Rise of Pollock and rugby's PSG: my review of Premiership season
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Vikings have major concerns about QB JJ McCarthy after passing on free-agent Aaron Rodgers, insider says
The Minnesota Vikings declined to bring in veteran free-agent Aaron Rodgers. Now, according to one league insider, the team is still unconvinced starting quarterback JJ McCarthy is up to the job. 'As much as they're "sold" on JJ McCarthy, they weren't that sold... so [the Vikings] have some doubt,' Ross Tucker, a journeyman offensive lineman who's gone on to Sirius XM and CBS Sports fame, told Purple Daily. Minnesota did go 14-3 with Sam Darnold at quarterback last season. But with the 27-year-old Pro Bowl selection signing a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, the team appeared happy to turn to the 22-year-old McCarthy. Problem is, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell still hasn't officially promoted the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft atop the depth chart in Minnesota. Instead, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tried to retain 2024 mid-season pickup Daniel Jones, who landed with the Indianapolis Colts instead, before trading for Seattle backup Sam Howell. 'No matter what the Vikings say about J.J. McCarthy... they wanted [Sam] Darnold back,' Tucker said. 'And then when they weren't going to get Darnold back, they wanted Daniel Jones back.' For his part, O'Connell hasn't been critical of McCarthy, but said he wants to see the former national champion at Michigan win the starting job from Howell and even journeyman backup Brett Rypien, the nephew of Super Bowl winner Mark Rypien. 'JJ is going to be in a great position to assume and ascend in our organization,' O'Connell recently told Rich Eisen. 'But right now, we really don't have any feelings on competition as much as we've got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase. 'Sam [Howell] will be a part of it. But we've got to get Sam ready to play. We've got to get Brett Rypien ready to play. ... Excited about our quarterback room, but now it's our job to go coach them.' McCarthy's rookie season was a bit of a wash after he suffered a torn meniscus in his knee and spent the year on injured reserve. This spring, he's continued to go through organized team activities (OTAs) in Minnesota, where he was recently asked about the Vikings' reported interest in Rodgers, a 41-year-old free agent, Super Bowl winner and New York Jets castoff. 'Obviously I respect Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, but all I was focusing on was that day-to-day task, what I was doing here, what I was doing at home just to kind of make myself the best overall player I can be,' McCarthy told reporters in April. Even without Rodgers, the Vikings have made a number of significant off-season additions on offense. Not only did Adofo-Mensah guarantee more than $53 million for ex-Colts right guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly, but they also managed to re-sign running back Aaron Jones, while acquiring another back in Jordan Mason in a trade. Perhaps best of all, the team drafted left guard Donovan Jackson and wide receiver Tai Felton in the first and third rounds of April's NFL Draft. Jackson was a major starter for Ohio State en route to a national championship last season, while Maryland's Felton ranked among the fastest wide receivers in the draft. He'll be counted on in 2025 to draw attention away from Minnesota's star receivers, Justin Jefferson and Jordan, as well as tight end TJ Hockenson.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Scientists solve solar system mystery after freak accident at planetarium show
Scientists have solved one of the solar system's enduring mysteries with the help of an unexpected source: a planetarium show. Last year, experts at the American Museum of Natural History were preparing 'Encounters in the Milky Way," a deep dive into our home galaxy shaped by the movements of stars and other celestial objects. While fine-tuning a scene featuring what's known as the Oort Cloud, a region far beyond Pluto filled with icy relics from the solar system's formation, scientists noticed something unusual projected onto the planetarium's dome. The Oort Cloud is known to send comets hurtling towards Earth, but its true shape has remained elusive to scientists until now. 'Why is there a spiral there?' said the museum's Jackie Faherty. The inner section of the Oort Cloud, made of billions of comets, resembled a bar with two waving arms, similar to the shape of our Milky Way galaxy. Scientists had long thought the Oort Cloud was shaped like a sphere or flattened shell, warped by the push and pull of other planets and the Milky Way itself. The planetarium show hinted that a more complex shape could lie inside. The museum contacted the researcher who provided the Oort Cloud data for the show, who was also surprised to see the spiral. 'It's kind of a freak accident that it actually happened,' said David Nesvorny with the Southwest Research Institute. Realising they'd stumbled on something new, the researchers published their findings earlier this year in The Astrophysical Journal. The spiral is "a striking shift in our understanding of the outer solar system,' planetary scientist Andre Izidoro with Rice University, who was not involved with the study, said. The discovery, relying on data on how celestial objects move and using simulations, will be difficult to confirm with observations. But knowing more about the orbits of distant comets could give scientists some clues, Izidoro said. While putting together the planetarium show, the museum's experts weren't expecting a window into the universe's inner workings. The show, narrated by actor Pedro Pascal, features many vivid scenes that may capture audiences more than the Oort Cloud, said the museum's Jon Parker — including an ongoing merge of the Sagittarius mini galaxy with the Milky Way. No matter how striking and beautiful the visuals of the show, the museum was committed to making it scientifically accurate. That's what created the perfect conditions to stumble upon something new, said the museum's Carter Emmart. 'You just never know what you're going to find,' Emmart said.
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mom-of-11 reveals how she spends over $1,000 on groceries in a single trip and is forced to use FOUR shopping carts
A mom-of-11 has revealed that she spends over $1,000 in one trip to the grocery store, and has to use a whopping four shopping carts when she stocks up for her enormous brood. Alicia Dougherty, 44, from Pittsford, New York, has four biological children and eight others she adopted with her husband, Josh, 44. The mom-of-11 often gives people a glimpse inside her life on TikTok and Instagram, where she has about 9.1 million followers collectively. In a recent video, she documented a shopping trip to Walmart, and left viewers stunned over the immense amount of stuff that she had bought for her family. Alicia started the video by showing a clipboard with her immense list of items. It then cut to her four full carts, the first of which held toiletries and medicines, a kiddy pool, a case of printer paper, cleaning supplies, and matching family shirts in two colors. The second cart held most of the dry food items including dressings, jams, and crotons. It also held other food items including tomato products, pasta, bread, cereal, coffee, mints, and muffin mix. Alicia then spotted red and blue Gatorade and Jello cups so she joked that she 'had to get them for the kids for Memorial Day.' She also stocked up on sodas, teas, and juices. Cart three held the family's produce items including fruit, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, Lunchables, and salad. Alicia also got 'the meats for the week,' including, '20 lbs of chicken for grill night, ground beef for taco Tuesday, and pork chops for slow cooker night.' The fourth cart included 10 dozen eggs, yogurt, orange juice, cheese, and nine different kinds of milk. Her last stop was in the freezer section, where she placed frozen pizza, fries, Pizza Rolls, White Castle burgers, four gallons of ice cream, and a slew of different treats. At the end of the video, she showed two long receipts for her purchases, which came out to more than $1,000. In 2023, Alicia came under fire after she fed her kids out of a baby pool. In a viral video, Alicia showed viewers how she prepared a 'nacho party' that saw her dozen kids munching out of a baby pool. She began by pouring tortilla chips on the bottom of the pool before adding ground meat, cheese sauce, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and sour cream. At the end of her video, the busy mom showed the children digging into the pool and indulging in the Tex-Mex-inspired meal without any forks or napkins in sight. While the pool platter proved to be a hassle-free feeding strategy because it had no dishes involved, many viewers couldn't believe how 'unsanitary' the mom's 'party' was.
