Matt Milano is a franchise cornerstone for the Buffalo Bills. After missing most of the 2023 season with a MCL tear and fracture in his leg, the hope was for a fully healthy Milano to return to his role as the stud weakside linebacker that the Bills know him to be in 2024. Then, in training camp, Milano suffered a freak injury, tearing his bicep while hitting a pad in practice. It was a crushing blow. Head coach Sean McDermott has talked repeatedly since that injury about how much Milano has had to go through to rehab and recover from consecutive major injuries. In his place, the Bills were able to lean on Dorian Williams , who played admirably as a fixture of the defense through the first 11 games of the season. Last weekend, in Buffalo's Week 13 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers in heavy snowy conditions in Orchard Park on Sunday Night Football, Milano made his return. In doing so, McDermott made a risky gamble that paid off. All week, leading up to the game, McDermott was noncommittal about the status of Milano, and said that if and when Milano, as well as other injured players, return, they would almost certainly be on a pitch count to ease them back into playing shape. Milano then proceeded to play every snap of the game on defense where his position was utilized, only coming off the field in Dime packages where he was replaced by a defensive back. Even in a 35-10 lopsided victory that saw quarterback Josh Allen get pulled in the fourth quarter so as not to put him in unnecessary risk, Milano stayed out there. Williams, who played very well for most of the season, never saw the field. On one hand, if Milano was healthy and cleared to play, then you play him. By all means. He played well, and clearly left the game unscathed seeing as he practiced in full this entire week, but there's no denying that it was an unnecessary gamble to leave him on the field late in the fourth quarter. If you feel comfortable enough to pull Allen from the game, then why not pull Milano as well in his first game action since October of 2023? Apparently McDermott decided to throw the pitch count out the window in a blowout victory in very challenging weather conditions, which makes little sense. As stated — it clearly worked out okay. Milano, by all accounts, is healthy and got a ton of reps under his belt to continue his comeback and kick off the rust before the playoff run that they've already clinched, but it was a major bullet dodged by McDermott to not see this decision backfire. The game won't be remembered for Milano's playing time. It'll be remembered for the weather conditions and Allen going absolutely thermonuclear with ridiculous efforts that have him as the frontrunner in the NFL MVP race. But if Milano suffered a setback for playing too much, the snow clouds wouldn't be the only ones hanging over Buffalo. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.84 Arrested as Russian Ransomware Laundering Networks DisruptedCrystal Palace captain Marc Guehi has learned his fate for daringly writing “I love Jesus” on the LGBTQ rainbow armband the league asked him to wear. Guehi debuted his altered armband during last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle. The LGBTQ agenda armbands are required for team captains. However, Football Association authorities immediately deemed the armband a violation of its rules against religious displays, according to GBN . But now the FA has decided to take a pass on punishing the player even though his message violated the rules against displaying “political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” on equipment. The league’s Rainbow Laces campaign to promote LGBTQ inclusion runs until December 5. The campaign is in cooperation with the gay charity Stonewall. “It has been incredible to see so many football teams at all levels support our campaign to make sport safer and more inclusive for all,” a charity spokesperson said. The armband was also a sticking point for Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy. Morsy opted not to wear it at all during team’s game against Nottingham Forest. The FA already noted that it will take no action in that case. Ipswich Town released a statement supporting Morsy, a practicing Muslim, but also hastened to point out that they “welcome everybody.” Still, Rainbow Tractors, a club fan group, expressed disappointment that Morsy would not wear the armband. “When we see clubs show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion, it helps people feel safe and welcome both on and off the pitch,” the group said. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston , or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston
Matt Milano is a franchise cornerstone for the Buffalo Bills. After missing most of the 2023 season with a MCL tear and fracture in his leg, the hope was for a fully healthy Milano to return to his role as the stud weakside linebacker that the Bills know him to be in 2024. Then, in training camp, Milano suffered a freak injury, tearing his bicep while hitting a pad in practice. It was a crushing blow. Head coach Sean McDermott has talked repeatedly since that injury about how much Milano has had to go through to rehab and recover from consecutive major injuries. In his place, the Bills were able to lean on Dorian Williams , who played admirably as a fixture of the defense through the first 11 games of the season. Last weekend, in Buffalo's Week 13 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers in heavy snowy conditions in Orchard Park on Sunday Night Football, Milano made his return. In doing so, McDermott made a risky gamble that paid off. All week, leading up to the game, McDermott was noncommittal about the status of Milano, and said that if and when Milano, as well as other injured players, return, they would almost certainly be on a pitch count to ease them back into playing shape. Milano then proceeded to play every snap of the game on defense where his position was utilized, only coming off the field in Dime packages where he was replaced by a defensive back. Even in a 35-10 lopsided victory that saw quarterback Josh Allen get pulled in the fourth quarter so as not to put him in unnecessary risk, Milano stayed out there. Williams, who played very well for most of the season, never saw the field. On one hand, if Milano was healthy and cleared to play, then you play him. By all means. He played well, and clearly left the game unscathed seeing as he practiced in full this entire week, but there's no denying that it was an unnecessary gamble to leave him on the field late in the fourth quarter. If you feel comfortable enough to pull Allen from the game, then why not pull Milano as well in his first game action since October of 2023? Apparently McDermott decided to throw the pitch count out the window in a blowout victory in very challenging weather conditions, which makes little sense. As stated — it clearly worked out okay. Milano, by all accounts, is healthy and got a ton of reps under his belt to continue his comeback and kick off the rust before the playoff run that they've already clinched, but it was a major bullet dodged by McDermott to not see this decision backfire. The game won't be remembered for Milano's playing time. It'll be remembered for the weather conditions and Allen going absolutely thermonuclear with ridiculous efforts that have him as the frontrunner in the NFL MVP race. But if Milano suffered a setback for playing too much, the snow clouds wouldn't be the only ones hanging over Buffalo. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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Moody's affirms South Africa's Ba2 rating amid economic challenges and political changeGet ready for a college football bowl season like you’ve never seen. It’s the first year of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff to determine the national champion, with first-round games kicking off Friday, December 20. In the new format, the top four conference champions (Oregon, Georgia, Arizona State and Boise State) receive a first-round bye and automatic entry into the quarterfinals. The remaining eight teams play in the four-game first round, with matchups held at the home stadiums of the higher-ranked participants. The “New Year’s Six” bowls serve as the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the national championship decided Monday, January 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Of course, there’s still plenty of college football postseason action through early January that doesn’t involve the national championship chase. The parade of bowl games begins Saturday, December 14, with the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. A great tradition continues in Landover, Maryland, as the Navy Midshipmen take on the Army Black Knights Saturday on CBS at 3/2c. Later on Saturday, the Heisman Trophy is presented to the season’s most outstanding player in a ceremony on ESPN at 8/7c. Finalists are Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (pictured above) and Miami QB Cam Ward. Here’s your complete lineup of College Football Playoff games and other bowl matchups: All times Eastern/Central. CFP First Round Friday, December 20 No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, ABC/ESPN, 8/7c Saturday, December 21 No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, noon/11a c, TNT/Max No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 4/3c, TNT/Max No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, 8/7c, ABC/ESPN CFP Quarterfinals Tuesday, December 31 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona): TBA vs. No. 3 Boise State, (ESPN) Wednesday, Jan. 1 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta): TBA vs. No. 4 Arizona State, 1/noon c, ESPN Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): TBA vs. No. 1 Oregon, 5/4c, ESPN Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans): TBA vs. No. 2 Georgia, 8:45/7:45c, ESPN CFP Semifinals Thursday, January 9 Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami, Florida): TBA vs. TBA, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN Friday, January 10 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (Arlington, Texas): TBA vs. TBA, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN CFP National Championship Game Monday, January 20 National Championship (Atlanta): TBA vs. TBA, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN Saturday, December 14 Cricket Celebration Bowl (Atlanta): Jackson State vs. South Carolina State, noon/11a c, ABC IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama): South Alabama vs. Western Michigan, 9/8c, ESPN Tuesday, December 17 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas): Memphis vs. West Virginia, 9/8c, ESPN Wednesday, December 18 Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Florida): Western Kentucky vs. James Madison, 5:30/4:30c, ESPN Art of Sport LA Bowl (Inglewood, California): Cal vs. UNLV, 9/8c, ESPN Thursday, December 19 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans): Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston, 7/6c, ESPN2 Friday, December 20 StaffDNA Cure Bowl (Orlando, Florida): Ohio vs. Jacksonville State, noon/11a c, ESPN Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Florida): 3:30/2:30c, ESPN Monday, December 23 Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, South Carolina): Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA, 11a/10a c, ESPN Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Idaho): Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State, 2:30/1:30c, ESPN Tuesday, December 24 Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu): South Florida vs. San José State, 8/7c, ESPN Thursday, December 26 GameAbove Sports Bowl (Detroit): Pittsburgh vs. Toledo, 2/1xc, ESPN Rate Bowl (Phoenix): Rutgers vs. Kansas State, 5:30/4:30c, ESPN 68 Ventures Bowl (Mobile, Alabama): Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green, 9/8c, ESPN Friday, December 27 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas): Oklahoma vs. Navy, noon/11a c, ESPN Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, Alabama): Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt, 3:30/2:30c, ESPN AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tennessee): Texas Tech vs. Arkansas, 7/6c, ESPN DirecTV Holiday Bowl (San Diego): Syracuse vs. Washington State, 8/7c, Fox SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas): Texas A&M vs. USC, 10:30/9:30c, ESPN Saturday, December 28 Wasabi Fenway Bowl (Boston): UConn vs. North Carolina, 11a/10a c, ESPN Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl (Bronx, New York): Boston College vs. Nebraska, Noon/11a c, ABC Isleta New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, New Mexico): Louisiana vs. TCU, 2:15/1:15c, ESPN Pop-Tarts Bowl (Orlando, Florida): Iowa State vs. Miami, 3:30/2:30c, ABC Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Arizona): Miami (Ohio) vs. Colorado State, 4:30/3:30c, The CW Go Bowling Military Bowl (Annapolis, Maryland): East Carolina vs. NC State, 5:45/4:45c, ESPN Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio): BYU vs. Colorado, 7:30/6:30c, ABC Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Shreveport, Louisiana): Marshall vs. Army, 9:15/8:15c, ESPN Monday, December 30 TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tennessee): Iowa vs. Missouri, 2:30/1:30c, ESPN Tuesday, December 31 ReliaQuest Bowl (Tampa, Florida): Alabama vs. Michigan, noon/11a c, ESPN Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas): Louisville vs. Washington, 2/1c, CBS Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida): South Carolina vs. Illinois, 3/2c, ABC Kinder’s Texas Bowl (Houston): Baylor vs. LSU, 3:30/2:30c, ESPN Thursday, January 2 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida): Duke vs. Ole Miss, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN Friday, January 3 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas): North Texas vs. Texas State, 4/3c, ESPN Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, North Carolina): Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN Saturday, January 4 Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas): Buffalo vs. Liberty, 11a/10a c, ESPN2 More Headlines: College Football Playoff & Bowl Game TV Schedule 2024 How Will ‘Blue Bloods’ End for Each Character? 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simonkr Lithium mining companies are often a target for investors looking to ride the wave of long-term transitions toward electric vehicles. Most lithium is currently produced in brines in South America. However, major developers such as Lithium Americas ( Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in LAC over the next 72 hours. 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.Data consumption has been skyrocketing for AI chatbots, digitalized medical records, online banking and cat videos. Now Newport Beach, California-based Province Group plans to invest up to $500 million into the 1-million-square-foot Merrillville Technology Park data center campus near Colorado Street and Harms Road in Merrillville that will pay workers up to a projected $175,000 a year. Chicago-based Wylie Capital plans to develop a 1.2 million square foot data center at Broadway, 93rd Avenue and Georgia Street in Merrillville that could result in $600 million in investment and up to 200 mostly six-figure jobs. And Karis Critical eyes up to $900 million in investment in a data center on 180 acres on 101st Avenue east of Deep River County Park that would bring hundreds of jobs. "It's a huge boon to the tax base of course once these buildings are totally finished and operational," Town Council President Rick Bella said. "They have to be equipped inside, which is another tax base increase. The neighboring businesses that will come here because there are data centers of this size here is tremendous. We're building Liberty Estates now, a thousand housing units. We need people that are going to buy those houses and move in." It would pay high salaries to highly educated professionals like network engineers, computer programmers, computer support specialists and database administrators. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts "Those are the kind of people who are going to build new homes and bring their families to Merrillville," he said. "The trickle effect of these types of large businesses. You can't really put a dollar figure on it. It just keeps growing and growing." Data centers should help modernize Northwest Indiana's economy with high-paying, high-tech jobs, Bella said. "I think it helps put the Region on the map if we have data centers and more modern businesses," he said. "The steel industry and the oil industry are there and they helped build Lake and Porter counties. They've been there for decades but they're limited. These types of businesses help build a labor force, a smart labor force. These are different types of jobs with large salaries. It's going to build the economy of the Region." Stephen Muenstermann, the president of Cloudbusters and a Data Center Advisory Board member, said some academic studies would suggest that the $2 billion in direct investment in data centers in Merrillville could end up having an $8 billion economic impact in the town. "What happens is, if you look at things like autonomous vehicles and people doing surgical processes, they can't have any latency in the amount of time when they make the action they're doing remotely on the screen. They have to have precision timing," he said. "In order to do that, you have to have as few hops as possible to get to the source. So the more data centers you have in close proximity, the less jumps you have. If you design your network right and make sure you get a secure path with minimum microsecond wait time behind it, you can draw those types of businesses." Data centers could draw health care, financial, legal, cybersecurity and other firms. "They want to be close to data because they need it fast," Bella said. "There's a multitude of different businesses that will be here because of data centers."
Russia using fakes to turn Americans against UkraineSt Kilda admit to draft message blunder on second night: ‘Whoops’This vehicular Pink Panther is falling flat on its face. Jaguar’s alleged attempts to woo Generation Z with a Barbie-pink electric vehicle backfired spectacularly after Zoomers dubbed the luxury UK automaker’s creation “cheap” and compared it to a “pink Batmobile.” Pictures of new Jaguar Type 00 concept, dubbed the Design Vision Concept, had leaked online ahead of its official release at Miami Art Week this week, the Telegraph reported. Per the photos, the $126,519.50 vehicle featured a giant bonnet, slatted rectangular grills and no rear window while the leaping Jaguar logo has vanished from both ends, taking a back seat to a divisive, new round logo, the Daily Mail reported. However, the hot-omobile’s most noticeable feature was its “Miami pink” exterior, which evoked a boxier version of the Corvette from the “Barbie” movie. It also comes in metallic blue. Gerry McGovern, the chief creative officer of Jaguar Land Rover, deemed the flamboyant concept car a “taste of things to come” at the Miami convention. The EV-only hot wheels are seemingly the latest part of Jaguar’s seemingly “woke” rebranding campaign to win over Gen Z, which was promoted in a video ad that featured androgynous models in bombastic outfits, including one man wearing a dress and, most notably, no cars anywhere in sight. Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover notably dubbed the company’s new direction a “complete reset” meant to “inspire a new generation.” Ironically, many of their so-called intended younger customers were quick to put the Type 00 model in the rhetorical car compactor. “If you thought the Jaguar rebrand was peak cringe, you gotta look at their new car,” scoffed one detractor on X. TikTokker Fionnuala compared the car to Muck, a red digger from the kid’s show “Bob the Builder.” “Now you’re telling me Jaguar had all that faff (Brit slang for fuss), all that rebrand, all that nonsense for a car that looks like Muck, and to be honest I’d rather [have] Muck,” she declared. Other unimpressed Zoomers took shots at the rebranding efforts in general. “What on Earth is Jaguar thinking?” exclaimed gearhead Luke Malpas in one TikTok clip. “They’ve gone from being a staple of British engineering, creating some of the best cars we’ve seen on the road, to this” “Go woke, you know the rest,” wrote podcaster Jay Anderson on X, while journalist Jordan Schachtel wrote, “Go DEI go absolutely broke. This is a mockery of the Jaguar brand.” Some critics found the “Copy Nothing” slogan ironic, given that the new EV vehicle seemed to rip off many storied vehicle brands. “Copy nothing except Rolls Royce, Bentley, and then put a Studabaker radiator on the back of the car,” snarked Canopy Capital Group CEO Eric Golden on X. “Copy nothing? It’s a pink Batmobile,” scoffed another naysayer while decrying the vehicle’s departure from the brand’s iconic macho mobiles of old. Some accused Jaguar of risking alienating their consumer base by attempting to appeal to people who will never buy their product. “Someone on the Jaguar marketing team has greatly overestimated the size of the ‘vegan barista who wants to roll up to the drum circle in a luxury sports car’ market, I fear,” mused Lulu Cheng Meservey, a board member at tech company Shopify, on X. “I have a feeling @Jaguar may be about to find out that there are fewer well-off, non-binary, woke lesbians of color than their echo chamber assured them there were,” sniped right-wing British Reclaim Party founder and “political correctness” foe Laurence Fox. The criticisms extended beyond accusations that the model was ugly in pink. “That @Jaguar concept car is one fugly monstrosity,” griped one. “The switch to electric gave huge potential for a radical redesign to live up to their unimaginative ad campaign, but they had so little imagination that they gave it a huge view-restricting nose to house a non-existent engine.” Despite the online savaging, a few vehicle buffs have praised the Type 00s, with “Top Gear” host Rory Reid commenting: “Having been massively underwhelmed by XE, XF and XJ (which are only even vaguely interesting with a 5-liter supercharged V8 under the bonnet) ... This is the most ‘I would actually look twice at this’ Jag since ... forever. “I’d even have it in pink for the haters,” Reid declared. McGovern also seemingly defended the creation, saying: “Getting attention in today’s world is not always easy, and I assume all of you and those following from around the world may have read a thing or two about the new Jaguar brand. “And we’re delighted to have your attention,” he continued. “Controversy has always surrounded British creativity when it’s been at its best.” McGovern then analogized the company’s makeover to visionaries like singer David Bowie and designer Vivienne Westwood, who “challenged convention and had no desire to copy the norm.” Originally published as Jaguar’s pink, ‘woke’ electric car slammed by Gen Z: ‘What on Earth is Jaguar thinking?’