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Whos at Fault in the Shutdown Fight? | As the partial government shutdown stretches into its second month, a new Fox News poll finds that 51 percent of respondents blame the president, 34 percent blame the Democrats, 9 percent say everyone involved is to blame. And only 3 percent blame the Republicans. To put this in perspective, the margin of error in the poll is 3 percent. Thats weird. Its understandable why so many blame the president. He said he would own the shutdown if the Democrats refused to pay for it. On Dec. 11, the president proclaimed in an Oval Office meeting with then-incoming House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck. . . . I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. Im not going to blame you for it. Since then, the president has changed his tune, blaming the Democrats, in part because theyve rejected several possible compromises as non-starters. Pelosi says that the wall is an immorality, and the most shed agree to spend on it would be one dollar. Given the contours of the fight between the White House and the Democrats, its easy to see why each side gets a good deal of blame from partisans. At the end of 2018, there was a Schumer-backed proposal to fund the government with $1.6 billion for border security, which included fencing or walls. And many Democrats supported walls or fences on the border in the past. In 2006, then-senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Schumer, and 22 other Democrats voted for the Secure Fence Act, which mandated 700 miles of double fencing along parts of the southern border. Later, President Obama boasted about how much of that fencing was built on his watch. To be fair, many Democrats say the real issue is that they dont want to cave to what they call the hostage taking tactic of using a shutdown as leverage. But that doesnt negate the hypocrisy of suddenly claiming that building border barriers something the Obama administration did is immoral. But, again, the remarkable thing is not that Trump and the Democrats are being blamed, its that the Republicans are getting off scot-free. As Commentary magazines Noah Rothman explained for NBCs Think site, the congressional GOP deserves its share of the blame for getting us to this impasse. When the Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress, they routinely punted on the issue of wall funding. We have to deal with (Hurricane) Harvey, we have the debt ceiling, we have a continuing resolution, which will be just about a three-month continuing resolution, then-House majority leader Kevin McCarthy said in September 2017. So you will deal with the wall a little later in the year. Then, with the midterm elections looming, Republicans kicked the can again. Republican leaders are more focused on urging Trump to delay a fight for the wall than on fighting for it themselves, the Washington Post reported in September 2018. Congress is working to pass a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown Oct. 1 and punt a showdown over wall funding into December, after the November midterms. And the current shutdown was precipitated in large part because the Republican Freedom Caucus wouldnt accept anything less than Trumps request for $5.7 billion in funding. Theres also the fact that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has opted to back the presidents play (despite opposing a shutdown in the first place) by refusing to consider any bills the president wont sign. Of course, what all of this leaves out is the fact that the reason Republicans punted on the wall is that the wall is not very popular, even among Republicans. As the New York Times Nate Cohn recently noted, voters have steadily opposed it by a 20-point margin in national polls. That makes it even less popular than the president himself. But by constantly paying lip service to the presidents cherished policy goal while doing nothing, Republicans made it inevitable that he would get fed up with the delays and force a confrontation. At the very least, the congressional GOP deserves a larger portion of the blame, and its insistence that this is only a crisis now that it is not in charge should be added to the hypocrisy list alongside the Democrats sudden moral horror of walls. 2019 Tribune Content Agency LLC More from National Review | https://news.yahoo.com/fault-shutdown-fight-113050587.html |
Is Mitch McConnell doing a good job amid the government shutdown? | Amid the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the floor of the Senate for debate and vote. Many feel the longtime lawmaker is hurting the nation with his intransigence. Others say he is protecting the Republican Party. PERSPECTIVES McConnell has been deferring completely to the president on the shutdown. While bills have passed through the House that would allow the government to re-open, they do not have support from the president -- something McConnell requires of any bill before reaching the floor of the Senate. Per the New York Times Magazine: "He's been very quiet," Dick Durbin, the Democratic minority whip, who was in recent shutdown-negotiation meetings with McConnell and the Democratic Senate leadership, told me that afternoon, "and has said repeatedly that he's not going to call any bill that the president doesn't approve of. And that has basically been the sum and substance of his contribution." As of Jan. 23, the Hill reports McConnell blocked four bills that would fund the government while debates over the wall continued. Democrats have been coming to the floor on a near-daily basis while the Senate is in session to try to bring up the House package, even though the GOP leader has said he will not allow them to come to the Senate floor. Under Senate rules any one senator can try to pass a bill, but any one senator can also object. Not only did the shutdown occur on McConnell's watch, he refused to allow Senators to debate bills in good faith. Some note McConnell routinely makes political calculations he believes will result in the best solution to any crisis. During the shutdown, he refused to bring bills to the floor he knew would fail. McConnell changed his tactic in late January, allowing both Democrats and Republicans to bring bills to the Senate floor for a vote. Jim Manley, who worked for former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told Vox he believed McConnell was planning for both bills to fail, giving him more leverage to broker a compromise. "It looks to me like he's taken a playbook out of previous House leaders like Boehner and Ryan, calling for a vote knowing that both are going to fail to show everyone involved that the votes aren't there and we need another plan," says Manley of the Thursday votes. While McConnell's perceived lack of movement on the shutdown frustrated critics, his absence successfully protected Senate Republicans from blame. As Majority Leader, McConnell is responsible for maintaining the power of his party. By staying to the sidelines and allowing Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to battle President Trump, he staved off any criticism. Per NBC News: Because viewed from a purely political perspective, McConnell's approach has been a resounding success -- at least, so far: only 5 percent of registered voters surveyed in a Politico/Morning Consult poll this month blamed congressional Republicans for the shutdown while 47 percent blame Trump and 33 percent blamed Democrats. While shutdowns hurt the government, McConnell's actions could save Republicans from retribution in the polls in 2020. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/is_mitch_mcconnell_doing_a_goo.html |
Could Closing Stores Be Good For Business? | I was the CFO of a heating, ventalation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) wholesale distribution company in a large metro area for over seven years. One of my biggest goals was finding ways to grow the business and expand into new territories without investing a lot of additional capital (because we didnt have it). Then one day it occurred to us that the metro had two stores within 15 minutes of each other. We thought, What would happen if we closed one of those stores? The idea of closing a profitable store seemed crazy, but the team and I believed it would save resources that we could invest in a new territory. We also felt that we could retain our existing customers by offering free delivery for one year. So we closed one of the metro stores and opened a store in a new territory. In the first year, the new store made over $2 million in profits, and we didnt lose significant business from the closed location. We bet that our metro customers didnt need, or even want, to go to a physical store if we could deliver the parts and products they needed. And the bet paid off. Our Changing Expectations: Online Ordering & Fast Delivery In the last 10 years, the customer journey was flipped on its head. Before, when we needed groceries or clothes or household essentials, wed drive to the nearest store. Now, with Amazon, BiteSquad, Postmates and other services, we simply grab a smartphone, order our products and wait for them to be delivered. These new technologies forever changed our expectations about the customer experience. The shift happened quickly for large retailers and individual consumers, but business to business (B2B) companies and smaller retailers have lagged behind. They often lack the resources and infrastructure for online ordering and efficient, cost-effective delivery. Now the CEO of a company that offers on-demand courier services, I think a change is coming. As technologies continue to advance, B2B companies and small businesses are gaining access to the ordering and delivery tools they need. Additionally, as labor costs continue rising, it will become increasingly untenable to send specialized employees on deliveries. I predict that in the next few years, more and more B2B companies and small businesses will close physical storefronts to invest in online stores and new order fulfillment processes. And I think, in many cases, this will be good for business. The Benefits of Fewer Stores Amazon forever changed the way we do business by recognizing the costs of physical stores and the value of bringing the products to the customers. They built an intuitive online platform, streamlined the ordering process, built or purchased massive distribution centers and found ways to make their deliveries increasingly efficient. Now, other retailers, B2B companies and small businesses are seeing the benefits of this model: Reduced Overhead The costs of managing and maintaining a physical location can be large and unpredictable, including building costs, taxes, utilities and maintenance, equipment (transport, storage, technology) and staff. All of these costs drain capital that could be used to grow your business, expand into a new sector or territory or develop new products. Streamlined Inventory When you manage multiple locations, and you have no way of knowing which store your customers will visit, each store needs to be stocked with a minimum number of each item. This leads to redundancy and, in most cases, carrying more inventory than you need. Expanded Reach By closing stores that are clustered in an area and rethinking your distribution model, you may find that you have the resources to expand into new territories without investing a large amount of capital. Rethinking Distribution And Delivery The risk of closing physical stores is losing customers and revenue. But this risk shrinks as customers grow increasingly accustomed to online ordering and distribution tools continue to advance. Here are a couple of different options for managing distribution and delivery: Get a delivery fleet. If deliveries are a core part of your business, then building your own fleet may be the most obvious solution. Maintaining a fleet can be costly and time-consuming, though, so its important to weigh the costs of vehicles, fuel, maintenance, insurance, storage, hiring and training drivers first. To get started, purchase or build a dedicated storage facility, carefully plan the type and number of vehicles youll need, and develop comprehensive fleet maintenance and driver training programs. Partner with distribution and delivery services. Partnering with a courier service can be a good way to make deliveries without needing to maintain your own fleet of delivery vehicles. Its important to look for a courier service that provides transparency into delivery schedules, prices and customer experience. Startups are rethinking the old distribution and delivery model. Small businesses and B2B companies often need warehouse space and warehouse management software (WMS) to manage inventory and orders. Both are expensive. Stord is a startup that leases warehouse space and provides access to its WMS. It also connects you to third-party logistics providers to manage order fulfillment and delivery. Companies like ShipBob connect your online store to its order fulfillment centers, then store your products, process orders and manage deliveries. Technology-based on-demand couriers, including my current company, connect you to local drivers to schedule deliveries, track deliveries with GPS and bring transparency to the process. However, keep in mind that working with a technology-based startup will require you to adopt new technologies and adapt your processes. Keeping Pace With A Changing World The world is constantly changing. Were doing everything we can to keep up. For those of us in the B2B or small business sector, this means finding ways to simplify logistics and maximize efficiency. Fortunately, technology startups continue developing innovative solutions to help manage distribution and delivery. Its been amazing to be a part of that journey and Im excited to see what the future holds. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/01/25/could-closing-stores-be-good-for-business/ |
Where Will AI Take Us In 2019? | For several years now, artificial intelligence (AI) has featured prominently in the ubiquitous technological predictions lists that emerge this time of the year. When asked what will take the world by storm in 2019, AI is a regular motif. But AI isnt just one simple innovation or technology its an entire field, and one thats shaping our economic and social landscape in a number of ways. As the CEO of a company driving machine learning and AI innovation to help businesses gain insights from their text-based and unstructured data, I wanted to share my thoughts on what I expect well see from AI in 2019. Welcome to the year of the 'medium.' AI proponents have typically gone in one of two directions: swing big or start small. On one side, a small fortune has been spent on attempting to tackle big-ticket yet ill-defined issues, such as health care, transportation and energy consumption. Big problems like these are simply too big for the current state of AI. On the other side, AI has been used for routine tasks, such as sending automated emails after youve completed a banking transaction. Simple problems like these have already been solved, and given their minimal impact on business, are no longer worth pursuing. In 2019, I expect to see something in the middle. We may not cure cancer, but well be working on something more challenging than just using AI to recognize the word cancer such as predicting how cancers grow and spread. Therell be a focus on the tactical. On a similar note, well also see a shift toward the tactical. Rather than aiming to solve broad systems-level issues, AI in 2019 will look at problems that can be more easily defined and whose outcomes are more measurable. An incremental approach allows for more specific, efficient and productive outcomes as well as more effective resource allocations. Take the challenge of self-driving cars. Rather than leaping into the fray with a fully autonomous vehicle, a number of automakers have started with a small-scale innovation: automatic emergency braking. Its a technology that will eventually be incorporated into self-driving vehicles, but in the meantime, it is solving a more granular problem: front-to-rear crashes. Theres real return on investment (ROI) attached to the technology. Similarly, while it wont solve climate change, AI is increasingly sophisticated when it comes to modeling its impact. Large-scale data gathered from organizations such as NASA or the U.S. Geological Survey can be used for risk identification and reduction purposes, helping us respond better to severe weather events, such as floods or forest fires. Expect more protests over facial recognition technology. Facial recognition technology has been pitched to consumers as both a convenience and a safety feature, but tech workers arent buying it. Staff from Google and Amazon, among others, have taken to the streets to protest their employers roles in government contracts related to law enforcement using facial recognition technology and the military using AI to improve drone strikes. With AI now able to recognize faces even when obscured by glasses, scarves and hats, or to identify people based on their walks, there are very real concerns about what the powers that be will do with the technology in 2019 and beyond. AI will beat us at another game. In recent years, AI has bested us in Go and even Texas Hold-Em. AI has also held its own in games like Pac-Man and Dota 2, suggesting that it will soon be a viable opponent in just about every game genre. With companies like Google and Elon Musks OpenAI along with a number of universities working to ensure AI supremacy in the gaming world, its not a huge reach to bet that 2019 will see humans coming in second to AI in yet another game. It shows how AI has advanced from being able to solve perfect information games, where everything it needs to solve a problem is right before it, to being able to handle those where some information is hidden. The latter requires a more complex, lateral approach, rather than just crunching thousands of possibilities and picking the best one. This kind of problem solving can eventually be applied to much more than just games. Certain verticals will enjoy a boom time. Banking, hospitality and retail have been leveraging the power of AI for years. But the verticals that will make inroads in 2019 are medical and pharma. With the current push to reduce costs and prescription drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry has plenty of incentive to take a more targeted, efficient approach, and AI will make that possible. Pharma marketers will use AI to combine real-time data with personalized responses, bringing tailored pharmaceutical solutions to consumers right when they need them. Medicine, on the other hand, will tap AI to help with triage, image analysis and decision making as well as reducing the burden on physicians. One reason that health care will see major AI advances in 2019 is the rollout of 5G, which will make virtual medicine approaches, such as remote monitoring, viable and cost effective. Second, AI has now reached the point where its diagnostic abilities are sophisticated enough for it to be able to act as a second opinion. AI will have another big year. As I recently shared with insideBIGDATA, were continuing to see significant investment in AI and high expectations about the growth AI will bring about in the near future. It looks like this year will be another big one for the industry. And thats great for all of us. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/where-will-ai-take-us-in-2019/ |
Is Onboarding The New HR Secret For Company Success? | A Series of Q&A Interviews with innovators working at the intersection of human behavior and business transformation: Christian Harpelund, Co-founder and Consulting Director, Onboarding Group and author of the book: Onboarding: Getting new hires off to a flying start. Christian Harpelund: Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. Good onboarding enables them to perform and provide value to the organization. This is what we call structured onboarding. Today the approach to onboarding in many companies is not professionalized. Most organizations use checklist approach to onboarding. But onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. Unstructured Onboarding is bad for business and bad for people and companies who take a proactive approach to Onboarding are seeing great results. Harpelund: Employees expect more from companies today, and if they dont feel connected and onboard they will leave for a new opportunity somewhere else. The following facts says it all: 25% of new hires leave their company within the first 12 month. 48% of new hires in their first job have moved on within the first 18 month. The average onboarding time to performance is 6,2 months for new hires. The cost of losing a new employee within the first 12 month equals 2 years of salary. The average tenure for the new generation is below 2 years so you need to get your new hires up to speed faster than before. Companies with structured and standardized onboarding processes experience 54% higher productivity from their newly employed and twice as high level of engagement. These results underline the business case for Onboarding. Companies who work with a professional approach will get faster time-to-performance, increase retention rates, get higher employee engagement, reduce stress and sick days, and build a better Employer Brand and Reputation. Harpelund: Good onboarding involves 3 tracks and 6 dimensions. First of all, you need a framework for your Onboarding activities which covers the tracks of forming, connection and unfolding the new employees into your organization. This include focus on activities within 6 dimensions of Onboarding: culture, rules, network, collaboration, competencies, and performance. The Onboarding Model is rooted in motivational theory and integrates perfectly with employee and leadership development. To successfully onboard new employees they should be integrated across these six dimensions, combining training, team meetings, one-to-one dialogue and work assignments in a fast, effective, and structured onboarding process all this is based on a data-driven approach. Our global research tells us, that structured Onboarding is by far the most unnoticed discipline in HR Management today and the one with the most potential to solve one of the biggest global challenges for public and private companies: To retain and attract new employees. Harpelund: In 2015 we gathered some of the most talented and experienced people within Recruitment, HR and Business Intelligence and established Onboarding Group with a clear mission to improve onboarding and work life transitions for as many people as possible. Together we have completed the most extensive and we believe comprehensive study around onboarding and put it into the book: Onboarding: Getting New Hires off to a Flying Start. We have written the book for companies and HR professionals who want to improve the integration of new hires into their companies. We believe that every employee deserves the opportunity to become successful in their job - to feel a fuller sense of meaning with their working life. Without a flying start in a new job, chances are that person will not deliver on expectations and will not feel their work is meaningful. This is a vital task for any HR department and manager. It helps create a meaningful working life for people and helps them to succeed. And with the individual success of each employee, you help companies grow and reach their goals. In this way, onboarding of new hires is critical for success. Rogers: Thank you. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2019/01/25/is-onboarding-the-new-hr-secret-for-company-success/ |
What's in Store for Eastman Chemical (EMN) in Q4 Earnings? | Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release fourth-quarter 2018 results after the closing bell on Jan 31. The chemical maker saw its profits rise in the third quarter of 2018, aided by strong growth in its specialty businesses and cost management actions. The company recorded profit of $412 million or $2.89 per share, up roughly 28% from the year-ago figure of $323 million or $2.22. Adjusted earnings of $2.34 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.29. Revenues rose around 3% year over year to $2,547 million in the quarter, also exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,534.9 million. Notably, Eastman Chemical topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters with an average earnings beat of roughly 15.4%. Eastman Chemicals shares have lost around 23.7% over a year, outperforming the roughly 26.7% decline recorded by the industry. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play Eastman Chemical, in its third-quarter call, noted that strong volume gains in the specialty businesses, disciplined cost management and a lower effective tax rate helped it achieve adjusted earnings per share growth of 13% year over year during the first nine months of 2018. The company continues to expect adjusted earnings per share growth for full-year 2018 to be 10-14% year over year. Revenues for Eastman Chemical for the fourth quarter is projected to rise roughly 2.6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is currently pegged at $2,423 million. Revenues from Eastman Chemicals Additives and Functional Products division is anticipated to witness a 3% rise year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is pegged at $880 million. However, operating earnings (as adjusted) for the unit are expected to fall 5% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $152 million. Advanced Materials units revenues are expected to increase 6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is $673 million. Operating earnings are expected to dip 1.1% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $93 million. Revenues for the Chemical Intermediates segment are projected to rise 2% from the year-ago quarter as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter stands at $672 million. Operating earnings for the unit are expected to be flat as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $53 million. Moreover, the Fibers segment is expected to witness a 3.5% rise in revenues year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $207 million for the fourth quarter. Operating earnings are expected to decline 2.4% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $49.8 million. Eastman Chemicals high margin products and its aggressive cost management actions are likely to continue to drive its earnings in the fourth quarter. The company should gain from sustained growth of its high margin specialty products. The companys productivity measures and actions to raise selling prices of products should also support margins. Eastman Chemical should also gain from synergies of acquisitions, especially Taminco Corporation. The Taminco acquisition has provided attractive cost and revenue synergy opportunities. However, Eastman Chemical has been seeing a spike in raw materials costs, mostly in its chemical intermediates and additives and functional products units. Raw materials cost headwind is expected to persist in the December quarter. The company also faces headwind from higher energy costs. It is taking actions to raise selling prices of its products amid the inflationary environment. The companys Fibers segment is also exposed to certain challenges. The divisions results were hurt by lower acetate tow sales volume and selling prices due to reduced industry capacity utilization in the third quarter. The same is likely to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. The company expects profits for the segment to be modestly lower on a year over year basis for full-year 2018. What the Zacks Model Says Our proven model does not show that Eastman Chemical is likely to beat estimates this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Eastman Chemical is -1.33%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is currently pegged at $1.58 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $1.60. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Eastman Chemical currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. | https://news.yahoo.com/whats-store-eastman-chemical-emn-125712080.html |
Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael H. LeRoy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (THE CONVERSATION) Many federal employees are being ordered by the federal government to work without pay until a spending bill is enacted. Some workers object, arguing that they are being pressured to show up for work with no clear prospect of a payday. Some individuals have sued claiming that this violates the 13th Amendment, which abolished involuntary servitude. For now, the answer is likely no. In my law review article, Compulsory Labor in a National Emergency, I found that legal protections against forced labor often fail to help workers. Why most 13th Amendment lawsuits fail Every year, a small number of workers prevail in involuntary servitude cases. The legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is evidence of physical or legal coercion. The Supreme Court articulated the standard in 1988 in a case about two mentally disabled men working on a farm. The best way to explain the standard is with an example. In Mouloki v. Epee, a nanny named Christine Mouloki sued the husband and wife who employed her for wages and damages. She alleged that the family refused to let her leave their suburban home near Chicago. The court concluded that a scheme, plan, or pattern intended to convince a plaintiff (person) that serious harm or physical restraint would result if she did not continue to perform the labor and services constitutes involuntary servitude. At trial, the nanny won her case. But plenty of involuntary lawsuits fail. The most common are from high school students whose school districts require them to perform community service as a condition to graduate. In one such case, students were required to provide 50 hours of community service during their four years in school. Parents sued, alleging a violation of the 13th Amendment. The court rejected the 13th Amendment claim, stating: Graduation from a public high school is an important opportunity, but the threat of not graduating does not rise to the level of physical or legal coercion. Pressure, not coercion Federal employees working without pay fall in the gray area between the high school and nanny scenario. So far, their situation does not present the coercion in the nannys home confinement case. The main impediment for the federal employees case is that lack of coercion, not lack of pay for their labor. In a preliminary ruling, workers lost a motion for an injunction but they are scheduled to make a similar motion soon and as time passes, their case improves. For now, however, these employees can call in sick, take vacation time or simply not answer the phone or emails from a supervisor. A court would likely view an order to work without being paid as unfair, or a violation of wage laws, but not coercion. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-servitude-110460. | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-13560850.php |
What Will The Digital Workplace Look Like In 2019? | As we begin the new year with a fresh perspective on our goals, it is important to take a collective pause to reflect on what we have learned this past year for a clearer look into the future. The pace of digital change is showing no signs of slowing. More than a decade into the era of this transformation, the corporate world is still far from reaching digital maturity. However, organizations adopting a digital-first approach are quickly leaving their competitors in the dust. Business leaders hoping to leap aboard the moving train of digital should take critical note of its trajectory for the coming year. Here are four predictions on the future of the digital workplace in 2019: 1. AI Will Change How Employees Acquire Knowledge And What They Need To Know The past few years have seen countless headlines foretelling an AI takeover that will potentially wipe out the careers of millions of hard-working Americans. While articles of this nature receive clicks, they fail to accurately assess the situation. AI will change the workplace -- this much is true -- but its role will be a supporting one. These technologies, once fully adopted, will not only serve to replace human employees but will also be used to empower them. This means that employees will move away from being skill-focused. Workplace skills that were once valuable, such as fluency in a specific digital platform, will soon become irrelevant. Instead, the core principles that make one a professional in their field will carry increased weight. In the new workplace, there will be no need for paper-pushing employees. However, there are certain processes that cannot be replaced by AI. These include decision making, assessing talent, negotiation and people management. These traits that make an employee good at those core human functions will become increasingly valuable as automation arrives in the workplace. The requirements for new talent will need a makeover, centering on employees traits rather than skills. Automation and AI will replace some workers, but with each need that is filled by technology, a new need will arise that requires human traits. The workplace of the future will allow for human abilities to truly shine. Businesses that understand the potential of this future will start to bolster their workforces with talent to carry them through the age of automation. 2. Convergence Of Devices Means The Laptop Will Be Demoted In Favor Of More Mobile Digital Tools In tune with the ever-growing cohort of digital-native employees, demands for mobile communication will continue to rise. The fast pace of the digital workplace requires its employees to bounce between emails, clients and information systems without missing a beat. Increasingly, employees have been turning to their pocket-sized computers to get the job done. This is disrupting the nature of work. In fact, a study conducted by Staffbase (via Harvard Business Review) revealed that a mobile employee app boosts internal communication, and it pinpointed four domains in which companies can see concrete ROI. While tech employees have already begun migrating to their mobile devices, in 2019, I believe it will be the non-tech industries that begin to have a mobile-first approach in their workplaces. Mainstream industries will start incorporating mobile-native enterprise applications into their everyday work, and the slow legacy systems will be left behind. Companies that embrace the evolution of mobile will see an increase in engagement and collaboration. If harnessed, this trend will birth a new era of productivity in the workforce. 3. AI Will Be Used To Reinforce The Enterprise User Experience The user experience revolution first swept consumer technology and is now making its debut in enterprise technology. Forward-thinking companies are realizing that the usability of their digital systems can have powerful and costly effects on the bottom line. When it comes to streamlining systems and improving the employee digital experience, the answer is quite literally right under our noses. Applications are holding a wealth of usability data, and in 2019, I believe companies will realize they can learn how workers are using this data with company systems. AI has the ability to enable greater process discovery, a tool that can immediately extract valuable actionable insights into any process on any software. By unlocking the potential of process discovery, AI will have the ability to decipher how each employee can best use a system, providing a range of possibilities based on what the individual needs to do. With the overwhelming number of enterprise systems used by an organization, applying deep learning will bring said organizations closer to realizing a systems true value to their business. 4. IT Will Become Increasingly Decentralized Companies are abandoning complicated legacy enterprise software systems and are turning to hyperspecialized applications created for one purpose. One of these micro-platforms, for example, could be a system whose sole purpose is to monitor the sound quality of sales calls. Companies have begun investing in these micro-platforms for a couple of reasons: 1) They fill in functionality gaps between what digital systems offer and new needs that may arise, and 2) they can be deployed more quickly and with greater customization than more robust platforms. The result is a divorce of IT from the software purchasing life cycle. With an ever-growing arsenal of digital systems, businesses will need to have visibility into usability and put extra focus on the adoption of these new tools. Leaders need to reorient themselves to face an ever-growing number of digital systems and empower their staff to learn to operate them. Businesses should begin to imagine a future in which digital systems and technology are recognized as true assets in their digital transformation journey. This type of digital-first approach, with businesses utilizing technology to empower their workforce and users, must be a priority for organizations in 2019. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/what-will-the-digital-workplace-look-like-in-2019/ |
Is Gillette's Stand A Tipping Point for Brands? | Gillette joins a list of brands that is getting longer: brands that are no longer neutral when it comes to important topics related to the lifestyle experience the brand enables. Dove, American Eagles Aerie, Nike, Sephora, and a host of startups like Toms, Brilliant Earth and Allbirds are now joined by a nearly 120-year-old brand in taking a stand for something. And like these other brands, Gillette didnt pick some feel-good topic they waded right into the middle of #MeToo and raging debates about toxic masculinity with a two-minute cinematic ad that exhorted men to be better, complete with a pointed reference to their own past (sexist) advertising and a new hashtag #TheBestMenCanBe. When as staid and aged a brand as Gillette wades into the fray, you know the trend towards socially-conscious brands is more than just a fad. When Nike promoted Colin Kaepernick, some people literally self-destructed (their shoes, that is) in protest. But there was also a sense that of course Nike would do this they havent been afraid to take provocative stances, so their turn towards Kaepernick was almost seen as being something in line with the brand ethos, whether you agreed with the politics behind it or not. Gillette, on the other hand, faced no such controversies. Yes, their past ads were sexist in hindsight, but in the context of all the other TV ads there was nothing radical in their sexism. Even then, they were trying to fit in. They were following a pretty time-tested formula for appealing to consumers: identify an aspirational motivation in your target segment, and exploit it. Buy Gillette. Buy Gillette. And, by the way, get your message across through targeted mass-media buys. None of that works any longer. And thats why Gillette is a tipping point. While the ad they put out has Super Bowl-quality production values, they didnt sit on it until the big game. They put it on YouTube. And posted about it on social media. With a hashtag. And its important to note that Gillette didnt do this just for the fun of it. Digital-native brands like Dollar Shave Club (DSC) and Harrys have been taking big bites out of Gillettes market share over the last five years, to the point where Gillette paid $1 billion to get DSC off their backs. And as soon as they stuffed DSC in the fold, Harrys stepped up to take its place on the digital-native frontier. Gillette - and every other traditional brand out there - cant afford to continue like nothings wrong or nothings changed in the way people find brands and stick with them. Digital-native brands take a completely different approach to appealing to consumers. They take a stand. It doesnt always have to be political Dollar Shave Club got its start with controversial videos (spread via YouTube, not by TV) that took an extreme position on price. The brand also took a stand on convenience, offering to ship directly to you, both so that youd never run out of razors, but also to remind you to change your blade something men dont do as often as they should, and pay for it with painful or uneven shaves. Dollar Shave Club didnt try to create some Plato-like super-image of a man. They found problems that men had, and they solved them. Oh, and they did it in a very entertaining way, that got peoples attention long enough to get them to realize they had those problems too, and thus a brand was born. Gillettes current move reflects some of what they may have picked up from DSCs rocket growth. Harrys and DSC own extreme affordability and convenience. Gillette, the flagship brand, must now choose: meet them on these dimensions (which would cannibalize DSCs success and kill the brand Gillettes margins), or differentiate on experience. Gillettes distribution model through grocery & drug stores really limits their options when it comes to experience. Short of opening stores and moving into competing against luxury shave brands like Art of Shaving, the only way the company can provide an experience is to take a stand on an issue important to the people who buy their products, so that buying the product has the feel-good feeling equivalent to buying a raffle ticket on Omaze or buying a t-shirt to support a cause. And while you might argue that men might not take too kindly to being told to be better, just remember that when it comes to the grocery aisle (and most consumer spending budgets), its actually women who influence spend. And the womens voices protesting Gillettes stand have been very quiet. The Bottom Line Nike is sometimes controversial for controversys sake, so their taking a stand was not nearly as momentous for brand marketing as Gillettes move. Its too early to tell, but I think the answer to both questions will be yes. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nikkibaird/2019/01/25/is-gillettes-stand-a-tipping-point-for-brands/ |
Will Lower Revenues Dampen Juniper's (JNPR) Q4 Earnings? | Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 financial results after the closing bell on Jan 29. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 22.7%. Notably, Juniper surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average beat being 11%. Volatile demand and intense market competition are likely to have affected the companys revenues. Lets find out how things are shaping up prior to the announcement. Factors at Play During the fourth quarter, Junipers Metro Fabric solutions were picked by Epsilon for the latters global network upgrades to power IoT applications and enterprise services. The companys Metro Fabric unifies Metro Ethernet, cable, broadband, mobile and cloud-based offerings into a single control domain. Juniper also strengthened its collaboration with Nutanix by announcing new initiatives under their partnership, which aims to simplify the transition process of enterprises to multicloud environments. Notably, both the companies collaborated on providing seamless integration between virtual and physical networks for automated network management. The alliance involves the integration of Junipers Contrail Enterprise Multicloud with Nutanix APIs. During the quarter, Juniper announced that CENIC, a non-profit network provider connecting Californias education and research institutions with the world, has simplified its infrastructure leveraging Junipers MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform for current 10GbE and future 100GbE service growth. Furthermore, Juniper announced that its advanced multicloud visualization and analytics platform Juniper AppFormix and security solution Juniper Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Appliance were integrated into NEC Networks & System Integration Corporations FA Network Monitor solution. The company also unveiled new offerings as part of the Juniper Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Appliances. The solution helps businesses to detect malware, understand behavior as well as mitigate threats with a single touch. The telecommunications equipment provider expects Chinese tariffs not to have material impact on its fourth-quarter results. However, customer buying behavior could be affected and gross margin may be adversely impacted. Top-Line Contraction Despite the positives, unfavorable global macro environment and weak investment patterns among customers are likely to have hampered Junipers revenue growth. Ongoing consolidation in the telecom market is also expected to weigh on the companys financials. Moreover, Cloud revenues, which are expected to be $257 million in the to-be-reported quarter, is facing challenges due to slower pace of expected deployments from cloud customers. For the fourth quarter, net revenues from Routing are expected to decrease to $503 million from $510 million a year ago. Net revenues from Switching are expected to increase to $237 million from $233 million, and the same from Security is likely to decline to $87 million from $88 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues from the Product segment (comprising Routing, Security and Switching products), which accounts for the lions share of total revenues, is currently pegged at $823 million. It reported $830 million in fourth-quarter 2017. Revenues from the Service segment are expected to decline to $403 million from $409 million. Consequently, total revenues for the quarter are likely to fall to $1,229 million from $1,240 million reported in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted earnings per share are pegged at 57 cents. The company reported earnings of 53 cents a year ago. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively show that Juniper is likely to beat earnings this quarter as it does not possess one of the two key components. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Junipers Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00% as both are pegged at 57 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Juniper Networks, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | https://news.yahoo.com/lower-revenues-dampen-junipers-jnpr-144902793.html |
What happens when a boxer loses his shot at glory and goes back to real life? | Luke Jackson calmly and politely pauses the interview. Excuse me mate, Ive just got to save a mother duck and all of her chicks, he laughs. Jackson slows his car in suburban Hobart to shield the family as they cross the road. Seconds earlier, Jackson had been talking about a childhood that included drug abuse, self-harm and suicide attempts. The sudden conversation shift to saving fluffy ducklings provides a welcome respite for a fighter who has always lived a life of extremes. Hobart is a beautiful city on an island state that retains an atmosphere that is distinct to mainland Australia. Tourists flock to the city in Tasmania to revel in its majestic waterside views and sample the delicious fresh food in its famed Salamanca market. However, Jacksons childhood in the suburb of Glenorchy does not easily reflect the glossy tourist brochures. I spent a hell of a lot of my childhood alone, he recalls. My mum and dad broke up, so I was spending a lot of time on my own from a young age. I had problems from 12 with drug abuse and I became this horrible person. I would steal from anyone you could think of to feed this habit that grew and grew. Jacksons drug use coincided with problems in the classroom, finding it nearly impossible to focus on academic problems. As his habit grew, his school attendance plummeted until he finally dropped out in his early teens. He cant remember the exact year. From that age I dropped out until I was 18, those were dark dark years. I would just go into a daze and didnt care about anything or anybody, much less myself. Id sleep, steal or be on drugs. I became obsessed with thoughts of death. Sometimes I would drive the car with my eyes closed just to see what would happen. Boxing has saved so many troubled youths that it has almost become trite to say it. Jackson says calling the sport his salvation is underplaying it. People always ask me how I found boxing. I tell them that boxing found me. I stepped into a boxing gym at 18 or the reason that, I suppose, I wanted to be known for something good, because up to that point there hadnt been much positivity about me. Boxing almost acted like a parent for me. It taught me good habits: when to go to bed, what good foods to eat and how to treat people with respect and decency. All that I learned about being a good person came from boxing. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luke Jackson in 2012. Photograph: Mark Nolan/Getty Images Boxing gave Jackson discipline but he also had a natural aptitude for the sport. I am all about extremes. I cannot give anything less than 100%. Maybe thats where my OCD diagnosis, which came later in life, has a rare positivity. I find calmness in giving complete effort and dedication. In that boxing ring, I am calm and at peace with the world. After 13 fights I went to the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and came away with a bronze medal. For the first time in my life, I had gained respect. Once Jackson started competing seriously in boxing, his drug use stopped completely. He replaced a painful addiction with one that offered him a lifeline. His dream as a boxer was not to become professional, but to go to the Olympic Games and then stop. I have never cared about money. All of my life I had never managed to do anything, yet with boxing I had a chance to go to the Olympics and make people proud of me. That was a dream that kept me going. I would pray to God to just get me to those Games and that is me happy. Thats all I wanted. What I have learned from scoring 528 fights as a boxing judge | Karla Caputo Read more Jackson narrowly missed qualification to the 2008 Olympics, losing to an opponent he had beaten three times previously. He admits he was outboxed, but his biggest opponents were coming from outside the ring. Jacksons then undiagnosed OCD was haunting him with an inner voice that dared and taunted him at all hours. Simple tasks became a torment. When cutting a raw chicken breast for dinner, his mind would become obsessed about picking up the pink flesh and eating it. He knew he would get food poisoning and become sick, but his mind would not stop its narrative. Even breathing could feel onerous. My mind would become obsessed on the task of deep breathing and it would torment me that I wouldnt be able to catch my breath. Then sometimes, I would lying terrified about my breathing. The night before my final Olympic qualifier, I was awake all night worried about my breathing, unable to tell anyone what was going through my mind. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luke Jackson before the 2012 Olympics. Photograph: Mark Nolan/Getty Images For the next four years, Jackson worked away from the eyes of the boxing world in sleepy Hobart. His form on the amateur circuit was so impressive that he was selected as team captain for Australia for London 2012. However, after dreaming about the Olympics, the reality of competition proved a nightmare. Jackson was beaten convincingly in his first fight, losing 20-7 to Qiang Liu of China. He had climbed a sporting mountain only to be pushed off at base camp. Dormant demons climbed on to Jacksons slim shoulders and started taunting him again. After the Olympics, I just thought: Fuck this. I had fought like shit after dreaming for so long for something. I was just in a daze. Old bad habits started to creep back in and I was terrified that I was going to go back those dark old days. I didnt go into professional boxing for money or fame. I went in because I had to have that focus back and the gym gave me that calmness and saved me again. Football in the Canadian Arctic Read more Jacksons professional career started in spartan casinos and town halls across Australia as he slowly built an adoring fanbase. He climbed to the top of the World Boxing Organisation rankings and was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Belfast to fight Carl Frampton for his interim WBO title in Windsor Park. The venues Jackson had fought in across Australia never held more than a few thousand people, many of whom were friendly faces. Not at all. Im not really meant to be here. Im meant to be dead. The fact I was able to compete at that level was everything I was working towards. Whether its 24,000 or 1,000, as a professional fighter you have to tell yourself its just noise. The thing I love about boxing and where I feel this huge sense of calmness is that, after the noise, its a ring, with just you and your opponent. Obviously I had great respect for Carl, but I was ready to compete. The fight was stopped in the ninth round after Jackson took brutal punishment from Frampton. Jackson had fought bravely but he found the loss difficult to process. Boxing is a lot about pride. You work towards these occasions, fighting for a world title in front of thousands of fans in a packed stadium. I worked my guts off, dedicated everything. Then on the night, I just found that he is too good for me. Maybe, but losing is a very hard thing to process for any fighter. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Frampton knocks Jackson down in Belfast. Photograph: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile/Getty It was Jacksons first defeat since London 2012. Again, his physical cuts and bruises have healed quicker than the damage done to his mental state. I was scared of falling again. I am lucky I had a good woman by my side throughout it all. I needed to get back in the ring, as that is what gets me through those difficult times, having that ability to channel the pain into training. Just before Christmas, Jackson returned to the ring in the humble Emporium Function Centre in Western Sydney to face the unheralded Indonesian fighter Rivo Rengkung. Weeks before the fight, Jackson realised he had damaged his right hand, which meant he could only use his jab in training. Thousands of miles away from the bright stadium lights that had shone on him in Belfast, Jackson bit hard on his gumshield using his jab and occasional right hooks to win a convincing points victory. Jackson is now 34 and knows that, while his boxing career will not be infinite, his OCD will always be an unwelcome member of his entourage. I honestly just dont know, but the truth is I absolutely need to find something. I am thinking hard and want to help the young people and give back to the sport that has given me so much. Maybe at the end of my career Ill be able to pass something on and give hope. | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2019/jan/25/boxer-loses-title-fight-luke-jackson-boxing-olympics |
Who is Roger Stone, the longtime Trump ally caught in Mueller's net? | The self-proclaimed dirty trickster, who was arrested on Friday, has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative Roger Stone the self-proclaimed dirty trickster of Republican politics and longtime ally of Donald Trump has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative with a penchant for making brash statements and trafficking in conspiracy theories. Trump ally Roger Stone arrested on seven charges in Mueller inquiry Read more Stone, 66, was arrested by the FBI on Friday following an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller, whose team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election, as well as ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign. The arrest came after months of scrutiny over Stones fate as federal prosecutors zeroed in on the veteran Republican strategist. Stone predicted in August Robert Mueller is coming for me, though he denied wrongdoing and said he faced legal peril simply because he had advised Trump for decades. Sign up for the US morning briefing Raised in Lewisboro, New York, Stones foray into national politics began when he was just 19. An ardent supporter of Richard Nixon, Stone was part of a scheme in 1972 to sink the former presidents longshot primary challenger, Pete McCloskey. The plot, which was uncovered during the congressional hearings on Watergate, entailed sending McCloskey donations from the Young Socialist Alliance and then leaking the information to the press in an attempt to damage his image. Stone remained such a Nixon devotee that he infamously got the former presidents face tattooed on his back. During the 1970s, Stone also played a key role in bringing the full force of outside campaign money behind negative advertising against congressional candidates. He went on to work for Ronald Reagans unsuccessful 1976 presidential campaign and served as a political director on Reagans second bid for president in 1980, which sent him to the White House. Although he did not join the Reagan administration, Stone remained a key player in politics. A Washington Post profile, published in 1986, wrote that Stone, then only 33, earns a reported $450,000 a year, owns two homes and a hot tub, wears $800 designer suits and a Patek Phillipe watch. The following year, Stone urged a real estate developer in New York to run for president: his name was Donald Trump. Over the next three decades, Stone would repeatedly encourage Trump whose celebrity status grew more solidified by his foray into reality television to seek the presidency. When Trump ultimately threw his hat in the race in the 2016 election cycle, Stone was by his side as a campaign adviser. Although Stone later left the campaign in an official capacity, he continued to informally advise then candidate Trump. Left unknown is what if anything Stone told Trump about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks. Muellers indictment included evidence purporting to show that Stone had advanced knowledge of WikiLeaks plans to leak thousands of hacked Democratic party emails. Trump expressed confidence last month that Stone would ultimately stay loyal to his cause, despite mounting pressure from the ongoing FBI investigation. I will never testify against Trump, the president tweeted last month, quoting Stone. This statement was recently made by Roger Stone, essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about President Trump. Nice to know that some people still have guts! | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/25/roger-stone-trump-who-is-he-russia-mueller-investigation |
Should I 'dumb-down' my resume to get a job? | In just about every case I feel the hiring manager will be much younger than I, and I wanted to know how, or if, I should dumb-down my experience to appear less experienced and perhaps less threatening. With more than 20 years of sales experience, I am afraid I will come across as intimidating for some younger hiring managers. - Debra Dear Debra: I think it is much less about coming across as potentially intimidating and much more about painting a competitive picture of your candidacy regardless of the age or experience of the hiring manager. Rarely would a job posting -- if ever -- ask for 20+ years of experience, so you must take your content and keyword cues from the job postings you are applying for. If most of the positions you are seeking are asking for 5-7 or say 8-10 years of experience, present the "expected" 10 or so years of professional experience on your resume. Long gone are the days in which a resume served as a narrative of everything you had ever done in your career; now is the time to make your resume more of a strategic image of what you have done to qualify you for what you now want to do. Hiring managers expect you to present about 8-10 or 10-15 years of experience -- school of thought differs from person to person -- but there really is no need to go back into the 90s unless there are specific elements of that early experience that add value to your candidacy. I would encourage you to think about presenting your experience in a competitive way, versus thinking you need to potentially "dumb-down" your resume. Personally, I do not think diluting the value of your experience ever leads to a job someone wants; it may get you the interview, but it rarely leads to a solid "fit" between employer and employee. Best of luck to you. - James Dear James: Great question! Most resumes, at least those for mid-career professionals, would be two pages in length. It is only when I am working with an entry-level candidate, or someone with very few employers, that I can accomplish a one page resume. There is really no limit on how long a resume can be--I have written 10+-page CVs -- but the general rule is: one page for entry-level candidates, two for professionals, and three for executives. What is more important than selecting an arbitrary length for your resume, is determining how much space you should take to communicate your value. Ensuring you do not sacrifice value for brevity was a focus of a recent column I wrote as far too many candidates focus on the length of a resume instead of spending the appropriate time and space exploring how they have added value to their employers and therefore their candidacy. Remember, in the ever-so-brief screening process, an employer will not even get through page one of your resume before making a decision whether to bring you in. Hence, if you have two pages exploring your candidacy, the employer will spend the time to review that -- just as they would the rest of page one -- after the all-important decision has been made to screen you "in." Therefore, the length of a resume is fairly inconsequential the scheme of the initial screening process, it is much more important to utilize your space wisely. In addition, if you arbitrarily trim your resume to one page, when your resume is scanned for keywords by an applicant tracking system, you will likely have far lower keyword relevance just due to the limited content. I hope this helps shape your decision as to the length of your resume. Samantha Nolan is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and owner of Nolan Branding, a full-service resume writing firm. Reach Samantha at [email protected]. For extended content, visit our Dear Sam Live resource on our website! For information on Nolan Branding's nationwide resume writing services, visit www.nolanbranding.com or call 614-570-3442. | https://www.cleveland.com/careeradvice/2019/01/should_i_dumb-down_my_resume_t.html |
Can Comcast Begin Fiscal 2019 On A Strong Note? | Comcast reported solid fourth quarter results on January 23, as both its earnings per share and revenues came in ahead of market expectations. The companys consolidated revenues grew 5% year-over-year (y-o-y) and its adjusted EBITDA grew 11% y-o-y on a pro forma basis, reflecting solid growth at Cable Communication and NBCUniversal in Q4. The company benefited from continuing gains in Broadband revenues, which offset declines in video revenues as residential subscribers continued cutting cords. On the other hand, NBCUniversal saw strong results in television (broadcast and cable) amid higher distribution, advertising, and licensing revenues. In addition, cost cuts helped the company post adjusted EPS growth of 36% y-o-y to $0.64. Going forward, we expect the company to benefit from this positive momentum and post improved growth in sales and earnings in Q1 driven by its streaming products and X1 services and cost-saving measures. Comcasts management also offered details on its streaming video service that the company expects to launch in the first half of 2020. The service is expected to include current and past seasons of shows seen on NBCU networks as well as some original content. Comcasts stock was down over 15% over the course of 2018, largely due to weakness in its pay-TV business as a result of cord cutting. Our $42 price estimate for Comcasts stock is around 15% ahead of the current market price. We have created an interactive dashboard on What To Expect From Comcasts Q1, which outlines our forecasts for the companys Q1 and full-year fiscal 2019 results. You can modify our forecasts to see the impact any changes would have on the companys earnings and valuation. Expected Trends In Q1 We forecast Comcast to report a minor loss in cable TV subscribers due to expected competition and cord cutting measures in Q1. While cord cutting is likely to weigh on its revenues, the popularity of Xfinity Double and Triple Play bundling should continue to largely offset these declines. Accordingly, we expect the subscriber losses to have a fairly limited impact on the companys top line going forward. In addition, Comcast is also aggressively pursuing over-the-top streaming services, with the launch of Xfinity Stream and the recently rolled out Xfinity Instant TV across markets that the company already serves. Although the company currently does not provide the breakdown for its OTT service, we believe that the streaming service will be instrumental in retaining and attracting consumers for Comcasts cable offerings. NBCUniversals cable network and broadcasting revenues are likely to improve as the increases in contractual rates could increase revenues in Q1. We expect Theme Parks to boost the companys revenues in Q1, driven by the continued increase in guest spending and higher guest attendance in the U.S. FY 2019 Outlook In 2019, Comcasts Filmed Entertainment segment boasts of a strong slate which includes the third installment of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise and the return of the Fast and Furious franchise. The Theme Parks segment has some attractions opening, with Jurassic World in Hollywood and a Harry Potter Coaster in Orlando. Overall, we expect Comcasts theme parks to be an important driver for its long-term growth due to its international expansion as well. The company plans to partner with Nintendo at Universal Studios Japan and open a new large park in Beijing by 2020. We expect the company to benefit from its streaming and broadband services for full-year 2019, and we expect the company to grow at a similar pace as 2018 going forward. We expect Comcast to generate around $95 billion in revenues in 2019. Of the total expected revenues in 2019, we forecast $57 billion for the Cable TV business and nearly $38 billion for NBCUniversal. Comcasts Cable TV business provides video, high-speed internet, voice, and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. We estimate an average count of 21 million video subscribers in the U.S. with an average monthly fee of $85, translating into $21.4 billion in video revenues for fiscal 2019. Comcasts video subscribers and voice subscribers have been declining modestly over the last three years due to stiff competition in live streaming media and telecom alternatives, respectively. We expect this trend to continue in the near term as well. However, we expect Comcasts high-speed internet customers to grow going forward, as the company could benefit from initiatives such as Xfinity Mobile, a wireless service through 16 million WiFi hot-spots. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/can-comcast-begin-fiscal-2019-on-a-strong-note/ |
How Appropriate Is The Objective Of Maximizing Societal Health Outcomes? | Given a set of available healthcare resources, surely maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. The conventional utilitarian approach to economic analysis evaluates healthcare interventions with the aim to maximize the efficiency of the healthcare system in order to produce the greatest population-wide number of a given outcome, such as the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), given certain budget constraints. In effect, what matters according to this narrative is the sum total of the population health and not the distribution of health. Judging from where a disproportionate number of health dollars are spent, namely, difficult to treat conditions that are life-threatening, rare diseases, and end-of-life care, healthcare systems don't operate under a maximization principle. Legislators, for that matter, tend not to think in maximizing terms. Federal and state laws often serve to protect those with severe disabilities, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases by directing funds to shield such patients from the vagaries of the market; for example, mandates to cover cancer and HIV drugs, and Medicare Part D's protected classes clause which ensures that "all or substantially all" drugs in six broad therapeutic categories are covered by Medicare plans. As Professor Tony Culyer of York University once showed in an enlightening hypothetical example several decades ago, societal health maximization ignores distributional concerns and doesn't serve those who are in the poorest baseline health states well. Specifically, Culyer compared the objectives health maximization, resource equalization, and health equalization. In the illustrative example, summarized and adapted from Culyer and depicted in the two tables below, policymakers have 20 resource units to distribute across four subgroups of patients. The initial health outcomes total 230 units of, say, QALYs, with a distribution among subgroups A through D as shown in Table 1. Under each societal objective, such as health maximization, there are three columns. The left-hand column shows the baseline health outcome units for each subgroup. The middle column depicts the healthcare resource distribution per subgroup. And, the right-hand column contains the health outcome units per subgroup after healthcare resources have been spent. The marginal products of healthcare resources - or added QALYs accruing to an increments of resources - are listed in Table 2. 1. Distribution of Healthcare Resources Health maximization Health equalization Resource equalization Subgroup A 100 (5) 100 100 (0) 50 100 (5) 100 Subgroup B 80 (10) 100 80 (0) 50 80 (5) 70 Subgroup C 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 Subgroup D 10 (0) 0 10 (15) 50 10 (5) 10 Aggregate health outcomes and resources allocated 230 (20) 250 230 (20) 200 230 (20) 230 In parentheses, the allocated healthcare resource units are enumerated. 2. Marginal Products of Deployed Healthcare Resources Effect of doing nothing Increasing resources from 0 to 5 Increasing resources from 5 to 10 Increasing resources from 10 to 15 Subgroup A -50 50 30 10 Subgroup B -30 20 30 10 Subgroup C -10 20 30 10 Subgroup D -10 10 30 10 When compared to the two other policy objectives, health maximization yields the greatest overall health outcomes across the population, but also leads to the largest disparity between different subgroups of patients. Subgroup D dies as a result of having no resources allocated to it, while subgroups A, B, and C each gain in terms of health outcomes. Health equalization implies spending nothing at all on the first two subgroups, while spending everything on subgroups C and D. This leveling approach reduces the health of subgroups A and B, while raising the levels of C and D. Resource equalization provides an equal amount of resources to all four subgroups. Here, A and D remain the same in terms of health outcome, while B loses and C gains. In sum, health maximization bumps up against considerable distributional challenges, because it would allocate healthcare resources strictly in accordance with their marginal product, i.e., where they have the most benefit. Though healthcare systems often attempt to maximize health outcomes within specific disease areas or subgroups of patients, for equity reasons healthcare systems generally allocate a disproportionate amount of resources to those in poor health states where the yield (marginal product) of current treatments is usually low. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/01/25/how-appropriate-is-the-objective-of-maximizing-societal-health-outcomes/ |
What Is Kimberly-Clark's Outlook For 2019? | Kimberly-Clarks stock price dropped slightly after it reported its fourth quarter results, as revenues came ahead of market expectations but earnings per share missed. In Q4, the companys net sales declined marginally year-over-year to $4.6 billion, primarily due to a difficult environment particularly significant commodity inflation and negative foreign currency effects. However, the companys organic sales grew 3% y-o-y, as a 3% improvement in net selling prices was offset by a 4% decline due to currency effects. During Q4, the company saw gains in the K-C Professional segment, which was more than offset by weakness in the Personal Care and Customer Tissues segments. In terms of bottom line, Kimberly-Clarks adjusted earnings per share grew slightly, driven by cost savings and reduced overhead spending. Kimberly-Clarks stock price declined slightly over the course of 2018, due to falling prices and rising cost inflation. Our $107 price estimate for Kimberly-Clarks stock is slightly below the current market price. We have created an interactive dashboard on What To Expect From Kimberly-Clarks Q1, which outlines our forecasts for the companys Q1 and full-year fiscal 2019 results. You can modify our forecasts to see the impact any changes would have on the companys earnings and valuation. In Q1, we expect Kimberly-Clarks revenues to decline slightly on the back of continued declines in the Personal Care segment. In addition, commodity costs, foreign exchange challenges, and transportation costs could likely persist in Q1, which could impact the companys growth rates. What To Expect In Fiscal 2019 For full-year 2019, Kimberly-Clark expects its total sales to decline 1% to 2%, including an expected 3% to 4% headwind from currencies. In addition, the company also plans to grow its organic sales by 2% and achieve a higher net selling price of at least 3% in the same period. Further, the company also plans to grow adjusted operating profit by 1% to 4% in fiscal 2019, of which commodities and currencies in total could be a headwind to operating profit of about 20%. All in all, Kimberly-Clark is targeting full-year adjusted earnings per share of $6.50 to $6.70 and diluted earnings per share of $4.85 to $5.35. Overall, we expect the environment to remain challenging for the company in 2019, although better than in 2018. Margin Pressure To Continue Kimberly-Clarks full-year gross margin was 33.2%, down 270 basis points y-o-y. The primary reason for this decline was higher pulp and raw material cost and inflation commodities were a drag of $795 million for the year. We expect the continued cost pressure from inflation in raw materials and input costs to hurt the companys margins going forward, as the company has guided for its full-year commodity inflation to fall in the range of $300 million to $400 million in 2019. In addition, some big-box retailers aggressive pushes towards launching their own private-label products could impact Kimberly-Clarks shelf space, which could also put pressure on margins. Growth In Cost Savings Program In 2018, Kimberly-Clark achieved $510 million of cost savings, which include its FORCE and Restructuring program savings. The company had announced its restructuring program as part of a multi-year cost savings target, whereby it set a four-year cost savings target of more than $1.5 billion. These savings are to be achieved by improving productivity at manufacturing facilities, optimizing raw material and product design costs, generating benefits from procurement activities and improving distribution efficiencies. Kimberly-Clark expects the program to generate annual pre-tax cost savings of $500 million to $550 million by the end of 2021 through workforce reductions in the range of 5000 to 5500, or about 12% to 13% of its total workforce. Additionally, this program is expected to broadly impact all of the companys business segments and organizations in each major geography. For 2019, the company is targeting to deliver $400 million to $450 million of total cost savings. This includes FORCE savings of $300 million to $325 million and restructuring savings of $100 million to $125 million. In addition, supply chain related restructuring activities and savings are also expected to ramp up in 2019. Growth In Emerging Markets Markets outside North America remain an area of strength for the company, as almost 48% of total sales are observed here. In 2018, Kimberly-Clarks organic sales grew 2% y-o-y in emerging markets, compared to 1% y-o-y growth in developed markets. The company is looking at developing and emerging markets to drive growth, as it grapples with weak pricing and market saturation in the North American market. The company has strong growth prospects in markets such as China and Brazil, primarily due to low penetration of its category products in these regions, and the likely increase in the consumption of these products with economic development. We expect this to be a key driver for Kimberly-Clarks long-term growth. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/what-is-kimberly-clarks-outlook-for-2019/ |
Did Dave Dombrowski close the door on Craig Kimbrel's return? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Judging by Dave Dombrowski's most recent comments, it doesn't look like Craig Kimbrel will be back in Boston for 2019. Scroll to continue with content Ad The Red Sox President of Baseball Operations already implied earlier in the offseason that there would be no big expenditure for a closer. That insinuation now appears to be more definitive. Dombrowski appeared on Thursday's episode of Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, where he was asked whether he anticipates the team making any additions before the 2019 season. "I don't, really," Dombrowski said. "I mean, I would gather that if we did anything, they would be bullpen oriented. That's where we've lost a couple guys, but we do like some of the people we have in our 'pen and some guys coming back. And I think the rest of the club is pretty well stabilized so I don't really see where we would make any moves. So that's the one area where you keep an open mind to." "I don't anticipate a large expenditure there. I think it'd be more big-league roster invites and see if they can make the club. But of course you keep a pulse on everything taking place and if there's one area, that would be it." If Dombrowski indeed decides to pass on Kimbrel, that means it'll likely be Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, and Tyler Thornburg competing for the closer role. Kimbrel has been linked to the Phillies as a possible destination. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-dave-dombrowski-close-door-230043817.html?src=rss |
Why is Vanderbilt turning hostile to religion on its campus? | Once upon a time, American universities encouraged students to create community around common interests and protected the right of student organizations to operate in a manner consistent with their beliefs. But a rising tide of resistance to religious organizations on college campuses, allegedly aimed at reducing intolerance, ironically advances it, fostering an unwelcoming and hostile learning environment for many students and threatening the very existence of religious student organizations. In the fall of 2010, Vanderbilt University began investigating the constitutions of every religious organization on its Nashville, Tenn., campus after a discrimination complaint was filed against a Christian fraternity. During the investigation, the university changed the student organization handbook to remove a section protecting religious association. The university eliminated a clause that read, "In affirming its commitment to this principle [of non-discrimination], the University does not limit freedom of religious association and does not require adherence to this principle by government agencies or external organizations that associate with but are not controlled by the University." In a letter to Vanderbilt students and faculty on Jan. 20, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos insisted that the university "does not seek to limit anyone's freedom to practice his or her religion. We do, however, require all Vanderbilt registered student organizations to observe our nondiscrimination policy. That means membership in registered student organizations is open to everyone and that everyone, if desired, has the opportunity to seek leadership positions." Contrary to the university's stated goal of inclusion and tolerance, the change in policy jeopardizes the operational freedom of all religious organizations on campus. Patricia Helland, an associate dean who oversees religious life at Vanderbilt, defended the change in an interview saying "organizations can have core beliefs, but that organizations can't require their members or leaders to abide by or adhere to those core beliefs." The answer is: It can't. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy enables a Jewish student to become president of the Muslim student organization, or a Christian student to become the president of the campus Hindu organization. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy undermines the very purpose of encouraging students to organize around a common interest, threatening students' ability to create community and develop vibrant supporting and learning environments for themselves. While university administrations and it's not just Vanderbilt; certain universities across America are instituting overly broad, counterproductive nondiscrimination policies seem blind to their own cognitive dissonance, the Supreme Court, fortunately, has acknowledged the fundamental importance to religious entities of government noninterference with their leadership standards. In his concurring opinion in the Jan. 11 decision in Hosanna-Tabor vs. EEOC regarding religious association, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that "a religious body's right to self-governance must include the ability to select, and to be selective about, those who will serve as the very embodiment of its message." University administrators and the activists who are targeting religious organizations with discrimination complaints would have us believe that new anti-discrimination policies are not that big of a deal. But under Vanderbilt's policy, for example, all registered organizations religious, non-religious, fraternities, sororities and political organizations alike must agree to the new policy by April 16. Otherwise, in the name of fairness under these misguided policies, they should be forced off campus. Vanderbilt's new religious nondiscrimination policy is still subject to input from the community (although university officials have denied the local Christian Legal Society president a chance to speak on behalf of the school's religious organizations at an upcoming town hall meeting.) But on many campuses the quest for tolerance has already codified aggressive intolerance, and on many more it could come in the near future. If students are to flourish in a learning environment that values diversity, community and debate, college administrators must return to the nationwide practice of allowing an exemption in their religious nondiscrimination policy for religious organizations organizations whose very reason for existence is to promote a particular religion. Policies like Vanderbilt's irrationally discriminate against such groups, and fail to fulfill universities' duty to protect students' rights to associate and operate under their constitutionally-protected beliefs. Jason Hoyt is the Executive Director of Beta Upsilon Chi, a national Christian fraternity affected by Vanderbilt's change in policy. | https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-is-vanderbilt-turning-hostile-to-religion-on-its-campus |
Whats the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? | Diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, typically associated with abnormally high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Although there are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, its important to note that they are two very distinct conditions, each with its own symptoms and treatments. By understanding these differences and learning the correct treatment strategies for your specific condition, you should be able to manage it more effectively. Here are the main differences between the two most common forms of diabetes. Causes Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin a hormone that enables cells to absorb sugar and convert it into energy. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in younger people. The disease can be caused by a range of factors, including genetics and contact with certain viruses. Similar to type 1, type 2 diabetes is related to the bodys inability to use insulin effectively. Individuals with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but it is either resisted by the body or produced at insufficient levels. This is, by far, the most common form of the disease, accounting for roughly 95 percent of all diabetes cases, according to the American Diabetes Association. Although the exact cause is unknown, excess weight and poor diet are thought to contribute to its development. Symptoms While both types of diabetes exhibit similar symptoms, there are a few small, noticeable differences. Like those with type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers may experience increased thirst, hunger and frequent urination, as well as weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision. However, while these symptoms often develop very quickly with type 1 diabetes, many individuals can live with type 2 diabetes for years before it is diagnosed. Sufferers of type 2 diabetes may also notice telltale dark patches on the skin around the folds of the body, such as the armpits. If you suspect that you may have diabetes, ask your doctor about getting a blood test. Treatment Unfortunately, both types of diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. However, by closely monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels, you can keep the effects of diabetes to a minimum. Since type 1 sufferers are unable to produce insulin properly, they require regular insulin therapy. Insulin levels are generally managed using a combination of rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, in conjunction with intermediate treatments. Managing type 2 diabetes can be less demanding, though it still requires plenty of discipline and determination. Monitoring your glucose levels regularly is essential to preventing dangerous fluctuations. You should be vigilant about eating a healthy diet and trying to exercise regularly. Over time, you should begin to learn how your body responds to specific foods and activities, which will enable you to treat your glucose levels accordingly. | https://www.foxnews.com/health/whats-the-difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes |
Can Ruthy Hebard, Oregon continue dominance against Washington State? | EUGENE Few players have dominated a conference opponent as much as Ruthy Hebard has tormented Washington State. The Oregon junior forward scored a career-high 34 points and had nine rebounds in a 98-58 dismantling of the Cougars earlier this month, which came after she averaged 27 points and 9.5 boards against Wazzu last season. Hebard, who is 39 for her last 47 from the field against WSU, cant explain why she has so much success in the series entering tonights game in Pullman (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Im not sure but Im glad I am having it, she said. I have great teammates that can move the ball inside and I think we all do well against all of our opponents. The obvious reason for Hebards success is her size advantage against the undersized Cougars. No. 5 Oregon (17-1, 6-0 Pac-12) can score from anywhere on the floor, but with such a disparity in size and athleticism the Ducks can pound the ball inside against Washington State (7-11, 2-5 Pac-12). They have a little smaller girls, not as fast, Hebard said. So we have to go inside to the bigger, faster post players and hopefully dominate in there. Satou Sabally, who is leading the Ducks in scoring (20.3 points) in Pac-12 play, had 25 points and seven rebounds against WSU earlier this month, when the Ducks outscored the Cougars 62-40 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 45-26. Shes noticed teams defending her differently and trying to take away her 3-point shots. I definitely realize that theyre taking my shot more serious, which frees me more open for a drive," Sabally said. "So I guess thats fine. If WSU takes that approach it would play into Oregons hand even more, further underlining how lopsided a matchup this series is. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/can-ruthy-hebard-oregon-continue-dominance-against-washington-state.html |
Should steroid users be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January, and there are a few notorious names on the ballots. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are infamous steroid users, but they are still garnering votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored among the game's greatest players. Others believe they have paid the price, and their greatness deserves to be recognized. PERSPECTIVES Baseball is a game of integrity and honor. There is no room for cheaters. Steroid users represent an era of players who didn't respect the game enough to play it the right way. Instead of earning their way with talent and hard work, they turned to substances to get money and glory. They may have gotten numbers, but those numbers mean nothing because they were ill-conceived. Baseball has lost its way by thinking that the Steroid Era was acceptable because everyone was doing it. The bottom line is that steroid users cheated, and cheaters should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. If you ever failed a test, got suspended, or admitted to using performance enhancers you should NOT be in the hall of fame. No hard feelings but you disgraced the integrity of the game, your stats are tainted. You don't deserve the honor. -- Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher22) January 18, 2019 It is pretty rich that baseball players of yesteryear are complaining about steroid use when they weren't clean themselves. Most players took "greenies" or amphetamines in order to gain an unfair advantage against those who wouldn't. The hypocrisy of those players has no merit in the discussion of letting steroids users into the Hall of Fame. The reality is that players who played in the Steroid Era made it more popular with their long bombs and incredible pitching. Steroids might make you bigger and stronger, but it doesn't help with seeing a pitch and making contact with it. It doesn't help curve a ball more. It still takes an immense amount of talent to be a great player. If steroids helped so much, then everyone would be a Hall of Famer. They may not have been clean, but Steroid Era greats still belong in the Hall of Fame. COLUMN: It's past time for Bonds, Clemens to earn Hall of Fame induction The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_steroid_users_be_induct.html |
What's Texas Instruments' 2019 Outlook After Its Q4 Earnings Beat? | Semiconductor bellwether Texas Instruments published its Q4 2018 results on Wednesday. While the company reported a stronger than expected set of earnings, its guidance for the first quarter was somewhat mixed, on account of cooling demand for semiconductor products and the uncertainty caused by the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. In this note, we provide a brief overview of what could lie ahead for the company. Our interactive dashboard on what to expect from Texas Instruments in 2019 provides an overview of the company's key value drivers. You can modify any of our forecasts and estimates to gauge the impact changes would have on the company's valuation. Outlook For Q1 2019 Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to $1.21 per share, marking a decline of ~17% year-over-year at the midpoint, with revenues expected to come in between $3.34 billion and $3.62 billion a decline of close to 8% year-over-year at the midpoint. The semiconductor industry appears headed to a downturn, on account of slower demand for personal electronics such as smartphones after years of robust growth. The Chinese market, in particular, is cooling off, with TI noting that this could be due to both lower local demand as well as reduced exports. China (including Hong Kong) accounted for over 40% of the companys shipments over the first nine months of the year. However, this could be partly mitigated by stronger demand for analog semiconductors from the deployment of 5G telecom networks as well as continued growth in areas such as industrial and automotive, where semiconductor content is generally rising. While the downcycles typically last about 12 months, the company has indicated that this could be worsened by the current trade tensions. Inventory holding is typically a closely-watched metric for analog semiconductor players, as the build-up of unsold components serves as an indicator of customer confidence, with higher inventory levels potentially hurting selling prices. TIs inventory position has been expanding, coming in ahead of its projected range at 152 days in Q4, up by about 18 days from a year ago. This could also point to some softness in the market going forward. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/whats-texas-instruments-2019-outlook-after-its-q4-earnings-beat/ |
What happens to the stuff we leave in hotel rooms? | Frank Ropp takes a call in the lost-and-found at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel in November. Frank Ropp takes a call in the lost-and-found at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel in November. 1 / 4 Back to Gallery For more stories like this, check out The Chronicles weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. Jo Licata wasnt sure what to do with the 6-foot-tall stuffed dinosaur in her office. The massive Barney doll had been left at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square last year, and it was Licatas job to dispatch it. Licata, the hotels community projects manager, immediately reached out to some of the more than 50 nonprofits the Hilton works with in the Bay Area on accepting donations. If the giant toy didnt faze her, its because Licata has seen far stranger things left behind. Her office is nearly always filled with bags of guest clothing, assorted luggage and boxes of convention giveaways, from logo water bottles to clip-on tubes of hand sanitizer. Barney was just one of the literally thousands of items from phone chargers and suit jackets to diamond earrings and baby strollers that are forgotten or abandoned every month by guests and conventioneers. I love getting unusual items because it is a challenge, Licata says. Items left at hotels run the gamut from the mundane to the exotic to the (ahem) unmentionable. Most of the items left behind at the Hilton and other San Francisco hotels dont just sit around languishing in a lost-and-found pile or get tossed in the trash. Many go on to lead second lives if they arent claimed. Even random oddities such as sign boards, walkers, orphaned earrings, abandoned luggage, medical supplies and yes, a giant stuffed dinosaur are donated to organizations that can put them to good use. What people leave According to a 2015 survey released by G6 Hospitality, which owns lodging brands Motel 6 and Studio 6, 54 percent of 1,060 American travelers surveyed said they had left something behind in a hotel room at some point in their lives. The survey found that 29 percent are more likely to accidentally leave a belonging behind in a hotel room than take a hotel item like shampoo or soap home with them. In addition, 35 percent of those surveyed have returned to a hotel to retrieve what they forgot. By far, the most common items left behind in hotels are phone and electronics chargers. With 1,921 guest rooms and an additional 1,000 rooms at its Park 55 property, the Hilton Union Square alone collects about 250 chargers a month. The Fairmont San Francisco and the Palace in San Francisco also collect hundreds of chargers every month, which are held for a period of time before they are disposed of. I always tell people who have left their chargers at home to go to the concierge and ask for one, Licata says. But every six weeks, we have an e-waste company that comes and picks those items up. Clothing like hoodies and coats, business clothes, shoes, rain jackets, dresses and even more intimate items also are commonly left behind in hotel rooms, along with eyewear and jewelry. Other than the underwear, clothes, eyeglasses and other usable articles are usually donated to homeless shelters, womens shelters, the Salvation Army and other nonprofits. Suitcases and strollers that people buy just for the trip and leave behind are given to programs that help single moms and homeless families. July and August are our big vacation months, but people who come here dont always realize that these are not warm months, Licata said. They end up having to buy sweatshirts and hooded jackets because they were unprepared for the cold. Sometimes, they just leave those items behind. Even trade show and convention giveaways like T-shirts and caps find a new life at San Francisco nonprofits. Totes are especially in demand, Licata said. A lot of times, these conventions and trade shows dont want to have to ship those leftover items back, Licata said. Totes are really popular. All the organizations want the totes. Orphaned earrings and other costume jewelry, leftover trade show signage and similar items are donated to Scrounging for Creative Repurposing of Art Products (SCRAP) or to nonprofit theater companies and schools. Medical equipment abandoned after a medical trade show was a little harder to place, Licata said. She ended up finding a nonprofit that sends medical devices to developing countries. Even those are repurposed. We harvest the scrap soap every three to four weeks and send it to Clean the World, which melts them down, sanitizes them and creates new soap thats sent to developing countries and to disaster relief, like the areas recently hit by the hurricanes, said Licata. Where leftovers end up Most San Franciscos hotels follow protocol from the California Hotel and Lodging Association, which recommends that found items be turned in to the hotels lost-and-found department where they are logged and held for a period of time under the watchful eye of the hotels security officer. After 90 days, if we havent successfully reunited the item with its owner, the person who discovered the item gets first dibs on it, Licata says. After that, we donate the items to the community. Possessions are sent back to guests when requested. Call the hotels lost-and-found department as soon as possible. They will be happy to make arrangements to have items returned, says Michelle Heston, regional director of public relations for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. By protocol, any found illegal items are immediately reported and surrendered to local authorities. Sometimes, hotels go above and beyond to return beloved items. At the Palace Hotel, a little girls stuffed rabbit got mixed up with the bedding and sent off to laundry service during housekeeping. The girl was distraught. Our director of housekeeping went down to the laundry service, and they were able to find Rabby, but the family had already left to go home to Texas, says Rene Roberts of Rene Roberts Marketing & Public Relations, representing San Franciscos Palace Hotel. So we took pictures of Rabby by the pool, Rabby having a tea party, Rabby hanging out with the chef and riding in an expensive automobile and sent those pictures to the family so they knew we were taking good care of Rabby. Housekeeping created a duvet for Rabby to sleep on in the return package and included the photo album of Rabbys adventure for the family when the toy was returned. It was a cute little thing to do, and it made the little girl happy, Roberts says. Not all items are easy to return, however. One of the oddest items the Palace has shipped to an owner was a set of tires left in a room and a full-length mink coat. The Fairmont San Francisco once found an artificial leg and a set of dentures. If its an item of any value, people will call to get them back. We find a lot of laptops, electronic devices, jewelry and items that people want to claim, Roberts says. Items of a more racy, romantic nature are also kept, in case the owners want them back. Depending on the item, some are discarded after a defined period of time if no one claims it, Heston says. As for Barney, he, too, found a second calling: Hilton Union Square donated the massive stuffed dinosaur to Child Protective Services. We got a call about two sisters who were removed from the home. The 3-year-old was inconsolable, but when she walked into the childrens waiting area, she saw Barney and just ran and threw herself on him, clinging to him for comfort, Licata says. That brought tears to my eyes when I heard that. Heide Brandes is a freelance writer. Email: [email protected]. | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/What-happens-to-the-stuff-we-leave-in-hotel-rooms-13561606.php |
Who is the Brexit-supporting Lord Bamford of JCB fame? | Long before Lord Bamford, the chairman of the machinery manufacturer JCB, invited Boris Johnson to speak at his company earlier this month, the billionaire had bulldozed his way into British politics. Johnson was paid 10,000 by the company three days before he gave his 18 January Brexit-themed speech, which was widely seen as his latest tilt at the Conservative leadership and which he peppered with repeated praise for the companys business acumen and innovation. The payment was disclosed on the new register of MPs financial interests this week, which also showed that JCB was paying the former Brexit secretary David Davis 60,000 a year as an external adviser. But while this has caused the odd eyebrow to arch, JCB has a long track record of working closely with top Tories to further the Conservative cause. This was the billionaire Bamford playing to form. First, the tycoon is a director of the Centre for Policy Studies, which will forever be known as Margaret Thatchers favourite thinktank. Second, the Brexit-supporting Conservative peer and his family have a long history of writing cheques not only to fund the obligatory yacht, the private jet and the classic Ferrari collection, but also in support of their favourite political causes and actors. The Bamford family, which was said to be worth 3.6bn in last years Sunday Times Rich List, along with JCB have handed over almost 10m in political donations since 2001, according to records held by the Electoral Commission. The vast majority of that largesse has benefited the Conservative party and its MPs with former chancellor George Osborne, as well as Johnson and Davis, recorded as receiving donations ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 in the decade to 2010. Around 1.3m was donated to organisations campaigning to leave the European Union. This all chimes with the image of Bamford, who started running JCB in 1975 after his father and company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford stepped down. Born in 1945, Bamford fils was schooled at Ampleforth College, the North Yorkshire Catholic school, and then Grenoble University in the south-east of France, where he has said he did more skiing than anything else. But he was quickly to grow up, taking control of the company and converting it into a firm that now employs more than 15,000 people and in 2017 had revenues topping 3bn. The company boasts, probably justifiably, that Bamford has presided over JCB winning 30 Queens Awards for Innovation and Enterprise. So JCB is a business success, but it is far from just being a British success. Plenty of its triumphs have been forged overseas and, specifically, in Europe. JCB Service the top of the chain in the group of UK JCB companies is owned by a company in the Netherlands, which the UK accounts say is controlled by the Bamford family. Europe accounts for 28% of the more than 3bn revenues booked at JCB Service, the largest single market, India is next with 23%, and the UK third at 19%. But it is not just Bamfords education, property and business that ties him to jurisdictions outside the British Isles. The register of Lords interests shows that Bamford owns a house in Cabasson on the French south coast, where a yacht reportedly owned by the tycoon is currently moored. On Thursday the JCB private jet touched down in Barbados, which apart from being the venue where England were playing a Test match is also a part of the world in which Bamford has had other ties. Months before he was made a peer by David Cameron, the businessman closed down a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, according to documents seen by the Guardian during the Panama Papers investigation. This had echoes of the previous occasion Bamford had been recommended for a peerage by Cameron, shortly after the Conservatives formed a government in 2010. However, the businessman then withdrew his name from consideration. Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk He told the Telegraph in 2013: There was a black mark next to my name with the [Inland] Revenue, but PricewaterhouseCoopers, who had not been my personal accountants, did an in-depth and complete review of my accounts going back 10 years. And actually found that the revenue owed me money. [The allegations were] completely wrong. Other controversies include a 39.6m fine for JC Bamford Group in 2000 from the European commission for very serious antitrust violations. The competition commissioner, Mario Monti, said at the time: It is shocking that important companies present in all member states still jeopardise the most fundamental principles of the internal market to the detriment of distributors and, ultimately, consumers.. JCB did not respond to invitations to comment. | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/25/brexit-supporting-lord-bamford-of-jcb-fame-boris-johnson-david-davis |
Does Dwyane Wade believe he deserves spot in All-Star Game? | Despite finishing with the second-most fan votes among Eastern Conference guards, Dwyane Wade did not get selected as an All-Star starter for the Feb. 17 game. Wade has no problem with that. The Heat guard has made it clear he believes other East guards deserve the honor over him, and he made the point again Friday. If Im choosing an All-Star, Im not picking me, Wade said in advance of the Heats road game against the Cavaliers. Its not an indictment on anything, but guys that deserve to be All-Stars will be All-Stars. Digital Access For Only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Bostons Kyrie Irving and Charlottes Kemba Walker were the two East guards voted in as starters. While Wade, who is in his 16th and final season before retirement, finished with the second-most fan votes among East guards, he was sixth in both the player and media vote. In the end with all of the different categories of votes accounted for (fan balloting 50 percent of the vote, with players and a media panel each accounting for 25 percent of the vote), he finished tied with Philadelphias Ben Simmons for third place. Theres still hope for Wade to make one final All-Star Game before he retires, but it will have to be as a reserve. The coaches determine the seven reserves from each conference, which will be announced next Thursday. On Thursdays TNT broadcast, Charles Barkley said hes against Wade getting a spot in the All-Star Game based solely on this being his final NBA season. There are guys that are only going to make the All-Star team one time in their life, Barkley said. This might be their only time. ... We all love Dwyane Wade. But for the reserves, there are some guys Im pulling for, who this might be the only time in their life they are going to make the All-Star team. Thats why I dont like that. The 37-year-old Wade entered Friday averaging 13.8 points on 43 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in a bench role for the Heat this season. Wades competition for a backcourt reserve spot includes Simmons (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists), Washingtons Bradley Beal (24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5 assists), Milwaukees Eric Bledsoe (15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists) and Torontos Kyle Lowry (14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 9.4 assists). Indianas Victor Oladipo would have made this list, but he suffered a ruptured quad tendon Wednesday that will force him to miss the rest of the season. All of these players are putting up better numbers than Wade, but his selection as a starter would have more to do with celebrating the final season of a Hall of Fame career and less to do with statistics. For the first time, I actually agree with Charles Barkley and what he said, said Wade, who is a 12-time All-Star and has been voted in as a starter 10 times over the first 15 seasons of his NBA career. Theres a lot of guys that get their first chance to be All-Stars [Simmons and Bledsoe], and if they deserve it then they deserve it and they should have those spots. I appreciate the love from my fans to even vote me, to have as many votes as I did. But from an All-Star standpoint, theres multiple guys that deserve to be in there and I hope they get their opportunity. Rodney staying patient Despite receiving his first DNP-coachs decision (did not play, coachs decision) of the season in Wednesdays loss to the Clippers, Heat wing player Rodney McGruder is keeping a positive attitude about his role. Coach [Erik Spoelstra] has done a great job of keeping me focused, keeping my mind clear, McGruder said before Fridays game. Its just being prepared if my number is called. So Im just sitting back waiting on my moment, hearing my number called. At the end of the night, just being a great teammate and doing all the little things that can help lead to a victory. Before Wednesday, McGruder had started in each of the 44 games he had been available for this season. Hes only been unavailable once, missing a Dec. 23 win over the Magic because of a stomach illness. Tyler Johnson started in place of McGruder against the Clippers. You just have an understanding you only can control what you can control, that is being prepared and being professional, McGruder said. Guard Dion Waiters missed Friday mornings shootaround because of a migraine. He is a game-time decision for the Heats matchup against the Cavaliers. | https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article225065175.html |
Why Are Investors Pouring Millions Into 3-D Printing? | 3-D printing, once thought to be a consumer-targeted solution, is more often seen today in industrial environments, speeding prototyping processes and increasingly producing end-use parts. Demanding industries like automotive, aerospace, medical and manufacturing are installing 3-D printers -- both desktop and industrial, printing in both plastics and metals -- and putting them to use in operations. To continue to see advances in additive manufacturing, the companies behind the technologies need significant funding. And theyre getting it. This week alone, major investments included Desktop Metals phenomenal $160 million and a $22 million funding round for Essentium. Following successful rounds of investment, three companies in the 3-D printing industry are currently valued at over $1 billion. These unicorns, Carbon, Desktop Metal and Formlabs, have each seen marvelous growth over the last several years. Carbon, which hit unicorn status back in 2015, has, as of November 2018, raised $422 million in venture funding at a valuation of $1.7 billion. The Redwood City, California-based company has since been joined by the two Boston-based firms in unicorn status. In 2017, Desktop Metal hit the billion dollar valuation mark; after this weeks round, valuation is up to approximately $1.5 billion, with $438 million in total investment. Kickstarted on Kickstarter and with investment north of $100M and significant desktop 3-D printer sales, Formlabs reached unicorn status in August 2018. With startups seeing success and long-lived public companies that patented some of the first 3-D printing technologies -- think 3D Systems (with selective laser sintering, or SLS) and Stratasys (with fused deposition, or FDM) -- pulling in hefty revenues, this industry is picking up significantly. Valuations are high, investments rising steadily and business prospects booming. The investment announcements this week provide some insight there: both Desktop Metal and Essentium are looking specifically toward industrial solutions. While 3-D printing traces its roots back to prototyping applications -- where there remains significant opportunity to lower costs and shorten timelines in the product development cycle -- excitement in 2019 centers around production. Scale production, at speeds and costs to rival traditional technologies, remains something of a holy grail for 3-D printing. The additive manufacturing workflow is still held up with several well-known roadblocks and barriers to entry. Design for additive manufacture (DfAM) is its own skill set unique from conventional design for subtractive technologies, and mastering these new techniques and putting to use next-generation capabilities (e.g., generative design, topology optimization) is a stumbling block in adoption. Once designed, a piece must then be built: the actual 3-D printing. Process controls and metrology are critical here, as is the materials science of the powders, resins, pellets, filaments or other input materials that will be built up. Post-processing was long referred to in the industry as the dirty secret of additive manufacturing, as impressive print speeds would be followed up with post-processing flows that might be equivalent to 100% of the print time with the many processes involved (think removal of support material, sintering for metals, surface finishing). The companies that are overcoming these hurdles in the end-to-end additive manufacturing process are the ones attracting investment. Essentium, for instance, has developed a High Speed Extrusion (HSE) platform that promises unprecedented speed and strength in extrusion-based 3-D printing. Work with partners BASF for materials and Materialise for software extended into this weeks $22M funding, as both partners are also investors. (The three companies relationships run deep, as BASF is also a $25M investor into Materialise.) The hope for HSE is to overcome existing limitations in extrusion-based (FFF/FDM) 3-D printing for, ultimately, impact in industries like aerospace, automotive, biomedical and contract manufacturing. This Series A funding round is designated for scale manufacturing, engineering, international distribution, sales and marketing operations to meet market demand for HSE as the technology targets injection molding for strength, speed and scale. For its part, Desktop Metals $438M combined funding rounds now make it, says the company, the highest funded private 3D printing endeavor in history. This is unsurprising for the fast-growing operation, which had pulled in hundreds of millions before shipping a single product but had plenty to show potential investors. Now shipping its initial suite of products, the Studio System that seems to give Desktop Metal its name with desktop 3-D printers, the company is set to soon start shipping its larger Production Systems this quarter. But the massive cash flow at Desktop Metal is not bound only for these two systems. A recent conversation with Desktop Metal co-founder and CEO Ric Fulop elicited more intrigue with promise of still more to come from the busy Boston company. Fulop, who called from Davos, where hes been exchanging thoughts on 3-D printing at the World Economic Forum this week, said that his team is continuing to do our thing and this investment round was a long time in the making and opens up lots of opportunities. We have a very rich product roadmap of things we have not talked about publicly, Fulop told me. Whats exciting for us in funding these projects is that were expanding the applications our technology is currently targeting. Hopefully this will turn into lots of new things that will really advance our industry forward. The company is set to explore advanced materials and metal processes, working to amplify the range of things you can do with 3-D printing. Conversations at Davos were interesting for Fulop, as he noted interactions with people you thought would never need a metal 3-D printer. But metal parts are used in all sorts of stuff, if you can change the design of products it really opens the possibilities. Opening possibilities is something of a throughline across the board in 3-D printing, which enables new geometries and properties not possible with any other manufacturing method. Todays technologies are increasingly differentiated, with new solutions emerging to target existing deficiencies. Recent funding rounds are many, indicating the many ways in which the additive manufacturing industry is growing. A very small sampling of investments to emerge recently include: $19M for Stratasys spin-off Evolve Additive Solutions $13M for metal company Digital Alloys $5M for post-processing startup Dye Mansion $2.5M for Fortify and its composite technology $1.2M for ASTM International to continue to develop standards around additive manufacturing And of course, companies continue to seek additional investment to grow. Israel-based Nano Dimension, with about $30M in funding to date for its electronics 3-D printing technology, is reportedly seeking a $29M investment round. Poland-based Sinterit, which raised $1M in 2017, is currently seeking new investors for its desktop SLS 3-D printers. The breadth and increasing depth of the 3-D printing industry show an increasingly competitive environment. With seven ASTM-recognized 3-D printing processes to date, each with their own unique pros and cons, and additional technologies developing at a fast clip, investors have quite a field to examine. The companies looking to grow know this. The reckless start-up era is going down, and money-burning companies are in retreat. Now, especially in Europe, it is more difficult to get financing for the venture, so the companies must show the real potential, Sinterit acknowledges as it prepares for its next funding round. The company says it experienced 260% growth in 2018, adding that, Effective investment trend shows that we are facing the professionalization of the market. 3-D printing has faced hype in the past, with the accompanying disappointment of technologies that did not live up to their promises and companies that saw their stock values plummet. The promises are growing again as the industry grows up, and investors are increasingly requiring further proof to build their confidence and open their wallets. Growth in 3-D printing is significant, and the currently $7 billion industry is expected to continue to see substantial (read: double-digit annual) gains. Large players see great potential, with promises from the likes of HP Inc. to disrupt the $12 trillion global manufacturing market as 3-D printing continues to make headway in production. Investors are buying in, and we can expect to hear announcements of more major funding rounds pop up regularly as R&D and proofs-of-concept continue to make their way toward viability. With such a bright road ahead for 3-D printing, it makes sense that the path to funding is an important part of the journey. While more competitive than ever before, the landscape of 3-D printing is flush with opportunity to develop and grow new processes and business strategies -- and investors are keeping close watch. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahgoehrke/2019/01/25/why-are-investors-pouring-millions-into-3-d-printing/ |
Is Restoration Hardware The Retail Experience That Will Change The Way Millennials Buy Furniture? | We are living in one of the most historically difficult times for retail. Stores are closing, the number of salespeople on the floor is dwindling and the consumer experience hasnt changed much, at least for the better, in a long time. But high-end furniture brand Restoration Hardware is looking to refine the retail experience. While millennials (and generation Z for that matter) tend to value experiences over things, Chairman and CEO of RH, Gary Friedman doesnt see this a problem. He has reinvented RH to create a retail experience that is totally unparalleled. More importantly, there is proof his strategy is working. The companys Third Quarter Report of 2018 revealed the adjusted net income increased 92% to $46.8 million. A Retailer Without Stores RH doesnt call their retail locations stores, but rather galleries, of which there are 86 total. The companys mall-based legacy galleries, which range in size from approximately 6,000-10,000 square feet are being phased out. This makes sense, as malls throughout America have been in decline for years now. Instead, Friedman is choosing to focus on large format design galleries, which are anywhere from 46,000 to 90,000 square feet. While the smaller stores offered an experience that wasnt too different from most furniture stores, albeit at a higher price point, the new galleries are offering up way more than furniture and dcor. Location is also key to this strategy. In addition to markets like New York, Chicago etc, RH has also been opening up bespoke galleries in affluent second home markets that are specially tailored to the local culture. There are currently locations in the Hamptons, Palm Beach, and Yountville, with plans to open in Aspen. Selling A Lifestyle In New York One of the most notable locations is the RH Gallery in the Meatpacking District in New York, which opened in September 2018. The historical landmark building was originally owned by John Jacob Astor in the late 19th century. RH collaborated with architect James Gillam of Backen & Gillam to renovate the building which features the original brick faade with cast iron I-beams. At the very least, the space can be described as majestic. It has six floors over a sprawling 90,000 square feet. Every large and small detail of the gallery is highly intentional. There is not one inch of space that has been overlooked. One hallmark is artist Alison Bergers dramatic installation New York Night, which prominently hangs 90 feet through the staircase. There is also a glass elevator so striking, it almost feels like a tourist attraction without the grit. The Goods With all of these amenities, the last thing to notice is that the store actually sells furniture. But there is plenty to buy with individual floors dedicated to each line, Modern, Outdoor, Baby & Child, and TEEN. Complimentary in house-design services are also available. Hospitality While chasing down a bottle of water can be a challenge at most furniture stores, the galleries in Chicago, West Palm Beach, Nashville, Toronto, New York, and Yountville have food and beverage programs. The New York gallery has a rooftop restaurant by Brendan Sodikoff, as well as a barista bar and wine terrace. Sodikoffs restaurant doesnt look or feel like any restaurant you would find even at a high-end department store. The space itself is easily fit for a wedding or other high-end event. (But no, they dont allow it.) There are multi-million dollar city views and even an outdoor garden terrace. The level of sophistication is also reflected in the menu, which includes American favorites like lobster rolls and truffled grilled cheese. An Experience Like No Other The interesting thing about RHs galleries with restaurants is that many customers are likely just going there to eat. Speaking to several people who had been to the New York restaurant or were planning on it, they revealed that they had no plans to buy furniture. The vibe of the space feels more like the nearby Soho House than a retail store. The restaurant almost feels entirely separate from the rest of the store. But perhaps thats Friedmans master plan. Go for the salmon. Stay for the sofa. Today, you might stop by for a glass of prosecco to celebrate a promotion. Tomorrow, youre treating yourself to a new chair. A Unique Business Model Friedman prides himself on eschewing modern business practices. RH has no social media accounts to promote the brand. They continue to use mail catalogs, which they call Source Books. Furthermore, while items do go on sale, theyre somewhat limited. Dressers wont be 75% off on Labor Day. Instead, RH has a membership model. For just $100 annually, customers can save 25% off all full-priced items and 20% off all sale items, which can easily pay for itself in one purchase. Reality VS Budget Many millennials wouldnt dream of stepping into a store filled with furniture that exceeds not only their budget, but also the size of their living space. However, a closer look reveals RH is more affordable than its reputation would lead one to believeif you know how to shop the store. While the brands signature Cloud Sofa can cost up to $15k, the RH Teen line of sofas is more affordable, better suited for an apartment in terms of size and have the appearance of being designed for adults. The Future Of RH The company isnt limiting the hospitality aspects of their business to galleries. The plan is to open up what the brand calls Guesthouses. The first RH Guesthouse will open in 2019 at 55 Gansevoort Street adjacent to the New York Gallery. Its certainly looking that way. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/amandalauren/2019/01/25/is-restoration-hardware-the-retail-experience-that-will-change-the-way-millennials-buy-furniture/ |
Why Did Trump Take So Long to Fold on the Shutdown? | Jeff Greenfield is a five-time Emmy-winning network television analyst and author. Watching President Trump stumble his way through the shutdown, with his poll numbers declining as Speaker Nancy Pelosi treats him like a lead-footed sparring partner, its hard to remember that this was a setback entirely of his own making. If youre into armchair psychoanalysis, you could noteas his biographers have written that for Trump, acknowledging error is more or less impossible. But it would be a mistake to see this as simply the latest demonstration of the Presidents uniqueness as a politician. Rather, his display of willful blindness is a fresh reminder of one of the most enduringthough hardly endearingtraits of political leaders: the inability to acknowledge error, even when the perils of continuing down a dangerous path become obvious. Story Continued Below Maybe the shutdown is Trumps Brexit. Two and a half years after narrowly voting to extricate itself from the European Union, Britain finds itself two months away from a breakup that shows every sign of triggering a social and economic catastrophe. Every promise made by the Brexiteershundreds of millions of pounds suddenly showering down on the populace, a smooth transition that would not disrupt trade with the Continenthave been shown to be a product of delusion or prevarication. The governments plan went down to defeat by one of the largest margins ever suffered by a ruling party, one that remains in power only because Labour leader Jeremy Corbin has steadfastly refused to produce anything remotely resembling a planother than his own ascension to power. The response to this predicament would seem clear: a forthright assertion by Prime Minister May that, seeing clearly what a disaster exit would be, let the people decide whether to remain in the European Union after all. Such a vote would be roughly equivalent to a busload of passengers saying, Now that we see we are headed off a cliff, its clear we took a wrong turn and we want you to turn back. But thats not what May is saying. Rather, she asserts that a new vote would do irreparable damage to the integrity our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver. Or maybe its Trumps Vietnam. Half a century ago, when the war was taking 500 American (and countless Vietnamese) lives a week, and when quagmire had become a clich, a popular song captured the reckless pursuit of an increasingly elusive victory. Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," by Pete Seeger, describes a World War II training mission in which a thick-headed captain orders his platoon to ford a river even as his sergeant tells him of the danger. We were waist deep in the big muddy, the big fool says to push on, the chorus goes. Eventually, the captain drowns, the platoon escapes andjust in case the Vietnam analogy wasn't clear enoughthe narrator says: Every time I read the papers/That old feeling comes on/We're, waist deep in the Big Muddy/And the big fool says to push on. The real story of Vietnam, however, was even more chilling. President Johnson was fully aware of the futility of the war. In a telephone call on May 27, 1964 with Senator Richard Russell, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the two men despaired of what was happening in Southeast Asia. The two men agreed that the situation was a mess, that there was no prospect of victory in any real sense of the term, and that there was no strategic value in remaining there. Russell wished for a Saigon government that would ask us to leave; LBJ worried about the political cost of losing Vietnam. In the years to come, LBJ wouldsometimes reluctantly, sometimes aggressivelyescalate the conflict. Russell would be one of the most hawkish voices in the senate, urging more troops, more firepower. Unlike the clueless captain in Seegers song, they knew that wading into the Big Muddy would likely lead to disaster. They just couldnt fathom saying that to the American public. They were not the only leaders who felt that way: All through the last year of his life, President John F. Kennedy made two arguments in private: that committing ground forces in Asia was folly, and that he could do nothing about that pitfall until after he was re-elected in 1964. Fifty years later, the shutdown is not the only quagmire our political leaders refuse to wade out of. We have been in a war in Afghanistan for some 17 years, pursuing the delusion that we can someday leave a stable, functioning Afghan government in place. We have been waging a war on drugs for longer, refusing to acknowledge that the appetite in the United States for these drugs pours tens of billions of dollars every year into the pockets of the cartels and the military and governmental leaders who protect them. No one like to admit mistakes. A host of social science studies talk about confirmation bias, and some even show that people dont change their minds when presented with evidence of a strongly held beliefinstead, they believe even more strongly in the falsehood. Confessing error can also erode self-confidence: A study, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, found that people who refused to apologize after a mistake had more self-esteem and felt more in control and powerful than those who did not refuse. When President George H.W. Bush apologized to his Republican Party for breaking his read my lips, no new taxes pledge, it helped protect his 1992 opponent, Bill Clinton, from charges of inconsistency. More broadly, the presidency is a tough enough job without coping with self-doubt. That may be why another Bush (George W.), when asked to identify a single mistake in his first term, could not think of a single misstep. There are good reasons for resisting doubts about a political course. If youre the leader of your party, youve rallied allies behind your idea, either out of conviction or party loyalty. Theyve spoken on behalf of your ideas and defended them at town halls, on TV, on the floor of the House and Senate. If you then say to the country, I was wrong, and were changing course, you are likely to cause serious problems for your own side. Still, one of the most striking exceptions to presidential obstinance came from the Great Communicator himself. When his administration was threatened by reports that it had traded arms for hostages, and then funded the anti-Sandinista contras in Nicaragua, Ronald Reagan said this in a nationally televised speech: I take full responsibility for my own actions and those of my administration. This happened on my watch. He added, A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that is true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not. And he even said, There are reasons why it happened but no excuses. It was a mistake. That frank statement happened at the end of an investigation. And it did not involve, for example telling the families of soldiers who died in a conflict that the war was no longer worth fighting. It did not involve telling millions of people who voted to leave a multinational union that the promises behind such a vote were essentially fraudulent. It did not involve telling hundreds of thousands of people who are going without paychecks that youre settling for a deal that you could have gotten weeks ago. So yes, the cost of changing course for Trump could be steep, even politically fatal. But so could the cost of wading further into the Big Muddy. This article tagged under: Donald Trump Government Shutdown | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/25/government-shutdown-over-trump-224293 |
Will eating less meat help save the planet? | Turning the tables, Jan. 23 There is some positive feedback about the new Canada food guide, not only from nutritionists, but from people concerned with global warming issues. People seem to be in agreement that a reduction in farming livestock could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time the new food guide was released, meetings were taking place at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As was reported in the Guardian, experts predicted up to 1,500 private jets will fly to and from airfields serving the Swiss ski resort this week, up 11 per cent from last year. As these indispensable ones fly back to their respective countries, including Canada, we will no doubt be told that we all must make sacrifices to ensure that this spinning blue ball we live on will be safe for future generations. John McCullagh, Sudbury | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/01/23/will-eating-less-meat-help-save-the-planet.html |
Where does Cain/Yelich day rank in the greatest offseason maneuvers in Wisconsin sports history? | Christian Yelich celebrates his two-run home run with Lorenzo Cain. (Photo: Morry Gash, Associated Press) We've arrived at the one-year anniversary of the day Milwaukee acquired both Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, one via free-agent signing and the other in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. The deals are separate but will forever be inextricably linked as the moment the Brewers made a successful play to reach the upper tiers of the baseball postseason. RELATED: One year ago Friday, the Brewers' rebuild accelerated with deals for Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain Cain and Yelich went on to become two of the best players in the league in 2018, and Milwaukee, of course, made it to the seventh game of the NLCS. Yelich went on to become the 2018 National League MVP. By the way, it's still fun to look back on the replies to this tweet. The #Brewers have acquired OF Christian Yelich from Miami in exchange for OF Lewis Brinson, OF Monte Harrison, INF Isan Diaz and RHP Jordan Yamamoto. Here are nine other major blockbusters (we're not counting the actual draft for this exercise -- with one half-exception) that changed the trajectory of their franchises. The Minister of Defense Packers general manager Rolf Wolf introduces All-Pro defensive end Reggie White at a news conference at Lambeau Field while joined by coach Mike Holmgren on April 6, 1993. (Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The Packers could not have made a more franchise-altering maneuver than it did on April 6, 1993, when it signed free-agent prize Reggie White, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles. White never missed the playoffs in his six seasons with Green Bay, helping the franchise escape a playoff dry spell and transforming them into a perennial contender. In the 25 years before the White era, Green Bay went to the playoffs just twice. In the 25 years after he signed, the Packers went 19 times. He was of course on board the team that won Super Bowl XXXI and appeared in Super Bowl XXXII. RELATED: Twenty-five years later, Packers still reaping the ripple benefits of signing Reggie White The Gunslinger arrives Brett Favre throws a pass during a drill in Green Bay two months after being acquired from the Falcons in a trade in 1992. (Photo: Journal Sentinel files) The 1B to Whites 1A signing (or is it the other way around?) that put the Packers on a different trajectory. On February 11, 1992, Packers general manager Ron Wolf acquired the Atlanta Falcons second-year quarterback, who had attempted just four passes in his brief stint with the Falcons (and two of them were intercepted; none were completed). Wolf surrendered a first-round pick (19th overall), which looked like a risk at the time given that Favre was just himself a second-round pick in 1991. He wound up playing 16 seasons in Green Bay, became one of the states most beloved athletes ever, led the Packers to two Super Bowls, won one of them and is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He started 253 straight games for the Packers (and finished with 297 games overall) for a record that may never be broken. He won three MVP awards, made 11 Pro Bowls and finished his career with a staggering 508 touchdown passes. The Bucks win a coin flip Lew Alcindor (he later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NBA draft, which came to the Milwaukee Bucks in a coin toss. (Photo: Journal Sentinel files) In advance of the 1969 NBA Draft, both the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns were in contention for the top pick in the NBA draft, and it was clear the winner of a coin flip between the two franchises would draft UCLA center Lew Alcindor, who became better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Both had the worst records in their divisions in 1968-69, though the Suns (16-66) actually had the lesser record, with the Bucks at 27-55 the previous year. But the coin flip was the format of the day rather than simply awarding the worst record the first pick. The Suns called heads; it was tails, and the Bucks won the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. Abdul-Jabbar went on to become the NBAs all-time leading scorer where he stands to this day and led the Bucks to their only NBA title in 1971. Bucks trade for Big O Oscar Robertson was a two-time NBA All-Star with the Bucks (1971, '72). (Photo: File photo) In the immediate aftermath of the 1970 season, the Bucks traded for Cincinnati Royals veteran star Oscar Robertson, making a splashy move for the 31-year-old and adding a piece that would be vital to the NBA title in 1971. Robertson averaged 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists that year, teaming with Kareem to lead the Bucks to the crown. In return, the Bucks traded Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk. It was rumored that Robertson clashed with Royals owner Bob Cousy, and that may have been a catalyst in the Royals being willing to part with Big O. He only spent four seasons in Milwaukee, but they included two trips to the finals and two other trips to the playoffs. His No. 1 jersey now hangs from the Fiserv Forum rafters. Packers acquire Charles Woodson Charles Woodson will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. (Photo: Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media) Woodson was a gamble as an injury risk when the Packers signed him in April of 2006, and he wound up being one of the biggest signings in franchise history which is surprising considering it appeared only one other team (the Buccaneers) had interest in signing him. Green Bay gave the 29-year-old cornerback a seven-year deal. He went on to win the 2009 AP Defnesive Player of the Year, was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2000s team and led the Packers on a massive run of success, including a win in Super Bowl XLV. Coooooooop On Dec. 6, 1976, the Brewers parted with one of their most popular and productive players in the first stretch of the franchises existence, George Scott, to acquire first baseman Cecil Cooper from the Red Sox. Cooper went on to be a star in Milwaukee, making five all-star teams, winning three silver sluggers, two gold gloves and finishing top-five in the MVP voting three times. He was, of course, a centerpiece in the 1982 team, delivering a game-winning single in Game 5 of the ALCS against the California Angels. Hes perhaps the best player in Brewers history to not have his number retired. Pitcher Rollie Fingers was one of three key pieces brought over in a trade that helped put the Brewers in the 1981 and 1982 playoffs. (Photo: William Meyer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Milwaukee landed three major components to what would become a run to the World Series when it acquired relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, catcher Ted Simmons and right-hander Pete Vuckovich from the Cardinals on Dec. 12, 1980. A lot went the other way four players, highlighted by outfielder Sixto Lezcano and pitcher Larry Sorensen but Milwaukee unquestionably got the better end of the deal. Sports Illustrated called it The Trade That Made Milwaukee Famous. Fingers won a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981, Vuckovich won the Cy Young in 1982 and Simmons was a two-time All-Star. Fingers, of course, is now in the Hall of Fame and has his No. 34 retired at Miller Park. The Brewers go all-in Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zack Greinke delivers a pitch to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 7, 2012. (Photo: JEFFREY PHELPS, Associated Press) Milwaukee made a big splash to acquire right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals (and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt) in exchange for a boatload of young talent Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi. Oddly enough, Jeffress and Cain would eventually return to Milwaukee and become all-stars on the 2018 NLCS team. Odorizzi would make the big leagues elsewhere, and though Escobar became a mainstay at shortstop in KC, the Brewers appeared to get good value in the trade, as Greinke helped the Brewers win 96 games in 2011 and reach the NLCS. Spider Man Ben Oglivie poses with a couple kids in 1978, future Brewers manager Craig Counsell (left) and Jennifer Counsell. (Photo: Photo courtesy of Jan Counsell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) On Dec. 9, 1977, the Brewers got Ben Oglivie in a trade for Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers. The Brewers franchise turned it around immediately after Oglivie arrived, with 93 wins in 1978. He was a big piece in the Crews run to the 1981 and 1982 playoffs. Brook Lopez talks to Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens during media day. (Photo: Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) OK, this is a little bit overstatement, since Milwaukee's decision to sign Brook Lopez this offseason probably can't stack up -- yet -- to the other moves on this list. But it's becoming increasingly clear that Milwaukee's under-the-radar signing in July had a tangible impact on the Bucks' ability to space the floor and kill opponents with the outside shot. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2019/01/25/where-does-cain-yelich-rank-among-great-wisconsin-offseason-moves/2676937002/ |
Were the British really the first Europeans to sight Australia? | We've long been taught that the British were the first Europeans to land on Australian waters. Popular history dictates that Australia was first visited by the Dutch in the early 17th century, and later fully explored by Captain Cook. But some theorists claim our pubs and shepherd's pies could just as easily could have been Oportos and caldo verde on every block, news.com.au reports. Some historians have claimed Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia in the 16th century. Advertisement In his 2007 book Beyond Capricorn, Canberra-based science journalist Peter Trickett made the startling claim that Australia was actually discovered in 1522 by a Portuguese seafarer named Christopher de Mendonca. The book points to a 16th century maritime map showing that Portuguese adventurers rather than the British or Dutch were actually the first Europeans to hit Australian land. The map, which accurately marks geographical sites along Australia's east coast in Portuguese, appears to prove that de Mendonca lead a fleet of four ships into Botany Bay almost 250 years before Britain's Captain James Cook. In the mid-1500s, the Dieppe mapmakers created elaborate hand-drawn world maps, which were beautifully preserved. The world maps depicted a large landmass located between Indonesia and Antarctica, labelled as Java la Grande. Part of one of the maps, which bore a close resemblance to the coast of Queensland, featured 120 place names in Portuguese. Trickett, who bought a rare portfolio of these maps in the late 1990s, argued that the atlas compliers in Dieppe may have made an alignment error in the Portuguese charts they were copying from. When a computer expert cut the map in two and rotated the bottom half, it revealed the east coast of Australia stretching right down to Kangaroo Island in great detail, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. In Kenneth McIntyre's 1977 book The Discovery of Australia, he notes that the chart scripts were written in both French and Portuguese. The Australian historian suggested the Portuguese may have been searching for Marco Polo's fabled Isles of Gold and sighted Australia in the process. That's not the only relic that suggests the Portuguese beat the Dutch and English to the punch. Some have speculated that this is a drawing of a kangaroo. Photo / Supplied In 2014, a document was acquired by a New York gallery, Les Enluminures, which appeared to show a sketch of a kangaroo curled in the letters of a Portuguese manuscript. That manuscript dates back to the 16th century hundreds of years before the British officially entered Australian waters. However, some have disputed what the animal in question is. La Trobe University's Peter Pridmore suggested it was more likely an aardvark than a kangaroo, noting the shape of its snout and ears, the proportions of its limbs, and its deep thorax. But despite objection from several critics, McIntyre stands firm that the Portuguese discovered Australia before the Dutch. "Every critic who seeks to deny the Portuguese discovery of Australia is faced with the problem of providing an alternative theory to explain away the existence of the Dieppe maps. If the Dauphin is not the record of real exploration, then what is it?" he wrote in his book. RARE MAP SHEDS DOUBT ON PORTUGUESE THEORY In 2017, a rare 17th-century wall map was rediscovered that directly contradicted the Portuguese theory. According to Sotheby's, it was the very first map to call Australia "Nova Hollandia" and was "extremely rare". It was the first to put Tasmania on the map, quite literally, following the findings of Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman during his explorations in 1642-1643 and 1644. Tasman spotted the west coast of Tasmania on November 24, 1642, naming his discovery Van Diemen's Land, after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He set foot on its shores in Blackman Bay, approximately 50 kilometres east of metropolitan Hobart, and proceeded to plant the Dutch flag in his newly discovered land. He returned on a second voyage in 1644, mapping the north coast of Australia and "making observations". Tasman gave Australia the name New Holland, which remained popular until the mid-1850s. Just a few years later, Tasman's discoveries would be added to the map. In his book, Australia Unveiled, Dutch author Gnter Schilder said it was "possibly the best general map of Dutch sea power in South-East Asia executed in the seventeenth century. It contains all Dutch discoveries in Australia and those in Tasmania and New Zealand of Tasman's first voyages". The map was chartered after the Dutch became attracted to new areas of trade and were looking for new routes across the world in the hope to expand their operations. Dutch trading interests "already extended to the Moluccas in the east, to China and Japan in the north and to the Coromandel Coast and Surat in the west. The expansion to the south was immanent", wrote Mr Shilder in his book. But despite basically discovering an entire new country, the Dutch were disappointed by Tasman's explorations; to them he returned empty-handed, he hadn't found a useful shipping route and didn't fully explore this new land. After this, for more than 100 years, until James Cook's explorations in 1770 and the subsequent landing of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia was largely untouched by Europeans. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12196611 |
Will Democrats look to Joe Biden, Americas version of Jean Chrtien? | Open this photo in gallery With his folksy charm, ease with voters and experience at the wheel, Amtrak Joe Biden has a lot in common with the little guy from Shawinigan LEFT: JIM YOUNG/REUTERS; RIGHT: MADDIE MCGARVEY/THE NEW YORK TIMES Peter Donolo served as director of communications for prime minister Jean Chrtien. He is currently vice-chair of H+K Strategies Canada. A deeply polarized country exhausted and riven by a prolonged national unity crisis turns, in its hour of need, to a folksy and familiar career politician who has been dismissed by elites as a relic and way past his prime. That describes Canada in the fall of 1993, when Jean Chrtiens Liberals swept to victory. It is easy to forget just how bitterly divided the country was in the early 1990s: The failed Meech Lake constitutional effort fed not one but several ugly backlashes. In Quebec, separatists were on the march, and for a decade, families in that province couldnt talk politics without descending into heated and deeply wounding arguments. In Western Canada, the unabashedly populist, grievance-fuelled Reform Party was turning out massive crowds with its thinly veiled anti-Quebec, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and by proposing controversial ideas such as banning turbans in the RCMP. It was no wonder that the federal governments own Royal Commission on Unity reported "a fury in the land. Story continues below advertisement Things got even more furious after Canadians voted down constitutional change in the Charlottetown Referendum of 1992. Macleans called it the most sweeping rebuff of elected politicians in the countrys 125 year history. Long-time political observer Peter C. Newman concluded that there were underground rivers of prejudice, racism and loathing for the political process that polluted the debate. Eerily, Mr. Newmans line could just as easily describe the United States as it approaches the 2020 presidential election. Of course, there are important differences with the American situation today. Above all else is the norm-busting presidency of Donald Trump, who takes glee in ripping apart, rather than knitting together, the fabric of his country; for all the failures in leadership Canada has had over a century and a half, we have never had a prime minister like that. On the other hand, the Canada of a quarter-century ago was, in a very real way, on the knifes edge of splitting apart a threat that was not resolved until well after the 1995 Quebec referendum. America today faces no such existential crisis, and no matter how ugly the climate is, the ultimate horror show of secession is not on the table in the United States. But that in no way should diminish the seriousness of the United States' national unity crisis. Thats why, amid all the hoopla over the new faces like Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren who have leaped into the presidential-nomination fray, its worth noting the one high-profile potential candidate that has yet to throw his hat in the ring a face as familiar to Americans today as Jean Chretien was to Canadians in 1993: Vice President Joe Biden. Its not as odd a comparison as you might think. The pair have been linked before, notably by Macleans writer John Geddes in an article on Mr. Bidens 2016 visit to Ottawa. But two years later, its the events across the border themselves that feel so oddly reminiscent to many Canadians. In 1993, Mr. Chrtiens political longevity and experience were reassuring to a nervous and fearful electorate. He had already been a fixture on the political scene for three decades, as far back as most voters of the day could remember. Despite pundits and opponents deriding his thinking as outmoded, Mr. Chrtiens sense of roots, his intimate, coast-to-coast knowledge of Canada and Canadians and his plain and self-deprecating style resonated with both ordinary and aggrieved Canadian voters, who sensed he was someone who felt and thought like them with the added benefit of having been around the block a few times. These are all characteristics Mr. Biden boasts. If Mr. Chrtien is the Little Guy from Shawinigan, Mr. Biden is Amtrak Joe, who spent his entire Senate career commuting home every night to Wilmington, Del., to be with his children. Like Mr. Chretien, he is as comfortable in diners, taverns or around plain kitchen tables as he is in the halls of power or at glittering galas. Both of them have established decades-long relationships with their electorates. Both of them understudied to charismatic, cerebral leaders Pierre Trudeau and Barack Obama, respectively serving as ministers of everything" to whom the boss would turn when there was a big job to do, or a big mess to clean up. Both men also spent their political careers swimming upstream, the only route for an outsider from a place such as Shawinigan or Wilmington. Each is a natural fighter, toughened by childhood affliction in Mr. Chretiens case, facial paralysis he developed at the age of 12, in Mr. Bidens a debilitating stutter. Both spent decades being written off by elites. Each gaffe or faux-pas is mocked by the pundits and pearl-clutchers of the establishment, but theyre overlooked or even rationalized by ordinary citizens. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Both evince a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to government that is rooted in their blue-collar backgrounds and honed by years of practical, hands-on experience. This has often led more ideological critics usually from the left to regard both men with suspicion. But over the long term, it has aligned well with the public, particularly because it is informed by an optimistic, inclusive, and broadly progressive set of values. Perhaps most importantly, theyve both developed an abiding, almost reverent respect for the institutions of government, and a dedication to using their talents and ease in connecting with voters to strengthen them. Thats an effective antidote to toxic forms of populism and grievance politics. To be sure, there are differences between Mr. Chrtien and Mr. Biden. The most glaring one is that by 2020, Mr. Biden will be some two decades older than Mr. Chretien was in 1993 and thats when they called him yesterdays man. But in politics, sometimes one doesnt choose the moment as much as the moment chooses them. Canada was lucky to have Jean Chrtien all those years ago. Slowly, patiently, unglamorously, he turned the country around. Entering this new year, with the momentum of their midterm victories at their backs, Democrats in the United States will now finally turn in earnest to the long, drawn-out task of selecting their champion to take on Mr. Trump in 2020. The party could risk a bitter internal war between left and centre, between purity and pragmatism potentially hobbling itself before the real fight begins. Or they could opt for the candidate who symbolizes unity and can reach out to ordinary Americans not a fresh face but a proven hand. Its a Canadian model that Democrats would be smart to emulate. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-will-democrats-turn-to-joe-biden-americas-version-of-jean-chretien/ |
How Much Is Vale's Recent Deleveraging Expected To Contribute To Its 2018 EPS? | Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE), which is expected to report its FY 2018 earnings in February 2019, is all set to achieve its target of reducing net debt to $10 billion by the end of 2018. Before the company announces its results for the year, it would be interesting for the investors to know how much have they gained out of this deleveraging program announced in 2017. The company reported debt of $16.8 billion as on September 30, 2018, a 25% reduction from $22.5 billion reported as on December 31, 2017. Assuming the same level of debt at the end of 2018, we project interest expense to be reduced by $762.4 million, which would be a direct addition to the companys net income and increase its EPS by $0.15 for the year 2018. You can view our interactive dashboard Impact of Vales Recent Debt Reduction On Its EPS In FY2018 and make changes to our assumptions to arrive at your own estimates of debt, interest and EPS for the company. Higher prices of iron ore and copper, along with lower capital spending, led to higher cash flow for Vale in 2017 and 2018. Toward the end of 2017, Vales management decided that the increased cash flows would be used to reduce debt, which had reached alarming levels in 2016, and to reward shareholders in the form of higher dividend distributions. Vale has consistently been able to reduce debt every quarter in the last one year. Net Debt saw a reduction of almost 50% in a year, from $21.1 billion in 3Q 2017 to $10.7 billion at the end of 3Q 2018. Gross debt as of September 2018 stood at $16.8 billion, much lower than $22.5 billion at the end of 2017. Interest expense of $3,019 million in 2017 was 13.4% of the total debt for the year. Even if we assume $16.8 billion to be the total debt at the end of 2018 (similar to Sept. 2018), at the same interest expense ratio (13.4%), FY 2018 is likely to see interest expense drop by 25%. Reduction of $762.4 million in interest would be a corresponding increase in the years net income. Outstanding shares at 5,126 million would translate this additional net income of $762.4 million into an incremental earnings per share of $0.15. Conclusion: Our analysis shows that the success of this deleveraging program would provide Vales shareholders with better returns in the form of incremental EPS of $0.15. On the completion of the program, Vale has indicated that it will now focus on other methods of rewarding its investors, probably through a higher dividend, which is likely to help support the companys stock price. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/how-much-is-vales-recent-deleveraging-expected-to-contribute-to-its-2018-eps/ |
Where are self-driving cars being tested? | An Arizona woman was killed after being struck by a self-driving Uber vehicle this week - prompting the company to suspend all testing of self-driving vehicles in cities across the country. The Uber was in autonomous mode at the time of the collision in Tempe, and there was a vehicle operator behind the wheel, police said. The crash killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Uber is one of dozens of companies testing out self-driving cars across the country. Here is a look at where a few companies are testing their vehicles. Cruise Automation Our driverless cars are on the road in California, Arizona, and Michigan navigating some of the most challenging and unpredictable driving environments, Cruise Automation says online. We look forward to introducing this amazing technology to more communities soon. Lyft Lyft is set to test self-driving cars at GoMentum Stations 5,000 acre autonomous vehicle proving grounds located in Concord, California, a March 8 release said. Lyft has a driverless pilot program in Boston and offered driverless rides around the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Digital Trends reported. Uber The company has been testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto and the greater Phoenix area for months. Waymo We've tested our self-driving vehicles across multiple locations in the US, Waymo says online. By driving every day in different types of real-world conditions, we teach our cars to navigate safely and comfortably through all sorts of situations. Testing locations listed on the Waymo site include Atlanta, Detroit and Austin. Arizona is also the home for multipe testing sites, including Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. California testing sites include Carmel, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Merced, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Sunnyvale,Tiburon and Truckee. At least 52 companies have permits to test out self-driving cars California alone. Fox News Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/auto/where-are-self-driving-cars-being-tested |
Will Canadas choir-boy act finally pay off? | Long-time Trump associate Roger Stone is indicted in the Mueller probe. Donald Trumps State of the Union address is postponed after he is outfoxed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The record-length government shutdown finally concludes. Venezuela erupts. The U.S supports an opposition takeover. Russia doesnt. Oh and theres a story about the Trudeau governments ambassador to China. He strayed off the party line in making some controversial remarks about a potentially pending extradition case in Canada involving an executive of a telecommunications giant. To say this story, amid so many other detonations, hasnt come across the radar down here would be an understatement. Story continues below advertisement John McCallum, the ambassador in question, humiliatingly had to roll back his declarations, which lent some credibility to the Chinese position vis-a-vis the American one in respect to the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng was taken into custody in Canada for allegedly covering up violations of sanctions on Iran. But his apology, oddly, wasnt prompted by any public pressure from the Trump administration (who, it should be said, should hardly be allowed to complain about mixed messaging from governments). The Canadian embassy didnt get one complaint from the Trumpites before the mea culpa materialized. Rather, Mr. McCallum had to withdraw his statements because he had crossed the line into the political sphere from the legal one. The Chinese, of course, have brutally forced the matter into the political sphere with the detention of two Canadians and the death sentence of another on drug-smuggling charges. And with Mr. Trump, everything is in the political sphere. Hes said he would use the Meng case as a bargaining chip if necessary in trade negotiations with China. But in contrast to the two megapowers, choir-boy Canada wont dirty its hands. It will keep the matter Mr. McCallum be damned entirely in the legal realm. Yes, he went off message. Yes, he was on shaky ground commenting on a matter possibly going before the courts. But it was good that he let the Chinese know and did so publicly that Washington wouldnt automatically get its way in Canada. Though it lasted only a flash, it was one of the few instances of proactivity from the Canadian government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we learned this week, told Mr. Trump that if the Meng case is used as a negotiating chip, the U.S. needs to make sure the two innocent Canadians are released as a result of the bargaining. Its a message that should be repeated. Friendly, said Canadas Washington envoy, David MacNaughton. But Ottawa did not go public with it when it happened and has no plans to escalate any kind of political pressure on Mr. Trump. I have kept the U.S. fully informed of our position from when she was first detained, Mr. MacNaughton said Friday. That position hasnt changed. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Playing by the book and trying to abide by sound principles were strategies used by Ottawa in the trade negotiations. Unlike the Americans, our negotiators didnt put forward unreasonable demands that they could use as bargaining chips. It appeared the Canadian side was on the defensive most of the way. But the strategy didnt work out too badly. Ultimately, Mr. Trump backed down on a couple of his demands and an agreement was reached. In a similar way, Canada could find its way out of the China imbroglio. Mr. Trump is facing so many challenges that, as on a new North American free-trade agreement, calmer heads might persuade him to compromise on trade with China. In respect to Ms. Meng, several scenarios are possible. The U.S. might conveniently miss next weeks deadline for the extradition filing, or the Americans might file such a weak case that it will easily be dismissed in a Canadian hearing. They dont appear to have a strong case in the first place, and the Chinese are masters of inscrutability in their business dealings. Another is that Mr. Trump, using Ms. Meng as leverage, will get a trade deal with Beijing. The Canadians will be released in the process of it. Mr. McCallum will slip the villain tag. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-will-canadas-choir-boy-act-finally-pay-off/ |
Will Nike's Partnership With MLB Result In Radical Uniform Changes Or More Of The Same? | Today, Nike and Major League Baseball confirmed the rumors that sent shock waves across the sports uniform landscape last year. Nike will indeed become the official uniform and shoe provider for MLB and this will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. This also includes an agreement with Fanatics when it comes to merchandise which means that MLB is about to enter a brave new world when it comes to aesthetics for both their uniforms and their merchandise as well. The main question that will probably receive plenty of discussion from now until Nike officially takes control is whether or not we'll see another sea change of uniforms once the agreement kicks in. When Nike took control of the NFL, we saw plenty of teams take that opportunity to make changes to their uniform, whether they were slight changes or complete overhauls. The same went for the NBA and that included what could be considered an avalanche of uniform changes and additions. It would be safe to assume that Nike would probably like to implement their own design tastes onto MLB uniforms as well, so we'll probably see a few teams make some major changes once Nike comes aboard. It'll be especially interesting to see what happens with the San Diego Padres, who will be undergoing changes ahead of the 2020 season. Will Nike take the opportunity to do a bit of experimentation with San Diego's uniforms, or will we see them continue to stick to normal baseball trends when it comes to the new look. It will definitely be interesting to see just how Nike treads the line between radical experimentation and traditional baseball uniform aesthetics. Football and basketball tend to learn towards the progressive side of design and that's why you see all sorts of interesting color schemes and striping patterns when it comes to their uniform designs in those sports. Baseball, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. This is a sport where simply wearing a color such as powder blue in lieu of gray as a road jersey is considered to be a major switch in uniform design. There is room to experiment and come up with progressive design but you also run the risk of messing with a good thing. Major League Baseball is currently sitting on extremely solid ground when it comes to their uniforms and you could argue that no team could use a major change. It's safe to say that we won't see teams like the Yankees or Tigers making major changes but we could see teams use the alternate uniform landscape as their opportunity to take Nike's hand and explore their options. Of course, this is all speculation at this point in time. There's still a year to go before this goes into affect and other than San Diego, there's no telling as to who will make a big change at this time. However, it will be interesting to see which direction Nike goes in when it comes to their aesthetic influence. Only time will tell. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/demetriusbell/2019/01/25/major-league-baseball-nike-uniform-changes-2020/ |
Did Ontarios anti-electric government encourage General Motors to close Oshawa plant? | GM firm on closure of Oshawa plant, Jan. 16 Consider this: General Motors committed last fall to an electric vehicle future. It has asked for federal electric and zero-emission vehicle policies. It has asked governments to provide incentives for electric vehicle purchases and infrastructure investments to accelerate accessible, convenient electric charging. It recognizes there is a world-wide shift to an all-electric future and wants to be a leader. The opposite. It has cancelled the electric and hydrogen vehicle incentive program and removed charging stations from GO station parking lots. I think the people of Oshawa can lay the blame of the plant closure directly on Premier Doug Ford. | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/01/16/did-ontarios-anti-electric-government-encourage-general-motors-to-close-oshawa-plant.html |
Why the secrecy around Robert Lloyd Schellenbergs prior drug convictions? | Canada decries China death sentence, Jan. 16 I find it hard to stomach Canadas biased media on so many issues but I will not ignore the characterization of Abbotsfords Robert Lloyd Schellenberg as an innocent pawn in the diplomatic dust-up between Canada and China over the arrest of a Chinese billionaire in Vancouver. Canadas media would have us think so.But I read, heard and viewed many news reports before learning that Schellenberg had served prison time for drug crimes in Canada before going to China. Our justice system, which we laud with noses raised, found him guilty and convicted him twice to serve one- and two-year sentences, which amounts to mollycoddling in countries that are serious about fighting drugs. | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/01/16/why-the-secrecy-around-robert-lloyd-schellenbergs-prior-drug-convictions.html |
Are These Expired Tax Breaks Gone for Good? | Tax season is just about to start, and taxpayers will be starting to prepare their returns for the 2018 tax year. Yet even as they do so, lawmakers haven't yet addressed some key provisions of the tax laws that expired at the end of 2017 -- and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to get their act together in time to let taxpayers and the IRS take them into account in their tax filings. Most tax policy specialists have paid close attention to all the tax reform-related changes from new laws that took effect in 2018. That's pushed some older tax breaks out of the spotlight, and between the government shutdown and the latest incarnation of Washington gridlock, things aren't happening the way they usually do to fix them. Alarm clock, piles of coins, and letter magnets spelling "TAX" on a wood table. More Image source: Getty Images. How tax extenders got to be a problem The tax laws are full of provisions that offer breaks to certain groups of taxpayers for certain activities. Some of them are permanent provisions of the tax code that taxpayers can rely on year in and year out, but others are designed to last for a specific period of time, with firm expiration dates. Each year, lawmakers face pressure to extend the expiration dates on favored tax breaks. However, doing so comes with a budgetary cost, and that cost can be substantial when tax breaks become permanent. It's cheaper from a budgetary perspective simply to extend the expiration date for a single year, kicking the can down the road into the future. Recently, Congress has been increasingly late in dealing with tax extenders. For the 2017 tax year, these provisions didn't get extended until February 2018. That was late enough to create challenges for both taxpayers and IRS staff members. Yet it seems that no one's learned from that lesson, and now some think that lawmakers might just give up on the extenders rather than trying to deal with them after the start of tax season. At issue are a number of popular tax breaks, including the following: Deductibility of private mortgage insurance (PMI) payments in the same manner as mortgage interest. Deductions from gross income for qualified tuition and fees for college. Exclusion from income of debt forgiven on a qualifying principal residence. Various credits for renewable energy initiatives, including certain electric vehicles. There are also dozens of breaks that apply largely to businesses, especially in the energy arena. Even though the extenders have generally had a good track record of getting renewed each year, there's reason to believe that this year could be different. With so many other tax changes having taken effect, it'd be easier to end these provisions without having as many taxpayers notice as they would in a year with fewer tax changes. In addition, some of the provisions have largely run their course. For instance, the exclusion of debt forgiveness was largely tied to the housing crisis in the late 2000s, and a rising housing market in the past decade has made mortgage modifications a lot less common. It'd be tougher to kill some of the other credits. Electric vehicles have gotten a lot of notoriety from the rise of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), and even though enough Tesla vehicles have used the credit that the amount of money available has been on the decline, it's still an incentive to further innovation in the industry. Millions of homeowners pay PMI on their mortgages, and although the higher standard deduction might make this deduction less relevant than in past years, it could still be perceived as negative. Similarly, many taxpayers use education provisions other than the tuition deduction, but those who do use it will feel its loss. | https://news.yahoo.com/expired-tax-breaks-gone-good-224600731.html |
What will LSUs weekend rotation look like? | Its become like a reflex for Paul Mainieri. The question is so constant that even when he isnt being asked about it he tries to get out in front of it. Zack Hess isnt going back to the bullpen. Mainieris so confident about that, he went even further to start LSU baseball media day Friday (Jan. 25). Lets just say this right now, right up front: Zack Hess is going to be our Friday night starter for the entire season, Mainieri said. Hess was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2017, the Tiger with a 2.51 ERA the final three months of LSUs College World Series run before being moved to the starting rotation in 2018. Ma'Khail Hilliard shut down again, should return soon He had mixed results as a starter last season, going through dominant stretches combined with rough ones to finish the year with a 5.05 ERA. When Hess surprised some by turning down $600,000 from MLB teams to return for his redshirt junior season this summer, some fans started clamoring for Hess to return to the bullpen. Its led to a running joke of Mainieri saying every interview Hess will be his starting pitcher. Theres no consideration to moving him to the bullpen, Mainieri said Friday. Hes our dude, and I think hes ready to be if not the best one of the best pitchers in the Southeastern Conference. Hess said he tries to not listen to the bullpen talk, but he definitely hears the support from his coach. Any time your head coach puts that kind of faith in you, it really means a lot, and it motivates me to go back that confidence he has in me, Hess said. Mainieri then said redshirt sophomore Eric Walker will be his Sunday starting pitcher after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Walker was a Freshman All-SEC star for LSU as a freshman on the World Series run. He went 8-2 with a 3.48 ERA before the injury. Mainieri often tells Walker he thinks LSU would have beaten Florida in the finals if Walker was healthy. Those two spots are secure. The competition is between four freshmen, but one has a clear lead. If I had to guess right now it would be Landon Marceaux, Maineiri said. Mainieri and pitching coach Alan Dunn are extremely confident in the freshman from Destrehan who MLB scouts considered one of the most polished prospects. Mainieri told reporters in June that Marceaux turned down six figures. Fellow freshmen like Cole Henry, Jaden Hill and Chase Costello are also in the mix for that third weekend spot and will also compete for the midweek starting jobs. MaKhail Hilliard, one of LSUs top starters last season, is shut down for a week with shoulder soreness. He isnt expected to compete for the weekend starting role when healthy, though. Mainieri said Marceaux is a notch against the rest, and his pitching coach is excited. He knows himself very well as a pitcher in terms of his stuff, Dunn said. He knows what makes it works. Hes a three-pitch mix guy who has command of three pitches. When you do that, you have a chance to be a pretty good pitcher. | https://www.nola.com/lsu/2019/01/what-will-lsus-weekend-rotation-look-like.html |
Why wasnt hearing on NOPD consent decree televised? | Six years ago, the New Orleans Police Department entered into a landmark agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to enact far-reaching reforms to prevent the excessive use of force, promote bias-free policing, combat corruption and ensure meaningful engagement with the community. Today, as the city prepares to make the case that the NOPD has met the terms of that agreement, it is vital that this process remain as open and transparent as possible. The City Councils decision not to televise Fridays (Jan. 25) public hearing on the NOPDs consent decree was completely wrongheaded and unjustifiable. It sends entirely the wrong message of preference for closed-door government at a time when the city should strive for absolute transparency. Remarkable reforms made at NOPD, but work on consent decree remains, judge says Although court hearings on the consent decree are public, they are held at times and locations that are not accessible for most workaday residents. This fact has made it difficult or almost impossible for most New Orleans residents to stay informed about the NOPDs progress in meeting its obligations. This is unacceptable. While the federal monitors charged with tracking the citys progress have acknowledged admirable steps forward, they dispute the citys internal assessment of 93 percent compliance. This is all the more reason for the public to have every opportunity to see for themselves the progress thats been made and the work that still needs to be done. Taxpayers also have paid dearly for NOPDs past abuses, as spending related to the consent decree is expected to reach $55 million by the end of this year. Thankfully, reporters at the Lens and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune stepped in to provide live video of the hearing, and media coverage shed light on the proceedings. But the citys opposition to broadcasting the hearing on public-access television signals that Mayor LaToya Cantrells administration, the NOPD and the City Council prefer to operate in obscurity. Moving forward, city leaders should operate with the openness and transparency New Orleans residents deserve. Alanah Odoms Hebert Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/01/why-wasnt-hearing-on-nopd-consent-decree-televised.html |
Is Arizona on the verge of becoming a soccer mecca? | Phoenix Rising fans set off a smoke bomb and cheer on their team during a 1-0 victory over Orange County on June 29. (Photo: Brian Munoz, Brian Munoz / The Republic) Phoenix, soccer mecca. In a market where soccer has fallen short of other major sports, the game is undeniably on the rise throughout Arizona and it all comes to a climax over the next six weeks with a strong presence in the Valley. It starts with the U.S. Mens National Team training in Phoenix leading to a friendly match Sunday in Glendale against Panama, the first under new head coach Gregg Berhalter, It continues with the Major League Soccer preseason that's under way throughout Arizona and continues deep into February. MLS preseason activity in Arizona, especially Tucson, is not new. What is unique is that several teams will play in preseason tournaments, such as the Mobile Mini Sun Cup, that includes dates in the Valley. And it culminates with the first preseason matches for Phoenix Rising FC, whose highly anticipated 2019 United Soccer League campaign will follow a Western Conference title last season. The Rising will host MLS teams for scrimmages on Feb. 6 (Sporting KC) and Feb. 16 (Real Salt Lake). Rising midfielder Devin Vega, right, pushes the ball past Orange County forward Thomas Enevoldsen during a match on June 29. (Photo: Brian Munoz / The Republic) The Rising are at the foundation of this. Last season, the Rising were at or over capacity of their 6,000-plus seat stadium for almost every home game, and broke the franchise record with more than 7,000 in attendance for the clubs final home game against the Las Vegas Lights. I think the growth of the franchise has been very strong, Club Governor Berke Bakay said. We had approximately 136,000 fans attending our playoffs and regular-season matches and last year We won the Western Conference championship where we beat Orange County in an away match. For a young franchise to have this kind of traction is great. The Rising aren't the first club to give professional soccer a shot in Arizona, but they seem to be juggernauts in the way the club has captivated such a significant fanbase in such a short amount of time all while playing in a league one level below MLS. The buzz has raised significant speculation that Phoenix could be awarded a franchise slot in the near future as the MLS continues its rapid expansion. The league will add Cincinnati as its 24th franchise this season, and has announced it will be adding teams in Miami, Nashville and Austin, Texas on its way to 28. Although Phoenix wasnt on the latest expansion list, Rising ownership has been vocal about its goal of nabbing one of those spots. FC Cincinnati will join Major League Soccer starting in the 2019 season. Austin FC will enter the league in 2021. (Photo: Sam Greene / The Enquirer) For now-retired MLS and U.S. national team defender Brad Evans, who grew up in Phoenix, the fanfare surrounding soccer in the Valley has captured his attention. And although the Mountain Pointe grad no longer resides in Phoenix, Evans has taken a vested interest in the growth of his hometown soccer market. I think its on the rise, Evans said. I think the demand is there, and now its about whether the (Rising) and the product can promote itself to really gain followers. We talk a lot about signing big-name players and building a massive facility to attract fans, but at the end of the day its the product on the field that fans want to come back to keep watching. From what Ive seen, its a significant growth with the USL team, the ownership thats there, the fans and then obviously having preseason down there says a lot about whats going on in Phoenix. Its a place that the National Team plays (regularly). So its there, but now its about what the perfect combination is to get an MLS team there. Thats the big question. Evans, 33, announced his retirement in December after a 12-year MLS career with Sporting KC, Seattle Sounders FC and the Columbus Crew SC. The Phoenix product said he hasnt yet decided what his next challenge will be, but Evans said he would be open to getting involved with the local club. Im obviously very interested, Evans said of the Rising. I know that I want to be involved in soccer now that Im retired as a player, and Phoenix for me is like an untapped market. We know that its been in the papers and the ownership has been very vocal about having an MLS team. Having somebody that is from the area, has played at that level, and knows the ins and outs about what it takes to succeed in MLS, it could be a good combination there. Im fresh out of retirement and trying to build those connections again. Potentially theres something there in the future. When Evans thinks back to his childhood in the Valley, everything seems different. He remembers club teams being the only available option. He remembers only being able to train a few days a week. He remembers that playing soccer was only about hanging with friends. Cristian Martinez and Rosendo Gonzalez, left, play soccer as a dust storm approaches near Estrella Foothills High School on Aug. 12. (Photo: Thomas Hawthorne / The Republic) I remember it being a really fun and relaxed time, Evans recalled. I had no aspirations of playing professionally. It was just what I did with my friends. There was no pressure at that time, and after a long career you look back on those times when it was just so much fun. You realize that those times were kind of once-in-a-lifetime bonds. It was a different time for soccer in Arizona and throughout the country. For those that have been around long enough, its beginning to feel like the time is now for soccer in Arizona. For Bakay, the biggest takeaways have been the almost 9,000 kids playing for the Rising-affiliated youth clubs across Arizona and the introduction of the club's minor-league affiliate in Tucson. Those things, coupled with the Risings on-field success, has the club in no hurry to reach the next step. While an MLS franchise might still be the goal, the Rising seem content riding the wave in terms of their growth as an organization and their focus on impacting the community. First of all, USL is the fastest-growing professional soccer league in the world, Bakay said. Thats very important to highlight. Multiple brand new franchises joined the league this season. The value of these franchises are increasing drastically. If its like other professional sport leagues itll probably stop at 30 or 32, but the USL has done a great job taking advantage of the other markets out there that could also be suitable for a league that size. Still, there are those on the outside looking in who feel the sky is the limit for the Rising and for soccer in Arizona. Nobody wants to see that happen more than Phoenixs own 12-year MLS veteran. MLS should be the aspiration for that group, Evans said of the Rising. From what I see around the league, theres absolutely no reason why Phoenix shouldnt have a team. MORE SPORTS Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at [email protected] and by phone at 480-316-2493. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/soccer/rising/2019/01/25/arizona-verge-becoming-soccer-mecca/2681007002/ |
Who is Roger Stone? | Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has been indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts -- including false statements obstruction and witness tampering -- the special counsel's office announced Friday morning. He was arrested before dawn on Friday and appeared in court the same day. Stone has been an eccentric figure on the right for decades, as a longtime Republican operative who has referred to himself as a "political provocateur" and a "dirty trickster." He helped elect Ronald Reagan, but unlike most Republicans, he is an acolyte of President Richard Nixon. Underneath his bespoke suits, he has a tattoo of Nixon's face on his back. Stone worked on Nixon's 1972 campaign, as well as Reagan's 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns. After helping to elect Reagan, Stone built a lobbying firm with his friend Paul Manafort, better known in the past couple of years as the former Trump campaign chairman who has also been entangled in the special counsel investigation, and was accused of violating his guilty plea by lying to federal prosecutors. Stone and President Trump have known each other since 1979, when the two were introduced by controversial lawyer Roy Cohn. Stone registered as a lobbyist for the Trump Organization in the 1990s, and lobbied on behalf of the organization during Mr. Trump's ill-fated time as a casino owner. Stone joined Mr. Trump's campaign immediately after it launched in 2015, although he left two months later over disagreements with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. While the Trump campaign said he had been fired, Stone maintained that he quit. He remained in contact with Mr. Trump through the election. Stone admitted to CBS News' Jeff Pegues in 2017 that he had been in contact with a Twitter handle U.S. officials considered a front for Russian intelligence during the campaign. "There's no collusion here," Stone told Pegues, while he admitted to contact with Guccifer 2.0, the Twitter handle that released hacked election information believed stolen from Democratic Party servers. Stone insisted that his conversation with Guccifer 2.0 was "innocuous" because of its and timing and because he was unaware at the time of the "exchange" of allegations that Guccifer 2.0 has ties to Russia. In 2016, Stone seemed to predict the hack of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta's emails. "Trust me, it will soon be Podesta's time in the barrel. #CrookedHillary," Stone tweeted, shortly before WikiLeaks hacked Podesta's emails and released them to the public. The special counsel's Friday indictment accuses Stone of giving information about WikiLeaks to the Trump campaign. According to the special counsel's office, Stone told "senior Trump campaign officials" about hacked emails that could hurt Clinton. The indictment listed seven counts: one count of obstruction of an official proceeding; five counts of false statements; and one count of witness tampering. Stone agreed to post a $250,000 bond Friday, after making his first appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment doesn't name WikiLeaks, but paints a picture of how Stone was allegedly in touch with top Trump campaign officials about leaked Democratic emails from "Organization 1" during the 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment claims Stone spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about information that could damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. The indictment also alleges Stone was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases the "Organization 1" might have. "During the summer of 2016, STONE spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about Organization 1 and information it might have had that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign. STONE was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases by Organization 1," the indictment reads. It also alleges that after the House Intelligence Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee and FBI began investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, Stone "took steps to obstruct these investigations" by making false statements to the House Intelligence Committee and attempting to persuade a witness to provide false testimony. The indictment contains multiple text and email exchanges allegedly involving Stone. In one text obtained by Mueller's office, on Oct. 1, 2016, someone identified only as "Person 2" in the indictment sent Stone text messages that said, 'big news Wednesday . . . now pretend u don't know me . . . Hillary's campaign will die this week.'" The Washington Post attributed that text message to Randy Credico, a radio host whom Stone identified as his intermediary to WikiLeaks. Six days later, hackers began releasing the personal emails of Podesta. According to the indictment, Person 2 also advised Stone to be honest with the FBI. Stone responded that he wouldn't talk to the FBI and threatened Person 2, saying, "if your [SIC] smart you won't either." Four months later, Stone emailed Person 2 again after it was apparent he had cooperated with the government. "You are a rat. A stoolie. You backstab your friends - run your mouth my lawyers are dying [to] Rip you to shreds," Stone wrote, the indictment reads. Stone also threatened his dog, saying, he'd "take that dog away from you." Credico has a small white dog named Bianca. Here's a photo of Credico and Bianca: | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-stone-indictment-arrest-special-counsel-donald-trump-2019-01-25/ |
Can Nasdaq (NDAQ) Keep Its Earnings Streak Alive in Q4? | Nasdaq, Inc. NDAQ is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 30, before market open. The company boasts a stellar record of positive earnings surprises. It outpaced estimates for eight straight quarters with the average beat being 3.35%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Nasdaq is expected to benefit from growth of its index and analytics businesses, exchange data products across U.S. and Nordic equities and options and fixed income businesses. Strategic buyouts continue to enhance the companys capabilities, thereby aiding its performance. Improved trading volume should continue to drive better performance. In the fourth quarter of 2018, U.S. equity options volume increased 10.8% year over year to 482 million contracts, while European options and futures registered 22.6 million contracts, up 14.1% year over year. Though revenues per contract for U.S. equity options increased 15.4% year over year to 15 cents, the same for European options and futures deceased 12.5% to 49 cents. Rise in listings is expected to boost listing revenues in the fourth quarter. There are 3,685 listed companies on Nasdaq compared with 3,560 in the year-ago period. Total listings grew 3.7% from the year-earlier quarter to 4,059. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for listing services revenues is pegged at $73 million, up 2.8% year over year. Non-transaction revenues are expected to rise on higher listing plus Market Technology and Information Services revenues. Market Technology and Information Services businesses offer the biggest growth opportunities per the companys developmental strategies. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Marketing Information Service revenues is pegged at $182 million, up 16.7% year over year. It estimates 2018 non-GAAP operating expenses in the range of $1.310-$1.335 billion due to appointments and promotions, seasonal compensation and higher fourth-quarter marketing spend, which will affect margins. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.24, indicating 18.1% increase on a year-over-year basis. Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Nasdaq, Inc. Quote What Our Quantitative Model Says Our proven model conclusively shows that Nasdaq is likely to beat estimates this reporting cycle. This is because the stock has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Earnings ESP: Nasdaq has an Earnings ESP of +0.99. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Nasdaq carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. Thus, this combination makes us confident of a positive earnings surprise. We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are stocks from the finance sector with the perfect combination of elements to surpass estimates in their upcoming releases. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 31. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +3.92% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. AXS is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 30. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +1.49% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Boston Properties, Inc. BXP has an Earnings ESP of +0.60% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company will announce fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 29. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> | https://news.yahoo.com/nasdaq-ndaq-keep-earnings-streak-225310479.html |
Which Indy-area high school basketball coaching staff was the best as players? | After practice on Thursday afternoon, first-year Ben Davis coach Don Carlisle shared a story with the team about his senior season. It was around this time, in 1997, when Ben Davis defeated Carmel by 19 points in a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. It was a turning point, Carlisle related to the team as they prepared to play Carmel on Friday night, part of a nine-game winning streak that ended in the regional at Hinkle against Cathedral. Drawing on his playing experience in high school, college and professionally, is a coaching technique Carlisle uses often. You can trust his process because you know he has been through it and knows the plan, Ben Davis senior Jeff Clayton said. Carlisle won two state championships as a sophomore and junior at Ben Davis before going on to a standout college career at IUPUI and 12-year professional career. Standing nearby after practice on Thursday was Carlisles former high school teammate, Courtney James, a 1995 Indiana All-Star who played two years in college at Minnesota and 10 years professionally. As basketball coaching staffs go, the 6-6 Carlisle and 6-8 James form an impressive frontcourt. Carlisle turned 40 earlier this month and James is 42. I have to take Ibuprofen and ice my knees, James said. But I still try to get out there and get up and down. Buy Photo Ben Davis coaches, left to right, Jordan Bragg (Marion), Don Carlisle (Ben Davis) and Courtney James (Ben Davis) as players. In this hypothetical scenario, we based the question on coaches in the prime of their playing career and not currently. But either way, the Ben Davis staff was mentioned multiple times. Right now? James asked. I think we would hold our own. Im pretty confident our staff would hold our own with any other coaching staff. But in our prime, I dont see too many in the state who could match up with us. We would have been tough. The Ben Davis team is more than Carlisle and James. Junior varsity coach Jordan Bragg was a 6-3 shooter on Marions 2007 Class 4A semistate team. Assistant coach Terry Futch was all-Marion County as a senior at Ben Davis in 1986 and played at Indiana State. K.J. Weaver, a 2013 Mooresville graduate, played junior college ball at the College of DuPage (Ill.). Assistant Corey Taylor played at Champaign Centennial (Ill.) in high school before serving two years as student manager at Eastern Illinois. Futch is old school, Carlisle said. Hes 50 but he still in shape and plays and runs hard. Hes a defensive stopper. Me and Courtney can score. Id play the four and he would play the five. Taylor still trains and plays every day. Jordan Bragg doesnt miss. Weaver can shoot it. If anybody wants to strap it on and play, I think it would be tough to get us out. Buy Photo Top row, left to right: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Mike Bennett, Kristof Kendrick. Bottom row, left to right: Errick Peck, Courtney James and Zach Hahn. (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) There are some other coaching staffs worth considering as potential worthy challengers. Here are a some of the best submissions: Southport First-year coach Eric Brand played at Bloomington South before going on to a standout career at Bethel College. The 6-8 Brand scored a school-record 2,696 points and was a two-time NAIA All-American, leading Bethel to three national titles. Brand went on to play professionally in Austria, where was a two-time all-star, and in Australia, where he was league MVP in 2005. Like Ben Davis, there is depth on Southports staff. The 6-7 Kyle Taber, a 2004 Evansville Central graduate, averaged 4.1 points and 5.0 rebounds as a senior at Indiana in 2008-09. Mike Gehlert, at 6-4, averaged 12 points as a senior at Archbishop McNicholas in Cincinnati in 1972. Tony Adragna (Southport) and Isaiah Cousins (East Chicago Central) were both key contributors as varsity guards. The 6-5 Jordan Dever was a two-time conference player of the year at East Central and averaged 11 points a game at Marian University in 2005-06. Kaleb Oldham, a 2012 Owen Valley graduate, shot 45 percent from the 3-point line as a senior. Fishers Buy Photo Fishers assistant coaches Blake Snodgrass (North Harrison, left) and Dakota Slaughter (right, Fishers) in their playing days. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier Journal photos) Coach Matt Moore was a four-year starter at Columbia City and two-time all-conference selection before going on to start four seasons at Grace College, where he is fourth on the schools all-time assist list. Moore, coupled with Q (Qadr) Owens, gives the Tigers a strong backcourt. Owens, who played on Lawrence Norths 2006 Class 4A state title team, was a two-time NAIA All-American at St. Francis and won a national title in 2010. He scored 1,862 career points in college. Fishers staff also includes Blake Snodgrass, a four-year starter at North Harrison who scored 1,501 career points (25.3 points as a senior in 2003-04), Drew Fountain, a two-year starter at Gary Mann, and Dakota Slaughter, an all-conference football and basketball player at Fishers who played in 15 games as a senior at Alabama. Lawrence Central Coach Al Gooden helped lead Ball State to its first NCAA tournament berth as a senior in 1981 and was a two-time all-conference selection. The 6-5 Gooden, who played in high school at Fort Wayne Wayne, was inducted into Ball States athletic hall of fame in 1991. Goodens staff includes several other former college players, including DAndre Davis (Central Missouri State), Tra Granger (Danville Area Community College in Illinois), A.J. Gooden (Fort Wayne Bible College), Brian Maloney (Wabash) and Kurt Freytag (Purdue football). I guess I will have to carry the team, Gooden said. Cardinal Ritter Buy Photo Cardinal Ritter coaches, left to right, Errick Peck (Cathedral), Mike Bennett (Brebeuf Jesuit) and Devin Thomas (Pike) as area prep players. (Photo: IndyStar photos) Assistant coach Mike Bennett was an Indiana All-Star as a senior at Brebeuf Jesuit and led the Braves to the Class 3A state championship before going on to play at Ball State. Joining the 6-5 Bennett are head coach Ron Moore, who played at Ritter from 2001-03 and played Division III at Ohio Wesleyan for two seasons. Devin Thomas, at 6-4, was a key reserve on Pikes 2003 Class 4A state title team and went on to play at Division II St. Josephs. Justin Reed won a sectional as a senior at Ritter in 2009 before going to play at Anderson University and 6-6 Errick Peck was an Indiana All-Star at Cathedral before playing at Cornell and Purdue. Brett Hamrick played varsity basketball in North Carolina. Cardinal Ritters coaching staff looks like a clear favorite in this tournament, in my humble opinion, Moore said. Beech Grove Coach Mike Renfro believes he and former Beech Grove coach Matt English, who died in December from brain cancer, could have given Ben Davis a run for its money. English was a star player at Greenfield-Central before going on to star at Bethel University (Tenn.), where he scored a school-record 2,530 points before graduating in 1996. The 6-4 Renfro averaged 27.4 points as a senior in 1994-95 and remains the schools all-time scoring leader with 1,860 points. Renfro went on to play for Jay Wright at Hofstra, averaging 5.5 points per game in two seasons and played professionally in the United States Basketball League. Other assistants Jason Hess, Tyler Gentry, Tommy Pich and Ronnie Dietz all averaged in double figures at Beech Grove. Another assistant, Dan Nietz, was a standout at Emmanuel Christian in Toledo and Baptist Bible College in Pennsylvania. Center Grove Buy Photo Center Grove head coach Zach Hahn (right, New Castle) and Gunner Erwin (Salem) enjoyed solid playing careers. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier Journal photos) Coach Zach Hahn has excellent credentials of his own as an Indiana All-Star at New Castle in 2007 and a key player on Butlers back-to-back national championship runner-up teams in 2010 and 11. Assistant coach Gunner Erwin, a 6-5 forward, was an all-conference player at Franklin College in 2013 after playing in high school at Salem. Brian Keeton was a starter on Franklin Centrals regional team as a senior in 1996. Gary Robinson (Center Grove) and Troy Burkhart (Indian Creek) are other assistants. Howe Buy Photo Howe coaches, left to right, Dominique Ferguson (Lawrence North), Kristof Kendrick (Lafayette Central Catholic) and Brandon Smith (Cathedral). (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) The Hornets have a young staff led by head coach Kristof Kendrick, who scored 1,481 points at two-time state champion Lafayette Central Catholic and went on to play at Western Michigan. Kendricks staff includes Brandon Smith, a 2011 graduate of Cathedral who averaged 21 points a senior and went on to play at Division II Lynn University (Fla.). Dominique Ferguson, a one-time top-50 prospect, played at Lawrence North before going to prep school and Florida International. David Hill played at Cathedral and Marian University and Terrencio Davis played at Lawrence North. Brownsburg Buy Photo Brownsburg assistants Jeff Hanni (left, Franklin Central) and Riley Rapp (Guerin Catholic) as players. (Photo: IndyStar photos) Coach Steve Lynch played at Manchester College and assistants Jeff Hanni (University of Indianapolis), Rich Thomas (Illinois State) and Marcus Evans (Division II Mississippi College) also played college ball. Riley Rapp was a state champion at Guerin Catholic, John Grimes in addition to having the court named after him at Marian University for his 36-year coaching career played at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer and Tom Maples played at Huntington North. North Central Buy Photo North Central assistants, left to right, Bill Gillis (North Central), D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (North Central) and Brett Buscher (Chesterton, Purdue). (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) DVauntes Smith-Rivera is working as an assistant under first-year coach Brian Hahn, which is a good place to start. Smith-Rivera was standout as a sophomore on North Centrals 2010 Class 4A state title team and might have been IndyStar Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2012 had he not transferred to Oak Hill Academy. Smith-Rivera went on to play four years at Georgetown, scoring 1,919 career points. Brett Buscher, a 2000 Chesterton graduate, is also on Hahns staff. The 6-8 Buscher averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in four seasons at Purdue. Bill Gillis, a North Central graduate who averaged 8.9 points at Ball State in the early 1990s, is another former Division I player on Hahns staff. That is 10. Here are other entries and comments: >> First-year Eminence coach Todd Hanni said his staff is ready to play any coaching staff in the state right now. The 6-4 Hanni is a 2006 Danville graduate and played at UNLV. His staff also includes 6-6 Nate Newton, a 2014 Northview graduate, 6-5 Bryce Ator, who played basketball at Danville and football at Wittenberg College. Matt Stewart was a guard at Danville, graduating in 2005, and Mason Smith played at Eminence. >> Herrons staff has three former Ben Davis players in Larry Baker (2002 graduate, went to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Indiana Tech), Jeroboam Wilson (2012 graduate) and Greg Person (2011 graduate). >> Hamilton Heights staff includes the all-time leading scorer at DePauw University in Brett Crist, who played at Alexandria in high school. Eric King (Anderson University) and J.R. Moffatt (Cincinnati Christian) also played in college. Buy Photo Decatur Central coach John Ashworth played at Franklin Central and IUPUI. (Photo: Rob Goebel/IndyStar) >> Decatur Central coach John Ashworth was a standout player at Franklin Central who went on to start 77 games at IUPUI, averaging 4.4 points as a senior in 2010-11. Ashworth said he would add former Franklin Central teammate JaJuan Johnson as a volunteer assistant, but would prefer this to be a current tournament. In our prime changes things, he said. If it was now I would feel a lot more confident because I think I could win individual matchups against guys like Mark James (Perry Meridian) and Jack Keefer (Lawrence North). Im only 30 so it would be the only time my age worked to my advantage in coaching. >> Washington coach Kenny Roseman, a 1991 graduate, played point guard at Cathedral before going to Marian University. Assistant Randy Fields played at Howe (1985 graduate) and Missouri Valley College and Sylvester Williams is a 1995 Arlington graduate who played overseas while in the military. Buy Photo Greenwood Christian coach Jonny Marlin was a standout for Center Grove. (Photo: Alan Petersime/for IndyStar) >> Greenwood Christian Jonny Marlin was a standout player at Center Grove, graduating in 2011, before going on to IPFW, Indiana and starring at Indiana Wesleyan. His assistant, Ben Carlson, won two national titles at Indiana Wesleyan. >> Plainfields plan would be to get the ball to Gavin Groninger, a 1999 graduate and Indiana All-Star who scored 1,768 career points (still a school record) and won a Class 3A state title. Groninger went on to play at Michigan, where he averaged 4.9 points over four seasons. Not sure if the rest of us are good passers but if so we would try to pass the ball to Gavin Groninger, Plainfield coach Andy Weaver said. Weaver was an all-conference player at Clinton Prairie, graduating in 1984. Assistant Jason Young was an all-conference player at Rushville in 1990-91 and Matt Steward, a 2008 Plainfield graduate, helped the Quakers to a Mid-State Conference title. >> Franklin Central has four former Flashes, including coach John Rockey, who was a four-year starter at Wabash College. Assistant Kyle Brewer was a three-year starter at Hanover College and Joe Talhelm played against Indiana players in practice as a manager. Tommy Rockey is also a Franklin Central grad. >> Pike assistant Shawn Teague was an Indiana All-Star at Anderson in 1980 before playing at Missouri and Boston University. Coach Bill Zych (LaPorte/Manchester), assistant Braxton Mills (Pike/UIndy) and assistant Lou Hogan (Pike/Lake Land College, Ill.) also played in college. Von Williams and Anthony Law played at Gary Roosevelt. >> Morristown has two of the schools all-time leading scorers on its staff in assistants Dylan Langkabel (2,072 points) and Kevin Crim (1,067 points from 1992-95). Langkabel scored 1,395 career points at Northwood University and Crim scored 1,497 points at Cardinal Stritch. >> Heritage Christian assistant John Sherman Williams was an Indiana All-Star in 1981-82 at Washington, where he averaged 27.6 points. He starred at Indiana State, scoring 2,374 points to rank second in school history and played several years professionally overseas and in the CBA. I am the most blessed coach in the state to have him on staff and as a close friend, Heritage Christian coach Corey Jackson said. >> Metropolitan has several former college players on its staff. Coach Lee Jackson (Northwest/Central Lakes College/UIndy) has 6-9 Devon Archie as an assistant. Archie played at Ben Davis, then Vincennes College and Iowa from 2010-12. Damani Anderson (Pike/Glenn Oaks, Mich.), Frank Henderson (Pike/Ball State) and Tyler Alexander (Northwest/Manchester) also played college ball. Buy Photo Tri-West coach Adam Bontreger (back) won a state title as a player at Westview. (Photo: Mike Fender/IndyStar) >> Tri-West coach Adam Bontreger played at Westview (2000 graduate) before going on to Bethel and Huntington. Assistants Mike Miller (Franklin Central), Josh Hodge (Brownsburg), Daniel Hoover (Tri-West) and Brad Chinn (Evansville Harrison) all played high school ball. Gordon Hayward Sr. He didnt play high school basketball but he raised an NBA All-Star, Bontreger said. >> Shortridge coach Jeff Strange even supplied nicknames for his entry, including Charles The Slasher Slash (Northwest) and Bill We Want Mike Woodson (Broad Ripple). Strange, at 6-5, was a standout player at Scecina as a senior in 1990-91. Mark Bailey, a 6-10 center and St. Louis native, played in college at Bradley. >> Brebeuf coach Todd Howard played at Louisville Ballard and was a reserve at the University of Louisville. Assistant Allen Glunt played at Sheridan and Franklin College and assistant Jon Avery, an Ohio native, was a standout at IUPUI before playing professionally overseas. Another assistant, Ken Johnson, was a standout NAIA College of Idaho. >> Traders Point coach Kraig Cox played at Eastern New Mexico and assistants Scott Nichols (Ball State), Dave Yaraschefski (Rose-Hulman) and Noah Thomas (IUPUI) all played in college. >> Lebanon coach Albert Hendrix started on two regional title teams at Frankfort in the late 1970s. His son, assistant Trey Hendrix, graduated in 2012 in Lebanon at the schools fourth all-time scorer. Another assistant Dave Ferrell, was a star at Lebanon in the late 1980s and a member of the DePauw Athletic Hall of Fame. Aaron Vaughn (Western Boone) and Cameron Bennington (Twin Lakes) were also standout high school players. >> Chatard assistants Mike Bennett (Rose-Hulman), Dan Cage (Vanderbilt) and Matt Boling (Taylor) all played in college. Of course, a playing career does not matter much unless it translates to coaching. Theres nothing saying you cant be a good coach if you havent played, Carlisle said. But I think kids understand that you understand what it feels like to be a player. Being in those situations, I think it helps to be able to relate to what they are going through. And sometimes they can still get out and prove it. Coach James definitely likes to work with us, Clayton said. His knees are a little bad, but he can still get out there. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/01/25/who-got-game-indiana-high-school-basketball-coaches-players/2682200002/ |
Is Meghan Markle's favourite snack fuelling drought and murder? | The Duchess of Sussex has rightly been praised for making the fusty old Royal Family more socially and ethically aware. But that was until an old friend from her Hollywood days was invited round for a bite to eat and posted online a picture of what was widely assumed to be high tea. Pride of place went to avocado on toast -on silver platters, no less. "Still being the avocado toast whisperer, YUM! ", trilled her guest, Daniel Martin. The celebrity make-up artist said it took him back to the days when he and Meghan Markle collaborated on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. "The consummate hostess," he enthused. Advertisement Well, perhaps not so much. The campaigning duchess may be passionate when it comes to racial equality and female empowerment, but for someone who wants to save the planet, she's committed something of a faux pas with avocados. For all their health benefits and tastiness, the fact is that rampant avocado production in the Third World has been linked with water shortages, human rights abuses, illegal deforestation, ecosystem destruction and general environmental devastation. It has proved so lucrative in Mexico that it has been dubbed "green gold" and is even filling the coffers of brutal drug cartels. In her defence, the duchess is hardly the only celebrity who's extolled the wonders of avocados, which are full of vitamins, proteins and healthy fats. The lifeblood of the millennial generation - who can't stop posting pictures of avocado on toast on Instagram - this so-called "super food" has been championed by everyone from nutritionists to Hollywood stars. Meghan's favourite avocado snack - beloved of all millennial's - is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder. Photo / AP The duchess revealed in her Grenfell cookbook that a green chilli and avocado dip was a favourite. Pop star Miley Cyrus went further with an avocado tattoo on her arm. Grown in Mexico for 9,000 years, the avocado has come a long way since the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors disparagingly called it aguacate, after ahuacatl, Aztec for testicle. Between 2000 and 2015, avocado consumption in the U.S. tripled. In the UK, the avocado market is estimated to be worth around 200 million ($386 million) a year. But it has become a victim of its own popularity, prompting restaurants and cafes to remove it from menus over concerns about its environmental and social impact. The Wild Strawberry Cafe in Bucks substituted avocados, its most popular item, with garlic-sauteed mushrooms on toast. Its owner cited the "demand on avocado farmers, pushing up prices to the point where there are even reports of Mexican drug cartels controlling lucrative exports". Tincan Coffee in Bristol has replaced "avo" with pea guacamole after they were judged not to "fit" with it's "core beliefs". The Wildflower Restaurant in South London followed suit, citing the violence in Mexico. Its chef, Joseph Ryan, suggested the world may be entering a "post-avocado era". Haute cuisine has also jumped on board. In Ireland, the Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon has called them the "blood diamonds of Mexico" and compared avocados to battery chickens. Where trendy restaurants and chefs go, the image-conscious supermarkets may not be far behind. The problems that come from the West's trendy fascination with avocados have a lot to do with geography. Some 40 per cent come from Mexico and almost all of that is grown in the rural western state of Michoacan. Beloved of all millennial's. Photo / Getty Images The region's fertile volcanic soil and temperate climate allow avocados to be harvested all year round (in other countries they can only be harvested in summer). The rich soil means the notoriously thirsty avocado trees need only a third as much water as they do elsewhere. Mexico now makes more money exporting avocados than oil. Unfortunately, Michoacan is also home to some of Mexico's most violent cartels. They include La Familia Michoacana, whose leaders once tossed five rivals' heads on to the dance floor of a nightclub; their equally vicious rivals in the Knights Templar, a quasi-religious death cult; and Los Viagras, named for their leader's heavily moussed, erect hair. In Michoacan, the cartels now make more money from avocados than cannabis. Some drug criminals are becoming growers themselves, others simply terrorise the industry. Avocado farmers, who in Michoacan can easily earn more than 115,000 ($221,995) a year, a vast sum in Mexico, live in continual fear of kidnapping and extortion. The Knights Templar started charging a fee for every box of avocados gathered by farmers. They also extorted money from the fertiliser and pesticide retailers. Many farmers have been forced to hand over the title deeds to their farms. If they don't pay protection money, growers and packers risk being raped or killed, their bodies tied to avocado trees with warning notices attached. Some kidnapped farmers have been killed even after their families paid their ransom. A businessman whose family refused to pay up was chained to one of his trees and shot dead. Officials estimated the Knights Templar alone earn as much as 115 million ($221.9 million) a year from avocados. The cartel's 2014 kidnap, rape and murder of an avocado farmer's young daughter prompted the town of Tancitaro to drive out the Knights after a bloody battle. However, the cartels remain a menacing presence. But, the fruit, which is described as Green Gold has been caught up in violent gang warfare with rival groups trying to exploit the healthy snack. Photo / Supplied Mexico's avocado industry is also accused of damaging the health of locals with the chemicals sprayed on the orchards. Experts are concerned that the fumigation of the trees is behind growing breathing and stomach problems, and may be polluting water supplies. Unscrupulous farmers are clearing land for avocado orchards, often illegally by cutting down oak and pine forests. The latter provide a crucial winter nesting ground for the imperilled Monarch butterfly. Indeed, a Mexican government study concluded that soaring avocado production has caused a loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution and soil erosion. It has also damaged the natural water cycle and threatened the survival of animal species only found in the area. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates. We can't be certain where Meghan's avocados came from, but fashionable eaters who think they can safely switch to sourcing them from the Dominican Republic, Chile or Peru should think again. Wherever they come from, the thousands of miles any avocado has to travel to get to Britain means they leave a heavy carbon footprint. This is because they are perishable but cannot be frozen because it alters their texture. They must therefore be transported either by air or in air-conditioned container ships so they ripen at just the right moment. Their relatively heavy weight and bulky packaging to prevent bruising further ratchets up their carbon footprint. Two avocados have a footprint of 846g of CO2, compared to 160g for two bananas. The enormous amounts of water required to grow avocados is even more of an eco-issue in countries without Mexico's volcanic soil. It can take as much as 1,000 litres (220 gallons) to grow a single kilo (about three avocados). The Chilean province of Petorca is suffering an acute water shortage thanks to "green gold". Water has been privatised in Chile (which specialises in the Hass variety so popular in the UK), meaning that those who pay - such as deep-pocketed big avocado growers - can use as much as they want. When activists complained after a 2012 aerial survey revealed 64 pipelines were diverting river water underground to irrigate the orchards, they received death threats. Local rivers have now dried up and supplies have to be trucked in for local people while the avocado farms rely on artificial reservoirs. Although the avocado is essentially a jungle plant, greedy growers are determined to cultivate it in dry, perennially sunny areas such as California, where orchards sap water from a state already prone to wildfires and drought. In Israel, avocado trees are irrigated with treated waste-water, prompting fears that harmful nano-particles are not only permanently damaging the soil but penetrating the fruit. The Chinese are being gripped by avocado mania, too, so demand is expected to keep soaring. Since Meghan's guest was invited to high tea, surely it should have been a case of let him eat cake. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196699 |
How many more young people have to die before we embrace pill testing? | In Australia, tens of thousands of young people will attend one of three music festivals taking place across the country. As a result, my Instagram is sure to be flooded with group shots and glittery bums. But what I'm praying I don't see is news of a dead friend. I'm 21 years old and I've lost count of how many music festivals I've been to. I've slept in flooded tents, spewed in mosh pits, and danced with strangers until 3am. But what I haven't done is watch a friend die from a drug overdose. Though I'm terrified that it's only a matter of time until I do. Advertisement Since the tragic death of 19-year-old Alex Ross-King only weeks ago, the pill testing debate in Australia is louder and angrier than ever before. The teenager died of a suspected MDMA overdose at Parramatta's FOMO Festival earlier this month. This makes Ross-King the state's fifth young person to have died after taking illicit drugs at a music festival since September 2018. The NSW Coroners Court has launched an inquest into the deaths, and news media is filled with heated debate around the controversy surrounding the issue. Because by reaching out to my small network alone, I have spoken to the friends of those who have overdosed and died, those who were there for the pill testing trial in Canberra where two "deadly" pills were detected, even one person who took what she thought was Ketamine, only to later discover it was actually crystal meth. Had pill testing been available and she knew what she was taking, she assures me there is no way she would have taken it. We all feel that something's gotta give. Because wherever you land on the issue, you have to admit that a dead kid a month means that the status quo isn't working. Those opposed to the implementation of pill testing have argued that it has the potential to send the message that taking drugs is safe, that those young people who wouldn't otherwise take them might be tempted. In a recent opinion piece, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro asked "How many others might be tempted to dabble in drugs if NSW Labor is telling them their pill is 'safe'?" Let me be frank, In all my years of attending music festivals, I have never taken a single pill. And I probably never will. Abbey Lenton has lost count of the amount of festivals she has been to. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied As a non drug-user, I can tell you that a pill testing tent will not tempt me and it might actually discourage people who were planning to take something. Stacey is a 22-year-old festival aficionado. She was there for the pill testing trial at Groovin The Moo in Canberra last year. She describes walking towards the tent, nervous that it was one big police trap. When she arrived though, she was greeted by a happy volunteer. "She gave us handouts of information on drugs, and there was even a board that had posts about what random/deadly substances had already been found." What politicians don't seem to understand is that at these tents, young people aren't getting a happy-go-lucky pro-drug green light. They're getting much needed education and informed intervention. It feels like the only thing a young person can do to be heard is to die. I was contacted by a friend of Callum Brosnan, the 19-year-old from Baulkham Hills who died from a suspected drug overdose after a festival in December last year. The friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he feels with certainty that had the festival had pill testing, Callum was the kind of person who would have used it. "It sucks knowing that the technology existed and it's possible that his death could've been prevented and he'd still be here today," he told me. Video still of Callum Brosnan dancing at Knockout Games at Sydney Olympic Park shortly before he died of a drug-related overdose. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook Last week, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told Sunrise host David Koch that "pill-testing doesn't deal with overdoses. Pill-testing doesn't say to one person, 'This is gonna kill you', whereas to someone else it might be safe." There's that word again, "safe". Politicians seem to be stuck spinning the rhetoric that the implementation of pill testing will in some way send the message to young people that taking certain drugs is "safe". If there's one thing I can assure you, it's that in the numerous conversations I've had with my peers, none of us are under any sort of impression that pills are safe. Young Australians are completely aware that all drug taking is harmful our PE teachers got us that far. If we take drugs, we're being reckless and we know it. But we would like to know how reckless. As 23-year-old James told me: "Kids do die from pure pills, but at least with pill testing the ones that are actually poisonous and deadly, they can be stopped." WE SIMPLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING "Maybe it won't work, but we have to do something" it's a desperate and disheartened plea, and one that's been said over and over. Because while we clearly accept that all drugs are dangerous, something politicians won't believe, the no-tolerance approach has obviously failed. As young people, we feel that our hands are tied. That no one is listening to us. We're not ignorant of who is doing what like most parents are. We're in the thick of it. In our minds, 'a pill popper' does not equate to a filthy delinquent. They're our friends, our siblings, our classmates and unlike many politicians, we've rejected the idea that those who take drugs get what's coming to them. A MESSAGE TO PARENTS If you're a parent and you're riding on the notion that the child you've raised is above taking drugs, know this: Research by the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that by age 19, one in five young people have tried an illicit drug. So even if it is sincerely not your kid, you can bet your ass it's their friend. It's a kid you've had at some stage around your dinner table. The dialogue from non-young people is all too cold and removed. That is until one of us dies. Then we're given a face and a name, a family who no longer have the privilege of playing with hypotheticals anymore. They don't turn on the television and see a face that could almost be their daughter's. Because it is their daughter's. "Premier, please: can we have this pill testing done. It's such a small thing to do, it's not hard. Let's try and get it out there," begged Ms Ross-King's grandmother Denise Doig on Network Ten. People are desperate for a resolution and we owe it to them to try something. Nope, and I will personally testify to that. According to similar measures taken in Europe, it very well might. But even if it doesn't, surely we have to try. Yes! They've told me they will. If weeing on a pile of sawdust can become a festival norm, lining up to get your pills tested sure as hell can. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196711 |
Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. Pollock? | Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. originally appeared on nbcsportschicago.com The Los Angeles Dodgers have another outfielder. Things have gone quite nicely for the Dodgers in recent seasons, perhaps in part because their roster is full of - not just full of, bursting with - guys who can play multiple positions, both infield and outfield, and they can easily mitigate the inevitable injuries and fatigue of a baseball season. Scroll to continue with content Ad And now they've got another one. They've reportedly signed A.J. Pollock to a multi-year contract, and while he can't play both center field and second base like half the position players on the Dodgers' roster, his arrival in L.A. creates some interesting potential ripple effects involving the White Sox. The one that immediately comes to mind is Joc Pederson. Over the weekend, the White Sox and Dodgers were reported to be discussing a potential trade that would send Pederson to the South Side. Now that another outfielder has joined that roster and crowded the outfielder further, perhaps there's a need to get rid of one, potentially Pederson, and that could be the White Sox gain. Any trade involving Pederson would have to be for the right price, as he's not a slam-dunk fit with the White Sox long-term plans, a free agent after the 2020 season. But he'd be an upgrade in the outfield and in the lineup and would be a nice placeholder while the White Sox wait for the likes of Luis Robert and Micker Adolfo to reach the major leagues. That price might be even more attractive now that the Dodgers have made that move and further crowded their outfield. Or maybe the Dodgers could just hold on to Pederson and continue to rotate everyone. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported there's no trade imminent. We'll see. Story continues #Dodgers figured they would be elite vs. RHPs, mediocre vs. LHPs; hence, motivation for Pollock. Plan is for him to be primary CFer, with Bellinger moving between CF, corner OF, 1B. LAD will have depth to rest regulars. Per sources, team not close to trading Pederson at moment. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2019 And then there's the previous maneuvering the Dodgers did this offseason, trading Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp in a big trade with the Cincinnati Reds. At the time, it was speculated that might've been to better position the Dodgers for a run at Bryce Harper, the biggest fish swimming in this winter's free-agent pond. Well, Pollock is who the Dodgers ended up using that flexibility to acquire, causing for a speculative decrease in the likelihood they go after Harper, a player it's at times easy to forget the White Sox are still pursuing. While the market for Harper has been reportedly small all winter long - it currently appears to be solely the White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals - the potential elimination of the Dodgers might aid the White Sox chances in their pursuit of bringing one of the best players in baseball to the South Side. The Dodgers had a glut of outfielders. They eased it a bit. And now they have a glut again. Time will tell, but the possibility exists. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the White Sox easily on your device. | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-white-sox-benefit-dodgers-182546236.html?src=rss |
Why Don't We Create A Public Works Initiative To Create Unbiased Data For AI? | Biased data creates biased AI. Our AI systems today are biased not because of algorithmic limitations, but because the data used to train those algorithms encode the myriad biases of our human and natural worlds. The cost would be substantial but the resulting benefit to the future of our increasingly AI-driven world would be extraordinary. Underlying every conversation about AI bias is a discussion of data bias. As awe-inspiring as deep learning algorithms may be, they learn only what they are given, meaning the more biased their training data, the more biased their results. Absent any concept of moral values, algorithms mirror what they see, rather than rising above it. Of course, it is critical to recognize that there is no such thing as unbiased data. All data has bias. The key is to create minimally biased data that reduces bias as much as possible along the dimensions most corrosive to the functioning of society. There are no technological limitations to inclusiveness. A camera can capture an affluent Valley elite just as easily as it can capture a subsistence farmer in a remote rural village on the other side of the world. A voice recognition training dataset can just as easily contain samples of speakers from a language of 1,000 speakers as it can a language of 10 million speakers. Companies argue their smart devices can only support so many languages because those are the only languages for which training data exists in sufficient quantities. They argue that machine translation can only support the hundred or so languages for which there is sufficient parallel text. They argue that computer vision algorithms can only support a small number of cultures and geographies for which there are sufficient photographic references. Creating new datasets from scratch would have the added benefit of being able to carefully curate their composition to ensure equal diversity across as many dimensions as possible. The answer, as I noted earlier this week, comes down to economics. Creating new datasets costs a lot of money. Companies invest in ensuring sufficient diversity and inclusiveness of their data to cover their most economically viable customers. Extending beyond monied and monetizable users to the rest of the world doesnt make economic sense for most companies. That is the question that underlies why we have biased AI today. Todays AI is largely created in a capitalist environment subject to the whims of economic need. AI is built to maximize revenue, not make the world a better place. A powerful driving force behind data bias is that technology companies today view data as something they should get for free. Social media companies hoover up our data and view it as their own economic property to exclusively monetize. This ready availability of data means that companies view data like air: something critical to life but that we would never dream of paying for. In turn, this means our AI systems today are largely built upon free data, rather than good data. Faced with a choice between a heavily biased, but free dataset and the cost of creating a brand new curated dataset that minimizes bias, nearly every company will choose the free dataset and try to bolt on a few filters to do what they can to make the bias levels slightly more tolerable. Put another way, the reason we have biased AI today is because we have biased data. The reason we have biased data is because companies choose poor quality but free data over high quality data they have to pay for. Looking to history, the United States Government through its Farm Security Administration funded the creation of one of the single richest photographic archives of American life from 1935 to 1944. With a specific mandate to capture the side of America that was historically left out of the photographic record, the FSAs photographers fanned out across the nation to introduce America to Americans. Of particular interest to the conversation about data bias was FSAs mandate to focus on the underrepresented. Rather than the glamorous society life and urban scenes that dominated traditional photographic subjects, FSAs photographers were tasked with covering the America that most of the public had never seen. Supported by the US Government these photographers were able to focus on capturing the soul of the nation, rather than focusing on economically viable shots that could be sold for the highest dollar. While the FSA program did not operate entirely without constraints on the subjects and messages conveyed by their imagery, they nonetheless offer us a glimpse into the other America that never could have existed without the government recognizing the importance of telling these stories and paying to create this incredible archive. Imagine a project that paid local photographers to fan out across the world capturing daily life in every corner of the planet, mass translated works from underrepresented languages and constructed vast voice archives of their native speakers. That created autonomous driving datasets representing roadways from all corners of the world, rather than the idealized world of American highways. That created datasets encoding cultural practices, legal systems, architecture, art and every other facet of the human and natural world. The creation of these datasets would be jointly funded by the government and major companies, with the resulting datasets available free to the world. Most importantly, in an immense departure from many current AI training datasets, these datasets would be constructed ethically. Rather than mass harvesting social media posts, scraping personal photo galleries, paying random strangers on Amazon Mechanical Turk to contribute personal data, using legal terms of service to forcibly exploit private customer information or any of the other myriad ethically and legally dubious practices used to create todays data archives, these collections would place ethics first. Local laws and cultural practices would be adhered to. Contributors would be fully aware of how their data will be used and could even be granted the right to approve or deny certain applications. For example, they could deny the right to use their face to train facial recognition models sold to law enforcement but allow them for home door lock systems. Every contributor could see the complete list of applications that have made use of their data in some way, allowing them to understand their contribution to AI. Free data would remove the economic disincentive to address data bias. On the other hand, there would still be economic drivers fighting against bias minimization. Companies looking to create the smallest possible and fastest executing models might still balk at bloating their models with support for demographics, cultures and situations that are not economically important to their business model. Extending their models beyond their narrow target customer demographic could make those models less accurate for their customers depending on the technical specifics of their deep learning algorithm. On the other hand, the widespread availability of minimally biased data would increase public and lawmaker scrutiny of companies that chose to continue to build biased models. For companies that genuinely wished to address bias, they would finally have the data to do so. Putting this all together, we have AI bias because companies as a whole dont want to spend the money to create new datasets that minimize bias. They would rather use highly biased free datasets than pay to create curated datasets that explicitly minimize key bias. This reminds us again that the driver behind AI bias is economics. By replacing free biased data with free minimally biased data, we could have a huge impact on AI bias and place additional non-economic pressures on those companies that continue to emphasize bias in their systems. In the end, if biased AI comes from biased data, we have to ask ourselves why we dont spend the money to reduce that bias. Perhaps by jumpstarting the AI space with a public works project for minimally biased data we could fundamentally change the economics of AI bias. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/25/why-dont-we-create-a-public-works-initiative-to-create-unbiased-data-for-ai/ |
Does San Franciscos flag convey what our city is? | Were suckers for flags and statues. Think of how fraught the movement to tear down Confederate war monuments has been across the South (it may yet launch Mitch Landrieus presidential campaign), or what it will mean if Mississippians succeed in redesigning their state flag, the last state flag in the nation to include the stars and bars of the Confederate Battle Flag. The way a city represents itself graphically is important, both because of the values it communicates and because of its ability to rally disparate people under one banner. In todays rapidly transforming urban world, where existing communities often feel embattled and the constant influx of newcomers havent yet assimilated into their new homes, cities graphic representation is even more meaningful. This story played out in 2016 in Tulsa, Okla. A group of residents led by Joey Wignarajah and Jacob Johnson decided that the existing flag of Tulsa was, in a word, lousy. Design a new S.F. flag San Franciscos flag, with a phoenix to symbolize rising from the ashes of fires that swept the city in the 1850s, captured a 19th century vision of the city. Share your ideas with Chronicle readers. Email your drawing as a jpeg file to [email protected]. Read More Much like city flags across the country and like San Franciscos it consisted of the city seal dropped onto a white background, a design that is illegible because seals are not meant to be viewed from a distance and the text they contain is tiny. This group of agitators wanted a new flag that represented the citys recent renaissance. (The best takedown of the old approach to flag design is from Roman Mars, the host of the fantastic design podcast 99% Invisible. Go watch his TED talk; you never knew vexillology could be so entertaining.) With advice from then-Tulsa City Councilman Blake Ewing, Wignarajah, Johnson and their compatriots proposed a process to the full council, seeking their blessing in advance of whatever result it might lead to. First they would solicit flag designs from the community, then they would convene a panel of experts to winnow down the options, and finally theyd put the final three choices to a community-wide vote by text message, with the winner being accepted as the citys new flag. The council unanimously supported the process. But by the time the results of the vote were made public, it was already election season, that magical time of year when elected officials are loathe to alienate even a single voter. When you combine council temerity with the fact that everyone on the street thinks theyre an expert graphic designer, and that a changing flag implied possibly more fundamental community changes to come, its no surprise that a vocal minority began to loudly speak out. This was their chance to opine on something more accessible than the councils substantive and complex policy agenda items, so they took their chance. Even though a clear majority of respondents preferred one flag over the other two, the council members got spooked and took the easy path: The new flag design was rejected. The story could have ended there in a stalemate very similar to San Franciscos land-use politics, with a small, vociferous group wrangling for the reins and stalling a project with citywide benefits. But the selected flag design proved so compelling, the process so inclusive, and the prospect of a new era for the city proved so appealing that the grassroots movement rolled right through the councils red light. They didnt need formal approval. Within weeks of the councils rejection, the flag flew above breweries, appeared on T-shirts, was painted on murals, and slowly but surely became accepted by the mainstream Tulsans. It was slowly embraced by the minor league baseball and soccer teams. In the end, the councils unwillingness to endorse the flag was ironically exactly the seal of approval it needed (although council eventually approved it belatedly). Its a flag of the people, encapsulating an impressive upswing in Tulsas fortunes, such as the citys recently opened and nationally renowned Gathering Place Park on the Arkansas River. It is the largest public park ever built with private funds, with multiple playgrounds and 160 play structures. I take a few lessons from this: First, flag design has the power to reflect and shape an urban renaissance, urging residents to rethink what their city is and should be all about. Second, the mere-exposure effect, a psychological phenomenon that makes people prefer that which is most familiar, is often compounded by bureaucracies, such as city councils, who proved unable to condone radical redesigns. Theres a reason change comes from the people. Lev Kushner is a partner in the Department of Here, a San Francisco consultancy that helps government, planners and developers give definition, meaning and momentum to the urban places people care about. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters. | https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/Does-San-Francisco-s-flag-convey-what-our-city-13563203.php |
Does 'Resident Evil 2' Remade Look And Play As Good As It Could On Xbox One And PS4? | The remake of Resident Evil 2 has gathered high praise as an example of how to rethink and redo a classic while maintaining a healthy respect for what made the game so great in the first place. Much of the positive commentary has focused on RE2s gameplay and atmosphere of sustained tension, but kudos have also been offered for how good the game looks. And it does look good. However, when you look a little more closely at the technical details, as Digital Foundry did, its hard not to think the RE2 remake is an opportunity missed. Resolution and graphics The new RE2 was built with Capcoms RE engine which was also used to make Resident Evil 7 and Devil May Cry 5. The RE engine brings a lot to the table such as excellent lighting effects and high quality facial and movement animation. The new Resident Evil 2 makes good use of all of it, but it doesnt appear the developers pushed the engine to maximize how the game looks on any of the consoles. The image looks a little sharper and clearer on the base PS4 than the Xbox One S even though resolution comes in at 1920 x 1080 on both consoles. In addition, when switching to a new view there are brief moments when the image pixelates and breaks up on the One S. Claire Redfields hair in the image above is a good example. The PS4 doesnt have this problem. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X both render at 2880 x 1620. That alone tells you Capcom wasnt interested in taking full advantage of each platforms hardware. The One X is capable of much more. Theres an interesting difference between the Pro and the One X thats not usually seen when the two consoles are compared. The Pro produces a slightly sharper image than the One X but it comes at the cost of an increased amount of shimmering around edges when the camera moves. As a result, the Pro looks a little better in side-by-side comparisons of still shots, but the One X looks a little smoother when you move. The disadvantages are small in both cases and which version is preferred will be a matter of personal taste. Performance Its also apparent that Capcom didnt take advantage of the hardware when it comes to performance. RE2 targets a 60 fps frame rate on all four consoles. The One X and Pro hit the target much of the time; the One S and PS4 frequently miss by a lot. There are many points in RE2 where either the One X or the Pro drop frames when the other one doesnt. This is more evidence that the game wasnt fine tuned for either platform. The One X tends to drop a few frames while the Pro can fall to 50 fps. These brief drops occur less frequently on the One X. In high-stress scenes the Pro slows to the mid-40s while the One X can hit 50 fps. Performance on the One S and the PS4 is much worse. Both consoles rarely hit 60 fps. The PS4 hovers around 50 fps with frequent time spent in the 40s. The One S tends to run somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 to 10 frames slower. Both of the base consoles bottom out around 30 fps in high stress scenes. Conclusion The higher resolutions and faster frame rates found on the Pro and the One X make them the preferred versions whether you favor graphics or performance. In fact, frame rates are so poor and so variable on the base consoles that avoiding them if possible is a good idea. Choosing between the One X and the Pro is not as clear cut. The One X is the obvious choice for players who value performance over visuals. For those who favor image quality, the choice comes down to a preference for the Pros sharper image at the cost of increased edge shimmer or the One Xs softer image combined with decreased shimmer. These visual differences are relatively small, but they are there and may be important for some players. Disappointment sets in when you consider what Capcom could have done but didnt. It would be a vast improvement in performance for the One S and PS4, and a meaningful improvement for the Pro. The One X doesnt need a 30 fps cap but RE2 might have been playable in 4K instead of 1620p (about 56% of full 4K) with a cap in place. Fine tuning a game for different consoles and giving players a choice between performance and graphics modes is commonplace for new releases but its too much to ask for a run-of-the-mill remaster. But Resident Evil 2 is far from that. Capcom lavished a great deal of care and attention on rethinking and rebuilding RE2 for a modern audience and it did a great job. Its a shame the technical presentation didnt get the same love. If you enjoyed this article, here are some others you may find interesting. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2019/01/26/does-resident-evil-2-remade-look-and-play-as-good-as-it-could-on-xbox-one-and-ps4/ |
Can water be a magical ingredient? Or are such claims a marketing ploy? | Open this photo in gallery ArtTim University of Alberta professor William Shotyk has been studying the same water for nearly 30 years and the more he studies it, the more it amazes him. The subject of his lifelong fascination is the Alliston aquifer, an underground water source in the vicinity of Springwater, Ont. The water there is confoundingly pure cleaner than ancient arctic ice. This water is a miracle of science, he says. You will not find better water on the planet. Violet Mokri and her husband, Leslie, residents of nearby Waubaushene, Ont., regularly make the 40-kilometre trek to stockpile this water from an artesian well off County Road 27 near Elmvale. They say its not only delicious, it also makes the food they cook and their coffee taste better. Its the best water weve ever had, Violet says. I bought Culligan water and I couldnt drink it, the taste was so bad. Chris Etzinger, owner of Elmvale Bakery, also uses it and says it makes noticeably better bread. Story continues below advertisement As the waters renown spreads, businesses have latched onto it as a marketing point. Torontos Georgian Bay Spirit Co., and Spirit of York Distillery Co,. use the water and have claimed it factors into the quality of their spirits. Producers of food and drink are keen to build romanticism around their water sources. Makers Mark uses water from a spring-fed lake, claiming that Kentucky bourbon gets its wonderful taste, in part, from the local water, which has been filtered naturally through limestone. The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company says the flavour of its sake is enhanced by using a special spring water chosen among the abundant water resources of Northern Ontario. Many pasta makers say their use of pure water from the Lattari Mountains in Italy, for example makes their product superior. And water is often cited as the most important ingredient in beer, which is probably why B.C.s Rossland Beer Company is proud of its fresh mountain water. Still, common sense suggests that even the best water tastes mostly like nothing. As Aristotle once wrote, the natural substance water per se tends to be tasteless. It seems dubious to believe that water, the embodiment of neutrality in flavour, could make a noteworthy difference as an ingredient. lyse Lambert, a Montreal-based master sommelier, says water carries its own flavour profile depending on where its sourced though you might need a trained palate to fully appreciate it. For most people water is water, but there is a slight difference, she says. It comes from the minerals. Some water is soft on the palate and some is harder on the palate. There is a textural component and a salinity brought on by certain compounds. Local residents hold a deep reverence for the water from the Alliston aquifer, describing it as magical, alive or containing some intangible vitality. Its source is the hilly Simcoe Uplands moraine, which is hit by rainwater that seeps downward through maple roots, humus, gravel and clay. By the time it reaches the aquifer, it has taken on a unique spectrum of desirable minerals from the landscape while having been scrubbed of impurities such as lead or zinc. The water tastes vaguely sweet, free of the bouquet of chlorine one might find in tap water. But for Louis Savard, an Ottawa-based water expert, the importance of water goes far beyond taste. A program leader with the River Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies aquatic ecosystems, he says water is an infinitely complex cocktail of minerals, elements and ions, all of which affect the chemistry of cooking. It may be odourless, it may be clear, but its certainly not empty, Savard says. Youve got chloride, magnesium, calcium, sodium and carbonates, and then there are trace elements like iron, phosphorus and nitrogen. Theres a lot to think about, and every single one of those will have an impact on different processes. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Andy Bramburger, a Canadian researcher at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says the mineral content of water is crucial in fermentation. Calcium and magnesium, he says, control enzymatic reactions and contribute to yeast health. On a more basic level, minerality also has an effect on something as simple as creating stock. When youre boiling water, its a dance party of ions, he says. Having the right ions in that water is probably going to make for a tastier stock. Water has a fingerprint, he adds, which can impart a distinct sense of place and time a phenomenon otherwise known as terroir. Sapporo beer brewed at the Sleeman brewery in Canada, he says, tastes more like Sleeman than its Japanese counterpart, primarily because of the influence of the local water. To me, Sleeman beers have a characteristic flavour, he says. Theres probably some ion in the water that is imparting a flavour so unique that its detectable even when they use a different recipe to mimic a beer from a different part of the world. It is an oft-repeated claim that New York Citys mineral-rich tap water creates superior dough, and according to Smithsonian Magazine writer Helen Thompson, there is some merit to that notion. Hard water fortifies gluten, the protein responsible for toughness in bagels," she writes. Using super soft water, on the other hand, turns dough to goo. Toronto chef Nathan Isberg is fully appreciative of waters role in cooking, even if its effect is not easily summarized in words. During a recent foray to Iqaluit, he drank from the Sylvia Grinnell river and was reminded just how mysterious water can be. Story continues below advertisement Theres an energy to it, a vital aspect thats hard to describe, he says. Its absolutely true that water creates a difference. But the benefits can be negligible relative to the cost on local aquifers and the ability for locals to access their water. Theres a real tension there. All of which goes to say that while water certainly makes for convenient marketing, its also a legitimate culinary tool. Good water, with a good selection of minerals, creates good things. Back in the Springwater region, local resident Bonnie Pigeon says shes suddenly finding silt in her well water. She suspects its due to the activity of a quarry located at the moraine nearby. The quarry is planning to expand its operations, leading her, other locals and Shotyk to believe the pristine water is under threat. This water is an intelligence test for our society, Shotyk says. If were intelligent, well be drinking this water for generations to come. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-can-water-be-a-magical-ingredient-or-are-such-claims-a-marketing-ploy/ |
Did the mechanic mess up my brake job? | I recently got my rear brake pads, calipers and rotors replaced due to the calipers freezing. I was told my front brakes were fine and nothing seemed wrong. A week later, on the way back from the beach, my grandfather was driving and said he didnt have brakes. The brake line broke on the front-left, and the fluid leaked all over. My grandfather, who is also a mechanic, says they didnt bleed the brakes correctly, and now I run the risk of having to spend more money. Evelyn Even though you only had your rear calipers replaced, most shops will bleed the air from all four corners. Thus, the timing of the failure would suggest that this is more than just a coincidence. A broken brake line leads me to believe that the repair shop may have removed and serviced your vehicles front calipers, perhaps damaging a rubber brake-flex line during the process. Keep in mind that the removal of the front calipers is not required to complete the repairs you have described. I would need to see the invoice to be more specific. Story continues below advertisement If nothing in the front was touched other than a simple bleed, chances are the shop will dismiss any responsibility. If they did service the front brakes during your previous visit, most reputable shops will view the breakdown happening shortly after their repair with uncertainty, favouring to make the situation right with you and save the relationship. ******** I have a 2008 Honda Accord with a TPMS [Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor] problem. Ive had a sensor replaced, but its been back in for service for this same issue several times. I am not able to find the infamous reset button on the left side of the steering wheel. After they reset, the TPMS is off, then after a 100 km/h run for about 15 kilometres, it turns back on again and will not go off until I take it back in. I am at wits end. I have been told that I can try again by disconnecting the car battery. blowing the horn and connecting the battery again. This really sounds like a put-your-finger-on-your-nose-and-turn-around-three-times thing. Walter You are obviously frustrated when you shouldnt be, as it seems apparent to me that the service station you have been using is misinformed. While there are Hondas that use a reset button on the lower-left dash, yours is not one of them. What you are experiencing is most likely due to an aftermarket sensor with an incorrect frequency having being installed, or your service centre does not have the correct TPMS programming tool. These tools have to learn and program each wheel sensors identification number into the cars module using radio waves in the UHF band. The Honda original TPMS sensors have come down in price recently, so if you cant find a local shop that confidently knows your Honda, take it back to your dealer. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. E-mail [email protected], placing Lous Garage in the subject line. Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price. Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up for the weekly Drive newsletter, delivered to your inbox for free. Follow us on Instagram, @globedrive. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/culture/article-did-the-mechanic-mess-up-my-brake-job/ |
Could ExxonMobil Corporation Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is one of the largest energy companies in the world, but it has fallen on hard times lately. Despite a few ups and downs along the way, the stock has basically gone nowhere for a decade. However, management has plans to do something about that, and it could lead to much better days for the company and its investors. The big plans Exxon is investing in its future today and will continue to do so for the next several years. The plans are big, too, with the diversified energy giant intending to spend as much as $30 billion a year on capital investments through 2025. The projects span across the company's entire footprint, from upstream drilling to downstream refining and chemicals. A man writing in a notebook with an oil well behind him More Image source: Getty Images. On the upstream side, Exxon is working in three main areas. The first is onshore U.S. energy production. Between the second and third quarters, progress here led to a sequential increase in production, the first increase in a couple of years. It was a nice sign that progress is being made on the big-picture plan. The next projects in the lineup are longer term and include offshore oil drilling in areas like Guyana and Brazil as well as liquified natural gas development in places like Mozambique. Downstream, meanwhile, should see development and investment across the world. For example, the diversified energy giant has notable plans to increase refining and chemical production in Asia and in the United States. One key goal of these efforts is to move up the value chain, so Exxon is producing products for which it can charge more money. It expects these investments to be highly profitable as well, providing returns of 15% to 20%. XOM Chart More XOM data by YCharts. Most important, though, is that Exxon has the financial strength to see these projects through no matter what happens with the volatile price of oil. That's because it is working off a rock-solid foundation on its balance sheet, where long-term debt makes up about 10% of its capital structure. So, even though oil prices recently fell into yet another bear market, Exxon hasn't stopped working on its long-term goals. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-exxonmobil-corporation-millionaire-maker-131800106.html |
Is Boeing a Buy? | Unless you believe that the global economy is going to slow severely in 2019, or that the U.S.-China trade dispute will lead to a marked reduction in Asian passenger traffic growth -- or both -- then Boeing (NYSE: BA) is a stock well worth buying. The company certainly has execution risk -- increasing the production rates of aircraft is never easy -- but on balance, Boeing offers investors a compelling mix of revenue growth and margin expansion. Let's consider the investment case for the stock. A golden age of airline profitability It's well known that the fortunes of Boeing and Airbus are tied to the vagaries of the commercial aviation cycle, which in turn largely depends on the economy. Therefore, as noted above, if you have concerns about a global growth slowdown, you'll probably feel that Boeing is a stock to be avoided. A Boeing 737 in flight. More Image source: Getty Images. That said, if you are blase about those potential macro risks, then you should have a favorable outlook for the stock. For example, as the chart below reveals, the long-maligned airline industry is in the middle of a period of profitability and efficiency like it has never seen before. Compare the four years prior to the Great Recession to the past four years and the huge improvement in airline profitability jumps out. This bodes well for future orders of Boeing and Airbus planes, and as increased production generally leads to lower unit production costs, it suggests the profit margins on many of Boeing's aircraft programs are likely to go up. Airline profitability and load factors. More Data source: International Air Transport Association. Chart by author. Margin expansion opportunity Boeing's management believes it can make progress toward an operating margin in the mid-teen percentages at Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) within the next couple of years, compared to a guidance range of 12% to 12.5% for 2018. As the pie chart below illustrates, BCA is the powerhouse of the company's operations; even a couple of added percentage points of margin there would have a significant impact on earnings. | https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-buy-123400133.html |
Should NBA referees live-tweet games? | NBA referees are live-tweeting regular season games, explaining why officials make certain calls or why they miss others. According to the National Basketball Referee Association, refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court, which is good in theory. However, by opening themselves up to trolls or irrational fans, referees' live-tweeting could be counterproductive. PERSPECTIVES Referees always make questionable calls, but by live-tweeting, they're held more accountable. No other league has taken this step, and the NBA's transparency should be applauded. The NBA referees decided not to hide behind the league and run away from angry fans. Instead, they want to enlighten fans about their process. More leagues need to take note and implement something similar. I wish the Other leagues would do this. No good can come of this. Most fans on Twitter are not interested in actual dialogue. They either want their point of view validated or a chance to lash out at someone. The only thing that will happen here is terrible people will take aim at referees who are just trying to do something good. NBA referees should stop live-tweeting games and setting themselves up for failure. That's cool and all but how about calling the right calls -- wake (@Wak3n) January 22, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_nba_referees_live-tweet.html |
Will corruption, cuts and protest produce a new Arab spring? | Sudan missed out on the Arab spring, but that may be changing. Protests against Omar al-Bashir, the indicted war criminal who has dominated the country for 29 years, are becoming a daily occurrence. Street-level unrest, sparked by rising bread and fuel prices, began last month and spread quickly. But the focus of demonstrators, their ranks swollen by teachers, lawyers and doctors, has switched to Bashir himself. They want him gone. Bashirs response has been predictably repressive. And the president may succeed in battering his critics into silence, as in the past. But the causes of the unrest cannot be bludgeoned away: a struggling economy, low investment, high unemployment, corruption, bad governance and a potentially disastrous lack of opportunity for new generations of young people. In this respect, Sudan has a lot in common with other Arab countries. Recent weeks have seen protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya and Morocco. Once again, the political temperature is rising. Once again, the failure of governments to meet citizens aspirations grows critical. The question now is whether a new age of revolt call it Arab spring #2 is brewing. Tunisia, home of the first Arab spring, in 2010, is another case in point. It, too, was rocked by riots last month. And the unrest was once again triggered by a desperate individual, who self-immolated in protest at low living standards and political stasis. Presidential and parliamentary elections later this year could prove another flashpoint. Talk of democratic renewal in Syria and Yemen is at least premature. Attempts by citizens of these countries to dislodge entrenched regimes led to devastating civil wars. Libya, too, has never regained its balance after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. In Egypt, the Arab worlds largest country by population, the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak has been replaced by an even worse one that of the general-turned-president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. Yet despite these tragedies, or perhaps because of them, pressure for change across the Arab world is likely to continue to grow, keeping pace with the growth in populations, inequality and social injustice. Some of this energy will inevitably be misdirected into support for extremist groups that promise radical solutions, such as Islamic State. Some of it will produce increased migration, particularly into southern Europe. But most of the pressure will be directed at governments ill-equipped to respond even if they wish to. Last Friday Egypt marked the eighth anniversary of the Tahrir Square revolution that toppled Mubarak. Thanks to Sisis shadow, it did so largely in silence. Public spaces are off-limits to protesters. Public media are closely regulated. Human Rights Watch says tens of thousands of opposition activists, writers and intellectuals, secular leftists and Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been locked up under regulations introduced since 2013, including anti-terrorism laws. Only this month Ahmed Douma, who helped lead the Tahrir protests, was jailed for 15 years for allegedly attacking security forces in 2011. Last autumn the Sisi regime was criticised by UN human rights experts for its use of anti-terrorism laws to detain womens rights activists and those campaigning against torture and extrajudicial killings. Yet Sisi has failed to halt terrorist violence in Sinai and against Coptic Christians. Meanwhile, IMF-prescribed austerity measures are increasing poverty. Given these tensions, something must give. Western governments, too, are repeating the mistakes made before the first Arab spring: backing dictatorships that supposedly suit their interests while ignoring bad behaviour. Emmanuel Macron, Frances president, will be in Cairo this week, hoping to flog fighter jets. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, visited this month and stepped around Egypts human rights black hole. And Donald Trump has become apologist-in-chief for a Saudi murder plot in Istanbul, Riyadhs war crimes in Yemen and abuses such as the persecution of womens rights activists. The problems that brewed in a cauldron of discontent from the early 2000s, sparking the Arab uprisings a massive youth bulge, high unemployment, low wages, education systems mired in the past, a lack of innovation and absence of freedoms are still stewing, and getting worse, said analyst Indira Lakshmanan. The strongmen havent delivered a system to address the underlying problems. This will not continue indefinitely. In Egypt, as in Sudan and elsewhere, pressure is building. A second explosion cannot be far off. | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/26/sudan-egypt-corruption-arab-spring |
How Much Will Wealthy Americans Save on Their 2018 Taxes? | It's been a year since President Trump signed the tax reform bill into law. The legislation included plenty of favorable provisions, including lower tax rates and boosts to standard deductions and tax credits for families. However, it also eliminated or scaled back some tax breaks that many people took advantage of, and even some upper-income taxpayers pointed to those offsetting provisions as potentially causing them to pay more under tax reform. It's impossible to generalize about the effect of tax reform, because every individual taxpayer's situation is unique. But by making a few assumptions, we can take a look at how tax reform would affect upper-income earners making $250,000. Then, it's up to you to decide whether the assumptions fit your financial situation -- or whether the details could turn what looks like a promising result into a tax nightmare. Tax forms, calculator, glasses, a pen, and $100 bills spread across a flat surface. More Image source: Getty Images. The simplest cases Let's start out with an example that's about as simple as possible. Say that you're single and had income of $250,000. You take the standard deduction and have no dependents. Here's what tax reform looks like for you. Item 2017 Tax Year 2018 Tax Year Gross income $250,000 $250,000 Standard deduction ($6,350) ($12,000) Personal exemption ($4,050) N/A Taxable income $239,600 $238,000 Tax $65,900 $58,990 Calculations by author based on IRS rules. As you can see, tax reform would save this taxpayer almost $7,000. The reason is simple: Under old law, a lot more of this income got taxed at 25%, 28%, and 33%. Even though the brackets for 2018 tax some of this income at a higher 35% rate, most of it is subject to lower rates of 22%, 24%, and 32%. The higher standard deduction offsets the loss of the personal exemption. Now, let's take a look at a typical family situation. Say you're married and file jointly, with total income of $250,000. You have two children who are young enough to qualify for the child tax credit, but you are entitled to no other credits and take the standard deduction. Item 2017 Tax Year 2018 Tax Year Gross income $250,000 $250,000 Standard deduction ($12,700) ($24,000) Personal exemption ($16,200) N/A Taxable income $221,100 $226,000 Tentative tax $48,793 $42,819 Tax credits $0 $4,000 Net tax owed $48,793 $38,819 Calculations by author based on IRS rules. Here, the savings is almost $10,000. Roughly $6,000 of that comes from the lower tax rates that apply to income under the new tax laws, but another $4,000 comes from the fact that this upper-income family now gets to claim the child tax credit, because of the big increase in the income threshold that used to prevent many high-income taxpayers from getting it. Your mileage may vary However, it's dangerous to draw too many conclusions from these two examples, because they're too simple to be realistic for most people. Among the reasons why are: Once your income gets this high, you're much more likely to itemize your deductions. As a result, the boost in the standard deduction did many high-income taxpayers little or no good in terms of seeing any additional tax savings. Adding insult to injury, provisions that limited the use of popular itemized tax deductions like the state and local tax deduction might actually reduce total deductions available to many taxpayers, especially in high-tax states. Again, the wealthy are more likely to own expensive real estate and the high real-estate tax bills that come with it, and state income taxes are often structured progressively to charge higher rates to upper-income residents. On the other hand, the examples above don't involve any liability for the alternative minimum tax. Many real-life situations do, and for many, revisions to the AMT will lead to its no longer affecting many taxpayers earning around $250,000. The size of one's family also makes a difference. The more children you have, the greater the impact of losing personal exemptions to reduce tax liability. Whether the child tax credit makes up for that depends on the age of those children and other factors. Be smart with tax reform Although many upper-income taxpayers making $250,000 per year will see savings from tax reform, you'll need to take a close look at your own situation. Some could save even more from tax reform than the examples above suggest. But for some, the new tax laws could end up costing them money. Given all the complexity that wealthier individuals have in their financial lives, what holds true for some won't necessarily be the case for you, and you'll want to assess the results to see how you can plan better for your taxes in 2019. More From The Motley Fool | https://news.yahoo.com/much-wealthy-americans-save-2018-134600471.html |
Which lawmakers won favor with Texas House speaker, and which ones are in the doghouse? | Bonnen said hed put thoughtful consideration into his decision which was made to reflect the seniority and personal preferences of members and the diverse demographics of the Texas House. I don't want a single member to not feel a part of this House, he said. Now that the dust has settled, heres a look at who won big and lost out according to a group of experts interviewed by The Dallas Morning News. WINNERS Dennis Bonnen Committee assignments are tricky, but with a few exceptions, Bonnen managed to keep a wide majority of the House happy. He kept Republicans at the helm of the most powerful committees and extended an olive branch to Democrats by appointing them to important positions. Bonnen is a winner here. He has shown that hes going to do this in a very ordered fashion, said Renee Cross, the senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. It doesnt look like a lot of these assignments are just in favor of Republicans or just for politics sake. It certainly looks like a much more even hand than what we may see in some other aspects of government right now. Bonnen also appointed 15 lawmakers as leaders of committees for the first time in their careers and handily rewarded some of his strongest supporters, strengthening their ties to him. He also gave a nod to rural areas, appointing 15 lawmakers from those areas to leadership posts. While much of the chamber seems to be walking on clouds after Wednesday, experts cautioned that Bonnens success wont be fully measured until the end of the session. Bonnen has to own everything good in the Legislature, but hell also have to own the things that are bad, said Brian W. Smith, a political science professor at St. Edwards University. Democrats El Paso Democrat Joe Moody was named speaker pro tem. Grand Prairies Chris Turner, who leads the Democratic caucus, was given a committee chairmanship. And Terry Canales of Edinburg was given his first chairmanship as leader of the transportation committee, which will hold sway over billions of dollars in transportation funds. Thats big money. That makes you a kingmaker, Smith said. You award money and that makes you powerful. Moody, who will also serve as vice chairman of the influential calendars committee, was hailed as the biggest winner on the Democratic side. The speaker pro tem position, which Bonnen previously held, could give him more power in the House but will definitely give him more visibility for his next political move, experts said. I think in general Democrats are winners, said Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston. They were able to get a balance back that they had hoped for. But some dont see it that way, given that despite significant pickups, Democrats are still in the minority and Republicans control a majority of committees. They ended up pretty much the same from one session to another in terms of the influence available to Democrats, said Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political science professor. They werent shut out, not treated the way the Senate treats Democrats, and they lead a dozen committees, but not the most important ones. Checks and balances By the sheer makeup of the House (83 Republicans and 64 Democrats, with three open seats expected to go to Democrats) the political balance of the chamber has shifted back to the center. And though Republicans still lead 22 of the Houses 34 committees, experts said Bonnens inclusion of Democrats reflects a return to a legislative process that requires compromise to get things done. Theres a lot more business as usual here, said Jim Henson, a political science professor at the University of Texas. You dont see a dramatic breaking point here. Its a mosaic of interests, and thats how the House works. Cross said Bonnen had set aside partisanship and assigned people, including some from the opposing party, to committees based on their expertise. I think the big winners from the House committee assignments are the residents of Texas, she said. Speaker hopefuls who got out of the way Republicans John Zerwas of Richmond and Four Price of Amarillo both vied with Bonnen for the gavel late last year. But after Bonnen started gaining momentum, they both stepped aside and were rewarded this week. Zerwas kept his chairmanship of the powerful appropriations committee, which writes the budget, and Price took over the calendars committee, which decides what bills come to the floor. You might as well whistle, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. LOSERS Speaker holdouts On the other hand, speaker candidates who did not clear the way did not fare well. Phil King, a Republican from Weatherford, was the only one to receive a chairmanship, and it was on the redistricting committee, a much less influential post than his previous role as head of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee. Republican Drew Darby of San Angelo, one of the last two holdouts with Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, lost his position as leader of two committees he held in 2017. If you hold on to the end and dont recognize the flow of the race, then that suggests that you either dont know as much as you should or youve got some real prejudice against Bonnen that leads you to stay in too long, Jillson said. In that case, hell give you time to think by seeing that youre not too busy. Freedom Caucus This group of nearly a dozen staunchly conservative lawmakers was the proverbial thorn in the side of former Speaker Joe Straus, whom they characterized as too moderate. The caucus suffered setbacks in last years elections, losing one of its most vocal members in Irvings Matt Rinaldi, and Plano Rep. Jeff Leach left the caucus before the start of session. None of the members received a leadership position. But Leachs appointment as head of the judiciary and civil jurisprudence committee, experts said, was noteworthy. Leach quit the Freedom Caucus. Its hard for me to imagine those two things are not connected, Henson said. I would receive the message that way. | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/01/26/lawmakers-won-favor-texas-house-speaker-ones-doghouse |
Is Bristol-Myers Squibb a Bargain Now? | It's been almost four years since a revolutionary new cancer therapy from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) became the first of its kind to treat lung cancer patients. The early lead seemed like the beginning of a golden age for Bristol-Myers, but since then, the stock has lost 26% of its value. Bristol's stock price has plummeted over the past four years, but revenue has risen 36% over the same period on a trailing-12-month basis. That has plenty of investors wondering if the market has been too harsh. Let's look at what's gone wrong, and what could go right, to see if the stock's a bargain at recent prices. Two people in a meeting. More Image source: Getty Images. Why everyone's so put off Bristol's late-stage pipeline is barren of potential new drugs that will drive growth. Instead, the company has become increasingly dependent on Opdivo, a cancer therapy that makes it hard for tumors to shut down an immune system attack. Lung cancer claims more lives than any other malignancy, and for a moment it looked like Opdivo was going to become widely used in this indication. In early 2015, the Food and Drug Administration expanded Opdivo's addressable patient population to include some patients with advanced-stage lung cancer following their first relapse. That was a step in the right direction, but new patients tend to stay on treatment much longer than patients who have already relapsed. With the drug's early lead in the second-line indication, Bristol-Myers shareholders expected Opdivo to become the first of its kind to treat new lung cancer patients. Yet the stock has underperformed because clinical-trial results have been disappointing and a competing drug from the same class, Keytruda, has taken a commanding lead. Even if Opdivo is approved, the results we've seen suggest it will never reach more than a sliver of patients newly diagnosed with the most common form of lung cancer. Stacks of cash placed vertically and falling like dominoes. More Image source: Getty Images. In 2018, Bristol-Myers gave Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) a whopping $1.85 billion up front to get its hands on an experimental drug called NKTR-214. Bristol splurged for limited rights to NKTR-214 because adding it to Opdivo appeared to boost response rates among small groups of patients with lung cancer and other solid tumors. | https://news.yahoo.com/bristol-myers-squibb-bargain-now-150500954.html |
Will A Weekly, Bimonthly Or Biweekly Payment Mortgage Really Save Me Money? | Lenders who offer mortgages with shorter payment periods than the standard monthly payment mortgage usually do claim that they will save the borrower money. But they seldom explain how. The Sources of Borrower Savings There are only three possible sources of savings to the borrower from increasing the frequency of mortgage payments. One possibility is that the lender offers a rate or fee reduction on the high payment frequency mortgage. I have yet to see an example of this, and will discuss it no further. The second possibility is that the lender amortizes the loan using the shorter payment period on the loan. If the mortgage calls for two payments a month, for example, the lender will reduce the loan balance on the 15th day of the month as well as the 1st. This will reduce the amount of interest due for the month, leaving more of the payment for further balance reduction. Amortizing the loan using a shorter period generates a real saving for the borrower, but it doesnt amount to much. The third possibility is that the higher payment frequency is accompanied by larger total payments. This will also pay down the balance faster and reduce the interest cost, but the benefit is due entirely to the extra payment made by the borrower. The lender makes no contribution beyond providing the mortgage that credits the extra payment. Weekly Payments With weekly payments, the lender multiplies the monthly payment by 12 and divides by 52 in order to calculate the payment. Total payments are unchanged. Further, every weekly payment program I have seen amortizes monthly, which means that the lender gets to hold the payments as they come in until the first of the month when they are applied. There is no benefit to the borrower, just the convenience or inconvenience of writing 4 or 5 checks every month instead of one. Bimonthly Payments With bimonthly payments, the borrower pays half the monthly payment twice a month, so total payments remain unchanged. Note to readers: please dont write me that this mortgage should be called a semi-monthly payment mortgage, I know that but decided it would be less confusing to follow industry practice. The bimonthly payment mortgages that I have seen amortize on a half-monthly basis. This means that payments made on the 15th of the month save 15 days of interest on the payment amount, which is a real saving. However, it does not amount to much. On 30-year mortgages with rates of 6% or less, payoff occurs after 719 half payments, shaving just one-half of a month off the term. Borrowers who find bimonthly payments attractive can accelerate the pay-down process by making extra payments, and I have a spreadsheet on my web site that may help them. See Extra Payments on Bimonthly Payment Fixed-Rate Mortgages. For example, the borrower with a $200,000 mortgage at 4% who pays $477.42 twice a month gets to a zero balance just half a month early without extra payments. But if the borrower rounds off the payment to $500, payoff occurs after 659 payments, or 30.5 months early. Biweekly Payments A biweekly mortgage is one on which the borrower makes a payment equal to half the fully amortizing monthly payment every two weeks. Since there are 26 biweekly periods in a year, the biweekly produces the equivalent of one extra monthly payment every year. This results in a significant shortening of the period to payoff. For example, a 4% 30-year loan converted to a biweekly pays off in 310 months or 25 years, 10 months. Biweeklies amortize on a monthly basis, so there is no added benefit of biweekly amortization. The only contribution the lender makes to the accelerated payoff is to hold the borrowers biweekly payments until the first of the month when they are applied. The borrower could do this for herself by placing biweekly payments in a special bank account. The biweekly is only one of many ways that borrowers can budget extra payments. For example, increasing every monthly payment by 1/12 will pay down the balance at a rate almost identical to that with a biweekly. For hundreds of other ways to do it, see my Extra Payment Calculator. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackguttentag/2019/01/26/will-a-weekly-bimonthly-or-biweekly-payment-mortgage-really-save-me-money/ |
What opens again now that the government shutdown is over? | President Trump signed a bill Friday night to reopen the federal government for three weeks, officially ending the record-long partial government shutdown that began on December 22 and left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay. Nine out of 15 federal departments were closed during those 35 days, as well as dozens of agencies. "Our dedicated public servants should never, never have to go through this again," Sen. Chuck Schumer said Friday, after President Trump announced he would sign legislation to reopen the government for three weeks. "We will do everything we can to make sure they won't have to, and this past month has proven just how vital government services are to the American people, whether it's our food safety, our airports, our national parks, our economy, our national security and so much else." Here's a look at what was affected by the 2018-2019 partial government shutdown, and some of the longer-term impacts as things get back up and running. What was shut down during the shutdown The FDA initially did not do routine inspections of domestic food-processing facilities. It recalled workers to restart inspections of what are considered "high-risk" foods in mid-January after the routine inspections were briefly halted due to the shutdown. The Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., shut their doors on January 2. The National Zoo also closed, although animals were still cared for by zoo workers. Both the Smithsonian museums and the zoo are set to reopen on Tuesday, January 29. Many national parks also closed, but several remained opened during the shutdown, albeit without services. Sanitary conditions rapidly deteriorated at many of the nation's parks, with restroom toilets overflowing and trash piling up. The National Park Service said in a statement that it is "preparing to resume regular operations nationwide though the schedule for individual parks may vary depending on staff size and complexity of operations." Volunteer Alexandra Degen cleans a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019, in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Getty Immigration courts closed, forcing judges to indefinitely postpone hearings scheduled months in advance. E-Verify, the government immigration system and database employers use to check and confirm employees are eligible to work in the United States, was out of service during the shutdown. It typically takes just a few seconds for E-Verify to compare an employee's records against DHS and Social Security records. A few hundred E-Verify employees were allowed to return to work this week, although they were temporarily assigned to non-E-Verify related tasks during the shutdown. Agencies including the NSF, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Parks Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and NOAA had to stop most of their work during the shutdown. Large-scale instruments like NASA's Stratoscopheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy the "flying telescope" had to stop operations. Eventually bringing such instrumentation back up to speed requires over a week. NASA managers and engineers working on the agency's high-priority commercial crew program remained on the job without pay, continuing preparations for the first unpiloted launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on a long-awaited test flight in February Some airlines who took delivery of new aircraft in December and January forced to park those new planes as they have to receive Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification to carry passengers, and the people who certify the aircraft are furloughed. That does not impact an airlines' operations, but it did cost them revenue to have planes sitting unused, CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reported. What was open and operating Mail was still delivered. Social Security checks were still going out to recipients, and Medicare and Medicaid are unaffected by the partial shutdown. While TSA officers were working without pay, screeners working at the 22 airports that have private contractors handling airport security continued to get paid during the shutdown. On January 7, the White House promised that tax refunds would not be affected by the shutdown, and later that day, the IRS confirmed it will begin to process tax returns for refunds on January 28. However, the IRS recalled thousands of workers later in January specifically to work processing on refunds. IRS employee can't afford to return to work without pay The National Hurricane Center website continued to be updated and maintained because its information is needed for the protection of life and property. Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation continued because it does not depend on a congressional appropriation for its funding. Trump associate Roger Stone was indicted and arrested as part of the investigation on Friday, the last day of the shutdown. Nutrition benefits issued through the USDA, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), were available through January and February. Child nutrition programs, like School Lunch and School Breakfast, were guaranteed to keep operating into February. Forest Service law enforcement and emergency response efforts continued. U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, which deals with naturalization and citizenship, was uninterrupted because its operations are funded by user fees. Veterans still got their benefits because the Veterans Affairs Department was among those funded through September 2019. Passport services were still offered during the shutdown. Consequences of the shutdown The Associated Press reported that despite the IRS continuing to process tax returns, the absences of large contingents of recalled workers during the shutdown could still lead to delayed tax returns. The shutdown particularly affected the aviation industry. Flights in and out New York City's LaGuardia airport were delayed on Friday morning due to government shutdown-related staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, according to a notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. Financial hardship due to the government shutdown has prompted some federal airport workers to call out of work causing some passenger interruptions. On Friday morning, an American Airlines flight out of Monroe, Louisiana, bound for Dallas with 26 passengers was canceled due to a TSA officer shortage in Monroe, according to an airline's spokesperson. About 7.6 percent of the TSA workforce had an "unscheduled absence" on Thursday, up from 3 percent a year ago, according to the federal agency. Earlier this week, the TSA requested 250 screening officers volunteers to make up for the call outs. The union for flight attendants expressed concern about the impact of the shutdown. "This is exactly what AFA and other aviation unions have been warning would happen," wrote Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, in a statement. "The aviation system depends on the safety professionals who make it run. They have been doing unbelievably heroic work even as they are betrayed by the government that employs them." Air traffic controllers also sounded the alarm, saying in a statement that flying could be less safe with more air traffic controllers taking unscheduled absences due to financial difficulties. "Air traffic controllers are required to report fit for duty every shift. It is a very high threshold of fitness demanded by the seriousness of the job," the statement said. "This shutdown has caused a tremendous amount of added stress for them on top of what is already a difficult and stressful job." The FBI Agents Association also warned this week that the shutdown was not only hurting individual FBI employees and their families, but hampering key operations. Some of those affected operations, according to a series of statements the association released Tuesday, included efforts to thwart the same criminal enterprises Mr. Trump claims the shutdown is meant to defeat in the long run. Economic impact Federal workers and their families were particularly affected. Several food banks opened around the country to assist federal employees who could not afford to buy groceries. In Washington, D.C., one pop-up kitchen providing free meals to affected workers is run by the non-profit organization World Central Kitchen, which was founded by celebrity chef Jos Andrs. Americans who rely on certain services from the federal government were also impacted by the shutdown, such as people who relied on federal assistance to pay their rent. Hundreds of furloughed federal workers line up outside the World Central Kitchen in downtown January 22, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Getty Images The shutdown also dragged down economic growth. Analysts from S&P Global recently estimated the economic damage from the shutdown was surpassing the $5.7 billion in proposed funding for Mr. Trump's southern border wall that prompted the Washington breakdown in the first place. It's unclear when federal employees will be receiving their paychecks, despite Mr. Trump's assurances. A senior administration official said Friday, "Recognizing the urgency of getting federal employees paid quickly, the administration is taking steps to ensure they receive pay as soon as possible. Since specific payroll issues vary by agency, employees can find more information about paycheck details by reaching out to their agency." Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said Friday he expects federal employees to receive paychecks next week. A Democratic Senate aide said the Congressional Research Office told Collins' office the agencies should be able to process paychecks within a few days after the continuing resolution is signed. That will include backpay. The next scheduled paycheck for most federal workers is February 8. That is the latest they would receive their first paycheck of 2019. The Coast Guard, which is on a different pay schedule for active duty personnel, said it will take three to five days to get paychecks processed once a continuing resolution is signed. Grace Segers, Kate Smith, Kathryn Watson, Ellen Uchimiya, Kris Van Kleave and Arden Farhi contributed reporting | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-agencies-open-shutdown-over-what-was-affected-2019-01-26/ |
Is Joseph Parker teaming up with The Rock? | Last week Parker was in Koloa, Hawaii, and posted stories to his Instagram with Kiwi actors Cliff Curtis and John Tui and WWE wrestler Roman Reigns. Hobbs and Shaw is a spinoff of The Fast and the Furious series, focusing on Johnson's US Diplomatic Security agent Luke Hobbs forming an unlikely alliance with Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw. They have filmed in the United Kingdom and now the movie is wrapping up in Hawaii. Curtis starred alongside Statham in The Meg, which was filmed in New Zealand in 2017. Advertisement Parker posted a photo to Instagram of himself with Curtis and Hobbs and Shaw director David Leitch. We hear he also hung out with The Rock and talked a future in movies but our source could not confirm whether Parker won himself a cameo. On Monday, Johnson posted a picture of a low-carb meal with a message about the movie. "Last meal of the night and carb depleting, (shirt comes off in this movie for our final massive battle sequences coming up next week for HOBBS & SHAW my FAST & FURIOUS spin-off film. Wanted to bring the HOBBS character in razor sharp condition and shape for this one. "The exact science of this diet and training is tough on the ol' system to maintain for four months of filming, but film lasts forever and we get one shot to try to make something iconic for the fans. Then I'll race everyone to the waffle truck," wrote Johnson. A WWE fighter and a boxer would make great extras in the movie's battle scene, or would make great sparring partners for those prepping for it. The lads look like they had a fit time with plenty of laughs and you can bet we will be watching Hobbs and Shaw when it premieres this August, with eagle eyes for Parker should he have made any cuts. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/spy/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503840&objectid=12196725 |
Is Rigel Pharmaceuticals a Buy? | Investors were taken on a roller-coaster ride with Rigel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RIGL) in 2018. There were ups, downs, and finally, a stomach-churning plunge in December. Despite receiving its first-ever marketing approval for fostamatinib, branded as Tavalisse, for treating a rare blood disorder, shares ended the year down 40.7%. Some investors may see its current price as overly punitive, and it's worth asking if Wall Street is properly valuing the company's potential. Man with binoculars More Image Source: Getty Images Rigel Pharmaceuticals sports a market cap of just $350 million, but most analysts estimate Tavalisse could have peak sales of at least $300 million per year. The company also has plans to launch a phase 3 trial for its most advanced pipeline asset and will soon have data for an intriguing early stage drug candidate with broad potential in treating inflammatory and immune diseases. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing approval for Tavalisse to treat immune thrombocytopenia, a condition in which an individual has low levels of platelets in their blood, in April 2018. It launched at the end of May 2018. Rigel Pharmaceuticals recently disclosed that it sold 1,794 bottles for the year and more than 45% of eligible patients remained on the treatment for four consecutive months. Rigel Pharmaceuticals previously said that it had shipped 891 bottles of Tavalisse and generated $6.6 million in product revenue through the first nine months of 2018. Given the new latest disclosure of the number of bottles sold for the entire year, investors can infer the business sold or shipped 903 bottles and therefore generated about $6.6 million in product revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018. The average analyst estimate for the company's full-year 2019 revenue is $40 million, according to Yahoo! Finance. That includes expectations for only $6.6 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2019, which might be a little low given the estimated performance from the final quarter of 2018. Even if Tavalisse ends up topping analyst estimates for $40 million in product sales in 2019, that won't be enough to deliver the company to profitability. Rigel Pharmaceuticals reported an operating loss of $24 million in the third quarter of 2018. The company's selling, general, and administrative expense more than doubled in the first nine months of last year compared to the same period of 2017 as a result of the drug's launch. It seems costs are relatively high right now given the drug's early performance, so investors will want to see those increases slow or stabilize in the year ahead. Management said the business exited 2018 with $128 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, which should be enough to fund operations into the first quarter of 2020. That's right around the corner -- and this approaching deadline will increase the importance and scrutiny of Tavalisse sales each quarter this year. That said, there could be some help on the way soon. In late January 2019, Rigel Pharmaceuticals announced it had signed a deal with Spain's $16 billion pharma leader Grifols that grants it rights to market fostamatinib in Europe and Turkey. Rigel Pharmaceuticals will receive a $30 million upfront cash payment, tiered royalties on potential sales, and up to $297 million in milestone payments, including a $20 million payment if the drug is approved to treat autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). European regulators are expected to announce a decision for that indication by the end of 2019. | https://news.yahoo.com/rigel-pharmaceuticals-buy-163443351.html |
What Does A Broadway Costume Designer Actually Do? | In his script for his 1980 play True West, Sam Shepard goes to considerable pains to describe how his central characters, two ostensibly very different brothers, are dressed. Austin, the timid screenwriter, is wearing a light blue sports shirt, light tan cardigan sweater, clean blue jeans and white tennis shoes. Lee, the older brother, wears a filthy white T-shirt; tattered brown overcoat covered with dust; dark blue baggy suit pants (from the Salvation Army); pink suede belt; scuffed, pointed, black forties dress shoes with holes in the soles; no socks; no hat. Thats not to mention the apparent need for long, pronounced sideburns, Gene Vincent hairdo, beard (two days growth) and bad teeth. Kaye Voyce, the costume designer for the new Roundabout Theatre production of True West, starring Paul Dano as Austin and Ethan Hawke as Lee, didnt feel at all limited by Shepards seeming specificity. For starters, she has Lee wearing a shiny maroon dress shirt under his tattered coat, at least at first, and gives Austin a pair of glasses. I dont feel like the details he gives are prescriptive, she says, of Shepard. To me, they are beautiful clues to the characters and the world, and a great starting place. And those clues will mean different things to each team of designers, directors and actors. The clues helped to remind me to push for the extremes in these humans. Voyce describes the art of costume design, in collaboration with the director, actors and other designers, as a kind of active collage process. With more contemporary clothes, its all about hunting down the right pieces, being open to surprise and how things are put together, she says. And often, something just feels right or really wrong on someones body. If an actor doesnt feel comfortable in a garment its really hard to believe it as a costume. Sometimes you want something to be ill-fit or a little strangebut the actor has to make the connection physically. Sometimes, the effect of costume design might be illuminating in a subliminal way. Asked if there was an aspect of her work on True West she found personally satisfying, she mentioned an aspect that, first and foremost, served the actors in their performances. In our conversations, we realized how central the absence of the father is in the play, explained Voyce. There are elements of Lee and Austins costumes that relate to their ideas of this man. Nobody should know it, but it means something to me and the actors. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynking/2019/01/26/what-does-a-broadway-costume-designer-actually-do/ |
Why Is The IRS Punishing Triple Net Landlords? | There are horrible people who, instead of solving a problem, tangle it up and make it harder to solve for anyone who wants to deal with it. Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all. - Friedrich Nietzche While the IRS as a whole is by no means horrible, the new Final Regulations regarding Section 199A of the Internal Revenue Code must seem that way to landlords who lease property under triple net leases. The vast majority of these will not be considered to be active trades or businesses for purposes of qualifying for the 20% deduction that will be available to most active landlords. Code Section 199A was introduced to the Internal Revenue Code as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with the intent of giving taxpayers some degree of parity with the 21% income tax bracket bestowed upon large and small companies that are taxed as separate entities (known to tax professionals as C corporations. C corporations are different than S corporations, as S corporations report their income under the K-1 system that causes the shareholders to pay the income tax on their personal returns). Since the term trade or business was not defined under Section 199A, the real estate community has been waiting for the Final Regulations which were released on Friday, January 18, and basically follow what the Proposed Regulations (released last August) said, which is that which is that passive investors are not considered to be an active trade or business, even though they take significant economic risks and may work hard to verify that the tenants pay the taxes, insurances and maintenance of the leased property, comply with applicable law and otherwise do what tenants are supposed to do. The practical result will be that landlords will need to become active and possibly renegotiate lease terms to have at least a chance of being eligible to have the deductions that other landlords will have, or to perhaps qualify under the new safe harbor rules that allow the deduction to non triple net leases if they satisfy the 250 hour per year requirement, which requires tabulation of the work hours of landlords and agents of landlords, and certain time log and verification procedures.' This seems very unfair since REIT (Real Estate Investment Trusts) income will often include triple net lease profits that will qualify for the Section 199A deduction, and C corporations only have to pay the 21% rate on net income from triple net leases. Tax professionals, and masochists may enjoy or derive a better understanding by reading on. The new Final Regulations refer to several Supreme Court cases to aide in defining what types of enterprises will qualify as a trade or business, and these cases do not bode well for landlords of triple net leases. For example, the Final Regulations cite to the Supreme Courts 1987 landmark trade or business case, Commissioner v. Groetzinger, which held that to be engaged in a trade or business the following two requirements must be met: 1. The taxpayers involvement must be continuous and regular; and 2. The primary purpose of the activity must be for income or profit. The very definition of a triple net lease seemingly disqualifies the majority of triple net landlords from qualifying under this definition under the assumption that they do not have continuous and regular involvement. With triple net leases, the tenant is usually responsible for the three nets: real estate taxes, building insurance, and maintenance. By having the tenant be responsible for most of the on-site responsibilities, the landlord is able to spend more time and effort buying and selling other properties and therefore investing more into the economy. In turn, triple net lease agreements usually benefit the tenant because the pricing of the agreement will reflect the fact that the tenant will be responsible for a lot of the on-site responsibilities. Now tenants have the upper hand when landlords ask to be allowed to provide at least 250 hours of services per year (cumulatively, as to all leases that the landlord will aggregate under the complicated aggregation rules, which are discussed in our blog post entitled Real Estate: Investing with Section 199A: Dont Let Your Deductions Fly Out the Window). The new Final Regulations do, however, contain one saving grace for taxpayers with triple net leases by quoting the 1941 Supreme Court case of Higgins v. Commissioner. In Higgins the Supreme Court stated that the determination of whether the activities of a taxpayer are carrying on a business requires an examination of the facts in each case. Since it is a factual determination, a taxpayer with the right fact can successfully argue that his or her triple net or almost triple net rental enterprise should constitute a qualified trade or business. However, doing so will be a tough and expensive hurdle for many landlords to jump over. Perhaps Congress will act in a compromise to assist the continued growth in the economy in recognizing that taxpayers with triple net leases put themselves at significant financial risk, in that tenants like Toys R Us and Sears may go bankrupt and leave a landlord high and dry after many months of eviction and then bankruptcy litigation. Many landlords are not aware that the bankruptcy law allows tenants to have the court terminate long term leases and limit damages to one year of rent. Non-triple net lease landlords who spend considerable time in their leasing activities can take considerable comfort from Notice 2019-7, which was published alongside the new Final Regulations. The Notice provides the above-mentioned safe harbor for non-triple net leases to be treated as a trade or business solely for the purposes of Section 199A. Under the new safe harbor, non triple net rental real estate may be treated as a trade or business, if the following three requirements are met: 1. separate books and records are maintained to reflect income and expenses for each rental real estate enterprise; 2. 250 or more hours of rental services are performed per year with respect to the rental enterprise; and 3. the taxpayer maintains contemporaneous records, including time reports or similar documents, regarding the following: 1) hours of all services performed, 2) description of all services performed, 3) dates on which such services are performed, and 4) who performed the service. Interestingly, while triple net lease arrangements outside of REITs will likely not qualify under Section 199A, banks that are taxed as S corporations, or partnerships, are eligible for the deduction, although in many respects a loan is like a triple net lease where the landlord has put money out for a long term series of payments, where in many cases the vast majority of the value is in the years of payments to be received, just like a long term promissory note. It is even more disturbing that other types of businesses involving much less risk on the part of the owner qualify for the deduction. These include brothels, franchisors and vending machine owners. For more information on the different types of businesses that qualify for Section 199A, please see our post entitled Beautiful Losers: The Discriminatory Nature of the 199A Proposed Regulations, especially if you like Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. As the infamous Marquis de Sade once stated, Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain. To view our on-demand webinar on how Section 199A impacts real estate investors or to receive our white papers on this topic, email [email protected] and mention the secret decoder ring. If you are a landlord or tax advisor, thanks sincerely for what you do for others. If you are a triple net tenant it is time to ask the landlord if you can give up some of the responsibilities so that the landlord pays less tax on the rent income. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alangassman/2019/01/26/why-is-the-irs-punishing-triple-net-landlords/ |
What's a 403(b) Retirement Plan? | It's important to save for retirement, but it's hard to do it all on your own. There are many tools you can use to boost your independent retirement savings, such as a regular investment account or tax-favored IRAs. But many workers are fortunate enough to get some help from the companies they work for, and employer-sponsored retirement plans often have attractive features that demonstrate your employer's commitment to helping you retire in comfort. Employer-sponsored retirement plans can be complicated because of the highly technical tax laws that govern them, so experts refer to them by the section of the Internal Revenue Code that authorizes their use. 403(b) retirement plans are just one example. Despite their somewhat cryptic name, 403(b)s can be extremely useful in helping eligible workers save for their retirement needs. Below, you'll learn everything you need to know about 403(b) plans and how you can use them to retire confidently and securely. Image source: Getty Images. 403(b) retirement plans are governed by Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, which lays out all of the guidelines, requirements, features, and limitations of the plans. Also known as tax-sheltered annuity plans, 403(b) plans allow participants to set money aside in a special account and invest it for their retirement. Participants are offered a fixed menu of investment options. In addition to letting employees save part of their wages in a 403(b) account, many employers also make extra contributions to their workers' retirement savings. These employer contributions can take the form of either discretionary deposits into all workers' accounts or matches on the contributions that employees make on their own behalf. Like the employee's own contributions, these employer contributions are invested and grow over time, eventually becoming available to withdraw in retirement. 403(b) plans are similar to the 401(k) retirement plans that most people are familiar with. They have many things in common, including their limits on annual contributions. For 2019, savers can put aside $19,000 in either a 401(k) or a 403(b) plan account if they're younger than 50, or $25,000 if they're 50 or older. Both allow employers to match employees' contributions or make discretionary contributions, and both share the favorable tax features you'll read more about below. However, 403(b) plans differ from 401(k) plans in several key ways. First, only certain employers are allowed to offer a 403(b) plan. In order to sponsor a 403(b) plan, an employer must be a public school system, a qualified nonprofit organization, or a religious institution such as a church. That means that if your employer offers a 401(k) plan, it's likely not allowed to offer a 403(b) plan and vice versa. In addition, the investments that 403(b) plans typically offer are different from what you'll find in many 401(k) plans. Historically, 403(b) plans were required to invest in annuity contracts from insurance companies. Over time, the laws governing these plans allowed a wider range of investments, including stock mutual funds. However, because of the historical bias -- as well as the original name, which emphasized the tax-sheltered annuity origins of the accounts -- you'll find annuity products much more frequently in 403(b) plans than in 401(k) plans. Finally, 403(b) plans have a special rule that allows additional contributions by some employees who have had at least 15 years of service with their employers. Such employees can put an additional $3,000 into their 403(b) plan accounts for up to five years, subject to reduction if their average annual contribution to that point exceeds $5,000. In general, those who work for an eligible employer will qualify to participate in its 403(b) plan, including the following workers: Employees of public school systems who are involved in the day-to-day operations of a school. Employees of tax-exempt organizations established under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which encompasses most charitable organizations. Employees of cooperative hospital service organizations. Employees of public school systems organized by Native American tribal governments. Civilian faculty and staff members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Ministers who are employed by charitable organizations, who are self-employed, or who function as ministers in their day-to-day professional responsibilities with their employers. Employers are generally required to make their 403(b) plans universally available. In other words, any employee should be allowed to make contributions to a 403(b) plan if it's in place, so if your employer offers a 403(b) plan, you should get information about it soon after you start your job there. In order to contribute to a 403(b) plan that your employer offers, you'll need to fill out some paperwork from your company's payroll person or human resources department. To fill it out correctly, you'll need to consider the following things. First, you'll need to decide how much money to contribute. Most employers allow you to defer either a percentage of your pay or a fixed dollar amount toward your retirement savings each pay period. Your employer will then withhold the specified amount and make sure the money goes to the financial institution that manages and invests the 403(b) accounts owned by you and your coworkers. In addition, if your employer matches 403(b) plan contributions or adds additional employer contributions of its own, then that money will also be deposited into your account. When determining your contribution amount, keep in mind that the limits mentioned above -- $19,000 for those younger than 50 and $25,000 for those 50 or older in 2019 -- apply to total annual contributions. Even if you set a percentage that would cause you to exceed those amounts, your employer should stop withholding money from your paycheck once you hit the maximum. Next, you'll need to specify which investments you want your 403(b) money to go into. It's up to your employer to offer a menu of investments, and the exact type of 403(b) plan your employer chooses will determine in part what those investments are likely to be. Some employers offer individual annuity contracts through insurance companies, which typically let you choose among fixed annuities that pay out income at set interest rates and variable annuities that are tied to various investment asset classes, such as stocks and bonds. If your employer offers what's known as a custodial 403(b) account, then you'll have access to mutual funds as well. Retirement income 403(b) accounts, which are available to church employees, can invest in either annuities or mutual funds. To be smart about your 403(b) plan account's investments, you'll need to balance a couple of needs that sometimes conflict. First, it's generally smart to have a diversified portfolio to invest for retirement, with a range of asset classes that include both growth-oriented investments such as stocks and income-generating investments such as bonds, which typically pay you interest once or twice per year. However, the fees and costs of investing in 403(b) plan account investments can vary widely even within the same plan, so focusing on the lowest-cost options ensures that you'll hang on to more of the returns that those particular investments generate. Ideally, you can put together a 403(b) retirement account portfolio that fulfills both of those needs, but not all employers are able to offer a large number of investment options that are attractive from a cost standpoint. Like most employer-sponsored retirement plans, 403(b) plans are primarily designed to let participants withdraw money after they retire. Most 403(b) accounts offer multiple options when it comes time to start accessing their retirement funds, including one-time withdrawals on demand, as well as a host of different periodic withdrawal schedules that you can tailor to your cash flow needs. In many cases, you can arrange to have fixed amounts withdrawn every month, three months, six months, or year. If you hold annuities within your 403(b) plan account, then those products may offer some payout options of their own that can give you additional flexibility. The other choice you have after you retire is to roll over your 403(b) account balance to an IRA. In cases in which the 403(b) plan's investments aren't ideal, rolling money over to an IRA lets you reinvest the money in a wider array of more desirable investments without any immediate tax consequences. However, in some cases, rolling over a 403(b) can cause you to miss out on attractive investment options that employers have access to but aren't available to ordinary investors. Meanwhile, if you need to withdraw money before you retire, you may face early-withdrawal penalties. Those who take money out before turning 59 1/2 will have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn. That's on top of the other tax consequences of all 403(b) plan withdrawals, which we'll discuss below. Avoiding early distributions is usually smart, though there are a few limited situations in which you can take money before 59 1/2 without paying a penalty. For instance, withdrawals that go toward higher-education expenses, medical bills, or the purchase of your first primary residence may be exempt from the early-withdrawal penalty. At the same time, there's an age at which you have to start taking withdrawals from your 403(b), lest you face an even steeper penalty. Once you reach age 70 1/2, IRS rules force you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your 403(b) each year. These amounts are based on the value of your account each year and your life expectancy, the idea being that you'll take proportionally similar withdrawals for the rest of your life. If you don't take your RMD in full and on time, you'll be assessed a penalty of 50% of the amount you failed to withdraw. Lastly, different rules apply when it comes to money that your employer has contributed to your account, either through a match or as part of a one-time contribution. Most employers' 403(b) contributions are subject to vesting requirements, which means you have to work for a certain amount of time before you're entitled to keep that free money. Some common provisions for vesting schedules include a three-year waiting period before all of your employer contributions become available to you, or a graded schedule whereby a portion of the contributions become vested each year until you eventually reach 100%. If you don't work long enough to meet the vesting requirements, then you'll have to leave that money with your employer, which can then use it to defray the expenses of the 403(b) plan. One alternative to withdrawals that some 403(b) plans offer is the ability to take out a 403(b) loan. Specific requirements for such loans vary from employer to employer, but the plan document will give details on exactly how much you're allowed to take, what the repayment terms are, and what documentation is required. Keep in mind that with 403(b) plan loans, there can be substantial penalties if you fail to repay the loan, and if you leave your job, any outstanding 403(b) loan gets accelerated, and you'll have to repay it in full within a short period of time -- typically 60 days. The reason why 403(b) plans are so popular is that they offer substantial tax benefits. The biggest benefit that 403(b) plans offer is that you're allowed to make contributions on a pre-tax basis. Therefore, any money you contribute isn't counted in your taxable income for the year, so your tax bill will be lower by the amount of tax that you would have paid on the contributed amount. In addition, some 403(b) plans offer what's known as Roth options. Roth 403(b)s do not give you the tax benefit above: Instead, you'll contribute after-tax money to the plan. However, in exchange for giving up the immediate tax benefit, you can make withdrawals from the Roth 403(b) account in retirement tax-free. However, not every employer offers a Roth option, so you'll want to check with your HR department to find out whether you're eligible. Once you've put money into your 403(b) plan account, the other big benefit is that it grows on a tax-deferred basis. Over the years, your investments inside your 403(b) will typically make payments in the form of interest, dividends, or other types of investment income. In an ordinary account, you'd often have to pay taxes on that income in the year in which you received it. However, because the investments are inside a 403(b) account, you don't have to pay those taxes along the way. In addition, the tax deferral qualities of 403(b) accounts also apply when you sell a winning investment. In a typical investment account, you'd owe capital gains taxes at the time you sold. With a 403(b) plan account, you once again don't have to pay taxes on those capital gains immediately. It's true that for regular 403(b) plans, you eventually have to pay the tax man. Taxes come due when you start making withdrawals from your 403(b) plan account, with the amount withdrawn getting added to your taxable income for the year. Often, that's still a net benefit, because most people end up in lower tax brackets after they retire than they were in during their working years. 403(b) plans are extremely useful, but they aren't perfect. One downside to using 403(b) plans is that you have to pay taxes at your ordinary income tax rate on withdrawals in retirement. That's not entirely unfair, given that you avoided paying ordinary income taxes on the money you initially contributed. However, even if much of your account's value comes from long-term capital gains -- which are subject to preferential tax rates when investments are sold outside a retirement account -- you'll still have to pay ordinary income taxes on your withdrawal. The greatest hazard of 403(b) plans is the investment fees that certain financial institutions charge. Some institutions try to make it easy for employers -- especially small ones -- to create a 403(b) plan for their employees, offering services at inexpensive rates. For school systems and nonprofit organizations, that's an appealing proposition. However, these financial institutions often have the ulterior motive of offering a limited menu of investment options, all of which have relatively high fees. In other words, in a bad plan, you might end up paying for the cut-rate offer that your employer got to open the plan in the first place. Use 403(b) plans to your advantage Even with these downsides, however, 403(b) plans are an extremely useful and versatile tool that eligible employees can use to save for retirement. With generous maximum contribution limits, favorable tax treatment, and a structure that's relatively easy for both employers and employees to understand, 403(b) plans are definitely worth a closer look as part of your overall retirement plan. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/apos-403-b-retirement-plan-210400097.html |
Does the Roger Stone Indictment Mean Trump Is in Jeopardy? | W. James Antle III Security, Americas Its the unknown unknowns that may determine the course of a presidency. Roger Stone was arrested at his Florida home early Friday morning, indicted on seven counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing a congressional investigation in the latest twist in the Trump-Russia saga. He was arraigned this morning in a federal court in Fort Lauderdale. The indictment from Special Counsel Robert Mueller alleges that Stone served as a broker between WikiLeaks and the Trump presidential campaign to disseminate emails that the Russia had purloined from the Democratic National Committee. Stone told the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence under oath in September 2017 that he had no e-mails, texts, no documents whatsoever. The indictment states, among other things, that this was false. Stone was never officially part of Donald Trumps 2016 campaign, but he has long been an informal political adviser to the president, and he is widely referred to in the media as Trumps long-term confidante. This morning Trump himself tweeted once more to denounce the Mueller investigation and to speculate about why CNN was in place to film the FBIs arrest of Stone at home: Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there? This follows Michael Cohens postponement of his highly anticipated congressional testimony, citing ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Cohen, a former attorney and longtime fixer for Trump, has turned on his erstwhile client in a potentially presidency-altering fashion. Stones dramatic arrest and Cohens allegation of witness tampering come less than a week after a BuzzFeed report claimed that the president directed Cohen to lie to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow meetinga story that Muellers office appeared to shoot down in a rare on-the-record denial, while remaining artfully vague about exactly which details were in dispute. The BuzzFeed episode, Stones indictment and the eventual Trump World pushback against Cohens latest charges highlight two competing theories about the Mueller probe. Muellers office isnt prone to leaking, so we dont know the full extent of what the Trump-Russia special counsel knows. This has invited considerable speculation by those who wish to defend or discredit the president. According to one theory, Mueller is methodically building up to a compelling case that there was Trump-Russia collusion and possibly other illegal acts. We should read little into the fact that Mueller has largely prosecuted people for process crimes or financial transgressions that mostly predate the Trump campaign. The impeachment-inducing bombshell waits just around the corner if only the Resistance remains patient. There are some rational reasons to believe this might be the case. Although the Stone indictments concern his and Randy Credicos testimony before the Devin Nunes-led House Intelligence Committee, it puts the Trump campaign (including an unnamed senior official) a step closer to Julian Assange, WikiLeaks and the theft of Democratic emails at the heart of the Russian electoral influence blitz. There have also been tantalizing tidbits about convicted Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort sharing polling data with the Russians, compounding questions about why Manafort took an unpaid senior position with Trump while he was obviously having financial problems and entangled with foreign clients. Not even Stone was brought in for an underlying offense related to the election. Mueller recommended no jail time for former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos received a fourteen-day jail sentence from which he has already been released. So far, Carter Page hasnt been charged with anything at all. If anybody colluded, it would likely have involved the above characters. This leads to the second theory about Muellers investigation: that while there is much we dont know, we can tell a lot from what weve seen publicly. Muellers indictments up to this point have yet to attempt to make the case that a larger Trump-Russia conspiracy even exists. Indicted Russians were said to have no witting American accomplices; Muellers team has yet to go into a courtroom and try to argue that any of their Trump targets committed any crimes related to Russian interference in the presidential election. | https://news.yahoo.com/does-roger-stone-indictment-mean-125000898.html |
What if DeMarcus Cousins had signed with the Celtics? | BOSTON In an alternate universe, DeMarcus Cousins anchors the interior for the Celtics. He teams with Marcus Morris and five-time NBA All-Star Al Horford to form one of the leagues most daunting frontcourts, hears chatter that Boston signing him was unfair and, on Saturday night, will host a Warriors team that nearly landed his services. In July, little more than six months removed from sustaining a season-ending Achilles injury with the Pelicans, Cousins was at his offseason home in Las Vegas when he received only tepid interest, at best, in free agency. After a sleepless night, he turned to what he called his last resort, phoned Warriors general manager Bob Myers and agreed to sign a one-year, $5.3 million deal with Golden State. Hours later, NBA reporter Chris Haynes then with ESPN reported that Cousins decision had come down to the Warriors and Celtics. The four-time All-Star, it appears, was intent on rehabbing his reputation and his torn left Achilles tendon on a contender. Few can blame him. At age 28, Cousins is the best player in the league to have never played in a playoff game. The one time his team reached the postseason, last spring with New Orleans, Cousins was sidelined. After eight years being a No. 1 or, at worst, No. 2 option, he was ready to shed the burden of being a franchise player. Its tricky to predict what would have happened had Cousins joined Boston instead of Golden State, but this much seems obvious: The Celtics, who are built to chase championships for years, would have cemented their status as the most talented team in the Eastern Conference. In Cousins, Boston would have a supremely skilled, floor-spacing big man to pair with Horford, who, at 32, is beginning to see his production decline. An eight-man rotation of Cousins, Horford, Morris, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart would be as difficult to defend as any lineup outside of the Warriors. Even without Cousins, Boston might be Golden States biggest championship threat. The Celtics are one of just four NBA teams ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. After an uneven first half of the season, they have finally settled into a rhythm, entering Saturdays clash with the Warriors at TD Garden on a five-game winning streak. A lot of talent, obviously, Cousins said of Boston. Young team. Good mixture of young and veteran guys. Super talented. They play hard, and itll be a battle. Like Golden State, the Celtics could have offered Cousins the luxury of taking his time to recover from his Achilles injury without fear of dooming his teams playoffs chances. Boston, despite its early struggles, is just 5 games behind Milwaukee for the Easts top seed. However, Cousins isnt one to ponder what-ifs. Those closest to him say he is the happiest he has been in years. With the Warriors, Cousins has found a team-oriented environment where he can play to his strengths and not be blamed for every loss. He really loves it there, DeMarcus mother, Monique Cousins-Evans, said of her eldest son, who is averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in just 20.3 minutes through three games with Golden State. In the past, I think he got a little stressed being the one everyone expects to carry the team to a win. With the Warriors, he can just be one of the guys. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Con_Chron | https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/What-if-DeMarcus-Cousins-had-signed-with-the-13564254.php |
Could Realty Income Corporation Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | One of the tried and true ways to build wealth is by owning investment properties, but it requires a lot of time and effort, and a fair amount of leverage. Being a landlord is not for everyone, which is why real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are such an enticing investment option. They allow you to be a landlord without all the work. What it is and isn't The first thing to understand about a company like Realty Income is the purpose of the REIT structure. Real estate investment trusts are companies that own investment properties with the goal of passing the income generated from the properties on to shareholders. The REIT structure is specifically designed for this, requiring that a company pass at least 90% of its earnings on to shareholders via dividends. Doing so allows REITs to avoid corporate level taxation, with the shareholder reporting the income as ordinary income when preparing their individual tax returns. Three golden eggs in a net made of dollar bills More Image source: Getty Images. The second thing to understand about Realty Income is its triple net lease niche. Realty Income owns single-tenant properties. Its tenants pay for most of the costs of the asset they occupy, including things like maintenance and taxes. Often Realty Income and its triple net lease peers will buy properties from a company and then instantly lease them back to the same company, allowing the tenant to free up cash for other uses. Realty Income makes the difference between the rates it gets for rent and rates it has to pay for capital (via debt and stock sales). It's a fairly stable business model since leases can last for 10 to 20 years. The thing is, Realty Income's business model isn't meant to grow capital quickly. It's more of a slow and steady approach with a heavy focus on generating income. In fact, the company has trademarked the term "The Monthly Dividend Company." (It pays dividends monthly, in case you didn't figure that out.) Realty Income isn't really the kind of stock you look to for wealth-building. It's a company you own to generate income once you've got a fairly substantial nest egg. A darn good REIT While it's hard to suggest that Realty Income will be a millionaire maker, it's still a very desirable investment to keep in mind. The company's portfolio is heavily focused on retail assets, with about 80% of the REIT's rent roll coming from single-tenant retail stores. The rest comes from industrial (around 12%), office (around 4%), and agriculture (around 2%, mostly vineyards) investments. While that's more diversification than some of its peers, it's not all that diversified by broad sector. Although retail has a huge impact on Realty Income's business, it is highly diversified within the sector. It owns over 5,500 retail properties with an average size of 12,000 square feet. No one single property has a material impact on the company's rent roll. The properties, meanwhile, are fairly easy to release if Realty Income is left with a vacant asset because they are basically just big, and usually well-located, boxes. Moreover, management's focus on low price point, non-discretionary, and service tenants has protected Realty Income from the overhyped retail apocalypse: Since 2017, roughly 43 retailers have gone bankrupt, but just 1% of Realty Income's rent has been affected. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-realty-income-corporation-millionaire-213100145.html |
Is Fluor a Buy? | Investors buy a stock for many reasons, and if you could put a group of its shareholders in a room, there's likely to be no end to the discussion as to why each individual investor bought the stock. Such a consideration springs to mind when thinking about prospects in 2019 for engineering and construction company Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR). Let's look at the case for and against the stock. The case for buying Fluor stock There are two key arguments in favor of the stock. The first sees Fluor, and other companies such as Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), as being in the very early innings of a multiyear recovery in capital spending in heavy industries such as energy, chemicals, mining, and infrastructure. It's a viewpoint that sees the slowdown in 2015-2017 as creating stored-up demand that will be met over time. Throw in the possibility of an infrastructure spending bill, and Fluor has plenty of upside potential. In support of these points, you can see in the chart below that Fluor has been winning new awards this year -- notably in its mining, industrial, infrastructure & power segment. Fluor new awards. More Data source: Fluor Corporation presentations. Consequently, Fluor's backlog is rising again, and this bodes well for the company in 2019. Fluor backlog. More Data source: Fluor Corporation presentations. Chart by author. The second argument highlights the fact that Fluor's stock has been sold off partly as a consequence of underperforming with contract execution in 2018 rather than purely due to its end markets. Issues relating to a downstream project in Europe and a gas-fired power plant in Florida led to the company's full-year EPS guidance being slashed from a range of $3.10 to $4.50 at the start of the year to $1.80 to $1.90 by the time of the third-quarter earnings. The idea is that Fluor's stock has been overly discounted due to execution issues that the company can put behind it in 2019. Indeed, analysts are expecting the company's EPS to recover to $3.08 in 2019 from $1.85 in 2018. This is a forward estimate that makes the stock look cheap on a historical basis. | https://news.yahoo.com/fluor-buy-230600798.html |
Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals a Buy? | Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) has proven that it's a winner for investors. The biotech stock more than doubled in 2017. Despite challenging conditions last year with the major market indexes falling, Vertex gained nearly 11%. And Vertex is up by a solid double-digit percentage so far in 2019. But past winners don't always become future winners. Connected jigsaw puzzle pieces with the words cystic fibrosis and genetics printed on them More Image source: Getty Images. Scary numbers One problem that can arise from a stock that performs really well is that its valuation can reach unjustifiable levels. Some might say that's what has happened with Vertex. The biotech stock currently trades at a whopping 77.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. Of course, Vertex is growing rapidly, so looking at future earnings is more appropriate. However, shares trade at 47 times expected one-year earnings. That's still super-expensive in the eyes of most investors. Vertex's sky-high valuation is probably why Wall Street analysts aren't overly optimistic about the near-term prospects for the stock. The consensus one-year price target for Vertex reflects only a low single-digit percentage increase from the biotech's current share price. If you're the kind of investor who wants to buy clear-cut bargains, Vertex won't be appealing to you. Its earnings multiples simply look too scary. Exciting numbers On the other hand, growth-seeking investors should find a lot to like about Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Its earnings multiples might be scary, but its potential growth numbers are downright exciting. Consider that Vertex's three approved cystic fibrosis (CF) products -- Kalydeco, Orkambi, and Symdeko -- can currently treat less than half of the estimated 75,000 CF patients across the world. But Vertex has a solid strategy to secure product label expansions and win approvals for treating younger patients. These efforts should enable the biotech to boost its addressable market by 19% even without launching any new drugs. But Vertex almost certainly will launch new CF drugs. The biotech expects to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of its first triple-drug combination CF regimen by mid-2019. Vertex thinks that its triple-drug combos will expand the number of CF patients that it can treat to 68,000 -- increasing its growth prospects by another 55%. Assuming Vertex succeeds with its strategy of expanding the use of its current three drugs and winning approval for new triple-drug combos, that would leave around 10% of CF patients with no effective treatment. Vertex has a plan for helping those patients, too. It's working with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop CRISPR gene-editing therapies to treat patients for which its other drugs aren't applicable. An even better picture Vertex's growth prospects go beyond only CF, though. The biotech announced positive results in December 2018 from a third phase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating VX-150 in reducing pain. Vertex is conducting a phase 2b study to establish dose ranges for VX-150 to support potential advancement to a pivotal study. The company has also teamed up with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop a gene-editing therapy targeting the treatment of rare blood diseases beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The partners are currently enrolling patients in two early stage clinical studies for these indications. | https://news.yahoo.com/vertex-pharmaceuticals-buy-231000721.html |
Are Timberwolves poised to be buyers or sellers at NBA trade deadline? | In the afterglow of one of the most emotionally charged losses of the Timberwolves season Friday night in Utah, interim coach Ryan Saunders was beaming about his teams effort, given the rash of injuries they have had recently. Id like to say this is who we are moving forward, Saunders said. This is our identity. We stay together. We dont fracture. But while the Wolves may not fracture from within the locker room, the looming trade deadline on Feb. 7 could cause some kind of makeover. With that pivotal date less than two weeks away, the Wolves find themselves in a precarious position relative to the rest of the league. The Wolves (24-25) entered Saturday three games back of the No. 8 seed. Basketball Reference had the Wolves odds of making the playoff at 13.6 percent entering Saturday. ESPNs Basketball Power Index had it at 14.4 percent. Those odds are long in a crowded Western Conference, where just 3.5 games separate the No. 6 and No. 11 seed. It may be easy to look at the percentages and conclude the Wolves should be sellers and try to get what they can for players on expiring contracts, such as Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose and Anthony Tolliver. But because of how this season has transpired, the situation is more complicated than that for the Wolves. When owner Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, fired coach Tom Thibodeau earlier this month, he said he hoped the move would help spark the team to a surge in the standings and make the playoffs. We still have hopes to getting into the playoffs and I think with half the season left, lets see if this change will make a difference, Taylor said on Jan. 6. Taylor oversees a franchise that has been success-starved, and making the playoffs for a second consecutive season could benefit the Wolves bottom line and reignite a fan base that has weathered a harrowing season that began with the Jimmy Butler soap opera and continued through Thibodeaus firing. So if theres even a small chance at a playoff spot, Taylor could be inclined to go for it. The Wolves have been treading water toward the back of the Western Conference standings since they opened 4-9 before trading Butler. Theyre 20-16 since then, including 5-4 under Saunders. They still have time before the deadline to find out, but not much. Only four games remain before the trade deadline all against Western Conference foes, starting Sunday in a rematch with Utah at Target Center. Fridays frantic comeback but ultimate defeat in Utah underscored how much each game matters. Had the Wolves been able to pull out a win, theyd be just 1.5 games behind Utah and would have knocked the Jazz into the No. 9 spot. Its one of those things where you never want to drop three or four games in a row, Saunders said. And you win three or four games in a row and you can make some hay. Also clouding a potential sell-off is the job status of the two principal people Taylor has charged with improving the team Saunders and Scott Layden. As we get closer to those days, thats something our staff and myself and Scott, well speak more on, Saunders said when asked how the Wolves are viewing the deadline. Taylor retained Layden, who was Thibodeaus pick for general manager, after he fired Thibodeau, but there is uncertainty whether Layden will be the general manager beyond this season. So far, league sources said the trade market has been quiet, but that is sure to pick up as Feb. 7 nears. As for Saunders, Taylor has said Saunders is essentially auditioning for the full-time job. Taylor hasnt said if Saunders needs to make the playoffs to retain his job, or what benchmarks he has in place for Saunders. The Wolves, if they decided to go into sell mode, have assets that other teams would covet, with Rose, Tolliver and Gibson all on expiring deals. I dont really worry too much about it, Tolliver said. Ive been traded before in this league. If I get traded, all right. If somebody else gets traded, got to move on. Im not worrying about whether or not Im bolstering my trade value or any of that type of stuff or somebody elses. Rose, if he can stay healthy, could command solid return given his resurgent season and the fact hes on a minimum contract. But for now, the Wolves still have time to make a run or they have time to falter farther out of the race. Given the rash of injuries to Jeff Teague, Robert Covington, Rose and Tyus Jones, thats also on the table before Feb. 7. Once you dig yourself a hole, its pretty hard to get out, Rose said. The question is if the Wolves will keep trying to climb out or instead sink further. | http://www.startribune.com/are-timberwolves-poised-to-be-buyers-or-sellers-at-nba-trade-deadline/504924842/ |
Does Ontarios Regulation 274 help or harm students? | Concerns have been raised by school boards, principals, parents and teachers themselves over a hiring rule that gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority, and Ontarios education minister says thats why the province is now reviewing it. From my days in opposition to my first day as minister, right through to today, Im hearing a lot that (Regulation 274) is impeding teacher mobility, its causing frustration with principals with regards to interviewing some of the qualified candidates, and I also want to check in to make sure that hiring is transparent and equitable, Lisa Thompson told the Star in a telephone interview. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said any changes to the hiring process should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. ( Jim Rankin / Toronto Star ) Last month, the province wrapped up public consultations on a number of education issues including sex-ed that saw 72,000 people take part, and now wants to hear from teacher and support staff unions, as well as trustee associations, on changes to class size, full-day kindergarten and hiring practices. Under Regulation 274, implemented in 2012, teachers hired into long-term and permanent positions are to be chosen from among the five applicants from the supply teacher pool who have the most seniority within the specific board. The rule was created at the urging of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, to curb nepotism, mostly in smaller boards. While initially opposing the regulation, other unions came to support the seniority-based change. Article Continued Below But principals have said the rule complicated the hiring process and administrative work, and it doesnt always allow them to hire the best fit for the job. A consultation document distributed last week says the Ministry of Education recognizes teachers as the single most important out-of-the-home factor in student success. This is supported by research that suggests that what teachers know and are able to do is crucial to student learning. As such, teacher quality is paramount in ensuring students are able to succeed in the classroom. It goes on to say that Regulation 274 was created to bring greater transparency, fairness, consistency and accountability to school board hiring practices of teachers. However, since its implementation, stakeholders have raised concerns about the regulations. As boards make hiring decisions under the regulation, we have been told that student success may be negatively impacted and there have been some unintended consequences. The ministry says issues include how teachers lose all their seniority when they switch boards, meaning permanent teachers could see this as a barrier to relocation because they have to start over as supply teachers if they move. A statement from Thompson about the consultations says the government also wants to start reviewing the elements school boards should take into consideration when inviting candidates to interview for teaching positions to ensure they are interviewing the most-qualified candidates, as well as start discussing which factors should be taken into account to ensure more transparent hiring practices. The regulation has led to situations where principals have interviewed the top five candidates, meanwhile applicants who might exceed qualifications would not qualify for an interview. This ministry has heard concerns about hiring that is heavily based on seniority (that it) only values time spent on a list. It does not value quality of teacher, commitment to students, experience/time spent in a particular school or suitability for the particular assignment, the document says. Article Continued Below Unions have heard complaints from their members about the mobility issue and said that is one area of the regulation theyd be willing to discuss. Even former premier Kathleen Wynne whose government introduced the regulation said in 2013 that it went too far in trying to correct hiring problems by making seniority the main criterion. Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said, We are absolutely prepared to engage in consultation with this government and can offer, as we have in the past, solutions to some outstanding problems with the hiring regulation. But Sam Hammond of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario said any such changes should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. Quite frankly, we were a little surprised that the fair hiring piece was there, agreed Liz Stuart, head of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Because thats not a funding issue we see that strictly as a bargaining issue. Hammond said a 2014 provincial report disputed criticisms that school boards were hiring unqualified candidates or that the rules were preventing young, diverse teachers from landing jobs. That report says that 274 is a more consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for Ontario teachers, Hammond told the Star. Toronto grandfather Charles Wakefield who has long fought for the end of Regulation 274 said imposing a seniority-based teacher hiring policy has not been in the best interest of Ontario students and parents. He is a part of a groups called Parents for Merit-Based Teacher Hiring, which urges the government to cancel the regulation after years of harm. University of Toronto Professor Charles Pascal, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, said great teaching and highly skilled teachers that can relate to the students they are working with are the most important factors in hiring. While he said hes a union guy at heart, I just think this is a balance of fairness for those who have been waiting around there are a lot of teachers on that list who are highly qualified and who have proven their worth and those who are just coming out of teacher education programs like the one at OISE. Im a little soft on anything other than quality pedagogy trumps everything, he said. A private members bill introduced in 2013 by then PC education critic Lisa MacLeod now minister of children, community and social services sought an end to the regulation. At that time, several boards had complained about a domino effect of the rule that led to multiple teacher changes in some classrooms within a school year. Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy | https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/01/25/does-ontarios-regulation-274-help-or-harm-students.html |
Does 'Name And Shame' Really Work For Fighting AI Bias Or Is It All Economics? | As concerns over the societal impact of AI and algorithmic bias have grown, the topic has moved out of the research lab and into boardrooms, the halls of government and last week to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. An emerging tactic gaining favorability in the fight against AI bias is the use of the age-old tactic of naming and shaming that has become so popular in cybersecurity. Researchers conduct systematic testing of popular AI products and algorithms to examine their accuracy across key demographics and report any identified biases publicly in the hopes that popular backlash and the threat of governmental intervention might encourage companies to more aggressively address those biases. Of course, a quarter century of naming and shaming has done nothing to improve digital accessibility, which is actually rapidly backsliding nor has it led to companies addressing digital bias they dont see as profitable to fix. The unfortunate truth is that if we look a bit closer, we find that name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products for new customer demographics or where those fixes are well aligned with the economic interests of their biggest customers like governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the end it all comes down once again to simple economics. Intuitively, name and shame campaigns sound like an ideal and simplistic fix to the biases that plague todays AI systems and consumer products: run high profile commercial systems across input data representing a wide range of demographics and publicly report their failure rates. Companies hate negative press, so the theory goes, so just issue a press release documenting their algorithmic shortcomings and they will pull out all the stops in scrambling to fix them as fast as possible. The problem with this idea is that it glosses over a critical distinction. Bias that companies view as having an economic impact will be addressed with or without public scrutiny, while bias that companies view as having no economic impact or a negative impact to fixing will rarely be addressed no matter how much public scrutiny there is. For all the public outcry around the surveillance web and our ad-supported digital economy, companies arent rushing to abandon advertising and delete all of their customer data. Instead, they are merely stepping up their lobbying and PR offensive to shift the narrative without having to actually make any changes to their businesses. Take voice assistants like smart speakers. Almost since their introduction, they have spawned controversy and myriad name and shame campaigns demanding they improve their handling of accented speech and add support for languages beyond English. Look at the supported language and accent list for any major speaker today and notice how closely the language list matches the major economies that are the biggest customer base for those devices. If you are a member of a sizeable and economically valuable demographic and launch a name and shame campaign for your favorite smart speaker to support the native language of your demographic, chances are that company and its peers will jump at the opportunity to engage with your community in order to add a large new monied and monetizable customer base. On the other hand, it is unlikely that any amount of public agitation or name and shame campaigns will lead a major manufacturer to invest in adding support for a language spoken by just 100 people on earth, none of whom have internet access, let alone are likely purchasers of a luxury home electronic device. Name and shame campaigns work only to the degree they are aligned with economic realities. Highlighting the limitations of a product for a large and economically valuable demographic will garner the attention of most companies eager to maximize their customer base. Pointing out that a product doesnt support a demographic that the company does not perceive as economically valuable, on the other hand, is unlikely to yield much in the way of return. Other than as a research project aimed at garnering an academic journal article regarding a novel anti-bias approach, no amount of publicity will lead a company to invest substantial resources in building support for a demographic that it does not believe will ever use its product. After all, a quarter century of name and shame campaigns designed to improve the accessibility of the digital world have yielded few results. In fact, even the US Government no longer appears concerned about ensuring accessibility of official government communications, while the social platforms themselves do not appear to be overly concerned with their platforms being biased against a minority of the population they do not appear to see as sufficiently important to their economic bottom line. The fact that web companies are talking about AI bias, while saying and doing little about accessibility, tells us a lot about who they perceive to be their most valuable customer bases. This raises a far more intriguing question when it comes to the success some groups have had with name and shame campaigns in getting companies to improve the accuracy of their facial recognition algorithms for diverse demographics. While facial recognition and facial attribute algorithms have a number of consumer applications, one of their most important and valuable customer bases has been commercial applications and governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In fact, from a pure revenue standpoint, commercial and governmental use represent the single most important economic drivers in what many companies focus on. Commercial applications like resume review services and security monitoring have a vested interest in ensuring the facial software they license works well for all demographics to minimize their exposure to bias lawsuits. Their concern over demographic bias is not one of fairness or utopian ideals, but rather the cold hard calculus of the legal risk of not properly supporting protected demographics. Intriguingly, some of the biggest improvements in demographic accuracy have coincided with an explosion of interest in the governmental applications of facial recognition as countries like China have pioneered its mass-scale surveillance application. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are extremely concerned with ensuring that these facial algorithms are equally accurate across demographics, not because of concerns over fairness, but because of an operational need to maximize their reach. In this way, public outcry over demographic bias in facial algorithms is well aligned with the major commercial economic drivers of the field. It is notable that many of the biggest demographic improvements have coincided with the rapid uptake of facial software by security services concerned with its performance across global demographics. This is similar to the way in which gendered, cultural and demographic differences in language use and their impact on algorithmic bias became of immense interest to AI companies just as security services requested increased accuracy in those same areas and provided substantial funding to do so. Indeed, there are a lot of similarities in this parallel course to the past development of specialized analytics for non-English social media content. While there was considerable public agitation for key commercial translation and analytics platforms to better support local social vernacular of languages across the world, if one looks more closely at the timing of US Government defense funding for such support and the actual development of such tools, one will find that credit for many of these bias corrections comes not from public concern but from the vast amounts of governmental defense funding allocated to improving the accuracy of these tools along the dimensions of greatest importance for defense needs. One needs only see that the resulting supported languages of many products were all US defense priority languages like Arabic dialects spoken in areas with US interest, Farsi, Chinese and Russian to remind us once again of the importance of economics to investments in addressing bias. It is also important to note that most of the AI systems that silently underlie our society are not accessible to external inspection or auditing by researchers. Putting this all together, we speak of AI bias as if it is something that companies will fix out of the goodness of their hearts to make the world a better place for all. We realize this isnt the case, yet somehow, we cling to that imaginary ideal. In reality, the efficacy of name and shame campaigns with respect to compelling companies to address biases in their AI systems is tied closely to their economic benefit. Campaigns that are strongly aligned with economic drivers like providing companies large new customer bases or addressing the needs of their largest and most influential government customers seem to yield positive results to date. On the other hand, as a quarter century of digital accessibility efforts reminds us, campaigns that dont present companies with an obvious immediate economic return on investment are unlikely to yield results. In the end, the unfortunate reality is that to genuinely improve AI bias we have to appeal to companies' wallets rather than their hearts. In short, we have to convince the worlds AI companies that fixing AI bias is simply good economics. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/26/does-name-and-shame-really-work-for-fighting-ai-bias-or-is-it-all-economics/ |
Whos to blame for failed hydro deal? | Hydro Ones failed merger with Avista will cost $103 million U.S., online, Jan. 23 Interesting that you fail to mention any reference to the Wynne Liberal government when opining about the failed Hydro One/Avista deal. Without Wynne foolishly selling off a large portion of Hydro One, there would never have been a deal to fail. If you believe the $137-million cost is the Ford interference levy, then you must also believe the $1 billion-plus cost of remediation to the Avista pollution problems in the U.S., should the deal have gone through, would be the Wynne stupidity levy. Following your own logic, the Ford Conservatives have done a great service to the electricity customers on Ontario. John F. Reid, Toronto | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/01/24/whos-to-blame-for-failed-hydro-deal.html |
How will generations that didn't experience the Holocaust remember it? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Timothy Langille, Arizona State University (THE CONVERSATION) The Soviet Red Army liberated the most notorious of the Nazi death camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau, on Jan. 27, 1945. This year, the United Nations and 39 countries will commemorate that date with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date acknowledges the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. But, as a Jewish studies scholar, I have found it also reveals how traumatic memory works in the present and can serve as a reminder about the need for collective action. Remembering past crimes The United Nations memorial day connects Holocaust memory to issues in the present. Since 2010, the United Nations has set specific themes to not only remember past crimes, but prevent future ones. For example, the central theme of 2010 was about Holocaust survivors and what future generations can learn from them. As the world confronts more crimes against humanity, growing nationalism and global refugee crises, keeping the memory of the Holocaust has become increasingly important because it can bring awareness to contemporary atrocities. In recent years, the focus of the United Nations has ranged from issues such as violence against women and children to increasing tolerance. Last year, the day specifically explored the theme of shared responsibility. The day has also been used to speak about the unprecedented refugee crises in other parts of the world, such as the attacks on civilians in Syria. Sociologist Jeffrey Alexander says the memory of these events provides lessons for the future. The very act of remembering brings these events into the present and makes them relevant to our own times. Intergenerational memory My research looks at how traumatic memory is transmitted down through the generations. Scholar Marianne Hirsch shows in her postmemory work how trauma is transmitted to the children of survivors. These memories are transmitted so deeply that they become the memories of the second generation themselves. According to Hirsch, descendants of survivors may remember past trauma though stories, mannerisms and images. She looks at traumatic memories being transferred through fiction, art, memoir and testimony. An example of this postmemory art is American novelist Art Spiegelmans Maus. In this graphic novel, Spiegelman represents his fathers memories of the Holocaust. He does this by capturing both his and his fathers stories. Spiegelmans present is dominated by events that preceded his birth. This deep personal connection explains how postmemory works. Remembering matters As Holocaust survivors age, the challenge will be to keep this intergenerational memory. To prevent the loss of survivors testimony, it has been documented and cataloged by several museums and foundations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the USC Shoah Foundation, Yale Universitys Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies and others. The act of remembering matters for what it tells us about the past and about the present. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/how-will-generations-that-didnt-experience-the-holocaust-remember-it-110137. | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/How-will-generations-that-didn-t-experience-the-13564629.php |
Who is John Hickenlooper, possible 2020 Democratic presidential candidate? | Hes former Denver Mayor and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper pronounced HICK-in-loop-er, or Hick for short just wrapped up his two terms as governor, in which he led the state out of the Great Recession and into one of the strongest economies in the nation. Heres the short version of everything Democratic primary voters need to know about him. Almost certainly, most Colorado political insiders say. Hickenlooper who has a long record of political gaffes told a few folks in New Hampshire last fall that he is running, although his team quickly walked it back as a joke. He shows all the classic signs, from the creation of his Giddy Up PAC to the publication of his book, The Opposite of Woe, to his trips to early primary states. In an interview before leaving office, he said he was about 68 percent ready to make a final decision. He has also hired staff, including a pollster and national fundraiser. Hickenlooper often refers to himself as an extreme moderate. On many social issues, such as gay rights or gun control, hes progressive. However, hes also pro-business. Whats more, the extreme moderate goes to his temperament: Hes wary of making monumental policy shifts overnight and believes that most Americans are in the middle of the political spectrum, not on the ends. As Colorado political pollster Floyd Ciruli recently pointed out, Democrats have a long history of electing dark-horse governors. Hickenloopers team is framing him as an executive with progressive values and a record for delivering results. Unlike the high-profile senators entering the race, he can call himself a Washington outsider. At the same time, he has a national network of donors to sustain him as he builds name ID. Hickenlooper was born Feb. 7, 1952, in a suburb of Philadelphia. Hickenlooper is the youngest of four and was raised by his mother, Anne, after his fathers death when he was 8 years old. Hickenlooper often recounts stories of being an easy target of playground bullies. It was in these early geek years, he says, that he learned to defuse tense situations with humor. He graduated from the private Haverford School in 1970. He went on to graduate from Wesleyan University with a bachelors in English and a masters in geology. Hickenlooper moved to Colorado for work as a geologist. However, during a downturn in the economy in 1986, he was laid off. In 1988, he started the Wynkoop Brewing Company and helped lead the effort to revitalize Denvers lower downtown neighborhood. He married journalist Helen Thrope and had a son Teddy, now 16. However, the couple divorced in 2012. Hickenlooper remarried in 2016. His second wife, Robin Pringle Hickenlooper, is an executive at Liberty Media, which owns a stake in SiriusXM and the Atlanta Braves. Hickenlooper first entered politics in 2003, when he joined Denvers wide-open 2003 mayoral race promising a more robust economic development platform, better cooperation with Denvers suburbs and cheaper parking at meters downtown. He broke through the competition with commercials that Coloradans still talk about today. Heres one: Hickenlooper ultimately beat city Auditor Don Mares in a landslide. During his first term, Hickenlooper wiped out a $70 million deficit and helped the city land the Democratic National Convention. However, he faced scrutiny for mishandling election problems and a blizzard that shut down the Denver International Airport for 45 hours and left city streets covered in snow for days. Still, he won re-election in 2007, again by a wide margin. In 2010, after learning that then-Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter would not seek a second term, Hickenlooper trained his eyes on the states highest office. As in his first run for mayor, Hickenlooper made job creation a central theme of his gubernatorial bid. He went on to win a three-man race with 50 percent of the vote in one of the wildest races in modern Colorado history. Like many governors elected in 2010, Hickenlooper inherited an economy left in ruins after the Great Recession. However, when the term-limited governor left office January 2019, the states economy was one of the most respected in the nation and some credit him for that. Hickenlooper led Coloradans through numerous other challenges, during his first term, including devastating wildfires, a 100-year flood and gun violence most notably the mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater. Hickenloopers accomplishments as governor included: Reopening highways in northern Colorado within 100 days of the 2013 flood that killed 9. Establishing a national model for regulating recreational marijuana, despite being adamantly opposed to voters decision to legalize it. Signing a bill establishing civil unions in Colorado prior to the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Successfully pushing for the expansion of Medicaid. Signing gun-control legislation that established universal background checks and limited the size of magazines to 15 rounds. Creating a dashboard of goals and metrics to measure how efficient state government was. Above all, Hickenloopers supporters and detractors say his greatest success was in getting opposing sides to sit down and negotiate compromises on policy matters. Critics on both the left and the right have been frustrated when he tries to please everyone. Take, for instance, Hickenloopers record on oil and gas. He has long championed the states energy sector while simultaneously pushing for stricter regulation. Critics on the left suggest his push for higher methane standards is an empty gesture. Critics on the right have said his order for the adoption of low-emission standards for vehicles will hurt rural Colorado. Another example: Hickenloopers indefinite postponement of the execution of the man who killed four people at a suburban pizza parlor. Hickenlooper said he knew his decision would be highly scrutinized but said it was the only one that both respected the judicial process and his evolving position that the death penalty is unjust. What about a unity ticket with Hickenlooper and Republican former Ohio Gov. This is extremely unlikely. Both former governors who worked together on a bipartisan health care proposal in 2017 have expressed admiration for each other but said such a ticket isnt in the works. | https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/27/who-is-john-hickenlooper/ |
What should America do about Syria and ISIS? | Weve heard conflicting ideas from President Trump and some of his top advisers about what should happen. The president said in a video posted on Twitter Dec. 19 titled After historic victories against ISIS, its time to bring our great young people home! that the ISIS terrorist group has been defeated. Our boys, our young women, our men, theyre all coming back and theyre coming back now, he said. Democrats and Republicans in Congress criticized the withdrawal as premature, warning that with U.S. troops gone, ISIS terrorists could regroup and gain strength to become a more powerful force in Syria. FOX NEWS POLL: MOST VOTERS SAY ISIS NOT DEFEATED IN SYRIA Defense Secretary James Mattis and Brett McGurk the U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting ISIS resigned after the presidents withdrawal announcement. The New York Times reported that it had obtained an email McGurk wrote to colleagues stating that the recent decision by the president came as a shock and was a complete reversal of policy articulated to us and left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered. National Security Adviser John Bolton then told reporters in Israel on Jan. 6 that U.S. troops wont leave Syria until ISIS is defeated and Kurdish troops allied with the U.S. are protected from attacks by Turkey. He said there was no timetable for the withdrawal. President Trump then said that we wont be finally pulled out until ISIS is gone and that we are pulling back in Syria. Were going to be removing our troops. I never said were doing it that quickly: Now that President Trump has signed a bill to temporarily reopen the government, perhaps we should expect some bipartisan consensus not only on immigration reform and border security but on countering ISIS in Syria and Iraq. ISIS is unquestionably far weaker than it once was and controls far less territory. But it has not disappeared or ceased operations. Tragically, on Jan. 16 ISIS terrorists in Syria killed two U.S. service members and two U.S. civilians in a suicide attack in Manbij. We are honoring and mourning our fallen heroes as we have so many times since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Now is a propitious time to debate the efficacy of forward-deploying U.S. military in the Middle East. In a speech to the American University in Cairo earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined three pillars of the Trump Doctrine for the Middle East: countering Iran and radical Islamic extremism; demanding more from regional partners; and reducing the U.S. military footprint. Syria is where the administrations policy will be judged. The U.S. troops in Syria have been enormously effective. They have trained and equipped the Syrian Democratic Forces, which have taken the fight to ISIS and decimated its ranks. U.S. troops also deterred Turkey from attacking the Syrian Democratic Forces, the bulk of whom are Kurds. Turkey considers the group an offshoot of a Kurdish group that has been outlawed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Defense is reportedly planning an offensive against the Kurdish forces in Syria. That would cause tactical fratricide among our allies and create breathing space for ISIS to turn into an insurgency and potentially reconstitute itself. At its zenith, ISIS subjugated roughly 7 million people and controlled oilfields, smuggling routes, arms and military hardware in Syria and Iraq. The group attracted significant numbers of foreign extremists to live and fight in its caliphate. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who sent the first ISIS terrorist attackers to Europe in 2014, has not yet been captured. But with the loss of almost all the territory it controlled, ISIS propaganda has decreased considerably as has the flow of foreign jihadists into Syria and Iraq. Our Middle East intelligence and policy experts will be on the hook to assess whether ISISs ability to recruit followers will be significantly eroded with the loss of its geographic space even if ISIS is transformed into a virtual caliphate. American forces will also need to plan for targeting the remaining estimated 20,000 to 30,000 ISIS fighters in the Iraq-Syria battlespace. Emphasizing that when the U.S. retreats, chaos follows, Pompeo used his Cairo speech to highlight lessons learned from the Obama administrations precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. That withdrawal helped create the conditions for the massive growth and spread of ISIS in the region. After removing U.S. combat troops from Iraq in 2011, President Obama was forced to send them back in 2014 to fight ISIS. The U.S. currently has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, where ISIS stages occasional attacks. President Trump said in December he has no plans to reduce U.S. troop strength there. Iranian proxies in Iraq are trying to induce the withdrawal of U.S. troops from that nation to strengthen Irans effort to secure pre-eminent influence in Iraq. In his Cairo speech, Pompeo declared the U.S. would be a faithful ally, but one that would ask our regional partners to take primary responsibility for their own security. The U.S. is protected by two great oceans and enjoys good relations with our neighbors to the south and north. Over the years, many Americans have strongly desired to avoid becoming entangled in world affairs especially where U.S. troops could be called into battle. But the world is more interconnected today, including through cyberspace, than at any time in history. Our enemies can reach us in spite of our geographic separation from other parts of the world provided by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. U.S. efforts at nation-building in other countries have been extraordinarily costly to us both in the billions of dollars we have spent and more importantly in lost American lives. Still, despite all the sacrifices of Americans and deaths of members of the U.S. military and civilians, we have been unable to prevent the growth of disaffected people in failed states who are vulnerable to extremists exploitation. Al Qaeda is still a threat. Its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is still committed to his declaration of jihad against the U.S. Even if the local authorities are unable to eliminate the underlying causes of terrorism we must be careful about outsourcing our national security. The late Charles Krauthammer articulated a strategy of forward defense where we confront our enemies over there rather than allow them to plan and execute attacks on our homeland from ungoverned space in failed states. Krauthammer believed we should only risk spilling American blood and treasure when there was strategic necessity. There would be no need to focus on nation-building. All we needed to do was enable and leverage our partners to eliminate threats before they reach our shores. To our brave patriots serving in harms way, mission success has meant no attack on the U.S. homeland. Right now we need a bipartisan assessment of the terrorist threats to our national security that emanates from Syria and Iraq. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP With this information in hand, we can consider whether our forward deployed U.S. military and intelligence personnel should withdraw from Syria and if so, under what timetable. President Trump has consistently argued for bringing the troops out of harms way in overseas combat zones and home to their families. We just need to be sure they are not needed over there, so that ISIS terrorists do not target our citizens over here. | https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/what-should-america-do-about-syria-and-isis |
Will the Supreme Court Use a New York City Regulation to Strike Down Gun Laws? | New York City is a strange and dangerous place, if the plaintiffs in a gun-control case that the Supreme Court has just agreed to hear are to be believed. The suit, which calls the citys restrictions on transporting handguns through its streets bizarre, irrational, and perverse, was brought by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Associationthe state affiliate of the National Rifle Associationalong with two gun owners who live in the Bronx and one from Staten Island. The case is notable for reasons that go beyond its caricature of the city and its mores. To begin with, this will be the first time the Court seriously considers the Second Amendment since it adopted a radical view of gun rights in District of Columbia v. Heller, in 2008, which overturned a near-ban on handguns in Washington, D.C., and in McDonald v. the City of Chicago, in 2010, which did away with similar restrictions in that city. Those decisions were transformational, the plaintiffs argue, but the news has not yet reached New York City. It will also be the first opportunity for the Courts newest member, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to begin building what promises to be a disastrous pro-gun legacy. Heller, a 54 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia, upended the way that generations of judges had read the Second Amendment, by recognizing a fundamental, individual right to bear arms, unconnected to a well-regulated militia. McDonald then confirmed that Heller could be used to overturn state and local gun laws, as well as federal legislation. Still, both decisions leave room for some basic, long-standing restrictions on guns, such as those that prevent violent felons from buying them. Kavanaugh, though, in the wake of Heller, appears ready to toss out as many restrictions as he can. As an appeals-court judge, he wrote, in a 2011 dissent, that the District of Columbia should not be allowed to ban semi-automatic assault rifles, largely because they were in common use. He added that asking people to register their guns is unconstitutional. The New York case has certain elements in common with Heller: it is a challenge to a municipal regulation which has the potential to loosen laws around the country. The very strictness of the regulation may have made it an appealing target. It is possible, but difficult, to get a license to carry a handgun in New York. An alternative is a premises license, which allows an owner to have a handgun in his or her home but also, under a city regulation that has been in force since 2001, requires that owner to keep it at home. With a few narrow exceptions, owners can only take their guns out of the house, unloaded and in a locked case, to go to a shooting range in the city which has certification from the N.Y.P.D. There are seven such ranges, with at least one in each of the five boroughs. The plaintiffs want to be able to take their guns to second homes or to shooting ranges out of town. They take the view that preventing them from travelling through the streets with their guns actually increases the risk to public safety, in part by forcing them to leave their weapons in their vacant New York residences, where anything could happen. One brief suggested that the city might be underestimating its burglars. (Crime rates in New York have, in fact, gone down dramatically in recent decades; the number of shootings is the lowest it has been in twenty-five years.) The plaintiffs also claim that being asked to travel without their guns is akin to being forbidden to travel at allas though a person were not constitutionally whole without a gun. To them, the restriction is as profound a violation of rights as a prohibition on leaving city limits to get an abortion. An overriding issue at stake, then, is whether the Court will decide that the right to bear arms is tantamount to a broad right to travel with them. (Justice Clarence Thomas has said, with regard to an earlier case, that he emphatically believes it is.) Gun regulations now vary widely among the states; the strictest of them may eventually be forced to conform to the loosest. A far greater risk to public safety than leaving handguns in empty apartments is the nationwide effort to sanctify the right to carry weapons, concealed or openly, in public places. A majority of states now permit open carrysome of them even in bars, stadiums, and day-care centersand some impose onerous requirements on stores, restaurants, and other businesses that seek to ban guns from their premises. Rates of gun deaths vary, too; they are about six times higher in Alaska and Louisianastates with very lax gun lawsthan they are in New York. Kavanaugh, for his part, has written that public safety should not be a determining factoronly text, history, and tradition really matter. With that view, he exceeds what had, until recently, been the gun lobbys wildest hopes. Meanwhile, the movement to pass stricter gun laws has been gathering strength. A recent Gallup poll found that more than sixty per cent of Americans are in favor of them. There is a growing revulsion at a state of affairs that has made lockdown drills a rite of passage for kindergartnersnot least from schoolchildren themselves, who, as the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, have shown, can be powerful advocates for saner laws. Candidates who support gun control won significant victories in the midterm elections, some of themsuch as Representatives Lucy McBath, of Georgia, and Jason Crow, of Coloradoin red and purple states. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, forty members of Congress who had been regarded as N.R.A. stalwarts lost their seats. That political will is set to collide with the ideological priorities of the Courts conservatives. The larger conflict will play out in the 2020 campaign, as voters decide whether Donald Trump will get to appoint even more judges who share an expansive view of gun rights. In 2011, Kavanaugh wrote that, after Heller, D.C. seemed not to heed the Supreme Courts message. The echo of that language in the plaintiffs portrayal of New York is probably not accidental; gun-rights advocates have been waiting for Kavanaugh, or someone like him. Their brief was submitted on the day his confirmation hearings began. | https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/04/will-the-supreme-court-use-a-new-york-city-regulation-to-strike-down-gun-laws |
Will the 35-day shutdown lead to privatizing government functions? | For one ideological constituency, the government shutdown may hold the seeds to privatizing functions such as air traffic control and airport security The US government is open again. For now. For many liberals, it will read as the spoils of Nancy Pelosis finest hour and proof of her superior bargaining acumen. For disappointed conservatives pundits, evidence that Trump is a proper wimp in his act of capitulation. End of shutdown: workers left with debts, bad credit and shattered trust Read more Beyond the beltway politicking, for about 800,000 federal workers who were either furloughed or working without pay it means the return of their currently absent paychecks and at least temporary relief to a stark financial hardship. But for one ideological constituency, the 35-day partial government shutdown the longest in US history may hold the seeds to a much bigger and longer-term picture: a radical contraction of the US federal government by privatizing government functions such as air traffic control and airport security. The Democrats have basically just started a new conversation on the political right about how to privatize the heck out of all of that, said Raheem Kassam, a fellow at the Claremont Institute, a conservative thinktank. Sign up for the US morning briefing The final day of the shutdown featured profound air traffic delays at three major east coast airports due to a lack of air traffic controllers on duty. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, staffing levels reached a 30-year low as controllers, who were being asked to work without pay, called in sick or otherwise did not show for work. And while many focused on which political party would take the blame for the travel debacle, and the prospect of decreased safety in air travel, some are saying it is a good time to re-examine the entire system. Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, noted that, largely due to the threat of shutdowns, the air traffic controllers own union has come down in favor of privatization as Canada did with its controllers in 1996 and as is the case in most of Europe. They pointed to the fact that there are these budget disruptions that are damaging to them and their profession, and that air traffic control technology upgrading has become imperiled by this dysfunction, Edwards said. Staffing shortages with the Transportation Security Administration, another federally staffed agency, also hamstrung air travelers with long security checkpoint wait times in some airports, including Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson. Many nations including Canada and most of Europe have privatized these functions as well. Most government services affected by the shutdown from tax collection to food inspection, air monitoring and even the federal court system couldnt be decoupled from government administration as easily as air traffic or security. Still, what these small government proponents want is to use the shutdown as a point to stop and reconsider which services belong where. The real conclusion to draw from this is: which of these are truly inherent, governmental functions, and which of these could we take out of the hands of what is ultimately a hyper-partisan process now, said Romina Boccia, a federal budget expert at the Heritage Center. These views on the excessive scope of federal government are hardly new in the libertarian wing of American conservatism, and have rarely gained enough traction from Republican lawmakers to drive any significant scale-back. Behind the scenes in the White House, theres a current of opinion some key, right-leaning hardliners in Trumps shrinking inner circle, especially adviser Stephen Miller and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, were egging the president on over the shutdown because theyre small government zealots. Boccia and Edwards both said they hoped the fallout from the shutdown might move the notion into the mainstream political conversation, but shared the concern that more likely, Americans would focus on the political theater of who won and who lost than on structural questions like these. I dont know the answer, said Edwards. I do know that there are going to be more of these disruptions in the future. Food banks helped keep federal workers fed through the shutdown Read more Both faulted the Republicans, and especially the far-right Freedom Caucus, for failing to raise any of these questions during the shutdown debate. The Freedom Caucus, an outgrowth of the 2010 Tea Party movement, had been a loud voice for shrinking government size and spending under Barack Obamas presidency, but has been less outspoken in the Trump era. The fiscal hawks basically flew away the moment President Trump was elected, said Boccia. It makes you question if the Republicans were ever fiscal conservatives to begin with, or if it wasnt just the position they took during the Obama administration when they couldnt have much impact besides being in opposition to what the Democrats were doing. Edwards hopes that some of the quirkier facts of the shutdown will also get people to reconsider some of the regulatory roles the government performs and was forced to abdicate for the past month. He pointed to the fact that a regulation which requires federal government approval on all beer labels left microbrewers unable to tag and sell their small batch offerings. Theres regulatory things that the government does that its micromanagement - and its not really necessary, Edwards said. | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/27/shutdown-government-functions-will-they-be-privatized |
Could We Be On The Verge Of A Packaging Revolution That Could Help Reduce Plastic Waste? | Whats more, much of that waste consists simply of packaging of various kinds of products, typically materials such as plastic, plasticized cardboard or others that we tend to tend not to recycle. The average American generates two kilos of garbage a day, and estimates suggests that around 30% of it comes from packaging. A good part of it, which is not usually separated as paper, cardboard, glass or organic, is not covered by recycling legislation and ends up in landfills. Historically, most packaging has been designed to optimize its logistics, stacking or boxing or simply to make it attractive.. In some industries, such as cosmetics or soft drinks and bottled water, manufacturers are obsessed with making their products stand out from the competition, and theres even a name for it, packaging addiction. Big supermarkets and online retailers are also responsible for excessive use of plastics in their logistics, most of which are non-recyclable. In recent years, a growing number of brands have launched initiatives to reduce their use of plastics. Some reuse plastic from the ocean, others sell through channels that reduce packaging to the absolute minimum; some, like Amazon, work with brands to package their products in a way that try to balance sustainability with the needs of logistics, while others have redesigned their products for recyclable containers, such as toothpaste in pill form. Now, a group of leading brands such as Procter & Gamble, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever have launched a platform, Loop, to offer consumers, initially in the United States and France, their products for home delivery in reusable packaging, which is stored in a personal reuse bin instead of the trash can. These will then be picked up for delivery back to a cleaning and sterilization facility and can be reused up to a hundred times. Whats also interesting about Loop is that it optimizes logistics, because over the course of the day, couriers are collecting reusable packaging at the same time as they are delivering goods, optimizing the routes to and from the warehouse. Similarly, the initiative encourages brands to redesign their packaging to make it more attractive or more functional (such as ice cream containers that keep the product cold longer, for example), while promoting a subscription model in which people repeat orders, which may increase consumer loyalty. The price of products would be similar to those packaged conventionally, with a deposit for the first container that is refunded when it is returned, as used to happen with bottles many years ago. Loop is a tremendously interesting initiative with major potential. Now that more and more people are prepared to take part in such schemes on environmental grounds, other brands will hopefully join in, seeing that such an approach makes commercial sense. The success of ideas like Loop lies in convincing consumers that taking a small amount of trouble can make a big impact on protecting the environment and that doing so is not so much an alternative to what we normally do, but is in fact the only viable way forward. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2019/01/27/could-we-be-on-the-verge-of-a-packaging-revolution-that-could-help-reduce-plastic-waste/ |
Did Chinas Wealthy Elite Secretly Move Capital Offshore via Hong Kongs Gemstones? | Theres attention being drawn to an anomaly in Chinas trade data. Compared to imports of precious gemstones from Hong Kong, it could point to Chinas wealthy overpaying for said imports. A method of moving capital out of the country that bypasses Chinas capital controls. The first trigger is an increase in Chinas capital outflow at the end of 2018. It correlates with both a devaluation of the Chinese yuan and an increase in the value of imports from Hong Kong. As noted by ZeroHedge and reported by the Financial Times, citing RBS strategist Elsa Lignos, there has been a recent rise in imports to China of precious stones from Hong Kong. That rise constitutes 53% of Chinas total imports from Hong Kong. A figure that was just 2.9% in February 2018. Read the full story on CCN.com. | https://news.yahoo.com/did-china-wealthy-elite-secretly-130207937.html |
Should there be limits on presidential powers? | President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with lawyers and legal scholars who hold maximalist views on presidential power. William Barr, Trump's nominee to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, continues that trend, believing the president cannot be indicted for any crimes and has almost unlimited decision-making and legal authority. Other scholars claim Barr's definition is far too expansive and could facilitate a dictatorship. PERSPECTIVES In June 2018, Barr sent an unsolicited memo to the Trump legal team, arguing special counsel Robert Mueller should not be allowed to investigate the president for criminal obstruction of justice. The New York Times explains this view comes from Barr's longstanding beliefs about presidential power. Mr. Barr's argument derived from his broad view of executive power: The Constitution, he claimed, does not permit Congress to make it a crime for the president to exercise his executive powers corruptly -- even if he were to fire a subordinate, pardon someone or use what Mr. Barr termed his "complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding" to cover up crimes by himself or his associates. Barr has held these beliefs for decades. When Barr took the position as head of the Office of Legal Counsel during George H.W. Bush's administration, he distributed an unsolicited memo to executive branch lawyers, warning them to be on alert for any attempt by Congress to limit the president's authority. It is important that all of us be familiar with each of these forms of encroachment on the executive's constitutional authority. Only by consistently and forcefully resisting such congressional incursions can executive branch prerogatives be preserved. Barr believes it is the responsibility of the Justice Department to protect and maintain the president's authority. MORE: Barr's Ahistorical View of the Constitution Would Give Trump All the Power Trump's legal team have been advising him based on this definition of presidential powers, according to the New York Times. They say any of his actions which could be considered obstruction, are actually legal when taken by the chief executive. He has unfettered authority to fire the F.B.I. director, which he did last year; to order a federal investigation opened or closed; and to pardon anyone, including felons or criminal suspects, his longtime personal lawyer Marc E. Kasowitz said in a confidential memo last June. "The president cannot obstruct himself or subordinates acting on his behalf by simply exercising these inherent constitutional powers," he wrote. Constitutional scholars and historians warn though that an all-powerful chief executive was one of the founding fathers' greatest fears. The Washington Post reports: A president who might act unilaterally was one of the chief fears expressed in the original debates about the Constitution. Writing in what became known as the Anti-Federalist Papers in 1787, the pseudonymous Cato warned against the presidency becoming "a Caesar, Caligula, Nero, and Domitian in America." The system of checks and balances -- giving Congress the authority to make laws and decide how money is spent, and giving the Supreme Court the last word on what laws comport with the Constitution -- was supposed to rein in the president. Scholars also disagree on whether a president can pardon himself. According to the New York Times, as there have been no previous examples of a president acting in such a way, there is little precedent on which to base this information. This is not clear. The only limitation explicitly stated in the Constitution is a ban on using a pardon to stop an impeachment proceeding in Congress, and the only obvious implicit limitation is that he cannot pardon offenses under state law. But some legal scholars think a president cannot pardon himself, either, because it would be a conflict of interest. ...There is no definitive answer because no president has ever tried to pardon himself and then been prosecuted, which would give courts a chance to weigh in. If Mr. Trump did purport to pardon himself, and was later indicted anyway, it could create an opportunity for the Supreme Court to resolve the question. While most legal scholars believe a sitting president can't be indicted for crimes, some note a president's actions while in office can be held against him after he leaves the White House. Per the New York Times: If a president sold pardons for cash, though, that would violate the federal bribery statute. And if a president can be prosecuted for exchanging pardons for bribes, then it follows that the broad and unreviewable nature of the pardon power does not shield the president from criminal liability for abusing it. ...Yet federal obstruction statutes say that a person commits a crime when he "corruptly" impedes a court or agency proceeding. If it could be shown that President Trump pardoned his family members and close aides to cover up possible crimes, then that could be seen as acting "corruptly" and he could be charged with obstruction of justice. If, as some commentators believe, a sitting president cannot be indicted, Mr. Trump could still face prosecution after he leaves the White House. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/01/should_there_be_limits_on_pres.html |
Does illegal immigration cost the U.S. more than $200 billion a year, as Trump claims? | CLOSE President Donald Trump said on Twitter that illegal immigration costs the United States at least $200 billion. William Flannigan and Annalee Monroe, Arizona Republic MEDIA: Web WHO SAID IT: President Donald Trump PARTY: Republican THE COMMENTS: 1. "Could somebody please explain to the Democrats (we need their votes) that our Country losses (sic) 250 Billion Dollars a year on illegal immigration, not including the terrible drug flow. Top Border Security, including a Wall is $25 Billion. Pays for itself in two months. Get it done!" 2. "Illegal immigration costs the United States more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. How was this allowed to happen?" OUR FINDING: No Stars, False. ANALYSIS: President Donald Trump has used several estimates about the cost of illegal immigration in the past few months as he seeks to garner support from Congress to build a wall on the southern border. The government shutdown centers around the issue. Throughout December, he made multiple claims on social media and to reporters about the cost of illegal immigration, ranging from $200 billion to $275 billion. In addition to the tweets made on Dec. 4 and Dec. 18, he said at a cabinet meeting on Dec. 19, "It's so insignificant compared to what we're talking about. You know, I've heard numbers as high as $275 billion we lose on illegal immigration." He repeated the number on Dec. 20 at a signing ceremony. "Illegal immigration costs our nation $275 billion a year. You hear many different numbers. You can say, 'billions and billions,' but the number that I hear most accurate is $275 billion a year at least." No backing for the numbers Neither Trump nor the White House has cited a source for the data about illegal immigration costs. His numbers are more than twice as high as the closest published estimate, which was made by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a conservative research organization that advocates for less immigration, both legal and illegal. The group's report, published in 2017, estimated the cost was $135 billion a year. In June, AZ Fact Check found significant limitations to the FAIR report in an examination of a separate claim on the cost of illegal immigration. Immigration researchers have also criticized the study's methodology. A critique by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, called the study "fatally flawed." Nonetheless, the report did not necessarily serve as Trump's source for the figures. Even FAIR appeared to be unaware of the research behind the $200 billion-plus costs. "I'm not sure where the president got his numbers," Dave Ray, communications director of FAIR, told the Associated Press. Immigration analysts scratch heads Other right-leaning research organizations also have not made estimates as high as those cited by Trump. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization, released a report in 2013 about the costs of illegal immigration. The study found there were 3.7 million undocumented households and the costs were an estimated $54.5 billion per year five times less than Trump's estimate. And the critique by the Cato Institute in 2017 gave an even lower number, with costs estimated at between $3.3 billion to $15.6 billion annually. A range of immigration experts have said Trump's costs are exaggerated. NBC News asked a myriad of analysts about his numbers. "The $200 billion figure does seems inflated to me," said Randy Capps, director for research for U.S programs at the independent think tank Migration Policy Institute told NBC News. "It sounds extraordinarily high to me," Meg Wiehe, deputy director at the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy told NBC. Some say the costs are difficult to extrapolate. Overall data on the undocumented population in the U.S. is limited, according to researchers. "It's really hard to calculate anyone's 'net cost' or 'net benefit," David Dyssegaard Kallick, the deputy director of the economic think tank Fiscal Policy Institute also told NBC. "We all use all kinds of services, from roads to military protection. How do we apportion what part of that is something I or you or an immigrant use?" When asked about the $200-billion plus cost Trump used however, Kallick said the figure was, "Frankly absurd." BOTTOM LINE: The Trump administration has not provided any sources for the claim of a $200-plus billion cost for illegal immigration. No public report supports the figure and existing studies even those with questionable methodology show costs are significantly lower. Not nearly as much as Trump claims," NBC News, Dec. 2018; "The Fiscal Cost of Unlawful Immigrants and Amnesty to the U.S. Taxpayer," The Heritage Foundation, May 2013; "The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers," Federation for American Immigration Reform, Sept. 2017; "FAIR's 'Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration' Study Is Fatally Flawed," CATO Institute, Sept. 2017. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/27/donald-trump-how-much-does-illegal-immigration-cost-united-states/2540512002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/27/donald-trump-how-much-does-illegal-immigration-cost-united-states/2540512002/ |
Is First Solar a Buy? | It was an ugly year for solar stocks in 2018. The Ardour Solar Energy Index, which tracks a dozen of the biggest global solar companies, fell almost 44% on the year, while the Invesco Solar ETF, a fund that owns a more diversified collection of solar companies, fell 26% last year, and lost more than 31% of its value from the peak in early summer. No segment of the solar industry was harder hit than solar cell and module makers. Of the half-dozen biggest "pure-play" solar cell and panel makers, five saw their stock prices fall more than 45% from their 2018 peaks, including First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), with a 45.5% drop from the peak in May, making it one of the better -- or maybe least worst -- performing solar panel stocks last year. Arial view of solar panel farm. More Image source: Getty Images. The short answer is yes, I think it is. But the slightly longer answer depends on how long you're willing to buy and hold your shares. If 2018 should have taught us anything about investing in solar panel makers, it's that things we can't reliably predict can change the short-term picture very quickly. Here's what happened for First Solar in 2018 What a crazy year we just ended. At the start of 2018, First Solar's stock has just rode a huge 110% gain in 2017 on the back of an incredibly successful year as customers lined up to order massive quantities of panels ahead of 2018's tariffs. And while its thin-film panels were excluded from the tariffs placed on silicon panels, this led to many investors baking in incredibly high expectations for the company's prospects for 2018 without considering the potential ramifications of 2017's orders taking a big bite out of order demand for 2018. Furthermore, almost nobody expected China to drop another massive hammer on the solar industry following the implementation of U.S. tariffs. But that's exactly what happened in June, when the country cut domestic incentives for both distributed (rooftop) solar and for utility-scale. | https://news.yahoo.com/first-solar-buy-140200006.html |
Who Is Roger Stone? | MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now we're going to take a few minutes to talk about Roger Stone. Now, you might have heard the name because he's had a long career in and around politics. And many, including possibly even himself, might argue he's spent his career on the dirtiest side of politics. To tell us more about him, we decided to call someone who has spent quite a bit of time learning about him. Morgan Pehme is a journalist and one of the directors of the Netflix documentary, "Get Me Roger Stone." And he's with us now from our bureau in New York. Morgan Pehme, thanks so much for joining us. MORGAN PEHME: Thank you, Michel. MARTIN: So he came to notoriety early. As early as the 1970s, he was on Nixon's Committee to re-elect the president. He became the youngest person to testify to the Watergate grand jury. And later, he became associated with lobbying for some of the world's most notorious dictators. PEHME: Well, Roger is a practitioner of the dark arts of politics. If you want something done that is unscrupulous or unseemly, Roger is your man. And he is enormously adept at being a dirty trickster, and he has successfully pulled off dirty tricks for a number of people who have wound up in the White House. MARTIN: So let me play a clip from the documentary where journalists, the people working on the film, asked him how he feels about being called a dirty trickster. Let's listen. (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "GET ME ROGER STONE") PEHME: Well, I'm stuck with it now. It's going to be in the first paragraph of my New York Times obit, so I might as well go with the flow. The only thing I can think of worse than being talked about is not being talked about. MARTIN: So he is a dirty trickster. PEHME: Yes, he is - and proud of it. Roger is only too happy to play the villain and to bask in the glory of his malevolence. And he seems to turn up again and again at every low light in American history throughout the time of his life. MARTIN: Well, as we know from the clip, he does like attention and seeks attention. And he's got this tattoo of Nixon's face on his back, which he's only too happy to show people. You know, he's known for his expensive clothes and things of that sort. Because whenever he gets into trouble, as he does from time to time, people say, well, he really isn't there. He wasn't that important. He didn't really do those things. PEHME: Well, he certainly is an important figure over the last several decades. He is oftentimes the person that people point the finger at when something nefarious is done in politics. Sometimes Roger is responsible for those deeds, and sometimes he's not. That being said, you know, there are a number of occasions that we detail in our film where Roger was deeply involved in history-shaping events. And certainly, in the case of Donald Trump, Roger was literally the first person to suggest to Trump to run for the presidency back in the mid-'80s. And then, meticulously, he spent the next 29 years bringing that vision to reality. And Roger was there every step of the way. And every 4 years, he would float this trial balloon of Trump running for the presidency, and he was roundly ridiculed for that. But it was Roger who ultimately got the last laugh. MARTIN: Speaking of the last laugh, you know, there are those who even now argue that journalists, mainstream journalists have not taken Donald Trump seriously enough. They saw him as kind of a buffoon and really didn't take seriously not just his potential impact but also the malevolence that he often brings to public discourse. PEHME: Well, Roger is such a colorful character as a bodybuilding, pot-smoking dandy swinger that it's easy to get lost in that veneer. But that veneer is a distraction from the real powerful and highly negative effect, in my opinion, that he's had on our politics. And I do think that Roger has been underestimated and misunderstood over the years, and that has been to the detriment of his opponents. And Roger has a profound understanding of the dark heart of the American public and how to speak to us in a way that will manipulate and move us to be in service of his agenda. And it was that insight that he lent to the Trump campaign. For instance, Roger and one of his campaign associates, Sam Nunberg, by most accounts seemed to have been the founders of this idea to build the wall - that it was a great campaign rhetorical tool for Trump to use. And it meshed with the idea of Trump being a builder. And apparently, Trump was at first reluctant to embrace that idea. He thought it sounded kind of stupid. But then when he floated it in a campaign rally, it was immediately embraced. So, you know, Roger understands that hate is a more powerful motivator than love. And he has used that approach to great effect. MARTIN: That's Morgan Pehme. He co-director the Netflix documentary "Get Me Roger Stone." Morgan Pehme, thanks so much for joining us. PEHME: Thank you, Michel. Copyright 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. | https://www.npr.org/2019/01/26/689063642/who-is-roger-stone?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=allthingsconsidered |
Who Is Venezuela's Juan Guaid? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images In less than a month, Juan Guaid has risen from obscure, junior lawmaker to self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela and the most serious threat yet to the authoritarian government of Nicols Maduro. Guaid, who defied Maduro by taking the oath of office on Wednesday, claims to lead a transitional government that will call free elections and return Venezuela to democracy. The 35-year-old was immediately recognized as Venezuela's legitimate leader by the United States, Canada and most Latin American nations and received widespread support from European countries. In a speech Friday to cheering supporters at an outdoor plaza in Caracas, Guaid proclaimed: "We have awakened from the nightmare, brothers and sisters." Maduro, who has led Venezuela into food shortages, hyperinflation and political repression during six years in office, is refusing to budge. His ruling Socialist party controls nearly all government institutions. On Thursday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lpez declared that the nation's powerful armed forces widely considered to be propping up the government recognize Maduro as Venezuela's true president. But at least for now, Guaid is breathing new life into an opposition movement that had been deeply demoralized by internal power struggles and government repression. "Thirty days ago, the opposition was demobilized and fractured with no leadership," said Michael Penfold, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. "But that's not the case anymore. Guaid represents a sparkle of hope." "I think Guaid is delivering exactly what the opposition wanted at this point, which is a bold, risk-taking response," said Javier Corrales, a Venezuela expert and professor of political science at Amherst College. A youthful-looking industrial engineer, Guaid, got his start in politics by organizing student protests against the late Hugo Chvez, who ushered in Venezuela's socialist revolution two decades ago. In 2013, Chvez died of cancer and was succeeded by Maduro. As a member of the Popular Will party, Guaid in 2015 won a seat to the National Assembly Venezuela's legislature amid an opposition sweep of congressional elections. But that momentum quickly stalled. Anti-government demonstrations were crushed by security forces while an effort to remove Maduro through a recall election was vetoed by the government. The opposition's most charismatic leaders were arrested, forced into exile or stripped of their right to run for public office. Last year, Maduro won another six-year term in a presidential election widely considered a sham by international observers. Still, the opposition was determined to challenge Maduro's grip on power. It hatched an audacious plan to coincide with the start this month of what many view as Maduro's illegitimate second term. Guaid became its leader. Partly because more prominent politicians have been sidelined, the National Assembly in early January named Guaid as its president. Venezuela's constitution states that the head of the National Assembly takes over should the presidency become vacant, as the opposition claims it has under Maduro. After consulting with U.S. and Latin American officials, according to the Associated Press, the opposition organized nationwide street marches on Wednesday and held a make-shift outdoor ceremony where Guaid took the oath of office and launched his parallel government. In what amounted to his inaugural speech, Guaid called on military officers to withdraw their support from Maduro. "It has to be the Venezuelan people, the armed forces, and the international community that allow us to assume power, which we will not let slip away," Guaid told cheering supporters in what amounted to his inaugural address. At least one high-ranking military official, Col. Jos Luis Silva, who serves as military attach at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, has heeded Guaid's call. "As the Venezuelan defense attach in the United States, I do not recognize Mr. Nicols Maduro as president of Venezuela," Silva said in an interview Saturday with el Nuevo Herald. Guaid lacks any control over government ministries but he is more than just a figurehead. Analysts say that swelling international support for him, coupled with Maduro's diplomatic isolation, strengthens Guaid's claim to the presidency. Frank Mora, who heads the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University, said Guaid's swearing-in ceremony could become a watershed moment, similar to the 2010 episode in Tunisia when an angry fruit vender set himself on fire and helped ignite the Arab Spring. Alternative leadership in Caracas has also opened the door for the Trump administration to squeeze the vital flow of petrodollars to the Maduro government which counts on oil for 95 percent of its export earnings. One option would be to send the proceeds from purchases of Venezuelan oil to foreign accounts that could be set up and controlled by Guaid's governing team, said Francisco Rodrguez, a former economic advisor to Venezuela's National Assembly. He said that diverting oil funds to Guaid would have a "huge impact" on the Venezuelan economy and put more pressure on Maduro to leave office. "The pieces are starting to fit together for a peaceful transition in Venezuela," said Benjamin Scharifker, a leading Venezuelan intellectual and an opposition activist. But Guaid also faces new risks. Earlier this month, he was briefly detained by security forces and fears are growing that he could be arrested. At Friday's rally, Guaid acknowledged that possibility but told supporters that if he were ever kidnapped, they should press ahead with nonviolent protests. | https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688707295/who-is-venezuelas-juan-guaid?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news |
Where Will Verizon Communications Be in 5 Years? | The last five years have been eventful for Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ). The company acquired the 45% of Verizon Wireless that it didn't own from Vodafone, and bought tech companies AOL and Yahoo. It's also tried to become more of a tech and media company than just a telecommunications giant, although it's had limited success outside of its core wireless business. The next five years will be similarly transformative for Verizon, but this time it'll focus on its core business. And faster wireless connections from 5G technology could make this stock a great long-term buy for investors. Illustration of a 5G connected city. More Image source: Getty Images. Verizon will be 5G The mobile telecommunications industry has been promising speedy 5G connections for years, and we're finally starting to see them in the field. Verizon is offering 5G connections -- 5G Home -- in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Houston, and Indianapolis, with more cities set to launch in 2019. Getting fiber-type speed with a mobile device will be incredible for advancing mobile devices to another level of performance. And it'll also allow for new technologies such as self-driving vehicles and virtual reality. The rollout of 5G will be slow, and for the next few years, 4G LTE networks will likely remain the standard for most users. But five years from now, the U.S. should be blanketed with 5G, likely from a leader like Verizon. So investors looking at the stock today should understand that when the company is operating at 5G speeds, that will ultimately transform Verizon's business. Entering the home 5G speeds won't just impact mobile phones; the bigger impact will be in the home. Verizon's first 5G product to launch isn't a mobile phone at all -- it's an in-home router. Thanks to 5G Home, customers will be able to cut their cable broadband connection and replace it with a wireless 5G connection. This could actually increase internet speeds to the home and allow Verizon to enter the home market in areas it's never been able to reach before. A fiber-optic service was once Verizon's path into the home, but that required billions of dollars of investment and a physical line running into each home. 5G Home will allow Verizon to serve the same physical markets as mobile phones -- or nearly the entire country -- and enter the home as well. Cable companies should be on notice. Growth markets we can't imagine As a 5G company, Verizon will play a big role in the next wave of innovations in connected devices. We know industries including self-driving vehicles, connected cities, and virtual reality are eyeing 5G as a way to improve their own technologies on the go. But there will be additional impacts that we don't know about yet. Faster connections will allow for new innovations and business performance. "Edge computing," or pushing the computing power from devices to central servers, will become more popular and allow companies to build services in the cloud and distribute them to consumers. The smartphone and 4G enabled advancements like ride sharing, mobile video services, and even online shopping like we've never seen before. We simply don't know what businesses 5G will bring about until the technology gets into innovators' hands. | https://news.yahoo.com/where-verizon-communications-5-years-151700444.html |
Will a Three-Way Split Release Value for United Technologies Shareholders? | Ever since the announcement that industrial conglomerate United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) intends to split up, investors have been wondering whether the split really would release value in the way that management is hoping. Let's reassess the question in light of the recent fourth-quarter earnings reports. Timing and cost of the separation There are two main concerns that investors have over United Technologies and the forthcoming split. The first relates to the timing and hefty separation costs and dis-synergies associated with the deal. Going back to the breakup announcement, CEO Greg Hayes had outlined his expectation for one-time breakup costs in a range of $2.5 billion to $3 billion, with $350 million to $400 million in negative synergy from the breakup. Meanwhile, the separation was seen as taking 18 to 24 months -- a long time to wait in an uncertain economic environment. Shoes in front of three arrows pointing in three different directions. More Image source: Getty Images. On the Q4 earnings call, Hayes had a positive update, informing investors that the time frame had been shortened: "Based on the work we've done over the last two months, we now see a path to achieve the separation in no more than about 18 months." This should please impatient investors. Hayes also addressed the issues of estimated costs and dis-synergies coming from the split. He hinted at structural cost-reduction actions that Carrier (heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and security products) and Otis (elevators) management were looking at in order to minimize dis-synergies, but for now, it's better to assume the $350 million-$400 million dis-synergies estimate will apply. To put these figures into context, capitalizing them would make them worth $3 billion to $4 billion -- equivalent to 3% to 4% of United Technologies' market cap. That said, United Technologies on the whole still trades at a substantive discount to its peers, so a 3%-4% "cost" to the market cap should be more than made up for if the stock gets a re-rating in line with its peers. UTX EV to EBITDA (TTM) Chart More UTX EV to EBITDA (TTM) data by YCharts. Business trajectory of the three businesses The second major concern among investors relates to the divergence in performance of the aerospace business (Pratt & Whitney, the legacy United Technologies Aerospace Systems, and the acquired Rockwell Collins) and the two commercial businesses, Carrier and Otis. | https://news.yahoo.com/three-way-split-release-value-150400065.html |
What is the next Commons Brexit debate about? | The next key vote takes place on Tuesday. The next key Brexit debate in the House of Commons is scheduled for Tuesday. We look at what MPs will be voting on and what the possible outcomes are. Early in the Brexit process, MPs insisted that they must have a meaningful vote after Theresa May finally struck a deal with the EU. It would not be enough simply to face a choice of between saying yes or no, they said; they wanted to ensure they could vote on amendments proposing an alternative. On Tuesday, as a result of the historic defeat of Mays deal in the Commons earlier this month and procedural moves masterminded by the Tories Viscount Hailsham and Dominic Grieve, MPs will get this chance. There are 19 on the order paper, including amendments to amendments, but more could be submitted. They fall into four categories: Opposition party amendments. Labour and Liberal Democrats amendments are already down, and one from the Scottish National party is coming on Monday. Amendments to prevent a no-deal Brexit. The two most important are probably Yvette Coopers, enabling the Commons to pass a bill requiring May to seek an article 50 extension if she cannot get her deal passed, and a softer, non-binding one from Caroline Spelman and Jack Dromey, rejecting no deal in principle. Indicative vote amendments. These are focused on ensuring MPs get more chances to express their views. Hilary Benn has one explicitly demanding indicative votes on Brexit options and Grieve has one saying six days in February and March should be set aside for debates on motions not chosen by the government. Anti-backstop amendments. The two main ones are from the Tories Andrew Murrison and Graham Brady, calling for the backstop to expire by December 2021 or for it to be removed from the withdrawal agreement altogether. At least three of the amendments are constitutionally innovative, because they would significantly empower parliament in relation to the executive in the weeks ahead. Mostly the government controls the business in the Commons ie what gets debated which means it decides what gets to become law. But the Cooper amendment would create time for a bill that the government would never table itself to be passed in February. And the Grieve amendment, along with a broadly similar Lib Dem one, would enable backbenchers to seize control of Commons business to debate Brexit on particular days before 29 March. No one can be sure. We do not yet know if the government is tabling its own amendment or whether it will encourage its MPs to back the Murrison/Brady anti-backstop amendments. And we do not know yet which amendments John Bercow, the Speaker, will put to the vote. He has wide discretion and he can call as many has he likes. The order matters, too, because some amendments can in effect knock out others. But he is likely to call a handful. Voting starts at 7pm and if there are, say, six votes, it will finish at about 8.30pm. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/27/what-is-the-next-commons-brexit-debate-about |
Is Science Fiction Right About Wormholes? | When it comes to interstellar travel, the biggest challenge is simply getting there. Our universe is so vast that a simple journey to the stars can take decades or centuries even at the speed of light. So science fiction often comes up with some way to shorten the journey. Hyperspace, warp drive, and such, simply to avoid the boring journey between stars. Most of these ideas simply "make it so" without worrying about the scientific details, but for those who like their science fiction a bit harder, the most popular idea is the wormhole. The idea of a wormhole first proposed by none other than Einstein himself. In 1935 he wrote a paper with Nathan Rosen about how his theory of gravity might allow you to connect two distant points in space. Their idea wasn't trying to solve the challenges of space travel, but rather trying to connect gravity to particle physics. It's a problem that vexes us to this day. But it was noted that this "Einstein-Rosen bridge" looks rather familiar. From the outside one end looks like a black hole, where things enter and don't return. The other end looks like the opposite. A kind of white hole where things seem to appear from nowhere. This led to the idea that perhaps black holes could be wormholes to distant galaxies, or even other universes. But when you start looking at the details, that idea doesn't really seem to work. While Einstein and Rosen were right that in theory you could make a wormhole, it turns out they aren't stable. In principle space and time can be warped and bent in lots of interesting ways, but it wouldn't stay that way. Make a wormhole between distant stars, and the tunnel will collapse and pinch off before you have a chance to traverse it. Some folks suggested lining the wormhole with some kind of strong matter to keep it open, but it turns out that the mass of that matter would just cause the wormhole to collapse even more quickly. In the 1970s Kip Thorne and others showed you could line a wormhole with "exotic matter" to keep it open, but that exotic matter couldn't be any kind of matter that existed. Basically, you could make a transversable wormhole if you also had magic pixie dust. So much for that idea. But hard science fiction writers are nothing if not persistent. The original wormhole ideas looked at the simplest type of black holes known as the Schwarzchild metric. These are black holes that are in a vacuum and don't rotate. Real black holes rotate. If Schwarzchild black holes can't be wormholes, perhaps rotating ones can. In 1963 Roy Kerr found a solution to general relativity for a rotating black hole. This Kerr metric, as it came to be known, has some interesting properties. For one it twists space around it, a property known as frame dragging. Any spaceship near a rotating black hole could use frame dragging to get a big burst of speed. For another, Kerr black holes have a different kind of interior than a Schwarzchild black hole. If a black hole isn't rotating, all of its matter is forced to compress into a single infinitesimal point known as a singularity. Anything that enters the black hole can't avoid falling into that singularity, so if your spaceship goes into the black hole it will be crushed. A rotating black hole also contains a singularity, but because of its rotation it forms as a ring rathter than a point. And things aren't forced to collapse into the ring singularity. It's possible for your spaceship to enter a rotating black hole and avoid being crushed by the singularity. Of course, according to standard physics you'd still be trapped forever by the black hole. Maybe there is a way to make a kind of Twisted Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Connect two rotating black holes to make a wormhole that doesn't collapse on itself without the need for pixie dust. Unfortunately the mathematics for rotating black holes is really complex. Most of the work on rotating black holes uses computer simulations. These are perfectly fine if you want to study the dynamics of real black holes, but to prove wormholes possible you need an exact solution. So far no one has found an exact wormhole solution for rotating black holes in our universe. To simplify things, a team looked at a wormhole model in what is known as AdS2. This is a simple two-dimensional space that is nothing like our real universe, but has some similar mathematical properties. They found that black holes in this space can be connected to form traversable wormholes. Not only do these wormholes stay open, they also don't collapse when energy passes through it. So at least in AdS2 wormholes are possible. It should be emphasized that this doesn't mean wormholes can exist in our universe. While there are some nice similarities between the space of our universe and AdS2, there are also important differences. Those differences might still prevent wormholes from happening. But the theoretical door is open, so perhaps science fiction was right about wormholes after all. 1: Dongsu Bak, et al. "Transparentizing Black Holes to Eternal Traversable Wormholes" arXiv preprint arXiv:1901.07679 (2019). | https://www.forbes.com/sites/briankoberlein/2019/01/27/is-science-fiction-right-about-wormholes/ |
Can Entrepreneurship Heal A Broken Heart? | In 2005, Shawn Askinosie was a high-profile criminal defense lawyer with nearly 20 successful years under his belt. He had a beautiful family, he was making good money but he knew in his heart it was time for a change. In fact, Shawn was convinced that if he didnt find another line of work, this job would be the death of him. For twenty years, I loved it, and then there came a time when I stopped loving it, says Shawn. I desperately wanted to find another passion, but the only place I was comfortable was the courtroom. I had no hobbies, so I just started trying things and developing them on my own. While maintaining his day job in law, Shawn searched for new sources of inspiration. First he got into grilling, then he became an avid baker. I was driving home from a distant relatives funeral and had a lightbulb moment, says Shawn. At the time, I had no idea where chocolate came from I didnt even know it started with a bean. But within three months, I was in the Amazon alongside cocoa farmers, studying how they harvest their beans and influence the flavor of chocolate. And so began Shawns transition from criminal defense lawyer to chocolate maker. After his trip, he and his wife, Caron, tapped into their savings and began acquiring the equipment they would need to make their own chocolate. They started in their kitchen in Springfield, Missouri, but soon enough they purchased an old building in a developing part of town and began restoring it into their future factory. All the while, he continued trying cases, unwinding from a stressful day by tinkering around with his equipment and learning to perfect what would become Askinosie Chocolate. But for Shawn, the passion wasnt coming from just the chocolate itself what really excited him was the opportunity to take a different approach to the business of chocolate-making. Not only did Shawn want to make bean-to-bar chocolate, he wanted to source and import the beans himself. He wanted to get to know the cocoa farmers and build long-term, trusting relationships. And when his future customers asked where the chocolate came from and what was in it, there would always be a simple answer. On the surface, Shawns 180-degree turn into a new career seems remarkably courageous especially since hed poured his life savings into building it from scratch. But if you ask Shawn, Askinosie Chocolate wasnt born from a grandiose act of courage. It was a matter of life or death. I loved practicing law, but I knew without a doubt it was going to kill me, says Shawn. My dad died of lung cancer when I was 14 years old, and that grief has stayed with me; maybe more than Id like to admit. Fast forward twenty-five years, and I reached a point where I had to come to terms with that pain. That meant it was time to quit law. Shawns father, who was also a lawyer, was diagnosed with lung cancer when Shawn was 12 years old. Those were the days before hospice, and his mother shouldered much of the burden of caring for his father as the sickness worsened. But there was one thing his mother couldnt bring herself to do: administer pain shots. Shawn stepped up to help and started giving his father Demerol shots at least five times a day. Over the next year and a half, the cancer continued to spread. But his father was his hero, and Shawn couldnt bring himself to believe that his father was really going to die. Finally, that day came. I was with him when he died, and it was the most desperate moment of my life, says Shawn. I remember begging to God out loud to let him live. Theres no question that who I am today was born of that sorrow in my life and that broken heart. For Shawn, Askinosie Chocolate is a way for him to express himself through business. The foundation of the company is its relationships, and hes found it to be a therapeutic endeavor. Where other businesses strive to grow big and grow fast, Shawn purposefully decelerates their growth in order to maximize their impact. While the business is profitable and has been for a long time, their goals are different: they aim to craft ethical, quality chocolate, do good in the world, and meaningfully impact the communities where they do business. Since the beginning, my intention has been to engage with cocoa farmers as business partners, says Shawn. My grandparents were farmers and I grew up spending time on their farm in Southwest Missouri. Those relationships came very naturally to me and its a way of honoring my grandparents and who they were as people. As a lawyer at his firm, Shawn had practiced open-book management for years. As he got Askinosie Chocolate off the ground, he had the idea to take it upstream a notch and share financials with suppliers, too. Since its inception in 2007, Askinosie Chocolate has practiced financial transparency and profit sharing with its employees and suppliers most of whom are cocoa farmers spanning three continents and a myriad of languages. Every year, Shawn travels to Ecuador, the Philippines, and Tanzania to visit their farmer partners and evaluate cocoa beans, build relationships, and hand-deliver their profit shares in cash. Its certainly not cheaper, easier or simpler, but we believe its the best way, says Shawn. Before each visit, we translate our finances into the farmers native language so they can see and understand our financial situation. Over time, our transparency and profit sharing has established an element of trust in the relationship. We become friends with our farmers, and thats a hallmark of what Askinosie Chocolate is. Askinosie Chocolate was at the forefront of the bean-to-bar movement, and it has since established itself as the conscience of the industry and an example for purpose-driven businesses of all stripes. In 2017, Askinosie Chocolate was named one of Forbes Small Giants: Best Small Companies in America. With 17 employees and $2 million revenue, Shawn actively resists growth and implores business leaders to find other ways to measure impact. In his second career, hes come to believe that we need to have other metrics besides top line growth or scaling revenue to measure the success and health of our companies. One of our key metrics is how engaged we are in the communities where the farmers live, says Shawn. For example, we learned that one of the communities struggles with malnourishment. We were able to start a school nutrition program to help feed children and monitor their health. Over eight years, our 17-person company has funded over a million meals for these kids. Our community engagement is inseparable from who we are as a company. The soul of Askinosie Chocolate is made up of more than award-winning chocolate. The business is a vehicle to develop communities in both Shawns hometown and halfway around the world. Its a way to introduce young people to small business as a force for good. And ultimately, its Shawns way of channeling the grief in his own life to make a positive impact on the world. Grief is my biggest influence and continues to weave its way into my life, says Shawn. But over the last 10 or 15 years, Ive learned to recognize that I had and have a broken heart and I dont need to fix it. Instead, I need to let that broken heart express itself in compassion and kindness. Thats what I try to do as an entrepreneur, as a business person, and as a human. To hear more of Shawns story and interviews with other purpose-driven leaders, tune in to my Growing with Purpose podcast. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulspiegelman/2019/01/27/can-entrepreneurship-heal-a-broken-heart/ |
Are Millennials Killing Harley-Davidson? | Harley-Davidson is struggling to stay afloat, and some say the culprit is millennials. Harley Davidson sales have taken a significant hit over the last four years, and the company is struggling to attract new and younger customers. A survey of 2,100 U.S. adults over the age of 21, cited in a note published by UBS research analyst Robin Farley, found a generational divide in the ways young people think about motorcycles compared to older generations, CNBC reported. Whereas older generations purchased motorcycles recreationally, or as a hobby, people between the ages of 21 and 34 would consider purchasing motorcycles for ease of transportation, the survey found. That is, younger people would be motivated to purchase a motorcycle specifically for practical reasons. We believe this significant divergence in incentives to buy a new bike could be what is partly behind Harleys and the broader heavyweight motorcycle industrys challenge to tap into a new segment of younger riders to drive growth, said Farley. So unless there is a generational shift among younger riders to see motorcycling as a hobby vs. means of transportation, the outlook for the heavyweight industry could continue to be more dependent on an aging demographic. It may not be just a generational shift in outlook thats killing the industry, however. Younger generations might have different attitudes toward purchasing motorcycles than older generations because they cant afford such a hobby. Average Harley-Davidson consumers are married men in their early 50s with a household income of $90,000 or higher, according to CNBC. On the other hand, a report by economists at the Federal Reserve found that, Millennials are less well off than members of earlier generations when they were young, with lower earnings, fewer assets, and less wealth. In an effort to attract a new generation of riders, Harley-Davidson introduced its first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, earlier this year. The bike will be available at U.S. dealerships this summer. In a statement to CNBC, the company said, Our advanced analytic capabilities allow us to deeply understand rider migration trends. In fact, our knowledge of riders informed our strategy to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally, which we launched in early 2017. | http://fortune.com/2019/01/27/millennials-harley-davidson-motorcycles/ |
Could Aurora Cannabis Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | Let's cut to the chase. Yes, Aurora Cannabis (NYSE: ACB) could be a millionaire-maker stock. Given a large enough initial investment and enough time, many stocks -- including Aurora -- could generate returns of $1 million or more. The real question, though, is whether an investor buying a reasonable stake in Aurora Cannabis has a realistic chance of becoming a millionaire from this initial investment over a period of time that's not ridiculously long. Few stocks can achieve such a feat. To pull it off would require a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of a little over 20%. Shadow of dollar sign on top of a pile of marijuana leaves More Image source: Getty Images. What it would take To become a millionaire-maker stock, Aurora Cannabis would need to grow its market cap from around $6 billion today to $600 billion. The marijuana producer would probably have to generate annual revenue in the ballpark of $125 billion to justify that kind of market cap. Assuming the company continues to focus on the cannabis industry, the answer depends on just how big the global marijuana market will be. Aurora itself says that the total global cannabis opportunity is around 200 billion in Canadian dollars, or roughly $150 billion. That's in line with what other marijuana executives state publicly as well. However, the figure only includes medical and recreational use of marijuana. There are several other markets that could be disrupted by cannabis producers, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals. Canopy Growth CEO Bruce Linton thinks all of these potential markets that could be disrupted total $500 billion in annual sales. Let's assume that Linton is right. If so, Aurora Cannabis would need to capture around 25% of the total global opportunity. That isn't a totally outlandish proposition. Aurora claimed a market share of around 30% in Ontario soon after the Canadian recreational marijuana market opened. Ontario is Canada's largest province and is a very competitive market. Why it's not likely You might have noticed a lot of "ifs" in what it would take for Aurora to be a millionaire-maker stock. Let's add another one: If any of those assumptions fall through, Aurora won't make anyone a millionaire. First of all, the $150 billion global marijuana figure that gets thrown around assumes that recreational cannabis will be legalized in the U.S. and throughout Europe. No European country has legalized recreational marijuana at this point. And while 10 U.S. states have legalized recreational pot, it remains illegal at the federal level. Maybe all of that could change in 25 years. However, there's certainly no guarantee that it will. An even higher hurdle to jump is achieving such a disruption in other markets that it would amount to $500 billion in total annual sales. Aurora Cannabis points to the potential in disrupting other markets, but the company wisely doesn't attempt to project the dollar value of the opportunity. It's also highly doubtful that Aurora Cannabis would attain a 25% global market share. Consider in Constellation Brands' decision to make a major investment in Canopy Growth, the big alcoholic beverage maker estimated that Canopy could realistically capture no more than 15% of the global market outside of Canada. I don't see Aurora topping Canopy Growth by a significant margin. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-aurora-cannabis-millionaire-maker-190000017.html |
Will Alphabet Earnings Trounce Expectations Again? | Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is slated to report its fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 results after the market closes on Monday, Feb. 4. The parent company of search-engine giant Google is going into its report with good momentum with respect to its earnings. Adjusted for one-time factors, Alphabet's earnings have significantly surpassed Wall Street's expectations in each of the three reported quarters of 2018. In the third quarter, revenue grew 21.5% and earnings per share (EPS) jumped 36.5% year over year to $13.06, easily beating the $10.40 the Street was looking for. In the second quarter, revenue increased 26% and adjusted EPS surged 32% to $11.75, trouncing the $9.59 consensus estimate. Alphabet Class A and C shares have both declined 6.8% over the one-year period through Jan. 25. The S&P 500, including dividends, is down 4.3% over this period. The stock, however, remains a solid winner over longer periods, including five years and longer. Here's what to watch when Alphabet reports. Overhead view of a person's hands holding a cell phone with Google's home page showing. Various desk-top items, such as a keyboard, shown. More Image source: Getty Images. Key quarterly numbers Here are Alphabet's year-ago results and Wall Street's estimates to use as benchmarks. Metric Q4 2017 Result Wall Street's Q4 2018 Consensus Wall Street's Projected Change (YOY) Revenue $32.32 billion $38.97 billion 20.6% Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) $9.70 $10.85 11.9% Data sources: Alphabet and Yahoo! Finance. YOY = year over year. Wall Street expects Alphabet's quarterly revenue to grow faster than its earnings on a year-over-year basis. That would indicate that profit margin is contracting. Investors should keep in mind that quarterly results can fluctuate for various reasons, so it's best to consider Alphabet's annual results. For full-year 2018, the Street is looking for EPS of $41.78 on revenue of $136.48 billion, which would translate to year-over-year growth of 30.5% and 23.1%, respectively. For context, here are last quarter's results by segment: Segment Q3 2018 Revenue Growth (YOY) Q3 2018 Operating Income Growth (YOY) Google $33.59 billion 21.5% $9.49 billion 10.6% Other Bets (formerly "Moonshots") $146 million (24.8%) ($727 million) Loss increased by 11.8% Total segment $33.74 billion 21.5% $8.76 billion 10.5% Data sources: Alphabet and Yahoo! Finance. YOY = year over year. Within Google, revenue breakdown was as follows: Google properties: a 22% increase to $24.05 billion. Google network members' properties: a 13% increase to $4.9 billion. Google "other revenue": a 29% rise to $4.64 billion Google: focus on ad growth and TAC, hardware and Cloud Those first two categories comprise Alphabet's advertising business, which accounts for the bulk of its revenue -- about 86% last quarter. The ad business, however, should slowly become a smaller percentage of the company's overall revenue over time, because Google "other revenue" -- consisting mainly of Google Cloud, hardware, and Google Play -- has been growing faster than it and because the company's autonomous-vehicle unit, Waymo, just began being monetized. Investors should focus on Google's core ad business -- and particularly on mobile ad growth and traffic acquisition costs (TAC) -- and growth in its hardware and Cloud businesses. Look for sales of Google Home, the company's smart speaker, to get a boost from holiday sales. | https://news.yahoo.com/alphabet-earnings-trounce-expectations-again-190000396.html |
Whats the story behind Drew Brees and the Red Sox cap at the Pelicans game? | Drew Brees attended a New Orleans Pelicans game Saturday (Jan. 26) while wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, which many people took to mean he had a preference for which team wins the Super Bowl next weekend. The New Orleans Saints season ended last week with an NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams that included a controversial no-call on what the Saints argued should have been pass interference. Had the penalty been called, the Saints could have been in position to attempt a potential winning field goal with little time remaining. Instead, the Rams won in overtime and will face the New England Patriots next week in Atlanta. Drew Brees given a shout-out at tonights Pelicans game. Not necessarily. The 40-year-old quarterback has long been known to be an admirer of Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams, who played his full 19-year major league career with the Red Sox. The appreciation Brees has for the Splendid Splinter runs so deep as to be part of the reason he wears No. 9. However, Brees also wore red, white and blue sneakers that have a color pattern similar to the one used by the Patriots. Those colors also arent far from those used by the Pelicans, so perhaps more is being made of this than is necessary. Brees hasnt spoken publicly since the postgame press conference after the 26-23 overtime loss to the Rams. If he makes the promotional rounds during Super Bowl week like has in past years, hell certainly be asked his feeling about the upcoming game. | https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/whats-the-story-behind-drew-brees-and-the-red-sox-cap-at-the-pelicans-game.html |
Does a strong January for share markets bode well for 2019? | While currency markets have been roiled by fears about slowing global growth, trade tensions between the United States and China, the thankfully-ended US government shutdown and ongoing Brexit woes, major share markets have sailed blithely immune. Indeed, US shares are shaping up to turn in the strongest January performance since 1989. The broad measure of US shares, the S&P 500 Index, did slip 0.22 points last week but its January performance so far is a 6.3 per cent gain. "The market is still in the midst of an exceptionally strong start to the year," says Mark Lister, the head of wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners. Advertisement "This bodes well for the rest of the year, with a positive January usually pointing to a robust calendar year performance," Lister says. "When the market is up in January, the likelihood of a positive performance for the calendar year jumps from 72 per cent to 88 per cent, based on returns data since 1950. "Mind you, this relationship has been fairly hit-and-miss during the past 10 years. For example, US shares rallied 5.6 per cent in January 2018 before the S&P 500 finished the year down 6.2 per cent, the weakest return in a decade." Our own benchmark S&P/NZX 50 Index eked out a 0.14 per cent increase last week and is now 3.4 per cent higher than it began the year. Europe's Stoxx 600 Index is up almost 6 per cent for the month so far and even Britain's FTSE 100 index has managed a 1.2 per cent increase. Lister says investors will be looking to the outlook statements of a rash of earnings reports from global brands including Microsoft, Amazon and Apple for a lead on how chief executives see 2019 shaping up. So far, so good, with 22 per cent of the S&P 500 companies reporting already, 71 per cent have beaten earnings estimates and 59 per cent have exceeded revenue forecasts. "The overall earnings growth rate for the S&P 500, compared to the same quarter a year ago, is tracking at 10.9 per cent per annum, on the back of revenue growth of 6.1 per cent," Lister says. "Of those that have reported, about a third have mentioned the shutdown during results calls, with most of these in the financial and industrial sectors." On Friday, in the 35th day of the government shutdown, President Donald Trump capitulated and agreed to re-open the government for three weeks without any of the US$5.7 billion in funding for a wall on the Mexican border that he had been demanding. Other global brands reporting this week include Boeing, Caterpillar, Exxon Mobil and Visa. Investors will also be looking to the first Federal Reserve meeting for the year on Wednesday or 8am Thursday, New Zealand time. "They seem to have done a bit of a back-track, an about-face" as far as further interest rate hikes go," Lister says. "Recent statements from Fed officials (were) seemingly at odds with where the central bank was at just a couple of months earlier." While there won't be any updated forecasts from the Fed, just a short statement, chair Jerome Powell will be giving a press conference. "The Fed is still forecasting two rate hikes this year, but has repeatedly talked about the need for patience in recent communications," Lister says. "Financial markets have responded to the latter and are now pricing only a five basis point increase in the key policy rate in 2019." The latest US employment data is due on Friday but it remains to be seen how much the numbers will have been affected by the shutdown, which saw 800,000 Federal employees either furloughed or working without pay and another 1.2 million contractors without wages. After a very strong 312,000 last month, economists are expecting a more modest 165,000 new jobs to have been created in January. The US unemployment rate is forecast to remain steady at 3.9 per cent. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12197279 |
Did Kiwi star Melanie Lynskey become a mum? | Kiwi superstar Melanie Lynskey has reportedly welcomed her first child, with longtime love Jason Ritter. While the couple have not yet announced anything officially, Us Weekly reports their bundle of joy is at least one month old. The news comes after director Neema Barnette posted a congratulatory message on social media to the happy couple. She wrote on December 18: "Congrats to Raising Dion Co Star Jason Ritter & his wife on the birth of their beautiful Sag baby girl. Babies are a blessing & so is Jason! Advertisement "What a hands down brilliant talent & exceptional human being he is! I'm blessed to have shared creative energy with you. Thank you for giving me a seamless performance." A fan of the Kiwi star also tweeted that she saw the pair with a baby at the airport. "I saw @JasonRitter and @melanielynskey at the airport and I smiled at her and I hope she took that as 'I love you, you've been in so many movies I adore and your baby is adorable,'" she wrote. Neither of the pair responded but Ritter did 'like' the tweet. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/spy/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503840&objectid=12197263 |
Has International Business Machines (IBM) Finally Bottomed Out? | Shares of IBM (NYSE: IBM) jumped 8% on Jan. 23 after the tech giant's fourth-quarter numbers beat analyst expectations. Big Blue's revenue fell 3% annually to $21.8 billion, marking a second consecutive drop but surpassing estimates by $30 million. Its non-GAAP net income fell 8% to $4.4 billion and its non-GAAP EPS declined 6% to $4.87, which still beat expectations by a nickel. On a GAAP basis, which included tax reform charges in the fourth quarters of 2017 and 2018, IBM posted a net profit of $2 billion -- compared to a loss of $1.1 billion a year ago. However, IBM's tax-related charges of $1.9 billion during the quarter were much lower than the $5.5 billion it paid last year. An IBM Multicloud Manager. More Image source: IBM. IBM expects its non-GAAP EPS to rise at least 0.7% to $13.90, compared to the consensus forecast for flat growth. That forecast includes gains from the recent sale of some of its software assets to HCL Technologies and its acquisition of Red Hat (NYSE: RHT), which should close in the second half of 2019. It also expects to generate $12 billion in free cash flow (FCF) for the full year, compared to $11.9 billion in 2018. On the surface, Big Blue's growth still looks mediocre. Yet some investors might be wondering if IBM's post-earnings rally indicates that the stock -- which hit a multiyear low last month -- is finally ready to climb higher. First, the bad news... IBM's entire turnaround hinges on the growth of its "strategic imperatives" (SI), which include its higher-growth cloud, analytics, mobile, social, and security products and services. IBM's SI revenues rose 9% to $39.8 billion over the past 12 months and accounted for half of its top line. Unfortunately, that still represented a significant slowdown from its double-digit growth in previous quarters: Metric Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 SI revenue (trailing 12 months) $37.7 billion $39.0 billion $39.5 billion $39.8 billion Year-over-year growth 12% 15% 13% 9% Data source: IBM quarterly reports. IBM's total cloud revenue rose 12% to $19.2 billion over the past 12 months, while its closely watched cloud services revenue went up 18% to $12.2 billion. Those growth rates, which also decelerated over the past year, look dismal compared to the cloud growth rates of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Amazon's AWS (Amazon Web Services), which competes against IBM's public cloud platform services, grew its revenues by 48% annually to $18.2 billion during the first nine months of 2019. Microsoft, which competes against IBM in the public, private, and hybrid cloud markets, reported that its commercial cloud revenues rose 47% annually to $8.5 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Three of IBM's core business units also generated weak growth during the fourth quarter. Its technology services and cloud platforms revenue stayed flat on a constant currency basis at $8.9 billion, reflecting the weakness of its cloud business; its systems revenue tumbled 20% to $2.6 billion, partly due to cyclically weak demand for IBM Z mainframe systems; and its global financing revenue slid 9% to $402 million. | https://news.yahoo.com/international-business-machines-ibm-finally-200700538.html |
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