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US effort to curb China's and Russia's access to advanced computer chips 'inadequate,' report findsThe final stretch of the season is here. The AFC playoff race is just about set, the NFC is duking it out and there’s a host of teams just waiting to be officially eliminated from the playoffs. This week’s Four Verts starts with a division that's the very definition of duking it out. Coming into the season, all four teams in the NFC North had a reason for hope. Three of them still do, with the Lions, Packers and Vikings each being this season. All three of those teams are likely going to make the playoffs, barring catastrophe over the final few weeks. The Lions have command of this division as one of the best teams in the NFL, but the Packers’ chances as the division winner can increase with a huge game on Thursday night at Detroit. The Bears, well, are still having a Bears-like season, but the rest of the division is primed to make noise in the playoffs. The Lions have been just an incredibly dominant team this season, especially on offense. According to TruMedia, the Lions’ offense ranks first in success rate (48.6%), points per drive (2.84), first downs and touchdowns per play (6.44), success rate on dropbacks (53.1%) and rushing attempts (46.9%). They also rank in the top five of most expected points stats and have converted 45.7% of their third downs. They’ve combined competent quarterback play, arguably the best running back duo in the league and a rock star offensive line to just mow down opposing defenses. Ben Johnson has a huge chest of talent to reach into, making his job as a play-caller much easier. Their defense, which has been good this year, faces a tough test against the that’s been among the league’s best over the past month of the season. Since Week 9, the Packers rank first in yards per play (6.6), fourth in points per drive (2.76) and third in success rate on dropbacks (51.8%). This offense is playing like a machine and the defense, while inconsistent down-to-down, is getting enough turnovers to the point where they’re consistently giving the ball back to an offense that’s on fire. At 9-3, they're still very much alive for the division title and a high playoff seed if they can play their cards right and get a little lucky. Minnesota is sandwiched in between them with a 10-2 record as one of the upstart teams in the league that might be outperforming expectations. The Vikings' defense has been one of the best in the NFL this year and Sam Darnold has been steady enough to lead the offense to a potential playoff berth. They still have to play the Packers and Lions (and Bears) one more time before the close of the season, but Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores deserve a ton of credit for raising the expectations in Minnesota, even while their personnel might not be as well-known as what the Lions and Packers have. It’s tough to tell whether or not this is a real Super Bowl contender, but their defense will certainly give them a chance in January. Then there’s the Bears. At this point, they’re just trying to get to 2025, which is a fair mindset to have following their masterclass on Thanksgiving. Man. It’s been about a week since the Bears' unprofessional blunder to lose to the Lions on Thanksgiving and it’s still unbelievable. The Bears had no choice but to after this loss, but it’s still hard not to be in awe at how messy the was — and it was partly the Bears' fault by the end of all of it. The timeout blunder has been spoken about ad nauseam, but it really is just one of the craziest unforced errors seen at any level of football. The Bears, down 23-20, had a timeout on the edge of field goal range with roughly 30 seconds left on a running clock. The optimal way to play it would have been to run another play, gain some yards, call a timeout and then try to kick the field goal. However, the Bears players really never got set in a timely fashion, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was taking too long to move things along, and the Bears found themselves running out of time in a hurry. With just six seconds left, Williams snapped the ball, threw a prayer to Rome Odunze that landed incomplete and the game ended. Sloppy play by the players on the field, no doubt about it. Still, the timeout should have been used. They could have kicked a difficult field goal, which is certainly better than what they did. Once Eberflus saw the original plan had just gone to complete crap, the timeout simply had to be burned. No discussion. Call the timeout. After a six-game slide from 4-2 to 4-8 with this latest failure being so pronounced, Eberflus had to go. That part makes sense. What didn’t make sense is . For whatever reason, Eberflus was able to have a media conference with reporters the Friday after the game where he said he had turned his focus to preparing for the 49ers. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that Eberflus was fired, which seemed a bit in poor taste. Why make him speak on the mistake if he’s not going to have a chance to rectify it? Just let him go after the game and move on. That part was a bit weird. The Bears' season has turned into a shame festival, which is fair for how some of their games have ended. Their season is certainly over, but at least they have a . Could be worse, you could be the Raiders. Reject the quarterback mind hive! Don’t let the media make you think they’re the only players on the field! There have been a playing well for their experience level, who deserve praise for their performances this year, but there is one rookie who is playing like one of the best players in the entire NFL — Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers has been sensational and should be the hands-down favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year as one of the best tight ends in the league. According to data from TruMedia, Bowers has been arguably the most productive tight end in the league, especially when considering his volume of targets (and that he’s really the only scary offensive threat that the Raiders have). Among all tight ends with at least 40 targets this season, Bowers is first in receptions (84), yards (884), targets (113) and targets per route (0.28). He also ranks fourth in both yards per route run (2.18) and first downs and touchdowns per route (10.6%). That’s pretty great! Again, not just for a rookie, but that makes him one of the most productive tight ends in the league. This isn’t a situation that’s exactly conducive for success for a rookie skill player. The Raiders have had a turnstile at quarterback with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder. The Raiders have had one of the worst run games in the league this season. Davante Adams was traded early in the season, creating a huge target vacuum for the Raiders. Bowers had to be the man immediately for the Raiders' offense to be competitive this season, and he has been. On the whole, Bowers' 884 receiving yards rank fourth in the league and he leads the entire league in receptions. He’s having a historically great season as the focal point of the Raiders' offense. Yes, the Raiders' offense is bad, but they would be completely untenable without his presence. At this pace, he’s on track to have 1,252 receiving yards as a rookie, which would shatter the rookie yards record for a tight end set by Mike Ditka in 1961 (1,076). He’s also on pace to join Ditka and Kyle Pitts as the only tight ends in NFL history to have 1,000 yards as a rookie. If this isn’t worth rookie of the year, get rid of the award. Bowers being on a bad team shouldn’t be held against him here. Everyone knows the Raiders' problems run deep and tight ends ultimately have a limited impact on winning if they’re the only top players on the team. He should be the leader for this award and win it outright if he can keep this going. The Raiders didn’t overthink their draft strategy and went straight “Best Player Available” and grabbed an absolute superstar in the making. At least they did one thing right! Let’s keep this brief: Doubt the Chiefs at your own risk. given the absurd standard that they’ve set for themselves over the past few years, but this is still one of the best teams in the league. I care about every person who takes the time to read this column and I would hate for them to incur the wrath of Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs fight and claw their way to homefield advantage for the playoffs. Ignore scraping past mediocre-to-downright terrible teams. Ignore the Bills beating them earlier in the season. You know what the deal is with this team. The data doesn’t matter. Just wait until the playoffs before you even think about doubting what this team is capable of. Mahomes is reading everything. Make sure you keep your team safe and don’t add fuel to the fire.
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The Prime Minister is set to promise a named, contactable police officer for every neighbourhood in England and Wales as he lays out his “plan for change” on Thursday. In a speech billed as setting out the “next phase” of his Government, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to detail ambitious “milestones” for achieving the five missions laid out in Labour’s manifesto. He will say: “My Government was elected to deliver change, and today marks the next step. People are tired of being promised the world, but short-term sticking plaster politics letting them down.” But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has already branded the speech an “emergency reset” after a challenging five months in office. Downing Street said the milestones would focus on raising living standards, rebuilding Britain, ending hospital backlogs, putting more police on the beat, giving children the best start in life and securing home-grown energy. Among the promises expected to be announced on Thursday is a guarantee that every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable police officer responsible for dealing with local issues. The Prime Minister is expected to describe the move as “a relief to millions of people scared to walk their streets they call home”, and promise a range of policing reforms to improve performance alongside £100 million to support neighbourhood policing. Labour has already pledged to recruit 13,000 new police officers, PCSOs and special constables, which would bring the total police workforce to a level above its 2010 peak. Police numbers following the 2010 election, before rising again after 2019 as the previous government pledged to recruit 20,000 police officers. While the number of officers reached record levels, the number of PCSOs and special constables continued to decline. The promise of a named officer for each community is intended to improve relations between the police and the public. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Out neighbourhood policing guarantee is about more than just increasing numbers. It’s about rebuilding the vital connection between the public and the police. “This marks a return to the founding principles of British policing – where officers are part of the communities they serve.” But the Conservatives said only a third of the 13,000 new recruits would be full police officers, while the £100 million would not cover what was needed to pay for them, leading to cuts elsewhere. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Conservatives recruited over 20,000 extra police officers and gave the police an extra £922 million for policing this year, ensuring the police could protect the public and prosecute more criminals. “Starmer has once again misled the public by claiming to recruit an extra 13,000 officers when the actual number is 3,000, and even that is not properly funded.” Sir Keir’s policing announcement is expected to be one of several focused on the “missions” Labour set out in its manifesto, which were securing the “highest sustained growth” in the G7, making Britain a “clean energy superpower”, halving serious violent crime, breaking down “barriers to opportunity” and building an NHS “fit for the future”. Along with the targets set to be announced on Thursday, the Prime Minister is expected to propose a significant programme of public sector reform as his Government continues to face questions on how it will achieve its aims without further raising taxes or borrowing. The Prime Minister will say: “Hard working Brits are going out grafting every day but are getting short shrift from a politics that should serve them. “They reasonably want a stable economy, their country to be safe, their borders secure, more cash in their pocket, safer streets in their town, opportunities for their children, secure British energy in their home, and an NHS that is there when they need it. “My mission-led Government will deliver.”
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SIVAGIRI: The great Sivagiri Pilgrimage, blessed by Sree Narayana Gudevan, will begin tomorrow. The ceremonies will begin with a special Guru Puja at the Mahasamadhi Peeth after the Shanti Havan at Parnashala at 4.30 am. Swami Satchidananda, President of Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, will hoist the Dharma flag at 7.30 am. Minister MB Rajesh will inaugurate the conference at 10 am. Swami Satchidananda will preside. Dharma Sangham Trust General Secretary Swami Subhangananda will deliver the benediction address. Adoor Prakash MP, former Union Minister V Muraleedharan and Pilgrimage Committee Chairman K Muraleedharan will speak. Pilgrimage Committee Secretary Swami Rithambarananda will deliver the welcome speech and Trust Treasurer Swami Saradananda will deliver the vote of thanks. Minister V Sivankutty will inaugurate the education conference at 11 am. Minister GR Anil will preside. Sree Narayana Gurukulam President Swami Muni Narayana Prasad will be felicitated on the occasion. Former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, SNDP Yogam President MN Soman, Intelligence ADGP P Vijayan, Mons Joseph MLA and others will participate. Swami Vishalananda will give the welcome speech and Swami Satyananda Tirtha will give the vote of thanks. Minister KN Balagopal will inaugurate the science and technology conference at 2.30 pm. Dr. Anandharamakrishnan will preside. Dr Kuruvila Joseph, Prof Achuthsankar S Nair and Dr Senthil Kumar KB will speak on various topics. Minister Veena George will inaugurate the Sanitation Health and Higher Education Conference to be held at 5 pm. Kadakampally Surendran MLA will preside. Dr. Marthandapilla, Prof. Ciza Thomas, Prof. Chandradas Narayana, Dr. S. Harikrishnan, Rishiraj Singh etc. will speak. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the pilgrimage meeting on the 31st. Swami Satchidananda will preside. Swami Sookshmananda, Swami Saradananda, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Minister VN Vasavan, SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan, Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuf Ali, V Joy MLA, Chandy Oommen MLA, Gokulam Group Chairman Gokulam Gopalan etc will participate. Holiday for SN Trust Educational Institutions KOLLAM: All educational institutions in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts under the control of SNDP Yogam and SN Trust will be closed on December 31 and January 1 in observance of the 92nd Sivagiri Pilgrimage. SNDP Yogam General Secretary and Trust Secretary Vellappally Natesan informed about this.
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The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, 13-10, in Week 14, earning their fourth straight victory in "The Game," one of the biggest rivalries in college football. Michigan entered the matchup as a double-digit underdog, with nearly every expert predicting the No. 2 Buckeyes would win the rivalry game. Despite the struggles from the Wolverines all year, they played a phenomenal game on the defensive end, helping them advance to 7-5 on the season while Ohio State fell to 10-2. Michigan and Ohio State played in their 120th meeting in the history of both programs in Week 14. With the win for the Wolverines, they added to their head-to-head lead, carrying a 62-52-6 all-time record against the Buckeyes. MICHIGAN DEFEATS OHIO STATE FOR THE 4TH STRAIGHT YEAR 😳 pic.twitter.com/ry0STpm6e1 Following the Buckeyes' loss, fans shared mixed opinions, with some calling the game an all-time classic and others deeming it the ultimate collapse by Ohio State. "Give them credit . UMICH owns OSU this decade," said one fan . "OHIO STATE IS GARBAGE!!! Ryan Dad is SOFT," said another fan . "OSU missing the playoffs," mentioned one fan . "Fire Ryan Day before the press conference," commented one fan . "One of the greatest wins in Michigan history!" said one fan . "Best game I've witnessed in a WHILE," said another fan . © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images After the Week 14 matchup, a massive brawl ensued at midfield when a Michigan player attempted to plant the team flag at the Ohio State logo. The brawl between both teams went on for several minutes, prompting coaches and even police officers getting involved in the scene. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day spoke on the brawl in the postgame press conference, mentioning that he doesn't know the full story but doesn't approve of Michigan planting a flag at Ohio Stadium. "I don’t know all the details, but I know these guys were looking to put a flag on our field and we’re not going to let that happen," Day said. Ryan Day on the postgame fight: "I don’t know all the details, but I know these guys were looking to put a flag on our field and we’re not going to let that happen.” Related: Ryan Day's Reaction to Michigan-Ohio State Brawl Is Going Viral Related: Kirk Herbstreit Predicts Huge College Football Upset on SaturdayI had a rifle through the charity shop’s 20p bin on the off chance, but was left flabbergasted by a gem I pulled out
