Home

A recent study published in the journal Neurology suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may accelerate brain aging by over 1.5 years. The research, conducted by a team of medical researchers  in Brazil, examined the effects of artificial sweeteners on cognitive decline. The study analyzed data from nearly 13,000 people aged 35 to 75 over an eight-year period.

They discovered that people who consumed the highest amounts of the sweeteners experienced faster declines in thinking and memory skills compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts.

The sweeteners studied included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol.

The study found that the effects were more pronounced in individuals under 60 and those with diabetes. The study is observational and does not prove causation, but it raises important questions about the long-term impact of artificial sweeteners on brain health. 

The All-Star break traditionally marks the proverbial halfway point of the season. That means it’s time to dish out midterm grades for the New York Knicks.

Jalen Brunson: A

50 GP, 34.6. MPG, 27.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 37.4 3P%

The captain is once again an All-Star, has upped his defense in recent games and New York is blessed to have him. He could do a better job at times, though, of steering the group towards more ball movement.

Mitchell Robinson: A-

39 GP, 19.6. MPG, 5.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 40.8 FT** %

The forever Knick has missed a few games due to his injury management program, but he’s a game changer when he’s on the court and is in the best shape we’ve seen since his early freak-of-nature days. 

Miles McBride: A-

35 GP, 38.0 MPG, 12.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 42.0 3P%

“Deuce” underwent surgery for a core muscle injury last week and will be out for six-to-eight weeks. He will possibly miss the rest of the season and it’s a big blow. The two-way guard has been great on both sides of the ball and is on the biggest bargain contract in the NBA. 

Josh Hart: B+

43 GP, 30.6. MPG, 12.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 40.7 3P%

Like a Swiss army knife, Hart does it all and continues to show why he’s been the heart and soul of this group since coming over from Portland three years ago. Despite having a heavily bandaged ring finger on his shooting hand, the 9-year pro is making teams pay for leaving him open. 

Landry Shamet: B+

30 GP, 21.9. MPG, 9.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 42.2 3P%

Despite missing 25 games with a flare up in his already damaged right shoulder, the sharpshooting guard hasn’t missed a beat and been a key cog off the bench.

OG Anunoby: B

41 GP, 33.0 MPG, 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 37.0 3P%

We’ve seen the six-foot-seven menace wreck games with his defensive ability. He does goes MIA on occasion and plays so hard on both ends that he’s sometimes visibly exhausted. When he’s at his best, the Knicks are at their best.

Mikal Bridges: B-

55 GP, 34.5 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 38.6 3P%

The NBA’s iron man has had his moments of invisibility, but availability is the best ability and nobody is better in the sport in that regard.

Forty-six years after a bunch of unheralded amateurs stunned the heavily favored Soviet Union en route to winning Olympic gold, the U.S. men’s hockey team engineered another epic victory. 

The Americans won a battle of the sport’s superpowers on Sunday, toppling longtime nemesis Canada 2-1 in overtime to win their country’s first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”

Jack Hughes scored the decisive goal, ripping a shot past Jordan Binnington less than three minutes into 3-versus-3 overtime.

Hughes was called for a penalty with less than four minutes in regulation, with Team USA fending off the Canadian power play just before time expired. The Americans defeated Canada despite a 42-28 shots on goal disparity, with Connor Hellebuyck recording 41 saves.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player in his sport to become a billionaire, joining the ranks of the wealthiest athletes.

Catapulted by a contract with a Saudi Arabian team, the veteran Portuguese player, now 40, is the first soccer player to be worth 10 figures, Bloomberg reported. 

Ronaldo recently signed a two-year contract with Riyadh-based Al-Nassr FC, a team that competes in the Saudi Pro League, which is reportedly worth more than $400 million, according to Bloomberg. Ronaldo does not have to pay taxes on his Saudi earnings. 

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index pegs the champion athlete’s net worth at $1.4 billion, marking the first time a soccer player has landed on the list. The outlet notes that his net worth accounts for his career earnings, plus investments and sponsorships. 

Ronaldo, who is from Madeira, Portgual, dropped out of school at 14, to focus on soccer. He has lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Armani, and Castrol, among others, according to his website.

General Motors is recalling nearly 220,000 pickup trucks over a faulty electronic latch mechanism used to open the trucks’ tailgates, increasing the risk of road hazards and crashes.

Detroit-based GM said the affected vehicles include 570,434 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras with model years between 2020 and 2024 in the US.

All of the gates on the affected trucks’ beds may short circuit if water gets into the electric tailgate, GM warned, meaning the hinged door could inadvertently fall open and unsecured cargo in the bed may exit the vehicle “if the driver does not manually close the gate before beginning to drive.”

Per GM’s safety notice, it received 136 complaints of the tailgate opening “while driving,” though the gate is only intended to open when the vehicle is parked.

Among the complaints, one customer reported a minor injury and three reported “minor property damage,” GM said, though it didn’t elaborate on the complaints.

Rick’s Cabaret NYC Girls Provide the Heat!

Rick’s Cabaret New York is at 50 West 33rd Street, conveniently located in the heart of midtown Manhattan. The three-story club features VIP private suites, luxury skyboxes, and its own Rick’s Steakhouse for daily lunch specials, dinner, and New York’s best late-night menu, served all the way until 3AM.

It took more than a decade, but the Seattle Seahawks and their fans finally got their revenge Sunday for the famous Malcolm Butler play, defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, to earn their second title in franchise history. In the process, they denied the Patriots what would have been a league-leading seventh Super Bowl win. 

In a Super Bowl rematch that was a defensive struggle from the outset, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers converted five field goals, a Super Bowl record, and quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 202 yards and one touchdown. Running back Kenneth Walker III rumbled for 135 yards on the ground, earning himself Super Bowl MVP honors, the first running back to do so since the Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis in 1998. 

“We went through a lot of adversity this season, but we came together and we stuck together,” Walker said after the game. 

The expected changes to the New York Giants coaching staff under new head coach John Harbaugh have begun. With the exception of Charlie Bullen all of the team’s 2025 defensive coaches have been let go.

Assistant coaches Andre Patterson (defensive line), John Egorugwu (inside linebackers), Marquand Manuel (secondary coach/pass game coordinator) and Jeff Burris (cornerbacks) will not be retained. Assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox had previously been fired by interim head coach Mike Kafka.

Bullen, the outside linebackers coach, did an excellent job as interim defensive coordinator after taking over for the fired Shane Bowen. Bullen has a previous relationship with GM Joe Schoen, and has also been getting interviews for vacant defensive coordinator positions. Bullen is not yet guaranteed to remain on Harbaugh’s staff.

The defense massively underperformed in 2025 under Bowen. When Brian Daboll was fired as head coach in the middle of the 2025 season and GM Joe Schoen was retained, ownership made it clear that it felt the Giants’ biggest issue had been coaching.

Super Bowl 60 will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX; the Patriots will take on the Seahawks.

The two teams met in Super Bowl XLIX, when New England narrowly escaped, 28-24, thanks to Malcolm Butler’s game-sealing interception on the goal line. Seattle’s decision to not run the ball in for a potential touchdown with Marshawn Lynch went down in NFL history.

Now, the Seahawks will have a chance for some long-awaited get-back against New England.

Super Bowl 60

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
• Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• TV network: NBC
• Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara

This will be the second Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium, 10 years after the first, as Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers was played there.

The New York Giants’ reported list of head coaching candidates includes former Las Vegas Raiders coach and Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Pierce, 47, who started at middle linebacker for the Giants during the final five seasons of his nine-year playing career, was included on a list of candidates that also includes former NFL head coach Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

Pierce went 4-13 during his only season as the Raiders’ full-time head coach in 2024, having previously gone 5-4 as an interim during the final nine games of the 2023 season. The former linebacker was hired full-time after an impressive late season run, which included an upset of the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.

The Raiders, however, failed to duplicate that success during a 4-13 season in 2024, which included a 10-game losing streak. 

The Giants fired former head coach Brian Daboll in November after a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears, which saw them blow a 20-10 fourth quarter lead.