IT’S the final week before Christmas arrives, and with some schools now breaking up and people using up their annual leave, there are plenty of free events to enjoy across England.

Whether you’re looking for something free to do with the kids or want to enjoy a bit of festive cheer yourself, there is something for everyone.

Don’t celebrate Christmas? Not to worry, there are things for you too.

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

This Sunday, December 21, the Winter Solstice will take place.

On the day, English Heritage provides free access to Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England to see the moment itself.

Parking must be pre-booked or there is a regular bus service from Salisbury city centre.

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Waterstones Christmas events

A number of Waterstones stores across the UK are hosting free Christmas events this week.

On December 17, head to Waterstones Newton Abbot in Devon or Newport on the Isle of Wight for some late night shopping with mulled wine and mince pies.

On December 18, a number of stores are running events including late night shopping at Waterstones Merry Hill, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield and Doncaster.

Also on December 18, you could head to Waterstones Exeter, Roman Gate, for a festive evening with appearances from Kate Lord Brown (author of The Golden Hour) and Alexandra Dawe (author The Stitchwort Curse), alongside the Global Harmony Choir.

Lowry 360, Manchester

Manchester has a new free immersive gallery experience, where visitors can immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of LS Lowry’s iconic painting, Going to the Match.

You do need to book tickets though, which also gives you access to Modern Life: The LS Lowry Collection and Quentin Blake and Me.

Tudor Christmas – the final Gresham College lecture

Gresham College lectures are free public talks in London, that have been running for over four centuries and cover a vast variety of topics.

The final lecture of the year will be all about how the Tudors celebrated 12 days of feasting, carols, gift giving and mischief under the Lord of Misrule.

If you cannot attend in person, there is also a livestream of the lecture.

It takes place on December 17, from 6pm to 7pm.

Carol Services

With it being the festive season, there are a number of free carol services across the UK.

For example, you could head to Toddler Carols at Bristol Cathedral, which is an informal carol service where “energy, noise, and movement that young children bring” is welcome.

The carol services take place on December 17 at 11am, 2pm and 3:30pm.

At Langham Place, in London, there will also be free All Souls Carols with Christmas punch and mince pies.

There’s no need to book, but it is recommended that if you want a seat, to turn up early.

The event will take place on December 18 at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, December 20 at 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm and on December 21 at 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7.30pm.

If you are looking for a free carol service near you, look at local churches websites and Christmas markets as these places often host a festive sing-song session.

Cotehele: Wassail! in Saltash, Cornwall

At the National Trust‘s Cotehele, there will be an annual Wassail this week, which is supposed to scare away evil spirits from the orchard to ensure a good harvest next year.

The event includes singing songs alongside a band and fancy dress is encouraged.

It takes place on December 20, 11am to 12:30pm.

Birmingham Xmas Reindeer Trail

In Birmingham city centre you can currently discover a Reindeer Trail including Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

Four of the reindeer have been given a refresh since last year, with new designs.

And there is even a Roy Wood I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day theme.

Visitors can find a trail map online, which can be downloaded and for kids there’s a game to find a hidden word.

On each reindeer there is a letter and when collected all together the letters spell out a word.

The free event runs until January 6, with reindeer spread across the city centre.

The Cosy Christmas Corner at Ikea Bristol

Ikea stores across the UK run a lot of events, most of which are free.

On Sunday, December 21, between 12pm and 4pm, head to Ikea Bristol and enjoy the Cosy Christmas Corner, where there will be storytelling.

You don’t need to book and when there, the Christmas Elf will share festive stories lasting 15 to 20 minutes a time.

The Austen Ball at the Bank of England

Head to the Bank of England in London on Thursday for The Austen Ball, which will be an evening inspired by the world of Jane Austen.

The event will transform the Stock Office into a grand ball, with a free historical dance workshop and silhouette portrait-making.

The event takes place on Thursday 18 December, from 5.15pm to 8pm.

Christmas in Comer Woods

Located at Dudmaston Estate, in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, there is a volunteer-led three mile walk through Sandilands.

Visitors can enjoy the coastal air as well as potentially see some local wildlife.

Volunteer-led walks will run from December 15 to 24, from 9am to 3pm each day.

Harland Miller at the Design Museum

There is a new display at the Design Museum in London showcasing paintings by the artist Harland Miller and it includes brand new work by the artist.

Visitors cam head to the museum between now and January 26 to see the canvases, which reflect on Miller’s time living in Los Angeles.

La Nativité at Bristol Cathedral

In Bristol, head to La Nativité on Monday, which will feature music, the smell of incense and be performed by candlelight.

And, for the first time in 18 months, the cathedral organ will be heard again following restoration.

Messiaen’s 1935 masterpiece will be played through the performance as well.

No charge or booking required and the show takes place on December 15, 7pm to 8:30pm.

For more inspiration on things to do with the kids over the festive period, a huge new waterpark has opened with 16 attractions and lazy river.

Plus, a huge movie and TV studios opening as top UK attraction next year – that lets you walk onto sets like EastEnders.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The high school football season has ended. That means it’s time for quarterbacks and others to transfer and lots of coach resignations and firings. Let’s examine the yearly ritual.

Change is coming

Welcome to December, when high school football programs start undergoing changes, with players and coaches deciding to come and go. JSerra, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany, Oaks Christian and Bishop Montgomery are private schools that pretty much got rid of their head coaches and have openings. Long Beach Poly, the most well-known public school in California, is advertising for a new coach after firing its coach following a season in which games were forfeited because of multiple ineligible players.

The question these days is what do principals/school presidents want from their football program besides winning and how do they want the coaches to execute that vision without breaking CIF rules?

Everyone knows recruiting is illegal as far as offering inducements to attend a school. There are no athletic scholarships allowed (wink, wink it’s called financial aid), Boosters and schools can’t set up NIL deals for players. Schools and boosters aren’t allowed to provide housing or jobs for parents as part of a deal for the child to attend.

In fact, many of these scenarios have been happening in the hope of chasing championships.

Whether it’s a public or private school, the people in charge must decide how high their ambitions are and how close to passing the gray line will they permit. People are starting to get caught. More than 40 students this season were declared ineligible by the Southern Section for providing false information on transfer paperwork. The players and their parents didn’t come out looking good and schools were equally at fault for failing to do their due diligence.

It’s OK for athletic directors to say no on transfers that look suspicious, but who’s really going to say no to a top quarterback? There’s nothing wrong with switching schools as long as rules are followed. Taking shortcuts with fake addresses and having assistants scout and make contact through parents, players or social media doesn’t pass muster.

So all the schools changing coaches and trying to rebuild or avoid rebuilding through the transfer portal, beware. The tricks of the trade are being exposed. AI is helping uncover cheaters. Maybe administrators should start offering a vision to focus on building a program from within and developing your own players.

Anyway, prepare for transferring to commence. It’s has become a rite of passage in high school sports, just like the college transfer portal.

State championships

Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita holds the CIF state championship Open Division trophy after beating De La Salle.

(Craig Weston)

Santa Margarita was unbeatable in the postseason, so much that first-year coach Carson Palmer said he wished his team could keep playing after the Eagles’ 47-13 win over De La Salle in the CIF state championship Open Division final. Here’s the report.

It was a tough weekend for Southern Section teams not named Santa Margarita. Oxnard Pacifica lost to Fresno Central East 42-28 in the 1-A final. Here’s the report.

Rio Hondo Prep’s dream of a 16-0 season ended with a 35-10 loss to Sonora in the 2-A final. Here’s the report.

Barstow was the only other Southern Section team to win a state title.

Here’s the complete results.

Boys basketball

Rancho Verde players get excited during tournament game against Etiwanda.

(Nick Koza)

Lots of teams are headed to Las Vegas this week for the Tarkanian Classic while others are taking trips to Hawaii.

Continuing to make a move is unbeaten Etiwanda, which won the North Orange County tournament championship, beating Heritage Christian in the final. The real event was Etiwanda and coach Danny Ryan facing Rancho Verde and coach Braydon Bortolamedi in the semifinals. Both trained under former Etiwanda coach Dave Kleckner, so their teams were using identical warm-up routines and focusing on Kleckner’s philosophy, defense first. Etiwanda won 63-57.

Mater Dei picked up the 1,300th win in the career of coach Gary McKnight.

Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood gets emotional with his grandfather, Kenneth, and mother Irene, after setting career scoring record against Beverly Hills.

(Nick Koza)

Inglewood guard Jason Crowe Jr. set a state record for most points scored in a career. Here’s a report.

St. John Bosco won its own tournament championship behind MVP Christian Collins, who scored 30 points in a win over La Mirada. The Braves are 8-0.

Freshman Will Conroy of Village Christian scored 38 points in a win over Chatsworth.

Grant Shaw, the son of Oak Park coach Aaron Shaw, made a game-winning basket to beat Agoura. Here’s the report.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Girls basketball

Jerzy Robinson, one of the top players in the state, made her season debut for Sierra Canyon last week after being sidelined with an injury.

Sage Hill, one of the top programs in the Southern Section, has replaced coach Kerwin Walters, sending shock waves through the coaching profession. It was first reported by the Orange County Register.

Running on the street

A car driven by a suspected driver under the influence slammed into and injured seven Anaheim High runners going out on a training session near campus last week.

It raised questions once again about high school athletes and others training on the streets of Southern California.

Here’s a look at one former athlete who was struck by a car when he was at Monroe High and how he views this latest incident.

Soccer

Loyola knocked off Cathedral in a battle of downtown Los Angeles boys soccer programs. Here’s the report.

Amber Ramirez had two goals as Cleveland defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2-0 in a big girls soccer match.

Notes . . .

Vinnie Lopez is the new football coach at Anaheim Canyon. He has lots of head coaching experience, including at Garden Grove Pacifica. . . .

After eight years as football coach at Oaks Christian, Charlie Collins and the school have parted ways. It creates another private-school opening that includes JSerra, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany and Bishop Montgomery. . . .

Todd Butler has resigned after five seasons as football coach at West Torrance to become offensive coordinator at El Camino College. . . .

Michael Calahan has resigned after six seasons as football coach at Aliso Niguel. . . .

Arlin Slayton has resigned as football coach at Rosemead. . . .

Harvard-Westlake’s power-hitting Jake Kim has committed to UCLA. He’s from the class of 2027. . . .

Junior pitcher Aiden Rae of JSerra has committed to UCLA. . . .

La Salle girls basketball player Casey Higgins has committed to Cal State Los Angeles. . . .

The All-CIF girls volleyball teams were announced. Here’s the link. . . .

There will be an all-star football game on Saturday at Simi Valley High. Here’s the information.

Former Los Alamitos receiver Makai Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver playing for USC.

From the archives: Jeff Kent

Former Dodger and Edison grad Jeff Kent was voted into the Hall of Fame by era committee.

(Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

The newest member of baseball’s Hall of Fame is Jeff Kent, who graduated from Edison High in Huntington Beach in 1986, went to Cal, then played 17 years in the major leagues.

Here’s a story from 1986 in which Kent got dropped from Edison when he disagreed with a position change.

Here’s a story from 1992 when Kent addressed his Edison days.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on a 6-foot-11 high school basketball player who reclassified trying to speed up a potential NBA career.

From the Seattle Times, a story on a high school football player who led his team to a state championship but might have hurt his college chances by playing running back instead of linebacker in a selfless decision.

From the Washington Post, a story on how self promotion in high school sports has become part of the recruiting experience.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

FOR these streets across the UK, it’s Christmas all-year round.

From mentions of Santa’s reindeer to the festive day itself, Sun Travel has found some of the most Christmassy road names from all over the UK.

Christmas Pie Avenue, Guildford

This one takes the biscuit (or pie), really. You can’t get more festive than Christmas Pie Avenue.

Found in the village of Normandy in Surrey, the residential street, Christmas Pie Avenue, sits in the south of the village close to Wanborough Station.

The little village has a shop, café and there’s plenty of countryside too, with the closest towns being Farnborough and Guildford.

Talking to SurreyLive, Jack Kinder, vice chairman of the Normandy Historians, said: “The name comes from the family of Christmas who were prominent landowners in the 17th and 18th century.

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“The Pie part comes from the Saxon word pightle – meaning a field. There was, up until the houses were built around in the 1950s, a field called Pie Field – a triangle field near the crossroads.”

Rudolph Street, Bolton

Seven minutes from the town of Bolton is Rudolph Street.

It’s residential with around 15 addresses, so apart from houses, there’s not much going on here.

Of course, just minutes away is a whole other story with plenty to do in Bolton, from exploring the Jumbles Country Park to Smithills Open Farm.

There are also plenty of museums, like the Bolton Steam Museum, the art gallery and huge market on Ashburner Street.

There are lots of pubs too, like Pine Tree Farm, Red Lion and Elephant and Castle, which are some of the highest-rated on Tripadvisor.

Dasher Gardens, Ardrossan

Another reindeer-inspired street name is found in Ardrossan, a town on the North Ayrshire coast of Scotland.

Santa of course has nine reindeer, but this one is named after Dasher.

The little cul-de-sac sits just off Dalry Road and is minutes from the coast, where you’ll find the historical landmark of Ardrossan Castle – or rather, what’s left of it.

Across the bay is the Isle of Arran, which one Sun writer described as being ‘Scotland in Miniature’.

The little island has mountains, rolling hills and sandy beaches.

There’s a new sauna on the island too, called Stonethrow, which is right on the sand and is great for having a steam before plunging into the chilly water.

Tinsel Lane, Nuneaton

Just outside of the market town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire is a street called Tinsel Lane.

Despite its festive name, there won’t be many lights on this one, as it’s a country lane surrounded by rolling green fields.

Nonetheless, if you’re ticking off spots with Christmassy names in the UK, you really can’t leave this one off the list.

As for what to do in the town, popular attractions, Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery, historic Arbury Hall, and Hartshill Hayes Country Park.

Mistletoe Street, Durham

Heating up the romance at Christmas is the mistletoe, and this road is named after it.

Found in Durham, Mistletoe Street is minutes away from the city centre and is filled with red-brick houses.

To make it even more festive, the street right behind it is named Holly Street, so it makes for two Christmassy corners.

Durham itself is known for its top university, huge cathedral, historic cobbled streets and the River Wear.

There’s also an open-air museum called Beamish, which was a hit with Countryfile presenter Matt Baker.

Talking to Sun Travel earlier this year, he said: “It’s the best open-air museum in the world, without question.

“Basically what they do is take down buildings in the North East and put them back up at Beamish, and go around on all old trams, there’s old villages, farms – you can even stay there now and have a historic stay over at Beamish.

“It’s like Disney World for history buffs – that’s the only way I can describe it. You get transported back in time, it’s a proper immersive experience.”

Cold Christmas Lane, Hertfordshire

In Hertfordshire is Cold Christmas Lane, which leads to a hamlet called Cold Christmas in Thundridge.

While the name is very festive, there isn’t much Christmas cheer about it.

In fact quiet bleakly, the name  ‘Cold Christmas’ refers to a period of high child mortality during harsh winters.

However, just around the corner is the Hertfordshire town of Ware, which is all dressed up for Christmas, and there you’ll find plenty of pubs, like the Waterside Inn by the river.

There are also independent coffee spots, shops, and florists.

Angel Lane, Chipping Campden

The Cotswolds are known for their beauty, so it’s not too much of a surprise that you’ll find one of the prettiest street names there – Angel Lane.

Houses on Angel Lane are just as you’d imagine, made from the classic Cotswold stone and have plenty of countryside character.

If you fancy a plot on Angel Lane then you’ll have to pay a premium as the average property price is over £600,000.

Of course, the village itself is worth a gander too, with a preserved High Street from the 14th to 17th century.

Here there are gift shops like Dandelion as well as The Bantam Tea Rooms & Guest House and the Bromley’s of Cotswolds coffee shop.

For more on Christmas, this popular UK attraction with the tallest Christmas tree in the WORLD – and they need a crane to decorate it.

Plus, the UK holiday lodge where you are ‘guaranteed snow’ at Christmas with private hot tub and tree decorating.

Dec. 15 (UPI) — Incoming spy chief Blaise Metreweli will use her first speech as head of MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence service, to warn of the grave threat from Russia, particularly from its use of hybrid warfare.

The agency’s first woman head was set to warn of what she called “an acute threat posed by an aggressive, expansionist and revisionist Russia” and that its use of cyberattacks and drones meant “the frontline was everywhere.”

Metreweli, who took over from the outgoing “C,” Sir Richard Moore, on Oct. 1, will detail incidents of hacking and flying of drones near vital infrastructure by Russian proxies as examples of its use of hybrid tactics.

Russia has been waging this type of low-grade war on Ukraine‘s Western allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to analysts, flying drones into NATO airspace neighboring Ukraine, disrupting flights by allegedly flying drones near European airports and cutting undersea cables.

In Britain, this has included recruiting Britons to spy for it, allegedly paying individuals to carry out an arson attack on a factory in London owned by Ukrainians and pointing lasers at RAF jets tracking Russian spy ships.

Speaking at MI6 HQ in central London, Metreweli was expected to vow Britain would not let up its campaign to impede Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine, noting recent sanctions imposed on Russian organizations and individuals the government believes were involved in information warfare.

“The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement; and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus,” she is expected to say.

As expected, Metreweli, who previously served as MI6’s technology and innovation lead, made famous by the character “Q” in the James Bond movie franchise, will stress the key role technology must play going forward.

She will urge intelligence officers to become technology experts “not just in our labs, but in the field, in our tradecraft.”

“We must be as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python [the computer progamming language] as we are in multiple languages.”

In September, MI6 launched Silent Courier, a secure messaging platform on the dark web, enabling spies to anonymously upload information useful to British intelligence from anywhere in the world. A YouTube video tutorial accompanied the launch.

Britain was, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “bolstering their efforts with cutting-edge tech so MI6 can recruit new spies for the United Kingdom — in Russia and around the world.”

The service also carried the following disclaimer from the Foreign Office.

“MI6 advises individuals accessing its portal to use trustworthy VPNs and devices not linked to themselves, to mitigate risks which exist in some countries.

“Do not use a name, phone number or other data linked to your real identity when creating this account,” it added.

ARE you a “Just-in-case Jetsetter” or a “Chill Improviser” when it comes to travelling abroad?

A new travel quiz aims to uncover what type of traveller you are, by asking a series of trip-related questions.

Other outcomes include “The master planner” and “The social explorer”.

It comes after a poll of two thousand adults who go on holiday revealed Brits’ biggest travel blunders including getting lobster red sunburn (26 per cent).

Going exploring and winding up completely lost (24 per cent) and spilling my drink all over myself or even an unsuspecting stranger (14 per cent) also made the list of blush inducing mishaps.

Misreading a menu and ordering something unexpected (12 per cent) and accidently boarding the wrong train or bus (nine per cent) also made the top 30 list.

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The study was commissioned by ibis to support the launch of its new social media miniseries, the Go Getters.

Jean-Yves Minet, global brand president of ibis, said:  “Everyone travels differently. Some people prepare for every possibility, and others prefer to go with the flow – but no matter your style, the odd mishap is part of the experience and the story you tell when you get home.

“This research shows just how universal those moments are.

“We focus on making travel feel simple and stress-free, whether you’re the spontaneous type, or somewhere in the middle.

“What matters most is feeling confident on the move and being able to enjoy the journey, even when it does not quite go to plan. Sometimes the magic is in the mayhem – it certainly makes for the best story.”

The research found as many as 86 per cent have experienced some kind of mishap on holiday, with 11 per cent experiencing a mishap during most or all of their trips.

And while 68 per cent said other people had had a little laugh at their blunders, 77 per cent did manage to see the funny side too eventually.

When a holiday blunder strikes, 44 per cent would try to fix it, while 22 per cent said they would laugh it off straight away.

But while 56 per cent think a few travel dramas are all part of the adventure, 77 per cent believe they are pretty good at planning to avoid them in the first place.

Buying travel insurance (56 per cent), triple checking their passport is there (48 per cent) and continually applying sun cream (43 per cent) were among the key hacks to avoid disaster.

Followed by double checking the locks and keys (36 per cent), packing a first aid kit (31 per cent) and keeping a watchful eye on the weather forecast (30 per cent).

The research, carried out via OnePoll, also revealed 31 per cent want to travel more in 2026 than they did this year, with 35 per cent claiming the experience is more important than just ticking somewhere off their list.

When it comes to planning these trips, they prioritise location (61 per cent), as well as price (59 per cent) and reviews (44 per cent).

While 64 per cent think the key to affordable travel means getting the best value for money and smart planning and budgeting (40 per cent).

Jean-Yves added: “Everyone has had a moment on holiday that didn’t quite go to plan.

“These findings show just how common they are, and how quickly most people turn them into moments of connection, laughter and shared stories.”

FORKS at the ready and bosh – Big John is hosting a lavish feast to remember.

The Instagram foodie, who rose to fame for eating Chinese takeaways, is putting new flavours to the test this Christmas by bringing the best of the Spanish and Great British festive food together.

It included the jambon, a traditional part of the Spanish Christmas dinner, which went down a treat with the influencer, whereas he said the British staple of Brussels sprouts can ‘do one’.

The meal was completed with Pastas de España, as well as classic British turkey.

But now, John has claimed he is a changed man and will add a bit of Spanish to his Christmas meal every time.

The spread featuring both nation’s Christmas classics to celebrate the El Gordo Lottery – which is the biggest lottery in the world.

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A spokesperson for Lottoland.co.uk, which commissioned the survey ahead of the £2.4 billion El Gordo Christmas lotto draw, said: “It’s so exciting to bring the Spanish tradition to the UK in the tastiest way possible and who better to work with than Big John…BOSH.

“We are so glad he approves of the traditional Spanish food and has given his stamp of approval.

“Although his feedback wasn’t as glowing for the Brussels sprouts.”

It comes after research of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas found six in 10 would like to mark the event in another country to escape holiday stress at home or avoid a British washout.

And 53 per cent of those would like to make new memories in a totally different setting.

While 45 per cent want to enjoy festive food from another cuisine and 31 per cent would meet up with pals who already live abroad.

With the USA, Australia and Spain among the top international destinations where people would love to spend December 25, along with Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

But 40 per cent would like to try out the Japanese tradition of tucking into mountains of KFC on Christmas Day, rather than a typical roast.

Despite a desire to head overseas to celebrate, 76 per cent of those polled said a British Christmas dinner is still the best thing a person can possibly eat on December 25.

But if they did celebrate the day away from home, 67 per cent would be likely to try a local festive dish.

A quarter (25 per cent) would be most curious to try the Feast of Seven Fishes served in Italy, while almost one in 10 (eight per cent) fancy the taste of mantecados – shortbread – served in Spain.

However, 48 per cent would miss the classic meal with all the trimmings, while 31 per cent would feel strange not seeing all the familiar TV specials and festive programming.

And despite moaning about the UK weather, 27 per cent would miss a cold, crisp winter climate if they went somewhere warmer.

As 43 per cent believe Christmas is not ‘complete’ without a cosy festive jumper, according to the OnePoll.com data.

Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) would be open to adopting totally new festive traditions if they did go away for the big day.

And they would most want to capture that feeling of togetherness (32 per cent), while 20 per cent would aim for excitement and 16 per cent nostalgia.

Lottoland.co.uk’s spokesperson added: “Spending Christmas abroad offers a fresh perspective on the season.

“Whether it’s swapping snow for sunshine or discovering new festive traditions, there’s something magical about experiencing the holiday through a different cultural lens.

“If you like to spend your Christmas in the UK, it’s not too hard to do a quick online search to find a new tradition from Madrid to Perth and incorporate it into your own festivities.

“But wherever you celebrate, being with the people you love, or at least connected to them, is truly the most important thing.”

Tesla’s board of directors has earned more than $3 billion through stock awards since 2004, an amount that dwarfs compensation at other major U.S. technology firms. CEO Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal has earned nearly $1 billion, while director Ira Ehrenpreis collected $869 million and board chair Robyn Denholm $650 million. Most of these windfalls came from stock options that appreciated dramatically as Tesla’s share price soared.

Why It Matters
The outsized compensation raises questions about corporate governance and board independence. Experts argue that such high pay could compromise directors’ ability to objectively oversee Tesla and Musk, as a large portion of their wealth is tied to stock performance rather than cash. Critics also note that Tesla is one of the few major firms where directors are paid predominantly in options rather than shares, magnifying upside potential with limited downside risk.

Stock Option Controversy
Tesla directors have received compensation primarily through stock options, rather than shares. This practice allows them to profit if Tesla’s stock rises without incurring losses if it falls, unlike restricted stock which better aligns interests with shareholders. Between 2018 and 2024, Tesla directors averaged $1.7 million annually despite suspending pay for four years, more than double the average of Meta directors, the next highest-paid among the “Magnificent Seven” tech companies.

Legal and Governance Issues
Tesla’s board suspended new stock grants in 2021 following a shareholder lawsuit alleging excessive pay. The board has also faced scrutiny in a Delaware court over Musk’s 2018 compensation package, with the judge ruling that excessive pay and personal ties compromised CEO-pay negotiations. The board proposed a new pay package for Musk in 2024 potentially worth $1 trillion in Tesla stock over the next decade.

Stakeholders include Tesla’s board members, CEO Elon Musk, shareholders, corporate-governance experts, and the wider investment community. Oversight and accountability are central concerns, as compensation structures can influence board decisions and shareholder trust.

Comparison With Tech Peers
Other major tech firms like Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Nvidia (“Magnificent Seven”) have also seen stock-based wealth increases for directors, but none have granted awards as concentrated or directly tied to board service as Tesla. Lifetime earnings for Tesla directors far exceed peers when factoring in appreciated stock value.

What’s Next
Governance experts suggest reforms such as paying directors in restricted stock rather than options, and greater shareholder oversight of compensation plans. Tesla’s board must navigate the delicate balance of incentivising directors while maintaining independence in overseeing Musk and the company. Legal proceedings and shareholder scrutiny over Musk’s latest pay package are ongoing and may influence future board compensation practices.

Additional Considerations
The analysis raises broader questions about tech-sector governance, the risks of incentive structures tied to stock performance, and the potential misalignment between directors’ personal wealth and long-term shareholder interests. Tesla’s board, given its outsized compensation, will remain a focus for regulators and investors alike.

With information from an exclusive Reuters report.

HOME And Away star Rachael Carpani shared a tragic post detailing her health struggles before her sudden death.

The Australian actress, 45, died after “a long battle with a chronic illness”, according to her heartbroken parents.

In 2021, she was rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering from acute abdominal pain.

The issues caused Carpani, also known for her role in hit Aussie TV show McLeod’s Daughters, to even spend a few days in an intensive care unit before she was taken in for surgery.

She wrote at the time: “I was admitted to emergency with acute abdominal pain just over a week ago and spent a few days in the ICU.

“Was then moved to the surgical ward.”

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Carpani said the pain had existed for some time before her issues severely worsened all of a sudden.

She added: “Basically it was a case of me not listening to my body and the pain [I tend to work through pain!] and allowing myself to get quite ill.”

She urged all her followers to always take note of any health woes and to get them checked out as soon as possible.

In a now heartbreaking post from last year, Carpani shared images of herself posing for a photoshoot following a bout of surgery.

Alongside the smiling images, Carpani explained: “My first time back in front of a camera for a photoshoot two days ago.

“No hospital gown, no awesome surgery socks ….[have to admit I miss the comfort].”

It is unclear what surgery the actress was recovering from at the time.

In June 2023, Carpani also underwent surgery on her eyes.

She wrote on Instagram: “After a life with horrific short-sightedness, wearing glasses from the age of 5, I bit the bullet and got ‘eyeball’ surgery.”

She later confirmed it was phakic intraocular lense replacement which is a vision correction surgery where a permanent artificial lens is implanted in the eye.

In an emotional statement, the star’s parents announced her shock passing.

They said: “It is with great sadness that Tony and Gael Carpani announce that their beautiful daughter, beloved Australian actress Rachael Carpani, unexpectedly but peacefully passed away after a long battle with chronic illness.”

She passed away on December 7 in the early hours of the morning.

Her family has said the funeral will be a “private event”.

Carpani was best known for her role as Jodi Fountain in the hit early 2000s series, McLeod’s Daughters.

She appeared on the show between 2001 and 2009 and earned two Logie nominations for her on-screen performance.

The Logies are Australia’s annual awards for television, celebrating Australian TV shows and personalities.

In 2007, Rachael was nominated for a Silver Logie for most popular actress, as well as the biggest award of the night, the Gold Logie.

She had also appeared in a number of films, including The Very Excellent Mr Dundee, Hating Alison Ashley and The Way Back.

More recently, she had a recurring role in hit Aussie soap Home and Away, playing Claudia Salini, an on-screen villain.

SACRAMENTO — It turns out Proposition 50 smacked California Republicans with a double blow heading into the 2026 congressional elections.

First, there was the reshaping of House districts aimed at flipping five Republican-held seats to Democrats.

Now, we learn that the proposition itself juiced up Democratic voter enthusiasm for the elections.

Voter enthusiasm normally results in a higher casting of ballots.

It’s all about the national battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives — and Congress potentially exercising its constitutional duty to provide some checks and balance against the president. Democrats need a net pickup of only three seats in November’s elections to dethrone Republicans.

President Trump is desperate to keep his GOP toadies in power. So, he has coerced — bullied and threatened — some red-state governors and legislatures into rejiggering Democratic-held House seats to make them more Republican-friendly.

When Texas quickly obliged, Gov. Gavin Newsom retaliated with a California Democratic gerrymander aimed at neutralizing the Lone Star State’s partisan mid-decade redistricting.

California’s counterpunch became Proposition 50, which was approved by a whopping 64.4% of the state’s voters.

Not only did Proposition 50 redraw some GOP-held House seats to tinge them blue, it stirred up excitement about the 2026 elections among Democratic voters.

That’s the view of Mark Baldassare, polling director for the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. And it makes sense. Umpteen millions of dollars were spent by Newsom and Proposition 50 backers advertising the evils of Trump and the need for Democrats to take over the House.

A PPIC poll released last week showed a significant “enthusiasm gap” between Democratic and Republican voters regarding the House contests.

“One of the outcomes of Proposition 50 is that it focused voters on the midterm elections and made them really excited about voting next year,” Baldassare says.

At least, Democrats are showing excitement. Republicans, not so much.

In the poll, likely voters were asked whether they were more enthusiastic than usual about voting in the congressional elections or less enthusiastic.

Overall, 56% were more enthusiastic and 41% less enthusiastic. But that’s not the real story.

The eye-opener is that among Democrats, an overwhelming 72% were more enthusiastic. And 60% of Republicans were less enthusiastic.

“For Democrats, that’s unusually high,” Baldassare says.

To put this in perspective, I looked back at responses to the same question asked in a PPIC poll exactly two years ago before the 2024 elections. At that time, Democrats were virtually evenly split over their enthusiasm or lack of it concerning the congressional races. In fact, Republicans expressed more enthusiasm.

Still, Democrats gained three congressional seats in California in 2024. So currently they outnumber Republicans in the state’s House delegation by a lopsided 43 to 9.

If Democrats could pick up three seats when their voters weren’t even lukewarm about the election, huge party gains seem likely in California next year. Democratic voters presumably will be buoyed by enthusiasm and the party’s candidates will be boosted by gerrymandering.

“Enthusiasm is contagious,” says Dan Schnur, a former Republican operative who teaches political communication at USC and UC Berkeley. “If the party’s concentric circle of committed activists is enthusiastic, that excitement tends to spread outward to other voters.”

Schnur adds: “Two years ago, Democrats were not motivated about Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. Now they’re definitely motivated about Donald Trump. And in order to win midterm elections, you need to have a motivated base.”

Democratic strategist David Townsend says that “enthusiasm is the whole ballgame. It’s the ultimate barometer of whether my message is working and the other side’s is not working.”

The veteran consultant recalls that Democrats “used to go door to door handing out potholders, potted plants, refrigerator magnets and doughnuts trying to motivate voters.

“But the best turnout motivator Democrats have ever had in California is Donald J. Trump.”

In the poll, 71% of voters disapproved of the way Trump is handling his job; just 29% approved. It was even worse for Congress, with 80% disapproving.

Among Democratic voters alone, disapproval of Trump was practically off the chart at 97%.

But 81% of Republicans approved of the president.

Among voters of all political persuasions who expressed higher than usual enthusiasm about the House elections, 77% said they‘d support the Democratic candidate. Also: 79% said Congress should be controlled by Democrats, 84% disapproved of how Congress is handling its job and 79% disapproved of Trump.

And those enthused about the congressional elections believe that, by far, the most important problem facing the nation is “political extremism [and] threats to democracy.” A Democratic shorthand for Trump.

The unseemly nationwide redistricting battle started by Trump is likely to continue well into the election year as some states wrestle with whether to oblige the power-hungry president and others debate retaliating against him.

Sane politicians on both sides should have negotiated a ceasefire immediately after combat erupted. But there wasn’t enough sanity to even begin talks.

Newsom was wise politically to wade into the brawl — wise for California Democrats and also for himself as a presidential hopeful trying to become a national hero to party activists.

“Eleven months before an election, nothing is guaranteed,” Schnur says. “But these poll numbers suggest that Democrats are going to start the year with a big motivational advantage.”

Trump is the Democrats’ proverbial Santa who keeps on giving.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Kristi Noem grilled over L.A. Purple Heart Army vet who self-deported
The TK: Newsom expresses unease about his new, candid autobiography: ‘It’s all out there’
The L.A. Times Special: A Times investigation finds fraud and theft are rife at California’s county fairs

Until next week,
George Skelton

—
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Dec. 15 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. officials in Berlin on Monday in an effort to reach a consensus on what any peace deal with Russia should look like.

The European leaders, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has yet to confirm his attendance, will seek to negotiate an alternative to the U.S.-Russia plan currently on the table with a stronger deal for Ukraine with better protections for its security.

The talks will also attempt to keep afloat an EU-brokered agreement to loan Ukraine some of the $246.7 billion of Russia’s assets frozen in European banks and other institutions to help it defend itself and take “forward peace talks from a position of strength,” amid mounting opposition to the plan.

The meeting follows five hours of talks on Sunday between Zelensky and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the Federal Chancellery that Witkoff said were productive and would resume on Monday.

“Representatives held in-depth discussions regarding the 20-point plan for peace, economic agendas, and more. A lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning,” Witkoff posted on X on Sunday evening.

Zelensky was reported to have dropped demands for NATO membership, if it was what was required to end the war, in exchange for a bilateral defense agreement with the United States similar to an Article 5-like guarantee, along with other guarantees from Ukraine’s European partners.

Article 5 is a cast-iron guarantee, a collective defense principle enshrined in NATO’s constitution under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all members and triggers an obligation for each member to come to its defense.

Following the initial discussions on Monday, Merz’s spokesman confirmed the group would be widened to include “numerous European heads of state and government, as well as the leaders of the EU and NATO.”

The diplomatic focus will shift to Brussels on Thursday when the leaders of all 27 EU nations converge on the Belgian capital for a meeting of the European Council with Ukraine and European security topping the agenda.

Council President Antonio Costa said the summit would address how best to continue defending Europe’s interests and how to “strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position,” a key element of which necessitated “increased pressure on Russia.”

Costa said that having already committed to providing for Ukraine’s urgent financial needs for 2026-2027, including funding for its military and defense, it was now time to decide how to implement it and that leaders must keep talking on Thursday until an agreement was reached.

Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled two options — both controversial — to provide Ukraine with $105.8 billion of the $158.6 it is estimated it will need in the two years through 2027 to keep the country running and being able to continue fighting Russia.

The so-called “reparations loan” option involving using frozen Russian assets only requires a two-thirds majority of EU states to vote for it. The second option under which the EU would use its budget to go borrow on the international capital markets is more problematic because it could be blocked by a single state.

Hungary and Slovakia have indicated they are opposed to either route, while Belgium, home to Euroclear, the clearing house where the majority of Russia’s frozen assets are held, has expressed strong worries that it could be taken to court by Russia were the frozen assets tapped or that it may scare off foreign investors.

Russia has protested that appropriating its assets amounts to theft but the EU says that is not the case because there was nothing to preclude Russia from reclaiming the funds in future — after it has paid war reparations to Ukraine.

Ukraine is set to run out of money early in the New Year.

In the winter, you can enjoy the seafront paths without the crowds, and enjoy views of snow-capped mountains on the coldest days.

A coastal path in Wales has been hailed as the UK’s top Christmas walk, thanks to its breathtaking mountain vistas and close proximity to snug pubs. The ranking, compiled by GO Outdoors, utilised TripAdvisor reviews and data on average December snowfall, along with festive factors such as nearby watering holes.

Using this information, the outdoor retailer curated a list of the top ten spots for a brisk December amble or a post-Christmas dinner saunter. Barmouth Beach, nestled on the fringes of Eyri National Park (Snowdonia), clinched the number one position. The area is enveloped by natural splendour, offering panoramic views across Cardigan Bay and the Mawddach Estuary.

During the summer months, this sandy expanse has a classic seaside atmosphere. A land train chugs along the promenade, children enjoy donkey rides on the sand, and the shallow waters are perfect for a paddle.

However, winter also presents an ideal opportunity for exploration, allowing visitors to savour the seafront paths without the throngs of people and admire views of snow-dusted mountains on the chilliest days, reports the Express.

While a tranquil stroll along the promenade is always an option, there’s also a more demanding route for those wishing to soak up some of the surrounding landscape.

The four-mile-long Panorama Walk commences at the beach and meanders through dense woodland and winding country lanes along the Mawddach Estuary.

However, it’s recommended for seasoned walkers, as it can be hilly and tricky to navigate, particularly in cold, damp conditions.

After exploring the coast, venture inland to find a cosy pub for some warmth. Just 500 metres from the beach, The Royal is a traditional stone-clad pub that’s a welcome sight after a chilly walk.

Settle into a leather chair and soak up the old-world charm while sipping on a pint and savouring classic pub grub, from roasts to a Welsh cheeseboard.

If you’d rather warm up with a hot brew, Davy Jones Locker is worth a visit. This harbourside café serves everything from hearty breakfasts to fish and chips.

Enjoy the sunshine at an outdoor table or head inside to appreciate the quirky, nautical-themed décor.

Although it only operates seasonally, usually from April to October, consider booking a ticket on the ferry departing from Barmouth Harbour. At just £4 per adult, it offers breathtaking views of the Afon Mawddach estuary.

The ferry also links with Fairbourne Railway, a vintage train service running along the mid-Wales coast.

Passengers can take in the coastal scenery as they journey along, with day passes available for those who wish to hop on and off at their leisure.

Stroll into town to discover a handful of independent shops, alongside numerous hotels and restaurants in the centre.

If you’re planning a festive getaway, The Sandbanks Hotel is a great choice, boasting direct beach access, rooms with sea views, and Christmas-themed entertainment.

Australia’s spy agency has revealed that one of the men who carried out the country’s worst massacre in three decades was investigated for links to ISIL. Police say Naveed Akram and his father Sajid targeted Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah at the country’s most famous beach.

Rob Reiner was born into the lineage of comedy thanks to his father, television pioneer Carl Reiner, and he first gained recognition as an actor, including his Emmy-winning role on “All in the Family.” And while there is certainly a streak of humor through almost all of his films, what marks Reiner’s work as a director is his astonishing versatility, able to switch styles from one project to the next with remarkable ease. The run of films that begins with his feature directing debut, 1984’s “This Is Spinal Tap,” on through 1986’s “Stand by Me,” 1987’s “The Princess Bride,” 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally…,” 1990’s “Misery,” 1992’s “A Few Good Men” and 1995’s “The American President” is simply breathtaking for its mastery across the specrum of popular Hollywood moviemaking.

‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)

Harry Shearer, left, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean in the movie “This Is Spinal Tap.”

(Archive Photos / Getty Images)

Though not strictly the first to explore the form, Reiner’s first feature as director more or less cemented the concept of the “mockumentary,” presenting itself as a documentary on the (fictional) rock band Spinal Tap. Reiner appeared onscreen as Marty DiBergi, director of the faux film-within-the-film, forming a neat transition from his career as an actor to director. And while this year’s sequel “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” was not particularly well received, the legacy of the original, still among the most quotable comedies ever made, remains untouchable. — Mark Olsen

‘The Sure Thing’ (1985)

Made amid the teen sex comedy craze of the 1980s, Reiner’s second film, about two college students sharing a cross-country car trip together, had something special and different about it — namely the performances of John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga, who both brought an openhearted tenderness to a story that might have toppled into cynicism. The emotional earnestness that would often come through in Reiner’s work first emerged here, making what could have been a run-of-the-mill exercise into something more. — M.O.

‘Stand by Me’ (1986)

Wil Wheaton, left, River Phoenix, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman in the movie “Stand by Me.”

(Columbia Pictures)

Based on a novella by Stephen King, “Stand by Me” is about four boys — played by Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and River Phoenix — who find their friendship tested during a particularly eventful Labor Day weekend of 1959. Approaching the story with a mix of dewy nostalgia and incisive clarity, the film earned Reiner the first of three nominations from the Directors Guild of America. — M.O.

‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Robin Wright and Cary Elwes in the movie “The Princess Bride.”

(20th Century Fox / Kobal / REX / Shutterstock)

It would be inconceivable to not include “The Princess Bride” in any consideration of Reiner’s best, as the swashbuckling fantasy romance embodies a sense of playful inventiveness and anything-can-happen ethos. An elderly man reads a story to his grandson as the action comes to life in the tale of a farm boy and a princess who are fated to be together, if only they can overcome all manner of trials and challenges. The movie has now enchanted multiple generations of children and adults alike. — M.O.

‘When Harry Met Sally…’ (1989)

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in the movie “When Harry Met Sally…”

(Castle Rock Entertainment)

As much as any other movie, “When Harry Met Sally…” (scripted by Nora Ephron) has come to embody the modern romantic comedy with its will they-won’t-they tale of two good friends who come to realize they may also work as something more. Grounded by the charming performances of Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, as well as a strong supporting cast including Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby, the film has a rare warmth. It was Reiner’s mother Estelle who delivered the unforgettable punchline, “I’ll have what she’s having.” — M.O.

‘Misery’ (1990)

Kathy Bates and James Caan in “Misery.”

(Archive Photos / Getty Images)

Reiner named his production company Castle Rock Entertainment in honor of his deep love for Stephen King’s fiction and after making a splash with “Stand by Me,” there was no way he wasn’t going do something scarier as a follow up. (You get a hint in “When Harry Met Sally” — look at the hardcover Crystal is skimming.) King’s captive-author nightmare gets classed up by two knockout performances calibrated in perfect harmony: Kathy Bates’ psycho fan, a turn that earned her an Oscar, and James Caan as the bedbound writer. At the time, Caan was an actor in need of a second chance. Reiner was it. — Joshua Rothkopf

‘A Few Good Men’ (1992)

Jack Nicholson, left, and Tom Cruise in the movie “A Few Good Men.”

(Mondadori Portfolio / Mondadori via Getty Images)

Reiner seemingly conquered yet another movie genre with this tightly wound military courtroom thriller and received his only Academy Award nomination, for best picture. Reiner was also recognized with nominations from the Directors Guild, Producers Guild and Golden Globes for the film. Written by Aaron Sorkin and featuring a cast that includes Tom Cruise and Demi Moore, this has Jack Nicholson’s volcanic delivery of the now-legendary line, “You can’t handle the truth!” — M.O.

‘The American President’ (1995)

Michael Douglas and director Rob Reiner on the set of “The American President.”

(Archive Photos / Getty Images)

A president as a romantic lead? Such things actually happened during the Clinton era. Reiner injects warmth and realism to Sorkin’s swaggering original script, loaded with wonky dialogue and walk-and-talks. But it’s the careful steering of Michael Douglas as a widowed U.S. leader and rising star Annette Bening as an extra-persuasive eco-lobbyist that distinguish this gentle comedy, one that seems positively alien to our current climate. Widely known for his vigilant activism in later years, Reiner’s on-screen politics were no less optimistic. — J.R.

‘Rumor Has It’ (2005)

Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner in the movie “Rumor Has It.”

(Melissa Moseley / Warner Bros. Pictures)

Not many would dare to take on a sort-of sequel to a movie as beloved as “The Graduate,” but Reiner brought a casual ease to the tale of a woman, played by Jennifer Aniston, who believes her mother and grandmother were the inspiration for Charles Webb’s original source novel. Though reviews at the time largely savaged the movie, it now seems just the kind of self-assured studio comedy audiences yearn for, buoyed by Shirley MacLaine’s outrageous performance as a woman who may be the real Mrs. Robinson. — M.O.

‘Albert Brooks: Defending My Life’ (2023)

Albert Brooks, left, and Rob Reiner in the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.”

(HBO)

Reiner received two Emmy nominations for this documentary tribute to comedian, actor and filmmaker Albert Brooks, a friend of Reiner’s since the two met as teenagers at Beverly Hills High. It’s captured as an expansive conversation with the two sharing a meal in a restaurant. As much as the film is a portrait of Brooks, it also reflects Reiner’s own unique position as someone who knew show business and its ups and downs with a rare intimacy. — M.O.

He spoke of the importance of athletics to the institution, of the way they bring people together and showcase excellence.

The remarks weren’t nearly as remarkable as the person doing the speaking.

UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk.

In recent years, the school’s chancellors had distanced themselves from athletics as if they were a distasteful part of the job. Gene Block would show up at the occasional football or basketball game but never granted interview requests or spoke at coaches’ introductions. He did once attach his name to a statement that misspelled the last name of newly hired football coach Rick Neuheisel.

It’s believed that the last UCLA chancellor to speak at a coach’s introduction was Albert Carnesale in 2003 upon the hiring of Karl Dorrell.

All of which makes Frenk’s appearance, not to mention his speaking for nearly five minutes Tuesday inside a Luskin Center ballroom, all the more extraordinary. Frenk was there to welcome Bob Chesney, the new football coach who has quickly galvanized a long-suffering fan base with his passion and willingness to immediately poke rival USC by proclaiming that UCLA would soon become “the school in town.”

Frenk had UCLA fans at hello.

What he said next was even more encouraging.

“Athletics are the front porch of the university, one of the most visible signals of what we stand for,” Frenk said. “Athletics connect us across generations and geographies with students and alumni, friends as well as strangers. These things are extremely important and help build community and all of that is coming true at UCLA.”

There was also a reference to one word — alignment — that athletic director Martin Jarmond and Chesney would later echo in their remarks.

“Winning in college football requires a unified approach across all of the university — university leadership and athletics are aligned and committed to doing the right things to build a winning program,” Frenk said.

Jarmond suggested that Frenk was willing to help in a way that his predecessor was not — a slightly curious idea given Block’s willingness to support the move to the Big Ten Conference and approve Jarmond’s contract extension, but it seemed that Jarmond’s larger point was about increased institutional support for the football program under the new chancellor.

“What I’m excited and really enthused about,” Jarmond said, “is we have alignment in a way that we have not had in the past. We have a great chancellor in Chancellor Frenk that understands the importance of athletics, bringing communities together, engaging alumni, wanting our student-athletes to be successful and understanding the commitment it takes at the university level for a football program to be competitive. We have investment now, and we have leadership and vision. I don’t always feel we’ve had all of those together.”

Without question, Frenk’s early visibility has already set a new, welcome tone from inside Murphy Hall.

His comments were heartening for anyone who cares about UCLA athletics because they show he’s not only paying attention but also willing to do his part — one that’s essential — to support the operation.

Suggestion box

Mick Cronin

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

It probably shouldn’t take a public-records request to find out that a high-profile UCLA coach — who at the time was the state of California’s second-highest paid public employee behind since-fired Cal football coach Justin Wilcox — received a new contract seven months earlier.

But that’s the reality of the situation after a Times records request led to the disclosure of Mick Cronin’s new deal that will pay the Bruins men’s basketball coach $4.5 million a year as part of a contract running through the end of the 2029-30 season.

The reasoning given for the lack of disclosure was the fiscal situation facing the school at the time, including the prospect of federal funding cuts.

Appearances are important, yes. But so are integrity and transparency.

This is the second time in the last two years that UCLA has signed one of its biggest figures inside the athletic department to a new deal while staying mum. Jarmond’s contract extension was signed in the spring of 2024 and not announced until the following November — after the football team had won three consecutive games, alleviating a significant amount of pressure that Jarmond was facing for the hiring of football coach DeShaun Foster.

The bottom line is this: UCLA is a public institution that should pride itself on accountability, and if you aren’t willing to openly divulge any significant move that you make, then maybe you shouldn’t be making it.

Chesney moves

While the transfer portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2, Chesney provided some early insight into his possible approach in rebuilding his first UCLA roster.

Upon his arrival at James Madison, Chesney said he had a center, guard and a punter come back from the previous team and added roughly 60 players in the transfer portal to help the Dukes win their first bowl game in the history of the school. The next year, the Dukes added about 50 players through the transfer portal and made the College Football Playoff.

What might that mean for his work with the Bruins?

“That will have to be determined by our team when we get that fully assembled and moving forward next year,” Chesney said. “But then whatever our expectations are is where we build our standards and then the day-to-day process. But I see zero reason why, you know, we cannot be competing, cannot be competing for a championship.”

Chesney has begun to assemble his staff, reportedly agreeing to bring James Madison offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy with him and hiring Florida State general manager Darrick Yray in an identical post with the Bruins as part of his efforts to bring in staffers with West Coast ties.

Yray had spent seven seasons in a variety of roles at Oregon State, rising to the role of director of player personnel. Before that, Yray had worked for four seasons as an offensive assistant and three as assistant director of football operations at Fresno State, his alma mater.

Basketball blues?

Cronin’s teams usually get better over the course of the season, even in down years. So it would be folly to foretell of a lost season for the Bruins in mid-December.

But the big question facing UCLA (7-3) at this pivotal point is whether this season has any upside beyond being a bubble team that loses in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament.

As currently constructed, UCLA has so many issues that it’s hard to imagine a different outcome.

A tentative Donovan Dent has not been much of an upgrade over a tentative Dylan Andrews at point guard. Eric Dailey Jr. takes too many jumpers while drifting in and out of games. Tyler Bilodeau can really score but continues to be somewhat limited defensively despite his best efforts. The thought of what the departed Aday Mara and William Kyle III aren’t doing for this team in the post haunts Bruins fans on a daily basis.

What’s far more worrisome is that the talent level isn’t elite — can you really foresee anyone on this roster forging a long NBA career? — and a coach known for defense doesn’t have enough athletic, relentless players to construct a good defense.

Local high school recruiting has all but dried up and Cronin made another reference to needing more money to bring in players after donors shelled out a massive amount last spring to land Dent.

None of it portends an encouraging trajectory for a coach in his seventh season. Cronin is a developmental coach whose finest seasons came with players who were in his program for multiple years. With free agency now the only constant in the college game, it might be time for Cronin to develop a new plan for success.

Opinion time

How does the rest of the men’s basketball season play out for the Bruins?

Everything comes together and the team makes a deep NCAA tournament run
The team plays better before another early tournament exit
The bubble is burst and the team misses the tournament

Click here to vote in our survey.

Poll results

We asked, “What is your level of happiness with the Bob Chesney hire?”

After 1,340 votes, the results:

Ecstatic, couldn’t be happier, 64.7%
Guardedly optimistic, 30.3%
In wait-and-see mode, 4.1%
This is the best they could do? 0.9%

In case you missed it

UCLA gymnasts upbeat about upcoming year after strong offseason workouts

‘I’m where I want to be.’ UCLA’s Mick Cronin got a new five-year contract this summer

UCLA’s defense wilts and a key signature win slips away during loss to Gonzaga

UCLA’s Donovan Dent could be rounding into form just in time for Gonzaga showdown

‘I want to do my part.’ How Dave Roberts helped UCLA land new coach Bob Chesney

Here’s the reason Troy Aikman didn’t get thanked by that UCLA football player

Hernández: UCLA football coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins share why they believe he will win

‘We can win here.’ Bob Chesney gives a bold vision for success as UCLA’s coach

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Thousands of people joined demonstrations across Brazil to protest against a bill that would reduce the prison sentence of former President, Jair Bolsonaro. He was jailed for plotting a failed coup after losing the elections in 2022.

When it comes to holidays in the UK, Cornwall really does have it all.

This county – tucked away in the very south west of the country – offers jaw-dropping scenery, great food and drink, fascinating history and bucket-and-spade bliss.

With castles, forests and beaches for days, it’s the ultimate staycation destination.

So the hardest question on your upcoming £9.50 Holiday will be: where to visit first?

If you’re a foodie, you’ll be in for a treat.

Cornwall is known for its seafood, and there are many places to enjoy it, whether from a locals’ favourite chippy, traditional pub or a sea view restaurant with a modern menu.

If you’re indulging in a cream tea, be sure to eat them local-style (spreading jam before cream) – with Dolly’s Tea Room in Falmouth, Camel Trail Tea Garden near Bodmin and Sunset Surf in Gwithian all rated highly for theirs.

Of course, no trip to Cornwall (or “Kernow” as it’s known locally) would be complete without chomping on a pasty, traditionally filled with beef, veg and gravy.

For 17th-century Cornish miners, the thick crusts were a means of holding the pasty without contaminating the meal with dirty hands, although these days there’s no need to leave the crust for the “Knockers” (cheeky spirits of the mines). 

Sarah’s Pasty Shop in Looe, St Agnes Bakery in St Agnes and Ann’s Pasties in Helston all attract queues outside because theirs are so good.

You can learn more about Cornwall’s mining history, and much more, during your trip, such as the Levant Mine along the ‘Tin Coast’, where the 1840s beam engine can still be seen in action on certain days, or Botallack mine – which featured regularly in Poldark.

As well as museums and galleries located close to Cornwall’s holiday parks, the coast is dotted with historic attractions from throughout the centuries.

Whether you’re keen to explore Tintagel’s legendary castle linked to King Arthur or the island fortress St Michael’s Mount – now one of Cornwall’s signature landmarks – there are enough options to keep any history buff entertained throughout your holiday.

As well as historic sites, you’ll never be far from a natural attraction, from lesser-known but totally stunning waterfalls to swimming pools that are naturally created by the sea – and accessible only at low tide.

 Golitha Falls is a stunning series of small waterfalls along the River Fowley as it makes its way from Bodmin Moor to the sea, while St Nectan’s Kieve is a 60-foot waterfall near Tintagel, where you can paddle your feet after a walk through the woods.

For families, there’s a raft of activities. If your brood is older, how about catching a wave in Newquay, where Fistral Beach is considered the ‘Home of British Surfing,’ or try Polzeath in North Cornwall – where a number of surf schools operate from.

Alternatively you could head to an adventure park for little ones, with Camel Creek, near Padstow, which has a range of indoor and outdoor activities, or the award-winning Milky Way adventure park, which is just five miles over the border into Devon.

For a cheaper thrill you can ride an open-top bus along the coast road and feel the wind in your hair as incredible scenery whizzes past, hopping off as you please – with the Atlantic Coaster taking you from Newquay to Padstow.

When it comes to natural good looks, Cornwall sets the bar ridiculously high.

Rugged cliffs tumble into gold sand beaches with turquoise seas and fishing villages like Mousehole, Polperro,Boscastle and St Mawes are picture perfect, with narrow cobbled streets and sheltered harbours.

And with more than 400 sandy beaches to choose from, you’re spoilt for choice.

Porthcurno in the south of the country regularly lands on world’s best beaches lists, as does the exotic-looking Kynance Cove and Pedn Vounder.

If you prefer to unroll your towel without the crowds, there are some quieter beaches preferred by locals to know about, such as The Strangles in North Cornwall, near Crackington Haven, or Portherras Cove in South Cornwall’s Penzance region.

Dog walkers should keep an eye on seasonal dog bans, and make straight for the bays with no summer restrictions in place if travelling in peak season.

Meanwhile, families can strike for beaches with easy access, like Watergate Bay and Crantock, both near Newquay in North Cornwall, which have buggy-friendly access. 

A new study of 2,000 holidaymakers has uncovered the UK’s most embarrassing travel blunders – with 86% admitting to cringeworthy mishaps abroad

Brits’ top holiday gaffes include suffering lobster red sunburn, purchasing something they couldn’t bring home and missing their flight, according to a poll. The survey of 2,000 holidaymakers revealed that a whopping 86% have experienced some sort of mishap while on holiday. With 11% admitting to making at least one blunder during most or all their trips abroad.

Getting utterly lost while exploring (24%) or spilling a drink all over themselves (or an unsuspecting stranger) (14%) also made the list of cringe-worthy incidents. The study was commissioned by ibis to promote the launch of its new social media mini series, the Go Getters.

Jean-Yves Minet, global brand president of ibis, said: “Everyone travels differently. Some people prepare for every possibility, and others prefer to go with the flow – but no matter your style, the odd mishap is part of the experience and the story you tell when you get home.”

Are you a ‘Just-in-case Jetsetter’ or a ‘Chill Improviser’ when it comes to travelling abroad? Take this new travel quiz to find out.

“We focus on making travel feel simple and stress-free, whether you’re the spontaneous type, or somewhere in the middle,” he added.

“What matters most is feeling confident on the move and being able to enjoy the journey, even when it does not quite go to plan. Sometimes the magic is in the mayhem – it certainly makes for the best story.”

When a holiday blunder strikes, 44% try to fix it, while 22% said they would laugh it off straight away. But although 56% think a few travel dramas are all part of the adventure, 77% believe they are pretty good at planning to avoid them in the first place.

Purchasing travel insurance, triple checking their passport is there, and continually slapping on sun cream were amongst the key tricks to avoid disaster. This was followed by double checking the locks and keys, packing a first aid kit and keeping a watchful eye on the weather forecast.

The research, carried out via OnePoll, also revealed 31% want to travel more in 2026 than they did this year, with 35% claiming the experience is more important than just ticking somewhere off their list.

When it comes to planning these trips, they prioritise location (61%), as well as price (59%) and reviews (44%). Whilst 64% think the key to affordable travel means getting the best value for money and smart planning and budgeting (40%).

Jean-Yves added: “Everyone has had a moment on holiday that didn’t quite go to plan. These findings show just how common they are, and how quickly most people turn them into moments of connection, laughter and shared stories.”

THE TOP 30 BIGGEST HOLIDAY MISHAPS:

1. Got badly sunburnt
2. Got lost
3. Spilled a drink all over myself or someone else
4. Misread a menu and ordered something unexpected
5. Couldn’t connect to Wi-Fi when I needed it most
6. Got hit with unexpected roaming charges
7. Mistakenly boarded the wrong train or bus
8. Lost my luggage
9. Missed a flight
10. Going over the luggage allowance and having to repack at the check-in desk
11. Missed a scheduled tour or activity
12. Said Muddling up phrases in the local language, leading to a mix-up
13. Requesting a stranger to snap a photo of you, only to find later that your head’s been chopped off or they’ve taken a single blurry shot
14. Alighting at the wrong stop because you misinterpreted “next station” as the current one
15. Purchasing an item that I couldn’t bring back home
16. Accidentally entering the wrong hotel room
17. Jet-lag blunders – Waking up raring for breakfast… only to realise it’s still pitch dark outside
18. Getting stuck in a loo
19. Dropping my towel/swimwear from the balcony
20. Stashing my valuables in the hotel safe and promptly forgetting the combination
21. Luggage confusion, picking up someone else’s suitcase at the airport
22. Experiencing a suitcase malfunction and having all my clothes spill out
23. Engaging in a row with a stranger over reserving a sun lounger
24. Tripping or slipping while capturing a selfie
25. Arriving at the airport on the incorrect day
26. Taking an unplanned dip in the pool fully dressed
27. Misplacing or dropping my mobile in the sea or pool
28. Swimwear going missing (losing them) on a waterslide
29. Locking myself out of my room clad only in swimwear
30. Ending up at a completely different destination than planned

On December 3, Israel announced that the Rafah border crossing with Egypt would reopen “in the coming days”, allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza for the first time in months. The statement was, of course, framed as a humanitarian gesture that would allow those in urgent need to travel for medical care, education or family reunification to leave.

However, Israel’s announcement was met almost immediately with Egypt’s denial, followed by a firm rejection from several Arab and Muslim states.

To the rest of the world, this response may seem cruel. It may seem like Arab states want to forcibly keep in Gaza Palestinians desperate to evacuate to safety. This fits right into the Israeli narrative that neighbouring Arab countries are responsible for Palestinian suffering because they would not “let them in”.

This is a falsehood that has unfortunately made its way into Western media, even though it is easily disproved.

Let us be clear: No, Arab states are not keeping us against our will in Gaza, and neither is Hamas.

They want to make sure that when and if some of us evacuate temporarily, we are able to come back. We want the same – a guarantee of return. Yet, Israel refuses to grant it; it made clear in its December 3 announcement that the Rafah crossing would be open only one way – for Palestinians to leave.

So this was clearly a move meant to jump-start forced displacement of the Palestinian population from their homeland.

For Palestinians, this is not a new reality but part of a long and deliberate pattern. Since its inception, the Israeli state has focused on the dispossession, erasure, and forced displacement of the Palestinians. In 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and were not allowed to return. My 88-year-old grandfather was among them. He still keeps the Tabu (land registry document) for the dunams of land he owns in his village of Barqa, 37km (23 miles) north of Gaza, where we are still not allowed to return.

In 1967, when Israel occupied Gaza, it forbade Palestinians who were studying or working abroad from returning to their homes. In the occupied West Bank, where colonisation has not stopped for the past 58 years, Palestinians are regularly expelled from their homes and lands.

In the past two years alone, Israel has seized approximately 55,000 dunams of Palestinian land, displacing more than 2,800 Palestinians. In Jerusalem, Palestinians whose families had lived in the holy city for centuries risk losing their residency there if they cannot prove it is their “centre of life”. In the past 25 years, more than 10,000 Palestinian residencies have been revoked.

Since October 2023, Israel has repeatedly attempted to engineer forced mass displacement in Gaza – dividing the Strip into isolated zones separated by military corridors and “safe” axes and launching successive operations to push residents of the north towards the south. Each wave of mass bombing carried the same underlying objective: to uproot the people of Gaza from their homes and push them towards the border with Egypt. The most recent push occurred just before the latest ceasefire took effect.

According to Diaa Rashwan, chairman of the Egyptian State Information Service, Cairo rejected Israel’s proposal because it was an attempt to shun its commitments outlined in the second phase of the ceasefire. That phase requires Israel to withdraw from Gaza, support the reconstruction process, allow the Strip to be administered by a Palestinian committee, and facilitate the deployment of a security force to stabilise the situation. By announcing Rafah’s reopening, Israel sought to bypass these obligations and redirect the political conversation towards depopulation rather than reconstruction and recovery.

That Israel wants to create the conditions to make our expulsion inevitable is clear from other policies as well. It continues to bombard the Strip, killing hundreds of civilians and terrorising hundreds of thousands.

It continues to prevent adequate amounts of food and medicines from getting in. It is allowing no reconstruction materials or temporary housing. It is doing everything to maximise the suffering of the Palestinian people.

This reality is made even more brutal by the harsh winter. Cold winds tear through overcrowded camps filled with exhausted people who have endured every form of trauma imaginable. Yet despite hunger, exhaustion, and despair, we continue to cling to our land and reject any Israeli efforts to displace and erase us.

We also reject any form of external guardianship or control over our fate. We demand full Palestinian sovereignty over our land, our resources, and our crossings. Our position is clear: the Rafah crossing must be opened in both directions; not as a tool of displacement, but as a right to free movement.

Rafah must be accessible for those who wish to return, and for those who need to leave temporarily: students seeking to continue their education abroad, patients in urgent need of medical treatment unavailable in Gaza, and families who have been separated and long to be reunited. Thousands of critically ill Palestinians have been denied life-saving care due to the siege, while hundreds of students holding offers and scholarships from prestigious universities around the world have been unable to travel to pursue their education.

Rafah should also be open to those who simply need rest after years of trauma – to step outside Gaza briefly and return with dignity. Mobility is not a privilege; it is a basic human right.

What we demand is simple: the right to determine our future, without coercion, without bargaining over our existence, and without being pushed into forced displacement disguised as a humanitarian project.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.