PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal. McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to A.J. Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol — he didn’t practice all week — which opened the door for Pickett to start. BUCCANEERS 48, PANTHERS 14: Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help Tampa Bay keep its division title and playoff hopes alive with a home blowout over Carolina. Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks nudged the first-place Bucs a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night at Washington. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders and winning again next week at home against the last-place Panthers. Mayfield threw TD passes of 2 and 1 yards to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay produced points on five straight possessions to build a 27-7 lead. Jalen McMillan scored on receptions of 10 and 16 yards, linebacker J.J. Russell returned a blocked punt for a TD, and rookie Bucky Irving had another big game against Carolina with 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and four receptions for 77 yards. GIANTS 45, COLTS 33: New York snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended Indianapolis’ slim playoff hopes as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another. New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Lock sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan’Dale Robinson in leading the Giants to their first win since beating Seattle on Oct. 6. RAIDERS 25, SAINTS 10: Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records, and Las Vegas won for just the fourth time this season, beating struggling New Orleans at the Superdome. Ameer Abdullah rushed for 115 yards for the Raiders — the journeyman running back’s first 100-yard game in his 10 NFL seasons. O’Connell finished with 242 yards passing, including a 3-yard TD pass to Jakobi Meyers and an 18-yarder to Tre Tucker. Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals — his longest from 54 yards — for the Raiders, who didn’t look fazed by flight delays on Saturday that got them into their hotel after midnight, less than 12 hours before kickoff. BILLS 40, JETS 14: Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and host Buffalo clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a rout of unraveling and undisciplined New York. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. JAGUARS 20, TITANS 13: Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and host Jacksonville beat Tennessee in the rain to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years. Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Seamer Mohammed Shami will not be considered for India’s fourth and fifth Tests in Australia due to a knee injury. The 34-year-old has fully recovered from his heel injury after undergoing surgery in February. He was not picked in the squad but there had been a chance he could have been added to support pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, if he were fit and available. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Shami has not played international cricket since the ODI World Cup last year but has returned to domestic cricket to prove his fitness. “His left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement. “Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. “Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.” India battled hard to earn a draw in the rain-hit third test in Brisbane, leaving the five-match series tied at 1-1 heading into the Boxing Day clash. Despite not having Shami by his side, the Boxing Day Test wicket is likely to have Bumrah licking his lips, regardless of the expected Day 1 furnace at the MCG. The MCG has made a deliberate effort over the past few years to make its Test pitches more friendly for pace bowlers. Head curator Matt Page was asked if Bumrah, the standout bowler in the series so far, would be pleased with the pitch prepared. “All the good bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us,” Page said on Monday. “We’re never going to be as quick as Perth and Brisbane, but over the last few years we’ve managed to get some pace in it, which has created that excitement. “There’s a bit of grass on it. If you’re a fast bowler and you look at it, you probably do get excited.” Depending on how long the fourth Australia-India Test lasts, Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox says a total attendance of more than 250,000 could be possible. Day 1 on Thursday is sold out, with the temperature expected to hit 40C. Page added the forecast heat over the next couple of days would not affect the pitch preparation unduly. “It probably means it might quicken up a bit quicker than what it would if it was 20C,” he said. “Whether we leave a bit more moisture in it, I can’t say yes or no at this stage. “We’ll keep monitoring the weather ... and adjust our preparation accordingly. “We’ve been really happy with the last couple of years, so it’s a rinse-and-repeat job for us.” India have been training at the MCG for a couple of days already and there are murmurs out of their camp about the quality of the net wickets. Page countered that how his team prepared the net wickets was standard ahead of Boxing Day. “Three days out, we prepare Test match pitches. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we’ve had. It’s stock-standard procedure for us,” he said. Fox said the MCG would have extra bottles of water available on Thursday and urged fans to look after themselves in the heat. “It’s going to be challenging for everyone,” Fox said of the Day 1 weather. Fox is also excited about what sort of crowd figure the match would generate. “Why couldn’t we have a Test match that is 270,000? There are no limits,” he said. Page was asked how he would feel if the Test did not go into Day 4, as was the case in Adelaide. “If the game only goes for two-and-a-half days, but you see a great game, is that good for the game?” he posed.

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Q. My husband recently retired from a high-level position. He has things to do but nothing seems to rekindle his spark. I think he is going through a mid-life crisis in later life. Is there such a thing? M.N. What you are describing might be called a late-life crisis . Such a crisis is described by Richard Leider and David Shapiro in their book, “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? The Path of Purposeful Aging” (2021, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.). Here are some signs the authors identify: experiencing dissatisfaction, a loss of identity, an expectations gap and the feeling that life has peaked. Some also may believe life is a downhill journey. It’s having a feeling of being irrelevant. And it’s not just a guy thing. Both men and women are likely to experience it equally. Several events can cause a crisis in later life. Among them is the death of a loved one, an illness, money problems or no longer being able to walk the usual number of miles or having difficulty with poses in a yoga class. It also could be just boredom, doing the same thing day after day. Then there is retirement , which also can be a cause. For many, the loss of the work role can leave a huge gap in the reason to get up in the morning. For many, work is more than just a paycheck . It can provide a sense of purpose, social connection, structure for the day and knowing someone or some entity expects something from us. In a sense, it’s knowing we are needed. But other causes can cause a crisis in addition to the loss of the work role. For example, being out of touch with current technology, feeling unemployable and invisible in social situations or the marketplace. How do individuals know if they are experiencing a late-life crisis? Here are several questions that can serve as a clue, suggested by Leider and Shapiro. One key to avoiding or managing a late-life crisis is to not go it alone. “Isolation is fatal,” write Lieder and Shapiro. This makes me want to share examples from a recent discussion, not necessarily of a crisis, but increased awareness of the question of “who am I now and who do I want to be?” This discussion took place at a meeting with a group of women who are not going it alone. The group was made up of retired career women who are part of Renewment , a small grassroots movement that supports and inspires career women from work to retirement and beyond. Most were not going through a crisis, yet raised questions that indicated there are issues that may not reach the crisis level, yet still are important. For example, a retired successful entrepreneur asked the question, “Am I doing as much as I am capable of? Do I want to have an impact on a small or large scale?” A recent widow said, “Being a widow is not where I wanted to be at this time in my life; it’s not my identity. I feel so fragmented exploring who I am.” Another added, “I continue to be so hard on myself; always feeling I should do more; I am busy but not happy.” These same women and others in the group shared tips on avoiding problems that could lead to a late-life crisis. A therapist has emerged as an artist in New York and another was deeply involved in the election. A retired professor is traveling to Cuba and a former teacher launched a foundation. They have engagements that reflect a passion and sense of purpose. That’s the topic for next week. A point to remember: No one gets through this life alone. As Leider and Shapiro warn against isolation, remember that finding friends, colleagues, counselors or family members to talk about what’s going on can help avoid a crisis. Stay well everyone and as always, be kind. Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com . Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity Related ArticlesThe Last of Us Part II remaster is finally coming to PC

A former president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation says he is deeply concerned by the Alberta government’s recent decision to overhaul the funding scheme for organizations providing services to homeless people. Tim Richter, who served as the foundation’s president from 2008 to 2012 and who now leads the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, a national charity, says the change is dangerous and will lead to more people falling through the cracks. Under the current model, the foundation and six other non-profit and other organizations act as local hubs and receive a lump sum of government money, which they distribute to smaller organizations in their area. But provincial Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon announced Friday that the government plans to ditch that model, and distribute the funding itself through existing government grants. Richter says under the current model, hub organizations like the foundation and Edmonton’s Homeward Trust ensure that smaller organizations within the same city work together to ensure needed services are available, and gaps are filled. He worries that under the new model, that unity and communication will be lost. “This turns back the clock on the homelessness response in Alberta 15 years,” he said. “It is a terribly dangerous move that will cost more, hurt people in the long run, and leave homelessness to explode across the province.” However, Nixon said Friday that the agencies receiving funding to dole out are essentially acting as middlemen, and it will be more efficient to eliminate that step. He also said the new process would improve “accountability and oversight” of the programs and services made available through the funding, and gave a couple of examples of funds being used in ways that didn’t align with the government’s goals. “We’ve seen evidence in the past of organizations distributing tents out into the community,” he said. “That would be a great example of where our government is focused on shelter and housing, not on providing encampments.” In an interview late Friday Nixon dismissed Richter’s concerns. “(Funding) will continue to be based on community need, and continue to go to frontline services associated in those communities,” he said. He also said the government provides a combined $101.5 million annually to the seven hub organizations and the new model is anticipated to increase the funding available. But Richter said the province will lose the local oversight and flexibility that the hub organizations provide. “Homelessness is local, and you need local leadership and local focus and local decision-making,” Richter said. “Who will be more efficient and more effective in coordinating a local response, people on the ground or somebody in a government office in Edmonton?” “What this announcement signals is that the government of Alberta does not want to solve homelessness, because solving homelessness requires building coordinated systems focused on ending it.” In an email Friday Homeward Trust said it wasn’t able to comment on the change. Kaely Cormack, a spokesperson for the Calgary Homeless Foundation, said the agency was only notified of the change Friday and is waiting for more details from the government. Janis Irwin, the Opposition NDP housing critic, is also critical of the government’s overhaul and says the move raises questions about which anti-homelessness organizations will receive funding going forward. Irwin said that given the UCP government’s staunch opposition to harm reduction services and total focus on addiction recovery, she thinks organizations like Boyle Street Community Services in her Edmonton riding could be at risk for losing funding. “I think it’s fair to think that they’ll be in jeopardy under this plan,” Irwin said, adding that she’s also concerned the province will lose data the hub organizations provide on homelessness in the province. “They’re going to be taking away the support for these organizations that provide the data that they should be using to make evidence-based decisions and they’re really going to be putting a whole lot of more unhoused folks at risk.” Nixon also announced Friday that a panel was being established to advise the government’s approach to homelessness, with a specific focus on homelessness in rural areas. The panel will also be tasked with engaging service providers on the new funding process over the next few months.NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.