hand 777 filter
AUSTIN, Texas -- Any Texas or Texas A & M player has heard the lore of the rivalry between the two schools, a grudge match that dates to 1894. But for more than a decade — two generations of college football players — that's all it has been: Ghostly memories of great games and great plays made by heroes of the distant past. That changes this week when one of college football's great rivalries is reborn. Third-ranked Texas (10-1, 6-1) and No. 20 Texas A & M (8-3, 5-2) meet Saturday night for the first time since 2011, with a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game on the line . “Guys that have been in my position and bleed burnt orange, they have not gotten to play this game,” said Texas fourth-year junior safety Michael Taaffe, who grew up in Austin. “Remember them when you step on Kyle Field.” For Aggies fans, who have carried the misery of Texas' 27-25 win in 2011, getting the Longhorns back in front of a frenzied crowd in College Station is a chance for some serious payback. “I was born and raised an Aggie, so I’ve been dreaming about playing in this game my whole life,” Texas A & M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III said. Zuhn played high school football in Colorado, but his parents and grandparents attended A & M. At SEC media days back in August, Zuhn said his family would turn Texas gear upside down in stores. He keeps a picture of a longhorn in his room, hanging upside down, of course. “It should be the most amazing atmosphere that I’ve ever experienced,” Zuhn said. "I can’t wait for that, and I feel bad for Texas having to play in that." Texas players said they are ready. “That place is going to be rocking,” Texas senior cornerback Jahdae Barron said. “It's good to go on the road and play in hostile environments.” The Longhorns have overcome big and loud road crowds before. They won at Alabama in 2023. They won at Michigan and Arkansas, another old rival, this year. The Longhorns have won 10 in a row on an opponent’s home field. “When the hate is on us, we love it. We enjoy it,” Taaffe said. But some former Texas players say the current group has faced nothing like what awaits them in College Station. Playing at Texas A & M is more than just noise and a lot of “Horns down” hand signals. The “Aggie War Hymn” fight song calls for Aggies to “Saw varsity’s horns off." Beating Texas is their passion, said former Longhorns All-American offensive lineman Dan Neil, who won at Texas A & M in in 1995. He calls that win one of the best of his career. “I was done showering and getting ready to leave, and their fans were still standing outside the locker room screaming and throwing things,” he said. “The (Texas) players have no idea what they are walking into. They have no clue. No one on that team has walked into that stadium in burnt orange.” The rivalry broke up when Texas A & M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. The Aggies have twice finished tied for second but have otherwise found little success there. Texas is in its first year in the SEC and has smashed its way to the top. Texas is the only SEC team with one loss this late in the season, which would make beating Texas that much sweeter for A & M. “The hype is definitely saying it's a rivalry. History says it's a rivalry, but for us, it's the football game we have this week,” Texas senior center Jake Majors said. “It's important for us to not let the environment, the game, get the best of us. ... I get to go out there and play not only for me and my team, but for the guys who came before me, so that's a true honor to have.” Even though the game hasn't been played since 2011, there has always been an element of the rivalry simmering under the surface, Texas A & M coach Mike Elko said. Elko is in his first year as the Aggies' coach, but he was the Texas A & M defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2018-2021. “Even though it hasn’t been played, it just doesn’t feel like it’s ever really left the fabric. I really don’t think it’s as removed from the psyche as maybe it feels,” Elko said. “I think our kids are very much aware of what this is all about.” ___ Rieken reported from College Station, Texas. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballJudge rejects request to sideline a San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgender
The global governing body believes that it could help ‘develop the virtual running scene’ World Athletics is considering a World Treadmill Championships. The global governing body, in an effort to broaden the sport to new markets, wants to ‘develop the virtual running scene’. If the concept materialises, then World Athletics – who are already close to signing a deal with a technology partner for it – will follow the likes of rowing and cycling in having a global championships using gym equipment. The World Indoor Rowing Championships, which started in 2018, sees athletes – over a variety of disciplines – compete against each other on rowing machines. In cycling, you’ve got an Esports World Championships, where competitors ride bikes indoors on turbo trainers, using a virtual platform. “There are millions of people around the world that just go to the gym and run on the treadmill,” . “We should create products for those people. We should have a Treadmill World Championships. You are an athlete if you go for a 30-minute run on a treadmill or if you win an Olympic gold medal in the 100m. It is all athletics.” World Athletics’ decision to advocate for a global treadmill competition shouldn’t be particularly surprising, given the fitness and running world has experienced a recent boom in popularity. For example, Hyrox – a fitness competition that combines five miles of running and eight functional workout stations – has witnessed a 1000% increase in participation over the past five years. In regards to running’s popularity, next year’s London Marathon saw a world record-breaking 840,318 people apply in the public ballot for an entry at the event. That was up from 578,304 applications for this year’s edition, a 45.3% increase in just twelve months. Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, when asked about a treadmill championships, added: “You might have to watch this space, but ultimately, why not? We have to embrace and we have got to take our sport to where people are. That is crucial. “Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to really explore.”
Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed, a Canadian minister saysPlanned Parenthood, the nonprofit organization that provides reproductive and sexual healthcare, is reporting a surge in demand for long-acting and permanent contraceptive options following the recent presidential election. Nationally, Planned Parenthood Health Centers saw vasectomy appointments increase by 1,200 percent. IUD appointments, meanwhile, increased by more than 760 percent, while birth control and gender-affirming appointments increased by 350 percent and 140 percent, respectively. RELATED STORY | Trump would veto legislation establishing a federal abortion ban, Vance says Planned Parenthood said the uptick "reflects patients' intensified concerns over preserving their reproductive choices as political uncertainties grow." “We’re seeing record numbers of patients making proactive reproductive health choices to help secure their ability to control pregnancy outcomes,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. “In a landscape where reproductive health care access is increasingly under threat, expanded access to effective contraception options — supported by essential programs like Title X and Medicaid — has become even more urgent.” RELATED STORY | Patients have paid over $1 million for contraception care that should be free Planned Parenthood of Northern New England also reported a rise in people volunteering with the organization, which operates 15 clinics in the region. CEO Nicole Clegg said it reflects a growing concern among Americans that they may not be able to access the care that they need in the future. "The day after the election and in the weeks since, our health centers have opened their doors, and our staff has done what they’ve always done: care for our patients," Clegg said in a statement. "We understand the fear and the uncertainty, and unfortunately, we anticipate more chaos and confusion in the coming months and years."
Jeremy Clarkson joined farmers protesting over the changes to inheritance tax rules (Aaron Chown/PA) Jeremy Clarkson has backpedalled on his previous comments about why he bought his farm, saying he thought it would be a “better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax”. The TV presenter and journalist defied doctors’ orders by joining thousands of farmers in London on Tuesday to protest against agricultural inheritance tax changes. The 64-year-old, who fronts Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm, which documents the trials of farming on his land in Oxfordshire, wrote in a post on the Top Gear website in 2010: “I have bought a farm. There are many sensible reasons for this: Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesn’t get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up.” Clarkson also told the Times in 2021 that avoiding inheritance tax was “the critical thing” in his decision to buy land. Addressing the claim in a new interview with The Times, the former Top Gear presenter said: “I never did admit why I really bought it.” The fan of game bird shooting added: “I wanted to have a shoot – I was very naive. I just thought it would be a better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax.” Clarkson was among the thousands who took to the streets this week to protest over the changes in the recent Budget to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million and he addressed the crowds at the march in central London. He told the newspaper he is not happy to be the public face of the movement, saying: “It should be led by farmers.” The presenter said he does not consider himself a farmer because there are “so many basic jobs” which he cannot do, but he feels his role is to “report on farming”. Earlier this month, it was confirmed Clarkson’s Farm, which has attracted huge attention to his Diddly Squat farm shop, had been renewed for a fifth series. Asked whether the issue behind the tax protest is that rural poverty is hidden, Clarkson agreed and said his programme was not helping to address the situation. “One of the problems we have on the show is we’re not showing the poverty either, because obviously on Diddly Squat there isn’t any poverty”, he said. “But trust me, there is absolute poverty. I’m surrounded by farmers. I’m not going out for dinner with James Dyson. “It’s people with 200 acres, 400 acres. Way past Rachel Reeves’s threshold. They are f*****.” Jeremy Clarkson took to the streets of London with fellow farmer on Tuesday (Aaron Chown/PA) The newspaper columnist also presents Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? on ITV. The Grand Tour, his motoring show with former Top Gear colleagues Richard Hammond and James May, ended in September. Discussing whether he might move into politics, Clarkson said: “I’d be a terrible political leader, hopeless. “I’m a journalist at heart, I prefer throwing rocks at people than having them thrown at me.” However, he said he would be “100% behind any escalation” after the farmers’ march. Clarkson revealed last month he had undergone a heart procedure to have stents fitted after experiencing a “sudden deterioration” in his health which brought on symptoms of being “clammy”, a “tightness” in his chest and “pins and needles” in his left arm. He said in a Sunday Times column that one of his arteries was “completely blocked and the second of three was heading that way” and doctors said he was perhaps “days away” from becoming very ill. Asked if he is thinking about retiring, the Doncaster-born celebrity said: “Probably not. It depends when you die, I always think. “You’d be surprised, us Northerners are made of strong stuff.”
Newsom’s Memoir to Be Published in MayMatías Tarnopolsky to become New York Philharmonic CEO, teaming with Gustavo Dudamel