According to Mercator Advisory Group, in 2019 consumers spent $98.6 billion on holiday gift cards, but the organization says that as much as three percent of these will never be redeemed. This means that $3 billion will go unclaimed. Speaking on why people don’t use their gift cards, National Use Your Gift Card Day founder, Tracy Tilson, told Newsweek that it’s not just a case of people forgetting. “When it comes to receiving a gift card, there is always a chance that it’s from a brand where you wouldn’t usually shop or dine or possibly the amount isn’t large enough to warrant an immediate spend,” said Tilson....

The 28-year-old Nationals reliever has faced nine batters so far in 2019. He has walked four and allowed seven earned runs, all while not recording an out. “I’ve never been through anything quite like this, so it’s kind of tough,” Rosenthal said about his struggles (via MASN). “Just because physically I feel so good and so strong. Just the ball is not going exactly where I want it to....

It’s a sentence that almost feels surreal to type. Championship baseball is back in the nation’s capital. Max Scherzer delievered a gutty performance, the stuff of legend, likely at less than 100 percent following his neck issues prior to Game 5. The Washington hurler went just five innings but allowed just two runs on seven hits and four walks. Scherzer allowed five hard-hit balls per Statcast, including a laser-shot home run off the bat of Yuli Gurriel in the second....

Leonid Slutsky, the leader of the right-wing populist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and the chairman of the State Duma’s international affairs committee, said Tuesday he hopes the transatlantic alliance would crumble without outside pressure from its adversaries in Moscow and Beijing. His post was a response to comments by United States Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith, who wrote in the Financial Times on Tuesday that Moscow and Beijing are “sharing a toolkit” of strategies to undermine NATO members....

General Joseph Dunford spoke to reporters on Tuesday following the most recent NATO military committee meeting in Slovenia, which he said was building on NATO’s new military strategy agreed in May, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. A belligerent Russia and strengthening China has left world leaders once again thinking in terms of great power competition. The post-Soviet years of unquestioned U.S. global dominance is coming to an end, and the transatlantic alliance has been forced to pivot to this new reality....

Natural Remedies for Colon Cancer Prevention To date, few natural remedies or alternative therapies have been found to play a significant role in colon cancer prevention. However, preliminary research suggests that the following substances may help reduce colon cancer risk to some degree. Here’s a look at some key study findings: Vitamin D High blood levels of vitamin D may be linked to a lower risk of colon cancer, according to a 2019 study....

If you choose a natural birth control method, in order to be effective, you must be committed to this decision. These methods require discipline and self-control. It is also helpful that you are in a stable relationship where you and your partner can openly talk and cooperate with one another. The withdrawal method also relies on complete self-control. You must have an exact sense of timing to withdraw your penis in time....

As plaque accumulates and hardens over time, it can narrow your arteries and restrict the blood flow to your heart (as well as other parts of the body). Clogged arteries may result in heart attack, stroke, or even death. Atherosclerosis may also lead to a number of serious diseases, including coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease, and peripheral arterial disease. Signs and Symptoms Atherosclerosis often produces no signs or symptoms until blood flow becomes blocked and results in a medical emergency....

The Russian Su-35 fighter conducted two intercepts of a P-8A submarine reconnaissance plane on Sunday, according to U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, flying within 25 feet of the American aircraft. The Navy did not say exactly where the interceptions took place. Though the first was deemed safe, the Navy said the second interception was “unsafe and unprofessional.” It accused the Russian pilot of carrying out the “high-speed, high-powered maneuver that decreased aircraft separation to within 25 feet....

Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator Tony DeDolph pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, hazing, obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges related to assault and obstruction of justice at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia on Thursday, according to Army Times. DeDolph is one of four service members charged in connection to the death of Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar and the third to plead guilty to charges in the case. Melgar died on June 4, 2017, while he and the group accused in his death, consisting of Navy and Marines members, were serving together in Bamako, Mali....

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has expressed concerns about the “extremely disturbing” flags which have appeared in Alberta in the space of a few days. The FSWC said it was first alerted about a Hitler Youth flag being flown on a flagpole near the village of Boyle last week, before also being notified of Hitler Youth and Confederate flags being displayed at a property near Breton a few days later....

One cannot question Gary Payton’s greatness, one cannot question Gary Payton’s desire, but even his most ardent admirers must admit this: Gary Payton ain’t hooked up right. Usually, superstars have a pretty good reason to start an insurrection, but Payton’s tiff with Paul Westphal last week was so pointless that it scampered along the borders of the surreal. You probably were given the broad strokes, though many of the finer points were lost because Seattle was in its first day of a newspaper strike — not the smallest of breaks for this dysfunctional basketball family....

The Rockets guard’s game-winning jump shot over Warriors defensive ace Andre Iguodala should not have counted, the NBA announced Friday. The last two minute report also says that the Warriors probably should not have been able to make the pivotal steal to take the lead on the possession before Harden’s shot. MORE: 23 most hated players in NBA history Friday’s report, which also included two other, less meaningful incorrect no-calls, reads, “Foul: Offensive — INC — Harden (HOU) initiates the contact with Iguodala (GSW) to create space and dislodges him from his legal guarding position....

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, the defensive player of the year, was a unanimous choice with 130 first-place votes. Golden State’s Draymond Green, Boston’s Avery Bradley and the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul completed the first team. MORE: SN’s NBA awards | Best teams that didn’t win NBA titles Below are the complete first and second teams with voting breakdowns: 2015-16 NBA All-Defensive First Team Player (Team), 1st Team Votes, 2nd Team Votes, Total...

That means the next step is the 2022 NBA All-Star Draft, where leading vote-getters for their respective conferences, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, will act as captains and select their own All-Star teams. With the 2022 NBA All-Star Draft set to take place on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. on TNT, we’re still roughly a week away from the real teams being selected. But after all the buzz that surrounds the All-Star player pool being announced – including the annual argument over who was snubbed – two members of our TSN staff couldn’t wait and elected to Mock Draft this year’s rosters....

With NBA All-Star voting tipping off on Christmas Day, fans now have the opportunity to select the players they believe should start in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game set to be held in Cleveland, Ohio. When potential All-Stars deliver vote-worthy performances, we’ll be sure to bring that to your attention with our “NBA All-Star Moment of the Night” series to highlight those deserving players. You can vote for your 2022 NBA All-Stars here, or find several other ways to vote here....

Just like in years past, fans will account for 50% of the final vote for this year’s All-Star Game. The other 50% is made up of current players and a media panel, with each side accounting for 25% of the vote. Voting began on Dec. 25 and will conclude at 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 22. The 71st NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p....

No longer a new phenomenon in the NBA world, players young and old are missing time for scheduled rest with the idea of limiting their workload, often resulting in the disappointment of fans. At the NBA Launchpad event in Las Vegas, league commissioner Adam Silver provided his assessment of load management, complete with a callout of an NBA executive in attendance. “There’s nothing more frustrating for our fans than having players, frankly, who aren’t injured following some program schedule for rest,” Silver said to those in attendance....

In this scenario, the league would cut the preseason by about half and spread the 82-game season over an additional 10 days, Lowe reports. The league’s ultimate goal is to offer players more rest throughout the season without extracting games from the schedule. MORE: Top NBA moments in 2014 | NBA Basketball Christmas | All-time NBA scorers In a conversation with Grantland, the NBA confirmed their efforts to reach out to team executives on the matter....

Please note that there are some top players who aren’t listed in the playbook. As always, we try to provide options across all salary ranges as opposed to merely suggesting the best overall players. I tried to list most players off their FanDuel positions, but note that they may be eligible at other positions on the other sites. It’s easier to mix and match with the multiple DraftKings options than it is for FD....