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tilapia fishing rod Prime Finds: Better than Black Friday week deals still running on tech, beauty and homeDETROIT — Fifty years later, a man who grew up in suburban Detroit tried to return a very overdue baseball book to his boyhood library. The answer: You can keep it — and no fine. Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for Thanksgiving, carrying a book titled "Baseball's Zaniest Stars." He borrowed it in 1974 as a 13-year-old "baseball nut" but never returned it. Chuck Hildebrandt of Chicago holds the book "Baseball's Zaniest Stars," which was due Dec. 4, 1974, at the Warren, Mich., library, on Dec. 10. "When you're moving with a bunch of books, you're not examining every book. You throw them in a box and go," said Hildebrandt, who lived in many cities. "But five or six years ago, I was going through the bookshelf and there was a Dewey decimal library number on the book. 'What is this?'" Inside the book was a slip of paper indicating it was due back at the Warren library on Dec. 4, 1974. Hildebrandt told The Associated Press he decided to keep the book until 2024 — the 50th anniversary — and then try to return it. He figured the library might want to publicize the long overdue exchange. Chuck Hildebrandt of Chicago shows the library slip in the overdue book "Baseball's Zaniest Stars" on Dec. 10. He said he recently met library director Oksana Urban, who listened to his pitch. Hildebrandt said he hasn't heard anything since then, though Urban told the Detroit Free Press that all is forgiven. "Some people never come back to face the music," she said of patrons with overdue books. "But there was really no music to face because he and the book were erased from our system." So "Baseball's Zaniest Stars" is back on Hildebrandt's shelf. In return, he's now trying to raise $4,564 for Reading is Fundamental , a nonprofit literacy group. The amount roughly represents a 50-year overdue library fine. Hildebrandt seeded the effort with $457. The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever. These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country. Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the players on this list were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections. There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers. Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are " slightly more likely " than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally. To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft pick by each franchise using data from Baseball Reference . The players were ranked using career wins above replacement , so not one recent choice was named. The amazing Mike Trout, a 32-year-old selected in 2009, is the youngest player. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024. - Draft: 1st overall pick in 1990 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,499 - Career stats: 468 home runs, .303 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.) - Wins above replacement: 85.3 - Draft: 48th overall pick in 1978 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 3,001 - Career stats: 431 home runs, .276 batting average, .788 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Aberdeen HS (Aberdeen, Md.) - Wins above replacement: 95.9 - Draft: 19th overall pick in 1983 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 709 - Career stats: 354 wins, 3.12 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 139.2 - Draft: 31st overall pick in 1984 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 744 - Career stats: 355 wins, 3.16 earned run average, 1.14 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Valley HS (Las Vegas, Nev.) - Wins above replacement: 106.6 - Draft: 7th overall pick in 1989 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 2,322 - Career stats: 521 home runs, .301 batting average, .974 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Auburn University (Auburn, Ala.) - Wins above replacement: 73.8 - Draft: 36th overall pick in 1965 - Position: Catcher - Games played: 2,158 - Career stats: 389 home runs, .267 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Binger HS (Binger, Okla.) - Wins above replacement: 75.1 - Draft: 333rd overall pick in 1989 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,543 - Career stats: 612 home runs, .276 batting average, .956 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Illinois Central College (East Peoria, Ill.) - Wins above replacement: 73.1 - Draft: 8th overall pick in 1995 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 2,247 - Career stats: 369 home runs, .316 batting average, .953 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) - Wins above replacement: 61.8 - Draft: 2nd overall pick in 2004 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 518 - Career stats: 260 wins, 3.25 earned run average, 1.12 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) - Wins above replacement: 81.7 - Draft: 428th overall pick in 1988 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 2,103 - Career stats: 130 home runs, .299 batting average, .794 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.) - Wins above replacement: 68.4 - Draft: 29th overall pick in 1971 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,707 - Career stats: 317 home runs, .305 batting average, .857 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: El Segundo HS (El Segundo, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 88.6 - Draft: 25th overall pick in 2009 - Position: Centerfielder - Games played: 1,518 - Career stats: 378 home runs, .299 batting average, .991 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Millville Senior HS (Millville, N.J.) - Wins above replacement: 86.1 - Draft: 7th overall pick in 2006 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 425 - Career stats: 210 wins, 2.48 earned run average, 1.00 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Highland Park HS (Dallas, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 79.7 - Draft: 76th overall pick in 2007 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 1,589 - Career stats: 417 home runs, .258 batting average, .874 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 44.3 - Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1973 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,856 - Career stats: 251 home runs, .285 batting average, .772 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: William Howard Taft Charter HS (Woodland Hills, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 77.4 - Draft: 55th overall pick in 1969 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 692 - Career stats: 287 wins, 3.31 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Santiago HS (Garden Grove, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 94.5 - Draft: 295th overall pick in 1965 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 807 - Career stats: 324 wins, 3.19 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Alvin HS (Alvin, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 81.3 - Draft: 6th overall pick in 1992 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,747 - Career stats: 260 home runs, .310 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Central HS (Kalamazoo, Mich.) - Wins above replacement: 71.3 - Draft: 96th overall pick in 1976 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 3,081 - Career stats: 297 home runs, .279 batting average, .820 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Oakland Technical HS (Oakland, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 111.1 - Draft: 30th overall pick in 1971 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,404 - Career stats: 548 home runs, .268 batting average, .908 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) - Wins above replacement: 106.9 - Draft: 6th overall pick in 1985 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 2,986 - Career stats: 762 home runs, .298 batting average, 1.051 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.) - Wins above replacement: 162.8 - Draft: 86th overall pick in 1977 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,573 - Career stats: 28 home runs, .262 batting average, .666 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 76.9 - Draft: 1st overall pick in 1993 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,784 - Career stats: 696 home runs, .295 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Westminster Christian School (Miami, Fla.) - Wins above replacement: 117.6 - Draft: 402nd overall pick in 1999 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 3,080 - Career stats: 703 home runs, .296 batting average, .918 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (Kansas City, Mo.) - Wins above replacement: 101.4 - Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2006 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 1,986 - Career stats: 342 home runs, .264 batting average, .804 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 58.6 - Draft: 4th overall pick in 1986 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 486 - Career stats: 211 wins, 3.28 earned run average, 1.22 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Ga.) - Wins above replacement: 67.8 - Draft: 17th overall pick in 1995 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 416 - Career stats: 203 wins, 3.38 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Arvada West HS (Arvada, Colo.) - Wins above replacement: 64.2 - Draft: 36th overall pick in 1985 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 618 - Career stats: 303 wins, 3.29 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Southern California (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 101.1 Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on ATS.io and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. - Draft: 11th overall pick in 2006 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 457 - Career stats: 214 wins, 3.15 earned run average, 1.08 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Missouri (Columbia, Mo.) - Wins above replacement: 75.0 - Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1985 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 1,976 - Career stats: 284 home runs, .303 batting average, .880 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, Miss.) - Wins above replacement: 56.5 Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

Hydrogen Economy – HydrogenPro ASA – Secures NOK 70 million from existing investors and conditionally NOK 70 million from new strategic partnerWhat links the Princess of Wales, Donald Trump and the teenage darts sensation Luke Littler? The three are the most-searched people in the UK, according to Google’s end of year review. Littler beat pop stars, actors and sports stars to take third place in the search engine’s ranking of most-Googled individuals. The Euros , in which England’s men reached the final before losing to Spain, were the top-trending general search term. They were followed by the late One Direction star Liam Payne and Jay Slater , a British teenager who died while on holiday in Tenerife this year. In a bumper year for sport “when is the Euros final?” also appeared in the most-searched questions list. “How to watch the Olympics” was a popular search

Justin Sullivan Performance Assessment It's been a while since my last update on Alphabet/Google ( NASDAQ: GOOGL ) ( NASDAQ: GOOG ). Perhaps a bit too long, so this update is long due. It is good to see that my 'Neutral/Hold' stance, expressing a view of Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of VOO either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album. The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is the rapper's first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. Lamar first teased the album with a cover art of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers includes Sounwave and DJ Mustard , who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud. Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine." On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown. Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.” The surprise release caps a big year for the Lamar, who featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.CONWAY — Luckily for Coastal Carolina , it has time to get some new players out of the transfer portal. The University of Texas at San Antonio dominated CCU in the Myrtle Beach Bowl 44-15 on Dec. 23 at Brooks Stadium. The Roadrunners cruised thanks to 254 passing yards and two touchdowns from UTSA quarterback Owen McCown, son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown. After CCU lost its top two quarterbacks Ethan Vasko (Liberty) and Noah Kim to the portal and DJ Moore was dismissed from the team following an arrest , it turned to redshirt freshman and North Carolina transfer quarterback Tad Hudson to lead the Chants in the bowl game. The University of Texas at San Antonio dominated Coastal Carolina University in the Myrtle Beach Bowl 44-15 on Dec. 23 at Brooks Stadium. Hudson turned in a decent performance, going 15-for-22 for 165 yards and two touchdown passes. “I thought [he played] well,” CCU coach Tim Beck said. “He protected the ball. He played hard. Like everybody, there’s good things and bad things. I think there’s things he’d probably wish he had back, but for the most part, I was proud of the way he went in there and played ... He’ll certainly be in the mix [to start next year]. There’s no question about it. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be in the mix.” The University of Texas at San Antonio dominated Coastal Carolina University in the Myrtle Beach Bowl 44-15 on Dec. 23 at Brooks Stadium. The only other quarterback left on CCU’s 2024 roster is Alex Walker, but it also recently added JUCO transfer quarterback Samari Collier. Quarterback Chris Denson committed to CCU back in April but flipped to Clemson after getting an offer from Dabo Swinney. Redshirt senior running back Braydon Bennett, who rushed for 54 yards on 22 carries in the game and led CCU in rushing yards and rushing scores this season, still has a year of eligibility left but he opted to enter the transfer portal after the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Coastal Carolina quarterback Tad Hudson got his first start for the Chants in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The University of Texas at San Antonio overpowered CCU 44-15 on Dec. 23 in the bowl game at Brooks Stadium. CCU finished the season 6-7 overall and is now 2-3 in bowl games. The Chants gave up 514 yards of total offense to the Roadrunners. However, they were missing some of their best defensive players after they hit the portal, including bandit Clev Lubin (Lousiville), defensive back Matthew McDoom (Cincinnati) and defensive lineman Will Whitson. Overall, CCU has had over 30 players enter the portal since it opened in early December. The University of Texas at San Antonio dominated Coastal Carolina University in the Myrtle Beach Bowl 44-15 on Dec. 23 at Brooks Stadium. “Myself included, a lot of young guys out there got the chance to go out there and play their first college snaps or first college start,” Hudson said. “I mean, we were prepared. The coaches had us prepared all week. It just came down to me executing and getting it done.” Good news for the Chants is after the game, redshirt senior linebacker Shane Bruce, who led the team in tackles this season with 75, said he intends to stay with CCU for his last year of eligibility.

The Dolphins' improbable path to the playoffs isn't in their hands, but they must do their partAmerican Consumer Awards (ACA) Unveils "Sports & Leisure" Category Winners for California, Hosted by the American Consumer Right Association (ACRA) 12-23-2024 11:34 PM CET | Associations & Organizations Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: US China Brand, LLC Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/0a4861b8810e36dde4807397e8c7fd49.jpg The results of the 2024 American Consumer Awards in the 'Sports & Leisure' category, organized by the American Consumer Right Association (ACRA) and managed by the American Consumer Assessment (ACA), have been announced for the California region. These awards aim to uphold consumers' fundamental rights by sharing results based on consumer evaluations, providing objective and valuable information, and promoting the qualitative enhancement of consumers' lives. Evaluations for the 2024 American Consumer Awards 'Sports & Leisure' category were conducted from July to October and were based on online reviews from real consumers. The evaluation criteria included staff friendliness, facility satisfaction, pricing satisfaction, accessibility, and service satisfaction. Several outstanding businesses were recognized for their excellence in this category. The winners are as follows: The Escape Game San Francisco (Downtown) GoJump Oceanside. Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area Hansen Dam Aquatic Center Pins N Pockets Skydive Perris Total Body Experts + Studio-Cycles SC Village Indian Wells Tennis Garden K1 Speed (Ontario Mills Pkwy) Tahoe Sport Fishing REI (Copley Dr) Sharks Ice at San Jose Silicon Valley Skydiving San Diego Surf School | San Diego Surf Lessons The Escape Game San Diego QUEST ROOM - Hollywood Escape Rooms Seaforth Sportfishing K1 Speed (District Pl) Quarry Park Adventures Gold's Gym Venice In-Shape Family Fitness (Valley Center Dr) Fitness 19 (N Grand Ave) Concourse Bowling Center Canyon Bicycles USA Legion American Jiu Jitsu San Diego - HQ Road Runner Sports (Newport Blvd) Flight Adventure Park Bakersfield Sports Basement Campbell A spokesperson for the American Consumer Right Association stated, "The 2024 American Consumer Awards are grounded in evaluations from real consumers, and we hope these results will provide trustworthy information for consumers and contribute to the growth of the sports and leisure industry. We also believe that these assessments will encourage businesses to prioritize customer satisfaction and continue to offer exceptional service." Media Contact Company Name: American Consumer Right Association Contact Person: Harvey Reed Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=american-consumer-awards-aca-unveils-sports-leisure-category-winners-for-california-hosted-by-the-american-consumer-right-association-acra ] City: Los Angeles State: California Country: United States Website: https://www.acra-us.org/ This release was published on openPR.

Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia —Inquirer photo/Richard A. Reyes MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Erwin Garcia on Friday called on candidates running in the 2025 midterm polls to keep “politics-free” next month’s observances of the feasts of the Black Nazarene and Santo Niño. “A holy activity should not be politicized even if the campaign period has not yet started and [the aspirant is officially] not treated yet as a candidate,” he said in a statement via Viber. “Let us give this time to the faithful so that they can meditate and intensify their devotion. This is just for a few days only, compared to the 90 days and 45 days of campaigning [for national and local candidates],” he added. READ: Poll body issues new rules on campaign materials The official campaign period for senatorial and party list candidates starts on Feb. 11. The campaign period for local candidates will start on March 28. During election years, candidates have been observed often sponsoring activities and posting pre-campaign propaganda materials during religious observances, such the feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9 and of Santo Niño on the third Sunday of January, as well as secular celebrations such as New Year’s Day and Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, the commission en banc spent the last two working days of the year resolving the motions for reconsideration of candidates disqualified for material representation or for being a “nuisance.” Among those denied by the en banc was the motion for reconsideration filed by former Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, who was disqualified for propagating false information intended to disrupt the election. Also denied was the motion for reconsideration of Workers’ and Peasants’ Party senatorial aspirant Sonny Matula on the disqualification case he filed against televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. “We no longer have nuisances cases [involving] local [candidates] that are pending in the divisions and en banc. A first for the commission,” Garcia said. Decisions of the en banc may be appealed to the Supreme Court by a disqualified candidate, who must obtain a restraining order compelling the Comelec to include their names in the official ballot. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .Jahmyr Gibbs roasts himself for what he did to stay warm in Lions win vs. Bears | Sporting News

76ers' star Paul George sidelined the next 2 games with bone bruise in left knee

In his address at the launch of INDIA’S WORLD — a magazine focused on India’s foreign policy — on December 15, external affairs minister S Jaishankar made an unconventional argument. He urged members of the strategic community assembled at the India International Centre to “listen to the street” when reflecting on and writing about India’s foreign policy. The subtext of Jaishankar’s comments was that, despite major domestic transformations like economic reforms, the discussions and debates among India’s strategic elite fail to reflect the domestic political pulse and the sentiments of the general public. In his opinion, one important way to think about foreign policy is to observe how society in general thinks about the world around it and makes its own choices, which have implications for the country’s foreign policy. Put differently, he appeared to argue that there is a growing gulf between the core belief systems of the country’s strategic elite, primarily based in New Delhi, and how the public views India’s engagement with the world. The conventional view about “listening to the street” on foreign policy matters is deeply conservative. The consensus among pundits is that thinking about foreign policy is an esoteric business confined to elite chambers of experts and former officials — also called the strategic community. At the level of practice, foreign policy becomes more exclusive, keeping out even the strategic community from the act of policymaking. Let us unpack this point a bit more. It is useful to think about foreign policy at three levels. The first level, or Track One, as Jaishankar called it, operates primarily at the official level that is largely closed to outsiders and primarily functions as a bureaucratic exercise, with final decisions made by politicians elected to office. The second level is the strategic community, which contributes to foreign policy through research, debates, lessons from history, and long-term scenarios. The strategic community is expected to produce innovative solutions to foreign policy challenges and provide critical long-term analyses of the country’s foreign policy trajectory. This is, however, not often the case, or as Jaishankar argued, Track Two routinely lags Track One. Put differently, what use of a strategic community for the government that merely endorses official policies? There are several reasons why Track Two lags Track One, two of which are key to the argument here. For one, a surprisingly large number of members of the strategic community often find themselves caught between the necessity of independent and creative thinking and the constraints of institutional legacy, as many of them are former officials. The second reason is that members of the Indian strategic community with little government experience — due to the limited interaction between serving officials and researchers in India — tend to fail in producing policy-relevant research and studies. The result is obvious: Foreign policy innovations or out-of-the-box solutions are hardly produced by the strategic community. The third level of foreign policy thinking takes place at the level of the general public, or as Jaishankar described it, “the street”. Clearly, the public does not engage with foreign policy in a traditional sense, but their views may provide valuable insights to shape the broader directions of India’s foreign policy. Consider the following examples. The general sentiments of the Indian society toward another country, such as towards European countries, Canada or the United States (US), can reveal important insights into societal preferences, and how the beliefs of the strategic community may differ from those of the general public. Remnants of anti-Americanism or India’s problems with Canada, for example, are not something that we would find reflected in the attitudes or choices of Indians at large. In fact, it is often the case that members of our strategic community hold conflicting strategic and personal beliefs. Major business houses and even small-scale traders in the country, with little direct interest in foreign policy or strategic issues, may be pursuing activities — such as the fact that domestic private defence manufacturers primarily selling to the US or the growing interactions between Indian industries and the global tech services sector — which have foreign policy/strategic implications. Delhi’s strategic elite often overlooks such phenomena. The significance of the street does not diminish the fact that foreign policy cannot be shaped solely by public sentiment or opinion surveys (remember the Brexit shocker in the United Kingdom?), as the general public is often not fully informed of the nuances involved in policymaking. However, Jaishankar’s larger point that foreign policy cannot be formulated without considering societal preferences and trends is still valid. A society’s broader directions — such as technological developments, patterns of migration, and economic and cultural choices — will eventually influence foreign policy. Therefore, while governments may not base their policies solely on the changing mood of the street, this indeed serves as an important indicator of societal preferences that should be taken into account during policy deliberations. Jaishankar’s argument offers important lessons for the country’s strategic elite, two of which, in my opinion, are particularly crucial. First, the Indian strategic community cannot operate in a self-created epistemic vacuum, detached from both the government and the general public. That is a sure path to irrelevance. Second, the definition of what constitutes foreign policy or strategic issues must be reconsidered. To be sure, these matters are no longer esoteric or to be treated as a special class of issues but should be continuously informed by insights from “the street”. The more elite our strategic community becomes, the more irrelevant it may become. Happymon Jacob teaches India’s foreign policy at JNU, and is the editor of INDIA’S WORLD. The views expressed are personal