LONDON (AP) — Microsoft agreed Wednesday to make the hit video game Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years should its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">$69 billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard</a> go through — an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony.

The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-new-zealand-games-ac1c3b81267f40f1d2be2406a764c1bf">blockbuster merger is facing close scrutiny from regulators</a> in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game console, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-mexico-europe-f16b8638b40cf649bc10acb35590bd6b">faces resistance from Sony</a>,
 which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns 
with antitrust watchdogs about losing access to what it calls a 
“must-have” game title.

Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, tweeted that Microsoft “entered into a 10-year commitment" to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo.

Microsoft
 President Brad Smith tweeted his thanks to Nintendo, which makes the 
Switch game console, saying the same offer was available for Sony.

“Any day @Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well,” he said.

Smith
 said the agreement would bring Call of Duty to more gamers and more 
platforms, and “that’s good for competition and good for consumers.”

Sony's
 European press office didn't respond to a request for comment. Adding 
to the pressure on Sony, Microsoft also said Wednesday it has committed 
to keeping Call of Duty on the platform Steam, a digital marketplace for
 PC games, in an agreement with Steam’s operator Valve.

In an 
op-ed for The Wall Street Journal this week, Smith raised concerns about
 the possibility that the Federal Trade Commission could take Microsoft 
to court to stop the deal. Antitrust watchdogs in both <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-games-73b2157e21b7f20b71d52dee451dc827">Britain</a> and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">European Union</a> also are investigating the transaction over concerns it would distort competition.

At the heart of the dispute is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">control over future releases of Activision Blizzard’s most popular games</a>,
 especially Call of Duty, a first-person military shooter franchise. 
Activision reported last month that the latest installment, Call of 
Duty: Modern Warfare 2, had earned more than $1 billion in sales since 
its Oct. 28 launch.

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft agreed Wednesday to make the hit video game Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years should its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">$69 billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard</a> go through — an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony.The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-new-zealand-games-ac1c3b81267f40f1d2be2406a764c1bf">blockbuster merger is facing close scrutiny from regulators</a> in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game console, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-mexico-europe-f16b8638b40cf649bc10acb35590bd6b">faces resistance from Sony</a>,
 which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns 
with antitrust watchdogs about losing access to what it calls a 
“must-have” game title.Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, tweeted that Microsoft “entered into a 10-year commitment" to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo.Microsoft
 President Brad Smith tweeted his thanks to Nintendo, which makes the 
Switch game console, saying the same offer was available for Sony.“Any day @Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well,” he said.Smith
 said the agreement would bring Call of Duty to more gamers and more 
platforms, and “that’s good for competition and good for consumers.”Sony's
 European press office didn't respond to a request for comment. Adding 
to the pressure on Sony, Microsoft also said Wednesday it has committed 
to keeping Call of Duty on the platform Steam, a digital marketplace for
 PC games, in an agreement with Steam’s operator Valve.In an 
op-ed for The Wall Street Journal this week, Smith raised concerns about
 the possibility that the Federal Trade Commission could take Microsoft 
to court to stop the deal. Antitrust watchdogs in both <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-games-73b2157e21b7f20b71d52dee451dc827">Britain</a> and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">European Union</a> also are investigating the transaction over concerns it would distort competition.At the heart of the dispute is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">control over future releases of Activision Blizzard’s most popular games</a>,
 especially Call of Duty, a first-person military shooter franchise. 
Activision reported last month that the latest installment, Call of 
Duty: Modern Warfare 2, had earned more than $1 billion in sales since 
its Oct. 28 launch.

Microsoft strikes 10-year deal with Nintendo on Call of Duty

NEW YORK (AP) — There's no rest for the spicy: Fresh off a world tour
 and two albums this year, Red Hot Chili Peppers are preparing for a set
 of stadium shows and festival stops across North America and Europe in 
2023.

Live Nation said Monday the band's 23-date global trek kicks
 off March 29 at BC Place in Vancouver, followed by shows in Las Vegas, 
San Diego, Houston, Lisbon, Madrid, Vienna and more before wrapping up 
on July 23 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Joining the band on select dates 
will be The Strokes, Iggy Pop, The Roots, The Mars Volta, St. Vincent, 
City and Colour, Thundercat and King Princess. <a href="https://redhotchilipeppers.com/">Tickets go on sale starting Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. local time at redhotchilipeppers.com.</a>

The
 funk-rock band gave us not one but two albums in 2022 — October's 
“Return of the Dream Canteen” and April’s “Unlimited Love.” Both spent 
time at No. 1 of Billboard's top album sales chart.

The Peppers 
recently took home the Global Icon Award, at the MTV VMAs and their 
single “Black Summer″ also won the award for Best Rock Video.

Trade
 publication Pollstar put the Peppers at No. 4 on its list of most 
lucrative concert tours in 2022, behind Bad Bunny, Elton John and Lady 
Gaga, with an average box office gross per city of $5,605,217 and an 
average ticket price at $134.39.

NEW YORK (AP) — There's no rest for the spicy: Fresh off a world tour
 and two albums this year, Red Hot Chili Peppers are preparing for a set
 of stadium shows and festival stops across North America and Europe in 
2023.Live Nation said Monday the band's 23-date global trek kicks
 off March 29 at BC Place in Vancouver, followed by shows in Las Vegas, 
San Diego, Houston, Lisbon, Madrid, Vienna and more before wrapping up 
on July 23 in Glasgow, Scotland.Joining the band on select dates 
will be The Strokes, Iggy Pop, The Roots, The Mars Volta, St. Vincent, 
City and Colour, Thundercat and King Princess. <a href="https://redhotchilipeppers.com/">Tickets go on sale starting Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. local time at redhotchilipeppers.com.</a>The
 funk-rock band gave us not one but two albums in 2022 — October's 
“Return of the Dream Canteen” and April’s “Unlimited Love.” Both spent 
time at No. 1 of Billboard's top album sales chart.The Peppers 
recently took home the Global Icon Award, at the MTV VMAs and their 
single “Black Summer″ also won the award for Best Rock Video.Trade
 publication Pollstar put the Peppers at No. 4 on its list of most 
lucrative concert tours in 2022, behind Bad Bunny, Elton John and Lady 
Gaga, with an average box office gross per city of $5,605,217 and an 
average ticket price at $134.39.

'Road Trippin' — Red Hot Chili Peppers unveil 2023 tour

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo isn't in the starting lineup for Portugal’s game against Switzerland in the round of 16 of the World Cup. The move came a day after his coach expressed frustration about Ronaldo’s attitude in the last match. 

Gonçalo Ramos is starting in Ronaldo’s place at Lusail Stadium. Ronaldo showed obvious displeasure at being removed from the game against South Korea on Friday. 

The 21-year-old made his international debut three weeks ago and his first career start for Portugal came in Ronaldo’s place in the knockout round of the World Cup.

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo isn't in the starting lineup for Portugal’s game against Switzerland in the round of 16 of the World Cup. The move came a day after his coach expressed frustration about Ronaldo’s attitude in the last match. Gonçalo Ramos is starting in Ronaldo’s place at Lusail Stadium. Ronaldo showed obvious displeasure at being removed from the game against South Korea on Friday. The 21-year-old made his international debut three weeks ago and his first career start for Portugal came in Ronaldo’s place in the knockout round of the World Cup.

Ronaldo benched for World Cup match against Switzerland

JUNCTION CITY — Junction City residents had an opportunity to cheer for their hometown singer — Justin Aaron — Monday evening at the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Fans and supporters gathered to watch Justin perform on "The Voice" on NBC, where he is among eight semifinalists in the program.

"The Voice continues Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. on NBC. There will be another  free watch party at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670360262830.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JC PostJUNCTION CITY — Junction City residents had an opportunity to cheer for their hometown singer — Justin Aaron — Monday evening at the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Fans and supporters gathered to watch Justin perform on "The Voice" on NBC, where he is among eight semifinalists in the program."The Voice continues Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. on NBC. There will be another free watch party at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.

Hometown fans cheer as 'The Voice' finalist from Kan. advances

Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known 
for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the 
children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90.

McGrath’s
 passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on 
Sunday: "The McGrath family has some sad news to share. Our father Bob 
McGrath, passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by 
his family.”

Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it 
“mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame 
Street family for over 50 years.”

McGrath was a founding cast 
member of "Sesame Street" when the show premiered in 1969, playing a 
friendly neighbor Bob Johnson. He made his final appearance on the show 
in 2017, marking an almost five-decade-long figure in the “Sesame 
Street” world.

The actor grew up in Illinois and studied music at 
the University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music. He also was a 
singer in the 60s series “Sing Along With Mitch” and launched a 
successful singing career overseas in Japan.

“A revered performer 
worldwide, Bob’s rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las 
Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over,” Sesame Workshop said. 
“We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative 
contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his
 life with us.”

He is survived by his wife, Ann Logan Sperry, and their five children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670275959002.jpeg" alt="Bob McGrath, right, looks at the Cookie Monster as they accept the Lifetime Achievement Award for '"Sesame Street" at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Aug. 30, 2009, in Los Angeles. McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)" />
 <figcaption>Bob McGrath, right, looks at the Cookie Monster as they accept the Lifetime Achievement Award for '"Sesame Street" at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Aug. 30, 2009, in Los Angeles. McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressBob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known 
for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the 
children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90.McGrath’s
 passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on 
Sunday: "The McGrath family has some sad news to share. Our father Bob 
McGrath, passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by 
his family.”Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it 
“mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame 
Street family for over 50 years.”McGrath was a founding cast 
member of "Sesame Street" when the show premiered in 1969, playing a 
friendly neighbor Bob Johnson. He made his final appearance on the show 
in 2017, marking an almost five-decade-long figure in the “Sesame 
Street” world.The actor grew up in Illinois and studied music at 
the University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music. He also was a 
singer in the 60s series “Sing Along With Mitch” and launched a 
successful singing career overseas in Japan.“A revered performer 
worldwide, Bob’s rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las 
Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over,” Sesame Workshop said. 
“We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative 
contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his
 life with us.”He is survived by his wife, Ann Logan Sperry, and their five children.

Family: Bob from 'Sesame Street' dies at age 90

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mendelson family would love to find the envelope <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tv-ap-top-news-bill-melendez-charles-schulz-ca-state-wire-7103be1c49b800d7373a38c2cfdb19ce">where their father, Lee,</a>
 scribbled some lyrics to jazz musician Vince Guaraldi's composition 
“Christmas Time is Here” for an animated TV special featuring the 
“Peanuts” gang in 1965.

The producer always said it had taken less
 than half an hour to write, and he likely tossed the scrap of paper 
away. He was in a rush. Everything was rushed. No one even knew, once 
the special aired, whether it would ever be seen again.

Instead, 
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” became an indelible holiday tradition and 
so, too, has Guaraldi's music — perhaps even more so.

“Christmas 
just doesn't feel like Christmas without hearing that album in the 
background,” said Derrick Bang, author of the biography “Vince Guaraldi 
at the Piano.”

The special itself was a bit of an oddity: a 
cartoon story of the meaning of Christmas soundtracked by a 
sophisticated, mostly instrumental jazz trio of piano, bass and drum.

Yet
 it worked. Guaraldi's cascading piano evokes both motion and lightly 
falling snow on “Skating.” The driving melody of “Linus and Lucy” is the
 eternal backdrop to a swinging party. “O Tannenbaum” shifts from the 
traditional carol to a bass-driven groove. A children's choir adds charm
 to “Christmas Time is Here.”

The soundtrack has sold more than five million copies. Its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/richmond-scholarships-coronavirus-pandemic-christmas-7749e8698a61fcc855950d24bb4a395f">nostalgia-fueled popularity</a> has only grown, getting a crucial boost in 1998 when Starbucks began selling it in stores, and fed steadily by new products.

The
 latest, a box set of outtakes released this year, came when Jason 
Mendelson, one of the late producer's four children, discovered tapes of
 Guaraldi's recording sessions in a Los Angeles warehouse while looking 
for something else.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” has aired every year since 1965, although that tradition is about to change.

The special’s run on broadcast television ends this year. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/television-broadcast-television-f644d4ee03e7eaa9f9fdff8cee5a82ba">Apple TV+ bought the rights,</a>
 and will stream it exclusively starting next year. While a recognition 
of television’s new direction, will that reduce the chances of new 
generations of children happening upon the story and music?

“I 
just remember, back in the days of three channels and scheduled 
programming, that was one of those things we were excited about because 
we knew it was coming on and we were familiar with it,” said Harry 
Connick Jr., who covered “Christmas Time is Here” for his own holiday 
disc just out.

“It was actually an amazing opportunity for music 
like that to be heard by a lot of people,” added Connick, a jazz devotee
 even as a youngster. “It was not necessarily the kind of music that 
would be played on regular radio.”

That's even less likely now, as
 jazz recedes into the history books or the background of dinner 
parties, said Nathaniel Sloan, musicologist at the University of 
Southern California and co-host of the “Switched on Pop” podcast.

During the 1960s, jazz was closer to the mainstream and more likely to be played alongside pop music, he said.

The
 music Guaraldi created for the soundtrack is ambiguous and more complex
 than most holiday music, Sloan said. Tied to warm feelings for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-travel-hockey-72f69be066a1b2cda57e7b87b05b8abc">illustrator Charles M. Schulz's</a> classic comic page characters, time has made it traditional holiday music.

The
 list of people who have recorded “Christmas Time is Here” is long and 
varied. They include John Legend, Alicia Keys, Gloria Estefan, Mariah 
Carey, Mel Tormé, Dave Brubeck, Sarah McLachlan, Stone Temple Pilots, 
Chicago, and Toni Braxton.

Similarly, the unexpected places where 
the melody to “Linus and Lucy” have appeared testifies to how ingrained 
it is in American life. Michelle Obama played it on the piano when 
returning to her childhood home in the “Becoming” documentary. Foo 
Fighters included it in a rocking “Saturday Night Live” holiday medley. 
Prince banged it out during his last concert.

It all started in 
the San Francisco area, home base for Guaraldi, as it was for Mendelson 
and Schulz. Mendelson's popular documentary on Willie Mays — Schulz's 
favorite baseball player — convinced the reclusive cartoonist to 
participate in a “day in the life” film about his work. One of 
Mendelson's favorite songs was Guaraldi's breezy hit, “Cast Your Fate to
 the Wind,” so the jazzman was recruited for a soundtrack.

In the days before cable and streaming, Mendelson couldn't sell the documentary, so it went unseen.

After
 the popularity of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1964, a sponsor 
asked Mendelson if he'd considered making a “Peanuts” Christmas special.
 He lied that he had. Schulz agreed to outline a story, and Guaraldi 
came aboard, too, recycling “Linus and Lucy” from the documentary.

Animation
 is time-consuming, so the team had a tight deadline to make it onto 
television. It was Mendelson who decided that “Christmas Time is Here” 
was missing something without lyrics. He asked several songwriters to 
take on the task, but the deadline was too daunting.

So Mendelson sat in his office and did it himself: “Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer...”

“I've
 always loved the music and the melody, but I really didn't understand 
how beautiful the lyrics were until I recorded it,” said Norah Jones, 
who included her take on the song on a disc released last year.

“The
 version with the children singing is so special,” she told The 
Associated Press. “There's something very unique and heartwarming about 
children singing.”

The St. Paul's Church Choir from San Rafael, 
California, was hired to sing “Christmas Time is Here” and “Hark, the 
Herald Angels Sing.” Producers infuriated the choir director by choosing
 a slightly out-of-tune version of the carol; they thought it captured 
an innocence they were seeking, said Bang, who wrote liner notes for the
 box set.

Some at CBS were nervous before the special aired. 
Executives wondered if viewers would accept their favorite comic strip 
characters come to “life” with voices and movement. Schulz’s insistence 
that the show quote from the Bible gave it a religious focus that 
television entertainment typically steered clear of.

But it was a hit, winning Peabody and Emmy awards, and never went away.

Guaraldi never had the chance to see his music age into standards. He died of a heart attack in 1976, only 47 years old.

“He's
 the best-known jazz musician whose name you don't know, because the 
music from the Christmas special has become so ubiquitous,” Bang said.

Lee
 Mendelson died at 86 in 2019 — on Christmas Day. Jason is reluctant to 
say how much money his father earned from his few minutes of writing the
 “Christmas Time is Here” lyrics. Here's one hint: The song makes enough
 money, every year, to pay for all of the extended family's holiday 
shopping.

And he never tires of hearing Guaraldi's music, frequently attending concerts where the holiday songs are recreated live.

“I've never seen a bad one,” he said.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mendelson family would love to find the envelope <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tv-ap-top-news-bill-melendez-charles-schulz-ca-state-wire-7103be1c49b800d7373a38c2cfdb19ce">where their father, Lee,</a>
 scribbled some lyrics to jazz musician Vince Guaraldi's composition 
“Christmas Time is Here” for an animated TV special featuring the 
“Peanuts” gang in 1965.The producer always said it had taken less
 than half an hour to write, and he likely tossed the scrap of paper 
away. He was in a rush. Everything was rushed. No one even knew, once 
the special aired, whether it would ever be seen again.Instead, 
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” became an indelible holiday tradition and 
so, too, has Guaraldi's music — perhaps even more so.“Christmas 
just doesn't feel like Christmas without hearing that album in the 
background,” said Derrick Bang, author of the biography “Vince Guaraldi 
at the Piano.”The special itself was a bit of an oddity: a 
cartoon story of the meaning of Christmas soundtracked by a 
sophisticated, mostly instrumental jazz trio of piano, bass and drum.Yet
 it worked. Guaraldi's cascading piano evokes both motion and lightly 
falling snow on “Skating.” The driving melody of “Linus and Lucy” is the
 eternal backdrop to a swinging party. “O Tannenbaum” shifts from the 
traditional carol to a bass-driven groove. A children's choir adds charm
 to “Christmas Time is Here.”The soundtrack has sold more than five million copies. Its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/richmond-scholarships-coronavirus-pandemic-christmas-7749e8698a61fcc855950d24bb4a395f">nostalgia-fueled popularity</a> has only grown, getting a crucial boost in 1998 when Starbucks began selling it in stores, and fed steadily by new products.The
 latest, a box set of outtakes released this year, came when Jason 
Mendelson, one of the late producer's four children, discovered tapes of
 Guaraldi's recording sessions in a Los Angeles warehouse while looking 
for something else.“A Charlie Brown Christmas” has aired every year since 1965, although that tradition is about to change.The special’s run on broadcast television ends this year. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/television-broadcast-television-f644d4ee03e7eaa9f9fdff8cee5a82ba">Apple TV+ bought the rights,</a>
 and will stream it exclusively starting next year. While a recognition 
of television’s new direction, will that reduce the chances of new 
generations of children happening upon the story and music?“I 
just remember, back in the days of three channels and scheduled 
programming, that was one of those things we were excited about because 
we knew it was coming on and we were familiar with it,” said Harry 
Connick Jr., who covered “Christmas Time is Here” for his own holiday 
disc just out.“It was actually an amazing opportunity for music 
like that to be heard by a lot of people,” added Connick, a jazz devotee
 even as a youngster. “It was not necessarily the kind of music that 
would be played on regular radio.”That's even less likely now, as
 jazz recedes into the history books or the background of dinner 
parties, said Nathaniel Sloan, musicologist at the University of 
Southern California and co-host of the “Switched on Pop” podcast.During the 1960s, jazz was closer to the mainstream and more likely to be played alongside pop music, he said.The
 music Guaraldi created for the soundtrack is ambiguous and more complex
 than most holiday music, Sloan said. Tied to warm feelings for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-travel-hockey-72f69be066a1b2cda57e7b87b05b8abc">illustrator Charles M. Schulz's</a> classic comic page characters, time has made it traditional holiday music.The
 list of people who have recorded “Christmas Time is Here” is long and 
varied. They include John Legend, Alicia Keys, Gloria Estefan, Mariah 
Carey, Mel Tormé, Dave Brubeck, Sarah McLachlan, Stone Temple Pilots, 
Chicago, and Toni Braxton.Similarly, the unexpected places where 
the melody to “Linus and Lucy” have appeared testifies to how ingrained 
it is in American life. Michelle Obama played it on the piano when 
returning to her childhood home in the “Becoming” documentary. Foo 
Fighters included it in a rocking “Saturday Night Live” holiday medley. 
Prince banged it out during his last concert.It all started in 
the San Francisco area, home base for Guaraldi, as it was for Mendelson 
and Schulz. Mendelson's popular documentary on Willie Mays — Schulz's 
favorite baseball player — convinced the reclusive cartoonist to 
participate in a “day in the life” film about his work. One of 
Mendelson's favorite songs was Guaraldi's breezy hit, “Cast Your Fate to
 the Wind,” so the jazzman was recruited for a soundtrack.In the days before cable and streaming, Mendelson couldn't sell the documentary, so it went unseen.After
 the popularity of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1964, a sponsor 
asked Mendelson if he'd considered making a “Peanuts” Christmas special.
 He lied that he had. Schulz agreed to outline a story, and Guaraldi 
came aboard, too, recycling “Linus and Lucy” from the documentary.Animation
 is time-consuming, so the team had a tight deadline to make it onto 
television. It was Mendelson who decided that “Christmas Time is Here” 
was missing something without lyrics. He asked several songwriters to 
take on the task, but the deadline was too daunting.So Mendelson sat in his office and did it himself: “Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer...”“I've
 always loved the music and the melody, but I really didn't understand 
how beautiful the lyrics were until I recorded it,” said Norah Jones, 
who included her take on the song on a disc released last year.“The
 version with the children singing is so special,” she told The 
Associated Press. “There's something very unique and heartwarming about 
children singing.”The St. Paul's Church Choir from San Rafael, 
California, was hired to sing “Christmas Time is Here” and “Hark, the 
Herald Angels Sing.” Producers infuriated the choir director by choosing
 a slightly out-of-tune version of the carol; they thought it captured 
an innocence they were seeking, said Bang, who wrote liner notes for the
 box set.Some at CBS were nervous before the special aired. 
Executives wondered if viewers would accept their favorite comic strip 
characters come to “life” with voices and movement. Schulz’s insistence 
that the show quote from the Bible gave it a religious focus that 
television entertainment typically steered clear of.But it was a hit, winning Peabody and Emmy awards, and never went away.Guaraldi never had the chance to see his music age into standards. He died of a heart attack in 1976, only 47 years old.“He's
 the best-known jazz musician whose name you don't know, because the 
music from the Christmas special has become so ubiquitous,” Bang said.Lee
 Mendelson died at 86 in 2019 — on Christmas Day. Jason is reluctant to 
say how much money his father earned from his few minutes of writing the
 “Christmas Time is Here” lyrics. Here's one hint: The song makes enough
 money, every year, to pay for all of the extended family's holiday 
shopping.And he never tires of hearing Guaraldi's music, frequently attending concerts where the holiday songs are recreated live.“I've never seen a bad one,” he said.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Jazzy 'Charlie Brown Christmas' swings on after 57 years

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with Teacher, coach and author Rick Keltner.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rr0JlNypUF0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with Teacher, coach and author Rick Keltner.

🎤 Forward Ever: Teacher, coach and author Rick Keltner

ELLIS — The annual Ellis Polar Express will roll back into this weekend.

The three-day event begins at 6 p.m. Friday with the running of the holiday miniature
train until 9 p.m. around the Ellis Railroad Museum miniature train tracks, 911
Washington.

“This is
a lighted Christmas train ride," said Dena Patee, Ellis Polar Express committee member. “We put up Christmas lights all around the little miniature train tracks
and different lighted displays. And then we just send people out in the dark
and cold. And it's magical.”

“It's
also a way for the community to kick off the holiday season,” said Dan
Pyle, Ellis Polar Express Committee president and Ellis Recreation director.

Saturday’s activities include train rides, live music by an Ellis community
band and cookies with Santa at the Ellis Public Library from 6 to 9 p.m.

 On
Sunday, the train will run again from 6 to 8 p.m., but activities begin at 5:30
p.m. with the Ellis Recreation Free Candy Cane Hunt.

A $5 freewill donation is suggested for entry, with proceeds going to future
community events.

This year will mark the first time
the event can take full advantage of the recently revamped park and miniature train
depot.

“Just
getting to use all of our spaces again, it's really, really nice,” Patee said. “Having
Santa back in his own little workshop, that makes it nice because the kids get
their time with Santa, and the parents get that chance to get their pictures.”

In 2019 and 2020, the event was
drive-through only, due to the COVID pandemic. Last year, the depot was not yet available
for use. 

“This is
our first year that we're going to be able to go back, line up through the depot,
load the train correctly, and be back to normal,” said&nbsp;Cheryl Kinderknecht, Polar Express committee
member. &nbsp;

Along with using the park for the first time in years, new displays have
also been added to the route.

“We’ve got at least six new displays for 2022,” Pyle said. “My crew and I
have been checking bulbs, cords and displays for about a month, and we think
we are ready to go.”

In previous years, the Ellis Polar Express has had over 800 riders in one
night. This year, the Ellis Polar Express plans a total of 2,000 riders for the
three nights. 

While
all three days are expected to bring hundreds of people downtown, Pyle said
Saturday would likely be the busiest night, as Santa plans to visit with children in the library’s Community
Room.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of the event, and in that
time has evolved and grown over the years. 

“The Polar
Express movie was really big at the time. And it's like, why can't we do a for Polar
Express thing,” Kinderknecht said. "And then it just kind of has grown from there because we went from live vignettes
to more of the blowups to the actual live displays. So, it’s definitely grown
since its very meager beginnings.”

The event has grown thanks
to community involvement, Patee said.

“We do get
quite a bit of support through grants and other donations,” she said. “Without
that kind of funding, we would not be able to do this. And we greatly
appreciate everybody's assistance this year.”

“Those
donors really do help us get those new displays,” Pyle said.

And Patee
said they appreciate the many volunteers that help run the event.

“That is
the one fun little piece that no one really understands about how this works,
is how many people are working behind the scenes that you don't see,” Patee
said. “The people that are watching the crossings, for the patrons to walk in
front of the train, making sure that the people that are taking money, and
making sure people get on the train and off the train and around the family,
and the characters, and people making sure that the displays are still lit, and
something hasn't gone drastically wrong. … There's a ton of things to do, so
anybody that wants to volunteer, we can put them to work.”

Correction: The story was updated to reflect the Candy Cane Hunt's timing on Sunday, not Saturday. Hays Post apologizes for the error.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669836892112.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostELLIS — The annual Ellis Polar Express will roll back into this weekend.The three-day event begins at 6 p.m. Friday with the running of the holiday miniature
train until 9 p.m. around the Ellis Railroad Museum miniature train tracks, 911
Washington.“This is
a lighted Christmas train ride," said Dena Patee, Ellis Polar Express committee member. “We put up Christmas lights all around the little miniature train tracks
and different lighted displays. And then we just send people out in the dark
and cold. And it's magical.”“It's
also a way for the community to kick off the holiday season,” said Dan
Pyle, Ellis Polar Express Committee president and Ellis Recreation director.Saturday’s activities include train rides, live music by an Ellis community
band and cookies with Santa at the Ellis Public Library from 6 to 9 p.m. On
Sunday, the train will run again from 6 to 8 p.m., but activities begin at 5:30
p.m. with the Ellis Recreation Free Candy Cane Hunt.A $5 freewill donation is suggested for entry, with proceeds going to future
community events.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669836876412.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>This year will mark the first time
the event can take full advantage of the recently revamped park and miniature train
depot.“Just
getting to use all of our spaces again, it's really, really nice,” Patee said. “Having
Santa back in his own little workshop, that makes it nice because the kids get
their time with Santa, and the parents get that chance to get their pictures.”In 2019 and 2020, the event was
drive-through only, due to the COVID pandemic. Last year, the depot was not yet available
for use. “This is
our first year that we're going to be able to go back, line up through the depot,
load the train correctly, and be back to normal,” said&nbsp;Cheryl Kinderknecht, Polar Express committee
member. &nbsp;Along with using the park for the first time in years, new displays have
also been added to the route.“We’ve got at least six new displays for 2022,” Pyle said. “My crew and I
have been checking bulbs, cords and displays for about a month, and we think
we are ready to go.”In previous years, the Ellis Polar Express has had over 800 riders in one
night. This year, the Ellis Polar Express plans a total of 2,000 riders for the
three nights. While
all three days are expected to bring hundreds of people downtown, Pyle said
Saturday would likely be the busiest night, as Santa plans to visit with children in the library’s Community
Room.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669836863106.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>This year marks the 13th anniversary of the event, and in that
time has evolved and grown over the years. “The Polar
Express movie was really big at the time. And it's like, why can't we do a for Polar
Express thing,” Kinderknecht said. "And then it just kind of has grown from there because we went from live vignettes
to more of the blowups to the actual live displays. So, it’s definitely grown
since its very meager beginnings.”The event has grown thanks
to community involvement, Patee said.“We do get
quite a bit of support through grants and other donations,” she said. “Without
that kind of funding, we would not be able to do this. And we greatly
appreciate everybody's assistance this year.”“Those
donors really do help us get those new displays,” Pyle said.And Patee
said they appreciate the many volunteers that help run the event.“That is
the one fun little piece that no one really understands about how this works,
is how many people are working behind the scenes that you don't see,” Patee
said. “The people that are watching the crossings, for the patrons to walk in
front of the train, making sure that the people that are taking money, and
making sure people get on the train and off the train and around the family,
and the characters, and people making sure that the displays are still lit, and
something hasn't gone drastically wrong. … There's a ton of things to do, so
anybody that wants to volunteer, we can put them to work.”Correction: The story was updated to reflect the Candy Cane Hunt's timing on Sunday, not Saturday. Hays Post apologizes for the error.

🎄 Ellis Polar Express returns this weekend 

Fort Hays State University celebrated the holiday season Tuesday with the annual tree lighting ceremony.

Cooler temperatures and a blustery wind, didn't hamper festivities though as revelers of all ages enjoyed cookies and cocoa as they visited with Santa and enjoyed the holiday-themed events.

Take a look at some of the activities below:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768767889.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostFort Hays State University celebrated the holiday season Tuesday with the annual tree lighting ceremony.Cooler temperatures and a blustery wind, didn't hamper festivities though as revelers of all ages enjoyed cookies and cocoa as they visited with Santa and enjoyed the holiday-themed events.Take a look at some of the activities below:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768687275.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768697546.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768707711.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768737842.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768717998.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768727647.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768758630.jpeg" alt="Fort hays state university christmas tree lighting 2022 photo by Bell-08.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Fort hays state university christmas tree lighting 2022 photo by Bell-08.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768748145.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768813146.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768825770.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669768841497.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

📷 FHSU celebrates Christmas season with tree lighting and more

By DAVID SHIFFMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/beware-of-shark-week-scientists-watched-202-episodes-and-found-them-filled-with-junk-science-misinformation-and-white-male-experts-named-mike-195180">The Conversation</a>

The Discovery Channel’s annual <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week">Shark Week</a> is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">longest-running cable television series in history</a>,
 filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes 
one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any
 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000146">science or conservation topic</a>.

It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who 
appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by 
high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and 
funding that can help super-charge their careers. 

Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/what-shark-experts-really-think-about-shark-week/">have long argued</a>, it is a major source of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/08/05/shark-week-megalodon-fake-discovery-channel/">nonsense</a> about sharks, the scientists who study them, and how people can help protect endangered species from extinction.

I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">marine biologist</a> who recently worked with five colleagues to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">scientifically analyze the content of Shark Week episodes</a>.
 We tracked down copies of 202 episodes, watched them all and coded 
their content based on more than 15 variables, including locations, 
which experts were interviewed, which shark species were mentioned, what
 scientific research tools were used, whether the episodes mentioned 
shark conservation and how sharks were portrayed.

Even as longtime Shark Week critics, we were staggered by our findings. 
The episodes that we reviewed were full of incorrect information and 
provided a wildly misleading picture of the field of shark research. 
Some episodes <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/experts-shark-weeks-zombie-sharks-harasses-animals/">glorified wildlife harassment</a>, and many missed countless chances to teach a massive audience about shark conservation.

First, some facts. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-sharks-skates-and-rays-2075391">Sharks and their relatives</a>,
 such as rays and skates, are among the most threatened vertebrate 
animals on Earth. About one-third of all known species are at risk of 
extinction, thanks mainly to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">overfishing</a>.

Many policy solutions, such as setting fishing quotas, creating 
protected species lists and delineating no-fishing zones, are enacted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12265">nationally or internationally</a>. But there also are countless situations in which increased public attention can help <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter">move the conservation needle</a>. For instance, consumers can avoid buying seafood produced using <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean/sustainable-seafood">unsustainable fishing methods</a> that may accidentally catch sharks.

Conversely, focusing on the wrong problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0058">does not lead to useful solutions</a>.
 As one example, enacting a ban on shark fin sales in the U.S. would 
have little effect on global shark deaths, since the U.S. is only 
involved in about 1% of the global fin trade, and could <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.026">undermine sustainable U.S. shark fisheries</a>.

The Discovery Channel claims that by attracting massive audiences, Shark Week <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">helps educate the public</a>
 about shark conservation. But most of the shows we reviewed didn’t 
mention conservation at all, beyond vague statements that sharks need 
help, without describing the threats they face or how to address them.

Out of 202 episodes that we examined, just six contained any actionable tips. Half of those simply advised against eating <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/shark-fin-soup">shark fin soup</a>, a traditional Asian delicacy. Demand for shark fin soup can contribute to the gruesome practice of “<a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/">finning</a>”
 – cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the mutilated fish 
overboard to die. But finning is not the biggest threat to sharks, and 
most U.S.-based Shark Week viewers don’t eat shark fin soup.

When we analyzed episodes by the type of scientific research they 
featured, the most frequent answer was “no scientific research at all,” 
followed by what we charitably called “other.” This category included 
nonsense like building a submarine that looks like a shark, or a “<a href="https://www.ffjournal.net/item/12437-wasp-water-armor-shark-protection.html">high tech” custom shark cage</a>
 to observe some aspect of shark behavior. These episodes focused on 
alleged risk to the scuba divers shown on camera, especially when the 
devices inevitably failed, but failed to address any research questions.

Such framing is not representative of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1643/OT-19-179R">actual shark research</a>,
 which uses methods ranging from tracking tagged sharks via satellite to
 genetic and paleontological studies conducted entirely in labs. Such 
work may not be as exciting on camera as divers surrounded by schooling 
sharks, but it generates much more useful data.

We also were troubled by the “experts” interviewed on many Shark Week shows. The most-featured source, underwater photographer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t7jl8e0Mw">Andy Casagrande</a>,
 is an award-winning cameraman, and episodes when he stays behind the 
camera can be great. But given the chance to speak, he regularly claims 
the mantle of science while making dubious assertions – for example, 
that <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC4EXPLORE/status/1285972513328070689">shark diving while taking LSD</a> is a great way to learn about these animals – or presents well-known shark behaviors as new discoveries that he made, while <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mega-shark-episode-criticized-as-a-low-point-for-shark-week/">misrepresenting what those behaviors mean</a>.

Nor does Shark Week accurately represent experts in this field. One 
issue is ethnicity: Three of the five most-featured locations on Shark 
Week are Mexico, South Africa and the Bahamas, but we could count on one
 hand the number of non-white scientists who we saw featured in shows 
about their own countries. It was far more common for Discovery to fly a
 white male halfway around the world than to feature a local scientist. 
 

Moreover, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.842618">more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female</a>, you <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/">wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week</a>.
 Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were 
more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession 
or name.

In contrast, the Discovery Channel’s chief competitor, National Geographic, is partnering with the professional organization <a href="https://www.misselasmo.org/">Minorities in Shark Sciences</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/building-a-community-and-fostering-a-love-for-sharks">feature diverse experts</a> on its shows.

How could Shark Week improve? Our paper makes several 
recommendations, and we recently participated in a workshop, 
highlighting diverse voices in our field from all over the world, that 
focused on <a href="https://safesharks.org/diversifying-shark-media/">improving representation of scientists in shark-focused media</a>

First, we believe that not every documentary needs to be a dry, 
boring science lecture, but that the information shared on marine 
biology’s biggest stage should be factually correct and useful. Gimmicky
 concepts like Discovery’s “<a href="https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid-of-sharks-2">Naked and Afraid of Sharks 2</a>”
 – an endurance contest with entrants wearing masks, fins and snorkels, 
but no clothes – show that people will watch anything with sharks in it.
 So why not try to make something good?

We also suggest that more scientists seek out media training so they 
can take advantage of opportunities like Shark Week without <a href="https://gizmodo.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737">being taken advantage of</a>.
 Similarly, it would be great to have a “Yelp”-like service that 
scientists could use to rate their experiences with media companies. 
Producers who want to feature appropriately diverse scientists can turn 
to databases like <a href="https://500womenscientists.org/">500 Women Scientists</a> and <a href="https://diversifyeeb.com/">Diversify EEB</a>.

For a decade, concerned scientists and conservationists have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">reached out to the Discovery Channel</a> about our concerns with Shark Week. As our article recounts, Discovery has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">pledged in the past</a> to present programming during Shark Week that puts more emphasis on science and less on entertainment – and some episodes <a href="https://twitter.com/whysharksmatter/status/620417258406318080?lang=en">have shown improvement</a>.

But our findings show that many Shark Week depictions of sharks are 
still problematic, pseudoscientific, nonsensical or unhelpful. We hope 
that our analysis will motivate the network to use its massive audience 
to help sharks and elevate the scientists who study them. 

Editor’s note: The Conversation US contacted Warner Brothers Discovery by phone and email for comment on the study described in this article. The network did not immediately respond or offer comment.

David Shiffman is a Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology at Arizona State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669819929156.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID SHIFFMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/beware-of-shark-week-scientists-watched-202-episodes-and-found-them-filled-with-junk-science-misinformation-and-white-male-experts-named-mike-195180">The Conversation</a>The Discovery Channel’s annual <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week">Shark Week</a> is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">longest-running cable television series in history</a>,
 filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes 
one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any
 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000146">science or conservation topic</a>. It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who 
appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by 
high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and 
funding that can help super-charge their careers. Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/what-shark-experts-really-think-about-shark-week/">have long argued</a>, it is a major source of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/08/05/shark-week-megalodon-fake-discovery-channel/">nonsense</a> about sharks, the scientists who study them, and how people can help protect endangered species from extinction.I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">marine biologist</a> who recently worked with five colleagues to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">scientifically analyze the content of Shark Week episodes</a>.
 We tracked down copies of 202 episodes, watched them all and coded 
their content based on more than 15 variables, including locations, 
which experts were interviewed, which shark species were mentioned, what
 scientific research tools were used, whether the episodes mentioned 
shark conservation and how sharks were portrayed. Even as longtime Shark Week critics, we were staggered by our findings. 
The episodes that we reviewed were full of incorrect information and 
provided a wildly misleading picture of the field of shark research. 
Some episodes <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/experts-shark-weeks-zombie-sharks-harasses-animals/">glorified wildlife harassment</a>, and many missed countless chances to teach a massive audience about shark conservation.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tKXd8Ud1sOo"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Spotlight real solutions</h2>First, some facts. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-sharks-skates-and-rays-2075391">Sharks and their relatives</a>,
 such as rays and skates, are among the most threatened vertebrate 
animals on Earth. About one-third of all known species are at risk of 
extinction, thanks mainly to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">overfishing</a>. Many policy solutions, such as setting fishing quotas, creating 
protected species lists and delineating no-fishing zones, are enacted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12265">nationally or internationally</a>. But there also are countless situations in which increased public attention can help <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter">move the conservation needle</a>. For instance, consumers can avoid buying seafood produced using <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean/sustainable-seafood">unsustainable fishing methods</a> that may accidentally catch sharks.Conversely, focusing on the wrong problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0058">does not lead to useful solutions</a>.
 As one example, enacting a ban on shark fin sales in the U.S. would 
have little effect on global shark deaths, since the U.S. is only 
involved in about 1% of the global fin trade, and could <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.026">undermine sustainable U.S. shark fisheries</a>. The Discovery Channel claims that by attracting massive audiences, Shark Week <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">helps educate the public</a>
 about shark conservation. But most of the shows we reviewed didn’t 
mention conservation at all, beyond vague statements that sharks need 
help, without describing the threats they face or how to address them. Out of 202 episodes that we examined, just six contained any actionable tips. Half of those simply advised against eating <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/shark-fin-soup">shark fin soup</a>, a traditional Asian delicacy. Demand for shark fin soup can contribute to the gruesome practice of “<a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/">finning</a>”
 – cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the mutilated fish 
overboard to die. But finning is not the biggest threat to sharks, and 
most U.S.-based Shark Week viewers don’t eat shark fin soup.<h2>Spotlighting divers, not research</h2>When we analyzed episodes by the type of scientific research they 
featured, the most frequent answer was “no scientific research at all,” 
followed by what we charitably called “other.” This category included 
nonsense like building a submarine that looks like a shark, or a “<a href="https://www.ffjournal.net/item/12437-wasp-water-armor-shark-protection.html">high tech” custom shark cage</a>
 to observe some aspect of shark behavior. These episodes focused on 
alleged risk to the scuba divers shown on camera, especially when the 
devices inevitably failed, but failed to address any research questions.Such framing is not representative of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1643/OT-19-179R">actual shark research</a>,
 which uses methods ranging from tracking tagged sharks via satellite to
 genetic and paleontological studies conducted entirely in labs. Such 
work may not be as exciting on camera as divers surrounded by schooling 
sharks, but it generates much more useful data. <figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/punSQuf-ZwQ"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Who’s on camera</h2>We also were troubled by the “experts” interviewed on many Shark Week shows. The most-featured source, underwater photographer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t7jl8e0Mw">Andy Casagrande</a>,
 is an award-winning cameraman, and episodes when he stays behind the 
camera can be great. But given the chance to speak, he regularly claims 
the mantle of science while making dubious assertions – for example, 
that <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC4EXPLORE/status/1285972513328070689">shark diving while taking LSD</a> is a great way to learn about these animals – or presents well-known shark behaviors as new discoveries that he made, while <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mega-shark-episode-criticized-as-a-low-point-for-shark-week/">misrepresenting what those behaviors mean</a>.Nor does Shark Week accurately represent experts in this field. One 
issue is ethnicity: Three of the five most-featured locations on Shark 
Week are Mexico, South Africa and the Bahamas, but we could count on one
 hand the number of non-white scientists who we saw featured in shows 
about their own countries. It was far more common for Discovery to fly a
 white male halfway around the world than to feature a local scientist. 
 Moreover, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.842618">more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female</a>, you <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/">wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week</a>.
 Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were 
more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession 
or name. In contrast, the Discovery Channel’s chief competitor, National Geographic, is partnering with the professional organization <a href="https://www.misselasmo.org/">Minorities in Shark Sciences</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/building-a-community-and-fostering-a-love-for-sharks">feature diverse experts</a> on its shows.<h2>More substance and better representation</h2>How could Shark Week improve? Our paper makes several 
recommendations, and we recently participated in a workshop, 
highlighting diverse voices in our field from all over the world, that 
focused on <a href="https://safesharks.org/diversifying-shark-media/">improving representation of scientists in shark-focused media</a> First, we believe that not every documentary needs to be a dry, 
boring science lecture, but that the information shared on marine 
biology’s biggest stage should be factually correct and useful. Gimmicky
 concepts like Discovery’s “<a href="https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid-of-sharks-2">Naked and Afraid of Sharks 2</a>”
 – an endurance contest with entrants wearing masks, fins and snorkels, 
but no clothes – show that people will watch anything with sharks in it.
 So why not try to make something good? We also suggest that more scientists seek out media training so they 
can take advantage of opportunities like Shark Week without <a href="https://gizmodo.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737">being taken advantage of</a>.
 Similarly, it would be great to have a “Yelp”-like service that 
scientists could use to rate their experiences with media companies. 
Producers who want to feature appropriately diverse scientists can turn 
to databases like <a href="https://500womenscientists.org/">500 Women Scientists</a> and <a href="https://diversifyeeb.com/">Diversify EEB</a>. For a decade, concerned scientists and conservationists have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">reached out to the Discovery Channel</a> about our concerns with Shark Week. As our article recounts, Discovery has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">pledged in the past</a> to present programming during Shark Week that puts more emphasis on science and less on entertainment – and some episodes <a href="https://twitter.com/whysharksmatter/status/620417258406318080?lang=en">have shown improvement</a>.But our findings show that many Shark Week depictions of sharks are 
still problematic, pseudoscientific, nonsensical or unhelpful. We hope 
that our analysis will motivate the network to use its massive audience 
to help sharks and elevate the scientists who study them. Editor’s note: The Conversation US contacted Warner Brothers Discovery by phone and email for comment on the study described in this article. The network did not immediately respond or offer comment.David Shiffman is a Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology at Arizona State University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195180/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Beware of 'Shark Week': Junk science, misinformation, 'experts' named Mike

CAIRO (AP) — The debate over who owns ancient artifacts has been an increasing challenge to museums across Europe and America, and the spotlight has fallen on the most visited piece in the British Museum: The Rosetta stone.

The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab became the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics after it was taken from Egypt by forces of the British empire in 1801.

Now, as Britain's largest museum marks the 200-year anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphics, thousands of Egyptians are demanding the stone’s return.

‘’The British Museum’s holding of the stone is a symbol of Western cultural violence against Egypt,” said Monica Hanna, dean at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology &amp; Maritime Transport, and organizer of one of two petitions calling for the stone's return.

The acquisition of the Rosetta Stone was tied up in the imperial battles between Britain and France. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s military occupation of Egypt, French scientists uncovered the stone in 1799 in the northern town of Rashid, known by the French as Rosetta. When British forces defeated the French in Egypt, the stone and over a dozen other antiquities were handed over to the British under the terms of an 1801 surrender deal between the generals of the two sides.

It has remained in the British Museum since.

Hanna’s petition, with 4,200 signatures, says the stone was seized illegally and constitutes a “spoil of war.” The claim is echoed in a near identical petition by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former minister for antiquities affairs, which has more than 100,000 signatures. Hawass argues that Egypt had no say in the 1801 agreement.

The British Museum refutes this. In a statement, the Museum said the 1801 treaty includes the signature of a representative of Egypt. It refers to an Ottoman admiral who fought alongside the British against the French. The Ottoman sultan in Istanbul was nominally the ruler of Egypt at the time of Napoleon’s invasion.

The Museum also said Egypt’s government has not submitted a request for its return. It added that there are 28 known copies of the same engraved decree and 21 of them remain in Egypt.

The contention over the original stone copy stems from its unrivaled significance to Egyptology. Carved in the 2nd century B.C., the slab contains three translations of a decree relating to a settlement between the then-ruling Ptolemies and a sect of Egyptian priests. The first inscription is in classic hieroglyphics, the next is in a simplified hieroglyphic script known as Demotic, and the third is in Ancient Greek.

Through knowledge of the latter, academics were able to decipher the hieroglyphic symbols, with French Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion eventually cracking the language in 1822.

‘‘Scholars from the previous 18th century had been longing to find a bilingual text written in a known language,’’ said Ilona Regulski, the head of Egyptian Written Culture at the British Museum. Regulski is the lead curator of the museum’s winter exhibition, “Hieroglyphs Unlocking Ancient Egypt,” celebrating the 200th anniversary of Champollion’s breakthrough.

The stone is one of more than 100,000 Egyptian and Sudanese relics housed in the British Museum. A large percentage were obtained during Britain’s colonial rule over the region from 1883 to 1953.

It has grown increasingly common for museums and collectors to return artifacts to their country of origin, with new instances reported nearly monthly. Often, it’s the result of a court ruling, while some cases are voluntary, symbolizing an act of atonement for historical wrongs.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum returned 16 antiquities to Egypt in September after a U.S. investigation concluded they had been illegally trafficked. On Monday, London’s Horniman Museum signed over 72 objects, including 12 Benin Bronzes, to Nigeria following a request from its government.

Nicholas Donnell, a Boston-based attorney specializing in cases concerning art and artifacts, said no common international legal framework exists for such disputes. Unless there is clear evidence an artifact was acquired illegally, repatriation is largely at the discretion of the museum.

‘‘Given the treaty and the timeframe, the Rosetta stone is a hard legal battle to win,’’ said Donnell.

The British Museum has acknowledged that several repatriation requests have been made to it from various countries for artifacts, but it did not provide The Associated Press with any details on their status or number. It also did not confirm whether it has ever repatriated an artifact from its collection.

For Nigel Hetherington, an archaeologist and CEO of the online academic forum Past Preserves, the museum’s lack of transparency suggests other motives.

‘‘It’s about money, maintaining relevance and a fear that in returning certain items people will stop coming,’’ he said.

Western museums have long pointed to superior facilities and larger crowd draws to justify their holding of world treasures. Amid turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt saw an uptick in artifact smuggling, which cost the country an estimated $3 billion between 2011 and 2013, according to the U.S.-based Antiquities Coalition. In 2015, it was discovered that cleaners at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum had damaged the burial mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun by attempting to re-attach the beard with super glue.

But President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government has since invested heavily in its antiquities. Egypt has successfully reclaimed thousands of internationally smuggled artifacts and plans to open a newly built, state-of-the-art museum where tens of thousands of objects can be housed. The Grand Egyptian Museum has been under construction for well over a decade and there have been repeated delays to its opening.

Egypt’s plethora of ancient monuments, from the pyramids of Giza to the towering statues of Abu Simbel at the Sudanese border, are the magnet for a tourism industry that drew in&nbsp;<a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/tourism-revenues">$13 billion</a>&nbsp;in 2021.

For Hanna, Egyptians’ right to access their own history should remain the priority. “How many Egyptians can travel to London or New York?” she said.

Egyptian authorities did not respond to a request for comment regarding Egypt's policy toward the Rosetta stone or other Egyptian artifacts displayed abroad. Hawass and Hanna said they are not pinning hopes on the government to secure its return.

‘‘The Rosetta stone is the icon of Egyptian identity,’’ said Hawass. ‘‘I will use the media and the intellectuals to tell the (British) museum they have no right.’’

CAIRO (AP) — The debate over who owns ancient artifacts has been an increasing challenge to museums across Europe and America, and the spotlight has fallen on the most visited piece in the British Museum: The Rosetta stone.The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab became the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics after it was taken from Egypt by forces of the British empire in 1801.Now, as Britain's largest museum marks the 200-year anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphics, thousands of Egyptians are demanding the stone’s return.‘’The British Museum’s holding of the stone is a symbol of Western cultural violence against Egypt,” said Monica Hanna, dean at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology &amp; Maritime Transport, and organizer of one of two petitions calling for the stone's return.The acquisition of the Rosetta Stone was tied up in the imperial battles between Britain and France. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s military occupation of Egypt, French scientists uncovered the stone in 1799 in the northern town of Rashid, known by the French as Rosetta. When British forces defeated the French in Egypt, the stone and over a dozen other antiquities were handed over to the British under the terms of an 1801 surrender deal between the generals of the two sides.It has remained in the British Museum since.Hanna’s petition, with 4,200 signatures, says the stone was seized illegally and constitutes a “spoil of war.” The claim is echoed in a near identical petition by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former minister for antiquities affairs, which has more than 100,000 signatures. Hawass argues that Egypt had no say in the 1801 agreement.The British Museum refutes this. In a statement, the Museum said the 1801 treaty includes the signature of a representative of Egypt. It refers to an Ottoman admiral who fought alongside the British against the French. The Ottoman sultan in Istanbul was nominally the ruler of Egypt at the time of Napoleon’s invasion.The Museum also said Egypt’s government has not submitted a request for its return. It added that there are 28 known copies of the same engraved decree and 21 of them remain in Egypt.The contention over the original stone copy stems from its unrivaled significance to Egyptology. Carved in the 2nd century B.C., the slab contains three translations of a decree relating to a settlement between the then-ruling Ptolemies and a sect of Egyptian priests. The first inscription is in classic hieroglyphics, the next is in a simplified hieroglyphic script known as Demotic, and the third is in Ancient Greek.Through knowledge of the latter, academics were able to decipher the hieroglyphic symbols, with French Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion eventually cracking the language in 1822.‘‘Scholars from the previous 18th century had been longing to find a bilingual text written in a known language,’’ said Ilona Regulski, the head of Egyptian Written Culture at the British Museum. Regulski is the lead curator of the museum’s winter exhibition, “Hieroglyphs Unlocking Ancient Egypt,” celebrating the 200th anniversary of Champollion’s breakthrough.The stone is one of more than 100,000 Egyptian and Sudanese relics housed in the British Museum. A large percentage were obtained during Britain’s colonial rule over the region from 1883 to 1953.It has grown increasingly common for museums and collectors to return artifacts to their country of origin, with new instances reported nearly monthly. Often, it’s the result of a court ruling, while some cases are voluntary, symbolizing an act of atonement for historical wrongs.New York’s Metropolitan Museum returned 16 antiquities to Egypt in September after a U.S. investigation concluded they had been illegally trafficked. On Monday, London’s Horniman Museum signed over 72 objects, including 12 Benin Bronzes, to Nigeria following a request from its government.Nicholas Donnell, a Boston-based attorney specializing in cases concerning art and artifacts, said no common international legal framework exists for such disputes. Unless there is clear evidence an artifact was acquired illegally, repatriation is largely at the discretion of the museum.‘‘Given the treaty and the timeframe, the Rosetta stone is a hard legal battle to win,’’ said Donnell.The British Museum has acknowledged that several repatriation requests have been made to it from various countries for artifacts, but it did not provide The Associated Press with any details on their status or number. It also did not confirm whether it has ever repatriated an artifact from its collection.For Nigel Hetherington, an archaeologist and CEO of the online academic forum Past Preserves, the museum’s lack of transparency suggests other motives.‘‘It’s about money, maintaining relevance and a fear that in returning certain items people will stop coming,’’ he said.Western museums have long pointed to superior facilities and larger crowd draws to justify their holding of world treasures. Amid turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt saw an uptick in artifact smuggling, which cost the country an estimated $3 billion between 2011 and 2013, according to the U.S.-based Antiquities Coalition. In 2015, it was discovered that cleaners at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum had damaged the burial mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun by attempting to re-attach the beard with super glue.But President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government has since invested heavily in its antiquities. Egypt has successfully reclaimed thousands of internationally smuggled artifacts and plans to open a newly built, state-of-the-art museum where tens of thousands of objects can be housed. The Grand Egyptian Museum has been under construction for well over a decade and there have been repeated delays to its opening.Egypt’s plethora of ancient monuments, from the pyramids of Giza to the towering statues of Abu Simbel at the Sudanese border, are the magnet for a tourism industry that drew in&nbsp;<a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/tourism-revenues">$13 billion</a>&nbsp;in 2021.For Hanna, Egyptians’ right to access their own history should remain the priority. “How many Egyptians can travel to London or New York?” she said.Egyptian authorities did not respond to a request for comment regarding Egypt's policy toward the Rosetta stone or other Egyptian artifacts displayed abroad. Hawass and Hanna said they are not pinning hopes on the government to secure its return.‘‘The Rosetta stone is the icon of Egyptian identity,’’ said Hawass. ‘‘I will use the media and the intellectuals to tell the (British) museum they have no right.’’

Egyptians call on British Museum to return Rosetta stone

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Hudson and “Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson have been named People magazine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/celebrity/people-of-the-year-2022/">2022 “People of the Year.”</a>

The magazine unveiled its annual list Wednesday, with Editor in Chief Wendy Naugle explaining this year’s honorees were selected because of their efforts to help others.

McConaughey was chosen for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-matthew-mcconaughey-texas-shootings-f9becb7d2810c25056367b8cbd5fb20e">advocacy efforts after the Uvalde school shooting</a>&nbsp;rocked his hometown. Kunis was lauded for her&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/movies/mila-kunis-on-her-ukrainian-roots-and-russian-invasion-feel-like-my-heart-got-ripped-out/">fundraising — which People said has topped $37 million — for Ukraine</a>, where she was born.

Hudson and Brunson were honored for their onscreen work. Hudson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-jennifer-hudson-d52409597f880cbc58eac97925634f4a">launched a daytime talk show</a>&nbsp;this year, was cited for her efforts to create an inclusive show where everyone felt welcome. Brunson’s “Abbott Elementary,” a critical hit that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/quinta-brunson-emmys-jimmy-kimmel-reaction-7c28af2facc0e0fc64e93596a05bce93">turned her into an Emmy winner,</a>&nbsp;was praised as a show that brought many joy and showed that different generations can work well together.

Each of the honorees are featured on a special cover that highlights their contributions. Kunis’ includes the quote, “I’m proud to be from Ukraine,” while Brunson includes her statement: “I’m a sign that times are changing.”

McConaughey’s proclaims, “We have to do better for our kids,” while Hudson’s says, “I’m living my dream — and learning as I go.”

Previous People honorees have included George Clooney, Regina King, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sandra Oh, Selena Gomez and Simone Biles. This year’s special editions will be released Friday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Hudson and “Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson have been named People magazine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/celebrity/people-of-the-year-2022/">2022 “People of the Year.”</a>The magazine unveiled its annual list Wednesday, with Editor in Chief Wendy Naugle explaining this year’s honorees were selected because of their efforts to help others.McConaughey was chosen for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-matthew-mcconaughey-texas-shootings-f9becb7d2810c25056367b8cbd5fb20e">advocacy efforts after the Uvalde school shooting</a>&nbsp;rocked his hometown. Kunis was lauded for her&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/movies/mila-kunis-on-her-ukrainian-roots-and-russian-invasion-feel-like-my-heart-got-ripped-out/">fundraising — which People said has topped $37 million — for Ukraine</a>, where she was born.Hudson and Brunson were honored for their onscreen work. Hudson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-jennifer-hudson-d52409597f880cbc58eac97925634f4a">launched a daytime talk show</a>&nbsp;this year, was cited for her efforts to create an inclusive show where everyone felt welcome. Brunson’s “Abbott Elementary,” a critical hit that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/quinta-brunson-emmys-jimmy-kimmel-reaction-7c28af2facc0e0fc64e93596a05bce93">turned her into an Emmy winner,</a>&nbsp;was praised as a show that brought many joy and showed that different generations can work well together.Each of the honorees are featured on a special cover that highlights their contributions. Kunis’ includes the quote, “I’m proud to be from Ukraine,” while Brunson includes her statement: “I’m a sign that times are changing.”McConaughey’s proclaims, “We have to do better for our kids,” while Hudson’s says, “I’m living my dream — and learning as I go.”Previous People honorees have included George Clooney, Regina King, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sandra Oh, Selena Gomez and Simone Biles. This year’s special editions will be released Friday.

McConaughey, Kunis among People mag's 'People of the Year'

By GARY DEMUTH For Salina Symphony

More than 70 local and area youth dancers have been twirling, kicking and leaping nearly every weekend since September to present a memorable holiday gift to the Salina community.

These dancers, accompanied by a live symphonic orchestra, are preparing to perform the classic holiday-themed ballet&nbsp;The Nutcracker.

Whether playing dancing mice, billowing snowflakes or marching nutcrackers, the dedication and work ethic of the dancers have been impressive, said Tamara Howe of Ballet Salina, a division of the Tamara Howe School of Dance, a downtown Salina facility where dancers have been rehearsing nearly every Saturday.

“It’s a huge commitment to be here every week, but all of them love to rehearse,” she said. “I often tell them how fortunate they are to be able to perform with a live orchestra.”

The Salina Symphony and Ballet Salina will present Tchaikovsky’s&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;for two performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and 4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.

Ballet Salina and the Salina Symphony first performed&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;in the winter of 2019, but it was not part of the symphony’s mainstage season. This season,&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;will replace the symphony’s traditional Christmas Festival concert, said Adrienne Allen, executive director of the Salina Symphony.

“We are delighted to partner with Ballet Salina to present&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;this year,” Allen said. “With the success of our previous production, we made the decision to present&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;on a four-year rotation. We look forward to returning to our Christmas Festival tradition next year.”

Allen said&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;is a beloved holiday show for the entire family.

“The production will feature professional guest artists and talented local dancers in addition to live music from our Salina Symphony musicians,” she said. “It will be the perfect complement to our season of New Beginnings.”

The cast of&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;includes not only more than 70 local youth dancers, but nearly a dozen adults and a children’s chorus.

“There are several whole families involved, and some parents who did the show in 2019 (playing partygoers) wanted to do it again,” said Howe, who is choreographing the ballet with Ballet Salina artistic director Mara Klenda, based on the original choreography created by Marius Petipa.

Two professional guest artists from Ballet Memphis also will have featured parts in the show, performing two of the more challenging roles in the show: Oscar Fernandez will dance the part of the Cavalier and Cecily Khuner will play the Sugar Plum Fairy.

“They’ll fly in for the weekend, and they’ll also do a master class for the students,” Howe said.

Dancers for the production represent three local studios: Tamara Howe School of Dance, Center for Theatre Arts and Della’s Dance Studio as well as ArtisTree in Hutchinson.

Many of this year’s dancers were in the 2019 cast, and several high school seniors are playing bigger roles in this production.

“We have five seniors this year, so I’ve showcased them in special parts,” she said. “It’s nice having so many older dancers to play the roles.”

Having the stage filled with dancers is only part of the pleasure of watching “The Nutcracker.” There also are colorful sets, expressive lighting and especially gorgeous, lavish costumes, Howe said.

“We’ve built up quite a costume inventory, and each year we add to it,” she said. “Much of the costuming has been funded by Dane Hansen Foundation grants, which we are so grateful for.”

The ballet adaptation of&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;was inspired by a book titled The&nbsp;Story of the Nutcracker&nbsp;by Alexandre Dumas, which itself was an adaptation of the dark fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816.

The original ballet, created by Marius Petipa and Len Inavov with original music by the famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. Since then, the Christmas-themed ballet has become a perennial holiday classic performed throughout the world.

“It’s a ballet that appeals to all ages,” Howe said. “Everything is laid out simply, so it’s easy to follow. Children will be enamored by the lights and sound and oversized characters, from mice to gingersnaps.

“It’s the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit. By the time you leave, you’ll be ready for Christmas.”

Tickets for&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;are $29 or $39 for adults and $19 for students/children ages three and up and may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling (785) 827-1998 or online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.salinasymphony.org/">www.salinasymphony.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669777646278.jpeg" alt="A scene from the 2019 production of "The Nutcracker."&nbsp;Photo&nbsp; courtesy Salina Symphony&nbsp;&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>A scene from the 2019 production of "The Nutcracker."&nbsp;Photo&nbsp; courtesy Salina Symphony&nbsp;&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By GARY DEMUTH For Salina SymphonyMore than 70 local and area youth dancers have been twirling, kicking and leaping nearly every weekend since September to present a memorable holiday gift to the Salina community.These dancers, accompanied by a live symphonic orchestra, are preparing to perform the classic holiday-themed ballet&nbsp;The Nutcracker.Whether playing dancing mice, billowing snowflakes or marching nutcrackers, the dedication and work ethic of the dancers have been impressive, said Tamara Howe of Ballet Salina, a division of the Tamara Howe School of Dance, a downtown Salina facility where dancers have been rehearsing nearly every Saturday.“It’s a huge commitment to be here every week, but all of them love to rehearse,” she said. “I often tell them how fortunate they are to be able to perform with a live orchestra.”The Salina Symphony and Ballet Salina will present Tchaikovsky’s&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;for two performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and 4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.Ballet Salina and the Salina Symphony first performed&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;in the winter of 2019, but it was not part of the symphony’s mainstage season. This season,&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;will replace the symphony’s traditional Christmas Festival concert, said Adrienne Allen, executive director of the Salina Symphony.“We are delighted to partner with Ballet Salina to present&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;this year,” Allen said. “With the success of our previous production, we made the decision to present&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;on a four-year rotation. We look forward to returning to our Christmas Festival tradition next year.”Allen said&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;is a beloved holiday show for the entire family.“The production will feature professional guest artists and talented local dancers in addition to live music from our Salina Symphony musicians,” she said. “It will be the perfect complement to our season of New Beginnings.”Guest artists featuredThe cast of&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;includes not only more than 70 local youth dancers, but nearly a dozen adults and a children’s chorus.“There are several whole families involved, and some parents who did the show in 2019 (playing partygoers) wanted to do it again,” said Howe, who is choreographing the ballet with Ballet Salina artistic director Mara Klenda, based on the original choreography created by Marius Petipa.Two professional guest artists from Ballet Memphis also will have featured parts in the show, performing two of the more challenging roles in the show: Oscar Fernandez will dance the part of the Cavalier and Cecily Khuner will play the Sugar Plum Fairy.“They’ll fly in for the weekend, and they’ll also do a master class for the students,” Howe said.Dancers for the production represent three local studios: Tamara Howe School of Dance, Center for Theatre Arts and Della’s Dance Studio as well as ArtisTree in Hutchinson.Many of this year’s dancers were in the 2019 cast, and several high school seniors are playing bigger roles in this production.“We have five seniors this year, so I’ve showcased them in special parts,” she said. “It’s nice having so many older dancers to play the roles.”Having the stage filled with dancers is only part of the pleasure of watching “The Nutcracker.” There also are colorful sets, expressive lighting and especially gorgeous, lavish costumes, Howe said.“We’ve built up quite a costume inventory, and each year we add to it,” she said. “Much of the costuming has been funded by Dane Hansen Foundation grants, which we are so grateful for.”Inspired by fairy taleThe ballet adaptation of&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;was inspired by a book titled The&nbsp;Story of the Nutcracker&nbsp;by Alexandre Dumas, which itself was an adaptation of the dark fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816.The original ballet, created by Marius Petipa and Len Inavov with original music by the famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. Since then, the Christmas-themed ballet has become a perennial holiday classic performed throughout the world.“It’s a ballet that appeals to all ages,” Howe said. “Everything is laid out simply, so it’s easy to follow. Children will be enamored by the lights and sound and oversized characters, from mice to gingersnaps.“It’s the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit. By the time you leave, you’ll be ready for Christmas.”Tickets for&nbsp;The Nutcracker&nbsp;are $29 or $39 for adults and $19 for students/children ages three and up and may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling (785) 827-1998 or online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.salinasymphony.org/">www.salinasymphony.org</a>.

Magic of 'The Nutcracker' returns to Salina Dec. 10-11

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Fort Hays State University dean of the College of Education Paul Adams shares information about FHSU Christmas festivities.

<div><iframe title="FHSU Christmas traditions return for 2022" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=ymjy8-1327d28-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Fort Hays State University dean of the College of Education Paul Adams shares information about FHSU Christmas festivities.

🎙 Post Podcast: FHSU Christmas traditions return for 2022

By JAMES BELL 
Hays Post

As area families make plans for this holiday season, nonprofit
organizations look to gather funds that will be used for projects throughout
the following year during “the giving season.”

The end of the year has historically been when the overwhelming
majority of donations to nonprofits are received, with days like Giving
Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and National Philanthropy Day driving awareness.

“Eighty percent of charitable giving happens during the
months of November and December,” said Heartland Community Foundation Executive Director Sarah Meitner.

She said while many give as a part of their seasonal traditions,
there is a more practical measure for some.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669498962377.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL 
Hays PostAs area families make plans for this holiday season, nonprofit
organizations look to gather funds that will be used for projects throughout
the following year during “the giving season.”The end of the year has historically been when the overwhelming
majority of donations to nonprofits are received, with days like Giving
Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and National Philanthropy Day driving awareness.“Eighty percent of charitable giving happens during the
months of November and December,” said Heartland Community Foundation Executive Director Sarah Meitner.<div><iframe title="As Giving Tuesday approaches area non-profits look to community for support" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=tfrda-1323c34-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>She said while many give as a part of their seasonal traditions,
there is a more practical measure for some.“One, it's just the spirit of the holidays, and people are
feeling more generous,” Meitner said. “But from a practical sense to, of
course, there's maybe some tax liabilities that people are facing, and they
might want to lower that taxable income and make it a charitable gift. And
that's a great way to do it.”This year looks to be no different, but as residents deal
with rising prices due to inflation and the continued economic uncertainty brought
by it, those organizations are hoping donors can continue giving at levels
similar to, or higher than in the past as those non-profits struggle to deal
with those same economic factors.Meitner said while she understands the impact on personal budgets,
she hopes residents understand the importance to the community of those
donations and look to give what they can.“I would still encourage you to do something,” Meitner said.
“Still model that for your kids. Still set that aside.”Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams said it is also
important for the community to understand while large gifts may be more noteworthy,
small donations can have a significant impact as well.“It's not about the celebration and the notoriety of giving
a large gift. It's about the actual giving and what that gift does,” Williams
said. “It's not that the large gifts are not great, and it does some amazing
things – I mean, we've got some amazing things at Hays Med, wings of the
hospital that wouldn't be there if it wasn't for people who really stepped up and
made those contributions – but most people can't do that. But people can
participate. And the level of participation is not as important as the actual
active participation and the giving of whatever they can.”And for those new to donating to non-profit organizations, organizations
like the Heartland Community Foundation and Grow Hays can help.“At Heartland, we have a number of different fund types, but
one we have a donor-advised fund, and this allows a donor to direct money for
charitable giving at the very end of the year when they might not quite know
where they want that money to go yet, but they can direct it designated as
charitable giving, take that deduction on their tax in their taxable income.
And then they can decide later where it goes,” Meitner said.After the money is in the fund, she said she can help guide
the final decision on where those dollars would go. “They can have that discussion with myself or with one of our
board members and things about what projects in town they might want to steer
that money toward. We have great relationships with our non-profit directors in
town, and that then allows us to kind of know a little bit about what they have
going on. And so, when people might not know where they want their money to go,
we can be a resource. We can let them know about some of those projects.”Williams said Grow Hays could also be a resource for making charitable
giving choices.“We would be happy to talk to anybody regarding what we know
about these organizations,” Williams said. “We all have causes that are kind of
near and dear to us. It might be domestic violence, it might be children or
whatever the case might be. And so, a little bit of research can go a long way
on knowing which of those organizations might fit your personal mission as to
who you want to support.”He said a popular choice in Ellis County is the United Way.
As an umbrella organization, they give to other area non-profit organizations.
As an organization with a large footprint, they can then combine those small
donations into powerful action.“I think all of them will tell you that there's no gift
that's too small,” Williams said. “Obviously, they have budgets, and they have
dollars they need to raise, but steady contributions from a large group can be
very meaningful. … I think sometimes people say, ‘Well, I can only give X amount
of dollars.’ That's not the important thing, the important thing is the gesture
and the act of giving. And if we all do a little bit, it becomes a big deal.”Last year, Heartland Community Foundation gave out about
$350,000 to other local nonprofits, Meitner said, but it is important to note that
money cannot be used for operating costs.“So, our nonprofits depend on their holiday appeals,” she
said. “You might get the letters in the mail, their holiday appeal time to
really make up the difference for closing those gaps for their operating
budget. Looking ahead for the coming year, it's vital to their being able to
keep the lights on and the doors open to do the good work that they're doing.”Alongside the philanthropic work of area non-profits, Williams
said there is an impact on the greater area economy.“It's that buy local mentality, support local,” he said. “That's
what we want to do as much as possible, and for the most part, I think our
community is doing a great job of doing that. I think we have strong supporters
of many of these organizations. And fortunately, we have good people who will
step up.”Those efforts then create a more inclusive and supportive
community.“When you give locally, and to some of the organizations
we've been talking about, the vast majority end up going to where you would
hope they go as a donor, to helping people,” Williams said. “And that's what
really matters at the end of the day, helping people, helping victims of
domestic violence, helping people who are homeless, helping people who have
lost their job and they've been evicted from their apartment or about to get
evicted from their apartment. That's what matters in a community because you
don't want people to suffer needlessly if it can be avoided.”Cover image courtesy Pixabay.

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