lucky calico review Ramon Foster was a part of one the best offensive lines in the league during the 2010s. Serving as a starting guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the height of the Killer B Era , Foster knows pressure situations. And while his playing days are over, his time in the NFL isn't, and he faces one of the biggest decisions of his career: Ramon Foster named hearing officer in Azeez Al-Shaair Suspension Appeal Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair’s appeal of his three-game suspension will be heard today by Ramon Foster, hearing officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA. - Tom Pelissero, NFL Media via X-Twitter Texans’ LB Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected for this hit that injured Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/usbLN2KhAx Now, there are plenty of people who want to throw Houston Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair under the jail for his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. And before I go any further I want to make it clear that the hit has no place in football, and you never want to see someone get injured the way Lawrence did, as he has now been placed on I.R. But let's make something abundantly clear, not only is the game of football inherently physical, but Trevor Lawrence and a littany of other QBs try and toe the line way too much when it comes to how late they slide. Don't take my word for it, listen to 7x Super Bowl champion Tom Brady : . @TomBrady discusses late hit on Trevor Lawrence: "If we don't want these hits to take place, we've got to penalize both the offense and the defense." pic.twitter.com/fnmCJ7oZwj But the whole reason that Roman Foster is a part of this debacle is that the NFL decided to throw an unprecedented three-game suspension at Azeez Al-Shaair for the hit, which he is appealing and Foister will be overseeing. To make matters worse, however, the NFL and Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan put out a defamatory letter that attacked Al-Shaair as a player and as a person: "Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL," Runyan wrote in a letter to Al-Shaair. "Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated.” Both HC Demeco Ryans and GM Nick Caserio defended their team captain, clapping back against Runyan and the NFL's decision in an effort to defend the person and character of Al-Shaair: #Texans HC DeMeco Ryans blaming Trevor Lawrence for Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit and calling out the Jaguars for the ensuing melee is QUITE THE STANCE pic.twitter.com/LEToh84LxJ #Texans GM Nick Caserio ripped the league for its characterization of LB Azeez Al-Shaair, calling it "unfair," "embarrassing," and "bulls***."" Caserio says the NFL is not consistent with their suspensions and he provided examples to back his claims: pic.twitter.com/9AWLW3VgAz https://t.co/slnKS8CmLL So we'll have to wait and see what the former Steelers starter decides to do in this situation, but there's clearly one right decision in this scenario, and it starts and ends with approving Al-Shaair's appeal. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

Austin Tice’s entire family visited Washington this week in a show of force to the outgoing Biden administration, asserting they have fresh, reliable information that he is alive and pressing top White House and State Department officials to leverage dramatic changes on the battlefield in Syria to secure a breakthrough in the case of the missing journalist. Tice’s parents, Debra and Marc Tice, have frequently visited the capital to advocate for their son, who went missing as a freelance journalist covering Syria’s civil war in 2012. But this visit was the first of its kind from the entire Tice family since he first disappeared over 12 years ago. Little progress has been made on Tice’s case over those years, spanning three presidents and a transformed Middle East. But a resurgence in Syria’s war over the past month after years of frozen frontlines has created new opportunities and perils for the American, a former U.S. Marine and Texas native. “Today is a day full of emotions. The news that we’re hearing from the Middle East – that kind of thing can unsettle a mom,” Debra Tice told reporters at a press conference at the National Press Club on Friday. “There are all kinds of ways this can go.” She told reporters that the family had a new source telling them that Austin Tice remains alive and healthy. The family is working to be able to share more information with the public, she said. “We have from a significant source that has already been vetted all over our government that Austin Tice is alive – Austin Tice is treated well,” Debra Tice said. Debra and Marc Tice both said the Biden administration is declining to make the new information public. U.S. officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the family’s statement. Syria erupted in civil war in 2011 following a brutal crackdown on democratic protesters by the Assad government. Tice traveled to the country to cover the conflict the following year for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other publications. U.S. officials believe he was detained at a Syrian government checkpoint southwest of Damascus on Aug. 14, 2012. A video emerged six weeks after his disappearance purporting to show him in captivity. With assistance from Russia and Iran, the Assad regime was able to push back an array of opposition forces that increasingly fractured throughout the war. The rise of Islamic State in the country also led to an international military offensive in northern Syria that culminated in 2017. Ever since, Assad’s hold on power has appeared stable. But a surprise offensive launched by a united front of rebel forces last month has put Assad’s army on the run for the first time in years. In a span of mere weeks, the Syrian army has retreated from Aleppo, Hama and Homs, cities where Assad spent years fighting to regain control. The offensive is being led by Tahrir al-Sham, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. It is not immediately clear how the resurgence of military action in Syria might affect negotiations over Tice. But U.S. officials are watching the developments closely to monitor for any new opportunities to engage on his case, an official told McClatchy. Tice’s family met with State Department officials on Thursday and with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday, a White House official confirmed in a statement. “President Biden and his team have worked around the clock, often in partnership with key allies, to negotiate for the release of Americans held hostage or unjustly detained abroad so that they can be reunited with their families, and the administration will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the term,” the official said. Speaking to the press on Friday, Austin Tice’s father, Marc, said that Sullivan told the family the administration had done everything it could think of to reach a breakthrough in his case. But his family believes the government has exerted more effort to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans in Russia, Venezuela, Iran and Gaza than they have for their son. Similarly, at the State Department meeting, “there were complaints and finger pointing about who is preventing things from happening, and who’s responsible for doing what,” Marc Tice said. “We think this is a time of opportunity, actually, and there’s no time like now to start doing the right thing.” Last month, as Syrian regime lines were collapsing before the rebel advance, the White House said that Assad’s refusal to participate in a political process with the opposition, and his reliance on Russia and Iran, had “created the conditions now unfolding, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria.” “The United States, together with its partners and allies, urge de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and a serious and credible political process that can end this civil war once and for all with a political settlement,” Sean Savett, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement. “We will also continue to fully defend and protect U.S. personnel and U.S. military positions, which remain essential to ensuring that ISIS can never again resurge in Syria.” Debra Tice was skeptical of the policy, questioning why the administration would support the rebel advance on Assad forces. Biden officials have made clear they are not a part of the offensive. “I don’t really understand what’s happening in Syria,” she said. “I’m upset by the fact that terrorists are tearing up Aleppo, killing people in Aleppo. I don’t understand that. I don’t understand why our government isn’t running in saying we are not going to allow a terrorist entity to take over Syria.” “There are people feeling like it’s possible this could be Austin’s release. I certainly pray that that’s it,” she added. LONG-STALLED TALKS In August, marking 12 years since Tice’s disappearance, President Joe Biden issued a statement that his administration had “repeatedly pressed the government of Syria to work with us so that we can, at last, bring Austin home.” “The freedom of the press is essential, and journalists like Austin play a critical role informing the public and holding those in power accountable,” Biden said. “We stand in solidarity with Austin, his family, and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad. I will continue to do everything possible to advocate for and pursue his release and support his loved ones until he is safely returned home.” In 2022, Biden met with Tice’s parents at the White House and vowed to engage the Syrians directly over Tice. In a statement at that time, the president expressed “certainty” that Assad had held him in Syrian custody, without specifying when, where or in what condition. During the Obama administration, the CIA obtained Syrian government records indicating Tice had at one point been processed through the Syrian court system. READ MORE: Secret contacts revive the search for Austin Tice Biden’s team had been hopeful the following year that quiet talks with Damascus could produce a breakthrough. But Hamas’ attack on Israel, and the war that followed in Gaza and Lebanon, disrupted the discussions. Officials in the first Trump administration also attempted to directly engage with the Syrians to secure Tice’s release, traveling to Damascus in an effort to do so. But Assad aides refused to acknowledge Tice’s case during that meeting, insisting the U.S. government renew its recognition of Assad as the leader of Syria – and a full withdrawal of U.S. troops in the country there to combat Islamic State – before even uttering his name, U.S. officials told McClatchy. In August, marking the anniversary, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Tice had been held in “unknown conditions” and issued a plea to Syria to open an honest dialogue on his case. “For more than a quarter of his life, Austin has been separated from his family and kept in unknown conditions,” Blinken said. “We know the Syrian government has held Austin, and we have repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home.” “This has gone on for far too long,” Blinken added. “We call on the Syrian government to work with the United States to end Austin’s captivity.” U.S. officials told McClatchy this week that the government’s knowledge of Tice’s condition and whereabouts remain unchanged. This story was originally published December 6, 2024, 3:17 PM.LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Broncos are 0-4 in Las Vegas, but in a matchup of teams heading in opposite directions, Denver has more at stake than trying to end a series skid. A victory over the Raiders puts the Broncos that much closer to an unexpected playoff berth, playing with a rookie quarterback and just a year after they went 8-9. The Broncos are 6-5 and coming off a 38-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons , and would be in the playoff field if the season ended entering Week 12. Not bad for a team given a win total of 5 1/2 games at BetMGM Sportsbook. “Everyone understands the significance of where we are at this point in the season,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. The situation is quite different for the Raiders. They are 2-8, on a six-game losing streak and decimated by injuries. Las Vegas could enter this game without its top two running backs and a reshuffled line on offense, and defensively, the Raiders could have two linemen, three cornerbacks and a safety out of action. “Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. "Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do come Sunday.” The Raiders are badly in a need of a franchise quarterback and are in a logjam for the top pick in next year's NFL draft. Denver showed with this year's draft how valuable landing such a QB can be to an organization. Bo Nix was selected 12th — one spot ahead of the Raiders — and he is pushing for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was this week's top AFC player and rookie after completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the rout of the Falcons. “I think as we’ve gone on, Coach (Sean Payton) and I have found a good rhythm of what we both like, what we can kind of put out there on the field and what we can execute," Nix said. "Then the guys have kind of adapted to it, found our roles within the offense and executed at a high level. It’s just all about slowing the game down and processing things in a manner that you can handle.” Raiders tight end Brock Bowers also could have a say in who wins the season's top offensive rookie award. He is second in the NFL with 70 catches and his 706 yards receiving is 10th among all receivers. His numbers from a historical perspective are even more impressive. Bowers, the 13th pick in this year's draft , is fourth all time among all tight ends in catches through the first 11 weeks and he and Jeremy Shockey in 2002 are the only rookies at that position to have more than one game with at least 10 receptions. “This week's a brand new week,” Bowers said. “I've always got something to prove.” Payton still isn't entirely comfortable splitting carries between running backs Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime. Asked how he determines the right balance in his rotation, Payton said, “That's the $6 million question. It’s difficult. We know kind of what we have with those three players. I think it’s always hard to feed three. "I'm used to — and it’s easy — to feed two. So we kind of do that a little bit. I thought Javonte had some really good runs (last week). Certainly the game ends and we’re like, ‘Gosh, we have to get Jaleel more touches.’ So it’s a tough, but a good problem to have.” With injuries to running backs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps), 10-year veteran Ameer Abdullah could get the start for the Raiders this weekend. He has just 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown this season and started just one game his previous six seasons. “I see myself as a starter,” Abdullah said. “I think every guy in the room does. I consider myself the best back on this team just like every back does. This is my opportunity to go out there and put my best foot forward.” Patrick Surtain II had a pair of interceptions, including one he returned for 100 yards and a touchdown, in the team's first meeting this season and that fueled the Broncos' 34-18 win in Denver . Both of the passes were intended for Bowers, who caught a 57-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Surtain isn't expecting the Raiders to avoid him Sunday, however. “You don't want to go into a game thinking they're not gonna throw it your way,” Surtain said, “because it's the pros at the end of the day, everybody's ready, everybody's capable.” AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colorado, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflBlack Caps vs England live updates: Second test, day two, Wellington

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US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin said Wednesday that she's "starting to feel a little bit more human" after suffering a puncture wound in a giant slalom crash but confirmed she won't race at Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month. "This is another fairly ambiguous injury and really hard to put a timeline of when I'll be either back on snow or back to racing," Shiffrin said in a video posted on social media. "But I do know that I will not be starting in Beaver Creek." Shiffrin had already said after Saturday's crash she didn't expect to be ready for the Colorado races, a downhill on December 14 and a super-G on December 15. On Wednesday, she said that whatever object caused the puncture in her abdomen also left "tore a cavern" in her oblique muscles. She said she had also undergone further testing to check for possible damage to her colon. "There were some air bubbles where the puncture came pretty close to the colon," she said. "Last night's check confirmed that my colon is, indeed, intact." Shiffrin was closing in on a once unimaginable 100th World Cup victory when she crashed in the second leg of the giant slalom at Killington, Vermont, on Saturday. She hit one gate and tumbled through another before sliding into the catch fencing and was taken from the hill on a sled. She won't miss any races this weekend because the two women's giant slaloms scheduled for Tremblant, Canada, were cancelled because of lack of snow. However, Shiffrin said she would be sorry not to resume her bid for a 100th World Cup win on the circuit's next US stop. "This is a really big bummer, not to be able to race Birds of Prey," Shiffrin said. "But on the other hand I was really lucky and I'm really looking forward to cheering my teammates on racing Beaver Creek." In 2023, Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins, a mark once considered unassailable. Compatriot Lindsey Vonn has the second-most alpine World Cup wins by a woman with 82. bb/jsSAN FRANCISCO — Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFRM), the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth, today announced that Rob O’Hare, CFO of Affirm, will participate in a shareholder fireside chat on December 13, 2024. The event will be moderated by Bryan Keane from Deutsche Bank and will begin at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. The event will be webcast live on the Company’s investor relations website at , and management will address a selection of the top questions from retail and institutional shareholders relating to Affirm’s strategy, products, business model, and financial results. Affirm will be using Say Technologies to enable verified shareholders to submit and upvote questions. All Affirm shareholders can submit questions by visiting: . The Q&A platform opens at 4:00 PM Eastern Time on December 3, 2024, and will close on December 12, 2024, at 8:00 AM Eastern Time. Affirm’s mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network – one based on trust, transparency and putting people first – we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike most credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we show consumers exactly what they will pay up front and never charge any late or hidden fees. Follow Affirm on social media: | | | . AFRM-F Investor Relations MediaLiverpool boss Arne Slot talks up ‘special player’ Mohamed Salah

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Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students are putting the final touches on “Nessie’s Lakeside Laughs,” their float for this year’s Rose Parade. It will be seen worldwide the 136th Rose Parade — themed “The Best Day Ever” — on Wednesday, Jan. 1. The 55-foot long float made of plant life and animatronics stands at 21 feet and depicts an animated lakeside party featuring puffins sliding down the fin of Scotland’s mythical creature Nessie, beavers crafting with driftwood, a Scottish terrier riding a paddleboat on the loch and a smiling Highland cow spinning in an innertube. The universities won their 62nd award at the 2024 parade their entry “Shock n’ Roll: Powering the Musical Current.” They earned the Crown City Innovator Award, which recognizes innovations in technology and imagination. The float featured animatronic electric eels manning electric guitars, a manta ray, and a giant clam, having a rocking party on a coral reef. The float will leave Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday Dec. 19, after a ceremony with students and alums.Trend Vision OneTM – Email and Collaboration Security is a critical part of Trend's centralized attack surface risk management (ASRM) platform DALLAS , Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated ( TYO: 4704 ; TSE: 4704 ), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced its positioning as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Email Security Platforms (ESP) . Rachel Jin , Chief Enterprise Platform Officer at Trend: "While technology continues to evolve, email remains the number one form of business communication—and a critical threat vector. Centralizing visibility and control as part of a fully integrated security architecture enables our customers to accelerate compliance and mitigate risk." Trend's flagship ESP product, Trend Vision OneTM – Email and Collaboration Security, is seamlessly integrated as part of a comprehensive ASRM and XDR platform for correlated intelligence and enhanced cross-layer security delivered from a single source. According to Gartner, "Leaders have a strong vision for the future of ESPs, balanced with the Ability to Execute on those visions. While Leaders may vary in product efficacy or functionality, their services offered are consumable by broad swathes of the email market and have strong commitments to customer success. Leaders are early to identify new attack trends and move quickly to fill gaps created by an evolving threat landscape, either by innovation or acquisition. Leaders excel with technical capabilities, infrastructure that supports progressive product strategies, and an emphasis on customer success." Trend has always prioritized continuous customer feedback, starting early on in the development lifecycle, in order to drive innovation, generate new product ideas and align solutions with user expectations. Core capabilities of Trend's ESP include: Trend's sales strategy is built on deep industry expertise and extensive intelligence. This enables the company to anticipate and rapidly respond to market shifts. *Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Email Security Platforms, By Max Taggett , Nikul Patel , Franz Hinner , Deepak Mishra , 16 December 2024 Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About Trend Micro Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's AI-powered cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, Trend's platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 70 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trend-micro-named-a-magic-quadrant-leader-for-email-security-platforms-302334254.html SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated‘Youth must be equipped with entrepreneurial skills’

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Is Enron back? If it’s a joke, some former employees aren’t laughingSeems Racist: San Fran School District Targets Successful Majority Asian School for Closure to Fix Budget