Latest news with #Fitzpatrick
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Steelers All-Pro FS Minkah Fitzpatrick's brother makes huge college football decision
The Fitzpatrick family is ready to take over the SEC once again. Justice Fitzpatrick — brother Crimson Tide legend and Steelers FS Minkah Fitzpatrick — has committed to the University of Georgia. A four-star cornerback recruit in the class of 2026, Justice was ranked as the nation's No. 87 prospect and the eighth-best CB, per 247 Sports. Justice had a visit lined up with Ohio State but ultimately canceled, per On3. He also stated that he is shutting his recruitment down to focus on UGA. Back in March, Justice discussed how the Georgia Bulldogs — and head coach Kirby Smart — appeared to be a perfect fit: 'Coach Smart coached my brother at Alabama, so we know him really well,' Fitzpatrick told On3's Chad Simmons, via PennLive's Nick Farabaugh. 'I know him well, my family knows him well, and we have a great relationship. I have gotten to know the coaches at Georgia well, I have worked with them at camp, and I feel like Georgia checks off most of my boxes.' Here's to hoping Justice finds tremendous success as a Georgia Bulldog — and maybe one day can line up alongside his brother Minkah in the Steelers' secondary. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Why is Google buying out its employees?
The story so far: Google has taken action to reduce its workforce across departments, by using a mix of strategies. These measures involve announcing a voluntary exit programme for several teams based in the U.S., and mandating a hybrid work schedule for remote workers who live within 50 miles of an approved office. Other employees have also reportedly been affected by layoffs. What is Google's employee buyout programme? According to an internal memo shared by Business Insider, the Senior Vice President of Core Systems at Google, Jen Fitzpatrick, said the company was offering a Voluntary Exit Program (VEP) for Core Googlers in the U.S. This means that eligible Google employees, called Googlers, will be allowed to resign and also receive severance pay. 'The Voluntary Exit Program may be a fit Core Googlers who aren't feeling excited about and aligned with Core's mission and goals, or those who are having difficulty meeting the demands of their role,' said Fitzpatrick. The buyout option was offered to employees in Google's Knowledge & Information and central engineering teams. Those in the marketing, research, and communications teams could also avail the option, per CNBC. This is not the first time Google has offered a voluntary exit to workers; the company had proposed buyouts to eligible U.S.-based employees in its People Operations department and its Platforms and Devices group, per media reports. Employee buyouts are a less drastic way for companies to reduce their headcount, although the exact number of departing employees is hard to predict. Because employees choose to leave, this strategy triggers less bad press than a mass layoff. It further reduces the risk of fired employees legally challenging their termination. In the case of large layoffs, U.S. companies may have to provide advance notice to the relevant labour regulators. As noted by Fitzpatrick, employee buyouts can help filter out workers who are only keeping their jobs for financial reasons and would prefer to go elsewhere with a safety net in the form of severance pay. In early 2023, when Google announced it was cutting around 12,000 jobs or about 6% of its workforce, it faced significant backlash. Since then, Google has carried out smaller layoff rounds across its voice assistant units, hardware teams (Pixel/Nest/Fitbit) advertising sales team, and its AR team. Earlier this week, the live layoffs tracker claimed that 75 Google employees were to be laid off, citing a report by The Information. How does this impact engineers in the K&I team? Employees in K&I, who work on Google Search, Ads, Geo, and Commerce products, were offered employee buyouts, according to the Business Insider report. Google is investing heavily in Generative AI and rapidly infusing its offerings with AI features so that it can better compete with rivals such as OpenAI. Google's Knowledge & Information team further launched AI Overviews, Circle to Search, video understanding, 'shop what you see' in Lens, and improvements to Search functionality, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. However, the tech giant is facing antitrust lawsuits over its growing dominance in market sectors such as search and ad networks. Google's potential antitrust issues in the AI market have also been flagged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). What is Google's new remote work policy? In addition to the employee buyouts across several divisions, Google confirmed that multiple teams were asking remote employees to transition to a hybrid work schedule where they would spend three days in office. This can also serve to trigger employee resignations, with labour advocates sometimes terming this strategy as 'backdoor layoffs.' The internal memo sent to Core Googlers cited reasons such as 'connection, collaboration, and moving quickly to innovate together,' for bringing more employees back to the office. However, Fitzpatrick claimed that the company's intention was not to reduce the number of Core Googlers, and that it was aimed instead at internal mobility and creating growth opportunities. Which other companies are reducing their headcount? Apart from Google, other major tech companies that let go of employees in recent weeks include Intel and Microsoft. Intel is planning to shut down its small automotive business and cut most workers there, according to a report from the Oregon Live/The Oregonian. Another report from the outlet cited an internal memo to claim that Intel is planning to lay off about 15% to 20% of its factory workers. Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning major cuts in its gaming division Xbox, according to Bloomberg. Early this month, the company confirmed it would cut about 305 jobs. This came even after Microsoft laid off around 6,000 employees in May, or about 3% of its global workforce. What other challenges is Google facing? In the coming months, U.S. Judge Amit Mehta is expected to consider proposed remedies by the U.S. DOJ and Google itself to curb Google's status as an illegal monopoly in some search markets. The DOJ has favoured measures such as the forced divestment of Chrome and the formation of a Technical Committee to oversee Google's legal compliance. The tech giant naturally supports more lenient measures that do not significantly damage its lucrative business or its top position in the search market. It remains to be seen whether Judge Mehta's ruling will vindicate the DOJ or Google. But as Google's AI competitors floor the accelerator, the Big Tech giant is still trying to move forward, albeit with a leaner workforce.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idahoans rejected the straight white pride festival. Now vote like it
Mark Fitzpatrick, the owner of the Old State Saloon in Eagle, Idaho, is no stranger to culture-war marketing stunts. A former California reserve police officer turned real estate agent and bar owner, Fitzpatrick has built a reputation around performative outrage packaged as patriotism. His events include 'Beer for Breeders,' anti-vaccine Christian singles nights and constitutional Bible study at the bar. But in June, Fitzpatrick escalated his campaign of provocation with what he called the 'Hetero Awesomeness Festival.' Promoted as a celebration of traditional family values, the event functioned as a thinly veiled 'Straight White Pride' rally — one that Fitzpatrick hoped would attract national attention, help boost revenue at his bar and solidify his standing in Idaho's far-right political machine. Dozens of people attended the festival in Boise across from the Idaho Capitol. The event was heavily promoted on X (formerly Twitter) for months by fringe influencers and far-right personalities. But despite the hype, Idahoans quietly rejected the entire spectacle. Hardly anyone showed up. The event featured militia-style attendees carrying rifles around children who were playing on bounce houses. At one point, a party-crashing performer singing a pro-LGBTQ+ song was kicked off the stage by Fitzpatrick himself. During the festival, Fitzpatrick was broadcasting live on The Backlash podcast, hosted by Dave Reilly, a white supremacist with a long history of racist and antisemitic rhetoric. During the live broadcast, Reilly praised Boise for not having 'any blacks,' an overtly racist statement suggesting that Black people make cities undesirable. Fitzpatrick sat beside him, and his grin grew wider as Reilly dropped that racist comment. He did not cut the feed, object or distance himself during the event. Reilly's audience — openly antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ+ and steeped in white grievance politics — is the audience Fitzpatrick welcomes at his bar. Only after vendors started disavowing Reilly over his racism did Fitzpatrick attempt to distance himself from Reilly's remark. He knows what Reilly is, and only when he got called out for it did he make a disingenuous effort to distance himself. The most disappointing part of the festival wasn't the spectacle itself, but the people who chose to align with it. Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon, the Idaho Freedom Foundation (which had a booth at the event) and multiple IFF-aligned legislators supported or promoted the festival. Some have regularly appeared at Old State Saloon events as well. This is the same pattern seen with Ammon Bundy, an out-of-state agitator who came to Idaho to build a platform by sowing division and lies. The IFF embraced Bundy when it suited them and dropped him when the lawsuits came. Fitzpatrick is following the same trajectory, and the IFF machine is once again complicit in this. Idaho Republican legislators and far-right propagandists eagerly supported Fitzpatrick's 'Straight Pride' event at a gathering the night before. Not one of them has disavowed Reilly's racist comments. Just like they did with Ammon Bundy, Idaho's far right will cling to any grifter who builds an audience. The failure of the 'Straight White Pride' event is proof that X's engagement numbers do not reflect real-world support. Fitzpatrick and his allies banked on the amplification of influencers to fill the park. But X is not real life. It is inflated by bots, anti-American foreign actors and echo chambers that create the illusion of momentum. Legislators who buy into this illusion are chasing ghosts. View counts do not equate to real people, and Fitzpatrick's failed festival just proved it. Idahoans were smart enough to reject Fitzpatrick's hate-fueled grift. Now it's time to reject the politicians who align themselves with these far-right influencers, amplify their messages and pretend to represent the people of Idaho. They don't. They represent self-serving organizations like the IFF and their own ambition, hoping that you'll ignore their bad behavior and re-elect them next year. Gregory Graf is a lifelong Republican, political consultant and creator of and .
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Partick Thistle star Aidan Fitzpatrick on course to reach career milestone – but plans far bigger achievement with Jags
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AIDAN FITZPATRICK'S on course for hitting the 200-game milestone for Partick Thistle next season. But the real achievement he wants is to clinch promotion to the Premiership. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Aidan Fitzpatrick and Ben Stanway with new front of shirt sponsor Wright Kerr All Trades Credit: Willie Vass 4 Partick Thistle stars during their kit launch Credit: Willie Vass Homegrown Fitzpatrick's played 169 games for the Jags over two spells with a three-year period at Norwich City in-between. It's fair to say he's Thistle through and through. And there's further motivation for him for the new Championship campaign in wanting to show his true self as a player — after a brutally self-critical verdict on his performances last term. The 24-year-old said: 'Hopefully I can make it 200 games for Thistle this season, that would mean a lot. 'I said when I notched up a hundred that I was then aiming for the next hundred. 'I've been at this club for such a long time — and I'm always extra proud of anything I achieve with Thistle. 'I've said often that Partick Thistle's probably all I know football wise. 'Yes, I was away at Norwich, but it was for their under-23s and it wasn't the same. I also had a spell at Queen of the South but I had injuries and only played a wee bit. 'So, football-wise, it's been Partick Thistle for as long as I've played. 'Appearance milestones are good, of course. But the BIG aim for me next season is promotion. Partick Thistle and Ayr United fans scrap on residential streets 'I also owe a lot to the fans. 'My performances last year were nowhere near good enough — and. quite rightly so, they were on my back. 'I actually take that as a GOOD thing. They wouldn't be on my back for no reason. 'The main thing is to go and get the promotion we've been looking for the last couple of years.' It emerged last season that Fitzpatrick's mum Michelle Rooney had been diagnosed with cancer and was bravely undergoing both intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thistle fans rallied round the family, which meant the world to Fitzpatrick. But it's a measure of him that he refuses to even use the emotional torment of his mother's predicament as an excuse for performances. He said: 'I get people thinking it, but I don't want to use it as an excuse for the season I had. 'I know for the standards I set for myself, it wasn't good enough. Individually, but nor was it for the team. 4 Fitzpatrick is ready to reach the milestone Credit: Willie Vass 'Now we've got a new season coming up — and we're looking forward to it. 'It was tough last year. "I got to a point where I was actually joking about how bad I was. I'd come off in games thinking 'I'm better than this.' 'I know inside how good I can be. 'I thought my performances did start to improve towards the end of the season. 'Now I feel good and I'm ready for the new season. I'm extremely motivated. 'Maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself, I don't know. All I know is that I'm capable of so much better. 'I'm ready to kick on. 'Mark Wilson's the new boss and I can't speak highly enough of him.' 4 He's a big fan of manager Mark Wilson Credit: Kenny Ramsay Fitzpatrick added: 'On my day I see myself as one of the team's most exciting players. 'I know what I can do, the fans know what I can do. The opposition know what I can do. 'Now it's up to me to go and show it.' Fitzpatrick's also entering the final year of his Firhill deal and he added: 'I'm very aware of that. It's a big year ahead and I intend doing well.' Meanwhile, the Jags new front of jersey sponsors John Kerr and Bert Wright - who own Balmore Industrial Estate-based firm Wrightkerr - are thrilled to be backing their local club. Kerr said: 'It's going to be a very proud moment seeing our company's name on the jerseys for the matches ahead.' Wright said: 'We were five or six years old when we first became aware of Partick Thistle. It's a special club and for us to be jersey sponsors is a dream.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
IOL News
6 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Rugby World Cup 1995 I The Rainbow Nation's time to shine and not even Jonah Lomu could stop it
Victorous captain Francois Pienaar of teh 1995 Springboks led the country to our first Rugby World Cup by famously beating the All Blacks at Ellis Park On June 24. Photo: AFP Image: AFP When Sean Fitzpatrick woke up on the morning of the 1995 World Cup final, he parted the curtains of his hotel room in Sandton, Johannesburg, and his heart sank. Outside was a small army of South African fans, brandishing placards along the lines of 'This is our day, you are going to lose.' On the way to the match at Ellis Park, there was the chilling sight of fans with 'voodoo dolls' of the tournament's star performer, the blockbusting All Black wing Jonah Lomu. The dolls had ropes around their necks. Of course, these fans were extremists but that kind of behaviour summed up the passion that swept across South Africa. Rugby World Cup 1995 | In retrospective Image: Independent Media Fitzpatrick said in his autobiography that he understood that New Zealand were up against way more that the Springbok rugby team. This was a country that had emerged from sporting isolation only two years before and had just ventured into democratic elections, a seismic shift for the African continent and one of the most significant developments of the 20th Century. Fitzpatrick said that when he saw Nelson Mandela wearing Francois Pienaar's No 6 jersey, his heart sank still further. 'It felt like we were being set up,' Fitzpatrick said. 'The stars lined up for South Africa and we felt that that something bigger than rugby was happening in the country.' The Kiwis were, nevertheless, the strong favourites for the final. While the Boks had doggedly fought their way through their pool games, and the quarter and semi-finals, the All Blacks had obliterated all in front of them. Lomu was the juggernaut symbol of their team but they were way bigger and better than one man. Coached by Laurie Mains, the Kiwis had been building towards this Word Cup since losing their crown to Australia in 1991. They had won the inaugural World Cup in 1987, in New Zealand. They had strong form going into the '95 World Cup, momentum and a galaxy of stars. They had put almost 150 points past Japan in a pool game and smashed tournament favourites England in their semi-final. Few thought the Boks had a chance but the atmosphere in Ellis Park that day leveled the playing field. Before kick-off, helicopters circled the ground, displaying the flags of the 16 competing nations, but that was just a warm up. A jumbo jet was on its way and when it roared over the ground, Fitzpatrick's dread sank into his boots.
