Trump says happy to have a trial in the Senate, but he does not really care - Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump are interview by the press as they arrive at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 31, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would be happy to have a trial in the U.S. Senate following his impeachment by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, but that he did not really care.

“I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned I’d be very happy with a trial because we did nothing wrong,” the Republican president told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, reiterating that he considered his impeachment a hoax.

Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Kim Coghill

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Happy New Year: Gophers football tries to end breakout season on high note - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tampa, Fla. – This bowl game feels different.

For Rashod Bateman, the Outback Bowl is bigger than the sophomore receiver’s only other comparison, last season’s Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Bateman said Wednesday’s New Year’s Day matchup with No. 12 Auburn is something the Gophers have earned a right to experience.

The Gophers accomplished 10 regular-season wins for the first time since 1905 and seven Big Ten victories for the first time in program history. They displayed a signature triumph by beating No. 5 Penn State. But Bateman, who hails from SEC country, knows that’s not enough to convince the college football world that the Gophers aren’t just a one-hit wonder.

“There’s a lot of people that still think we haven’t done anything,” Bateman said. “So going against a powerhouse like Auburn and playing our best, no matter the outcome, I think we still can continue to open a lot of eyes around the country.”

When the No. 18 Gophers look to upend the Tigers at Raymond James Stadium, they’re playing for respect. Vegas and the general public expect them to lose to by at least a touchdown to a team that has sharpened its skills against many of the top FBS teams and has one of the most formidable defenses in the country.

But what the Gophers could take from a statement win against Auburn is immeasurable. A top-15 final ranking would be nearly guaranteed, something that likely would follow them into preseason rankings next year. Suddenly, the Gophers would be a team to watch instead of one to forget.

“We are trying to establish ourselves as blue bloods as they are,” is how Gophers defensive tackle Micah Dew-Treadway characterized a potential win against a program that won the 2010 national title and finished runner-up to Florida State three years later.

Auburn senior cornerback Javaris Davis said the challenge of facing the Gophers is knowing how motivated they’ll be to pull an upset and trying to match that fervor. But the Tigers have their own points to prove. They don’t need the outside recognition. This is about personal pride.

SEC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brown said he doesn’t want Auburn to come off as the cliché favored team that took an out-of-conference foe lightly. He doesn’t want a repeat of what happened two years ago against UCF in the Peach Bowl, when Auburn was “lackadaisical” in a 34-27 loss.

Auburn wants a 10-win season and to not endure embarrassment in an important recruiting area.

“This is a very important game for us, not just this year, a chance to win 10 games with the schedule that we had for our seniors, but to give you momentum for the future,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “We think we’ve got a really, really bright future that we think we’ve got championships on the horizon. So this is a huge game for us.”

In that way, it seems Auburn has more at stake than the Gophers. It wouldn’t shock anyone if the Gophers lost. In fact, coach P.J. Fleck and quarterback Tanner Morgan have both said a bowl game performance has no real bearing on what happens the next season, minus a win just sending everyone into winter workouts in a good mood.

The result doesn’t matter as much as the performance. Fleck said as long as his team plays its best football of the year to end this season, that’s enough of a jumping-off point heading into his fourth season with the Gophers.

“A lot of you always ask me prior to the season, ‘Coach, what’s the amount of wins that you would consider a success?’ This season’s been successful,” Fleck said. “Not because of the 10 wins, [but] did we get everything out of our players? Do they have peace that they did everything they possibly could do to be the best they can be? … This group did. They’re successful, no matter what happens.”

But off the field, a win could enhance the Gophers’ wider perception even more. Minnesota fans sporting Gophers gear have swarmed Tampa, Fla., in advance of the game.

“I’m surprised at how many people who aren’t in Minnesota come up to me and talk about how we were the story of college football,” Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said. “And how nice it was to have a new team that people are talking about. … I know we’ve had a lot of people [such as] Jim McVay from the Outback Bowl talk about how, ‘Minnesota is a team we wanted because they’ve caught everybody’s imagination and attention this year.’ ”

Bateman said even though the Gophers ultimately fell short of their goal to win the Big Ten West and move on to greater achievements like the Big Ten Championship Game and the Rose Bowl, he still considers what the Gophers have done in 2019 a success.

A win, or even a hard-fought loss, against Auburn would exceed expectations, something the Gophers have done a lot this year. But they aren’t focusing on how much there is to gain and how seemingly little there is to lose.

“To us, it’s just a phenomenal opportunity to play a great team, a really good team, and another chance to play football with this team,” Morgan said. “It’s our last chance we’ll get to play with this team.

“So you really cherish that.”

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Happy New Year! Countries around the world welcome 2020 - KTRK-TV

Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.

A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

HONG KONG

Revelers as well as pro-democracy protesters flocked to sites across Hong Kong to usher in 2020.

The semi-autonomous Chinese city has toned down New Year's celebrations amid the monthslong demonstrations. The protests have repeatedly sparked pitched battles with police and have taken their toll on Hong Kong's nightlife and travel industries.

A fireworks display that traditionally lights up famed Victoria Harbor was canceled amid safety concerns, while some roads were closed and barriers set up in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district to control crowds.

RUSSIA

Russians began the world's longest continuous New Year's Eve with fireworks and a message from President Vladimir Putin urging them to work together in the coming year.

Putin made the call in a short speech broadcast on television just before the stroke of midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones. The recorded message was followed by an image of the Kremlin Clock and the sound of its chimes. State TV showed footage of extensive festive fireworks in cities of the Far East.

But one holiday tradition was missing in Moscow this year - a picturesque layer of snow. The Russian capital has had an unusually warm December and temperatures in central Moscow as midnight approached were just above freezing.

AUSTRALIA

More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas to ring in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

The 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney's iconic landmarks was briefly delayed due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.

New South Wales has born the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's major cities greeted the new year with fireworks as the nation appeared happy to be done with a year of challenges, both natural and man-made.

On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.

SAMOA

In Samoa, New Year's Eve was more somber than usual. While fireworks erupted at midnight from Mount Vaea, overlooking the capital, Apia, the end of the year was a time of sadness and remembrance.

A measles epidemic in late 2019 claimed 81 lives, mostly children under 5.

More than 5,600 measles cases were recorded in the nation of just under 200,000. With the epidemic now contained, the Samoa Observer newspaper named as its Person of the Year health workers who fought the outbreak.

LONDON

Londoners were making their way to the banks of the River Thames to jostle for position to watch a spectacular fireworks display launched from the London Eye and barges near Parliament.

The familiar chimes of London's Big Ben clock tower were to ring in the new year, even though they have been silent for most of 2019 because of extensive restoration work.

To the north, the multi-day Hogmanay New Year's celebrations in Edinburgh began Monday night with a torchlight parade through the streets of the Scottish capital.

Security was tight in both cities and elsewhere in Britain following a recent extremist attack on London Bridge that claimed two lives. Police arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offenses Monday but said the arrests were not related to the London Bridge attack or to New Year's Eve celebrations.

SOUTH AFRICA

Thousands of revelers gathered at Cape Town's Waterfront area to ring in the new year with music, dancing and fireworks in front of the city's iconic Table Mountain.

In past years, residents of Johannesburg's poor Hillbrow neighborhood would celebrate the New Year by tossing furniture, appliances and even refrigerators from the balconies of high-rise apartment buildings. Police have issued stern warnings, and it appears the dangerous tradition has declined.

In a somber statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa said "while our economy created jobs, these have not been nearly enough to stop the rise in unemployment or the deepening of poverty."

South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka was deported from Uganda, where she was to perform at a New Year's Eve event. Ugandan police cited visa issues, but Ugandan media reported it was because she had voiced support for Ugandan pop star Bobi Wine, the most potent opposition challenger to President Yoweri Museveni.

ROME

Pope Francis delighted tourists and Romans in St. Peter's Square on Tuesday night when he took a stroll to admire the Nativity scene. Shouts of "Pope! Pope!" and "Happy New Year!" resounded as families rushed to catch a glimpse of him or thrust out their infant in hopes he would pat their heads or pinch their cheeks.

One woman grabbed the pope's hand and pulled him toward her to shake it. Francis, 83, exclaimed and then struck the woman's hand twice to free his hand.

At a New Year's Eve Vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica, Francis urged people to practice more solidarity and to "build bridges, not walls." Since becoming pontiff in 2013, Francis has preached openness - a reform-minded agenda that has irritated a small but vocal group of ultra-conservatives in the church.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

For nearly 10 minutes, fireworks will light the sky over Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, as hundreds of thousands gather downtown to watch the spectacular display.

The New Year's Eve display at the 828-meter-tall (2,716-foot-tall) skyscraper is just one of seven different fireworks shows across the emirate. Tourists, especially from Europe and Russia, flock to the sunny beaches of Dubai at this time of year to escape the cold, dark winter.

To keep the massive crowds safe, police have created walkways around the Burj Khalifa tower for male-only groups to separate them from families and women.

Dubai this year will be hosting Expo 2020, a world fair that brings the most cutting-edge and futuristic technologies.

JAPAN

People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year's of the Reiwa era.

Under Japan's old-style calendar, linked to emperors' rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor. Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa's first New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan.

Stalls at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo sold sweet rice wine, fried noodles and candied apples, as well as little amulets in the shape of mice, the zodiac animal for 2020. Since the Year of the Mouse starts off the Asian zodiac, it's associated with starting anew.

Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, an event that is creating much anticipation for the entire nation.

INDONESIA

Tens of thousands of revelers in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta were soaked by torrential rains as they waited for New Year's Eve fireworks while others in the country were wary of an active volcano.

Festive events along coastal areas near the Sunda Strait were dampened by a possible larger eruption of Anak Krakatau, an island volcano that erupted last year just ahead of Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.

The country's volcanology agency has warned locals and tourists to stay 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the volcano's crater following an eruption Tuesday that blasted ash and debris up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air.

SOUTH KOREA

Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.

Dignitaries ringing the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country's biggest TV stars in 2019.

GERMANY

Hundreds of thousands of revelers are expected to ring in the New Year in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Several German cities including Munich and Hamburg have banned private fireworks amid concerns about the danger and environmental impacts from the increasingly powerful fireworks. A recent poll by the Forsa research institute found 59% of Germans would support a ban on private fireworks in city centers, while 37% were opposed.

PARIS

A joyful crowd of Parisians and tourists walked, biked and used scooters to reach the Champs-Elysees for the new year celebrations, in a city with almost no public transport amid massive strikes.

Revelers were converging toward the famous avenue to watch a light show at the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a fireworks display at midnight.

Paris police set up a security perimeter around the Champs-Elysees area with a ban on alcohol and traffic restrictions.

All metro lines in the French capital were closed except for two automatic lines, and only a few night buses were running, as Tuesday marked the 27th consecutive day of transport strikes against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to overhaul the French pension system.

NEW YORK

A Chinese dance performance, punctuated with red and gold pyrotechnics, will usher in a host of stars at Times Square's six-hour New Year's Eve extravaganza.

The throng of revelers in the heart of Manhattan will get to see rap-pop star Post Malone, K-pop group BTS, country singer Sam Hunt and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette during the big street party.

While giddiness will likely prevail at the televised event, some important global issues will be driven home, as well.

High school science teachers and students, spotlighting efforts to combat climate change, will press the button that begins the famous 60-second ball drop and countdown to next year.

Then comes the 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of confetti, accompanied by more pyrotechnics.

Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Aquinnah: Happy 'Done with the Holidays Day' - Martha's Vineyard Times

Happy New Year one and all and happy “Done with the Holidays Day” for all who celebrate it. Are you not familiar with this day? Let me explain how to celebrate: Stay in your pajamas all day, eat only the holiday leftovers you want to eat, not the ones you should eat (throwing all the leftovers into the woods is also acceptable), tell everyone how you really feel or take a vow of silence depending on your preference, spend no money (unless it’s for a plane ticket for someplace that you’ve always wanted to go to), build a ceremonial fire with wrapping paper, unwanted gifts, holiday letters, and every New Year’s resolution that you’ve never kept. Do not post any of the above activities on social media, in fact don’t go on social media at all. Repeat as often as necessary until you feel like yourself again or until you must go back to work (you can wear your pajamas under your clothes if you need more comfort). 

Lunch at the Outermost Inn will end on Jan. 5, so get on up there and treat yourself to lunch in town.

The Aquinnah Public Library will have regular programming this week. Story Time will be on Thursday at 3:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 am, Kids Craft will be from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday and the After-School Club will resume this Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 4 pm (I can hear the kids groaning already). The next meeting of the book group will be on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 3:30 pm to discuss Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.”

At Pathways this week there will be a collage workshop with Billie Sullivan on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Start off the New Year with a “Collage with Intention” (a.k.a. vision boards). Materials will be provided. Writing and Poetry Night will be on Tuesday, Jan. 7 and there will be an Open Read at 7 pm. Thursday, Jan. 9 will be Music Night with Alex Karalekas and others. All Pathways events are free and open to the public.

Cat Garfinkle will lead a “Restorative Yoga Mini Retreat” on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 3 to 5:30 pm at the Yoga Barn. This gentle and nourishing practice is an invitation to slow down, to pause, and rest in stillness. Using blankets and props, your body will be totally supported in each pose to help release layers of deeply held tension and blocked energy. No previous yoga experience needed, only a willingness to open. The workshop is $35, and registration is suggested. To register, please call or text Cat at 203-253-2261.

There will be a public listening session on Thursday, Jan. 16 to share the results of the Aquinnah Community Resilience Building Workshop. That event prompted many ideas from our Aquinnah community on how to spend future grant money toward projects to help our town become less vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A core team of townspeople, assisted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, will present the ideas that emerged from that workshop and will invite public input on how our town can be made less vulnerable as climate change continues. Come and find out where you might want to get involved in turning these ideas into action.

The hardworking elven moms of Aquinnah pulled together another great holiday party. Right now we are blessed to have so many children in Aquinnah, and there were also some special visitors. Carrie Anne Vanderhoop was here with her daughter, Rosalie. Her sister, Tiffany, was clearly so happy to have them here. Kate and Tim Kausch were there with their son Noah, his younger brother, Sammy was sick and couldn’t make it to the party. Santa arrived and had a present for every child at the party! Then there was all the food and Christmas cheer that people provided. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this party happen. I don’t know how it comes together when we all have a million things to do but it always does. 

Happy Birthday to the amazing Evelyn Vanderhoop who celebrates on Jan. 3. Happy Birthday to Megan Ottens-Sargent, great supporter of the arts, whose birthday is Jan. 6. 

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Happy New Year! Countries around the world welcome 2020 - WLS-TV

Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.

A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

AUSTRALIA

More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas ahead of the ringing in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

The 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney's iconic landmarks was delayed by 15 minutes due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.

New South Wales has copped the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.

Some communities have canceled New Year's fireworks celebrations, but Sydney Harbour's popular display was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban that is in place there and elsewhere to prevent new wildfires.

HONG KONG

Revelers as well as pro-democracy protesters flocked to sites across Hong Kong to usher in 2020.

The semi-autonomous Chinese city has toned down New Year's celebrations amid the monthslong demonstrations. The protests have repeatedly sparked pitched battles with police and have taken their toll on Hong Kong's nightlife and travel industries.

A fireworks display that traditionally lights up famed Victoria Harbor was canceled amid safety concerns, while some roads were closed and barriers set up in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district for crowd control.

RUSSIA

Russians began the world's longest continuous New Year's Eve with fireworks and a message from President Vladimir Putin urging them to work together in the coming year.

Putin made the call in a short speech broadcast on television just before the stroke of midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones.

As is tradition, the recorded message was followed by an image of the Kremlin Clock and the sound of its chimes. State TV showed footage of extensive festive fireworks in cities of the Far East.

But one holiday tradition is missing in Moscow this year - a picturesque layer of snow. The Russian capital has had an unusually warm December and temperatures in central Moscow as midnight approached were just above freezing.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's major cities greeted the new year with traditional fireworks. In Auckland, half a ton of fireworks burst from the Sky Tower above the city center.

New Zealanders appeared happy to be done with a year of national challenges, both natural and man-made.

On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.

SAMOA

In Samoa, New Year's Eve was more somber than usual. While fireworks erupted at midnight from Mount Vaea, overlooking the capital, Apia, the end of the year was a time of sadness and remembrance.

A measles epidemic in late 2019 claimed 81 lives, mostly children under 5.

More than 5,600 measles cases were recorded in the nation of just under 200,000. With the epidemic now contained, the Samoa Observer newspaper named as its Person of the Year health workers who fought the outbreak.

"We have experienced extreme sadness and sorrow," the newspaper said. "Since the first measles death, the pain has only deepened. But amidst much hopelessness and tears, we have also seen the best of mankind in this country's response."

LONDON

Londoners were making their way to the banks of the River Thames to jostle for position to watch a spectacular fireworks display launched from the London Eye and a series of barges near Parliament.

The familiar chimes of London's Big Ben clock tower will ring in the new year, even though they have been silent for most of 2019 because of extensive restoration work.

The massive London party will be matched or even exceeded by the multi-day Hogmanay New Years celebrations in Edinburgh, which began Monday night with a torchlight parade through the streets of the Scottish capital.

Security is tight in both cities, and at dozens of other festive gatherings in Britain, following an extremist attack on London Bridge that claimed two lives. Police arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offenses on Monday but said the arrests were not related to the London Bridge attack or to New Year's Eve celebrations.

JAPAN

People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year's of the Reiwa era.

Under Japan's old-style calendar, linked to emperors' rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor.

Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa's first New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan.

"We have a new era and so I am hoping things will be better, although 2019 was also a good year because nothing bad happened," said Masashi Ogami, 38, who ran a sweet rice wine stall at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo.

Other stalls sold fried noodles and candied apples, as well as little figures and amulets in the shape of mice, the zodiac animal for 2020. Since the Year of the Mouse starts off the Asian zodiac, it's associated with starting anew.

The first year of the new decade will see Tokyo host the 2020 Olympics, an event that is creating much anticipation for the entire nation.

___

INDONESIA

Tens of thousands of revelers in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta were soaked by torrential rains as they waited for New Year's Eve fireworks.

Festive events along coastal areas near the Sunda Strait were dampened by a possible larger eruption of Anak Krakatau, an island volcano that erupted last year just ahead of Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.

The country's volcanology agency has warned locals and tourists to stay 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the volcano's crater following an eruption Tuesday that blasted ash and debris up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air.

___

KIRIBATI

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was one of the first countries to welcome the new decade. The nation's 3,200 coral atolls are strewn more than 3 million square miles, straddling the equator.

As the new year begins, Kiribati finds itself on the front line of the battle against climate change, facing drought and rising sea levels.

In 2020, a project funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund and Kiribati's government brings hope of providing safe and climate-secure drinking water to the main island of Tarawa, which is home to most of the nation's 110,000 people.

___

SOUTH KOREA

Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.

Dignitaries ringing the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country's biggest TV stars in 2019.

The annual tolling of the "peace bell" at Imjingak park near the border with North Korea was canceled due to quarantine measures following an outbreak of African swine fever.

Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Happy New Year! Countries around the world welcome 2020 - KGO-TV

Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.

A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

AUSTRALIA

More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas ahead of the ringing in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

The 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney's iconic landmarks was delayed by 15 minutes due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.

New South Wales has copped the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.

Some communities have canceled New Year's fireworks celebrations, but Sydney Harbour's popular display was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban that is in place there and elsewhere to prevent new wildfires.

HONG KONG

Revelers as well as pro-democracy protesters flocked to sites across Hong Kong to usher in 2020.

The semi-autonomous Chinese city has toned down New Year's celebrations amid the monthslong demonstrations. The protests have repeatedly sparked pitched battles with police and have taken their toll on Hong Kong's nightlife and travel industries.

A fireworks display that traditionally lights up famed Victoria Harbor was canceled amid safety concerns, while some roads were closed and barriers set up in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district for crowd control.

RUSSIA

Russians began the world's longest continuous New Year's Eve with fireworks and a message from President Vladimir Putin urging them to work together in the coming year.

Putin made the call in a short speech broadcast on television just before the stroke of midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones.

As is tradition, the recorded message was followed by an image of the Kremlin Clock and the sound of its chimes. State TV showed footage of extensive festive fireworks in cities of the Far East.

But one holiday tradition is missing in Moscow this year - a picturesque layer of snow. The Russian capital has had an unusually warm December and temperatures in central Moscow as midnight approached were just above freezing.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's major cities greeted the new year with traditional fireworks. In Auckland, half a ton of fireworks burst from the Sky Tower above the city center.

New Zealanders appeared happy to be done with a year of national challenges, both natural and man-made.

On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.

SAMOA

In Samoa, New Year's Eve was more somber than usual. While fireworks erupted at midnight from Mount Vaea, overlooking the capital, Apia, the end of the year was a time of sadness and remembrance.

A measles epidemic in late 2019 claimed 81 lives, mostly children under 5.

More than 5,600 measles cases were recorded in the nation of just under 200,000. With the epidemic now contained, the Samoa Observer newspaper named as its Person of the Year health workers who fought the outbreak.

"We have experienced extreme sadness and sorrow," the newspaper said. "Since the first measles death, the pain has only deepened. But amidst much hopelessness and tears, we have also seen the best of mankind in this country's response."

LONDON

Londoners were making their way to the banks of the River Thames to jostle for position to watch a spectacular fireworks display launched from the London Eye and a series of barges near Parliament.

The familiar chimes of London's Big Ben clock tower will ring in the new year, even though they have been silent for most of 2019 because of extensive restoration work.

The massive London party will be matched or even exceeded by the multi-day Hogmanay New Years celebrations in Edinburgh, which began Monday night with a torchlight parade through the streets of the Scottish capital.

Security is tight in both cities, and at dozens of other festive gatherings in Britain, following an extremist attack on London Bridge that claimed two lives. Police arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offenses on Monday but said the arrests were not related to the London Bridge attack or to New Year's Eve celebrations.

JAPAN

People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year's of the Reiwa era.

Under Japan's old-style calendar, linked to emperors' rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor.

Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa's first New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan.

"We have a new era and so I am hoping things will be better, although 2019 was also a good year because nothing bad happened," said Masashi Ogami, 38, who ran a sweet rice wine stall at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo.

Other stalls sold fried noodles and candied apples, as well as little figures and amulets in the shape of mice, the zodiac animal for 2020. Since the Year of the Mouse starts off the Asian zodiac, it's associated with starting anew.

The first year of the new decade will see Tokyo host the 2020 Olympics, an event that is creating much anticipation for the entire nation.

___

INDONESIA

Tens of thousands of revelers in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta were soaked by torrential rains as they waited for New Year's Eve fireworks.

Festive events along coastal areas near the Sunda Strait were dampened by a possible larger eruption of Anak Krakatau, an island volcano that erupted last year just ahead of Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.

The country's volcanology agency has warned locals and tourists to stay 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the volcano's crater following an eruption Tuesday that blasted ash and debris up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air.

___

KIRIBATI

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was one of the first countries to welcome the new decade. The nation's 3,200 coral atolls are strewn more than 3 million square miles, straddling the equator.

As the new year begins, Kiribati finds itself on the front line of the battle against climate change, facing drought and rising sea levels.

In 2020, a project funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund and Kiribati's government brings hope of providing safe and climate-secure drinking water to the main island of Tarawa, which is home to most of the nation's 110,000 people.

___

SOUTH KOREA

Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.

Dignitaries ringing the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country's biggest TV stars in 2019.

The annual tolling of the "peace bell" at Imjingak park near the border with North Korea was canceled due to quarantine measures following an outbreak of African swine fever.

Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Happy 2020: Server at Michigan restaurant gets $2,020 tip - The Associated Press

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — The restaurant bill was $23. But the tip at a small-town restaurant in Michigan was much larger: $2,020.

“Things like this don’t happen to people like me,” server Danielle Franzoni told The Alpena News.

Franzoni, 31, got the tip while working Sunday at Thunder Bay River Restaurant in Alpena. The credit card receipt said “Happy New Year. 2020 Tip Challenge.”

Franzoni, a single mother, couldn’t believe the number, but her manager assured her the tip was legitimate.

She said she was living in a homeless shelter a year ago. Franzoni plans to use the money to reinstate her driver’s license and build savings.

“They don’t know nothing about my story. They don’t know where I’ve come from. They don’t know how hard it’s been,” Franzoni said of the couple who left the tip. “They’re really just doing this out of the kindness of their heart.”

Franzoni later went to a restaurant and left a $20.20 tip.

“That was my pay-it-forward,” she said, smiling. “I couldn’t do the other one.”

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Happy New Year! Countries around the world welcome 2020 - KABC-TV

Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.

A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

AUSTRALIA

More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas ahead of the ringing in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

The planned 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney's iconic landmarks was delayed by 15 minutes due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.

New South Wales has copped the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.

Some communities have canceled New Year's fireworks celebrations, but Sydney Harbour's popular display was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban that is in place there and elsewhere to prevent new wildfires.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's major cities greeted the new year with traditional fireworks. In Auckland, half a ton of fireworks burst from the Sky Tower above the city center.

New Zealanders saw off the old year without regret.

On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.

KIRIBATI

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was one of the first countries to welcome the new decade. The nation's 3,200 coral atolls are strewn more than 3 million square miles, straddling the equator.

As the new year begins, Kiribati finds itself on the front line of the battle against climate change, facing drought and rising sea levels.

In 2020, a project funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund and Kiribati's government brings hope of providing safe and climate-secure drinking water to the main island of Tarawa, which is home to most of the nation's 110,000 people.

SAMOA

In Samoa, New Year's Eve was more somber than usual. While fireworks erupted at midnight from Mount Vaea, overlooking the capital, Apia, the end of the year was a time of sadness and remembrance.

A measles epidemic in late 2019 claimed 81 lives, mostly children under 5.

More than 5,600 measles cases were recorded in the nation of just under 200,000. With the epidemic now contained, the Samoa Observer newspaper named as its Person of the Year health workers who fought the outbreak.

"We have experienced extreme sadness and sorrow," the newspaper said. "Since the first measles death, the pain has only deepened. But amidst much hopelessness and tears, we have also seen the best of mankind in this country's response."

JAPAN

People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year's of the Reiwa era.

Under Japan's old-style calendar, linked to emperors' rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor.

Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa's first New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan.

"We have a new era and so I am hoping things will be better, although 2019 was also a good year because nothing bad happened," said Masashi Ogami, 38, who ran a sweet rice wine stall at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, drawing a crowd of revelers.

Other stalls sold fried noodles and candied apples, as well as little figures and amulets in the shape of mice, the zodiac animal for 2020. Since the Year of the Mouse starts off the Asian zodiac, it's associated with starting anew.

The first year of the new decade will see Tokyo host the 2020 Olympics, an event that is creating much anticipation for the capital and the entire nation.

SOUTH KOREA

Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.

Dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country's biggest TV stars in 2019.

The annual tolling of the "peace bell" at Imjingak park near the border with North Korea was canceled due to quarantine measures following an outbreak of African swine fever.

Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Happy New Year! Countries around the world welcome 2020 - WABC-TV

Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.

A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

AUSTRALIA

More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas ahead of the ringing in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

The planned 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney's iconic landmarks was delayed by 15 minutes due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.

New South Wales has copped the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.

Some communities have canceled New Year's fireworks celebrations, but Sydney Harbour's popular display was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban that is in place there and elsewhere to prevent new wildfires.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's major cities greeted the new year with traditional fireworks. In Auckland, half a ton of fireworks burst from the Sky Tower above the city center.

New Zealanders saw off the old year without regret.

On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.

KIRIBATI

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was one of the first countries to welcome the new decade. The nation's 3,200 coral atolls are strewn more than 3 million square miles, straddling the equator.

As the new year begins, Kiribati finds itself on the front line of the battle against climate change, facing drought and rising sea levels.

In 2020, a project funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund and Kiribati's government brings hope of providing safe and climate-secure drinking water to the main island of Tarawa, which is home to most of the nation's 110,000 people.

SAMOA

In Samoa, New Year's Eve was more somber than usual. While fireworks erupted at midnight from Mount Vaea, overlooking the capital, Apia, the end of the year was a time of sadness and remembrance.

A measles epidemic in late 2019 claimed 81 lives, mostly children under 5.

More than 5,600 measles cases were recorded in the nation of just under 200,000. With the epidemic now contained, the Samoa Observer newspaper named as its Person of the Year health workers who fought the outbreak.

"We have experienced extreme sadness and sorrow," the newspaper said. "Since the first measles death, the pain has only deepened. But amidst much hopelessness and tears, we have also seen the best of mankind in this country's response."

JAPAN

People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year's of the Reiwa era.

Under Japan's old-style calendar, linked to emperors' rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor.

Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa's first New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan.

"We have a new era and so I am hoping things will be better, although 2019 was also a good year because nothing bad happened," said Masashi Ogami, 38, who ran a sweet rice wine stall at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, drawing a crowd of revelers.

Other stalls sold fried noodles and candied apples, as well as little figures and amulets in the shape of mice, the zodiac animal for 2020. Since the Year of the Mouse starts off the Asian zodiac, it's associated with starting anew.

The first year of the new decade will see Tokyo host the 2020 Olympics, an event that is creating much anticipation for the capital and the entire nation.

SOUTH KOREA

Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.

Dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country's biggest TV stars in 2019.

The annual tolling of the "peace bell" at Imjingak park near the border with North Korea was canceled due to quarantine measures following an outbreak of African swine fever.

Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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50 Moments in 2019 That Actually Made Us Happy - The Daily Beast

There were good things that happened in 2019. Really. 

I mean, a lot of horrible, disturbing, apocalyptic, humanity-in-crisis, extremely bad things happened, too. But there was a lot to celebrate, laugh at, laugh with, escape to, delight over, indulge in, cry (happy tears) about, and dance to. Things that made us feel something. Something good. 

At the end of the year for the last two years, we’ve called out on social media to Daily Beast readers and staffers. There’s so much focus on superlatives—The Best This, The Worst That—that we wondered what things just made us happy, forget about where they might rank on any list. Like last year, we were heartened by the response. 

The picks below are by no means an exhaustive list. In an uplifting twist, it would take more time than we have to include all of the year’s joyous, emotional moments you all singled out. Some are my personal choices. Some are suggestions from The Daily Beast newsroom. Some are from readers responding on social media, and many were recommended by all four. So here you are. Smile, friends.

Kelly Clarkson’s “Kellyoke” 

There are few pop-culture pleasures greater than Kelly Clarkson singing, well, anything. But it’s especially gratifying when she’s singing one of your favorite songs from your favorite artists better than they did in the first place. Her “Kellyoke” segments that kicked off each episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show were the daily hit of dopamine we needed this year.

Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers

The Nice Guy Summit we needed and deserved. 

J. Lo stripping to “Criminal” in Hustlers

Jennifer Lopez, at age 50, stripping to Fiona’s Apple “Criminal.” Bless everyone involved with this movie. 

The Other Two on Comedy Central

An absolutely hilarious series about aging millennial ennui, gay male insecurity, and the oppressive nature of the modern entertainment industry? That’s this well-written and acted? That also features Molly Shannon? In this climate? 

Lizzo’s Tiny Desk concert

Choosing a favorite moment of the last year from 2019’s reigning ray of musical sunshine and my pop-culture therapist is nearly impossible. But Lizzo’s “Tiny Desk Concert” appearance encapsulates everything that’s so great about her. The songs and the talent, stripped down to basics. The stage presence. And a canny ability to poke fun with reverence, in this case by welcoming us all to the “Tiny-ass Desk Concert.” 

The Hot Priest from Fleabag

Anything from Fleabag, really. The entirety of that dinner party premiere. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s jumpsuit. The therapy session with Fiona Shaw. Sian Clifford’s “I look like a pencil” haircut. But, really, it’s the Hot Priest that got us through the toughest parts of this year.

Wendy Williams not knowing what Fleabag is

The year’s best comedic timing is in this video. 

“Sorry to This Man” 

The circumstances behind the year’s greatest meme are as mundane as they are outrageous. Hustlers star Keke Palmer is shown a picture of Dick Cheney, doesn’t recognize him, and begins an unintentionally hilarious monologue about how she has no idea who he is. 

Daniel Craig’s accent in Knives Out

Turns out James Bond speaking like Foghorn Leghorn is an absolute delight. 

Billy Porter’s red carpet looks

10, 10, 10: 10s across the board. Every. Single. Time. 

Olivia Colman’s Oscar speech

All Oscar speeches from now on should include a floopy, spitty raspberry sound made with one’s tongue.

The brilliant performances in Booksmart

The first time I saw Booksmart, I thought the roof was going to explode off the theater, everyone was laughing so hard. 

Adrienne Warren’s finale concert in Tina

What Adrienne Warren manages in the final moments of the Broadway musical is a full-on summoning of Tina Turner, a feat of vocal and physical athleticism that is other-worldly. 

MEL magazine’s coverage of gay and Gen Z culture

No outlet is doing a better job surfacing and then explaining the curious phenomena of gay and Gen Z culture. Case in point: “The Problematic Legacy of Mr. Peanut, Gay Capitalist.” A blend of real, dogged reporting and irreverent humor? We stan. (Are kids these days still stanning?)

“June June Hannah”

I don’t know why spacey steward June Foster never, not once, answered her name when she was radioed on Bravo’s Below Deck: Mediterranean. But the exasperation of her boss Hannah Ferrier every time she called “June June Hannah” was never not hilarious. 

The kombucha meme

A woman tried kombucha for the first time, couldn’t decide if she liked it, and birthed the most versatile meme of the year. 

Megan Rapinoe 

Megan Rapinoe was alternately a walking (or kicking) protest, a lightning rod, a LGBTQ+ icon, and, above all, a badass athlete during the U.S. soccer team’s run to World Cup victory.

Moira Rose as a half-human, half-crow mutant on Schitt’s Creek

Catherine O’Hara is a national treasure. 

Every minute of Ma

“Ma, you fucking got me.” There has never been a truer line of dialogue. 

Megan Mullally singing “The Man That Got Away” 

Will & Grace has always been effective at halting the zany and bringing in the gravitas, but never more so than when Karen sang the Judy Garland torch song. 

This inexplicable blonde haircut 

Why do I find it so attractive? Help. 

Emma Thompson’s Late Night performance

Emma Thompson gets her own Devil Wears Prada showcase, and watching her deliver those tongue lashings is as gratifying as you could have dreamed. 

Forky introducing himself as “I’m Trash” in Toy Story 4

Relatable icon. 

The epilogue of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Did I cry? One of my favorite animated film franchises went full-on Born Free with its surprise final scene. Of course I did. 

The PEN15 girls

It was the most welcome surprise of the year to see Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s Hulu series, in which the 32-year-old creators, writers, and stars portray middle schoolers alongside actual prepubescent tweens, elevate itself from cute gimmick to one of the most profound, humorous, and empathetically human TV shows of the year.

Billy Eichner’s voice work in The Lion King

Eichner’s take on the animated meerkat as a neurotic existentialist turned out to be the highlight of The Lion King remake, and perhaps even one of the greatest voice performances of all time.

Tom and Greg on Succession

“You can’t make a Tomlette without breaking a few Greggs.” 

The Bon Appétit test kitchen videos

I can’t cook. I won’t cook. But I will watch 14 consecutive hours of TV shows and videos of professionals teaching me how to cook and not contemplate the absurdity of those three facts. The series of videos featuring staffers from Bon Appétit teaching everything from how to make a gourmet version of a Snickers to how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving dinner are my new obsessions.

Merritt Wever in Marriage Story

The Marriage Story cast is stacked with award-worthy performances. But the stealth MVP is Meritt Wever playing her specialty: comedic relief that is so rooted in recognizable pathos and humanity, her character becomes the most relatable in the project she’s in. 

Jennifer Garner’s delightful Instagram account

Truly the only celebrity worth following on Instagram.

Jennifer Hudson singing The Jeffersons theme 

Try watching this once and then not immediately watching it 75 more times after.

Ali Stroker winning a Tony Award 

In 2015, Ali Stroker became the first actress who uses a wheelchair to appear on the Broadway stage. This year, she won a Tony Award for playing Ado Annie in the horny revival of Oklahoma! If you did not immediately burst into tears when her name was called, seek therapy immediately.

Baby Yoda

Obviously.

Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler in good movies

Dolemite Is My Name? So good. Uncut Gems? Excellent. Who’d have guessed?

Laura Dern’s Big Little Lies monologues

Rage-filled catharsis snacks. 

Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe

An extremely charming cameo in an extremely charming romantic comedy.

The woman yelling at a cat meme

It’s always funny! 

The rise of Lil Nas X

An openly gay rapper went to No. 1 with a country song featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. The story is so pure and good I don’t even care that the song is garbage.

Jean Smart in Watchmen

My beloved Charlene Frazier-Stillfield gets some of the best reviews of her iconic career thanks to her turn as Laurie Blake in HBO’s Watchmen. 

“You were at my wedding, Denise...”

With this glorious clapback, Meghan McCain finally contributes something positive to the culture. 

The “Focus Group” sketch from I Think You Should Leave

“A good steering wheel that doesn’t fly off when you’re driving.” 

AOC’s rooftop dance video

A video of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing on a rooftop during her college days was pushed out by critics in an attempt to discredit her. It backfired, obviously, in its lunacy and pettiness. A woman once danced?! The horror!!! Besides, she’s got moves. 

Natasha Lyonne’s cockroach song on Russian Doll

An homage to the legendary way Lyonne pronounces the word “cockroach.” 

Bowen Yang’s Saturday Night Live breakout

The discourse surrounding Saturday Night Live is routinely exhausting. Invigorating, however? Bowen Yang’s breakout first year on the show, particularly the sketch he wrote and starred in with Harry Styles. “Must get rid of toxic in the community.” 

Little Nai Nai in The Farewell

I’ve watched The Farewell more times than any other movie this year. Each time, I laugh, I cry, and I grin from ear to ear every time Little Nai Nai is on screen. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

A romance novel about the First Son of the United States and the Prince of Wales falling in love on the best-seller list? Swoon. 

The Prom on Broadway

A joy from beginning to end. It closed far too soon, but a movie with Meryl Streep, James Corden, and Nicole Kidman is coming to Netflix. 

The @ridingincabswithboys Instagram

Former Daily Beast staffer Quinn Ryan’s hand-drawn illustrations depicting millennial life and modern relationships are reliably funny, sweet, observant, and fun. 

Winston Duke’s thighs 

The breakout stars of Us.

The Little Women cast eating Wendy’s 

The vibe I want to take with me into 2020.

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Editor's note: Happy New Error - News Maven

 One thing I have learned from journalism: Mistakes happen.

Humans (acting in our capacity as journalists) hear something wrong. Or we read a document that’s missing context. Or, well, pick a reason, any reason, and it’s clear why a story might end up as inaccurate.

But there is a protocol for a mistake. We find out what we did wrong and correct the story. Because the thing is we want every story to be perfect, to accurately reflect a greater truth.

And now the mistake. (You knew this was coming right?)

We have to correct a business error. A costly one at that. We work with a company called the Maven that produces our platform (what was formerly known as a “web site.”) A few months ago we started working on the technical capability to raise money through our platform. We wanted a button that makes it easy for readers to contribute to our enterprise.

The Maven has been collecting donations from our readers from the past month. Except one thing. Nothing ever happened. People filled out the forms, included their payment information, and then nothing. The data was never recorded.

Our readers’ contributions vanished. There was a missing link in the code so none of the donations were accepted, charged, or memberships credited.

We only learned about this because we kept asking, how many donors signed up in December? The answer was none.

We knew this was impossible. People we know told us that they had contributed. So over the weekend I did my own reporting: I filled out the form, entered my digits, and still nothing.

We have a problem. I know that readers care about Indian Country Today and are willing to donate funds to help us carry out our mission. So to have an error like this -- well I have no words. Except thank you and please try again (if you are so inclined.)

Here is a link that we know will work (offsite).

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ict

We will keep working with our partners at the Maven to create a better system. But we know that today it’s the end of the year -- so we wanted to let you know what was occuring. -- in case you wanted to donate again. (A huge ask, we know.)

Our goal still is to create a mechanism for multiple levels for contributions.

Ideally we want folks to be able to say, “damn, that was a good story … here’s $5.”

And we want a way for people to invest in our nonprofit organization with a membership.

Our levels of suggested support:

Members: $100 or $10 a month.

Legacy member: $1,000 or $100 a month.

The Phoenix Circle: $5,000 or more.

Thank you for any contribution. Our pages will always be free for our readers — so all support is a voluntary act.

We are sorry for the error in the donation process -- and we will make sure that it does not happen again.

Happy New Year. 

Mark Trahant

Editor, Indian Country Today

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Ivanka Trump is Speaking at CES 2020. Facebook Users Are Not Happy - Forbes

Happy birthday, Carson Wentz; you played great all year, not just the last four weeks | Marcus Hayes - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Carson Wentz turned 27 on this cold and rainy Monday.

As he petted his dog by his fireplace and reflected on the 12 months that passed, let’s hope he regarded his fourth NFL season as his best. It was.

Happy 6th B-Day to the best dog I could’ve dreamed of— Mama Henley!

Basically taught herself how to hunt (cuz I was the clueless trainer) & is always consistent and steady out in the field! She loves fetching ducks & snuggling on the couch equally.

Love this dog!

HBD 🎉👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/71FwfWNwpc

— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) January 1, 2019

Not just because the Eagles reached the playoffs with a four-game winning streak behind Wentz’s arm and inspired play from a herd of strays. He might have made a silk purse from these sows’ ears, but Wentz did not turn it on in Game 13, since that implies he never turned up for the first 12 games. It is a false narrative, and it ignores basic facts.

In fact, Wentz played superbly for almost all of 2019. He slumped in Games 10 and 11. He pressed against Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. He then played well in the first half of Game 12 at Miami, but hibernated until the second half of Game 13, against the Giants. That’s OK. Everybody presses. Everybody slumps. That’s sports.

Wentz might have had 12 bad quarters out of 64, but on the whole, his 2019 has been superb. Better than his 2017, when he’d have won the MVP if he didn’t blow out his knee in Game 13. Better than 2018, when his passer rating, at 102.2, was actually slightly better than his rating in 2017.

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He finished this season with a 93.1 rating, but set the franchise record with 4,039 passing yards — an incredible feat considering he finished Game 16 without 11 of his top 12 pass catchers: his top five receivers, his top five running backs, and his No. 1 target, tight end Zach Ertz. In the last 18 minutes of the season, Wentz had backup tight end Dallas Goedert, a converted college quarterback named Greg Ward, a tight end playing out of position named Josh Perkins, and a ferocious, 5-foot-6 Gimli delightfully named Boston Scott. He scored 24 points in those 18 minutes.

After four seasons and 56 games, Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft, is worth every penny of the 4-year, $128 million contract extension he signed in June.

Wentz has made good decisions and delivered accurate throws all season. He protected himself in the pocket by taking sacks and throwing the ball away, and he was judicious when he escaped the pocket — diving, sliding, running out of bounds. He’s healthy for the Seahawks’ visit because of it.

Carson Wentz made this throw....
On the run...
In pouring rain...
To yet another one of his practice squad WRs...
On his way to win 4 straight divisional games and the divisional title.

Case closed 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/fJmiHJKm0W

— Thomas R. Petersen 🦅 (@thomasrp93) December 30, 2019

The low point

It’s important to note these realities in this moment because the worst part of Wentz’s season coincided with the Seahawks’ visit in Game 11. He set a career high with four turnovers: two fumbles, two picks. He was nearly as bad the week before, against New England, when he took five sacks.

In both games Wentz was gun-shy and panicky. The team scored 10 points against the Patriots, who have the league’s best defense, then 9 against the Seahawks, who do not have the league’s best defense. If he plays like that Sunday, the Eagles’ season will end.

If he plays like he played in Games 1-9, it will not.

Wentz’s passer rating in the first nine games was 93.7, with 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions and a 62.7% completion rate despite his team ranking among the top three in dropped passes almost every week. He won in Green Bay, whose defense ranks ninth in points allowed, and at Buffalo, whose defense is No. 2; both are playoff teams. Wentz also beat the Bears at home — a Bears team that finished 8-8 and whose defense ranked fourth in points allowed, eighth in total yards allowed, and was in the playoff mix until losses to the Packers and Chiefs in Games 14 and 15 ended those chances.

Wentz’s passer rating in the last four games is 100.8, but those numbers came against the other three NFC East teams. The Giants and Washington rank in the bottom six among points allowed. All three teams are changing head coaches.

So yes, Wentz has been very good with second-tier weapons against pretty bad teams lately, but he also was very good against pretty good teams early, though with superior weapons. Then again, just how superior were those weapons?

Always missing pieces

Alshon Jeffery played hurt after Game 2, and Nelson Agholor first hurt his knee in Game 6, and DeSean Jackson wasn’t a factor after Game 1, so maybe his top receivers weren’t tip-top this season. His star tackles were in and out: Jason Peters missed Games 7, 8 and 9, and Lane Johnson missed Game 11. The running backs have been a constant mess, beginning with third-down weapon Darren Sproles after Game 5 and No. 1 back Jordan Howard since Game 9.

It’s understandable that, as Wentz’s teammates fell to injury, his ability to win with their understudies in the last four games makes it seem as if Wentz experienced some sort of epiphany. But Wentz was excellent long before the second half of the Giants’ Monday Night Football visit Dec. 9, and, upon further review, he excelled without a full complement of talent all season.

Further, it’s understandable that Wentz seems better now than ever because not only did he win with so much on the line and with so little surrounding him, but he also delivered the three signature throws of the season. Pick your favorite:

• His 24-yard touchdown to Josh Perkins on Sunday, a bullet across his body designed as a rollout right, thrown back left, that traveled (Pythagorean theorem) 47 yards in the air?
• His 41-yard rollout dart to Deontay Burnett (who was unemployed three weeks ago) that set up the go-ahead field goal Sunday?
• His 15-yard touchdown laser to running back Miles Sanders at Washington two weeks ago?

Wentz progressed, absolutely, but the progression lies less in mechanics than intangibles. He led two fourth-quarter comebacks. He won twice on the road.

Wentz still hasn’t won a playoff game, and that might not change Sunday. He will never shake the shadow of Nick Foles if he doesn’t win a Super Bowl.

But for a 27-year-old coming out of an FCS college who spent the last two playoff runs getting MRIs, this has been a splendid season, start to finish.

Not just the last four weeks.

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Happy and sad from the old year - Wisconsin State Farmer

opinion

John Oncken

Published 1:42 PM EST Dec 30, 2019

It’s been a long and slow process — corn and soybean harvest, that is — but the end is finally near, or in many cases here. The USDA Wisconsin field office says both crops were three weeks behind the five-year average and ranked behind only 1992 in terms of lateness of harvest dates.  

The planting season got off to a slow start with rains and cool temperatures keeping field work at a minimum. The 41.75 inches of precipitation recorded through November made 2019 the wettest year on record according to Joe Lauer, UW-Madison agronomist.  

Many alfalfa fields suffered from winter kill and then harvesting difficulties resulting in some loss of quality and quantity meaning possible shortages of forage for livestock. 

The wet fall also kept farmers out of the fields for traditional soil tillage which is probably a good thing, Lauer says. “No till or strip till is actually a better way to go and could shorten the time needed for spring tillage."

Finally done

On Dec. 23, I made an unscheduled stop at Klondike Farms grain storage facility near Brooklyn hoping to get some thoughts from Kevin Klahn about the cropping season. It happened that Dec. 23 was the final day of corn harvest. 

“We normally figure Thanksgiving as about the time we finish corn harvest, this year it was just two days before Christmas,“ Klahn says. “So, we were one holiday late.”  

Klondike Farms is a cash grain and custom farming operation centered in Brooklyn, WI  and owned by Kevin and Erika Klahn. Kevin was raised on a small family farm and purchased his first farm while attending the UW-Madison.  Erika oversees all the office operations, attends to customers needs and works hand in hand with Kevin in the business side of the operation. 

“Over time the operation has expanded with the growth of the cash grain segment utilizing custom farming (planting, tillage, harvest, and hauling for others) to expedite the business growth," Kevin summarizes.  

They grew

And, it has grown! The recently completed harvest included some 4,700 acres of their own corn and about 2,000 acres custom harvested and another 2,700 acres of soybeans.

In spite of all the media publicity about potential low corn yields because of the strange weather, Klahn figures his early planted corn (early June) will hit about 200 bushels per acre and that corn planted after the Klahns hosted the June Dairy Breakfast would average in the 170 bushel range. The soybeans averaged 50 - 80 bushels and again, depending on the weather, with the early planted beans yielding the highest. Kevin said he noted wide-ranging yields in the custom harvested fields again depending on the planting date. 

Corn yields in the 200 bushel range were unheard of just a couple decades ago and would have been considered near impossible and probably in the same class as a 30,000 pound dairy herd average which is not uncommon today.

Klahn runs three John Deere combines with a full-time group of 12 employees and an additional five part-time staff added during the busy times.

Klondike Farms has some 300,000 bushels of bin storage at the facility and stores another several thousand bushels on the ground. Much of this will be delivered to the ethanol plant at Jefferson in January, Klahn says.

Kevin suggested I contact another corn grower to check on the yield results and suggested Furseth Farms at Stoughton. Which I did.

Jay Furseth agreed that early corn planting was key this year and that on their 2,000 acres of corn the early planted (about 60%) varieties would probably run in the 200 bushel per acre range with the remaining 40% averaging  170 - 180 bushels. Their soybean yield probably averages in the 50 - 60 bushels per acre range.  Much of their corn will end up at the Jefferson ethanol plant, said Furseth.

One of top states

Wisconsin is one of the top corn-producing states in the nation. Farmers grow grain corn over approximately 3 million acres which has remained rather stable for many years.  Looking back to 2000, the  average corn for grain yield stood at 150 bushels per acre after moving up from 114 bushel in 1995.  In 2018, Grant led all counties in Wisconsin with a county average yield of 202.7 bushels per acre.  Lafayette (197.3),  Walworth (194.1), Dodge (191.6), and Iowa (190.4) counties rounded out the top five.  Eleven counties exceeded the 180 bushel per acre yield mark. The 2018 state corn yield stood at 172 bushels per acre.

As for soybeans, in 2018, 13 counties averaged over 50 bushels per acre, led by Grant County with a 64.6 bushel average; Lafayette (64.0), Dane (56.3), Rock (55.5), and Manitowoc (52.7) rounded out the top five yields. The state average stood at 46 bushels per acre. 

Technology, genetics and management continually pull grain yields higher with no end in sight, even in years like 2019 when the weather seldom cooperated. 

The finale

I first met Ed Knapton many years ago while picking U-pick strawberries at his small farm near Marshall and again a few years later doing the same thing at some land he had rented in east Madison.  

Knapton, a UW-Madison horticultural graduate then began building greenhouses near Cottage Grove under the name ”America's Best Flowers.” I wrote about his operation many years ago and we got to be friends and I watched his greenhouses grow in number and size. I think he ended up with some 110,000 square feet under glass and a second outlet in Edgerton.

Several years ago, Ed announced in his newsletter that he had been diagnosed with serious prostate cancer and that he would fight it in any way possible. And he did while remaining active in the business.  

Nov. 6, 2019

But as too often happens all his efforts failed and Ed died last Nov. 6.  Ed and his wife Carol had one daughter who lived elsewhere and was not involved with the flower business. They had tried to sell the business but that didn’t happen and after a short closeout sale both locations closed on Christmas Eve. Thus, after 41 years of providing flowers and garden supplies to so many for so long, America’s Best Flowers is now a part of local history but life continues on.

New Year 2020 offers each of us a new slate on which to write another chapter in our lives. 

Much luck and Happy, Happy New Year!

John Oncken is owner of Oncken Communications. He can be reached  at 608-572-0747, or e-mail him at jfodairy2@gmail.com.

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