In a season unlike any other, Super Bowl week also will not be like any other.
Super Bowl teams always arrive in the city of the game one week in advance, but this season’s participants are not allowed to arrive in Tampa, Florida, any earlier than the Friday before Super Bowl LV, league sources told ESPN.
If the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers win their conference championship games Sunday, they have tentative plans to arrive in Tampa on Friday, Feb. 5, two days before the Super Bowl, according to sources.
If the Kansas City Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl, they do not plan to arrive in Tampa until the day before the Super Bowl, according to sources.
The fourth team involved in Sunday’s conference championship games is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who spent the week practicing opposite Raymond James Stadium, in clear sight of the Super Bowl LV banners now hanging on the stadium.
All of these changes and adaptations are being done to keep teams in the COVID-19 prevention routines they have adhered to all season. Teams now will be approaching the Super Bowl like it’s any other road trip during the season, rather than a trip to the biggest game of the season.
This also means that Super Bowl media day, the Monday night event that has become a Super Bowl staple, will be done virtually. News conferences that have been held with players and coaches also will be done virtually.
Many of the other events associated with Super Bowl week also will go virtual or be canceled, according to a source. Even the post-Super Bowl parties for the winning and losing teams are not certain. Teams have the option of flying home immediately after the game.
Had the Los Angeles Rams beaten the Packers last weekend in the divisional round and advanced to play the higher-seeded Bucs on the road, the NFL would have encountered a situation it never has in its history: Sunday’s conference championship game would have been the first to ever be played on the same Super Bowl grass field that already had been installed in advance of the big game.
Fortunately for the NFL, the Packers beat the Rams, averting the potential issue that arises when a team from the Super Bowl host city also hosts the conference championship game.
The NFL installs the Super Bowl field weeks before the actual game itself, and did so in Tampa. The grass for the Super Bowl field is grown months in advance, planned to be unveiled during the big game, but an NFC Championship Game in Tampa would have changed that.
That was not the only change in and around Raymond James Stadium. The league also began transforming the Buccaneers’ parking lot and converting it into fenced-off areas. Many of the Buccaneers banners that surround Raymond James Stadium also have come down in favor of more neutral NFL banners.
In less than a month, Los Angeles County has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 related deaths, a pace that highlights the rampant and ruthless spread of the virus throughout the county.
In the roughly nine months between the first reported death on March 11 and the end of last year, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus killed just over 10,000 people in the county. In the 24 days since, the pace of deaths accelerated dramatically with 5,106 people killed.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s official death toll stands at 15,162 after 269 deaths and 10,537 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Saturday. Overall, the county’s confirmed case total reached 1,064,887.
“We wish healing and peace to everyone mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19,” Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County director of public health, said in a statement. “Many people continue to spread this virus and, tragically, now more than 15,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.”
Of Saturday’s deaths, 62% of the deceased were 65 and older — an at-risk demographic that county officials are struggling to vaccinate quickly against the virus.
The county also reported 6,881 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized with 24% needing intensive care. Those figures offered something of a silver lining as they mark the first time the county has dipped below 7,000 hospitalizations since Dec. 29.
However, hospital ICU capacity remains at 0% in Southern California.
“While we are seeing some positive data in daily new cases and hospitalizations, we are far from out of the woods,” Ferrer said. “It is critically important we slow COVID-19 spread to decompress the strain on our healthcare system and save lives.”
She added, “Please continue to adhere to all of the safety measures to protect yourself and others: staying home as much as possible, wearing a face covering, avoiding gatherings, keeping your distance, and washing your hands frequently.”
On Saturday, the county also reported eight new cases of a serious inflammatory illness that attacks children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the illness, known as MIS-C, is associated with COVID-19 and causes body parts and vital organs to become badly inflamed. Children can experience symptoms such as “abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes” and fatigue.
There are currently 62 cases in the county with Latinos accounting for nearly 74% of all infections. There has been one death.
Each child with MIS-C has been hospitalized with 45% of children being admitted to the ICU.
In Orange County, 78 deaths and 2,725 new COVID-19 infections were reported Saturday, bringing the area’s total to 221,493 total cases and 2,625 fatalities, according to the county’s health care agency.
There are currently 1,818 patients hospitalized, with 482 of those people requiring intensive care.
Between Jan. 10 and Jan. 16, Orange County also reported 31 COVID-19 infections tied to county schools. Eleven students, 11 staff members and nine teachers became infected with most cases stemming from elementary and middle schools.
Since mid-August, 1,229 Orange County students, 490 teachers and 399 staff members have contracted COVID-19.
The county has also reported that 152,368 people in total have since recovered from the virus.
Donald Trump was at his Florida resort on Saturday, beginning post-presidency life while Joe Biden settled into the White House. But in Washington and beyond, the chaos of the 45th president’s final days in office continued to throw out damaging aftershocks.
In yet another earth-shaking report, the New York Times said Trump plotted with an official at the Department of Justice to fire the acting attorney general, then force Georgia Republicans to overturn his defeat in that state.
Former acting US defense secretary Christopher Miller, meanwhile, made an extraordinary admission, telling Vanity Fair that when he took the job in November, he had three goals: “No military coup, no major war and no troops in the street.”
The former special forces officer added: “The ‘no troops in the street’ thing changed dramatically about 14.30 [on 6 January]. So that one’s off [the list].”
That was the day a mob incited by Trump smashed its way into the US Capitol, in some cases allegedly looking for lawmakers to kidnap or kill. More than 100 arrests have been made over the riot, which also saw Trump impeached a second time.
A deal between Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate, announced on Friday night, means Trump’s second trial will begin in the week of 8 February. If convicted, a prospect unlikely given his grip on his party but not impossible given statements by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Trump will most likely be barred from running for office again.
The president’s persistent and possibly illegal efforts to overturn his loss to Biden in Georgia had been widely reported. Had he been successful, he would not have gained enough electoral votes to overturn his overall defeat.
On the day Trump’s supporters broke into the Capitol, leaving five people dead, 147 Republicans in the House and Senate lodged objections to electoral college results. That attempt to overturn the election also failed.
The law enforcement and Pentagon response to the Capitol riot has been questioned, regarding the ease with which security was breached and the time it took to get the national guard to the scene. One Capitol police officer died after confronting the rioters. Another gained national fame after leading attackers away from where lawmakers hid.
“We had meetings upon meetings,” Miller told Vanity Fair. “We were monitoring it. And we’re just like, ‘Please, God, please, God.’ Then the damn TV pops up and everybody converges on my office: [Joint Chiefs of Staff] chairman [Gen Mark Milley], Secretary of the Army [Ryan] McCarthy, the crew just converges.
“We had already decided we’re going to need to activate the national guard, and that’s where the fog and friction comes in.”
Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist installed as Miller’s chief of staff – and accused of obstructing the Biden transition – said: “The DC mayor finally said, ‘OK, I need more.’ Then the Capitol police … a federal agency and the Secret Service made the request … and we did it. And then we just went to work.”
Miller called accusations the Pentagon was slow to respond “complete horseshit” and said: “I gotta tell you, I cannot wait to go to the Hill and have those conversations with senators and representatives … I know when something doesn’t smell right, and I know when we’re covering our asses. Been there. I know for an absolute fact that historians are going to look … at the actions that we did on that day and go, ‘Those people had their game together.’”
By the time of the inauguration, two weeks later, 25,000 guard members were in the capital, an unprecedented display which put central Washington on lockdown. Troops also guarded state capitols against pro-Trump protests and plots that did not transpire.
As the Capitol riot failed to overturn the election, so, according to the Times, Trump’s alleged plot against acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen did not work out either.
The report detailed “stunned silence” among DoJ leaders as they were told of moves by Trump and “unassuming lawyer” Jeffrey Clark to “cast doubt on the election results and bolster … legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians”.
Rosen took over as acting attorney general after the resignation of William Barr, who was widely seen as a Trump crony but who crossed the president by saying there was no evidence of the election fraud he baselessly alleged, claims which were repeatedly thrown out of court.
Melania Trump leaves Donald Trump alone in front of the cameras – video
Georgia Republicans including Governor Brian Kemp and secretary of state Brad Raffensperger – the recipient of a wheedling and bullying call from Trump – also refused to accede to the president’s demands.
According to the Times, DoJ leaders decided that if Rosen was fired and replaced by Clark, they would resign en masse.
“For some,” the paper reported, “the plan brought to mind the so-called Saturday Night Massacre of the Nixon era, where Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy resigned rather than carry out the president’s order to fire the special prosecutor investigating him.”
Nixon resigned before he could be impeached over the Watergate scandal. After the Capitol attack, Trump refused to resign. Vice-President Mike Pence refused to invoke the 25th amendment, which provides for the removal of a president deemed unfit for office.
Out of office, Trump is vulnerable to investigations at federal and state levels. On Friday, a Washington Examiner reporter found him “at his regular table in the grill room of the Trump international golf club” in West Palm Beach.
“We’ll do something, but not just yet,” the president reportedly said, his first comment since leaving the White House, before an aide “swooped in and swiftly, but politely, ended the interaction”.
Ezra Cohen, another Trump appointee at the Pentagon, told Vanity Fair: “The president threw us under the bus. And when I say ‘us,’ I don’t mean only us political appointees or only us Republicans. He threw America under the bus. He caused a lot of damage to the fabric of this country.”
When Cemal Senturk was transferred by ambulance to Medical Park Hospital in Trabzon on January 14, his dog, Boncuk, escaped from their apartment and followed him to the facility, where she waited patiently each day.
Hospital staff informed Senturk’s family about the whereabouts of his canine friend.
But after Boncuk was brought back home, she managed to escape again — and returned to the hospital each day, Murat Ercan, the hospital’s international patient center director, told CNN.
The hospital said Senturk’s apartment was nearby, and that the family were not sure how the dog kept escaping.
“His dog ‘Boncuk’ has followed him to the hospital gate and refused to leave for six days until her owner was discharged,” Ercan said in a statement.
“Even though the family [took] Boncuk back homeshe managed to escape every day to wait at the hospital gate.”
To try to reassure and comfort her, Senturk communicated with Boncuk through the window during his stay at the facility.
But his dedicated four-legged friend refused to leave until Senturk did.
During his stakeout, the dog won the affection of hospital staff, who fed him and took care of him, Ercan added.
“Cemal Senturk has been with Boncuk for nine years and he also stated that he missed her a lot during his stay at the hospital,” he said.
“After he was cleared to go out he met his dog at the hospital gate. Boncuk has behaved really sweet during the six days and has managed to capture the love and affection of the whole staff.”
Motorcycles are great, but for many of us—especially sport bike riders—the riding season is cut short by cold weather and slick roads. If you’ve spent the whole winter itching to get back out on track, then what you need is a MotoTrainer module which allows you to train your weight transfer and cornering in the heated comfort of your luxurious garage. Yeah, it’s not cheap, but how awesome would it be to go for a rip in near 100 percent safety while the temperature outside is still below the freeze point?
I’ve currently got four motorcycles in the garage, but my favorite riding roads are well above 6,000 feet above sea level and coated in snow and ice. It’ll be a couple of months yet before I can really feel comfortable getting any kind of lean through the corners. I’m sure I would feel a lot more comfortable practicing putting a knee down if it didn’t have to happen the first time at speed. Plus, it would be extra cool if I could get some riding experience in the depths of a dark and chilly winter.
Image: Moto Trainer
The newest product from Moto Trainer is a collaboration with Dorna Sports, the company which operates MotoGP, and it’s a proper two-wheel racing simulator trainer like those used by the pros. Not only does this system come pre-loaded with all of the tracks on the MotoGP circuit, but once you get done with your training, you can hook it up to your XBox or PC and use the massive contraption as a controller for the MotoGP video game. Dorna is looking to embrace eSports racing, and this is one step it has taken to make that happen.
This rig analyzes “the rider’s performance by monitoring the accelerator, front and rear brakes, gearbox and trajectories” and provides proper telemetry readouts to help you learn where you can improve. The Moto Trainer allows you to lean your bike over at angles up to 50 degrees, helping simulate weight transfer and grip through the corners.
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Whether you want to be the next Rossi or you just want to extend your riding season through the winter doldrums, this could be just the way to do it. Apparently there is an entry-level model running just around $6,000, but it doesn’t include any of the lean or fork feedback motors you need to make it feel really real. The top of the line MotoGP model will run you the full boat 18 grand.
The system is said to be adjustable for any motorcycle, so I think I’d like to load up an I-80 simulator and put a Honda Gold Wing on this bad boy to just let the miles click on by for a few days. I’ll even get shitty gas station food to make the ride feel more realistic. I’m nothing if not dedicated to authenticity, after all.
It will take at least 15 more days to get through a large amount of debris to reach miners who have been trapped since an explosion 11 days ago in a goldmine in eastern China, authorities have said.
The mineshaft is blocked 350 metres (1,000 ft) below the surface by 70 tonnes of debris that extends down another 100 metres, the Yantai city government said. “Based on expert evaluations, the extent of the blockage … is well out of expectation.”
One miner died from head injuries in the explosion, state media said earlier on Thursday. Of the remaining 21, rescuers have established contact with 10, one is reportedly alive in a nearby chamber, and the status of the other 10 is unknown. Two of the survivors are said to be in poor health.
Rescuers have delivered food, medicine and other supplies to 11 and are working to remove debris and improve ventilation. They have been attempting to clear cages and other debris blocking the main shaft while drilling other shafts for communication, ventilation, and possibly to lift workers to the surface. Boring has reached depths of around 700 metres (about 2,000 feet), state media reports said.
Mine managers have been detained for waiting more than 24 hours before reporting the accident, the cause of which has not been announced. The mine in Qizia, Shandong province, was under construction when the explosion happened on 10 January.
Increased supervision has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths a year, but demand for coal and precious metals continues to prompt corner-cutting, and two accidents in Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.
It will take at least 15 more days to get through a large amount of debris to reach miners who have been trapped since an explosion 11 days ago in a goldmine in eastern China, authorities have said.
The mineshaft is blocked 350 metres (1,000 ft) below the surface by 70 tonnes of debris that extends down another 100 metres, the Yantai city government said. “Based on expert evaluations, the extent of the blockage … is well out of expectation.”
One miner died from head injuries in the explosion, state media said earlier on Thursday. Of the remaining 21, rescuers have established contact with 10, one is reportedly alive in a nearby chamber, and the status of the other 10 is unknown. Two of the survivors are said to be in poor health.
Rescuers have delivered food, medicine and other supplies to 11 and are working to remove debris and improve ventilation. They have been attempting to clear cages and other debris blocking the main shaft while drilling other shafts for communication, ventilation, and possibly to lift workers to the surface. Boring has reached depths of around 700 metres (about 2,000 feet), state media reports said.
Mine managers have been detained for waiting more than 24 hours before reporting the accident, the cause of which has not been announced. The mine in Qizia, Shandong province, was under construction when the explosion happened on 10 January.
Increased supervision has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths a year, but demand for coal and precious metals continues to prompt corner-cutting, and two accidents in Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.
