‘Existential’ picked as word of the year

NEW YORK (AP) — Climate change, gun violence, the very nature of democracy and an angsty little movie star called Forky helped propel “existential” to Dictionary.com’s word of the year.

The choice reflects months of high-stakes threats and crises, real and pondered, across the news, the world and throughout 2019.

“In our data, it speaks to this sense of grappling with our survival, both literally and figuratively, that defined so much of the discourse,” said John Kelly, senior research editor for the site, ahead of Monday’s announcement.

The word earned top of mind awareness in sustained searches at Dictionary.com in the aftermath of wildfires and Hurricane Dorian, and mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and El Paso, Texas. It also reared itself in presidential politics and pop culture, including Forky the white plastic spork who was the breakout star of “Toy Story 4.”

The soiled utensil is convinced his destiny is in the trash, until he embraces his purpose as a treasured toy of kindergartener Bonnie.

“Forky underscores how this sense of grappling can also inspire us to ask big questions about who we are, about our purpose,” Kelly told The Associated Press.

Oxford Dictionaries picked “climate emergency” as its word of the year, noting usage evidence that reflects the “ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year,” the company said in a statement.

Dictionary.com crunches lookup and other data to decide which word to anoint each year. The site has been picking a word of the year since 2010.

Among search spikes for “existential” were those that occurred after both Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders and 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg characterized climate change as an “existential” crisis, Kelly said.

Another spike occurred when former Vice President Joe Biden, also vying for the Democratic presidential nod, painted President Donald Trump as an “existential threat” to decency.

The word dates to 1685, deriving from Late Latin’s “existentialis.” Dictionary.com defines existential as “of or relating to existence” and “of, relating to, or characteristic of philosophical existentialism; concerned with the nature of human existence as determined by the individual’s freely made choices.”

Enter Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Gabriel Marcel and Jean-Paul Sartre, thinkers who molded and embraced existentialism, among other movements.

Climate, guns and the impeachment crisis for Donald Trump were just a few areas that seemed to frame debate in existential terms. So did the Hong Kong protests, the Notre Dame fire, tensions between the United States and China, and Big Tech’s privacy and fake news problems.

“We started to see existential in the dialogue beginning in January and all the way through the year,” said Jennifer Steeves-Kiss, Dictionary.com’s chief executive officer. “This is a consistent theme that we saw in our data, but it also was leveraged across many different important questions of our time.”

As for Forky, his journey from disposable utensil to handmade toy points to the concept of “agency,” Kelly said, referring to the power to direct our own existences. That, he said, affords us the “opportunity to turn existential threats into existential choices.”

Spending takes center stage at NATO summit

BRUSSELS (AP) — Despite pleas to set aside bickering over military spending so the issue doesn’t dominate a third NATO summit in a row, the United States is almost certain to demand again this week that its 28 NATO partners respect their pledges to boost defense budgets.

NATO countries slashed spending as tensions eased after the Cold War. But Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula was a wake-up call. The allies agreed then to halt cuts, boost budgets and move toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense by 2024.

The 2% figure is perhaps too simplistic in that its value fluctuates depending on how economies perform. Moreover, countries calculate their defense budgets differently; some want veterans pensions included, for example.

Correct spending levels don’t guarantee that adequate forces can be deployed into battle in a timely way and sustained by efficient supply lines. Nor do they have a relationship to any real security threat assessment.

Importantly, this is about national military budgets, not NATO funding. No one owes the United States money, even though Washington spends more on defense than all the other allies combined.

That said, European allies and Canada rely heavily on U.S. equipment like large military transport planes and air-to-air refueling, and NATO’s deterrent effect is more credible backed by the United States.

Nine countries are projected to meet the 2% benchmark this year — the U.S. with about 3.4%, Greece, Britain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania — up from three nations in 2014. Germany will spend 1.35%, ranking it 17th, but it aims to hit 1.5% by the deadline. Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg spend less than 1%.

While budgets have risen since 2014, NATO headquarters chooses to use 2016 — the year Donald Trump was elected U.S. president— as its reference point for spending increases. Officials concede privately that this is to mollify Trump.

According to new numbers released on Friday, European Allies and Canada will add $130 billion to their defense budgets by the end of 2020. Germany will account for around 20% of that increase. A total of some $400 billion more is expected to be added by 2024.

Germany, the main victim of Trump’s ire, says its current spending meets NATO planning requirements, and plans to spend 2% by around 2031.

Aside from national budgets, NATO also has a smaller in-house budget worth around $2 billion to run the organization’s headquarters in Brussels and provide some common funding to military operations around the world.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the United States will in future pay less into that pot, with Germany helping to fill the gap. He said Washington and Berlin will pay “roughly 16%” each of the total budget going forward. The U.S. was previously the biggest contributor, paying about 22%. Other European allies will also pay more, apart from France, which has refused.

Humboldt standouts honored

The Iola Register’s November sports world had a definitive orange and black hue.

Humboldt High School standouts Josh Hull and Alayna Johnson were voted by readers as the Register’s athletes of the month.

Hull’s dominance on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, helped pave the way for Humboldt’s second straight undefeated run through the regular season.

The Cubs advanced to the sectional round of the Kansas Class 2A state football playoffs.

Johnson, meanwhile, starred for the Lady Cubs on the volleyball court.

She set Humboldt’s career assists record with 1,737 over her four-year career.

She has committed to take her talents to  Manhattan Christian next fall. 

Feature stories on Hull and Johnson will appear in the coming days.

Buffalo Bills stampede Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cole Beasley savored a little extra time on the field with his former teammates after what had to be one of the most satisfying days of the Buffalo receiver’s career.

And to think he didn’t even have the most noteworthy play for the Bills’ pass-catchers.

John Brown became the first Buffalo receiver to throw a touchdown pass, Josh Allen set a franchise record by producing at least two touchdowns in an eighth consecutive game and the surging Bills beat the fading Dallas Cowboys 26-15 on Thursday.

Allen ran for a TD and threw a scoring pass to Beasley, who had 110 yards receiving in the stadium where he spent his first seven seasons as the Bills (9-3) got their first Thanksgiving win since 1975 in their first appearance on the holiday in 25 years.

Buffalo is 5-1 on the road for the first time since 1966, and the nine wins through 12 games are the most since the Bills finished 10-6 in Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s final season in 1996.

“It’ll be the most satisfying day when we win a Super Bowl,” said Beasley, who was critical of the Cowboys after leaving, then had six catches and finished 2 yards shy of his career high against them. “It’s just another win, another step in the right direction.”

The Cowboys (6-6) stumbled after scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, giving Philadelphia a chance to rejoin them atop the NFC East after their fourth double-digit loss in the past six Thanksgiving games.

A lackluster showing for Dallas’ sixth loss in nine games came four days after owner Jerry Jones blasted the coaching staff following a loss to New England from a team that entered the season with lofty expectations.

Jones remained supportive of embattled coach Jason Garrett, who is in the final year of his contract in his ninth full season for a franchise that hasn’t been past the divisional round since the last of its five championships to finish the 1995 season.

“This is not the time for me,” said Jones, who made an in-season change when Garrett got the job in 2010. “I’m looking ahead at winning four or five straight. Every decision that I make over the next month will be with an eye in mind to get us in the Super Bowl now.”

Allen, whose 15-yard run put Buffalo ahead 23-7 late in the third quarter, was 19 of 24 for 231 yards and a career-best 120.7 passer rating as the Bills won their third straight game and solidified their hold on an AFC wild-card spot.

The second-year quarterback found the ball at the bottom of a pile after fumbling a snap on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, quickly reached the ball over the first down spot and then stumbled forward 3 yards to the Dallas 28, pumping his arms emphatically afterward.

“On fourth down, fourth and short, fumbling the snap, I got to do a better job with that, and get the ball to our running back and let him do the job there,” Allen said. “But I wanted it. I wanted it really bad.”

On the next play, Brown, who starred on the gridiron collegiately for PIttsburg State Universitytook a pitch on a double reverse and lofted the ball to wide-open running back Devin Singletary for Buffalo’s first lead at 13-7 in the second quarter.

“I played a little backup quarterback in Pop Warner, but I wasn’t all that,” Brown said becoming the first non-QB with a touchdown pass for the Bills since Fred Jackson 10 years ago.

“Dropped a dime,” Beasley said. “We had two great quarterbacks today.”

The Cowboys couldn’t blame a sputtering offense on the conditions after the windy and rainy loss to the Patriots. Dak Prescott threw an interception, lost one fumble and had another on fourth down as Dallas was outscored 26-0 over a 50-minute stretch.

Ezekiel Elliott had 54 yards rushing and another 20 receiving in the first nine minutes, but wasn’t much of a factor the rest of the way. He finished with 71 yards rushing and 66 receiving.

Singletary became the latest back to have a splashier day than the two-time rushing champion, rushing for 63 yards with 38 more receiving. The 28-yard score was the easiest play he had all day, waiting for Brown’s throw to come down and waltzing into the end zone.

BASKING BEASLEY

Most of the Buffalo joy was saved for Beasley, who had several momentum-changing plays along with his 25-yard touchdown in his first 100-yard game with the Bills and third of his career. The diminutive receiver who grew up in the Dallas area and played at SMU.

“I’m extremely proud of Cole and happy for him,” coach Sean McDermott said. “He’s worked hard. Obviously we’re happy to have him on our team. He said that to me before the game, and I’m just grateful for him and his mindset as well.”

CAN’T GET IT RIGHT

A week after getting criticized for taking a field goal down seven late against New England, the embattled Garrett went for it on fourth down from the Buffalo 6 late in the third quarter. But Prescott’s pass to Elliott in the flat wasn’t close, skipping in front of the running back.

Settling for field goals didn’t help the Cowboys much either. Brett Maher had a 36-yard miss partially blocked by Star Lotulelei on the final play of the first half and was wide right from 47 in the third quarter.

EMPTY STATS

Prescott was 32 of 49 for 355 yards and two touchdowns. The first was to Jason Witten, who has the most yards receiving on Thanksgiving with 895 after catching six passes for 42 yards.

INJURIES

Dallas left guard Connor Williams injured a knee and tried to return before being ruled out in the second half. He was just a few weeks removed from arthroscopic knee surgery.

UP NEXT

Bills: Home against Baltimore on Dec. 8.

Cowboys: At Chicago next Thursday.

Michigan roars past North Carolina in Battle 4 Atlantis

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Eli Brooks matched his career high with 24 points and Michigan ran off 19 straight points in the second half to upset No. 6 North Carolina 73-64 on Thursday to reach the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.

Isaiah Livers added 12 points for the Wolverines (6-0), who led by five early in the second half before pulling away with the big run for first-year coach Juwan Howard’s first marquee victory. Michigan will face No. 8 Gonzaga in the final Friday.

The 19-0 burst included a dazzling run of five straight baskets. At one point, Brooks buried a 3-pointer to push the lead to 19 and left Tar Heels coach Roy Williams standing on the sideline with both hands resting on top of his head.

Yet Franz Wagner followed with another, then Brooks added a runner that pushed the lead to 60-36 with 11:18 left and finally forced the timeout-hoarding Williams to burn one.

The Tar Heels (5-1) managed a long push to get back in it, twice getting as close as eight on interior buckets by Garrison Brooks in the final 3 1/2 minutes. But Eli Brooks made a 3 with 1:12 left, pushing the margin back to double figures.

Freshman Cole Anthony had 22 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina.

NO. 8 GONZAGA 73, 

NO. 11 OREGON 72, OT

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Drew Timme hit a free throw with 20.6 seconds left in overtime and Gonzaga survived Payton Pritchard’s shot for the win to beat Oregon in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.

Pritchard missed a jumper against Ryan Woolridge, and Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev tied up the rebound during a tussle in the paint. The possession arrow favored the Bulldogs with 0.2 seconds left, allowing them to secure the win by inbounding to Joel Ayayi.

Petrusev had 22 points and 15 rebounds for Gonzaga (8-0). The Bulldogs blew a 17-point first-half lead in a matchup of neighboring-state programs playing three time zones away from their Pacific Northwest campuses.

Pritchard led the Ducks (6-1) with 17 points.

NO. 5 MARYLAND 76, 

TEMPLE 69

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cowan Jr. scored five of his career-high 30 points in the final 3 minutes, helping Maryland overcome a slow start against Temple in the opening game of the Orlando Invitational.

IOWA 72, NO. 12 TEXAS TECH 61

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jordan Bohannon had 20 points and six assists, Luka Garza added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Iowa held off Texas Tech to reach the Las Vegas Invitational championship game.

Iowa will face San Diego State for the title.

Joe Wieskamp had 16 points and six rebounds for the Hawkeyes, and CJ Fredrick scored 10 points. His 3-pointer off a broken play as the shot clock expired put Iowa up 64-59 with 1:29 left. He followed that up with two free throws with 1:07 remaining to put it away.

Chris Clarke had 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Texas Tech (5-1). The Red Raider lost Big 12 leading scorer Jahmi’us Ramsey to a leg injury with 10:06 to play. He finished with seven points.

NO. 13 SETON HALL 81, 

SOUTHERN MISS 56

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Myles Powell scored 18 points to help Seton Hall beat Southern Mississippi in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Sandro Mamukelashvili added 14 points for the Pirates, who were playing in the losers’ bracket after blowing a 19-point lead in the second half against No. 11 Oregon on Wednesday. This time, Seton Hall (5-2) shot 51% and led by double figures throughout the second period.

NO. 14 ARIZONA 93, 

PEPPERDINE 91

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nico Mannion’s fast-break layup with 4 seconds remaining gave Arizona a hard-fought victory over Pepperdine at the Wooden Legacy.

Colbey Ross’ off-balance jumper tied it at 91 before Mannion drove the floor for the winning basket. Ross’ heave from halfcourt went off the glass as time expired.

The game featured 24 ties and 13 lead changes as both teams shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Arizona was 18 of 25 in the second half.

Josh Green led the Wildcats (7-0) with 24 points, while Mannion, Dylan Smith and Zeke Ninaji scored 16 apiece. Ninaji added 11 rebounds and Mannion dished out 11 assists.

Kameron Edwards was Pepperdine’s leading scorer with 21 points. Skylar Chavez and Ross had 20 apiece.

NO. 16 MEMPHIS 83, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 78

NEW YORK (AP) — Boogie Ellis scored 21 points to help No. 16 Memphis beat North Carolina State in the Barclays Center Classic.

Precious Achiuwa added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyler Harris had 14 for Memphis (6-1).

Markell Johnson led North Carolina State (5-2) with 22 points. Jericole Hellems added 17, and DJ Funderburk had 14.

North Korea may deploy ‘super-large’ rocket launcher soon

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said today the latest test-firing of its “super-large” multiple rocket launcher was a final review of the weapon’s combat application, a suggestion that the country is preparing to deploy the new weapons system soon.

South Korea’s military earlier said North Korea fired two projectiles, likely from the same “super-large” rocket launcher, on Thursday. It expressed “strong regret” over the launches and urged North Korea to stop escalating tensions.

Today, North’s Korean Central News Agency confirmed the launches were made with the presence of leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials.

“The volley test-fire aimed to finally examine the combat application of the super-large multiple launch rocket system proved the military and technical superiority of the weapon system and its firm reliability,” KCNA said.

It said Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over the results of the test-firing.

Analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies said North Korea appears to be entering the stage of mass-producing and deploying the rocket launcher. 

Thursday’s firing was the fourth test-launch of the rocket launcher since August.

Some experts say the flight distance and trajectory of projectiles fired from the launcher show they are virtually missiles or missile-classed weapons. The projectiles fired Thursday flew about 380 kilometers (235 miles) at a maximum altitude of 97 kilometers (60 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday called the projectiles ballistic missiles.

North Korea has fired other new weapons in recent months in what some experts say is an attempt to wrest concessions from the United States in stalled nuclear diplomacy while upgrading its military capabilities.

A U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at persuading North Korea to scrap its nuclear program in return for political and economic benefits remains largely stalemated since the February collapse of a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in Vietnam.

Most of the North Korean weapons tested since the Vietnam summit were short-range. Attention is now on whether North Korea resumes nuclear and long-range missile tests if Trump fails to meet a year-end deadline set by Kim for Washington to offer new proposals to salvage the negotiations.

 

Trump considers North Korea’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests a major foreign policy win.

Library fun ahead

Iola Public Library will offer several holiday season programs for adults in December.

“Christmas Comedy Classics” features the 1955 movie “We’re No Angels” at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Three convicts (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) escape from Devil’s Island just before Christmas and end up in a nearby French colonial town where they befriend a struggling store owner and his family by fixing a leaky roof. They intend to stay just long enough to steal supplies and clothes for a get-away on a ship in the harbor. But they have a change of heart and end up fixing Christmas dinner. Toss in a dubious suitor from Paris and a real viper on the loose, and viewers should be prepared for a surprise ending.

There is no cost, but advance registration is required.

The library will also reprise last year’s life-size Candyland game. The game will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 14. Games will start throughout the designated times, so those wishing to participate can drop in when it suits their schedule.

At the December Pinterest Party, participants will make a snowman ornament.  The program is at 6 p.m. Dec. 16.  Pre-registration, including a $3 fee, is required by Dec. 13.

Court report

DISTRICT COURT

Judge Daniel Creitz

Civil cases filed:

Rebecca A. Burns vs. Kale J. King, protection from stalking

State of Kansas ex rel DCF vs. Darryl S. Harris, other domestic

 

MAGISTRATE COURT

Judge Tod Davis

Convicted of no seat belt and fined $30:

Zebadiah S. Pass, Chanute

Sativa L. Goff, Chanute

Melissa M. Stevens, Fort Scott

Hope Lammey, Iola

Donald A. Bennett, Iola

Levi D. Boan, Iola

Brandon J. Curry, Iola

Convicted of speeding:

Randolph Rogers, Kansas City, 75/65, $153

Robert E. Hunter Jr., Dallas, Texas, 75/65, $153

Tyler M. McQuinn, Overland Park, 82/65, $220

Randall S. Hocker, Grove, Okla., 75/65, $153

Theresa J. Martin, Independence, 74/65, $153

Kirby A. Hoskinson, Deerfield, 65/55, $153

Cathrine S. MacFarlane, Paola, 85/65, $213

Curt J. Gilliam, Nixa, Mo., 75/65, $153

Andrea M. Dyer, Overland Park, 75/65, $153

Adikadir A. Mada, Columbus, Ohio, 75/65, $153

Cynthia G. Bearden, Tonganoxie, 75/65, $153

Venita V. Merik, Audubon, Iowa, 75/65, $153

Roxanne N. Mullon, Owasso, Okla., 75/65, $153

Johnny Chanthalangsy, Lawrence, 75/65, $153

Christina M. Abel, Overland Park, 86/65, $222

Kimberly C. Livesay, Broken Arrow, Okla., 83/65, $201

Alison D. Trimble, Lenexa, 75/65, $153

Dallas W. Gustin, Kansas City, Mo., 75/65, $153

Leonard L. Boan, Iola, 75/65, $153

Michelle L. Taylor, Lebanon, Mo., 65/55, $153

Michael S.S. Gaudreau, Irving, Texas, 95/65, $303

Jordon S. Cunningham, Faucett, Mo., 75/65, $153

Ryan P. Kenney, Wichita, 83/55, $285

Matthew D. Reburn, Collinsville, Okla., 93/65, $285

Eric W. Figurski, Chicago, Ill., 86/65, $222

John C. Bumgarner Jr., Tulsa, Okla., 93/65, 153

Rita D. Buetow, Coffeyville, 93/65, $201

Convicted as follows:

Nery I. Chinchilla Guzman, Tulsa, Okla., 84/65, no driver’s license, $327

Lester O. Walker, Uniontown, violation of a protection order, $568, 12 months probation

Jennifer C. Hutton, Iola, possession of marijuana, $968

Kyle J. Knoblich, Iola, disorderly conduct, $568

Derick R. Peterson, Iola, driving against restrictions, $330

Steven D. Carlsen, Belvedere, Ill., expired registration, $228

Joseph L. Wools, Iola, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, $568

Judith E. Pace, LaHarpe, possession of marijuana, $568

Failed to appear:

Calvin W. Hollis, Mannford, Okla., 75/65, no seatbelt, $183

Criminal cases filed:

Nikolaos Z. Peterson, Iola, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic battery

Contract cases filed:

LVNV Funding LLC vs. Dustin Dozier

Midland Funding LLC vs. Barbara Mannon

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC vs. Matilyn Rush

Shorter shopping season means a more intense scramble

NEW YORK (AP) — The mad scramble between Thanksgiving and Christmas has begun — but with six fewer days.

Black Friday once again kicks off the start of the holiday shopping season. But with it will be the shortest season since 2013 because Thanksgiving fell on the fourth Thursday in November — the latest possible date it could be. That means customers will have less time to shop and retailers will have less time to woo them.

At Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, there was a steady stream of shoppers by 7 a.m. in search of deals from 40% to 60% on everything from boots to sheets. But the crowds grew bigger an hour later.

Theodora Hatcher from Manhattan arrived with her son at around 6 a.m. today. She said she started holiday shopping two weeks ago, lured by online deals of up to 60% at Walmart.com, Amazon and Old Navy.

As for the shortened calendar, she prefers it.

“It adds pressure,” she said.

Seturah Winkler, 43, was shopping in the women’s shoe department with her friend. They were among the throngs of shoppers at Macy’s 5 p.m. opening on Thanksgiving.

Winkler had already spent $1,000 Thursday on coats, comforters and towels and was back for more.

“We took a break, and we are back at it again, “said Winkler of Richmond, Virginia, who has made the pilgrimage to Macy’s on Thanksgiving and Black Friday an annual tradition for several years. “I love the thrill of it. It’s exciting.”

Adobe Analytics predicts a loss of $1 billion in online revenue from a shortened season. Still, it expects online sales will reach $143.7 billion, up 14.1% from last year’s holiday season

The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, baked the shorter season into its forecast, but it says the real drivers will be the job market. It forecasts that holiday sales will rise between 3.8% and 4.2%, an increase from the disappointing 2.1% growth seen in the November and December 2018 period that came well short of the group’s prediction.

Last year’s holiday sales were hurt by turmoil over the White House trade policy with China and a delay in data collection by nearly a month because of a government shutdown. This year’s holiday forecast is above the average holiday sales growth of 3.7% over the previous five years.

NRF expects online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total, to increase between 11% and 14%, for the holiday period.

Black Friday is expected to once again be the largest shopping day of the season, followed by the last Saturday before Christmas, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all types of payments including cash and check. Thanksgiving Day isn’t even on the top 10 holiday shopping days, according to MasterCard.

The 2019 holiday season will be a good measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Many retail CEOs describe their customers has financially healthy, citing moderate wage growth and an unemployment rate hovering near a 50-year low.

“The overall picture is positive,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy. “People are spending out of positive cash flow as opposed to borrowing.”

Economic growth has moderated since earlier this year, with growth at just 1.9% in the July-September quarter, down from 3.1% in the first three months of the year. Analysts blame at least part of that on the U.S.-China trade war, which has forced many companies to delay plans to invest and expand.

That’s left consumers as the main drivers. So far, Americans have kept up their spending, allaying fears of a recession.

With more holiday deals happening earlier to compensate for the late start, many have already started to shop. More than half of consumers have already started their holiday shopping and nearly a quarter of purchases have already been made, according to the annual survey released by the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey of 7,917 adult consumers was conducted Oct. 31 through Nov. 6.

“This is further evidence that the holiday season has grown far beyond the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF, in a statement.

KU closes with Baylor

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — No. 11 Baylor (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) at Kansas (3-8, 1-7), Saturday at 2:30 p.m.  (ESPN).

Line: Baylor by 14.

Series record: Baylor leads 14-4.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Bears are trying to elbow their way into the College Football Playoff picture, though they need plenty of help. They already clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game and a rematch with Oklahoma, which dealt the Bears their only loss by overcoming a 25-point deficit. The Jayhawks could end Year 1 of the Les Miles tenure on a high note with an upset.

KEY MATCHUP

Baylor QB Charlie Brewer against the Kansas defense. Brewer missed the final 11 1/2 minutes against Texas last week after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit while being tackled. He already had thrown for 221 yards and a touchdown while running for 75 yards and another score.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Baylor: QB Gerry Bohanon. He took over when Brewer left the game last week. The Bears probably don’t need Brewer to beat the Jayhawks, so there is a chance Bohanon sees the field regardless of their starting quarterback’s health situation this weekend.

Kansas: QB Carter Stanley. The senior will be playing his final game for the Jayhawks. He threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-31 loss to Iowa State last weekend.

FACTS & FIGURES

Kansas is facing a ranked team for the fourth consecutive game. … The Bears have allowed six points on 11 opening drives this season. … Brewer has 17 TDs rushing, fourth-most in Baylor history. … Bears WR Denzel Mims has 11 TD receptions, tied for sixth-most in school history. … Baylor DL James Lynch had two sacks against Texas to reach 19 for his career, breaking Shawn Oakman’s school record (17 1/2). … Kansas RB Pooka Williams Jr. ran for 154 yards against Iowa State to surpass 2,000 yards for his career. He’s the first Jayhawk to reach that mark in his first two seasons since Gale Sayers (1962-63). … Stanley is second in Kansas history in TDs passing with 37. … WR Stephon Robinson Jr. has eight TD receptions, tied for fourth-most in a season in Kansas history.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — No. 11 Baylor (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) at Kansas (3-8, 1-7), Saturday at 2:30 p.m.  (ESPN).

Line: Baylor by 14.

Series record: Baylor leads 14-4.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Bears are trying to elbow their way into the College Football Playoff picture, though they need plenty of help. They already clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game and a rematch with Oklahoma, which dealt the Bears their only loss by overcoming a 25-point deficit. The Jayhawks could end Year 1 of the Les Miles tenure on a high note with an upset.

KEY MATCHUP

Baylor QB Charlie Brewer against the Kansas defense. Brewer missed the final 11 1/2 minutes against Texas last week after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit while being tackled. He already had thrown for 221 yards and a touchdown while running for 75 yards and another score.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Baylor: QB Gerry Bohanon. He took over when Brewer left the game last week. The Bears probably don’t need Brewer to beat the Jayhawks, so there is a chance Bohanon sees the field regardless of their starting quarterback’s health situation this weekend.

Kansas: QB Carter Stanley. The senior will be playing his final game for the Jayhawks. He threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-31 loss to Iowa State last weekend.

FACTS & FIGURES

Kansas is facing a ranked team for the fourth consecutive game. … The Bears have allowed six points on 11 opening drives this season. … Brewer has 17 TDs rushing, fourth-most in Baylor history. … Bears WR Denzel Mims has 11 TD receptions, tied for sixth-most in school history. … Baylor DL James Lynch had two sacks against Texas to reach 19 for his career, breaking Shawn Oakman’s school record (17 1/2). … Kansas RB Pooka Williams Jr. ran for 154 yards against Iowa State to surpass 2,000 yards for his career. He’s the first Jayhawk to reach that mark in his first two seasons since Gale Sayers (1962-63). … Stanley is second in Kansas history in TDs passing with 37. … WR Stephon Robinson Jr. has eight TD receptions, tied for fourth-most in a season in Kansas history.