Even New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks it's amusing that owner Woody Johnson's teenage sons could have a say in his future with the franchise. "I've never been released before," Rodgers said Monday on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Being released would be a first. Being released by a teenager would also be a first. ... I find the comedy in all of it. If that happens, it would be a great story." Is that a Brick Johnson decision #PMSLive https://t.co/NAYixvQYwR pic.twitter.com/HpUumfgI8f Rodgers was probably referring to a recent report by The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Michael Silver and Zack Rosenblatt. The report revealed Johnson's sons, Jack and Brick, likely influence roster decisions. For example, the 77-year-old owner reportedly nixed a trade for then-Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because his rating in the "Madden NFL" video game was too low. That has looked like a foolish choice. Jeudy has career highs in receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,072) through 15 games with the Cleveland Browns. Whether Johnson's sons support the decision or not, the Jets will likely move on from Rodgers this offseason. Through 15 starts, the 41-year-old is 4-11 and has completed a below-average 62.8% of his passes for 3,511 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has also tossed eight interceptions. Per Spotrac, the Jets would incur $49M in dead cap in 2025 and 2026 if they release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation. While it would be expensive, Rodgers' comments suggest it's possible. They also signal that his relationship with the franchise could be souring. Until then, the Jets will try to win their last two games. On Sunday, they face the Buffalo Bills (12-3) in a road game at 1:00 p.m. ET. Ending the season on a positive note will be challenging, especially as questions about who is running the team linger.5 Moonshot Stocks to Buy for 2025
Year in Review: 4 Singapore Stocks to Keep Your Eye On in 2025The Doha Global South Health Policy initiative launched in February 2024 by various Qatari stakeholders in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is making steady progress focusing on primary healthcare in global south countries selected for the programme, disclosed a top official of the Gates Foundation. “We had a roundtable with the participating countries in Africa during Doha Forum. It was clear in a number of the presentations, to potentially use some of the digital technologies to help improve primary health care in those countries,” Dr Chris Elias, president of the Global Development Division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview. “During the discussions, the countries have identified one or two projects where Qatar could partner with them on strengthening the health workforce or improving the digital transformation within the primary health care system,” he highlighted. The official said that the focus will be on the underlying immunisation and maternal and child healthcare part for a strong primary healthcare system in these countries. “So, there were a number of project ideas presented. I think the next step will be to see if there's a potential match on some of those projects where Qatar might support some of the countries directly and then actually try to disseminate the learnings,” continued the official. The partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs was formed with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar in February 2024, to create an innovative platform that aims to leverage the experience and know how of senior public officials from the Global South. The Qatari stakeholders are the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar Fund for Development, Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Charity, and Qatar Red Crescent and the participating countries are: Nigeria, Somalia, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, and Malawi. “The roundtable showed a tremendous amount of promise, as it brought forward some very important voices from senior technical people in a variety of countries to talk about their perspective on what their needs were and how the donor community could better coordinate with them. We had really insightful presentations from Somalia, Malawi and Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Congo, and Mozambique,” explained, Dr Elias According to Dr Elias there were several important takeaways for the Global South countries form the meeting. “They need to focus on workforce development, financing for critical health development initiatives and collaboration with the private sector. They also have to look at the potential for digital technology to be transformative in some of their programmes. The presentations included their thinking across some of the key priorities on immunisation, maternal health, primary healthcare, and presented some specific ideas,” he elaborated. Dr Elias noted that Gates Foundation works in a very focused way in a number of those countries. He remarked : “We also have other projects in Malawi and Somalia, as well as in Mozambique. So we work in all of those countries and in some of them more intensively. The one that we work in the most is Nigeria. In the last 18 months, Nigeria has prioritised primary health care and they have increased their domestic funding for primary healthcare.” “We have outlined a plan going forward that would involve having an annual convening, with the next in the fourth quarter of 2025 and in the subsequent years. In the meantime, there is going to be a community of healthcare practitioners in several areas among these countries,” added Dr Elias. Related Story Monoprix launches sensory friendly hours at Doha Festival City outlet ‘ICC, ICJ indispensable in upholding principles of justice in conflict areas’
A Japanese sake maker is going where no sake maker has gone before: space. Asahi Shuzo, the company behind the popular Japanese sake brand Dassai, plans to blast sake ingredients to the International Space Station (ISS) to ferment a very special brew. Related video above: The dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say If it works, just one 100ml bottle will be offered for sale on Earth at 100 million yen, or about $653,000. A standard serve is 80ml, making it one very expensive drink. “There is no guarantee of 100% success for the fermentation tests,” said Souya Uetsuki, the brewer in charge of the project at Asahi Shuzo. He said the difference in gravity could affect how heat transfers in fluid, causing a different fermentation process in space than on Earth. The company has paid the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for access to the Kibo experiment module, part of the ISS developed by Japan, where tests can be conducted in a “special microgravity environment.” The national space agency said they would not comment on the privately paid project. Sake is made of Japanese rice, water, yeast and koji (a type of mold). It traditionally takes about two months to make through a series of precise steps that involve steaming, stirring and fermenting. The drink is sipped from a glass at many Japanese cultural occasions — from weddings to meals at pub-like izakaya restaurants — and last week landed a spot on UNESCO’s list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” Dassai — meaning “otter festival” in Japanese — is one of the most popular sake brands on the market. However, its maker is also behind premium products that are popular with collectors, some willing to spend up to thousands of dollars for a bottle. Asahi Shuzo’s foray into space is more than just another attempt to make another rare sake, according to the brewer. Uetsuki said the company hoped the project would offer insights into how fermentation works in space, so perhaps one day they can make sake on the moon. “In a future where humans can freely travel between the moon and Earth, some will visit the moon as tourists. This project aims to create sake that can be enjoyed on the moon, allowing visitors to have delightful moments there,” he said. He hopes the technology will also benefit future space tourists who have a penchant for other types of fermented food. “Many Japanese foods, such as natto and miso, are fermented, and this technology could expand into these areas,” Uetsuki said. The company is developing space brewing equipment, with a planned launch date later in 2025.
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