Notre Dame Coach: Matt Veres (7th year, 79-19) 2023-24 record: 16-2; District 11 2A duals champion, PIAA 2A duals third-place, District 11 2A individual tournament champion, South East regional 2A individual tournament runner-up. Class: 3A Twitter/social media: Twitter, @NDGPwrestle; Instagram, @notre_dame_wrestling Returning wrestlers: So. Jacob Volpe (121); Sr. Cooper Feltmann (127); Sr. Tanner Berkenstock (133); Jr. Gavyn Kelton (139); Jr. Jared Gonzalez (145); Sr. Stephen Bialek (152); Sr. Keegan Ramsay (160/172); Jr. Dom Sumpolec (160/172); Jr. Connor Smalley (189); So. Noah Knorp (215). Newcomers: Fr. Cael Mueller (107); Fr. Aiden Vanicky (114) So. John Hull (215/285). Top records from 2023-24 (SQ: state qualifier, RQ, regional qualifier): Ramsay 34-12 (PIAA 3rd); Sumpolec 43-13 (PIAA 7th); Smalley 35-14 (SQ); Kelton 26-15 (SQ); Feltmann 21-14 (SQ); Berkenstock 23-18 (SQ). Wrestler you don’t know now, but will by March: Fr. Cael Mueller (107) Season opener: Tuesday, Southern Lehigh (home) Dual match to watch: at Bethlehem Catholic, Jan. 4 Outlook: For the first time since Matt Veres’ first year in charge of the Notre Dame-Green Pond wrestling team, it does not have a defending state champion on its roster. To be clear, the cupboard isn’t bare for the Crusaders, but they are transitioning from Class 2A to Class 3A with a relatively young roster that features five seniors. As has been the case in recent years, Notre Dame has a rugged schedule that will prepare it well for the team and individual postseason. Individual tournaments include the nationally-renowned Walsh Jesuit Ironman on Dec. 6 and 7, Beast of the East on Dec. 21 and 22, Powerade on Dec. 27 and 28 and Escape the Rock on Jan. 18 and 19. The dual meet schedule features a trip to recent rival Bethlehem Catholic and a home match against Pennridge, which finished fourth at the PIAA 3A dual meet tournament last winter, on Dec. 11. That daunting slate, especially the individual tournaments, means the Crusdars’ won’t be overwhelmed by competing now in 3A, but postseason success will be harder to come by. Ramsay showed his talent in a solid run to the state semifinials at 172 last winter and, after a tough loss to Luke Fugazzotto of Northwestern Lehigh, showed his mental toughness by bouncing back with a pair of high-scoring wins to earn bronze. Sumpolec had a successful first season on the mat as a sophomore and earned a coveted odd-numbered place finish in his first trip to Hershey. Sumpolec, who recently committed to George Mason, won more than half of his matches by fall last year and that aggressive style will be fun to watch this winter. Ramsay and Sumpolec will likely swap spots at 160 and 172 throughout the season and it will be interesting to see how this spot in the Crusaders' lineup looks later on in the season. Feltmann and Smalley both won once at the individual state tournament last year. That pair, along with the Crusaders’ other returning state qualifiers, Kelton and Berkenstock, will need to improve exponentially over the course of the season to become a state medalist. A prediction or two: Looking at what the bump up to 3A means from the team perspective, it looks like Notre Dame’s run of four straight D-11 titles will come to an end. The Crusaders have often come close, but are yet to knock off Bethlehem Catholic since the Golden Hawks since they’ve become a fixture on each other’s schedule. Easton, Nazareth and Northampton also boast loaded lineups that will be tough matchups for Notre Dame at the team district tournament. Individually, Ramsay has both the mat IQ and toughness to earn another state medal. How many teammates join him on the podium comes down to how much Feltmann, Berkenstock and the Crusaders’ promising junior class improves this season. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Desmond Boyle may be reached at dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com . More high school sports10 top Christmas gifts that the whole family will loveaxiebet88. com 。

CHICAGO — With a wave of her bangled brown fingertips to the melody of flutes and chimes, artist, theologian and academic Tricia Hersey enchanted a crowd into a dreamlike state of rest at Semicolon Books on North Michigan Avenue. “The systems can’t have you,” Hersey said into the microphone, reading mantras while leading the crowd in a group daydreaming exercise on a recent Tuesday night. The South Side native tackles many of society’s ills — racism, patriarchy, aggressive capitalism and ableism — through an undervalued yet impactful action: rest. Hersey, the founder of a movement called the Nap Ministry, dubs herself the Nap Bishop and spreads her message to over half a million followers on her Instagram account, @thenapministry . Her first book, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2022, but Hersey has been talking about rest online and through her art for nearly a decade. Hersey, who has degrees in public health and divinity, originated the “rest as resistance” and “rest as reparations” frameworks after experimenting with rest as an exhausted graduate student in seminary. Once she started napping, she felt happier and her grades improved. But she also felt more connected to her ancestors; her work was informed by the cultural trauma of slavery that she was studying as an archivist. Hersey described the transformation as “life-changing.” The Nap Ministry began as performance art in 2017, with a small installation where 40 people joined Hersey in a collective nap. Since then, her message has morphed into multiple mediums and forms. Hersey, who now lives in Atlanta, has hosted over 100 collective naps, given lectures and facilitated meditations across the country. She’s even led a rest ritual in the bedroom of Jane Addams , and encourages her followers to dial in at her “Rest Hotline.” At Semicolon, some of those followers and newcomers came out to see Hersey in discussion with journalist Natalie Moore on Hersey’s latest book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” released this month, and to learn what it means to take a moment to rest in community. Moore recalled a time when she was trying to get ahead of chores on a weeknight. “I was like, ‘If I do this, then I’ll have less to do tomorrow.’ But then I was really tired,” Moore said. “I thought, ‘What would my Nap Bishop say? She would say go lay down.’ Tricia is in my head a lot.” At the event, Al Kelly, 33, of Rogers Park, said some of those seated in the crowd of mostly Black women woke up in tears — possibly because, for the first time, someone permitted them to rest. “It was so emotional and allowed me to think creatively about things that I want to work on and achieve,” Kelly said. Shortly after the program, Juliette Viassy, 33, a program manager who lives in the South Loop and is new to Hersey’s work, said this was her first time meditating after never being able to do it on her own. Therapist Lyndsei Howze, 33, of Printers Row, who was also seated at the book talk, said she recommends Hersey’s work “to everybody who will listen” — from her clients to her own friends. “A lot of mental health conditions come from lack of rest,” she said. “They come from exhaustion.” Before discovering Hersey’s work this spring, Howze said she and her friends sporadically napped together in one friend’s apartment after an exhausting workweek. “It felt so good just to rest in community,” she said. On Hersey’s book tour, she is leading exercises like this across the country. “I think we need to collectively do this,” Hersey explained. “We need to learn again how to daydream because we’ve been told not to do it. I don’t think most people even have a daydreaming practice.” Daydreaming, Hersey said, allows people to imagine a new world. Hersey tells her followers that yes, you can rest, even when your agenda is packed, even between caregiving, commuting, jobs, bills, emails and other daily demands. And you don’t have to do it alone. There is a community of escape artists, she said of the people who opt out of grind and hustle culture, waiting to embrace you. The book is part pocket prayer book, part instruction manual, with art and handmade typography by San Francisco-based artist George McCalman inspired by 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, urging readers to reclaim their divine right to rest. Hersey directs her readers like an operative with instructions for a classified mission. “Let grind culture know you are not playing around,” she wrote in her book. “This is not a game or time to shrink. Your thriving depends on the art of escape.” The reluctance to rest can be rooted in capitalist culture presenting rest as a reward for productivity instead of a physical and mental necessity. Hersey deconstructs this idea of grind culture, which she says is rooted in the combined effects of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism that “look at the body as not human.” American culture encourages grind culture, Hersey said, but slowing down and building a ritual of rest can offset its toxicity. The author eschews the ballooning billion-dollar self-care industry that encourages people to “save enough money and time off from work to fly away to an expensive retreat,” she wrote. Instead, she says rest can happen anywhere you have a place to be comfortable: in nature, on a yoga mat, in the car between shifts, on a cozy couch after work. Resting isn’t just napping either. She praises long showers, sipping warm tea, playing music, praying or numerous other relaxing activities that slow down the body. “We’re in a crisis mode of deep sleep deprivation, deep lack of self-worth, (and) mental health,” said Hersey. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2022 , in Illinois about 37% of adults aren’t getting the rest they need at night. If ignored, the effects of sleep deprivation can have bigger implications later, Hersey said. In October, she lectured at a sleep conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where her humanities work was featured alongside research from the world’s top neuroscientists. Jennifer Mundt, a Northwestern clinician and professor of sleep medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, praises Hersey for bringing the issue of sleep and rest to the public. In a Tribune op-ed last year, Mundt argued that our culture focuses too heavily on sleep as something that must be earned rather than a vital aspect of health and that linking sleep to productivity is harmful and stigmatizing. “Linking sleep and productivity is harmful because it overshadows the bevy of other reasons to prioritize sleep as an essential component of health,” Mundt wrote. “It also stigmatizes groups that are affected by sleep disparities and certain chronic sleep disorders.” In a 30-year longitudinal study released in the spring by the New York University School of Social Work, people who worked long hours and late shifts reported the lowest sleep quality and lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depression at age 50. The study also showed that Black men and women with limited education “were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.” The CDC links sleeping fewer than seven hours a day to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Related Articles Although the Nap Ministry movement is new for her followers, Hersey’s written about her family’s practice of prioritizing rest, which informs her work. Her dad was a community organizer, a yardmaster for the Union Pacific Railroad Co. and an assistant pastor. Before long hours of work, he would dedicate hours each day to self-care. Hersey also grew up observing her grandma meditate for 30 minutes daily. Through rest, Hersey said she honors her ancestors who were enslaved and confronts generational trauma. When “Rest Is Resistance” was released in 2022, Americans were navigating a pandemic and conversations on glaring racial disparities. “We Will Rest!” comes on the heels of a historic presidential election where Black women fundraised for Vice President Kamala Harris and registered voters in a dizzying three-month campaign. Following Harris’ defeat, many of those women are finding self-care and preservation even more important. “There are a lot of Black women announcing how exhausted they are,” Moore said. “This could be their entry point to get to know (Hersey’s) work, which is bigger than whatever political wind is blowing right now.” Hersey said Chicagoans can meet kindred spirits in her environment of rest. Haji Healing Salon, a wellness center, and the social justice-focused Free Street Theater are sites where Hersey honed her craft and found community. In the fall, the theater put on “Rest/Reposo,” a performance featuring a community naptime outdoors in McKinley Park and in its Back of the Yards space. Haji is also an apothecary and hosts community healing activities, sound meditations and yoga classes. “It is in Bronzeville; it’s a beautiful space owned by my friend Aya,” Hersey said, explaining how her community has helped her build the Nap Ministry. “When I first started the Nap Ministry, before I was even understanding what it was, she was like, come do your work here.” “We Will Rest!” is a collection of poems, drawings and short passages. In contrast to her first book, Hersey said she leaned more into her artistic background; the art process alone took 18 months to complete. After a tough year for many, she considers it medicine for a “sick and exhausted” world. “It’s its own sacred document,” Hersey said. “It’s something that, if you have it in your library and you have it with you, you may feel more human.” lazu@chicagotribune.comFacebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The Dunham School’s defense surrendered just over 10 points per game this season heading into the Division III select state championship game against Catholic-New Iberia at the 2024 LHSAA Prep Classic. Senior safety Bronson Bonneval and his younger brother, sophomore outside linebacker Richard Bonneval, nicknamed the “Bash Brothers” play key roles on the strong side of the Tiger defense going into Friday’s 3:30 p.m. title game at the Caesars Superdome. Bronson Bonneval is a three-year starter and was a member of the 2022 that reached the DIII final. He played with their older brother, Brock, during his freshman and sophomore years. The older of the two current Dunham players was a wide receiver early in high school before shifting to defense. Dunham coach Neil Weiner describes Richard Bonneval as one of the team’s fiercest and surest tacklers despite his 5-foot-5 frame. “He might be the shortest in stature on the field in the Superdome on Friday, but he is absolutely one of our best football players,” Weiner said. “He's just got a nose for the football. He's always in the right position on defense. He's got great skills covering wide receivers when he needs to, and he'll come up and lay a lick on a lineman that pulls out to block in the run game. He’s just a great football player.” The duo their nickname because of their physical play on the field. It’s a title they proudly claim. “When teams throw a little out route or something, we both close in and then pop them,” Bronson said. “I guess that's where it came from.” Weiner said there have been several times when the two brothers sandwiched an opposing ball carrier to make a tackle. He complimented their ability to communicate on the field. Their communication comes naturally. But it is important to note that playing at Dunham is the first time the brothers have been on the same team since their flag football days. “It’s an incredible feeling, especially when I know he's on the same field as me at the same time,” Richard said. “A lot of people don't or are not able to play high school football. Not only am I able to play, but I'm able to do it with my brother, which is an incredible feeling.” Bronson played the role of the younger Bonneval brother two years ago and now he is the older brother on the team and one of the team leaders. “When I was younger, I always felt like I had a huge role to play and big shoes to fill being on that team with all those older guys,” he said. “They were great leaders for me. Now, I'm the older leader guy and it’s fun. You go out there and do what you do.” Friday’s game is Bronson Bonneval’s last high school game, one he refers to as the biggest game of his life up to this point. “I just want to enjoy it and leave it on the field,” he said. “I want to have no regrets and win this thing.”

Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan

Syrian insurgents reach the capital's suburbs. Worried residents flee and stock up on supplies BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria is gaining speed with news that they have reached the suburbs of the capital of Damascus. The government on Saturday was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels’ moves around Damascus were reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander. They came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions. The factions are by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and brings a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers gathered on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral's soaring arches. The celebration was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.′′ Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastically-arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that's mixing pageantry with attention to pressing global problems. The president-elect's visit to France is part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire. Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is making threats, traveling abroad, and negotiating with world leaders. He has more than a month-and-a-half to go before he’s sworn in for a second term. But the president-elect is already moving aggressively to not only fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but also to try to achieve his priorities. In recent days, Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest trading partners. That led to emergency calls and a visit. And he's warned of “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas doesn't release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol has avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Most of Yoon's ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea. A survey suggests a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party. But the party also apparently fears losing the presidency to liberals. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has opened the door for many people to vent their frustrations and anger over the insurance industry. The feelings of exasperation, anger, resentment, and helplessness toward insurers aren’t new. But the shooting and the headlines around it have unleashed a new wave of patients sharing such sentiments and personal stories of interactions with insurance companies. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic. Many say they hope the new amplified voices can bring about change for companies often accused of valuing profits over people. 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed in 1941 attack PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors returned to the Hawaii military base on Saturday for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. Both are over 100 years old. They joined active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for an observance hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service. A third survivor was planning to join them but had to cancel due to health issues. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire has rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments. The cause of the disaster is unclear. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. Dutch authorities have deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to find victims. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre found parallels between himself and his character while filming his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which opens in theaters Dec. 20. He took the reigns as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa’s origin story.Nikki Giovanni, renowned globally as a literary legend and locally for her indelible imprint on Virginia Tech, died Monday at the age of 81. During her 35 years as a professor in the Department of English, Giovanni established a distinguished reputation as a writer of poems and essays, often drawing on her experience in the Black arts movement and as an activist for marginalized people and communities. Giovanni “She’s a central figure in African American literature,” said Laura Belmonte, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Tech. “We’ll be reading her work 100 years from now.” Yet at the same time, Giovanni was remembered for the deep and personal relationships she forged with the people in her classroom and beyond. “That sort of very public, very global persona always coexisted with those more private times that she would offer herself to people for mentorship and encouragement and inspiration,” Belmonte said. The University Distinguished Professor Emerita had been battling cancer for the third time, according to a Tech news release about her death. Giovanni, who was named by Oprah Winfrey as one of 25 living legends, retired from the university in 2022 but continued a busy speaking, traveling, and writing schedule, including returning to campus in April to present the annual Giovanni-Steger Poetry Prize Award to undergraduate students. “We can never let words be silenced,” Giovanni said during the Moss Arts Center ceremony. “We can never let words be taken away from us. We can never let people, because they don't like what we're saying, shut us up. Words are the most important things that human beings have. And no matter what the situation, we must always remember to use them.” It was Giovanni who was asked to find the right words on April 16, 2007, when 32 students and faculty members were killed in a mass shooting on campus. Charles Steger, president of Tech at the time, asked her to compose a poem overnight and deliver it at a campus convocation the next day. Her remarks, which opened and closed with “We are Virginia Tech,” are still remembered today. Poet Nikki Giovanni offers inspirational words to close a memorial at Virginia Tech. The day after the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, students, victims and the community gathered at a memorial at Cassell Coliseum at Virginia Tech on April 17, 2007. “People in the community every year will quote that poem,” Belmonte said. “It just became this kind of singular moment of light in the university’s darkest day.” In a statement released Tuesday, Tech President Tim Sands called Giovanni “a treasure who lived out Ut Prosim in countless ways, using her literary gifts to motivate change, encourage critical thought, inspire us to dream, and provide comfort in times of sadness and grief.” Over the years, the poet and professor became a key part of Tech — and the university of her. Giovanni once hosted a fish fry in association with a class she was teaching about the Harlem Renaissance. Her colleagues joked that no one would show up. In a video produced by Tech, she recalled how tears came to her eyes when she saw the entire Tech football team, led by then-Coach Frank Beamer, walking across the drill field to attend her event. “I’m at the right place,” she told herself then, according to the tribute. “If we can get that kind of support for each other, then this is home. I want to be a Hokie. This is where I want to be.” Giovanni is known around the world for her poetry, essays, and written work that delve into social issues, such as race and gender, and call for action. She has received more than 30 honorary degrees, published at least 11 illustrated children’s books, and even won an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project," according to the Tech release. Her latest book of poetry is set for publication in fall 2025. Through her work and activism, Giovanni befriended people such as Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Morgan Freeman and Muhammad Ali, among others. But she seemed just as interested in getting to know the unknown, and offering them advice and inspiration. “She never made people feel intimidated,” by her stature, Belmonte said. “She was warm and open and wanting to listen to what you had to say. She was always extremely gracious.” “It’s really an incomparable legacy”, the dean said. “She’s leaving a tremendous hole that may never be filled in the VT legacy.” Laurence Hammack (540) 981-3239 laurence.hammack@roanoke.com Get local news delivered to your inbox!

PayMongo, a leading digital financial service for Filipino entrepreneurs, and Lazada Philippines, the country’s pioneer e-commerce platform, launched a partnership to integrate QR Ph, a digital payment option that enables customers to pay seamlessly and securely through QR codes. This new feature on the Lazada app, powered by PayMongo, offers Filipino shoppers a fast and convenient way to complete their purchases online. With the addition of QR Ph, Lazada continues to enhance customers’ shopping experiences while offering merchants a trusted solution for handling digital transactions. The partnership between Lazada and PayMongo demonstrates a shared commitment to promoting cashless payments and strengthening the country’s digital payments ecosystem. With PayMongo’s trusted financial infrastructure, the integration of QR Ph allows Lazada to streamline payment processing for its merchants, offering them a secure and reliable option to provide to their customers. This ensures smooth, efficient transactions that enhance the shopping experience and merchant operations. “We are excited to collaborate with Lazada on QR Ph, helping to drive the next wave of digital payments,” said PayMongo CEO PayMongo Jojo Malolos. “This partnership reflects our mission to make payments simpler, safer, and more inclusive for both merchants and consumers. Together, we’re helping more Filipinos participate in the digital economy, one transaction at a time,” Malolos added. Meanwhile, Lazada Philippines CEO Carlos Barrera shared, “We are always looking for ways to leverage technology to give our customers the best experience whenever they use Lazada.” “QR Ph is the latest offering in our suite of payment solutions, giving our users more options and making it easier for them to adopt digital payment methods,” he added. By integrating QR Ph payments, Lazada and PayMongo are paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative digital commerce landscape. As more consumers and merchants embrace digital payments, this partnership is set to play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of the Philippine economy—where convenience, security, and progress converge. Being business-savvy should be fun, attainable and A+. BMPlus is BusinessMirror's digital arm with practical tips & success stories for aspiring and thriving millennial entrepreneurs.

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In her new book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” the author and academic says you too can flee the toxic grind culture.Kendal Lamm is questionable about starting at Right Tackle Sunday when the Miami Dolphins play the New York Jets with an elbow injury. Terron Armstead is questionable to start at Left Tackle as he is working through a knee injury, but he most likely will play. I think the Dolphins should start rookie Tackle Patrick Paul on Sunday against the Jets. Paul is potentially considered Armstead’s replacement, but he also needs to work on his game and gain some experience. Paul is starting to cross-train at right tackle, so it seems like the perfect spot for him to start on Sunday. The Dolphins need to see what they have with him moving forward. Paul has all of the physical tools to play, but he also needs to work on some of his weaknesses, such as his footwork or going against speedy edge rushers. I feel the Dolphins have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing. Giving him playing time now and potentially the rest of the season will also show the front office and coaching staff if they have a potential starter and if they need to find someone else, just in case. The Dolphins also have at least a handful of offensive line players who aren’t under contract next year. Lamm has already said that this will be his last season, and Armstead contemplated retiring last year, which is why the Dolphins invested a second-round pick in Paul. Paul has had a lot of work practicing as he worked a lot with the first team at left tackle, which the team was basically doing a load management workload with Armstead considering his durability concerns. He also played in all of the preseason games and played almost the whole game in all of them. The question now is can he do it in regular season games? He started in the 4th game filling in for Armstead and I thought he did a decent job. With the Dolphins all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they really should start considering playing some of their younger players, such as Paul, to see what they have and if they have a future with this team. The Dolphins can’t assume that going into next year, he is going to continue to develop and be fine. They were in denial about the backup quarterback with Skylar Thompson , so look where that got them when Tua Tagovailoa got hurt. I think if Paul plays down the stretch, he will be fine because he has Armstead and Lamm to help him out, just like they did in training camp and the preseason. He also has a good offensive line coach in Butch Berry. The Dolphins have major questions on the offensive line next year especially at the guard position because nobody on the roster at those positions is under contract. The Dolphins can’t afford to have those same questions at tackle if Paul doesn’t get some experience to see what they have in him. This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.