Category: News
El quarterback de Chargers Justin Herbert es operado de la mano izquierda; su estado es incierto
Por DAN GREENSPAN
EL SEGUNDO, California, EE.UU. (AP) — El quarterback de los Chargers de Los Ángeles Justin Herbert tendrá su disponibilidad para jugar determinada más adelante esta semana después de someterse a una cirugía en su mano izquierda, la no lanzadora, el lunes.
Herbert está día a día, dijo el equipo en un comunicado, después de que se rompiera un hueso en su mano izquierda en el primer cuarto de una victoria 31-14 contra los Raiders de Las Vegas el domingo, jugando los últimos tres cuartos con un yeso y usando un guante. Completó 15 de 20 pases para 151 yardas, dos touchdowns y una intercepción.
Herbert ha completado el 66.9% de sus pases para 2.842 yardas y 21 touchdowns contra diez intercepciones, y es el segundo en el equipo con 353 yardas por tierra. También ha sufrido la tercera mayor cantidad de capturas en la NFL (38) y está en camino de absorber la mayor cantidad de golpes en las seis temporadas que lleva con los Chargers.
El entrenador en jefe Jim Harbaugh dijo más temprano el lunes por la tarde que el suplente Trey Lance recibiría más jugadas en la práctica para prepararse para situaciones donde la ofensiva opera bajo el centro, como en la línea de gol y en situaciones de corto yardaje. Los Chargers tuvieron que trabajar exclusivamente desde la formación escopeta y pistola después de que Herbert se lesionara, aunque tomó un puñado de jugadas desde el centro en la línea lateral antes de regresar al juego.
“Justin, es uno de esos mariscales de campo que toma todas las repeticiones. Es una máquina en ese sentido, y tenemos que asegurarnos de que Trey esté recibiendo más de esas repeticiones en la línea de gol, esas situaciones bajo el centro”, dijo Harbaugh.
Los Chargers (8-4), que recibirán a los Eagles de Filadelfia el próximo lunes por la noche, actualmente tienen el primer comodín en la AFC y están dos juegos detrás de los Broncos de Denver por el primer lugar en la AFC Oeste. Los Chargers derrotaron a los Broncos 23-20 el 21 de septiembre y viajarán a Denver para cerrar la temporada regular el 4 de enero.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Guzmán López narra un secuestro de película para llevar a “El Mayo” Zambada a EEUU
Por MARÍA VERZA y CHRISTINE FERNANDO
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — Hombres armados entrando por un gran ventanal para someter a Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, el capo más escurridizo del Cártel de Sinaloa, en un centro de eventos del noroeste de México por órdenes de Joaquín Guzmán López, uno de los hijos de su antaño socio, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Ambos narcotraficantes tomando una bebida con sedantes en un avión privado que les llevaría a Estados Unidos, donde serían arrestados en julio de 2024.
Guzmán López no sólo se declaró este lunes culpable de los cargos por narcotráfico de los que fue acusado en una corte de Chicago sino que reconoció haber organizado un operativo de película para secuestrar a una persona.
No mencionó el nombre de su víctima pero no cabe duda que se trataba de Zambada porque “El Mayo” describió su secuestro de manera muy parecida en una carta divulgada semanas después de ser detenido en julio de 2024 por las autoridades estadounidenses.
La noticia del doble arresto y la presunta trampa en la que cayó el capo que había sido considerado uno de los personajes más poderosos del crimen organizado en México sorprendió a todo el país y generó malestar en el gobierno del entonces presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador que temió que Washington estuviera involucrado en el operativo.
El gobierno estadounidense se deslindó desde el principio de cualquier participación en los hechos pero la gran mayoría de expertos consideraron casi imposible que una operación de ese tipo se hubiera podido organizar sin el conocimiento de autoridades de ese país.
Según explicó el fiscal Andrew Erskine, Guzmán López quería conseguir beneficios judiciales para él o para su hermano Ovidio Guzmán, ambos acusados de dirigir una facción del Cártel de Sinaloa, apodada “Los Chapitos”, que traficaba enormes cantidades de fentanilo a Estados Unidos. Pero aclaró no recibiría beneficios por este hecho.
En documento judicial, Guzmán López declaró que “el gobierno de Estados Unidos no solicitó, indujo, sancionó, aprobó ni toleró el secuestro”.
La trampa contra “El Mayo”
Zambada había explicado en su carta de agosto de 2024 que fue citado por el hijo del Chapo a una reunión en las afueras de Culiacán, la capital de Sinaloa, en la que supuestamente estaría otro líder del cártel y políticos locales, uno de los cuales apareció después asesinado.
Dijo que había “un gran número de hombres armados con uniformes militares verdes”, que asumió eran pistoleros de los hijos de “El Chapo” pero aunque eran una facción rival del cártel —conocida como “Los Chapitos”— Zambada mantenía con ellos interlocución y no pareció desconfiar y siguió a Guzmán López a una habitación oscura.
Según el documento judicial presentado en la audiencia del lunes, múltiples hombres armados a las órdenes de Guzmán López entraron por un gran ventanal a esa habitación donde habían llevado a su víctima. Lo esposaron, le taparon la cabeza y lo sacaron por la ventana. Luego lo pusieron sobre su regazo en el asiento trasero de una camioneta en la que lo trasladaron hasta una pista de despegue a unos 15 minutos del lugar del secuestro donde les esperaba una avioneta privada.
Una vez en el avión, Zambada fue atado a uno de los asientos, según el relato de Guzmán López. En la aeronave solo viajaron los dos narcotraficantes y el piloto. Guzmán López le preparó entonces una bebida con sedantes, de la que también bebió un poco él. La avioneta aterrizó en Nuevo México, junto a la frontera de Texas, donde los dos quedaron detenidos.
La operación generó el malestar del gobierno del entonces presidente López Obrador, quien criticó la falta información recibida por parte de las autoridades estadounidenses.
De hecho, en lugar de agradecer a Estados Unidos la captura de Zambada —cuyo cártel lleva décadas sembrando la violencia y el terror en México—, la Fiscalía General de la República anunció poco después del arresto que estudiaba la posibilidad de presentar cargos por traición contra Guzmán López o cualquier otra persona implicada en el complot.
La detención de Zambada y de Guzmán López generó una sangrienta batalla por el control del negocio criminal del cártel que todavía afecta al estado de Sinaloa pese a que la actual presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum reforzó la presencia de tropas en la región.
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Fernando reportó desde Chicago.
A Water War Is Brewing In Texas
A Water War Is Brewing In Texas
Authored by Kurt Cobb via OilPrice.com,
A hedge-fund-backed plan to pump 15 billion gallons a year from an East Texas aquifer has sparked intense local opposition and legal challenges.
Growing Texas cities are increasingly tapping distant rural water supplies, accelerating depletion of shared aquifers like the Carrizo-Wilcox.
Without major conservation efforts, rural communities risk losing water essential for farming and ranching as urban demand continues to climb.
One of the ways you can claim rights to water sources is to own land next to them or over them. It seems intuitive that you should be able to dip into a river running along your property to get a drink for yourself and possibly your livestock, or water for your plants and possibly your farm fields. That works so long as you don’t hog too much of the river flow and your downstream neighbors can do the same as you are doing. In practice, there are so many humans today demanding so much water that the amounts each person or enterprise can withdraw are usually regulated by agreement or law.
The same goes for groundwater since aquifers rarely span just one person’s property and can be very large, for example, the Ogallala aquifer, which lies below 122 million acres of the U.S. Great Plains.
What is not so intuitive is that water rights can belong to people far from the water itself and that the rights to that water can be traded like any commodity.
That’s what residents of the Neches Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District in the middle of East Texas discussed recently and quite heatedly in a public meeting of district officials.
In this community in and around Jacksonville, Texas, about two hours east of Dallas, the residents were discussing permits sought by entities controlled by Dallas-based hedge fund manager Kyle Bass.
Bass’s plan is to withdraw about 15 billion gallons annually from the aquifer underneath the district using two properties owned by Bass, one 4,300 acres and another 7,200 acres.
Texas’s so-called rule-of-capture water rights allow anyone owning land over an aquifer to withdraw water from it even when this affects other landowners.
(For a primer on the range of water rights in the United States, read more here.)
For now, Bass’s plan has been stymied by adverse court rulings that may limit or even prohibit what he proposes to do.
But with huge amounts of money at stake, Bass will almost certainly appeal.
Meanwhile, farmers and ranchers who make up most of those affected worry that their water supplies will be adversely affected and thereby undermine their livelihoods.
The difficult truth for Texas farmers and ranchers is that water under their lands is increasingly seen as a source for the state’s growing metropolises.
Grist reports that the 140-mile Vista Pipeline already moves 16 billion gallons of water per year to San Antonio from the same aquifer Bass wants to tap.
The Carizzo-Wilcox aquifer runs on an angle to the southwest from East Texas to the Rio Grande. The withdrawals have adversely affected water flows from wells near where the pipeline pumps its water supply.
Nearby, Austin is adding to an increasing network of pipes bringing water pumped from adjacent counties.
A logical response might be to say that people should move to where the water is rather than the other way around. But as Marc Reisner, author of the classic study of water in the American West, Cadillac Desert, observed: “Water moves uphill toward money.” Reisner was, of course, referring to water that is moved up and over the Tehachapi Mountains on its way to Southern California. But the point is really metaphorical and can be easily generalized.
Grand schemes have been proposed to bring Mississippi River water and water from the Pacific Northwest to the American West.
Neither appears to be practical from an engineering standpoint and would be politically explosive. The timelines for completion of such projects, if they were feasible, would run into the decades.
For America’s water-starved areas, that leaves conservation and ever more rapid exploitation of nearby, but dwindling water resources. The farmers and ranchers are right to be worried about their water supplies.
The question is, will those living in the cities seeking that water make the connection between those water resources and the ability to find what they want at reasonable prices at the grocery store, and to visit the verdant rural landscapes when they want to take a trip in the countryside?
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 20:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/water-war-brewing-texas
Maliek Collins de los Browns se perderá el resto de la temporada por lesión en el cuádriceps
Por JOE REEDY
CLEVELAND (AP) — El tackle defensivo de los Browns de Cleveland Maliek Collins se perderá el resto de la temporada tras sufrir una lesión en el cuádriceps en la derrota del domingo 26-8 ante los 49ers de San Francisco.
El entrenador de los Browns Kevin Stefanski anunció el lunes que Collins tendrá que someterse a una cirugía que pondrá fin a su temporada.
El liniero defensivo veterano de diez años sufrió la lesión sin contacto durante el tercer cuarto. Era el segundo en el equipo con seis y media capturas de quarterback junto con 28 presiones al mariscal de campo.
Collins también es una razón clave por la cual el All-Pro Myles Garrett necesita cuatro capturas para romper el récord de la NFL de 22,5 sacks en una sola temporada.
“Cuando pierdes a un tipo como Maliek, no lo reemplazas. Ha tenido un gran impacto en este equipo, tanto dentro como fuera del campo”, afirmó Stefanski. “Tenemos algunos jugadores mayores allí (en la sala de la línea defensiva), pero tenemos un montón de jóvenes. Creo que han aprendido mucho del profesional que es Maliek y creo que tienes que llevar eso contigo siempre”.
La lesión de Collins con 9:36 restantes en el tercer cuarto también desató una pelea entre algunos de los linieros defensivos de los Browns y el receptor abierto de San Francisco, Jauan Jennings. Garrett y Shelby Harris dijeron que algunos de los comentarios de Jennings después de la jugada cruzaron la línea.
Harris no ocultó sus sentimientos sobre Jennings después del partido del domingo.
“Dice algunas cosas que no deberías decirle a otro hombre, nunca”, dijo Harris. “Pero no lo respeto porque dices eso y luego te escondes detrás de tu línea ofensiva. Eso es algo realmente blando, y quiero que se sepa.
“Veo exactamente por qué te golpearon en la ingle. Me sorprende que nadie le haya golpeado en la mandíbula todavía”.
Fue el segundo juego consecutivo en el que Jennings provocó la ira de jugadores defensivos rivales. El safety de Carolina, Tre’von Moehrig, fue suspendido un juego sin paga después de golpear a Jennings durante el cuarto período del juego del lunes pasado.
Moehrig dijo que golpeó a Jennings debido al juego físico continuo después del silbato y las provocaciones durante todo el juego. Jennings se acercó a Moehrig después del juego, lo empujó y lo golpeó en la cara antes de que ambos jugadores fueran separados.
Jennings fue multado con $12.172 por la liga por el golpe.
Garrett dijo que estaba tratando de separar a todos y averiguar cuál era el problema, antes de que Jennings comenzara a confrontarlo.
“Tenía mucho que decir que era degradante y despectivo hacia algunos de nuestros jugadores. … Quiero decir, algunos tipos simplemente son así”, dijo Garrett. “No siento que eso pertenezca al juego. Pero, oye, si eso le funciona a él y a ellos, entonces más poder para él”.
Stefanski no hizo comentarios sobre lo ocurrido, diciendo que estaba enfocado en la lesión de Collins y no en lo que estaba sucediendo en otro lugar del campo.
El entrenador de San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan, dijo el lunes que entendía que los comentarios de Jennings no eran sobre Collins, quien jugó para los 49ers la temporada pasada.
“Simplemente parecía que había jugadores parados alrededor por un tiempo debido a la lesión y luego comenzaron a hablar entre ellos. No sé qué palabras se dijeron, pero parecía que ofendió a algunos chicos con las palabras”, dijo Shanahan. “Tendría que escucharlo para tener una opinión al respecto. No he escuchado lo que dijo que los ofendió tanto. Hasta que lo haga, no tengo mucha opinión al respecto. Eso es solo hablar basura entre un par de personas en el campo y lo dejo así”.
Shanahan también defendió el estilo de juego de Jennings a pesar de que ha molestado a sus oponentes en los últimos partidos.
“Creo que Jauan juega hasta el silbato tan bien como cualquier jugador en esta liga. Es extremadamente agresivo y juega tan duro como puede hasta el silbato y ha estado haciendo eso como los fanáticos de los Niners saben y ustedes saben desde que ha estado aquí”, dijo. “Creo que a veces eso ofende a otros jugadores y les molesta porque no están acostumbrados a que la gente vaya tan duro hasta el silbato. Pero creo que lo que JJ es muy bueno es en no romper las reglas”.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Nominations sought for Scheketa Hart-Burns Leader of the Year Award in Aurora
The city of Aurora’s African American Heritage Advisory Board is accepting nominations through Friday for the 2026 Scheketa Hart-Burns Leader of the Year Award, which recognizes outstanding service and commitment to the advancement of Aurora’s Black community.
Nominations are open to the public and will be accepted through Friday, Dec. 5, at: www.tinyurl.com/2026Leader.
The award is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies Black excellence, serves with distinction and demonstrates a dedication to improving the lives of Aurora residents, according to a press release about the award.
The award is named in honor of the late Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward, the first Black member of the Aurora City Council, who served for 31 years until her death two years ago.
She was a trailblazer for civic leadership, equity and community empowerment, the release said. Monday, Dec. 1, would have been her 71st birthday.
The person selected to become the 20th recipient of the Leader of the Year Award will be formally recognized during the 20th annual African American Heritage Dinner in Aurora on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, according to the release.
Chicago officials ease capacity limit for Christkindlmarket; organizers say cap remains unsustainable
After pushback from organizers and vendors, city officials have decided to let up — to a degree — on the contentious capacity limit at Daley Plaza’s 29th annual Christkindlmarket, a development organizers say is a step in the right direction but still not sustainable for the beloved holiday tradition.
The city on Monday agreed to increase the event’s space restriction by nearly 1,000, bringing the amended capacity limit up to 2,500 people, according to Mark Tomkins, the president and CEO of the German American Chamber of Commerce, which runs Christkindlmarket.
In a statement to the Tribune, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said the city was working with organizers to “increase capacity in a safe and organized manner” in response to concerns raised.
“The enormous success of Christkindlmarket has pushed the limits of the capacity thresholds for Daley Plaza,” Johnson spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said.
City officials had initially capped capacity this year to 1,553 market-goers at any given time. Tomkins has stated previously that he was told the reason for the limitation was the municipal code, but that neither the layout of the Christkindlmarket nor the municipal code has changed, while the interpretation of the code has.
Tomkins told the Tribune Monday afternoon that easing the limit was “positive” but maintained that vendors still stand to be hampered if more strides aren’t made.
Organizers say the capacity limits are straining vendors’ ability to make a profit after paying rental fees and expenses. And they fear that visitors seeing long entrance lines will give up and stop attending. They also note that other big-attendance events in the city, such as Lollapalooza, do not have similar space limits.
The inaugural Christkindlmarket was held at Pioneer Court in 1996, and then the event moved to Daley Plaza, its longtime home, the following year. In recent years, it expanded to satellite sites at RiverEdge Park in Aurora and Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville.
Preparing for Christkindlmarket takes months, and orders are placed based on previous years. At a news conference on Friday, vendor Wolfgang Poennighaus said he’s heard the new restriction has been cutting other vendors’ sales by up to 40%.
“So many of our vendors … (are) long-term vendors that love coming to Chicago,” Tomkins said. “And (they) stayed with us for COVID, stayed with us through all these ups and downs. And this will likely be their worst year ever.”
The only other capacity limit the Christkindlmarket has had was during the coronavirus pandemic, when it was set at 3,494 people.
Tomkins said Monday’s change came after more than 10 days of discussion with the city. Last week, event operators sent a letter to Johnson’s office and mayoral aides asking them to reconsider the restrictions.
“This is the first time in the market’s 29-year history that such severe limits have been imposed,” the letter read. Organizers went on to note that international vendors, particularly those from Germany, are questioning whether they can return next year amid the restrictions.
“Without relief,” the letter read, “the future of Chicago’s largest winter tourist attraction — and the Loop’s holiday vibrancy — is at risk.”
Organizers requested that the mayor’s office restore previously approved pandemic-era capacity levels.
In its statement Monday, the mayor’s office said the city would “continue to make adjustments as needed.”
“The city will continue to work with the organizers to manage the flow of visitors so that the volume meets the needs of the vendor,” Mendoza, the office spokesperson, said, adding that the Chicago Fire Department will be on hand to offer additional training to event security, so they’re prepared to manage higher traffic flow.
Mendoza also stated that the city was working with organizers to “evaluate possible alternative locations for next year.”
Tomkins said discussion continues. While no one wants a safe market more than organizers, he said, they hope to reach a compromise that keeps vendors out of the red.
“We’re doing everything we can to find whatever solutions are out there,” he said.
The Tribune’s Alice Yin, Rick Pearson and Cam’ron Hardy contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/christkindlmarket-capacity-limit-chicago-brandon-johnson/
Los Steelers y Mike Tomlin se enfrentan a un reto como nunca antes
Por WILL GRAVES
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Una de las frases favoritas de Mike Tomlin es “sonríe ante la adversidad”, un “Tomlin-ismo” que el entrenador de los Steelers de Pittsburgh utiliza ocasionalmente cuando su equipo atraviesa un mal momento.
Sin embargo, las comisuras de la boca de Tomlin nunca se levantaron, ni una sola vez, mientras intentaba analizar los escombros de una derrota por 26-7 ante Buffalo el domingo, que fue tan enfática como completa.
En cambio, el entrenador con más años en el cargo en los deportes de equipo de América del Norte sonaba casi resignado después de pasar tres horas viendo a su equipo ser vapuleado de una manera que rara vez ha ocurrido durante sus 19 años en el puesto.
Los Bills hicieron lo que quisieron, cuando quisieron, acumulando 249 yardas por tierra y empujando a la defensa más cara de la NFL durante tres horas en el frío de finales de noviembre, que ofreció pocas pruebas de que los Steelers se dirigen en la dirección correcta mientras se avecina el tramo final.
¿Qué tan mal se puso? Cuando la pantalla del videomarcador en la zona sur del Acrisure Stadium se apagó a principios del último cuarto con los Steelers perdiendo por 16 —una clara señal de que el himno no oficial del equipo, “Renegade” de Styx, está por venir—, la parte de la multitud de más de 66.000 personas que permanecía abucheó.
Fue el momento de protesta más ruidoso, pero no el único. También surgieron cánticos de “Despidan a Tomlin” en ocasiones, la frustración de una base de fanáticos que no ha visto una victoria en los playoffs en ocho años y contando —y con escasas evidencias recientes de que la racha terminará pronto— desbordándose.
Tomlin no reconoció si los escuchó o no, pero entendió.
“Yo sé lo inquieto y frustrado que estaba, así que supongo que ellos estaban en el mismo estado en el que estábamos nosotros”, dijo.
Quizás, pero la frustración que siente Tomlin y la frustración que siente la base de fanáticos provienen de lugares muy diferentes.
Tomlin sigue siendo firme en que las respuestas para arreglar un equipo que ha estado estancado como competente pero no siempre competitivo durante casi una década están cerca.
Una parte considerable de aquellos que pagan una cantidad no insignificante de dinero para venir a ver no lo creen.
En las redes sociales después de cualquier derrota de los Steelers —y ha habido cinco de ellas en las últimas siete semanas— se encuentra el nombre de Tomlin en tendencia, y no de una buena manera.
Aunque eso es simplemente parte del trato cuando entrenas para ganarte la vida, la situación de Tomlin es única.
El hombre de 53 años no ha tenido una temporada perdedora con los Steelers. Está a cuatro victorias de empatar con el miembro del Salón de la Fama Chuck Noll en el noveno lugar de la lista de victorias de carrera de la NFL y tiene un currículum que recibirá una consideración significativa para un saco dorado propio cuando llegue el momento.
También resulta que trabaja para una organización que ha pasado casi 60 años sin despedir a un entrenador en jefe. Tomlin también tiene contrato hasta la temporada 2027, y los Steelers han sido transparentes sobre sus planes de seleccionar a su próximo quarterback franquicia cuando el draft de la NFL llegue a Pittsburgh en abril.
Pittsburgh ha respaldado a Tomlin en cada paso desde que contrató al entonces en gran parte desconocido coordinador defensivo para reemplazar a Bill Cowher a principios de 2007. Aunque su asociación ha producido el sexto título de Super Bowl de la franquicia y una aparición en otro, también es justo comenzar a preguntarse si el enfoque de Tomlin se ha vuelto obsoleto.
Casi tres cuartas partes de los 32 equipos de la NFL han ganado un juego de postemporada desde que los Steelers vencieron a Kansas City en la ronda divisional en enero de 2017. Pittsburgh tiene un récord de 0-6 en ese lapso, con muchas de las derrotas pareciéndose mucho a lo que sucedió el domingo contra los Bills.
Enfrentando a un equipo de calidad con aspiraciones propias de Super Bowl, los Steelers fueron superados. Al igual que lo fueron a principios de esta temporada contra Green Bay. Y los Chargers de Los Ángeles. Y Seattle.
Tomlin ha estado aquí antes. Varias veces. El equipo de 2013 estaba en 2-6 después de una vergonzosa derrota en Nueva Inglaterra y casi llegó a los playoffs. Hace dos años, recurrió a Mason Rudolph en las últimas semanas, lo que llevó a una racha de tres victorias consecutivas y una improbable clasificación a la postemporada.
También sacó a relucir sus “Tomlin-ismos” durante esos tiempos oscuros, y los Steelers se recuperaron. Tienen cinco oportunidades —comenzando el domingo en Baltimore— para hacerlo de nuevo esta temporada. Y aunque no lo parece, Pittsburgh con 6-6 sigue empatado con Baltimore en el liderato de la AFC Norte.
El currículum de Tomlin exige que se le dé el beneficio de la duda hasta que se demuestre lo contrario.
Lo que funciona
No mucho, aunque el corredor suplente Kenny Gainwell ha perfeccionado el arte de la atrapada con una mano.
Lo que no funciona
Casi todo lo demás.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Your Health Report Isn’t The Final Step – It’s A Warning You Can’t Ignore
Your Health Report Isn’t The Final Step – It’s A Warning You Can’t Ignore
Authored by JoJo Novaes & Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A 50-year-old man felt completely healthy—no chest pain, no fatigue, no warning signs. So when his routine health checkup revealed an LDL cholesterol level of 231 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), nearly double the recommended limit, he brushed it aside. After all, he felt fine.
However, the numbers told a different story. Reviewing the man’s past reports, Peng-Tzu Liu, deputy director of the Health Management Center at Taiwan’s Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, noticed a steady upward climb: 187 mg/dL in 2022, 191 mg/dL in 2023, and now 231 mg/dL. According to the American Heart Association, healthy adults should keep LDL below 100 mg/dL, while those with cardiovascular disease should aim for 70 mg/dL or lower.
“Had he continued ignoring his results, by around 2030 his cardiovascular system could already be severely damaged,” Liu said on NTD’s “Health 1+1” program, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times. In other words, a heart attack or stroke waiting to happen—despite feeling perfectly well.
This case, along with others Liu has seen, underscores a critical truth: serious diseases often develop silently, and ignoring abnormal results from a health checkup can allow dangerous conditions to worsen unnoticed.
Sudden Weight Loss–and a Hidden Blood Sugar Crisis
A 60-year-old woman had a similar experience, though in her case the warning sign was more obvious: she suddenly lost 15 pounds in three months. She assumed it was unintentional weight loss and chose to wait until her upcoming annual exam.
Her health report told a more alarming story. Her fasting blood glucose had surged to 279 mg/dL (normal is below 99 mg/dL), and her HbA1c reached 11.6 percent (normal is below 5.7 percent), indicating dangerously uncontrolled diabetes requiring immediate insulin therapy.
Rapid weight loss is not a sign of healthy metabolism, Liu said. When blood sugar remains excessively high, the body cannot use glucose properly; instead, sugar spills into urine, leading to dehydration and unhealthy weight loss.
Her checkup trend chart showed that since 2019, both her blood glucose and HbA1c levels had been steadily rising. However, she had never taken medication consistently, relying instead on exercise and dietary adjustments.
By the time clear symptoms appeared, the damage had already accumulated. After years of unchecked inflammation and elevated sugar levels, insulin could help stabilize her condition, but could no longer fully reverse it.
This case demonstrates that symptoms often appear only when a condition has reached an advanced stage. Liu noted that had the patient begun medication seven years earlier—when her health report first showed warning signs—she likely could have avoided the sharp spike in blood sugar, the rapid weight loss, and the increased risk of long-term complications.
When clear physical abnormalities—such as sudden or unexplained weight loss—occur, Liu urges patients to seek medical attention immediately rather than waiting for the next annual checkup. Those who are uncertain where to start can visit a family medicine or general practice clinic for an initial evaluation and further referral.
Liu said that both cases occurred just a week before his interview, illustrating how often people overlook their test results after a health checkup.
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Why Symptoms Cannot Be Trusted
Both cases highlight a dangerous misconception: the absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of disease. Conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension often progress quietly for years, causing long-term damage long before patients begin to feel unwell.
For this reason, Liu stresses that health checkups should never be treated as mere formalities—or worse, reports to file away and forget. A checkup is the beginning of preventive care, not the end. Taking action after receiving the report is the most important step in protecting long-term health.
4 Follow-Up Actions After Receiving a Health Report
If your report shows multiple abnormal results, do not panic—or worse, set it aside and forget about it.
Liu shared four practical ways to make the most of your health checkups.
1. Consult a Family Physician
Having a trusted and qualified family physician is crucial for ongoing health management. Many people are unfamiliar with how to interpret their health checkup reports.
Liu recommended sharing the report with a family physician, who can clarify complex data, identify which abnormal results require prompt medical attention, and advise on those that can be improved through lifestyle changes.
2. Seek Timely Referrals When Necessary
Health care providers take patients’ emotional comfort into account and often offer flexible referral options, Liu said.
For example, women who feel embarrassed about undergoing gynecological exams may be given a list of female physicians—or even assistance in scheduling an appointment on the spot—to help prevent unnecessary delays in care.
3. Select Health Screening Items Based on Personal Risk Factors
Health screening items should be selected based on family history and individual risk factors to enable more targeted disease detection. Liu recommended discussing options with a family physician or medical staff at the screening center before the checkup, rather than simply selecting the cheapest or most basic package.
For example, people with a family history of lung cancer or those who smoke regularly should opt for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) instead of a traditional chest X-ray.
The National Lung Screening Trial—a large randomized controlled trial—found that annual LDCT screening among high-risk people can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20 percent compared with standard chest X-rays.
4. Maintain or Adjust Your Lifestyle Habits
Health checkup results reflect only your current physical condition—but maintaining good health is an ongoing process.
Liu shared a real-life example: A man underwent a health checkup in the morning, and his results came back normal.
Feeling reassured, he went out that evening to celebrate, indulging in a spicy meal and heavy drinking. Later that night, he began vomiting blood and was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors diagnosed a gastric ulcer.
The man protested in disbelief, “That’s impossible—I just had a gastroscopy this morning, and it showed no ulcer!”
Further examination confirmed that the bleeding was caused by his overeating and excessive alcohol consumption.
“The imaging results from a health checkup only reflect your condition at the time of the examination,” Liu said. “They do not guarantee how your health will be tomorrow or in the coming days. If your test results are normal, you need to maintain your current lifestyle habits to keep your health indicators within a healthy range.”
The True Purpose of a Health Checkup
A health checkup is not a certificate of safety. It is an early warning system designed to detect silent health problems—often years before symptoms appear. Its value lies not in the report itself but in what you do afterward: consulting professionals, adjusting habits, and acting before disease becomes irreversible.
“Preventive medicine begins after you receive the report,” Liu said. “The goal is to transform those numbers into a personalized plan that protects your future health.”
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 20:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/your-health-report-isnt-final-step-its-warning-you-cant-ignore
Humbled by personal tragedy, Republican Darren Bailey resumes his quest for Illinois governor
Less than two months after four family members died in a tragic helicopter crash, Darren Bailey finds himself not only trying to rebuild his life but also his nascent campaign for the Republican nomination for Illinois governor.
After taking time off to grieve the loss of his son Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey and grandchildren Vada Rose, 12, and Samuel, 7, in the accident in southeastern Montana on Oct. 22 — and taking guardianship of another of the couple’s children, Finn, 10, who was not on the aircraft — the downstate farmer and former state senator said Monday he is returning to the campaign trail.
Humbled by a deep sense of personal loss and chastened by an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, Bailey said, “I just saw complete goodness. And you know why it surprised me? It surprised me because I, myself, haven’t always been the best at that.
“I haven’t always been diligent about expressing my sympathy, my care, my love — whatever it is,” he said, “and that’s probably one of the biggest things that I have garnered out of this. My compassion sensors are just heightened.”
In his political career, Bailey has leaned heavily on his faith as an evangelical, charismatic Christian, which was at the forefront of his losing 2022 bid as the Republican Party nominee against Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
He also welcomed the encouragement of President Donald Trump who, in a letter of condolences, told Bailey, “I have no doubt that you will continue to Fight! Fight! Fight! for your beloved state in honor of your beautiful family. Their love for you will forever endure, and their spirits will remain by your side.”
Bailey, who turns 60 on primary day, March 17, lost to Pritzker last time by nearly 13 percentage points. He’s seeking a rematch as one of six people seeking the Republican nomination, including conservative activist Ted Dabrowski of Wilmette and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. Some allies and cash backers in Bailey’s 2022 bid have now shifted to Dabrowski, and Bailey acknowledges his effort is akin to the biblical battle of David vs. Goliath as he once again seeks to challenge Pritzker, a billionaire businessman and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune.
But he said his campaign is one of the lessons learned, of appreciating regional differences and of being disciplined on a campaign message focused on improving affordability, education and public safety and not on divisive social issues such as his opposition to abortion. All of which he must do while trying to educate residents to take power into their own hands by voting.
“We know what has to be different from the last time,” he said. “I mean, the southern Illinois dialect, coming up here to Chicago and being a farmer and living in a conservative part of the state. I thought it made common sense that everybody in the state thought like I did and found out quickly they didn’t. So we’re going to focus on those issues that we all, 80% of the people, have in common.”
Recalling the pushback he received from calling Chicago a “hellhole” in his last campaign for governor, he said the city “has its problems but Chicagoans are proud of their city and they should be, but the city can be a lot greater.”
“This whole ideology with Chicago, I feel it. You love your city. I get it. You’re passionate about that. I understand better now,” he said, contending his downstate accent was “holding more people up than anything else” from voting for him in the Chicago area.
“I’m asking people to forgo my accent,” he said. “I have tried (to make changes) in some of my pronunciation, but I’m telling you, this is who I am and, at the end of the day, I want to be who I am because that’s how I got here.”
But Bailey continues his staunch defense of Trump, a polarizing president whose Operation Midwest Blitz immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago and the suburbs has been viewed negatively by many in the region, saying “time will tell” about its effects on improving safety.
“The reality is that all these people are trying to do is uphold the law,” he said of the aggressive tactics of immigration enforcement officers. “I think there’s 101 ways we could go about this differently, of helping people attain citizenship, legally, doing something with the people that are here productively. But there’s no way to separate that right now because we know we have dangerous people in the system, too.”
“This whole ideology with Chicago, I feel it. You love your city. I get it. You’re passionate about that. I understand better now,” said Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for Illinois governor, while in Chicago on Dec. 1, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
He also said voters should be patient with Trump’s economic programs, including tariffs, saying long-term market conditions are to blame for a poor farm economy that has raised consumer prices.
“I’m looking at President Trump and I’m seeing somebody who is actively communicating and working a message that’s going to take some time,” said Bailey, who won Trump’s endorsement in the 2022 governor’s race but saw the president back the incumbent when Bailey made a failed primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro last year.
“I believe that in the next nine months, I personally believe that we’re going to see some of this stuff make sense,” Bailey said of Trump’s agenda.
“I mean, right now in Illinois, I point my fingers solidly at JB Pritzker and I have to ask: Why? Why the gas tax (increasing every year)? Why? Just why the continued spending? Why, every time there is a problem, we never address the problem?” he asked.
Bailey said he intends to roll out plans to deal with increasing property tax bills. He supports repeal of the SAFE-T Act that ended cash bail, and improvements to education funding and standards. But he said the state government needs to go on a financial “diet” and he wants a comprehensive audit of spending and programs.
Because of his last run for governor, Bailey said he considers himself the front-runner for renomination by Republicans and dismisses criticism of another bid by saying his grassroots network of volunteers and coordinators remains largely intact.
But he lacks the money of ultraconservative megadonor Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest, the founder of the Uline office supply and packaging company, who pumped more than $50 million directly and indirectly into Bailey’s 2022 campaign. Uihlein has given Dabrowski $250,000, and Uihlein’s conduit for Illinois political spending, right-wing radio host Dan Proft of Naples, Florida, is backing Dabrowski.
Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for Illinois governor, sits for an interview at the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago on Dec. 1, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Bailey, however, said he believed Uihlein’s backing of one of his rivals was due to Bailey’s late entry into the race.
“I think that in time, Mr. Uihlein and others, they will realize the right thing to do is to be with us now, once we get back on the trail and solidify and get our messaging out and I actually start showing up at places, which I otherwise would have been doing during the last two months,” he said.
Bailey said his grandson Finn is doing well and recently received a golden Labrador retriever puppy from a family after his own dog perished in the helicopter accident. He also said he believed his son, Zachary, who was piloting the aircraft, was destined to become the next politician in the family.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said it could be up to two years before the agency discloses the likely cause of the crash.
According to a preliminary report from the agency, a witness said she saw the helicopter trying to gain altitude and “something came off it” before it “descended out of her line of sight.”
“So I realized that I owe him this and I owe my grandchildren this continued path of how I believe we get Illinois back on track,” Bailey said.
“The people who reached out to us, going through something that I would never wish on anyone … I needed that. I needed it because I may have been a little too hard-hearted or rough around the edges,” he said.
Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/darren-bailey-resumes-quest-after-personal-tragedy/
What do you get when you pair Old Style with Malört? It’s not as bad as it sounds, East Dundee bar owners say
Some wise men in downtown East Dundee have created what could be the ultimate Chicago-themed holiday beverage.
Truth or Dare is a beer that combines the flavors of Jeppson’s Malört liqueur with Old Style — but in a good way.
“We call it Truth of Dare because people dare each other to try Malört,” said Joe Zeller, owner of The Distance Social bar.
He had the idea for a beer-and-Malört combo about a year ago, prompting Zeller and his son, Joey, to reach out to staff at Black & Gray Brewing Co., about a half a block away, to see if they would be interested in joining forces. The two businesses had already collaborated on Stonesthrow, a barleywine aged in barrels that had been used to make New Riff bourbon.
Black & Gray taproom manager Anthony Savino was intrigued by the concept, in part because of the popularity of Malört in East Dundee.
“This town is very Malört focused. Any bar in town has it,” said Chris Kennedy, Black & Gray’s director of brewery operations and Savino’s father.
Zeller confirmed that his place sells a lot of Malört. Plus, he’s friends with the people at the Chicago-based CH Distillery, which makes the wormwood-based libation that, for many, is an extremely acquired taste.
Those relationships enabled Zeller to obtain a barrel from CH Distillery to use for aging the new brew. The distillery repurposes oak barrels used to make rum and bourbon that ultimately are used to make Malört.
Black & Gray Brewing Co. taproom manager Anthony Savino and director of brewery operations Chris Kennedy show off a bottle of Truth or Dare, a new malt beer aged in a barrel once used to make Jeppson’s Malört liqueur. (Mike Danahey/The Courier-News)
Kennedy started on the project about seven months ago, deciding to make a malt liquor that would age in the Malört barrel and gain flavor from it. Malt liquor is the more potent version of an imperial lager, which is what Old Style is, he said. Beers aged in barrels typically have higher alcohol content and are stronger tasting.
“Lighter beers don’t do well in barrels,” Kennedy said.
He tasted the brew about two months in, and decided it would need to age another four or five months if the barrel’s flavor was going to come through, he said.
While satisfied with the outcome, Kennedy said he was initially a bit wary about how it might be received, particularly given that Malört is so bitter.
When planning the Nov. 20 unveiling of Truth of Dare, Savino’s social media marketing called the beverage, “the greatest collaboration nobody asked for.”
Despite their initial wariness, the creation has been well-received and they’ve received kudos from the CH Distillery staff who attended the launch at the two East Dundee watering holes.
“It turned out amazing,” Saviano said. “Truth or Dare is smooth. It picked up grapefruit notes from the Malört and woody notes from the barrel.”
Kennedy likened it to a saison, a Belgian-style ale.
As far as they are aware, Truth or Dare is relatively unique among beers.
Kennedy said Scorched Earth Brewery in Algonquin sells The Algonquin Handshake, a cream ale aged in Malört barrels. An internet search shows that in spring, Milwaukee-based Broken Bat Brewing released The Chicago Handshake, which combines its lager with Malört. And this past summer, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewery and its Voodoo Ranger label came up with a Malört-ish IPA.
“As far as I know, we’re the only ones who combine a malt liquor with Malört,” Kennedy said.
The combo is doing so well that Savino said they are close to selling out of the on-tap version at Black & Gray. A 13-ounce pour of 11% ABV Truth or Dare is $8 at Black & Gray. The Distance Social is selling 22-ounce bottles for $14.
If you wind up being too late to buy some this holiday season, mark your calendars for next year. The men are planning to bring the brew back in November 2026.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/dundee-old-style-malort-beer-black-gray-truth/
