The world according to Jim: • As we approach the latest edition of USC vs. UCLA – in other words, a 5-5 team against a 4-6 team, their game Saturday at the Rose Bowl shunted to a 7:30 Pacific time slot so people in the Eastern half of the country who don’t have a bet on the game need not bother – the question must be asked: Are there people in those athletic departments who have buyers’ remorse over the move to the Big Ten? And will that remorse only increase as the travel horror stories involving non-football programs’ conference travel pile up? ... • Here’s a reminder of the reason for this displacement, as well as the only thing that seemingly makes it make sense: The L.A. schools are getting full shares of the Big Ten media pie, somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million a year, as the first programs to jump the Pac-12 ship on the final day of June, 2022. Given the way former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff subsequently botched the conference’s media rights negotiations, which began the mass exodus, the L.A. schools’ move in retrospect was understandable if regrettable. ... • Hey, it is more expensive to live in L.A., right? ... • Oregon and Washington, among the last to defect, get half shares for the balance of the Big Ten contract, which runs through the spring of 2030 (although Phil Knight’s largesse almost certainly helps offset the difference at Oregon). The teams that scattered to the Big XII and Atlantic Coast Conference similarly received reduced shares from their new conferences. Oregon State and Washington State have been living off the Pac-12’s surplus and a stopgap TV deal and teamed with Octagon this week in search of a new media rights agreement for the rebuilding conference. ... • On the football field, at least, it has been an unqualified triumph for Oregon, undefeated and currently at the top of the College Football Playoff pecking order. Washington is 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten. The L.A. schools are reduced to playing for bowl scraps. And the idea that Washington, USC and UCLA are respectively eighth, 12th and 13th in their conference is its own special kind of culture shock. ... • We’ve had more than a year to get used to it, but I still miss the old Pac-12 and its regional rivalries. That’s not going to change for a good, long while. ... • Meanwhile, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin said the quiet part out loud the other day, as he is prone to do. His team’s on a heater – 8-2 overall, 4-2 in the SEC, No. 9 in the last College Football Playoff rankings and winner of three in a row, including a 28-10 thumping of then-No. 3 Georgia. Yet in an expanded SEC that – like the Big Ten – no longer has divisions and sends its first- and second-place teams to the conference championship game, Kiffin said he wanted no part of that 13th game and a potential third loss that would knock his team out of playoff contention. He indicated other SEC coaches had similar feelings. ... • In other words: The bloated nature of the current Power Four conferences – and, as former colleague Mark Whicker noted in his Substack column, the realization that contenders don’t all play each other because of that bloat – has already made the 12-team playoff unwieldy and borderline obsolete. Nice work, guys. ... • And let the empha$i$ on the bottom line, both among athletic programs and among those players getting NIL money, be one more reminder that the NCAA’s insistent reference to “student athletes,” parroted by its member schools, is as big a fallacy as ever and maybe more so. Reverse the order of that phrase and it’s closer to the truth. ... • The other aspect of what at first glance seems to be a diminished crosstown rivalry – at least until the game starts and the emotions on the field take over – is that one coach, UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, is digging out from the Chip Kelly era, and his team has already displayed progress this season. The other, USC’s Lincoln Riley, is drawing comparisons to predecessor Clay Helton among some alumni – and that’s not good. ... • The Rams will be honoring their 1999 team, which won the franchise’s first Super Bowl for St. Louis, at Sunday evening’s game against Philadelphia at SoFi Stadium. And if you are an L.A. Rams fan, all in on the team once again, do you really care about the ’99 champs, never mind willing to celebrate them? Or is there still a void between the team’s departure for St. Louis in 1995 and its return to Los Angeles in 2016? ( The Reddit conversation from this past May, “What Is Your Opinion of Georgia Frontiere,” indicates where longtime L.A. Rams fans stand on this.) ... • From the “things I wish I’d written” file, Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins’ wonderful description of the monstrosity that was the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson “fight” a week ago: “Was Jake Paul’s not the most punchable face in the history of punched faces? It was a face with all the character and lived experience of a canned ham. It was the consummate face of an influencer, with all the smirky grifting in search of the lux life that term suggests. There wasn’t a hint of true toughness — much less truth — in it. Just blandness cloaked in a poseur-pharaoh’s beard and topped by some box-color bleached curls, and God did you ever want Mike Tyson to put his very real fist in it.” Priceless. ... • The ball from Freddie Freeman’s World Series Game 1 walkoff grand slam, grabbed by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman of Venice – who was told he was leaving school early that Friday to go to a orthodontist’s appointment only to have his dad take him to Dodger Stadium instead – is going to be auctioned off by SCP Auctions from Dec. 4-14. It should fetch seven figures, easy, maybe even more than the $4.392 million top bid last month for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run (which is currently held up by a dispute over who actually had the right to auction it). ... • If I could afford to make the winning bid on Freeman’s ball – and if I actually could, you wouldn’t be reading this column – I’d lend it to the Dodgers to prominently display among their MVP and Cy Young and Silver Slugger trophies, with the stipulation that it would eventually go to the Hall of Fame. That’s where it belongs. Now if someone could just find the Kirk Gibson ball from 1988. ... jalexander@scng.comNASSAU, Bahamas -- Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge. Two months off did nothing to slow the world's No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year. Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend. Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn't feel that way to him. Editor's Picks Latest from Tiger Woods: Health, PGA Tour-PIF deal and Ryder Cup money 3d Mark Schlabach "Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much," Scheffler said. "A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things." Asked if he felt any frustration he didn't take it lower -- he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs -- Scheffler sounded bemused. "I think in this game I think a lot of all y'all are looking for perfection out of us," he said. "Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there -- clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I'm pretty pleased." Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend. Thomas wasn't concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green. "You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are," Thomas said. "He's a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I'm honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It's a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you're on and focused and really in control of everything -- like these last two days with no wind -- you can just make so many birdies." Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind. No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn't always easy. Cameron Young , who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole. Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods , is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players because of the small field. It's the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet. He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. And even after a layoff -- giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke -- it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that.Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Group, has reacted to report published in Sahara Reporters of a new lawsuit against his companies, staff, wife, and himself and dismissed the suit as empty forum shopping. He made this known during inquiries from some journalists to confirm if he was aware of the published report in Sahara Reporters. Ekeh said he was shocked that Femi Falana (SAN), counsel to Benjamin Joseph of Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd, an Enugu indigene based in Ibadan, has continued in the old school of media trial in the same case he withdrew last year after he “misled” the former Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami to issue him a Fiat. He said: “A few friends mentioned it to me a few days back. I was really shocked that Femi Falana (SAN) still continues in this old school of media trial in the same case he shamefully withdrew last year after he misled the former Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Malami SAN, to issue him a fiat. “A few days after Mr. Malami issued the Fiat, he discovered that Mr. Falana misled him by hiding material facts without disclosing to him that there was already a judgment by Hon. Justice Danlami Senchi of the FCT High Court in Charge No. FCT/HC/CR/244/2018 against his client on the same case with N20 million damage imposed on his client, Mr. Benjamin Joseph of Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd, for false petitioning and to serve as a deterrence against others who waste taxpayers’ money incurred in investigating spurious petitions. “Falana also did not inform the Attorney General that he is the lawyer acting for Benjamin Joseph who filed a motion to appeal the N20m damages. Mr. Malami was also upset that Femi Falana didn’t actively disclose the fact that Benjamin Joseph was still facing a criminal case instituted against him by the Inspector General of Police in another court in Charge No.CR/216/16 before Honourable Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court Abuja, for false information on the same facts, which his client Benjamin Joseph, was unable to defend for over 8 years. Instead, Mr. Joseph was avoiding the court for flimsy reasons. The same Attorney General – Mr. Malami, had instructed that the criminal case against Benjamin Joseph should not be withdrawn but must be prosecuted to a logical conclusion, as contained in three separate letters to the Inspector General of Police after Benjamin Joseph had begged Mr. Malami to stop his trial.” Ekeh expressed his respect for Falana but stressed that “this case should instruct him to unlearn a few things in his practice. Times have moved from analogue to digital. There are new kids on the block. It is difficult for me to agree that Falana, as an experienced lawyer, parent, husband to another distinguished SAN, could not differentiate between corporate and individual personalities. “He listed Zinox, myself, and even retired non-Executive Directors of Technology Distributions Ltd as defendants, persons who have never been included in any investigation and report since this case started in 2013 just to make his media trial appear important.” He wondered “when serious matters of law became a show business. Every mature Nigerian knows the relationship between Falana and Sahara Reporters. It’s instructive to note that as we speak, the new suit filed by Falana has not been served on me or any of the defendants, to the best of my knowledge. However, Falana had rushed to the media, using Sahara Reporters to splash it as ‘Breaking News’ just to achieve the set objective of his client, Benjamin Joseph.” The Zinox boss said: “It is clear that they do not have confidence in their case but simply want media publicity to harass and embarrass me, my wife, directors, and staff of my companies. It is regrettable that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria would be playing to the gallery instead of venting his case in court. You can see that Falana is doing everything to protect his client at all costs, a man who lied but later confessed in his Witness Statement on Oath in a civil case he filed at the Lagos State High Court, that he knew about the contract and gave Princess Kama (his partner) all personal and corporate documents needed for the FIRS contract. “This shows that he has been lying all the while that he was not aware of the contract. It is also to be noted that the FIRS, in a letter on February 11, 2014, to Chief Afe Babalola Chambers, stated that Benjamin Joseph knew about the contract and that he gave them a letter accepting the contract and appointing Princess Kama, his staff, as the authorised representative of Citadel on the contract and also that Citadel instructed the FIRS to pay the proceeds of the contract into the Access Bank account opened for that purpose. I should suppose that it’s part of the reason the respected Afe Babalola SAN technically withdrew from acting for Benjamin Joseph in 2014. “But Femi Falana would rather continue in his intransigence to propagate the spurious claims of his client. As a counsel, it behoves him to properly advise his client not to tow a wrong path, especially when there’s a subsisting judgment that imposed N20 million damages against him for false petitioning. “I am in tech business and will never dine with any alleged blackmailer as Benjamin Joseph appears to be acting out. I am sure Mr. Falana and the learned AGF of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, both experienced lawyers, have not created time to read through this case file. If they did, then it is regrettable that the respected AGF would still grant another Fiat to Falana even after a similar Fiat was withdrawn from Falana by the former AGF over misrepresentation of facts. I doubt that the AGF, after withdrawing the criminal case against Benjamin Joseph in June 2024 to save him from possible imprisonment, would now issue a Fiat on behalf of the same Benjamin Joseph to file charges against the people he lied against. We cannot leave this country for people who dance to the gallery. “We must fix it. Thank you, but please note that I have nothing against Falana and Co., but if truly he secured a Fiat this year, which I doubt, we shall meet in court,” he said.
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Todd Lewis and Brandel Chamblee analyze Scottie Scheffler's first-round 67 at the Hero World Challenge, and hear from the defending champion regarding his new putting grip and starting the new year strong. Brandel Chamblee and Todd Lewis break down Justin Thomas' Round 1 showing at the Hero World Challenge, discussing what the 15-time PGA Tour winner did well to start things off in The Bahamas. U.S. Ryder Cup pay has become a "hot-button topic" around the PGA Tour, and Brandel Chamblee calls out how this idea could "corrupt" the nature of Ryder Cup participation in an event that is all about "patriotism." Watch highlights from Round 1 of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, taking place at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. Justin Thomas speaks with Rex Hoggard about the birth of daughter Molly Grace and his renewed hopes for the new season after a rough 2024. Scottie Scheffler's the favorite at the Hero World Challenge as the top player in the world, defending champion, and runner-up from two years prior. Todd Lewis provides an update on his plan to play plenty of early golf. Golf Central takes a look back on the 2024 LPGA season, highlighting the top players, performances and moments -- and what it could all mean for the game moving forward. Golf Today and several guests look ahead to this year's Hero World Challenge, discussing Tiger Wood's role as host and what he wants from golf in 2025, golfers who could contend at Albany Golf Course, and more. Facing the possibility of losing his PGA Tour card for 2025, 37-year-old American Joel Dahmen had a final round to remember at the 2024 RSM Classic, shooting a dramatic 64 to secure full-time status for next season. Jeeno Thitikul sits down with the Golf Central crew after winning the CME Group Tour Championship, discussing the importance of having her coach during the event and emotions going into the 18th hole. The Golf Central crew evaluates how Angel Yin is staying collected and unbothered with a huge opportunity ahead of her with the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship.
( MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN - The Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Project (ELRAP), directed by Thomas E. Levy and Mohammad Najjar, is a deep-time investigation of society in the Faynan region of Southern Jordan, said Assistant Professor of Anthropological Archaeology Matt Howland at Wichita State University, in Wichita, Kansas. "This means that we are interested in the long- term Occupation of the region, ranging from the Neolithic period, to the region's peak occupation and copper production during the Iron Age, to the Middle Islamic period, when copper was also produced," Howland said A lot of the excavations conducted by the ELRAP were focused on the relationship between copper production and social complexity, and helped show how the mining and manufacture of copper helped a local complex society develop in the Early Iron Age in Jordan, Howland continued. The professor added that his research focuses mainly on the use of spatial and 3D technologies to investigate the ancient past and share results of this research with the public. Howland worked with Levy during his undergraduate studies at Penn State University and his PhD studies at the University of California San Diego. "I developed research projects using GIS, a technology used for digital mapping, to investigate Iron Age societies in the Southern Levant. In my Ph.D. dissertation, I investigated Iron Age trade networks based in the Faynan region of Southern Jordan, and how high-status elites in Faynan controlled the manufacture and export of copper across the entire Southern Levant and beyond," Howland said. Since the team no longer actively excavates, it is interested in sharing some of the results with the general public, especially including the people of Jordan, who have always been very hospitable hosts and partners in the project. Several years ago, the ELRAP team developed an Arabic-language StoryMap to share some of the results relating to the Iron Age archaeology and heritage of Faynan with Jordanians. "Now, our new project shares 3D models that help tell the story of the Iron Age and Middle Islamic archaeology of Faynan on the website Sketchfab. Users can explore the models on this website in Arabic according to their own interest in the history and archaeology of Faynan," Howland elaborated. "We want users, especially Arabic-speaking Jordanians, to be able to explore the 3D data we have collected in the field during years of archaeological survey and excavation in the region without having to look through English-language and pay walled journal articles," the professor added. In this work, the team found it very important to work collaboratively with Jordanians to help tell the story of the archaeology of Faynan, and, luckily, they were able to collaborate with not only co-director Najjar, but also a librarian Samya Kafafi from American Centre of Research and a Jordanian student Omar Khalil from Wichita State University. The link between Faynan and Howland goes back to 2012 when he spent two months excavating the site. Howland immediately found the Faynan region to be extremely beautiful and the Bedouin people who live there to be very hospitable and friendly. Also, the archaeology of Faynan is very exciting, and is an underappreciated cultural heritage resource. "The many amazing archaeological sites in Faynan help to tell an incredible story about the development of a local complex society that was at the centre of a flourishing trade network in the Iron Age, just like the Nabateans later on in history, the professor said. "Since my own career and research has benefitted so much from research in Faynan, I want to share some of what I have learnt with the people of Jordan, and collaborate with them to help raise awareness about their amazing cultural heritage. Digital projects in Arabic, like our current project on Sketchfab, are one small way of doing that," Howland underlined. MENAFN28122024000028011005ID1109038260 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Stock market today: Wall Street gets back to climbing, and the Nasdaq tops 20,000
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Elon Musk’s X has put a fact-check alert on Kemi Badenoch’s tweet in which she claimed that Reform UK had faked its membership numbers. A “community note” was put on the Tory party leader’s tweet — which accused Nigel Farage and his party of faking their membership numbers — saying: “This claim is false. It’s not a ‘fake ticker’.” Badenoch’s tweet was posted on Boxing Day a few hours after Farage had put a message on the platform claiming that Reform’s membership had gone over 131,680. This was the number of eligible Conservative Party members in its leadership election in the autumn, and meant that Reform was now Britain’s official opposition, Farage claimed. Badenoch said the counter was “coded to tick up automatically”, leading to
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