games after 52% (31 for 60) in their first five. That challenge doesn't get any easier with Tennessee coming to town Sunday. The Titans, despite being 3-8, have the second-best third-down defense in the league at 31.6%. What’s working The defense kept the Commanders in the game against Dallas, allowing just 10 points until the fourth quarter and 20 total before kickoff return touchdowns piled on to the other side of the scoreboard. Even Cooper Rush's 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker with five minutes left came after a turnover that gave the Cowboys the ball at the Washington 44. The defense spending more than 35 minutes on the field certainly contributed to fatigue as play wore on. What needs help The running game that contributed to a 7-2 start has taken a hit, in part because of injuries to top back Brian Robinson Jr. The Commanders got 145 yards on the ground because Daniels had 74 on seven carries, but running backs combined for just 57. Daniels could not say how much the rushing attack stalling has contributed to the offense going stagnant. “You’ve got to be able to run the ball, keep the defense honest,” he said. "We got to execute the plays that are called in, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that.” Stock up Linebacker Frankie Luvu keeps making the case to be first-year general manager Adam Peters' best free agent signing. He and fellow offseason addition Bobby Wagner tied for a team-high eight tackles, and Luvu also knocked down three passes against Dallas. Stock down Kicker Austin Seibert going wide left on the point-after attempt that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left was his third miss of the game. He also was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt and wide left on an earlier extra point. Seibert, signed a week into the season after Cade York struggled in the opener, made 25 of 27 field goal tries and was 22 of 22 on extra points before injuring his right hip and missing the previous two games. He brushed off his health and the low snap from Tyler Ott while taking responsibility for not connecting. “I made the decision to play, and here we are,” Seibert said. “I just wasn’t striking it well. But it means a lot to me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot moving forward.” Injuries Robinson's sprained ankle and fellow running back Austin Ekeler's concussion from a late kickoff return that led to him being hospitalized for further evaluation are two major immediate concerns. Quinn said Monday that Ekeler and starting right tackle Andrew Wylie are in concussion protocol. It's unclear if Robinson will be available against Tennessee, which could mean Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting elevated from the practice squad to split carries with Jeremy McNichols. The Commanders still have not gotten cornerback Marshon Lattimore into a game since acquiring him at the trade deadline from New Orleans. Lattimore is trying to return from a hamstring injury, and the secondary could use him against Calvin Ridley, who's coming off a 93-yard performance at Houston. Key number 17 — Handoffs to a running back against Dallas, a significant decrease from much of the season before this losing streak. Next steps Don't overlook the Titans with the late bye week coming immediately afterward. The Commanders opened as more than a touchdown favorite, but after the results over the weekend, BetMGM Sportsbook had it as 5 1/2 points Monday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

Tetairoa McMillan, one of the best wide receivers in Arizona history, will skip his final year of eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media on Thursday. Projected as a top-10 draft pick, the 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan finished his illustrious career at Arizona with 3,423 receiving yards, breaking the mark set by Bobby Wade (3,351). In three seasons, the Hawaii native also posted the fourth-most catches (213) and third-most touchdowns (26) in school history. "Wildcat Nation, this journey has been everything I dreamed of and more," McMillan wrote on Instagram. "From the moment I committed to the University of Arizona, to every second spent wearing that Arizona jersey ... it's been an absolute honor. "The University of Arizona has provided me with the platform to grow and chase my dreams. ... Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To the best fans in the country, I appreciate you for all of the love and support you have given me these last 3 years. I will always be a Wildcat." In 2024, McMillan totaled 84 grabs (ninth in Division I) for 1,319 yards (third in Division I) and eight touchdowns for the 4-8 Wildcats. He also ranked third in Division I with 109.9 receiving yards per game. McMillan is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football. --Field Level MediaCowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown could miss 2025 season after latest knee injury, coach says

Congresswoman mocks Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over budget-slashing Government Efficiency post

The new higher-ed reality For last eight years, the HEC's budget has been virtually stagnant in absolute terms A few days ago, pharmacy students at Bacha Khan University Charsadda (BKUC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protested that, even after years, their programme has not been registered and accredited by the relevant professional and accreditation body, the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP). The reasons they gave were the university’s inability to hire the faculty members needed and acquire other accreditation prerequisites. For the last eight years, the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) budget has been virtually stagnant in absolute terms, going from Rs62 billion in 2017-18 to just Rs65 billion in 2024-25. While that could be acceptable in the early part of that period, no sector of society has been able to escape the effects of record inflation over the last few years. From 2022-23 to 2023-24, total HEC grants to institutes/projects went from Rs56.5 billion to Rs55.8 billion. Even when adding in all other government / provincial grants, the total figure went from Rs96.4 billion to Rs99.7 billion. Obviously, this slight increase was insufficient to compensate for the effects of inflation. As a percentage, public grants covered approximately 40 per cent of the expenses of public universities in 2022-23. This year, in 2023-24, that number saw a reduction to 38 per cent. With most universities having no other sources of income, almost all had to resort to raising tuition fees. Over the same two years, total tuition fees collected went from Rs119 billion to Rs134 billion, an increase of 12.6 per cent. It has taken eight successive budgets, but universities should finally be certain about which way the wind is blowing on public support – stagnant in absolute terms, which means less than ever in terms of purchasing power and likely shrinking every year going forward. In the last few years, a new term has entered the public discourse and thinking on local higher-education funding: endowment funds. Endowment funds comprise financial assets of an institution, such as universities, that are invested in generating income to support activities and operations. What differentiates it from other pots of money a university has is that they may add to but do not touch the principal amount, only the income generated from it. Put simply, an endowment fund is a university’s nest egg and, to ensure it is not squandered away, is professionally managed. The fact that contributions going towards an endowment fund’s principal cannot be touched and will continue to do good (generate income) into perpetuity makes them more attractive to donors compared to one-off unrestricted-gift contributions that come with no strings attached that universities could spend as they please. Building an endowment fund from scratch is a long game, too long perhaps (up until now) for vice-chancellors (VCs) appointed for short tenures to take an interest in. However, the situation of many public universities is dire, and their management is turning desperate and grasping at straws to consider endowments as an option. With few exceptions, understanding how to set up, fund, and run an endowment fund is still minimal. Endowment funds are developed by running a surplus, courting alumni, and schmoozing with donors. But running a surplus is an alien concept for public universities, taking steps to maintain a relationship with alumni, erstwhile students sometimes treated with disdain, may be seen as desperate, and talking up donors for money is seen as undignified and ‘unscholarly’ (whatever that means) and they may have a point. That is why in many countries where the higher education funding landscape for universities is precarious, the people leading universities are not scholars but people who can do those ‘unscholarly’ but necessary things, know donors, can convince them to write a cheque, and can pull the right levers of power in government, politics, and industry for the betterment of their institution. Instead of doing any of that, many would rather continue business as usual - bow and roll around on the floor in some office of the bureaucracy for a slightly larger handout. As for starting endowment funds, I have heard some express their expectation that this will happen by simply being handed a big pot of money from above (the federal or provincial government), with no effort needed. Universities are the new colleges of domestic political ‘halwa’-barrel spending – every elected representative in the National and provincial assemblies is eager to boast about bringing one (more) to their district. However, establishing a functioning public university takes more than five years of PC-1 funding from the federal government. It demands continuous commitment and budgetary support for the life of the institution. The reality is that after the inaugural ribbons are cut, plaques are unveiled and the cameras leave, no one is willing to expend effort or political capital to secure the support needed to keep it operating. If further evidence of the futility of this approach is required, one only needs to direct their attention to recent reports out of KP that over a dozen universities are being denotified or merged with other universities and presumably declared their sub-campuses. A few of those universities were established as recently as 2021. However, when the Governor’s Inspection Team visited these universities in 2023, it concluded that they were neither financially viable nor providing value by delivering educational programmes. The universities had not been allocated sufficient seed funding and were unable to hire (in some cases) a single permanent faculty member. In some cases, their faculty comprised less than a dozen faculty members employed on a contractual basis, most of whom did not even hold a doctoral degree. The inspection team recommended that these campuses be denotified and merged with another nearby university. Many universities are established on a whim, rather than an unbiased feasibility study. KP will not be the last province where public universities will suffer denotifications and mergers. The funding landscape for public higher education is more-or-less equally dire for universities across the country: Public support is dwindling, the few universities that possess resources that have the potential for monetisation are, according to them, prevented by the rules and regulations that govern them, and virtually none of them have bothered to think about making institutional investments like endowment funds despite many boasting worldly and well-travelled leadership teams. I view the news that the government of Punjab will hand thousands of public schools to private partners and begin to wash its hands of delivering a public service as elementary as school education as a surrender and a harbinger of things to come. I cannot recall any other country where a government announced a surrender of such a scale. It also begs the question: what business does a government incapable of delivering school education have in delivering higher education, which is a much more complex challenge? Public support for education, and higher education in particular, is running out. If universities are relying on donor funding, many donor countries (especially those that our government works with) do not provide higher education as a right. Indeed, in many countries, the cost of obtaining a higher education for the learner is so high that repaying student loans is a lifelong effort, like a home mortgage payment. In such conditions, it becomes difficult to justify supporting subsidised/ free higher education in other countries. In 2023-24, the collective expenses of public universities added up to Rs293 billion. All public grants combined cover about Rs100 billion of that. Tuition fees brought in another Rs134 billion. All other sources of income, which include income from investments such as endowments, contributed a total of Rs37 billion. With public funding stagnant for years, there are only two other sources – investment income and tuition fees. With many universities teetering on the edge of insolvency, it is unlikely for investments large enough to generate sufficient income to materialise. That leaves most one place to go to bridge funding gaps. The writer (she/her) has a PhD in Education.

Jimmy Carter’s ascent to the White House was something few people could have predicted when he was governor of the US state of Georgia. It was no different for Jimmy Carter in the early 1970s. It took meeting several presidential candidates and then encouragement from an esteemed elder statesman before the young governor, who had never met a president himself, saw himself as something bigger. He announced his White House bid on December 12 1974, amid fallout from the Vietnam War and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Then he leveraged his unknown, and politically untainted, status to become the 39th president. That whirlwind path has been a model, explicit and otherwise, for would-be contenders ever since. “Jimmy Carter’s example absolutely created a 50-year window of people saying, ‘Why not me?’” said Steve Schale, who worked on President Barack Obama’s campaigns and is a long-time supporter of President Joe Biden. Mr Carter’s journey to high office began in Plains, Georgia where he received end-of-life care decades after serving as president. David Axelrod, who helped to engineer Mr Obama’s four-year ascent from state senator to the Oval Office, said Mr Carter’s model is about more than how his grassroots strategy turned the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary into his springboard. “There was a moral stain on the country, and this was a guy of deep faith,” Mr Axelrod said. “He seemed like a fresh start, and I think he understood that he could offer something different that might be able to meet the moment.” Donna Brazile, who managed Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, got her start on Mr Carter’s two national campaigns. “In 1976, it was just Jimmy Carter’s time,” she said. Of course, the seeds of his presidential run sprouted even before Mr Nixon won a second term and certainly before his resignation in August 1974. In Mr Carter’s telling, he did not run for governor in 1966, he lost, or in 1970 thinking about Washington. Even when he announced his presidential bid, neither he nor those closest to him were completely confident. “President of what?” his mother, Lillian, replied when he told her his plans. But soon after he became governor in 1971, Mr Carter’s team envisioned him as a national player. They were encouraged in part by the May 31 Time magazine cover depicting Mr Carter alongside the headline “Dixie Whistles a Different Tune”. Inside, a flattering profile framed Mr Carter as a model “New South” governor. In October 1971, Carter ally Dr Peter Bourne, an Atlanta physician who would become US drug tsar, sent his politician friend an unsolicited memo outlining how he could be elected president. On October 17, a wider circle of advisers sat with Mr Carter at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss it. Mr Carter, then 47, wore blue jeans and a T-shirt, according to biographer Jonathan Alter. The team, including Mr Carter’s wife Rosalynn, who died aged 96 in November 2023, began considering the idea seriously. “We never used the word ‘president’,” Mr Carter recalled upon his 90th birthday, “but just referred to national office”. Mr Carter invited high-profile Democrats and Washington players who were running or considering running in 1972, to one-on-one meetings at the mansion. He jumped at the chance to lead the Democratic National Committee’s national campaign that year. The position allowed him to travel the country helping candidates up and down the ballot. Along the way, he was among the Southern governors who angled to be George McGovern’s running mate. Mr Alter said Mr Carter was never seriously considered. Still, Mr Carter got to know, among others, former vice president Hubert Humphrey and senators Henry Jackson of Washington, Eugene McCarthy of Maine and Mr McGovern of South Dakota, the eventual nominee who lost a landslide to Mr Nixon. Mr Carter later explained he had previously defined the nation’s highest office by its occupants immortalised by monuments. “For the first time,” Mr Carter told The New York Times, “I started comparing my own experiences and knowledge of government with the candidates, not against ‘the presidency’ and not against Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. It made it a whole lot easier”. Adviser Hamilton Jordan crafted a detailed campaign plan calling for matching Mr Carter’s outsider, good-government credentials to voters’ general disillusionment, even before Watergate. But the team still spoke and wrote in code, as if the “higher office” were not obvious. It was reported during his campaign that Mr Carter told family members around Christmas 1972 that he would run in 1976. Mr Carter later wrote in a memoir that a visit from former secretary of state Dean Rusk in early 1973 affirmed his leanings. During another private confab in Atlanta, Mr Rusk told Mr Carter plainly: “Governor, I think you should run for president in 1976.” That, Mr Carter wrote, “removed our remaining doubts.” Mr Schale said the process is not always so involved. “These are intensely competitive people already,” he said of governors, senators and others in high office. “If you’re wired in that capacity, it’s hard to step away from it.” “Jimmy Carter showed us that you can go from a no-name to president in the span of 18 or 24 months,” said Jared Leopold, a top aide in Washington governor Jay Inslee’s unsuccessful bid for Democrats’ 2020 nomination. “For people deciding whether to get in, it’s a real inspiration,” Mr Leopold continued, “and that’s a real success of American democracy”.

NoneWASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges Tuesday night. The FTC had earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.Jimmy Carter, Longest-Lived U.S. President, Dies At 100

D uring my years as a fellow at Oxford, I shared a kitchen at my college with a Mexican working on her doctoral thesis on the Chicano Movement, a pivotal social and political movement in the U.S. focusing on Mexican-American rights and empowerment. While preparing a meal, we would chat into the night on some common areas of interest, mainly civil rights and social justice, or the cultural preservation and identity of the minorities. The lack of anti-war or anti-discrimination efforts by the state became one of our primary areas of conversation. Latino social justice movements on intersectional feminism and identity politics gave us an insight into the wide impact of such research. Through these exchanges, I developed a profound interest in the intricate dynamics between dissent, democratic values, and the challenges posed by authoritarian narratives, a subject I went on to link to my research on dissident politics in the U.S. Our kitchen became a hub for cultural exchange and intellectual discussions, a cornerstone of postgraduate life. Beyond intellectual discussions, I discovered the culinary heritage and the rich flavours of Chicano cuisine. Over cerveza and lively conversations, my friend and I would collaboratively cook traditional dishes such as chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) and enchiladas rojas (red sauce-covered tortillas with meat). On some days, I would roast drumsticks or whip up Madhur Jaffrey’s iconic Chettinad pepper chicken learned from her classic BBC cookbook published decades ago. The subtle, tantalising aromas wafting through the rooms would entice neighbours to drop by for a bite. Our culinary adventures transcended mere cooking, evolving into a gastro-intellectual experience. We savoured not only the flavours but also the stories and traditions behind each dish, weaving together food, culture, and camaraderie. It so happened that before I left Oxford, I left my crockery and some utensils neatly stored in a corner of the sideboard. Four years later, I returned to Oxford and revisited my college digs where I had spent a meaningful part of my academic life. Astonishingly, on peeping into the kitchen, I discovered my utensils exactly where I had left them. No one — not even the caretaker or cleaning staff — had disturbed them. This small gesture spoke volumes about the university’s culture of trust and respect. I remember our kitchen’s sole refrigerator was shared by two of us, yet we effortlessly managed our individual space without prior demarcation. Each of us claimed a shelf, storing sandwiches, eggs, bacon, fish, beer, and wine. Remarkably, not a single item went missing. This unwritten understanding reinforced the spirit of fellowship that defined our living arrangement. The refrigerator, a shared space, transcended its practical purpose to represent our collective values, a testament to our harmonious interaction, where trust and mutual respect reigned. Many, many years have gone by, and as I savour a meal of butter chicken which I often cooked back in Oxford, memories flooded in. I recalled the college library, where students could borrow books without supervision. The honour system encouraged community involvement, integrity and self-regulation, inculcating in students the practice of borrowing books without supervision, and thereby fostering a sense of responsibility and uprightness. We would simply sign out books with our names, titles, and ID numbers, and return them by dropping them into a designated box. Year-end stock checks rarely revealed more than two or three missing books. One particular instance absorbed me. Two texts on economics went missing, and suspicion subtly fell on an Asian couple researching economics within the college. Invited to dinner at their residence, I spotted the missing books on a lower shelf. We later jokingly remarked, “Only a South Asian could think of such a theft!” Having experienced similar incidents during my M.Phil. days, I was not surprised. Back then, some classmates would tear out chapters or steal entire books, leaving the library vandalised. We knew the culprit — the eldest in our batch, who ironically posed as a fatherly figure to us aspiring teachers. His actions went unchecked, but the memory lingered. Oxford’s library, however, stood in stark contrast. Its trust-based system and minimal losses demonstrated the power of shared accountability and academic integrity. The shared kitchens and resources at Oxford created a nurturing environment for postgraduate students and visiting fellows, encouraging a spirit of closeness and intellectual curiosity. Through mealtime discussions, individuals formed lasting connections, broadened their academic horizons, and developed enduring bonds. shelleywalia@gmail.com Published - November 24, 2024 03:13 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

Cowboys star G Zack Martin doubtful to play vs. CommandersSriharikota, (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 29 (PTI) The countdown for ISRO’s Space Docking Experiment onboard a PSLV rocket on Monday that would be a key milestone in India’s space programme, commenced on Sunday evening, the space agency said. A cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for in-space docking, it would make India join an elite list featuring China, Russia and the US. ISRO has scheduled the lift-off of the PSLV-C60 rocket, at 9.58 pm from the first launch pad at this spaceport here on December 30 and it would carry SpaDeX with two spacecraft as the primary payloads along with 24 secondary payloads. “PSLV-C60/SpaDeX Mission Launch countdown commenced at 9 pm” on Sunday, an ISRO official told PTI. The in-space docking technology would be essential for taking up India’s ambitions in space including sending human to the Moon, bringing samples from there, and also building and operating India’s own space station- Bharatiya Antariksh Station. The docking technology would also be utilised when multiple rocket launches are planned to achieve common mission objectives. ISRO said the two spacecraft in the PSLV rocket– Spacecraft A (SDX01) and Spacecraft B (SDX02) would be placed in an orbit that would keep them 5 km apart from each other. Later, scientists at ISRO headquarters would try to bring them closer up to 3 metre which would subsequently lead them for merging together at an altitude of about 470km above Earth. The process is expected to take place about 10-14 days after the scheduled lift-off on Monday, ISRO officials said. In the SpaDeX mission, Spacecraft A carries a High Resolution Camera, while Spacecraft B has Miniature Multispectral Payload and a Radiation Monitor Payload. These payloads would provide high resolution images, natural resource monitoring, vegetation studies among others. Apart from this significant mission, scientists would also conduct the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-4 (POEM-4) in which 24 payloads–14 from ISRO and 10 from industry and academia, would be placed in the desired orbits one after the other over a 90 minute period after the lift-off. The life of the payloads in the fourth stage would be about three to four months. The vehicle for the PSLV-C60 mission used here would be the 18th Core-Alone variant. This would be ISRO’s last mission in 2024 and the PSLV-C60 is the first vehicle to be integrated upto the fourth stage at the PSLV Integration Facility that has been established here. PTI VIJ SA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );OTTAWA, ON , Dec. 12, 2024 /CNW/ - More ambitious building codes and energy-efficiency retrofits have the potential to create hundreds of thousands of sustainable jobs, improve energy affordability for all Canadians, and better equip our communities to withstand the effects of climate change. Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson announced $2.4 million in funding through the Codes Acceleration Fund for the Government of Prince Edward Island to adopt higher performance tiers of the 2020 national model energy codes of Canada . This funding will provide building officials and building industry professionals with the tools and training required to ensure compliance with provincial building codes as the province adopts increasingly energy-efficient performance tiers. The federal government is committed to supporting the adoption of more ambitious building codes to meet Canada's goal of a net-zero emissions and climate-resilient buildings sector by 2050. Quotes "Implementing more ambitious building codes will help the province of Prince Edward Island decrease greenhouse gas emissions from its building sector, while creating good jobs for its residents. I am proud to support this project under the Codes Acceleration Fund, and I look forward to more opportunities for the federal government to work with provinces and territories, municipalities, stakeholders, and the building community to prepare Canada's building stock for the net-zero future." - The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources "We are investing to help communities cut their energy bills and cut emissions. Today's federal investment will enable the Province of PEI to support the adoption of stronger building codes in all types of buildings, delivering more affordable energy for Islanders, and creating more resilient homes for our children and grandchildren." - Sean Casey , Member of Parliament for Charlottetown "The Codes Acceleration Fund will help the Island construction industry better prepare for advances in building design and construction methods. We will be utilizing the Codes Acceleration Fund to embark on a feasibility study to identify barriers and challenges to adopting higher performance tiers and hire additional building officials to provide training for staff and industry professionals on the changes to construction codes. The goal of this funding is to adopt building codes that result in the construction of more efficient buildings, thereby helping the province achieve its Net Zero Framework goals." - The Honourable Gilles Arsenault, Environment, Energy and Climate Action, Government of Prince Edward Island Quick facts A second call for funding proposals for the Codes Acceleration Fund is open until January 10, 2025 , through which applicants may submit their projects for consideration. Canadian households spend an average of $2,200 a year on home energy costs. These costs are significantly higher in older homes that have poor insulation, ventilation, and heating/cooling systems. Transitioning buildings to clean energy sources can reduce these energy costs. New construction needs to be high performance – adopting the highest viable tier of the National Energy Code for Buildings (for larger buildings) and of the National Building Code (for residential homes and small buildings) and consider embodied carbon (in construction materials). Canada's residential buildings account for 47% of buildings sector emissions in Canada . Buildings are Canada's third largest emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with over 96 percent of building emissions coming from space and water heating. Many of Canada's residential, commercial, and institutional buildings are aging, and will require retrofits to become more energy efficient. Related information Codes Acceleration Fund Codes Acceleration Fund Application Guide The Canada Green Buildings Strategy Follow us on LinkedIn SOURCE Natural Resources Canada View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2024/12/c0161.html © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.