What’s under the tree? A Canucks holiday wish-listNoneNow Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens can rest a bit. They’ve certainly earned it. Baltimore’s 31-2 rout of Houston on Wednesday capped a sweep of a grueling stretch of three games in 11 days. Baltimore looked like a Super Bowl contender while handling the Giants, Steelers and Texans. A win next week would give the Ravens the AFC North title — and a third MVP award for Jackson seems to be very much in play. “These guys took these three games in 11 days and smashed it, obliterated it, tore it up and made into a bunch of smithereens laying around everywhere,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I’m proud of the guys (and) how they did it. They did a great job.” Jackson’s passer rating is up to 121.6 on the season. The NFL record is 122.5 by Aaron Rodgers in 2011. Derrick Henry has 1,783 yards rushing, the second most of his career. Justin Tucker, who has struggled to an alarming degree this season, made a 52-yard field goal that went right down the middle in the first quarter Wednesday. A win next week would be Baltimore’s 12th of the season — only one behind the number that gave the Ravens the league’s best regular-season record in 2023. They won’t be the top seed this season, but a victory over Cleveland in Week 18 would mean a division title. Baltimore can also win the division if Pittsburgh loses to Cincinnati. RELATED COVERAGE Lions sign Teddy Bridgewater as a veteran backup QB Chiefs earned a rest after their third win in 11 days. For some, the rest could be 24 days It might’ve been Christmas, but it sure feels like Groundhog Day for the reeling Steelers “I believe how our season has gone — the regular season — it just explains how the NFL is. It really doesn’t matter how you start off. It’s about how you finish,” Jackson said. “And I believe we’re finishing pretty well right now.” The Ravens lost their first two games of the season, but their open date came right before this tough 11-day stretch, which may have helped. Now they get some extra time to prepare for Cleveland. What’s working The Ravens outrushed Houston 251-58, with Jackson scoring on a 48-yard run and Henry racing through big holes from the outset. Jackson passed Michael Vick to take over first place on the NFL’s career list for yards rushing by a quarterback. The MVP odds at BetMGM on Thursday showed Buffalo’s Josh Allen (-250) as the favorite, but Jackson (+160) was by no means a long shot. “I’ve seen a lot of great plays from Lamar Jackson,” Harbaugh said. “I told him I was proud of him. I’m not just proud of him just because he makes great plays. I’m proud of him for all the things that go into making great plays and also for all the things he’s overcome along the way.” What needs work The Ravens have cycled through punt returners of late, and newcomer Steven Sims did not have much success in that area Wednesday. He was tackled at his 6-yard line on one return, and when a penalty made Houston do that punt over, the ball bounced inside the 10 and was downed at the 4, leading to a safety and the Texans’ only points of the game. Stock up The Baltimore defense, such a liability at times earlier this season, held Houston without a point offensively. C.J. Stroud was sacked five times and threw an interception, and Joe Mixon rushed for only 26 yards. “I’d say we’ve come full circle,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “It’s always good when you can have their offense not score. You’ve got to say you played pretty well. This is a testament to it all kind of coming together. I felt the coaching was there, and I just felt as players, ‘What is the formula to continue to get high percentages of 11 guys doing 11 guys’ jobs?’” Stock down Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali managed only 17 yards on 12 carries. Justice Hill’s absence following a concussion left Baltimore without an effective change-of-pace back to pair with Henry. Injuries Ali injured his hip in the third quarter and didn’t return, another blow to Baltimore’s running back depth. Key numbers After a 99-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, the Ravens now have 10 TD drives of 90-plus yards this season. That’s the most in the NFL since at least 2000. Up next The Ravens face a Cleveland team that has only three wins entering Week 17 — although one of those victories was against Baltimore. The Ravens allowed 401 yards in a 29-24 loss at Cleveland in late October. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflAntipa Minerals strikes multiple near-surface gold zones at GEO-01 South, Minyari Dome

Liverpool secure 3-1 victory over Leicester, extend Premier League lead: Stats

Quick Links Pratt & Whitney F135 Primary application: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Pratt & Whitney F119 Primary application: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor General Electric F110 Primary applications: Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon General Electric F404 Primary applications: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, Northrop F-20 Tigershark, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Rolls-Royce F402 Pegasus Primary application: McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II Fighter jets are some of the most capable and robust aircraft in the skies. They are designed to be supermaneuverable while also flying at incredible speeds. As a result, fighter jets will need to be equipped with incredibly powerful engines, those capable of powering an aircraft to supersonic flight while also helping support the maneuverability required for fighter operations. Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! The jet engines that power America's fighter jets are typically built by legacy engine manufacturers, including Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, typically in collaboration with the primary contractor behind a given aircraft program. Unlike commercial jet engines, which may be used to power multiple different aircraft programs, military-grade jet engines are typically designed for a specific fighter jet and are not often applied to multiple programs (with some exceptions). Without robust engines capable of supporting them, fighter jets would likely be in a far weaker position to perform their all-important missions, and an optimal engine is a key element of any fighter development program. Defense contractors are well aware of this, and this is why most have long-standing relationships with manufacturers. RTX, a company formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, even went so far as to acquire legacy engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Nonetheless, not all military engine programs are built the same, and some go on to be far more successful than others. Let's take a deeper look at five of the most important engines that power US fighter jets today. 1 Pratt & Whitney F135 Primary application: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Category: Pratt & Whitney F135 Specification: Dry weight: 6,422 pounds Bypass ratio: 0.57:1 Maximum thrust: 43,000 foot pounds The Pratt & Whitney F135 is an afterburning turbofan engine designed exclusively for the F-35, America's next-generation multirole strike fighter. The engine has two variants, one which is equipped for the Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) F-35A variants used by the United States Air Force (USAD) and Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) F-35C variants that land on the decks of the United States Navy's aircraft carriers. A separate variant of the engine features a two-cycle configuration for the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) F-35B which is used by the United States Marines . This engine includes a forward lift fan, according to the manufacturer , and the first production variants were delivered to Lockheed Martin in 2009. The F135 beat out a competing engine, the F136, which was manufactured by both Rolls-Royce and General Electric, in a bid to power the next-generation fighter. 2 Pratt & Whitney F119 Primary application: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor Category: Pratt & Whitney F119 Specification: Dry weight: 5,000 pounds Bypass ratio: 0.30:1 Maximum thrust: 35,000 foot pounds The Pratt & Whitney F119 is an afterburning turbofan engine, two of which are used to power the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, one of the most advanced and capable fighters ever built. The engine was designed to allow for supercruise, sustained supersonic flight without the use of afterburners . The engine's nozzles incorporated thrust vectoring technology, allowing the engine's thrust to be developed in a 20-degree spread relative to the pitch access, giving the aircraft exceptional maneuverability. The F-119 would be one of the key inspirations for the F-135, the engine that would incorporate many of its predecessor's design elements to power the F-35 Lightning II. 3 General Electric F110 Primary applications: Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Category: General Electric F110 Specification: Dry weight: 3,830 pounds Bypass ratio: 0.87:1 Maximum thrust: 16,600 foot pounds The General Electric 110, an afterburning turbofan built by American manufacturer GE Aerospace, is one of the most widely used engines by fighter jets in the United States Air Force today. The engine was derived from the earlier General Electric F101 as an alternative powerplant for the F-14 and F-16, competing with the rival Pratt & Whitney F100. The aircraft would eventually be used to power newer variants of the F-15 Eagle and has been licensed for application to many foreign aircraft programs. The F118, a conventional non-afterburning variant of the engine, powers some variants of the Lockheed U-2 spy plane and also serves as the primary engine for the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Dreamliner customers have a choice of either Rolls-Royce or General Electric engines. 4 General Electric F404 Primary applications: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, Northrop F-20 Tigershark, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Category: General Electric F404 Dry weight: 2,282 pounds Bypass ratio: 0.34:1 Maximum thrust: 17,700 foot pounds The General Electric F404 is an afterburning turbofan engine that was designed by the American manufacturer for use on the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, although the engine has been used on several other different aircraft. Several variants were built, including the F414, a larger engine that powered the F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as the experimental GE36 propfan engine , according to the National Air and Space Museum . The US Navy has over 800 active F/A-18 aircraft in its fleet. 5 Rolls-Royce F402 Pegasus Primary application: McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II Category: Rolls-Royce F402 Pegasus: Dry weight: 3,960 pounds Bypass ratio: 1.2:1 Maximum thrust: 23,800 foot pounds Another engine capable of directing thrust downwards, the Rolls-Royce Pegasus is a British turbofan engine designed originally by manufacturer Bristol Siddeley and later by Rolls-Royce. The engine's impressive capabilities have made it the key powerplant for the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier , a vertical takeoff jet used by the United States Marine Corps. According to Purdue University's Department of Engineering , the engine has no computerized system for thrust vectoring, making it notoriously difficult to fly .5 Of The Fastest Japanese Kei Trucks, Ranked By Top Speed

A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.