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Who is Ali Bongo, president of Gabon? | Image copyright Getty Images Gabon's President Ali Bongo is a man of many faces. To some, he is a spoilt, playboy prince who sees ruling the oil-rich Gabon as his birthright; a one-time funk singer who stepped into his father's shoes to continue his family's 50-year rule. To others, he is a reformer - a man who, they would argue, was voted into power democratically by the masses. But his recent ill health has pushed tensions to the surface in this country of just more than two million people. On 7 January, a group of soldiers tried - and apparently failed - to take control. Among their stated reasons was an attempt to "restore democracy" following the 2016 election, which Mr Bongo narrowly won amid accusations of fraud and acts of violence. Gabon's outsider Ali Bongo was born Alain Bernard Bongo in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville in February 1959. But even his birth was controversial. Rumours, which he has always denied, have persisted for years that he was adopted from the Nigerian south-east at the time of the Biafran war. The young Alain Bernard was still in primary school when his father Omar Bongo took control of Gabon in 1967. Already, however, the groundwork was being laid for criticisms which would haunt him later in life. "He wasn't born in the presidential palace, but almost. He was about eight when his father became president," Franois Gaulme, a French historian and author on Gabonese politics, told the BBC. "The fact that he went to the best schools in Libreville and didn't learn local languages was something he would get criticised for later on." At the age of nine, Ali Bongo was sent to a private school in the upmarket Paris suburb of Neuilly, and later, to the Sorbonne where he studied law. This international upbringing led many in Gabon to view him as an outsider. Image copyright Sylvia Bongo Ondimba/ Instagram Image caption Ali Bongo is married to French-born Sylvia, pictured here with their four children Alain Bernard became Ali and his father Omar in 1973, after converting to Islam - the only members of their family to do so. The decision was widely seen a way to attract investment from Muslim countries. But the elder Bongo, who was previously an animist and not baptised in the Christian faith, also evoked spiritual reasons for his conversion. Funk music and freemasonry It was never all about politics for the young Ali Bongo, however. He showed an early passion for football and music - something inherited from his mother, the Gabonese singer Patience Dabany. A reputation for being a playboy during his youth was cemented with the release of his 1977 album A Brand New Man, produced by funk legend James Brown's manager, Charles Bobbit. "Let me be your darling, Your everything, 'til the end of time," Bongo crooned on the title track: Whether his love of funk has remained is unknown. In his more recent years as president, Ali Bongo is said to enjoy jazz, bossa nova and classical music. Within four years of the album release, he had turned his attention to politics. Ali Bongo served in his father's government as minister of defence, a role he held for 10 years. Before that his first appointment, as Gabon's foreign minister in 1989, ended after three years because of a constitutional change requiring ministers to be over the age of 35. He was 32 at the time. However, it seems he wasn't immediately seen as a natural successor to his father. "In the beginning, the Gabonese people didn't see [Ali Bongo] as a serious candidate," said Mr Gaulme. "But in the end, he has been more thoughtful than he seemed. The first time people saw he could be serious was when he restructured the army." Image copyright Steve Jordan/AFP/Getty Images Image caption Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi visited Gabon in 2015 when construction began on a new international football stadium Gabon's voters were still apparently unconvinced by the time of his father's death in 2009. But Ali Bongo re-emerged as a more reserved figure, attempting to dress down and travelling to campaign in the provinces. "His father was a populist but he was a privileged kid, it didn't really stick," said Mr Gaulme. In the end, Ali Bongo was elected, winning 42% of votes. "I won my place, it didn't fall in my lap," he said of his election victory. But throughout his entire time in office, President Bongo's legitimacy has been questioned by his opponents. The claims would resurface in 2016, when the main challenger in the presidential election was Jean Ping, the former African Union chairman and father to two of Mr Bongo's sister's children. Mr Ping alleged fraud in one of the president's main strongholds, Haut-Ogoou province, where Mr Bongo won 95% of the vote on a turnout of 99.9%. He won overall by the slimmest of margins - just 6,000 votes. Civil society backed up the allegations of rigging, which were denied by the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). Corruption allegations It is not the only criticism of Mr Bongo's rule from rights groups. They allege the Bongo family turned Gabon into a "kleptocratic regime", looting its natural resources, oil wealth and rainforests, while members of Gabon's political opposition have long accused family members of embezzling public money and running the country as their private property. Pictures of Real Madrid fan President Bongo driving Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi around the capital in a flashy car made headlines in 2017. A seven-year corruption investigation by French police into the Bongo family, which revealed assets including 39 properties in France and nine luxury cars, was dropped in 2017. There had been insufficient evidence of alleged "ill-gotten gains" to charge any of the family members, reported French news agency AFP. The family strongly denies all the allegations. However, according to Mr Gaulme, President Ali Bongo does "have a tendency to see himself as an heir, to think Gabon belongs to him". Journalists have also pointed to the close and personal links between Gabon's elite families as evidence of powerful networks of patronage. African news site Jeune Afrique (in French) has branded them "fiefdoms". Mr Bongo has also been criticised over his prominent role in the Freemasons - a society whose Gabonese chapter he led, as lodge master. He is one of a handful of recent and present Francophone African presidents whose Freemason membership has been out in the open - the others being Congo-Brazzaville's Denis Sassou Nguesso, Chad's Idriss Dby, and former President Franois Boziz of the Central African Republic, according to French author Vincent Hugeux. Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Ali Bongo's bitter rival Jean Ping had two children with President Bongo's sister However, his supporters point to his role in attempting to diversify Gabon's oil-dependent economy, in the face of declining oil reserves. Gabon's oil sector has accounted for 80% of exports, 45% of GDP, and 60% of fiscal revenue over the past five years, according to World Bank data. Analyst Paul Melly of the British think-tank Chatham House told The Guardian that Ali Bongo was "very sharp and he could see that the difficulty with producing raw materials was that it doesn't create many jobs. "His goal has been to move Gabon to a higher-tech, skilled economy." Alongside this, there have been new investments in mining and a "serious effort to develop a more environmentally sustainable approach to use of the rainforest", Mr Melly told the BBC. All of which, he added, is "certainly significant within the constraints imposed by Gabon's small population and a cost base that is high by African standards". President Bongo has also used his own contacts to press harder for a stronger economy, travelling the world to find new investors and partners in countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while still keeping close ties with France. It was during a visit to Saudi Arabia for an investment conference in October 2018 that he was first admitted to hospital. He eventually left for Morocco at the end of November, where he remains. Frustration over the lack of information surrounding his illness is thought to be one of the triggers behind January's attempted coup. It certainly suggests that some in Gabon - a country where a third of people live below the poverty line - would like to see change. For the moment, however, it seems power still lies with the president and his allies. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46074728 |
Will the Raptors end Toronto's difficult relationship with winning? | Its January and no NBA team has won more games than the revamped Raptors. In Toronto, its the hope that kills you. Its a sports-mad place boasting competitive teams across a multitude of codes but lots of chaos and a dearth of success. And even when the citys franchises manage to get a taste of it, the fizz is fleeting. Baseballs Blue Jays claimed back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, and then didnt reach the playoffs for 21 years. The Maple Leafs have won more Stanley Cups than all but two NHL clubs, but none in more than 50 years. As recently as 2012, they were voted the most embarrassing team to support. Toronto FC bounced from one humiliating episode to the next before their MLS Cup triumph in 2017. But following the pattern of self-destruction, the joy was short-lived and they failed to qualify for the postseason earlier this year. Canadas largest city has a difficult relationship with winning. It doesnt happen very often and on the rare occasions when it does, it doesnt really know what to do with it. And thats why there remains an unshakable spectre overhanging the Toronto Raptors this season. After a seismic summer defined by splashy transactions, the team has transitioned impressively and remains well in contention to finish at the top of the Eastern Conference for the second successive year. The Raptors are not a side accustomed to drama and conflict so, considering the offseason saw the firing of long-time coach Dwane Casey and the trade of the legendary DeMar DeRozan, thats no small feat. The recriminations and finger-pointing still linger but going by the performances so far this term, theres no scar tissue. The players seem invested in Nick Nurse, who was brought on by Casey as an assistant back in 2013 before sliding into the lead role in June. And despite the trauma of the DeRozan trade, the gamble of bringing in Kahwi Leonard as his replacement has worked a treat. Many wondered which Leonard would show up in Toronto. Hed been immense for San Antonio and was voted MVP when the Spurs beat Miami in the 2014 finals. There were back-to-back All-NBA first team appearances in 2016 and 2017, too. But things ended bitterly last season when a quad injury led to a prolonged absence and tension regarding best treatment. His relationship with Gregg Popovich broke down and he looked for a way out. But, when Toronto was first mooted as a possible destination, it was claimed that Leonard was underwhelmed, had no desire in going there and much preferred a switch to his hometown of Los Angeles. Still, with some pressure on his shoulders, hes smiled, stepped up and, most importantly, delivered in the big games. Hes poured in 30 or more points on 13 occasions, including a career-high 45-point haul against Utah on New Years Day. And when he was mercilessly booed and kept quiet on his much-vaunted return to San Antonio two days later, there was no moodiness. When he stepped to the free throw line during the second quarter and thousands of home fans screamed traitor relentlessly, there was no reaction. And when the game was done, there was a laugh, a joke and warm embrace with Popovich. Anyone expecting Leonard to kick up a fuss and spark a war in the Raptors locker-room has been left waiting. Of course, it hasnt all been about him. Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Pascal Siakam have excelled and, quite rightly, much has been made of the rosters depth. With the Eastern Conference seldom as wide open, its not outlandish to look at the Raptors as favorites to reach their first NBA finals and genuine championship contenders. However, you cant shake the past: Toronto have been here very recently. The was last seasons record-breaking campaign: 59 wins and the conferences No 1 seed entering the playoffs for the first time in club history. Then it all came crashing down when they were whitewashed by LeBron James and the Cavaliers for a second straight year. It was a humiliating end to a season that had been bursting with promise. In 2017, team president Masai Ujiri spoke of a culture reset. Alas, nothing had changed. Despite all the talk, all the hype, all of those Atlantic Division titles, there was still a valley of emptiness when it mattered most. For Ujiri, it seemed that mindset was a big problem under Casey, who had performed small miracles to transform the Raptors from persistent punchline to Eastern Conference heavyweights. Though they had clearly blossomed throughout Caseys seven years in charge, there seemed little belief within the team as they headed into high-profile matchups against LeBron. So Ujiri rolled the dice. Its the hardest thing Ive done in my life, he later told reporters of his decision to fire Casey, who was voted Coach of the Year by his peers two days earlier and whod go on to be named NBA Coach of the Year too. But, Ujiri made sure to add that it was a very difficult but necessary step. When the DeRozan trade followed in mid-summer, it was representative of the Raptors new era: ruthless, business-oriented and cold-blooded. Moving on the teams biggest star and bringing in Leonard was a bold decision. Again, certainly not what the Raptors were known for. Pushing out both Casey and DeRozan seven- and nine-year veterans of the organization, respectively was hardly coincidental. Gone was that cliche Canadian niceness. In Ujiris eyes, there was little space for emotion if the Raptors were going to push hard for a championship. But it has been tough for fans to properly park the nostalgia and embrace the new version of the side. Caseys future had been a frequent sports-bar discussion ever since the 2018 playoff series with the Cavs took a familiar turn. He contributed so much to the teams development and immersed himself in the city. Most difficult of all was that Casey, as Lowry once opined, was just a nice fucking man. Fans were also peeved by the fact that DeRozan was blindsided by the trade to San Antonio. However, not every meaningful or impactful relationship was intended to last forever. Leonard becomes a free agent at the end of the season and Ujiri would do well to persuade him to stick around. Nurse is a rookie NBA coach, plucked from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBAs developmental G League and previously a two-time coach of the year in the British Basketball League. But, crucially, his players like him. Last month, he was fined $15,000 after criticizing officials for not protecting Leonard enough during a loss in Denver. The support wasnt lost on Leonard, who spoke afterwards about Nurse having his back. And the coachs passion wasnt lost on fans either. The Raptors are dealing with some newfound anxiety this season. Given the commitment to their radical change in approach, theres an expectation and anticipation now, which hasnt always settled well with Toronto sports teams. And while the regular season has been a big success, the playoffs will offer plenty of nerves, particularly with LeBron not around to get in their heads this time. On paper, theyre in a much stronger position than last year. But considering the investment in the short term, there seems immense pressure on the team doing something special in 2019. Then again, perhaps the new-era Raptors, who are intent on looking to the future rather than the past, wont care too much. | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/11/raptors-nba-kawhi-leonard-success |
Are age-based funds protecting U.S. investors close to retirement? | CHICAGO (Reuters) - (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) One of the biggest trends in retirement saving over the past decade has been the shift to target date funds - broadly diversified mutual fund products that automatically adjust the blend of stocks and bonds as your retirement date approaches. The idea is to reduce the risk of big losses as your expected retirement age gets close. I asked Morningstar to analyze the six most popular target date funds (TDFs) dated for 2020 - the closest fit for people about to retire. In a year when the S&P 500 Index was down 4.38 percent (on a total return basis, which includes dividends), three of the top six TDFs did a bit better than the market, while the other three performed slightly worse. But all of them were down. Not at all. Rather, they reflect differing investment philosophies among the fund management companies about the blend of stocks and bonds appropriate for investors close to retirement. But the results underscore that it is critical for TDF investors to understand what these funds are meant to do - and what they are not. Its important to remember that TDFs are not a guarantee of positive return over the short-term, said Jeff Holt, director of multi-asset and alternative strategies at Morningstar. The most important part for a retirement investor is to really understand what they are getting - that they are handing over their assets to a fund manager who creates a diversified portfolio for them. TDFs have grown rapidly in recent years, and more than half of 401(k) participants use them, according to the Investment Company Institute. The typical TDF invests in domestic and international equities, large and small companies and a range of fixed-income offerings. That diversification has value for the typical retirement investor, especially as the TDF fees have fallen. Morningstar reports that the average asset-weighted expense ratio for these funds fell to 0.66 percent at the end of 2017 (the most recent year of available data), down from 0.91 percent five years earlier. But TDFs do not protect against market basics. Stocks will have good and bad years - and 2018 was bad for most asset classes. Global stocks were down 14.20 percent (Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Ex-U.S.); small-cap equities were down 10 percent (Russell 2500 TR USD) and it was a weak year for bonds, too. The only strong category was domestic large cap stocks - that aforementioned 4.38 percent drop in the S&P 500 Index actually was a relative bright spot. Market volatility poses important risks for people starting to draw down funds at the time of a big drop, especially in the first five years of retirement. Retirement researchers call this sequence of return risk. The biggest losses to lifetime retirement income hit when markets perform poorly early in retirement - the loss of all the compound earnings after that point really takes a toll. If it happens within seven years of your retirement, it can be very tough to recover, said Dirk Cotton, founder of JDC Planning. If youre outside that range, sequence of returns risk diminishes with time. CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOP SIX Among the funds Morningstar analyzed, differing investment philosophies explain the varying 2018 performance last year. Here they are, ranked from worst to best performance compared with the S&P 500 last year, with brief comments from the fund companies: JPMorgan SmartRetirement 2020 R6JP (-5.30 percent) weights its TDF more heavily than most to international developed and emerging market equities, and extended fixed income, such as high yield and emerging market debt. Fidelity Freedom 2020 K (-5.16 percent) uses a more aggressive glide path; while some funds reach their most conservative allocation on the target date, the Fidelity fund does so 19 years after the target date. T. Rowe Price Retirement 2020 (-4.82 percent) underperformed last year due to its market-cap and geographic diversification within equities. In addition to large-cap equities, the fund also invests in small- and mid-cap stocks as well as international equities, among others, a spokesman said. Small-, mid-cap, and international equities all underperformed large-cap equities during the year. Vanguard Institutional Target Retirement 2020 Fund (-4.21 percent): The Vanguard fund also has a very large fixed-income position - about 47 percent of the total portfolio, and 40 percent of its equity exposure is outside the United States. BlackRock LifePath Index 2020 K (-3.96 percent): Blackrock takes a more risk-averse approach close to the target date, with its largest allocation to high quality fixed income. Capital Groups American Funds 2020 Target Date Retirement R6 (-2.69 percent): During the quarter, the funds emphasis on dividend paying equities provided downside resilience; it also had less exposure to global stocks than its fund peers. Of course, what is up this year could be down next year. Said Cotton: The issue isnt really whether your portfolio will earn an average 8 percent a year over time, but when the bad years will occur. | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-column-miller-funds/are-age-based-funds-protecting-u-s-investors-close-to-retirement-idUSKCN1P515V?feedType=RSS&feedName=PersonalFinance&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fwealth+%28Reuters+Wealth+News%29 |
How Would Democrats and Republicans Fix Social Security? | It's probably something you never thought you'd contend with in your lifetime, but America's most important social program, Social Security, is in trouble. Social Security is 15 years away from kissing its asset reserves goodbye This past June, the Social Security Board of Trustees released its newest annual report detailing the short-term (10-year) and long-term (75-year) outlook for the program. Arguably the biggest change in the recent forecast from previous years is that Social Security was expected to expend more than it collects in 2018 for the first time since 1982. Mind you, the net cash outflow created from this event will be very small compared to the nearly $2.9 trillion currently in Social Security's asset reserves. The problem is that this net cash outflow is indicative of the payout schedule being unsustainable. A Social Security card standing up on a table, with the name and number blurred out. More Image source: Getty Images. According to the report, as ongoing demographic changes weigh on the program, it'll quickly diminish its excess cash. By the year 2034, Social Security's asset reserves are projected to be completely exhausted. Should this happen, Social Security wouldn't be bankrupt or insolvent. However, it would pave the way for an across-the-board cut in benefits of up to 21% in order to sustain payouts through the year 2092, without the need for any further cuts. Considering that more than three out of five retired workers is reliant on Social Security for at least half of their monthly income, such a cut could prove devastating. The only resolution to the estimated $13.2 trillion shortfall Social Security is facing between 2034 and 2092 is to either raise additional revenue, cut expenditures, or implement some combination of the two. And the only way that's happening is if Congress tackles the problem. The honest answer is very differently. Let's take a closer look at the core proposals from America's prevailing political parties. The Democrats' plan What you need to know about Democrats on Capitol Hill is that they overwhelmingly prefer tackling Social Security's funding shortfall from the revenue side of the equation. More specifically, Democrats have long proposed increasing or eliminating the maximum taxable earnings cap associated with the 12.4% payroll tax on earned income. Two Social Security cards lying atop a W2 tax form, highlighting payroll taxes paid. More | https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-republicans-fix-social-security-110600239.html |
When Are Taxes Due in 2019? | The 2019 tax season is bound to be an interesting one, since it's the first following the massive overhaul that came into play for 2018. And the sooner you mark this year's filing deadline on your calendar, the sooner you'll be motivated to get your paperwork in order and start working on that return. Without further ado, this year's tax filing deadline is April 15, 2019. Now this news isn't particularly surprising, since April 15 has long been the date on which taxes are due. For the past two years, however, the tax filing deadline has been pushed back several days because April 15 fell out over a weekend and the following weekday conflicted with Emancipation Day, a legal Washington, D.C. holiday. As such, there could be lingering confusion over when taxes are due this year. Now that that's out of the way, it pays to get moving on your taxes well in advance of that April 15 deadline. The sooner you do, the better a financial position you'll be in, regardless of whether you're due a refund or owe the IRS money. Pen hovering over tax form that also has a calculator resting on it More IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Don't wait till the last minute to do your taxes Many of us tend to put off our taxes because, well, dealing with them isn't exactly fun. But the more you delay that return, the more you stand to lose out. For one thing, if you're due a refund from the IRS, you'll be blocked from getting it until your return is submitted. Secondly, if it turns out you owe the IRS money, it'll help to know sooner rather than later. This way, you'll buy yourself some time to scrounge up that cash, as opposed to having to scramble at the last minute (or, worse yet, miss the April 15 deadline and start accruing interest on your unpaid balance). Now keep in mind that to do your taxes, you'll need a few key forms that might not reach you until early February. If you're a salaried employee, you'll need your W-2, and employers have until January 31 to send those out. If you're a contract worker, you'll need however many 1099 forms pertain to you, and again, the deadline for employers to submit them is January 31. Once those come in, however, there's no excuse to procrastinate. Find yourself a good tax preparer. Changes to the tax code in 2018 might make this tax season more confusing than it's been in years past, so if your return is at all complicated, it might pay to enlist the help of a professional. Tax preparers, however, are generally swamped between February and April, and seeing as how they're all navigating the new laws for the first time, you might have a harder time than ever getting the assistance you need -- so don't delay. While it might seem like you have plenty of time to file your taxes before the deadline, the truth is that it never hurts to just get them over with. So while you technically have until April 15 to submit your return, you're better off carving out some time in February or March to tackle it. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/taxes-due-2019-111800453.html |
Can Businesses Be Effective Allies On Social Issues? | Unequivocally, the answer is yes. As younger generations realise their power, as both consumers and leaders in the organisations they work, the value they place on social conscientiousness is seeing big business sit up and take notice. As a result, brands are now weighing into murky waters, where previously only social activists, equality campaigners and bold politicians dared tread. Thats why this week were seeing HSBC taken to task. The Together we Thrive campaign, rolled out nationally with tailored local messages in four U.K. cities, encourages people to consider the international threads that make up our lives. Beyond Colombian coffee and Korean made phones, it encourages us to think of the values and experiences that bind us. Also, its anti-Brexit. Cue outrage. For changemakers who have long taken on challenging social issues, brands taking a stance has the potential to gall. The increasing realisation that standing for something also realises dollar signs, and that the building of a movement is the perfect way to engender loyalty, passion and that all important word of mouth can be seen as nothing more than a cynical marketing ploy. Often, it is. Unless your brand has long held social change as part of their purpose, living and breathing it, consumers know when a stance is inauthentic. Nobody truly believed Pepsi cared about racial justice, solvable with a can of the fizzy stuff and a supermodel. Nike on the other hand, - who have long championed black athletes and the issues that impact them can bring gravitas Undoubtedly, Nike played a savvy move, though the stakes were always high. In an increasingly polarised world, platforming Colin Kaepernick and his peaceful protest against police brutality in the U.S. was only going to attract a backlash. Yet, understanding the power of black people to set cultural trends worldwide, and betting on millennial alignment, they scored, and in more ways than one. As Nikes share price rose, so too did interest in the #blacklivesmatter movement, which in the Trump era of abortion rights, illegal immigrants and ignoring climate change, was becoming overlooked. Nike move has since empowered other influential celebrities to #takeaknee, in the form of Cardi B rejecting the Super Bowl half time show. Brands have huge power to effect change. Intent and impact should always be a consideration when it comes to brands becoming social advocates and allies in their own right, and whilst not all brands approach social issues from a place of authenticity, they can still have an impact. Just look at the ruckus caused by U.K. bakery chain Greggs when it launched its vegan sausage roll in 2019. Greggs have no official allegiance to the vegan cause, yet understanding changing consumer attitudes to food, saw the opportunity to cater to rising demand. In doing so, and responding (hilariously) to the uproar that ensued amongst its traditional working-class customers, managed to do more to mainstream veganism than 10 years of grassroots campaigning could have achieved. Seeing sworn enemy of the millennials Piers Morgan spit out a Quorn-filled baked good on live TV, and queues forming outside every high street bakery as people swarmed to give it a try, Greggs have achieved the seemingly impossible in encouraging people to reassess their attitudes to vegan food and the people who eat it. Social change in flaky pastry, and for just 1. With huge resources and platforms, big brands have huge potential to effect social change. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencoulman/2019/01/11/can-businesses-be-effective-allies-on-social-issues/ |
Should Ohio schoolchildren have to learn cursive writing? | In this digital age, when typing on a keyboard is the norm even for preschoolers, the graceful curlicues of cursive handwriting may seem to be an anachronistic throwback to a bygone age. But theres something to be said for a letter written by hand and being able to read historical texts scrawled in script. It doesnt seem that long ago that I was dutifully sitting at my school desk with pencil in hand, carefully forming each capital and lowercase letter of the alphabet. Now, I only use cursive when signing my name to the equally anachronistic check (those credit card readers dont care if your signature is legible or if you are even signing your name). | https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/01/should-ohio-schoolchildren-have-to-learn-cursive-writing.html |
Can Wells Fargo's (WFC) Q4 Earnings Brave Mortgage Weakness? | Wells Fargo WFC is scheduled to report fourth quarter and 2018 earnings, before the opening bell on Jan 15. Troubles kept mounting for the bank since the revelation of the sales scandal in 2016, which was followed by disclosure of issues in its auto insurance business, online bill pay services, wholesale banking unit and the Wealth and Investment Management segment. With the ongoing review process of business practices, more wrongdoings may be reported, consequently straining the top line. However, during the to-be-reported quarter, Wells Fargo was able to enter into an agreement with attorneys general from about 50 states to settle the fake account scandal in which the firm's employees opened accounts for customers without their knowledge. Here are the other factors influencing Wells Fargos fourth-quarter results: Soft Loan Growth: Per the Feds latest data, loans are likely to show modest growth for the October-December quarter. Particularly, strong growth in commercial and industrial loans is expected to offset slowdown in commercial real estate and consumer loans to some extent. Further, the Feds restrictions on Wells Fargos balance sheet growth due to past misconducts leave limited scope for loan growth. Net Interest Income (NII) Might Rise: Modest loan growth during the quarter is likely to increase interest income. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for average interest earning assets of $1.73 trillion for the fourth quarter indicates a decline of 2.6% year over year. However, support from expanding net interest margin on rising rates is projected to increase the companys NII. Mortgage Banking Income to Decline: The mortgage business of Wells Fargo is not expected to perform well in the fourth quarter. With the interest rates moving higher, refinancing activities and fresh originations have been declining. Therefore, no major help is expected from this segment. Non-Interest Revenues to Disappoint: Outflows from the asset management business are expected due to market declines. Further, persistent trade-war tensions during the quarter kept trading activities muted, which is likely to weigh on the related fees. In addition, trust income might disappoint on lower equity markets. Expenses Might Remain Stable: During the quarter, Wells Fargo divested several branches and announced a number of layoffs in a bid to cut costs. These efforts are likely to offset elevated legal costs. Now, lets have a look at what our quantitative model predicts: According to our quantitative model, chances of Wells Fargo beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the fourth quarter are low. This is because it does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better to increase the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for Wells Fargo is -3.19%. Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarters earnings has been revised slightly downward over the past seven days. However, it reflects year-over-year growth of 21.7%. Notably, the consensus estimate for sales is $21.5 billion, down nearly 2.3%. Wells Fargo & Company Price and EPS Surprise | https://news.yahoo.com/wells-fargos-wfc-q4-earnings-120712415.html |
Is Eventide Gilead Fund N (ETGLX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | If you have been looking for Mid Cap Growth funds, it would not be wise to start your search with Eventide Gilead Fund N (ETGLX). ETGLX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective Zacks categorizes ETGLX as Mid Cap Growth, a segment packed with options. Mid Cap Growth mutual funds aim to target companies with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion that are also expected to exhibit more extensive growth opportunities for investors than their peers. A firm is typically considered to be a growth stock if it consistently posts impressive sales and/or earnings growth. History of Fund/Manager ETGLX is a part of the Eventide family of funds, a company based out of Willow Grove, PA. Eventide Gilead Fund N made its debut in July of 2008, and since then, ETGLX has accumulated about $412.39 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Finny Kuruvilla who has been in charge of the fund since July of 2008. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 10.8%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 12.03%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, ETGLX's standard deviation comes in at 16.18%, compared to the category average of 9.45%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.83% compared to the category average of 9.54%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.22, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -1.76, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Exploring the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is largely on equities that are traded in the United States. Currently, this mutual fund is holding 91.16% stock in stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $16.84 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Other Technology Health Retail Trade Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 24%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, ETGLX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.39% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, ETGLX is actually more expensive than its peers. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $50. Bottom Line Overall, Eventide Gilead Fund N ( ETGLX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now. Your research on the Mid Cap Growth segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (ETGLX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/eventide-gilead-fund-n-etglx-120012567.html |
Is Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index (SFILX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Any investors hoping to find a Non US - Equity fund could think about starting with Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index (SFILX). SFILX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective SFILX is classified in the Non US - Equity area by Zacks, and this segment is full of potential. Non US - Equity funds focus their investments on companies outside of the United States, which is an important distinction since global mutual funds tend to keep a sizable portion of their portfolio based in the United States. Most of these funds will allocate across emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. History of Fund/Manager Schwab Funds is based in San Francisco, CA, and is the manager of SFILX. Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index made its debut in January of 2008, and since then, SFILX has accumulated about $861 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.7%, and is in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.92%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of SFILX over the past three years is 10.94% compared to the category average of 12.62%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 10.7% compared to the category average of 12.65%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.82, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -3.92. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, SFILX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.39% compared to the category average of 1.25%. So, SFILX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment. Bottom Line Overall, Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ( SFILX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ( SFILX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Non US - Equity, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. If you want to check out our stock reports as well, make sure to go to Zacks.com to see all of the great tools we have to offer, including our time-tested Zacks Rank. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (SFILX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/schwab-fundamental-international-small-company-120012870.html |
Is Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Admiral (VFWAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | If you're looking for an Index fund category, then a possible option is Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Admiral (VFWAX). VFWAX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost. History of Fund/Manager Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VFWAX. Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Admiral debuted in September of 2011. Since then, VFWAX has accumulated assets of about $5.46 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Justin E. Hales who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2016. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.16%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 5.58%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, VFWAX's standard deviation comes in at 11.07%, compared to the category average of 8.25%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 11.49% compared to the category average of 8.65%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.92, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. VFWAX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -7.2, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VFWAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.11% compared to the category average of 0.74%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VFWAX is actually cheaper than its peers. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1. Bottom Line For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Index, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (VFWAX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | https://news.yahoo.com/vanguard-ftse-world-ex-us-120012232.html |
Is T. Rowe Price Tax-Efficient Equity (PREFX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Any investors hoping to find a Large Cap Growth fund could think about starting with T. Rowe Price Tax-Efficient Equity (PREFX). PREFX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective PREFX is classified in the Large Cap Growth segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Companies are usually considered to be large-cap if their stock market valuation is more than $10 billion. Large Cap Growth mutual funds invest in many large U.S. firms that are projected to grow at a faster rate than their large-cap peers. History of Fund/Manager T. Rowe Price is responsible for PREFX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. Since T. Rowe Price Tax-Efficient Equity made its debut in December of 2000, PREFX has garnered more than $324.98 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by Donald J. Peters who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2000. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. PREFX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.58% and is in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 12.32%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. PREFX's standard deviation over the past three years is 11.73% compared to the category average of 11.77%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 11.89% compared to the category average of 11.85%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. In PREFX's case, the fund lost 51.82% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 3.04%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.09, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. PREFX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -0.26, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is mostly on equities that are traded in the United States. As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 78.6% of its assets in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $154.25 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Retail Trade Finance Turnover is about 11.7%, so those in charge of the fund make fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, PREFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.76% compared to the category average of 1.10%. PREFX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $2,500, and each subsequent investment should be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, T. Rowe Price Tax-Efficient Equity ( PREFX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Tax-Efficient Equity ( PREFX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on the Large Cap Growth area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into PREFX too for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (PREFX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | https://news.yahoo.com/t-rowe-price-tax-efficient-120012432.html |
Is Columbia Seligman Communications and Information A (SLMCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Sector - Tech fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Columbia Seligman Communications and Information A (SLMCX). SLMCX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that SLMCX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach. History of Fund/Manager Columbia is responsible for SLMCX, and the company is based out of Boston, MA. The Columbia Seligman Communications and Information A made its debut in June of 1983 and SLMCX has managed to accumulate roughly $3.77 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 17.63%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 15%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. SLMCX's standard deviation over the past three years is 15.22% compared to the category average of 9.66%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 14.65% compared to the category average of 9.76%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. SLMCX lost 39.92% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 13.39%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.07, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 5.71, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is principally on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 86.18% stock in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $188.29 billion. With turnover at about 39%, this fund is making fewer trades than comparable funds. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, SLMCX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.24% compared to the category average of 1.35%. SLMCX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,000, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment. Bottom Line Overall, Columbia Seligman Communications and Information A ( SLMCX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Columbia Seligman Communications and Information A ( SLMCX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. | https://news.yahoo.com/columbia-seligman-communications-information-slmcx-120012961.html |
Which top NFL playoff team is at biggest risk of divisional-round upset? | An upset alert shouldn't be necessary to make the top-seeded teams in the NFL playoffs aware of the imminent threat facing them this weekend. Three of the four outfits that advanced from last week's wild-card round, after all, did so on the road. And only once this decade (in 2015) have the top two seeds on each side advanced to the conference championship games. But while this weekend's traveling teams collectively posted a 18-14 mark as visitors this season, the foursome of teams hosting after a first-round bye (the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams) combined for a 28-4 record at home. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts after a play against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports) I love Patrick Mahomes and everything hes done for the Chiefs this season, and would like to think hes going to be the one to end Kansas Citys long, long, long history of playoff heartbreak. Especially against the Indianapolis Colts. But until it actually happens, I cant ignore the karma. Kansas City has lost 10 of its last 11 playoff games that one victory came against Brian Hoyer and the Houston Texans and is 0-4 against Indianapolis in the postseason. That includes the most crushing loss of all, the 2013 wild-card game in which Kansas City blew a 28-point lead and lost 45-44. Mahomes and Andy Reid have said all the right things this week, but Im going to have to see it to believe it. The Chiefs. After watching all three quarterbacks who made their playoff debuts last weekend lose, thats not a good omen for projected MVP Patrick Mahomes. No, the NFL-record 6 consecutive playoff home losses by KC isnt on Mahomes...who wasnt even born the last time the home team won in the playoffs at Arrowhead. But theres just something spooky about that. Add Capt. Andrew Luck maybe carving up a suspect Chiefs defense, and I think we might see this No. 1 seed bite the dust. Of course, Mr. 50 Touchdowns has spent an entire season proving doubters wrong. And on a personal note, Andy Reid has made me look foolish multiple times when picking against him. But to borrow phrasing from my former colleague, Gordon Forbes, I just cant shake the feeling KCs season is about to be BBQd. Maybe the question for the bye week playoff teams should be, Whos not at risk? All of them feel fairly vulnerable to me with the exception of New Orleans. But maybe the Rams are in the most jeopardy. Their home game threatens to be overrun by Cowboys fans and a team that seems well-equipped to pull off the upset at the L.A. Coliseum, where the Rams lost their wild-card contest to the Falcons a year ago. Dallas just locked down Seattles top-ranked ground game and will next face Todd Gurley, whos probably going to be less than 100% after a knee issue forced him to miss two games. Gulp. The Rams. The Cowboys top-5 run D is riding momentum after holding the Seahawks 160 yards per game in the regular season to 73 in a wildcard win. Rams all-pro running back Todd Gurley, on the other hand, is returning from nearly a month on the sideline with knee inflammation and soreness. Dallas will have its hand full containing an offense thats averaged 37.1 points at their home Coliseum. Dak Prescott, too, must take care not to turn over the ball. But if the team follows the blueprint it used to hold the ball 9:40 more than the Seahawks last week, Ezekiel Elliott can capitalize on a Rams defense allowing a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry. Dallas upsets a young L.A. offense to reach its first NFC Championship Game in 23 years. Im going to say the Kansas City Chiefs. Their offense just hasnt been quite the same since losing Kareem Hunt, and their defensive shortcomings are well-documented. Meanwhile, theyre facing one of the most well-rounded and underrated teams in the postseason. The Colts of course have Andrew Luck, and his experience could give him an edge over counterpart Patrick Mahomes, but they can also run the ball effectively, and they have a very good defense. Even though theyre playing at home, I think the Chiefs have a very strong chance of being upset this weekend. Going against the one NFL team that went 8-0 at home this year seems foolhardy, and Tom Brady is still undefeated (7-0) against Philip Rivers. But these aren't the Patriots or Chargers teams of old. With Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely and Rob Gronkowski not up to his play of years past, the Patriots are putting a lot on the plate of their quarterback, who posted the lowest passer rating (97.7) of his last four seasons and has off at times. The Chargers, meanwhile, shape up as arguably the AFC's most balanced and versatile outfit. Anthony Lynn's group also has a 7-1 away record but actually boasts a 9-0 mark in games played outside of Los Angeles. If New England doesn't establish an early lead and dictate the tone, it could find itself in for a battle against an underdog that actually finished with a superior record. Admittedly, everything in my mind is telling me this is the wrong choice, but I cant shake a gut feeling that the Chargers are going to head to Foxborough and topple the Patriots. Because L.A.s game plan in the wild-card round against the Ravens was so innovative they used seven defensive backs on all but one of their defensive snaps to match Ravens quarterback Lamar Jacksons speed I expect the Chargers to come up with something to neutralize New Englands passing game, especially with throws to running backs. Also, the Los Angeles pass rush has been ascending and if it can pressure Brady especially up the middle the New England offense may struggle. As long as Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon keep moving the ball, I think the Chargers will put up enough points to win. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/01/11/nfl-playoffs-upset-patriots-chiefs-rams-saints/2545447002/ |
Is a coup afoot on the Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board? | Special meeting set for purposes of electing a new president, even though current President Laurin Hendrix still has six months left on his term. Story Highlights Governing board decides policy for state's largest community college system. Faculty has been at odds with the board over decisions. Three new board members recently took office. Laurin Hendrix, president of the Maricopa Community Colleges governing board. (Photo: Maricopa Community Colleges) Four members of the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board have called a special meeting to elect new officers for 2019, even though the board's controversial president, Laurin Hendrix, has six months left in his term as its leader. Board member Linda Thor said she expects there to be a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday to elect a new board president. Hendrix was chosen by board members in June 2017 for a two-year term. "My personal opinion is a new board ought to be able to elect its own officers," Thor said. Thor said she voted for Hendrix when he was nominated for president in 2017 but wouldn't say whether she would support him again. Voters on Nov. 6 elected three new members of the governing board that oversees the state's largest community college district. The election followed a year in which college faculty members were frequently at odds with the elected board. The most controversial board decision, spearheaded by Hendrix, ended a long-standing policy used to negotiate faculty salaries and working conditions called "meet and confer." Board policy says at least four of seven board members must agree in order to hold a special meeting that is not called by the board president or chancellor. District officials said the four board members requesting Tuesday's meeting were Thor, Dana Saar and newly elected members Marie Sullivan and Tom Nerini. Two board members were opposed to the special meeting: Jean McGrath and newly elected board member Kathleen Winn. Hendrix responds to special meeting Hendrix, who was traveling, had not replied to an email from the district as of publication time. In an email to The Arizona Republic, Hendrix wrote, "I was elected to a two-year term that has not ended." He noted that the ideology of the board majority shifted in the recent election, going from a board with shared conservative views less inclined to support labor unions, to one with a more liberal stance. "In all likelihood, the direction will change again in 2020," he wrote. Weve expanded the role of the chair over the past year and also the responsibility of the board in the last year. So I think its a good time to re-evaluate what we look for in a chair. Dana Saar, Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board member Individual members of the governing board can't change district policies or direct the chancellor without a board majority. But the board president does have additional powers. He or she sets the agenda for board meetings and appoints board members to committees. The president also is the board spokesperson. Board members Sullivan, Nerini, and Winn could not be reached for comment about Tuesday's meeting. Board member Saar, who is in favor of Tuesday's meeting, said he will see what the discussion is on Tuesday before making his decision. "Weve expanded the role of the chair over the past year and also the responsibility of the board in the last year," he said. "So I think its a good time to re-evaluate what we look for in a chair." Board member McGrath, who opposed calling Tuesday's special meeting, told The Republic "a majority of the board called the meeting so we're having a meeting." She said she would support Hendrix for president, saying he's done an excellent job. She said she especially appreciates how he cut the number of board meetings in half. For example, the board no longer holds a separate meeting to set the regular meeting agenda, she said. "I don't know who is going to be nominated," for president on Tuesday, she added. "But I do like Mr. Hendrix as president." Tenure marked by controversy Hendrix, a former Republican legislator, has had a controversial tenure as president. He took office in January 2017 and is serving a four-year term that ends Dec. 31, 2020. Board members elected him as president after Alfredo Gutierrez resigned from the position. In February 2018, Hendrix presented documents to the board aimed at streamlining and simplifying the faculty input process known as "meet and confer." The yearlong process gave faculty input on policies that govern employment and working conditions. Hendrix said the new process would allow changes to be made more quickly and would give district administrators more power in decision-making. Faculty vehemently opposed the change, saying the 40-year-old meet-and-confer process had worked well. Hundreds of faculty turned out to protest the decision at board meetings. Hendrix accused the Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Association, which represents full-time faculty members, of "fearmongering" to drum up membership. In April, the faculty association filed an $850,000 claim against the district, its chancellor and governing board in response to the board's decision to end meet and confer. The association also filed a complaint with the colleges' accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, in September that accused the governing board of partisan politics, racial discrimination and retaliation. Faculty asked the commission to conduct an investigation. In November, HLC officials said they had reviewed the complaint and found that no further action was needed at that time. 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/local/arizona-education/2019/01/11/coup-afoot-on-maricopa-community-colleges-governing-board/2530470002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/01/11/coup-afoot-on-maricopa-community-colleges-governing-board/2530470002/ |
Should artists continue to shelve their music with R. Kelly? | Artists like Lady Gaga and Omarion announced they will retire their music produced by R. Kelly. In a statement, Gaga said her collaboration "Do What U Want" with R. Kelly was during a very dark time in her life. Fans are split on any artist's decision to retire former hits. Some argue it's too late, and artists are only doing this because it's convenient. But others commend artists taking a stand against R. Kelly. PERSPECTIVES Check out Lady Gaga's statement below. I stand by anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault: pic.twitter.com/67sz4WpV3i -- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) January 10, 2019 Some fans are proud of artists taking a stand against R. Kelly. Bless her, no need to apologise in my eyes. -- Paris (@Paris_ox) January 10, 2019 Lady Gaga apologizes Omarion announced he will drop R. Kelly's songs after his upcoming tour. Good thing they waiting till after the tour cuz without those songs they ain't got much of anything . -- Erik Woommavovah (@erikw1250) January 8, 2019 But Omarion gained criticism following his announcement of retiring the music made with R. Kelly after the B2K reunion tour. Fans say Kelly's collaborators knew about his past before they worked with him, but they are conveniently dropping the music because of the R. Kelly backlash. Following #SurvivingRKelly, Omarion vowed to retire all the songs that R. Kelly wrote from his set list ... AFTER his upcoming Millennium Tour. https://t.co/dwl7zuexV3 -- USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) January 7, 2019 Everybody in the industry would have to denounce him, he wrote and made songs with half the damn industry. And they all knew, because we first knew in 1994, so it's documented history, and they still worked with him. But next week we'll be on to something else. -- Sam T. Nevils (@samuelnevils) January 7, 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.nola.com/interact/2019/01/should_artists_continue_to_she.html |
Why is Earnings Beat Less Likely for BlackRock (BLK) in Q4? | BlackRock, Inc. BLK is slated to report fourth-quarter and 2018 results on Jan 16, before the opening bell. Its revenues and earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are projected to grow year over year. In the last reported quarter, the companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results benefited from an improvement in revenues, rise in assets under management (AUM) and long-term inflows. Moreover, the company boasts an impressive earnings surprise history. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 4.2%. BlackRock, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise BlackRock, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | BlackRock, Inc. Quote However, BlackRocks business activities and prospects in the to-be-reported quarter did not encourage analysts to revise earnings estimates upward. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of $6.68 has decreased 2.3% over the past 30 days. Nonetheless, the figure reflects a year-over-year improvement of 7.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales for the fourth quarter is $3.61 billion, which reflects growth of 4% year over year. Despite robust fundamentals, the companys price performance does not seem impressive. In the past year, its shares have lost 28% compared with 30.6% decline recorded by the industry. To a great extent, it depends on whether or not the company is able to beat earnings estimates this time around. Before we take a look at what our quantitative model predicts, lets discuss the factors that are likely to impact fourth-quarter results. Factors to Influence Q4 Results BlackRock remains a dominant player in the ETF market, given its continued investments in U.S. iShare core ETFs. Moreover, as investors are increasing their allocations toward ETFs instead of alternative investments, in order to reduce management costs, the companys iShares inflows are expected to have remained strong in the fourth quarter. Thus, while unfavorable foreign currency adjustments during the quarter might have had an adverse impact on AUM, total AUM is likely to improve, driven by steady inflows. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total AUM for the fourth quarter is pegged at $6.45 trillion, reflecting growth of 2.6% year over year. Despite an expected increase in assets during the fourth quarter, investment advisory, administration fees and securities lending revenues, which constitute more than 80% of the companys total revenues, is expected to decline. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is $3.10 billion, reflecting 10.6% year-over-year decline. Nonetheless, performance fee, which is also a major revenue component, is likely to increase during the quarter to be reported. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for performance fees for the fourth quarter is pegged at $308 million, which represents an improvement of 8.1% from the prior-year quarter. BlackRock might witness an increase in costs in the fourth quarter. The companys expenses remained elevated over the last few years. In fact, higher compensation, as well as marketing costs (related to the companys brand campaign), along with its plans for improving product offerings, may result in an increase in expenses. Earnings Whispers According to our quantitative model, chances of BlackRock beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the fourth quarter are low. This is because it does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better which is required to be confident of an earnings surprise call. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for BlackRock is -4.42%. Zacks Rank: BlackRock currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Stocks Worth a Look Here are a few finance stocks that you may want to consider, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter, according to our model. U.S. Bancorp USB is slated to release results on Jan 16. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.15% and currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. SunTrust Banks, Inc. STI is scheduled to release results on Jan 18. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.07% and a Zacks Rank #3. Zions Bancorporation, National Association ZION has an Earnings ESP of +1.09% and it presently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is slated to release results on Jan 22. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SunTrust Banks, Inc. (STI) : Free Stock Analysis Report U.S. Bancorp (USB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Zions Bancorporation (ZION) : Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | https://news.yahoo.com/why-earnings-beat-less-likely-141302230.html |
Are Investors Undervaluing Ally Financial (ALLY) Right Now? | Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks. Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks. Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits. On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today. One company value investors might notice is Ally Financial (ALLY). ALLY is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. Investors should also recognize that ALLY has a P/B ratio of 0.76. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 0.82. ALLY's P/B has been as high as 1.01 and as low as 0.65, with a median of 0.87, over the past year. Finally, our model also underscores that ALLY has a P/CF ratio of 3.60. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 5.17. Over the past 52 weeks, ALLY's P/CF has been as high as 4.92 and as low as 3.08, with a median of 4.22. These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Ally Financial is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, ALLY feels like a great value stock at the moment. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ally Financial Inc. (ALLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/investors-undervaluing-ally-financial-ally-141002025.html |
Why is Earnings Beat Less Likely for BNY Mellon (BK) in Q4? | The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation BK is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and 2018 results on Jan 16, before the market opens. Its revenues and earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to grow year over year. In the last reported quarter, the companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Higher revenues and assets under management (AUM) growth were partly offset by rise in expenses. BNY Mellon has an impressive earnings surprise history. Its earnings did not lag the Zacks Consensus Estimate in any of the trailing four quarters. The average positive surprise was 3.8%. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation Price and EPS Surprise The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation Quote However, activities of the company in the fourth quarter were not adequate to win analysts confidence. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of 94 cents decreased 2.1% over the past 30 days. Nevertheless, the figure reflects year-over-year growth of 3.3%. Further, the companys Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales for the to-be-reported quarter is $4.04 billion, reflecting an improvement of 8.8% year over year. Despite robust fundamentals, the companys price performance does not look impressive. Its shares have lost 18.8% in the past year compared with 19% decline recorded by the industry it belongs to. To a great extent, it depends on whether the company will be able to beat earnings estimates this time around. Before we take a look at what our quantitative model predicts, lets check the factors that are likely to impact Q4 results. Factors to Influence Q4 Results The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AUM for the fourth quarter is pegged at $1.8 trillion, which reflects marginal growth sequentially. Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for total assets under custody and administration of $34.6 trillion reflects slight growth sequentially. Thus, investment management and performance fees are likely to be slightly positively impacted during the fourth quarter, driven by expected growth in assets. Management anticipates performance fee in the fourth quarter to be stable year over year. Nevertheless, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for total fee revenues shows that this component will likely decline. Its estimate for the fourth quarter is $3.15 billion, reflecting nearly 1% decline sequentially. Notably, while loan growth during the fourth quarter was not very impressive, a slight improvement in the lending scenario will likely lead to an increase in net interest revenues (NIR). Moreover, despite the flattening of the yield curve, rise in interest rates will offer further support. In fact, management believes that any rate hike is likely to lead to an improvement in net interest margin (NIM) as well as NIR. Hence, improving margins due to the increase in rates are likely to more than offset the reduced size of balance sheet and lead to a modest increase in NIR. Supported by the companys cost-saving initiatives, expenses have been declining for the past few years. However, because of the impact of investment-related costs, overall expenses are expected to increase slightly in the fourth quarter. Now, lets take a look at what our quantitative model predicts. According to our quantitative model, it is less likely that BNY Mellon will be able to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the fourth quarter. This is because it does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better which is required to increase the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for BNY Mellon is -1.15%. Zacks Rank: BNY Mellon currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are a few finance stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this time around. U.S. Bancorp USB is slated to release results on Jan 16. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.15% and currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. SunTrust Banks, Inc. STI is scheduled to release results on Jan 18. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.07% and a Zacks Rank #3. Zions Bancorporation, National Association ZION has an Earnings ESP of +1.09% and it currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is slated to release results on Jan 22. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> | https://news.yahoo.com/why-earnings-beat-less-likely-140902189.html |
Can Tech Effectively Treat ADHD And Other Neurological Conditions? | For those diagnosed with neurological conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, navigating daily life can be extremely difficult. They often struggle to concentrate, prioritize tasks and remember things, among other challenges. With 1.5 million people in the UK alone affected by the condition, access to quality support is fundamental. But more often than not, this comes at a huge cost for individuals, families and society. Getting a diagnosis of ADHD takes up to two years, and treatments can cost from 10,000 to 14,500 per year in European countries. Copenhagen-based tech startup Tiimo is on a mission to make life easier for children and young adults living with cognitive deficit disorders such as ADHD. The firm has developed an iOS and Android app that helps them comprehend time and maintain routine daily. Combining scientific research and tech Founded by Helene Lassen Nrlem and Melissa Wrtz Azari, Tiimo draws on academia and science. They were inspired to form the company while working on a masters thesis. The idea for Tiimo came from my time at the IT University of Copenhagen, in 2014, when we were studying for our masters degree, remarks Lassen Nrlem. Following an education reform then underway in Denmark, which meant that children with ADHD had to be integrated into non-specialised schools, we wanted to investigate if, and how, technology could be used to support them, and it was this project that formed our thesis. What started as a research project quickly became a passion for us. Helene and Melissa were also motivated by the lack of effective support tools for families and children impacted by ADHD. A study from the University of Sheffield found that existing tools are poorly designed and rarely meet user needs. The research defines a successful digital tool as having pleasing visuals, the facility to personalise, potential to improve daily routines, as well as a design that can be used by both parent and child. As such, we wanted to create Tiimo to be the first smart, reliable, discreet and super accessible digital friend, based on a human-centred design process. Tiimo has been designed and developed in collaboration with 50 families and experts, she continues. The fact is, all families are chaotic, but routines and schedules can be especially difficult for those with children who have cognitive deficit deficiencies. Our goal at Tiimo is to make life a bit less disrupted for the individual, parents and siblings alike. Improving quality of life To Helene, the main aim of Tiimo is to create positive change and social inclusion among those who need structure and visual support, as well as their families. It helps parents, teachers and caregivers to easily manage daily life by planning out the child's activities and routines through a user-friendly calendar. This is all managed through a web platform and an app, available for both iOS and Android, and is compatible with a whole host of devices including smartphones, smartwatches and tablets. She says the app offers users a clear overview of what they should be doing at any given time, such as packing their bags for school or completing homework. Tiimo addresses the childs need for structure and focus through subtle reminders allowing the child to be more independent while reducing stress and conflict with caregivers. Visual icons, colors and emojis can be added and modified to suit the childs preferences and learning methods. Reminders can also be activated so that the childs device will emit small vibrations, or sounds, alerting them when they are halfway through an activity, when is five minutes to go and when they should change activity. Since launching in Denmark last year, Tiimo has supported more than 800 families and is currently undergoing an ambitious expansion campaign. Having secured over 1 million of funding, its just launched in the UK. Helene says her team is focused on getting Tiimo into the hands of everyone who needs it. She concludes: "As it has been designed to be in-tune with the child of today, we are keen to continuously improve the user experience and are currently working on new features based on some of the feedback we have received. To this end, we are seeking further funding to launch Tiimo worldwide, while also applying for EU funds from Horizon 2020 to finance further scientific research. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasfearn/2019/01/11/can-tech-effectively-treat-adhd-and-other-neurological-conditions/ |
How much will that traffic ticket really cost? | Not the fine itself, but the almost inevitable bump in your insurance rate that will follow. Call your insurance company with a what if scenario, and theyll probably tell you that they wont know until it actually happens. (I can personally confirm this.) Well, online marketplace Insurance.com has a little more pull and it surveyed six top carriers to figure out the average increase 18 different violations would bring to the driver of a 2017 Honda Accord LX with typical coverage. Its no surprise that drunk driving as the worst impact, causing a 79 percent increase, but reckless driving and street racing werent far behind at 73 percent and 71 percent. Things drop off quickly after that, with a 30 mph over speeding ticket netting just a 30 percent increase. Interestingly, getting caught driving without insurance only increases premiums by 10 percent, while failing to use a seatbelt barely moves the needle, just 3 percent. The range can vary dramatically, however. For example: The lowest rate for a driver with a 16-29 mph over speeding ticket on their record would pay $1,449 at Geico and $2,239 at Allstate, so it pays to shop around. The full list follows to scare you straight: DUI/DWI first offense 79% Reckless driving 73% Operating a vehicle in a race (highway racing) 71% Speeding 30+ over limit 30% Careless driving 26% Texting-while-driving 23% Distracted driving 22% Speeding 16-29 MPH over limit 22% Improper/illegal pass 20% Speeding 1-15 MPH over limit 20% Following too closely 20% Improper turn 20% Failure to yield 20% Failure to stop 19% Talking on cell phone 16% Driving without a license or permit 12% Driving without insurance 10% Seat belt infraction 3% | https://www.foxnews.com/auto/how-much-will-that-traffic-ticket-really-cost |
Will Machado And Harper Cash In Or Will Teams Stay Stingy? | MLB team owners are touching more money than ever right now. Despite declines in attendance and viewership, baseball has seen record-setting revenues year after year. In 2017, revenues jumped to over $10 billion for the first time in the history of the league. Coupled with that is the fact that teams are spending less on player salaries league-wide. This past winter, only three contracts exceeded $80 million. Most of that excess money is finding its way straight into the owners' pockets. The lack of redistribution of wealth has put ownership and the players union - already a strained relationship, at best - on bad terms, with term "collusion" being batted around. However, with superstar free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, that could change. Big stars, bigger paychecks Machado and Harper are two of the leagues brightest young stars who are hitting free agency younger than most players. With more years left in their prime than typical free agents, they could force owners' wallets to spring open. Though the contracts might not be record-breaking as once predicted - Harper slumped (by his standards) and Machado has apenchant for on-field controversy - both athletes are set to cash in on big deals. Executives have revealed that the White Sox have been aggressive in both trade and free-agent discussions. Their interest in the two stars has invigorated their fans who have been less than happy with a team that has wallowed in rebuild mode while the crosstown Cubs have become perennial contenders Competition for Machado and Harper is steep, and the more desperate teams will have more money to offer them. The Phillies promised to spend "stupid money" this offseason to accelerate a rebuild. Rumors are that the Phillies are willing to spend up to $300 million on a long-term deal. The Cubs have gone public with their interest in the young stars, while the Dodgers have recently freed up more money in what to help land one of the stars. In the end, money may not stand up to a chance to win it all for these two. Recent reports have the Yankees the favorite to land Machado while the Cubs and the Dodgers have the claim on Harper. In 2018 the MLB saw its first decline in payroll since 2010 and the second-largest decline in the history of baseball. The teams combined to spend a total of $4.58 billion, more than $115 million less than 2017. If the total player payroll were to fall again in 2019, it would be only the second time that decline has occurred in back-to-back years. The Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers led the charge to shed payroll spending. The Tigers' payroll cuts can be attributed to going into rebuild mode after an underwhelming season. They cut almost $72 million in salaries from the previous season. The big-market Yankees and Dodgers uncharacteristically sprinted to get under the luxury tax threshold, dropping money spent by $58 million and $32 million respectively. The drop in payroll reflects the number of teams tanking and rebuilding in 2018. Business-savvy team owners may have also recognized an inflating player salary market and contrived to spend less before it spiraled out of control. A quiet offseason could foreshadow another year of record-breaking contracts for the MLB, something for which the sport has become notorious, from Alex Rodriguez' $275 million deal in 2008 to Giancarlo Stanton's largest-ever MLB contract of $325 million in 2015. Lately, playoff teams have had more success finding talent on their current rosters and through less-costly trades than free agency. Before his season, many expected Harper to become the league's first $500 million man. Now, it is unlikely that he will get above $300 million. Collusion or frugality is largely a matter of perspective and a lack of direct evidence. The waiting game Only time will tell how this offseason will play out for Harper and Machado. With the Phillies' promise to spend big, Harper and Machado could still land two of the most lucrative contracts in the history of the sport. They are both 26 years young with tremendous upside for years ahead. For a team like the White Sox or the Phillies who are desperate for the talent to make them championship contenders, we could be in for a big surprise when it comes to how much they are willing to spend. Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmenickella/2019/01/11/will-machado-and-harper-cash-in-or-will-teams-stay-stingy/ |
What is the pegan diet, and why is it the next big thing? | The pegan diet advocates for eating organic produce. (Photo: Walmart) There's a new trendy diet in town, folks the pegan diet. The word pegan has seen a 337 percent increase in searches on Pinterest since last year and has seen a steady climb in searches within the last six months. It was born when Dr. Mark Hyman, New York Times best-selling author, coined the term a mashup of paleo and vegan in a blog post that detailed his own diet. In short, a pegan diet incorporates pieces of the paleo and vegan diets. A vegan diet is refraining from eating all animal products or byproducts no meat, eggs, cheese, yogurt and sometimes gelatin. A paleo diet is a nutritional plan that mimics how people used to eat in the Paleolithic era 2.5 million years ago. So dieters eat unprocessed foods consisting mostly of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grass-fed meats and fish. Although vegan and paleo diets may seem like they're at odds one advocates for removing dairy, meat and fish while the other encourages eating meat and fish -- the root of both of those lifestyles is ultimately the same: eating whole foods and plants. The purpose of the pegan diet is to get people to eat whole foods that are fresh and organic and increase their vegetable intake. There's also an emphasis on the quality of foods you're eating the pegan diet encourages participants to eat organic products. Vegan dieters refrain from eating meat, but the pegan diet calls for eating meat sparingly. Plants. Basically most of your diet will be comprised of vegetables, good fats and nuts and seeds. The physician explained that 75 percent of the diet should be fruits and vegetables while avoiding eating dairy and gluten. But if you must eat dairy, the diet advises to reach for sheep- or goat-based dairy products. Maria Marlowe, a nutrition health coach and author who operates her own nutrition health coaching practice in New York City, said this is because goat and sheep's milk are easier to digest than cow's milk, but it's preferable to avoid all dairy. Dietitians recommend sheep or goat dairy products on the pegan diet. (Photo: Anthony Souffle, AP) Hyman said that meat is not necessarily harmful and has good health benefits. It just depends on how much you're eating and what kind you're eating. The doctor, who is also director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, suggests eating meat sparingly and eating only grass-fed and sustainably raised meat. Basically, eat meat as a side dish, not the main course. Those on a pegan diet should also eat healthy fats like those found in nuts, avocados, coconut oil and even saturated fat from organic meat products. And like most diets sugar should be avoided or eaten only as a treat. Desiree Nielsen, a registered dietitian who runs her own nutrition consulting practice and hosts "The Urban Vegetarian," a Canadian cooking show, doesn't recommend the pegan diet because of how restrictive it is she actually advises against all diets that are restrictive. However, she does believe that the pegan diet is a great way to transition into a healthier and more plant-based lifestyle. "There isnt one right way to eat," said Nielsen. "I think its a wonderful diet to be inspired by. Eat more plants; eat more whole foods those are wonderful messages to incorporate, but I think for many of us living by a restrictive rule-focused diet may not be healthy for our body or our minds." Dr. Mark Hyman, creator of the pegan diet, says that 75 percent of the diet should be plant-based. Although the pegan diet may not be right for everyone, it does have proven benefits for some. "I grew up eating a standard American diet, which led to a slew of health problems," said Marlowe. "Eating the pegan way helped me lose 20 pounds, get rid of digestive issues, have more energy and overall improve my health." Nielsen said that as a vegan, trying out the pegan diet left her hungry, and she suffered from low blood pressure and headaches. She said the pegan diet doesn't advocate for a lot of legumes, which is where plant-based eaters would mostly get their protein from and it relies some on animal protein, which vegans can't eat. "Its a great transition towards a more plant-based diet for meat eaters," advised Nielsen. "It will increase intake of valuable phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables that help you fight inflammation. It will also help you move away from a hyper-processed and packaged eating pattern, which many of us consume in North America, which is not healthy for us." Liz Josefsberg, a certified personal trainer and nutrition exercise specialist at her own consulting firm and former director of brand advocacy for Weight Watchers, tried the pegan diet for 30 days and said that though she struggled a bit in the beginning, she ended up enjoying the journey and the ultimate results, including losing six pounds with little effort. Noticeably flatter. Bright and clear. My cravings for cheese -- and even my desire to have a glass of wine diminished," wrote Josefsberg in a blog post. "I also noticed I had a real clarity of mind and much more energy than usual." Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/01/11/pegan-diet-paleo-vegan-next-big-diet-trend/2385966002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/01/11/pegan-diet-paleo-vegan-next-big-diet-trend/2385966002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-lifetopstories |
Can Justise Winslow Change the Heats Ceiling? | After mostly existing as only whispers and pleas on Heat Twitter, the Point Justise experiment is now in full bloom in the NBA. Justise Winslow, Miamis fourth-year guard/perimeter defender/swiss-army guy, is playing the best basketball of his career since assuming point duties in a Dec. 8 win over the Clippers. After an injury to Goran Dragic, Winslow was deployed as the Heats offensive leader, and its led to success for both individual and team. The former No. 10 pick looks like a new player, while Miami has compiled a 106 record since the switch. The first thing anyone whos followed Winslows career notices when watching him play over the last month-plus is his confidence. Winslow entered his rookie year with a hitch in his shot, and he would often take a second before launching even the wide-open threes he was gladly gifted by defenses early in his career. Thats a far cry from the current version of Winslow, wholl run a high pick-and-roll and smoothly pull up for a midrange jumper if his defender slouches off too far. Winslow no longer shoots just to keep the defense honest, he shoots because he wants to. Hes attempting the most three-point shots of his career in 2019, on some occasions pulling up from the outside as well. It was no secret Winslow often grew frustrated with the focus on his shot, but now he looks much more comfortable on the offensive side of the ball. FISCHER: Stretch Provision Comes with Cash and Complication Winslows shot isnt automatic, but hes also expanding his arsenal in the paint. With defenses paying more attention to him on the perimeter, Winslow is able to use his athleticism and sturdy frame to find better looks inside. Against the Raptors, he blew by Kawhi Leonard before exploding for a resounding dunk. Winslow will also seal a defender on his back to create space for a floater, or bury his head on the way to the rim before finishing with some touch. Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images At point guard, all of Winslows talents are on display. Hes a willing and capable passer, and while no one will confuse him with James Harden, for his size, Winslow is more than adept at firing off a lob to a rolling big or whipping a pass into the corner. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.56 over his last 15 games, and hes had multiple games this month with double-digit assists and only one turnover. As Winslow has improved, so have the Heat. Miami is now firmly in the Easts playoff bracket after hovering below .500 for most of the seasons first 25 games. The Heat play much more methodically with Winslow at the helm opposed to Dragic, and the slower pace seems to better suit a team without any true high-volume scorers. Winslow is still incredibly effective on the defensive end, and his emergence means more playing time for him alongside Miamis other youngsters. The Heat have a 15.4 net rating when Winslow has shared the floor with Josh Richardson and Derrick Jones Jr. since Dec. 8, and a 19.8 net rating with Winslow, Jones Jr., and Bam Adebayo playing together in that same time frame. The long-term consequences of Winslows ascendance are still to be determined. He seems to finally be living up to the potential that Danny Ainge wanted to trade a handful of first-round picks for. Winslow doesnt look like the best player on a championship contender overnight, but hes taken a huge leap from role player who could be schemed out of an offense. Since Winslow took over at point, Miami has the seventh-best net rating in the NBA, a better mark in that time than the likes of the Nuggets, Thunder, Sixers, and even Raptors. (Its a small slice for a sample, okay.) The Heat still wont have meaningful cap space until 2020, but right now, their three most promising playersAdebayo, Richardson, and Winsloware on team-friendly contracts. The 2020 free agency class isnt heralded, but Miami should have a brief window of flexibility to rebuild the team around an improving and affordable core. And as much as it would hurt Heat fans whove always been in Winslows corner, sustained excellence from him also makes him a much more attractive trade chip. Already floated in a couple Jimmy Butler rumors, its not inconceivable to think Winslows name could reappear during the next superstar sweepstakes. For now, I cant imagine the Heat wanting to part ways with Winslow any time soon. His competitive makeup seems to be a perfect pairing for Miamis fabled culture, and his talent has helped propel the Heat to their best basketball of the season. There was some talk amongst the national media over the last few weeks about Miami having a bleak long-term outlook. The Heat are certainly in a tricky situation because of all the money they have tied up through 2020. The organization isnt all of a sudden in an enviable position, but Winslows emergence is a much-welcomed bright spot as the Heat themselves hope to make a leap. | https://www.si.com/nba/2019/01/11/justise-winslow-miami-heat-point-guard-ceiling-development |
What does it mean to be conservative in the Trump era? | As a conservative writer and thinker, F.H. Buckley has a certain reputation for wit and a wry sense of humor. A professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, hes written about the morality of laughter, invoked the once and future king to describe former President Barack Obama, and accuses Americas wealthy elites of enjoying redneck porn, his term for political stories that objectify all those deplorables sniffing Oxy in places like West Virginia. Yet as hes become one of the foremost intellectual defenders of the unapologetic nationalism of President Trump, many of his right-leaning peers have begun to question Mr. Buckleys conservative bona fides, just as they have the presidents. And the former Trump speechwriter, who volunteered early to help his insurgent campaign, has been in many ways deliberately provocative, appropriating at times a leftist vocabulary to describe the nationalist energies that have come to dominate the Republican Party, and which many say have challenged core conservative principles as never before. I had this one moment where a prominent member of Congress talked about the Tea Party as right-wing Marxists, Buckley says. And I thought, Aha, thats moi. In Canada, his country of birth, he might have even been considered part of its tradition of Red Torys, he says capitalists and social conservatives who maintained a robust and even enthusiastic support for social safety nets. But now, what I really am is a member of the Republican Workers Party, says Buckley, no relation to godfather of the modern conservative movement, the late William F. A reference to the serious if irony-laden title of his most recent book, The Republican Workers Party, Buckley suggests its partly a right-wing Marxist analysis of what he sees as an emerging class warfare at the center of American politics today. Its a party, too, he says, that repudiates the moribund official conservatism of well-funded right-wing think tanks and opinion journals. Many of these have long used the image of a tripod to describe three basic principles undergirding the post-war conservative consensus. First articulated in many ways by William F. Buckley who also helped build the intellectual and institutional infrastructure of the modern movement these principles include wide-ranging commitments to free markets and limited government, Judeo-Christian social values, and a robust national defense. But many see this traditional conservative tripod starting to wobble in the era of Trump. And while there has been from the start a vocal cadre of Never Trumpers who continue to disavow the president and see him as a danger to long-held post-war principles, others see Mr. Trumps disruptions as a good thing, overall they see his election as a much-needed intellectual jolt. Arguably, Trump has been very good for the world of conservative ideas, because hes loosened up lots of preexisting orthodoxies hes loosened up lots of peoples senses of where they belong and what kind of things they can say, says Steven Teles, professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Since Trump, a sense of the class nature of the Republican Party has gotten shaken up, and thats very intellectually generative. ROOTS IN CLASSIC LIBERALISM As a matter of principle, conservatives have often used the term classical liberalism to describe the roots of their thinking, especially when it comes to the laissez faire, free-market leg of the traditional tripod. A libertarian ideal that goes back to the European Enlightenment, classical liberalism asserts the autonomy of the individual over the power of the state and claims a fundamental human right to own property and enter into contracts with others. And such liberal economic principles formed the basis of the new global economy. In the 1990s, even Democrat Bill Clinton led his party to embrace the capitalist premises of international agreements like NAFTA, the idea that global free trade could create a virtuous cycle of economic growth and new working middle classes in countries once called the Third World but now labeled the developing world. | https://news.yahoo.com/does-mean-conservative-trump-era-173328295.html |
Is Kevin Hart an unintentional ally of the LGBTQ community? | Until he connects emotionally to the impact of his jokes, Kevin Hart won't evolve and the LGBTQ community won't give him a pass. The Kevin Hart Oscars debacle has been something to watch. As a gay man, I was upset at his homophobic comments and initial refusal to apologize, but as a comedian I felt the terror of joke policing and the pressure to evolve. The solution appeared simple: Own your mistakes, make amends and move on and host the Oscars. What actually unfolded was a nightmare. During an interview in "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the host spoon-fed Hart lines for what you could call a dream apology, but he couldn't help himself and proclaimed that he was the victim. Then, Ellen called all his critics "haters and trolls" and the subsequent backlash stole from him the reconciliation he came for. Ellen was tone deaf to what the LGBTQ community wanted: a sincere apology. Kevin Hart appears on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. Yes. As part of the LGBTQ community, I must hold anyone with that much influence accountable. I don't envy the pressure Hart is under. It's easy to call him out while he's up at bat at "the world series of 'I'm sorry'" and striking out. But I wish someone in his dugout could just explain that taking ownership of a mistake is powerful, not shameful, and that mature masculinity would end the backlash. CNN's Don Lemon, an openly gay black man, kindly invited Hart on his show for an open conversation about homophobia pointing out that 44 percent of homeless gay youth and 62 percent of homeless transgender youth are black and pleaded "Kevin, if anything this is the time to hear other people out. To understand why they might have been offended." Hart replied that he was not interested. Read more commentary: Like Kevin Hart, I also made a bad joke on stage. Unlike Hart, I learned from the experience. The art of the apology: Lessons from anti-LGBTQ tweeters Kevin Hart and Kyler Murray Toxic masculinity is aggravating tensions On SiriusXM Hart said, "It's not my dream (to be an ally)" isolating himself from the teaching moment that many hunger for, from the opportunity to model how evolved he claims to be, and from ending this disaster. Instead, he is left bewildered, defensive and acting like a victim. Homophobia is not Kevin Harts biggest problem. It's his ego. He also said, "I didn't say these words to people." Until he connects emotionally to the impact of his jokes, Kevin Hart won't evolve and the LGBTQ community won't give him a pass. Kind of. On "Good Morning America" Michael Strahan asked, "If you're a father out there ... whose kid may be gay ... what do you say to your son?" Instead of addressing the son coming out with a thoughtful reply, Hart completely ignored the question and talked about himself repeatedly declaring, "I'm over it." Spiraling into his narcissistic ME, ME, ME movement. He just doesn't get it, nor seem to want to. He is like that relative you avoid at family functions because it's not worth it. Except Hart influences millions every day. Clearly that wouldn't be Hart living his authentic truth. And although I don't like it, it's his right. But bullying a bully is not the answer, either. If, after all the water cooler conversations and social media rants, just one boy out there gets to play with a dollhouse, then despite his ego, and botched amends, Hart actually has become an LGBTQ ally. Rich Kiamco is an award winning comedian and motivational speaker based in New York City. He is a member of The ManKind Project, an international nonprofit organization promoting healthy masculinity and supporting mens emotional growth, accountability, and service. You can follow him on Twitter: @RichKiamco. You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to [email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/01/11/kevin-hart-lgbtq-conversation-column/2539386002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/01/11/kevin-hart-lgbtq-conversation-column/2539386002/ |
What next for Syria's Idlib? | A general view of a camp for displaced people in the village of Atme, in Syria's mostly rebel-held northern Idlib province on January 8, 2019 (AFP Photo/Aaref WATAD) Beirut (AFP) - The Idlib area in northern Syria is now fully ruled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist organisation dominated by members of Al-Qaeda's former affiliate. Some of the other factions in the region are already allies, the others will either have to leave to other areas or be absorbed into the so-called Salvation Government run by the HTS. - Jihadist expansion - A deal was struck between rebel-backer Turkey and Damascus ally Russia in September to stave off a threatened government offensive on Idlib. It has successfully prevented a massive Russian-backed regime assault on an area that is home to around three million people but its terms have remained unfulfilled. Moscow had tasked Turkey, whose proxies fell under an umbrella known as the National Liberation Front, with disarming hardline factions in Idlib. It failed to do so and it was HTS that went on the offensive instead. They made rapid gains and intense clashes that left more than 130 dead this year, which led to a deal Thursday that saw the two Turkish-backed remaining factions stand down, capping the jihadists' clean sweep. Turkey, which has troops deployed in parts of Idlib and elsewhere in northern Syria, appeared to do little to stop HTS' expansion. "Turkey didn't prevent HTS' takeover, but it's not obvious that it was in a position to do so," said Sam Heller, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. HTS has an estimated 25,000 seasoned and well-armed fighters in its bastion, and has long been the dominant force in Idlib. - Turkey setback - The jihadists' lightning advance across Idlib earlier this year mark an unequivocal defeat for several outfits that were directly supported by Turkey. "For Turkey, it's the defeat of its allies," said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert and geographer. Two factions in the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front that had been battling HTS stood down and signed the deal on Thursday which essentially sees them absorbed. Ahrar al-Sham and Suqur al-Sham said they were keeping some of their forces in the Idlib area for now, but they will fall under the newly expanded administration of the Salvation Government. Just like the forces from the Nureddine al-Zinki group that HTS defeated last week, the rebels who reject jihadist rule will most likely relocate to other Turkish-controlled areas such as Afrin. Turkey has been training and equipping Syrian proxies to use against the Kurdish militia that controls the northeast of the country. They have threatened a cross-border assault against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), but the main deterrent has been the presence of a US-led coalition. The troop pullout announced by US President Donald Trump last month, and which the coalition confirmed Friday was under way, could clear the way for a Turkish offensive. - HTS' takeover of Idlib means the terms of a deal reached in the Russian resort of Sochi on September 17 have not been respected. After the agreement with Damascus sponsor Russia, Turkey was tasked with using its proxies in Idlib to rein in jihadists. The Sochi deal froze a threatened Russian-backed government offensive which had seemed imminent four months ago. An onslaught on an area home to an estimated three million people would have caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Turkey, which already provides shelter to 3.6 million Syria refugees, is keen to avoid a fresh round of violence that could spark another wave of displacement. The HTS takeover revives the threat of a Syrian offensive but Balanche predicted it might not be the regime's priority. "The Russians are ready to attack at any moment but they won't do it," he said. "They are using (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan to put pressure on the Americans to leave northeastern Syria," he said. Turkey on Thursday reacted angrily to the mixed messages the US administration has been sending about the pace of the troop withdrawal, and warned that any further delay would prompt it to trigger its invasion. | https://news.yahoo.com/next-syrias-idlib-005932610.html |
Can Donald Trump Invoke Emergency Powers to Get His Wall? | A wise person once said that perusal of the days news requires an answer to the question, Is this crisis worth worrying about? When it comes to the prospect of President Donald Trump invoking emergency powers to build a wall at the border with Mexico, the answer to that question is an emphatic yes. The political logic for Trump to declare a national emergency in order to build a wall has become increasingly clear. He believes that the wall is an unbreakable commitment to his supporters, but negotiations with Congress over money to pay for it are at an impasse. It looks like an emergency is his only chance to get the walland securing funding for it in this way, outside the normal appropriations process, would allow him to start the process of building it, while also signing a bill that would reopen the full federal government. On Thursday, the President seemed to be leaning this way. If this doesnt work out, he said, referring to budget negotiations with Congress, probably I will do it, I would almost say definitely. This is a national emergency. In some ways, the emergency option might suit Trumps Democratic opponents in Congress, too. It would allow the government to reopen before the public starts blaming them, in addition to the President, for the shutdown. It all makes so much senseand it would be a sign that the country is rushing toward an authoritarian future. The situation is even more perilous because, in my view, the current law favors Trump. The National Emergencies Act of 1976 is a sloppily written statute that, even though it was passed in response to Watergate, presupposes a level of good faith on the part of the President. This is because the law doesnt provide a definition of emergency, thus leaving that determination essentially up to the Commander-in-Chief. Its been invoked by Presidents more than forty times, and there are currently thirty-one emergencies in effect. Three have been declared by Trump, including one about sanctions on Russia for interference in the 2016 election. Virtually all of these declared emergencies are uncontroversial; many involve the imposition of sanctions on people involved in human-rights violations in Africa and Central America. Most important, none of them was declared in explicit defiance of Congresss power to appropriate funds. Clearly, the law was not intended to be used as an end run around Congress, but, given its imprecise wording, the courts may well allow Trump to use it that way. (Indeed, the courts might not even address the constitutionality of the Presidents emergency action, because its possible that no one, especially not members of Congress, would have standingthat is, the legal right to challenge Trumps invocation of an emergency. If Trump were to use the emergency powers to seize private land under the doctrine of eminent domain, the owners of that land would have the right to go to court; but the process of identifying the landowners and seizing their land would likely take many months, if not years, meaning that there would be no resolution in the courts for a very long time.) During nearly two hundred and fifty years of American constitutional history, two things have been true: the power of the Presidency has grown, and Congress has always retained the power of the pursethe heart of its authority under Article I of the Constitution. During that same history, many of the disputes between the executive and legislative branches have been about how much the federal government should spend, and on what. These disputes have ended in one of two ways: with the President signing a budget passed by Congress, or with Congress overriding the Presidents veto. If the President can spend government funds without congressional approvalindeed, if he can do so in the face of an explicit congressional refusal to spend funds for precisely the purpose that he seeksthat fundamentally reorders the relations between the branches. Specifically, it vastly expands the Presidents power at the expense of Congress. Even conservatives purport to recognize the risk of this kind of restructuring of the constitutional balance. After all, Trump will not always be the President. On Wednesday, Senator Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican, warned against the practice of emergency spending by the President. If today, the national emergency is border security, tomorrow the national emergency might be climate change, he said. (He was right about the process if wrong on the issues; climate change really is an emergency.) Still, if the first two years of Trumps Presidency is a guide, Republicans like Rubio will express their concern and then fall in line behind the President. A Supreme Court anchored by two Trump appointees with a capacious understanding of executive power will likely be no check, either. And, if todays emergency is the need for a border wall, tomorrows, as Rubio said, will be a need for something else. Congress, and the American people, will have to live with whatever that turns out to be. | https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/can-donald-trump-invoke-emergency-powers-to-get-his-wall |
What Does It Take For A Team To Be In The Top 1% In The Tech Industry? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Vishnu Raju Datla, Founder & CEO at AutoRABIT, on Quora: Recently, one of our clients Chief Information Officer commented that he wanted his team to be in the top 1% in the industry. Soon after, our sponsor, their VP of IT, and I tried to unpack the CIOs statements and get something tangible to help my customer deliver the CIOs vision. In a word, speed. It wasnt long ago that software companies could enjoy the luxury of moving slowly. The whole two-year process would start all over again. Today, however, if you want to be in the top 1% of IT teams, that approach is laughable, due to the new benchmarks of software delivery. Companies like Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and Etsy have blazed the trail to get their code from a developer all the way to an end user on a daily basis. The only way to get there is by implementing DevOps, refining processes, staying competitive, and applying pragmatic leadership goals. It takes a ton of hard work, but if youre passionate, strategic and confident enough, you'll be able to pull it off. Heres how to go about it: Grasp the importance of speed and agility. Increasing the delivery velocity is a business imperative. There have never been more tools and opportunities (along with online communities) to get help for those who want to move fast. Today, a broke college kid with access to open-source software can build an app along with e-commerce integration in weeks. As an IT leader, you need to be a passionate and hungry college kid. Moving quickly allows you to challenge the Goliaths of the industry that cant react as fast. Take giants like Capital One and Bank of America, for example. For a random consumer in Minneapolis, there really isnt much of a difference between the two banks in terms of their services. But the mobile app software is really what tips the scales. If Capital Ones app keeps giving customers new features that they demand regularly, those customers will begin to move more of their business over to that platform and away from the competition. Its no longer beneficial to be quick, its actively detrimental to be slow. Any company that isn't keeping pace is already on their way to extinction. Create a sense of urgency to stay competitive. Unfortunately, just understanding of the importance of velocity and speed is not enough. You have to increase your velocity, not just within your team but within some dependent functions, too. In the SaaS software business, I see a new competitor enter our market every quarterand any one of them has the potential to hurt our market share. A competitor is always knocking at the door. If we lose focus, even for a short time, someone is going to come to take a bite out of my business. I know this from my own experience. At one point, moving slowly affected our growth at my startup, AutoRABIT. We were supporting several tech stacks with 100+ integrations, but we weren't investing in DevOps or tools to support our platform with seven different modules (which are independent products in their own right). Due to our divided attention and slow processes, we lost leadership on a couple of modules. Another company built a better module than us, and we were consistently slow and strugglingand maybe bit complacent. In fact, we ended up partnering with our competitor, and we now refer business to them. While we have refocused and are revamping our core modules today, we lacked a sense of urgency and the 1% mindset we needed to be faster and nimbler. It was a wake-up call for me. Realize that Change Management is key. After our failure, I knew I had to start practicing what I was preaching when it came to DevOps and cultural change. The first thing we did was step back and spend time on planning. Our team began investing in training, tools, and processes, but most importantly in Change Management. We started automating and spending time and money on better processes, better people, better technology. We even increased our salary budgets to attract top talent and brought in a consulting firm to audit our process and service guidelines. We had to tackle: Internal resistance to DevOps and culture changes. External pressure created by our innovation goals versus the external stability needs. Calculated risks in tools, new process, people churn, and the teams breakpoints. It wasnt an easy journey. But as a leader, you have to show your team what it means to be in the top 1%. You have to communicate the vision, the goals, and the way forward. You have to make sure every developer is getting better and enjoying what they do because youll only have success when your team is looking forward to coming into the office and achieving something every day, every week, and every month. Thats how a top 1% team is born. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/01/11/what-does-it-take-for-a-team-to-be-in-the-top-1-in-the-tech-industry/ |
Which Wolves players stand to benefit most under Ryan Saunders? | Welcome to the Friday edition of The Cooler, where its always a good idea to get a running start when jumping to conclusions. Lets get to it: *Ryan Saunders has been a head coach in the NBA for 48 minutes of game time, and in that 119-117 Wolves victory he was without two important players Robert Covington and Derrick Rose while a third, Karl-Anthony Towns, battled foul trouble all game. So that game isnt going to provide us a ton of clues as to what the Wolves rotations will look like when fully healthy. 1 Andrew Wiggins: Wiggins seemed unburdened in pouring in 40 points (including 16 of 18 from the line) and grabbing 10 rebounds in what might have been the best game of his NBA career. He had produced some strong games recently before Tom Thibodeau was fired, and he has tended to play well against Oklahoma City in the past, but its hard to imagine it was a coincidence that he erupted in the first game under Saunders a head coach he genuinely seems to like. His usage rate possessions that ended in him taking a shot, getting fouled or turning the ball over in the game was 37 percent. Thats Russell Westbrook territory, and well above his season average (23.8). Some of that came because of the aforementioned injured players and Towns foul trouble, but an involved Wiggins is an active Wiggins. Saunders seems committed to keeping that up. 2 Tyus Jones: Thibodeau never seemed fully sold on Jones skill set, preferring point guards like Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose who can create their own shot and score. The result when all three players were healthy this season was often Teague and Rose playing about 30 minutes while Jones got 15-20 often with Rose as part of a second unit in which he was sometimes playing off the ball. Saunders has more of an analytics background and might appreciate that Jones has the best defensive rating (102.8) of any Wolves regular this season and has a better real plus-minus rating than Teague or Rose. As someone who was there on draft night in 2015 and saw Flip Saunders Ryans dad, of course embrace Tyus after trading to get him in the first round, I know Flip was a huge fan. Ryan Saunders appears to be a fan, too and Ill be curious to see how the playing time is split up Friday night when Rose is expected to be active along with Teague and Jones. 3 Dario Saric: Hes averaging 23.4 minutes off the bench since coming over in the Jimmy Butler trade, splitting time almost evenly with starter Taj Gibson. He played 25 in Saunders coaching debut Tuesday and had 15 points with 7 rebounds and a team-best plus-22 mark. Saric launched six three-pointers (making two), and if Saunders really wants to play faster and shoot more threes, its fair to wonder if Sarics workload and impact will increase. 4 Josh Okogie: The rookies role has fluctuated dramatically based on injuries this year. When everyone was healthy, Thibodeau stuck heavily to a nine-man rotation and Okogie was often an odd man out playing sparingly or not at all. Saunders seems to be more flexible with his substitutions and rotations and has said he could use 10 guys. It will be interesting to see if he carves out a role for Okogie even with Rose back Friday and particularly when Covington eventually returns. *I showed you Willians Astudillos admiration of his winter league home run the other day, so now you should see the aftermath: The retaliation. After getting brushed back hard in a previous at bat, this happened: *This is from a couple days ago, but check out this trick shot serve on match point! | http://www.startribune.com/which-wolves-players-stand-to-benefit-most-under-ryan-saunders/504220552/ |
How Will A Complete Shift To Digital New Video Game Software Impact GameStop's Earnings? | GameStop Inc (NYSE:GME) has been facing a decline in sales of late, given the rise of digital downloads. In fact, the company might soon be sold, as some of the private equity companies are willing to buy GameStop, according to a media report. The growth in digital downloads has impacted the companys business model of physical sales. In this note we discuss the impact on GameStops earnings, if all of new video game software sales were to be digital. We have created an interactive dashboard analysis ~ What Will Be The Impact of All New Video Game Software Sales Going Digital On GameStops Earnings. You can adjust several drivers to see the impact on the companys earnings. We assume the physical sales to be 60% of GameStops overall new video game software sales, which translates into $1.4 billion in physical sales. Note that the company also sells digital downloadable content mostly on the day of launch. We analyze a scenario if there is a shift for these physical sales to digital downloads directly from the game publishers, thereby eliminating GameStop as an intermediary. The complete shift to digital is very much a possibility. In fact, some of the analysts have predicted this to happen as early as 2022. To understand the impact of this scenario on earnings, we use the companys overall adjusted net income margin of 6% and 98 million share count to arrive at $0.86 earnings per share that can be attributed to physical sales of new video game software. This is roughly 30% of the companys overall estimated earnings of $2.96 per share for 2019, according to our estimates. Note that GameStop also sells physical pre-owned video game software, which is not accounted for in this calculation. We forecast new video game software sales to decline in mid-high single digits in fiscal 2018, and in low single digits in fiscal 2019. The decline in revenues, and the companys charge related to impairment have impacted the bottom line in the recent quarters. The company also decided to sell its Spring Mobile business in 2018, and reduce its debt, along with focusing on the core video game business. Separately, there have been changes in the companys top management in the recent past. Longtime CEO Paul Raines died in March 2018. He was replaced by Michael Mauler, who left after just three months, and currently Shane Kim is GameStops current CEO. The companys stock price has declined more than 35% in 2018, owing to these factors. However, the share price jumped up over 20% over the last week or so, given the news of interested buyers for GameStop. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/11/how-will-a-complete-shift-to-digital-new-video-game-software-impact-gamestops-earnings/ |
How Does Trevor James Travel The World Eating For A Living? | As I finished interviewing The Food Ranger, I mentioned that a friend of mine was a massive fan who had done impressions of him in the past. To say that Trevor Jamess entire mood changed is to understate it. He was practically euphoric. The next thing I knew, James, his manager Josh Zimmerman, and I were on the phone with my utterly blindsided friend, who could barely speak from surprise, let alone grace us with his hilarious version of Trevors Canadian drawl. By the end of the phone call, The Food Ranger had invited him to hang out if he ever found himself in Chengdu. That fearless enthusiasm is exactly what has made Trevor James so successful. The Food Ranger, his YouTube channel, is a food and travel show that brings viewers a window into the street food of the world, food that James describes as, "where the soul of authentic and local flavor comes from." His devoted fan base tunes in to watch him eat machete-sized quesadillas in Mexico City, bowls of hand-pulled noodles straight from the pot in Xi'An - even Bedouin-style camel in Dubai. James is just as hyped about an exclusive sushi bar in Tokyo as he is about a fresh loaf of peinirli bread in Greece, and if you offer him a plate of unidentified organ meats with a big enough smile, hes sure to at least take a quick bite. When James was in college he and some friends traveled, "from Hong Kong to Beijing overland, I tasted new food in every city... At that time I couldn't speak any Mandarin, so I ended up just pointing at menus and hoping the food was good, and it was!" It was a transformative experience. He knew he had to come back. Fast forward to 2015. Trevor is living in China, eating as much street food as he can find, he's building a following, visits Istanbul and meets a girl. Everything changed. That girl was Ting Ting, a Guangzhou native with an equal passion for food. They traveled the city together and since she had just quit her job, she went to visit him in Chengdu. Before long, she was his videographer. In the first 6 months of their partnership, James and Ting took the channel, from 10,000 subscribers to almost 100,000. After 3 years we have almost 2.5 million subscribers! Now, they're engaged, and they even made a recent video with both families. The purity of Trevor's enthusiasm is almost jarring. He's excited about being on the road all the time. He's excited about the long lines that develop at businesses he's featured. He's excited about how supportive his fans are, and he shows no signs of slowing down: "It's like every day you can have a new adventure and try new foods, new things, meet new people. Everywhere you go, if you drive, say, 50 kilometers almost across the entire continent of Asia, there will be a new specialty for you to try." Earlier this year, he was humbled by a visit to Hyderabad, where he visited a restaurant making a stew called haleem, "We got into [this] kitchen, you could call it more of a factory, and there were hundreds of these big pots full of pounded wheat and goat meat and spices... It was so hot in there, everyone was working so hard...It was amazing to see and to taste it as well." His channel has allowed him a similar window into the daily lives of food entrepreneurs the world over. Unfortunately, some of his favorite spots are being threatened: "A lot of places that we visit, we see a trend where street food is disappearing. It's seen as something unhygienic, people don't look up to it." But countries like Malaysia and Singapore have established hawker centers, markets that James says feel the same as the stalls he loves, but that are more modern and regulated. He hopes to see more of them so these hyper-regional delicacies he loves can stay intact in the 21st century. Regardless, he's going to keep traveling, keep trying new foods, and keep making videos. And hey, if you find yourself in Chengdu, send him a quick message. You might end up in one of them. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizzysaxe/2019/01/11/how-does-trevor-james-travel-the-world-eating-for-a-living/ |
Did speaking Spanish get a cook fired from Davis restaurant? | Francisca Perez came to Osteria Fasulo, a high-end Italian restaurant in Davis Village Homes subdivision, searching for a job in 2007. She had years of kitchen experience in Mexico but minimal English skills, having crossed the United States southern border four years prior. Perez told The Bee in an interview that Leonardo Fasulo told her in Spanish not to worry. She could start cooking that day if she wanted. Perez worked at Osteria Fasulo for 11 years, making dishes such as braised rabbit stew with polenta for some of Davis wealthiest diners until May 31, 2018. During the dinner rush that night, Fasulo allegedly overheard her take an order from waitress Janet Ruelas-Nava in Spanish. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. For that, Perez alleged, Fasulo screamed at her, pounded a table, mockingly asked if she wanted him to add burritos to the menu and told her she needed to learn English to keep her job all in front of her 11-year-old son, who had just walked in. She allegedly snapped back at him, saying he was discriminating against Mexicans despite them supporting his kitchen. Then, she said, Fasulo told her, You can get your ass out of my restaurant. The Center For Workers Rights, a Sacramento-based legal services nonprofit for low-wage workers, filed a complaint on Perezs behalf with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Tuesday. Though the DFEH rejected a California Public Records Act request for a copy of the complaint, citing a policy against releasing active case details, the Center for Workers Rights provided The Bee with a copy of what it says was filed with the state agency. The complaint alleges Perez was unduly fired for speaking Spanish and is still owed her final paycheck. The complaint includes a signed statement from the waitress, Ruelas-Nava, backing Perezs recollection and explaining why she also quit that same day. When questioned outside his restaurant in December, Fasulo denied commanding Perez to speak English. He said Perez is not owed a final paycheck and said she quit of her own accord, then declined to comment further. His attorney, Matthew B. Smith, also declined to comment after multiple attempts to contact him through calls and emails. Perez worked sunup to sundown at restaurants in the Mexican state of Campeche, bringing home just 500 pesos (about $50 at the time) every two weeks, she said. She immigrated to Davis in 2003 with a 3-year-old, and had two more sons after she arrived. Her middle child, 11-year-old Kenneth Lucas Perez, was in the restaurant on her last day. I just saw him yell, at my mom, a bunch of stuff, and my mom was crying but also getting angry at the same time, Kenneth said in an interview. He was saying something about changing the menu to Mexican food, and then he stopped yelling and looked at me. Fasulo had already been arguing with other employees when Ruelas-Nava, a UC Davis student, started her shift around 4:30 p.m., according to the servers statement in the complaint. Ruelas-Navas former boss, whom she described as impulsive and aggressive, berated her after overhearing her conversation with Perez around 6:30, Ruela-Nava said. Fasulo commanded Ruelas-Nava to speak English in the restaurant, saying she didnt travel thousands of miles not to speak the language of her new nation, she said. She told him she was a U.S. citizen and had a right to speak Spanish, and he reportedly moved onto Perez. When Ruelas-Navas shift ended around 9:30 p.m., she walked into Fasulos office and quit. I told him that this was my last day and I was not going to come back, Ruelas-Nava said in her statement. Mr. Fasulo got angry again and we started arguing. After the argument, Mr. Fasulo came out of his office and gave me my final check. He knew that the reason I was quitting because of his behavior and his English only statements. Immigrants both legal and undocumented make up 31 percent of Americas cooks, per the Pew Research Center. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of native language or accent. Employers can institute language requirements on rare occasions for positions communicating with customers or workplaces with high risk of injury. Though Perez regularly responded to commands from chef Marcello Fasulo Leonardos son in English, three of the five kitchen employees spoke Spanish to each other, she said. She described her English comprehension as OK and chose to be interviewed for this story through an interpreter. Leonardo Fasulo was born in Argentina, per California voter records, but said he grew up in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy in a 2004 interview with The Sacramento Bee. He managed an upscale Italian restaurant in San Francisco before opening Osteria Fasulo, where the Plumshire Inn once stood, in 2003. Fasulo previously owned Il Posto in downtown Sacramento from 2005-06 with his then-wife, Mina. A registered Republican, he decorated Il Posto with portraits of government officials. According to a 2005 article in The Bee, Fasulo made small waves by sending back the drawing of Arnold Schwarzenegger, saying it needed to be bigger to fit with the second-floor Governors Dining Room. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing will interview Perez to corroborate her story before further investigating. Perez isnt in a rush to get back to a kitchen, she said. She has a custodial job in Sacramento, closer to her home. She also doesnt regret speaking out, despite the upheaval shes experienced as a result. Watching (Kenneth) cry was enough for (me) to say, My son doesnt need to experience this situation, Perez said. I was scared, but I believe we have rights and need to speak up against employers that are trying to humiliate us and treat us bad. | https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/restaurants/article222580425.html |
Whats so scary about Huawei? | For many of us, the conflict over Huawei isnt easy to grasp. Weve never heard of the company before now, and were not sure what it does, or what the stakes are. Heres one place to start. Huawei is Chinas biggest private company. It now sells more phones than Apple, and is second only to Samsung. It is the largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in the world. It is the flagship for Chinas aspirations to global technology leadership. And its a company which employees described to the New York Times as having a wolf culture a place with aggressive tactics where workers were encouraged to bend certain rules. The trouble is that if you hang around with wolves you might get hurt. Story continues below advertisement This is the context for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the United States, for allegedly violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. The arrest is perfectly legal, but wretchedly timed. It is just the latest skirmish in a much bigger battle between China and the United States to determine technological dominance. To many Chinese, who regard Huawei as a national champion, the move is a terrible snub to their global aspirations. Its as if the Chinese were to detain Sheryl Sandberg. The new competition is not in trade but technology, said Janice Stein, the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management at the University of Toronto in an interview. China is already a global competitor in 5G the next generation of technology that will increase operating speeds by a factor of a thousand, and enable the next great age of innovation. Tomorrows challenge is whos got access to the largest amount of data in the cheapest and fastest way. Access to big data at scale will be the most important driver of innovation, growth and wealth. Ottawa is in the midst of an anguished process to decide whether to bar Huawei from Canadas 5G networks. The pressure do to so comes from our intelligence agency and from our partners in the Five Eyes network Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, where Huawei has been shut out everywhere but Britain on national security grounds. A victory here gives Huawei a valuable calling card elsewhere. On the other side are a range of commercial interests, including Telus and Bell, which have a billion dollars invested in Huawei equipment that they dont want to rip out. Canadian resource and manufacturing companies are increasingly dependent on Chinas growing number of middle-class consumers. Canadas universities have a lot at stake as well. Chinese students make up a third of their foreign enrolment, and contribute about $5-billion in total revenues to Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once naively dreamed of a free-trade deal with China that would make us rich, advance the cause of human rights and reduce Canadas dependence on the U.S. economy. But now, he faces the prospect of painful trade retaliation from China if we kick Huawei out. And if we dont, he faces the wrath of his own spy chiefs and those of the United States. U.S. intelligence chiefs have already advised that people should not be buying Huawei phones. The last thing Mr. Trudeau wants to do is stir the wrath of China to the point where it damages our long-term economic interests. The government is looking to continue its commercial relationship with China even as it makes decisions on national security. The trouble is that Huawei is obligated under Chinas national intelligence law to take instructions from the government on issues of national security (although it denies vociferously that it is, in essence, an agent of the Chinese state). Its work is just as vital to Chinas national interest as the massive Belt and Road initiative thats designed to project Chinese power and influence around the world. And the potential risks it could pose to both business and security are not just spooky paranoia. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Imagine that someone could gain access to your cellphone and suck up all your personal data in an instant. Its not so far-fetched. Plainly said: There is state-sponsored espionage in Canada, CSIS director David Vigneault warned in a speech last month. In the blink of an eye, the companys technology is accessed, its products are reverse engineered, and a foreign competitor starts selling the same technology worldwide at a much cheaper price, he went on. We have to be mindful that hostile states will use any means to recruit people, project their influence, and gain access to our proprietary information. Welcome to the new Cold War, where the weapons are technology and information instead of tanks. As Prof. Stein predicts, The United States and China are competing to reborder the world." Technology platforms will be drawing the borders. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-whats-so-scary-about-huawei/ |
Could Santa Monicas e-scooter mania take hold in Toronto? | When first arriving in Santa Monica, the city seems like a vision of the future depicted in Sci-Fi films, with people zipping about on electric scooters in the California sun. One of the companies behind the scooters, Bird, has recently begun lobbying Toronto city councillors and the mayors office, so this future may be on its way to Toronto and other Canadian cities. A sidewalk is dotted with e-Scooters in the Santa Monica and Venice Beach areas of Los Angeles County. ( Shawn Micallef / For the Toronto Star ) Recently I rode a scooter in Santa Monica, a city dubbed The E-Scooter Capital of the World as there are multiple start-up companies populating the oceanside citys sidewalks. City administrators there have been willing to pilot them while other jurisdictions have not. I downloaded the app for Lime, one brand of scooters, but I could have also used my Uber or Lyft apps as those ride-hailing companies have also started providing e-scooters. Once registered, the app provides a map showing the nearest scooters and how much farther they can go before running out of power. When first stepping on one it doesnt start by simply squeezing the throttle: it requires a little push with your leg before the motor starts. Its like a reminder that able-bodied people can get around on their own power, as weve done forever. When the motor does kick in it really zips. Article Continued Below Since riders stand upright on scooters the closest equivalent might be standing on an escalator or moving sidewalk, but those move much slower. With top speeds of around 23 kilometres per hour, the speed is substantial so theres volatility to riding them, though that feeling probably fades with more experience. The scooter wheels are quite small though and I felt all the bumps even though Santa Monica streets, free of salt and snowploughs, are quite smooth. As any cyclist knows, Toronto streets are often jarring, with potholes that can sprain wrists and streetcar tracks that can catch even a conscientious rider at the wrong angle, so the experience here will be quite different. Toronto skateboarders seem to manage all right but theyre a hearty bunch and, most importantly, self-propelled. With e-scooters a lot of casual riders will be on these motorized devices. Predictably, in some places scooters are being piloted, injuries are way up. As a mobility device, I cant envision many older folks using them, or anybody even a little nervous about moving around quickly while standing upright. Admittedly I did feel a little old riding one as theres something infantilizing about these scooters, perhaps because they look so much like the kind kids ride. This is a subjective feeling of course, perhaps as wrong as opponents of bicycles who say they are just for kids. Santa Monica has some rules for scooters that include no sidewalk riding and a requirement for helmets, though there was much flaunting of them. Even when theyre not moving, you see the scooters everywhere. Sometimes theyre lined up orderly on the sidewalk inside painted boxes the city has reserved for them. More often than not though theyre haphazardly parked on sidewalks, sometimes lying on their sides in a pile with others. Occasionally, theyre in bushes and on lawns. At one point I saw a man leave his battery-depleted scooter on the wheelchair ramp that led down to the beach in a place that would prove troublesome for anybody trying to use the ramp for its intended purpose. Any random person can also easily move a locked scooter, so keeping them corralled will be difficult. Article Continued Below This is where the futuristic feeling of the scooters gives way to annoyance at all the clutter. With a few exceptions, Toronto has notoriously narrow sidewalks so its easy to envision e-scooters immediately blocking them here. Theres also the unseen issue of how the scooters are charged up. Like with Uber or food delivery companies, theres an army of contract workers who collect depleted scooters in their car, take them home, charge them up and return them to designated spots. Though there are reports of it being a lucrative part-time job for high school students, its yet another aspect of the precarious gig economy that is marketed as urban infrastructure. Our streets and sidewalks here are already so crowded that another mode of transportation vying for the scarce real estate seems destined for problems. Walking is community and built-in exercise, but human nature will usually pick the easier way to get around. Those who do walk also face the prospect of people moving much faster than them sharing the same or nearby space. Finding a balance for e-scooters in the city will be a challenge. Shawn Micallef is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @shawnmicallef | https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/11/could-santa-monicas-e-scooter-mania-take-hold-in-toronto.html |
Is the Bidwill family, owners of the Arizona Cardinals, racist? | Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill (left) introduces his new head coach Kliff Kingsbury during a press conference on Jan. 9 at the Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic) Short answer: No. A sportscaster in Dallas named Dale Hansen is getting a lot of attention implying that the Bidwill family, owner of the Arizona Cardinals, is racist. And are part of a racist clique called the National Football league. He bases this on the teams hiring of a young, good-looking, white former college coach, Kliff Kingsbury, as the new head coach of the Cardinals. A man with no coaching experience in the pros and a losing record as a college coach. But also a coach who is thought of as an offensive play-calling wizard who is particularly good at developing young quarterbacks. Which is why the Cardinals hired him. Hansen went on, A lot of people dont understand how Kingsbury can have a losing record at Texas Tech, no NFL experience, and get one of the 32 NFL jobsGetting fired at one place and getting another chance isnt the problem. But young talented coaches of color not getting the chance thats a huge problem. The coach Kingsbury is replacing is Steve Wilks, a black man. Given the cutthroat nature of the league, Id guess that Wilks wasnt hired because he is black but because the owners thought he could help the team win. And he wasnt fired because he is black but because the team lost. And lost. And lost. Some years back around 2005 or 2006 I was part of a group of individuals from the community that the Cardinals asked to help decide which local charities the team should support. (There were a bunch.) At the time, the coach of the team was Dennis Green, a black man, and the general manager was Rod Graves, a black man. I believe Hansen is correct about the NFLs problem with covert racism. That is why it has that rule about interviewing minority coaches. A little bit of family history But that doesnt mean the Bidwill family has such a problem. Not lately, anyway. And not for a long time if ever. Back in 1995 I heard from Sister Martha Carpenter, who with other nuns operates the St. Peter Indian Mission Catholic School on the Gila River Indian Community. She told me about a person who, until then, had been a secret and very generous benefactor of the school and the community. It was Bill Bidwill, who ran the Cardinals before his son, Michael, took over. The relationship began all those years ago when the roof in the building where the nuns lived needed to be redone. The estimate was $7,500. ''I didn't have it on me,'' Sister Martha told me in '95. ''Goodness, if only we did! But, I remembered that I had met Mr. Bidwill once and he had told me that if I ever needed anything, I should call him. Boy, has he lived to regret that.'' Friend of a mission school Sister Martha called Bidwill at Arizona Cardinals headquarters and told him about the roof. A few days later, as Sister Martha came out of her office, she saw the owner of the football team approaching. He had driven to the mission, alone. Bidwill handed her an envelope. Inside was a $5,000 check from Cardinals charities, a $2,500 check from Bidwill and his wife, Nancy, and another $2,500 check from Cardinals then-coach Buddy Ryan and his wife, Joan. ''I started to cry,'' Sister Martha said. ''I told him, 'Oh, Mr. B, this is too much.' And he said, 'Look at this place. It's falling apart. It might not be enough. And if it's not, you call me.' '' Sister Martha smiled. ''Well,'' she said, ''I've been calling ever since.'' This isnt the only cause assisted by the man Sister Martha calls Mr. B, most of it done with no fanfare. No. Does it earn them at the very least the benefit of the doubt. Yes. Im not a fan of the Bidwills politics. Way too much to the right for me. And Im a fan of their team only when theyre not playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. (This didnt go over well with some readers prior to, and after, Super Bowl XLIII.) But they are good people who have done good. So to answer the question posed in the headline slightly more vociferously: Hell no. MORE BY MONTINI: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/01/11/arizona-cardinals-racist-bidwill-dallas-sportscaster/2551000002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/01/11/arizona-cardinals-racist-bidwill-dallas-sportscaster/2551000002/ |
Are these lifelong renters ready for retirement? | Open this photo in gallery At the rate they are going, Keith and Karen will have about $2.2-million in savings and investments by the time he retires in 2025. Glenn Lowson/Globe and Mail At the age of 58, Keith is preparing for the day when he will retire from his $140,000-a-year job as a health-care professional a few years hence. His wife, Karen, also 58, is unemployed and has no plans to return to work. They have no children. Their circumstances are unusual in that they have substantial assets but no house. We have been renters for all of our lives, Keith writes in an e-mail. This proves that people do not need to own a home in order to succeed financially. He estimates their net worth at $1.6-million, with about 40 per cent in stocks and 60 per cent in fixed income. Story continues below advertisement Their main question is what is the most tax-efficient strategy for drawing down their savings once Keith is no longer working. They wonder, too, whether they should buy an annuity or two at some point to guard against outliving their savings. Their retirement spending goal is $72,000 a year after tax. We asked Ian Calvert, a portfolio manager at Highview Financial Group in Toronto, to look at Keith and Karens situation. What the expert says At the rate they are going, Keith and Karen will have about $2.2-million in savings and investments by the time he retires in 2025, Mr. Calvert says. This is assuming they both continue to make their maximum tax-free savings account contributions and Keith continues to contribute to his pension, which is matched by his employer, the planner says. While they have done a great job of saving their surplus income, proving that financial success can be achieved without owning real estate, not having a diversified balance sheet a house to fall back on does present a concentrated set of retirement challenges and risks, Mr. Calvert says. Without the prospect of downsizing, which typically results in an injection of capital to the family, the management of their investment portfolio should be done with extreme care, he says. Managing their market risk should be a top priority. By the time Keith retires, their $72,000 a year spending goal will have risen with inflation to about $84,000. If they can earn an average annualized rate of return after fees on their portfolio of 3.5 per cent, they will be terrific shape and should have no concern of outliving their money, Mr. Calvert says. They have no need to reach for additional risk, he adds. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement While their asset mix is appropriate, its important that they keep an eye on it, rebalancing when warranted, the planner says. If left unwatched, their retirement portfolio could drift away from the target asset mix of 40 per cent equities, leaving them with more risk than they desire or are aware of. They should ensure, too, that they have a strong yield or cash flow from the portfolio in the form of dividends and interest, Mr. Calvert says. For instance, if they could construct portfolio to have a 2.5-per-cent to 3.5-per-cent return through interest and dividend income alone, there would be less dependence on market growth and a higher level of certainty to their financial plan. When Keith retires, they should give careful consideration to how they withdraw from the portfolio and build a tax-efficient income plan. Their pillars of income will consist of government benefits (Canadian Pension Plan and Old Age Security), retirement savings (registered retirement savings plans and defined contribution pension) and their joint taxable portfolio. Because neither of them has a defined benefit pension, it makes sense for them to draw from their RRSPs and locked-in retirement account (from the DC pension) early in retirement because they will both be in a very low marginal tax bracket, Mr. Calvert says. If they converted their RRSP to a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) and their LIRA to a life income fund (LIF), their combined minimum withdrawal would be about $41,000 a year, which could be split for tax purposes. This income, combined with their government benefits, would leave a shortfall of about $17,500 a year to be taken from the non-registered portfolio. Even with no further contributions to their non-registered portfolio, this would be a very healthy withdrawal rate, Mr. Calvert says. They could maintain their capital and still have a healthy amount of investable assets at the age of 90. This assumes no change to their spending other than inflation. If one or both had to move to a long-term care home, this could be quite expensive, the planner notes. They have no real estate to sell to help fund the cost. Not overspending in the early years so they have enough capital to fund this potential transition should not be overlooked. Story continues below advertisement As for annuities, they could be a valuable component of their retirement plan (using a portion but not all of their investable assets), Mr. Calvert says. Annuities, sold by life insurance companies, pay a guaranteed regular income for life. The optimal age to start an annuity is influenced by a number of factors, but mainly by a persons longevity and income requirements. If Keith and Karen have a family history of longevity and a healthy lifestyle, they could use a portion of their capital to buy an annuity at age 70 or so. A good starting point would be to consider what their fixed expenses are. Then, consider an annuity payment that, when combined with CPP and OAS, covers all or most of their fixed expenses, the planner says. Client situation The people: Keith and Karen, both 58 The problem: How to draw down their savings in retirement in a tax-efficient way. The plan: Draw on registered savings first to take advantage of low tax bracket before mandatory minimum withdrawals kick in at age 72. Story continues below advertisement The payoff: The likelihood of having all the savings theyll need to last a lifetime. Monthly net income: $8,365 Assets: Bank accounts $50,000; joint investment portfolio $713,620; her portfolio $64,790; his TFSA $63,000; her TFSA $63,000; his RRSP $139,300; her RRSP $207,400; his DC pension plan $382,760. Total: $1.68-million. Monthly outlays: Rent $1,475; transportation $490; groceries $500; clothing $100; gifts $50; vacation, travel $500; dining, drinks, entertainment $60; personal care $75; club memberships $200; subscriptions $30; doctors, dentists $300; prescriptions $25; phones, TV, internet $205; RRSPs $1,000; TFSAs $915; pension plan contributions $600. Total: $6,525. Surplus of $1,840 goes to savings and investments. E-mail [email protected]. Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the persons profiled. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/retirement/article-life-long-renters-prepare-for-retirement/ |
Which Baseball Team Should Manny Machado and Bryce Harper Sign With If They Care About Taxes? | Getty Images We're still in the middle of baseball's hot stove season - the sport's offseason, when franchises juggle their rosters via trades and free-agent signings. There are dozens of free agents looking for contracts with new teams, but let's face it: All eyes are on superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Machado and Harper are asking for contracts worth more than $300 million and, who knows, they just might get them. If so, they'll be hit with some pretty big tax bills to go with the huge salaries. Their federal tax totals won't be affected by which team signs them, but their state taxes certainly will. That's because the bulk of what they earn will be taxed at the highest income tax rate in the state where the team is located, and state income tax rates vary widely. State sales tax and property tax rates differ even more. (Note: Athletes also pay state income taxes in most states to which they travel for road games throughout the season.) By most reports, there are seven teams still in the running for one (or both?) of these two superstars: the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. Machado and Harper will have to consider many different factors before signing with any team, but how much money they can make--and keep--will most certainly be a key factor in their decisions. Signing with a team in a low-tax city could save Machado and Harper millions of dollars each year. We've ranked the teams likely to sign Machado or Harper according to the estimated state tax burden where each team is located (highest tax to lowest). Take a look. Los Angeles Dodgers California top income tax rate: 13.3% Estimated annual state/local income tax bill: $4 million See California's full state tax profile After trading Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Alex Wood to the Cincinnati Reds, it sure looks like the Dodgers will push hard to lure Harper to L.A. (They're not wooing Machado.) But to sign him, the team might have to pay a little more to offset the big state income tax bill the slugger would face in California. At 13.3%, the Golden State has the highest marginal tax rate in the country. This includes the additional 1% levy on taxable income over $1 million. So, a player making $30 million per year for the Dodgers would pay around $3,949,359 per year in California income taxes. That's the largest potential state tax bill Harper is likely to see. California also has a relatively high sales tax rate (and superstar baseball players tend to buy a lot of stuff!). The state rate is 7.25%, but local governments can tack on additional taxes. In Los Angeles County, the base sales tax rate is 9.5% (and up to 10.25% in certain cities). This is the third-highest rate among the six cities Harper is rumored to be considering. Harper will want to look at real property tax rates in the L.A. area, too. In Los Angeles County, the median property tax paid in 2017 was $4,044. That also ranks as the third-highest among the possible landing spots for Harper. New York Yankees New York top income tax rate: 8.82% (plus city tax) Estimated annual state/local income tax bill: $3.8 million (living in NYC) Go to New York's full state tax profile The Bronx Bombers have a long history of bringing in high-priced free agents. New York's relatively high income tax rate (8.82%) might not be enough to keep Machado or Harper out of pinstripes, but if they live in New York City, they'll have to pay an additional 3.876% income tax on top of the state tax. With a $30 million-per-year contract, that comes to roughly $3,807,160 if they live in the Big Apple ($2,644,584 living in most other areas of the state). Sales taxes are not that high in the Big Apple--at least when compared with other cities on the list of contenders. The base state rate is only 4%, but cities can levy additional taxes. Plus, there's a special 0.375% commuter tax in the New York City metropolitan area. For anyone living in New York City, the combined state, city and commuter sales tax rate is 8.875%. That rate is the third-lowest on this list. However, property tax bills for anyone living in and around the Big Apple can be eye-popping. Those drawn to the bright lights of the big city should know that average real estate taxes in Manhattan, for example, were $8,769 in 2017. That's by far the highest among the cities on our list--almost 75% higher than the runner-up (Chicago). | https://news.yahoo.com/baseball-team-manny-machado-bryce-210055607.html |
Will freshmen Democrats make a mark on the Texas House? | With the start of this year's legislative session, the Capitol is teeming with 20-somethings who staff the offices of the 150 representatives and 31 senators, and, in the singular case of James Talarico, a 29-year-old who actually serves as an elected member of the 86th Texas Legislature. In defeating Republican Cynthia Flores for an open Williamson County seat formerly held by GOP Rep. Larry Gonzales, the Round Rock Democrat became one of 27 freshmen members of the House, 17 of them Democrats, and, most significantly, one of a dozen Democrats who flipped seats held by Republicans, a political upheaval that has already changed the tenor of the 140-day session that got underway this past week. Our message on the campaign trail was putting people over politics and it was about service and servant leadership and about bringing people together and doing whats best for Texas," said Talarico, who taught two years in a San Antonio middle school, received a master's in education policy from Harvard University and founded an education non-profit. All the freshmen talk about putting Texas first and serving the state and doing whats best for Texans and getting beyond ideology," Talarico said. "Its bringing us back to a more civil kind of politics. ... Our class shares very similar characteristics and I cant figure out, are we Trump babies, are we Beto babies? Youre forged in that fire and the message that comes out is ultimately more hopeful and more productive and more healing, and I really hope its going to have an impact on the chamber at large and I think youre seeing that it feels a little different, Talarico said. The bathroom bill doesnt have the same momentum it had, youre not hearing about immigration or guns. The fact that school finance is on everyones lips is I think a direct result of the election results. Individual freshman legislators do not generally determine the destiny of a session. But, whether it was the tea party surge just abated, or the blue wave of 2018, a cadre of new arrivals with common purpose can come to define the politics of the biennial gatherings. "With a class as large as this one, youre going to see a change in the complexion of the House," said former state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas. Villalba lost his bid for a fourth term to staunch conservative Lisa Luby Ryan in the March primary. She in turn lost in November to John Turner, the son of a former state legislator and Blue Dog Democratic member of Congress from East Texas, who describes himself as a "center Democrat," and who Villalba describes as "a very smart, knowledgeable, capable guy," who will ably represent the district. "Theres no way to change so many seats and not see a difference in the way the body as a whole operates," Villalba said. Couple that with the strong style of leadership you are going to see from (House Speaker Dennis) Bonnen (R-Angleton) and I think there is going to be a very different temperament to the body. It is going to be comprised of people from the center instead of from the far right which I think we were seeing in the last several sessions." How could it not be? said Terry Meza, a newly-elected member of a Dallas County delegation that went from seven Democrats and seven Republicans to 12 Democrats and two Republicans in November. In 2016, Meza lost by 64 votes to state Rep. Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie, in the Irving-based district. Early last year, Meza said Anderson told her that, without Trump on the ballot, the rematch was not going to be so close this year. He was right. Meza won by 4,200 votes. 'A new ballgame' The week after the election, Bonnen met with the newly elected House freshmen in the Agriculture Museum at the Capitol for more than two hours, outlasting all but a couple of the incoming representatives. He made the comment that he doesnt want to be a one-term speaker, because 2020s coming up next, said Meza. She said Bonnen recounted that he had told his Republican colleagues "that they could not have another session like the last one," with the rancorous debates over transgender bathroom legislation and Senate Bill 4, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, that bans sanctuary cities. Meza said that law provoked a backlash that proved pivotal to her victory in the majority-minority district. Sheryl Cole, Austin's former mayor pro tem, who was elected to succeed longtime Democratic lawmaker Dawnna Dukes representing the northeastern Travis County district, said Bonnen promised her that any education plan would address the needs of Central Texas, and Austin specifically. Hes saying that not just out of the kindness of his heart, Cole said. Hes saying that because hes got 12 new Democrats. Hes saying that because of the other Republicans who won by such small margins. I call him a cool calculator. Cole said she is taking him at his word and that it is up to Democrats to stop playing defense and start playing offense. Weve got a new ballgame in a lot of ways," Cole said. "I want cocky Austin solutions." John Bucy, who defeated Republican state Rep. Tony Dale in Williamson County by 10 points a race he lost by 13 points in 2014 is likewise impressed by Bonnen. I am incredibly encouraged by how much he is working with the freshmen Democrats ... and how committed he has been, not just in the press but behind the scenes, for education finance reform," Bucy said. "I think he knows we are an important turning point in our state," he said. "I think he knows he stands in the shadow of history and that and he can be a great speaker." 'Change in direction' Julie Johnson, an attorney who is the first married lesbian to serve in the Legislature, defeated state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, a tea party hero, by nearly 14 points. On the last day of the last regular session, May 29, 2017, Rinaldi called immigration officials to investigate Hispanic activists in the House gallery protesting the sanctuary cities bill, leading to an ugly encounter on the floor with state Rep. Poncho Nevrez, D-Eagle Pass. Gina Calanni of Katy, like Bonnen, a political science graduate of St. Edward's University, defeated two-term state Rep. Mike Schofield, a former aide to Gov. Rick Perry who in his first term was named by his Republican colleagues the Freshman Legislator of the Year. Calanni, who was encouraged to run by her three sons, 16, 9 and 7, because they thought she was "someone that would get something done," won by 113 votes. Jon Rosenthal, a first-time candidate from Houston, defeated 12-term Republican Gary Elkins, a payday lender, by 3 points. Rosenthal, who got involved in politics through the anti-Trump Indivisible movement, had filed to run against state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, but when another Democrat entered that race, Rosenthal switched at the last minute to run against Elkins, who would have otherwise been reelected unopposed. Of his Democratic classmates, Rosenthal said, "While were not monolithic, were generally in agreement that having a large class, flipping a significant number of seats, we can use our voice and maybe theres a better possibility for us to be more influential than some of the previous Democratic freshman classes. Its not just that we took 12 seats but we gained ground in a number of districts and so, in strictly political terms, thats the way the wind is blowing, thats the voice of the people of Texas speaking, that they want a little change in tenor, they want a little change in direction after this last session was so contentious." We turned out in historic numbers and it calmed down the crazy and that means good things, said state Rep. Celia Israel, the Austin Democrat first elected in Jan. 2014, who was active in helping to elect some of the 10 new Democratic women to the House, which, in Central Texas, include Austin's Vikki Goodwin, who defeated Republican Rep. Paul Workman, and Erin Zwiener of Driftwood, who won an open seat vacated by state Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs. Im really excited to have these new people, and Ive met almost all of them and they are all of one voice and they want to go back to their districts and say we moved the needle on public education, but thats not as easy as it sounds, Israel said. That means new revenue, that means being truthful about our rainy day fund (she thinks it should be tapped). It means being truthful about property taxes. Doesnt mean these new people have to become the experts on public school finance. These sessions have their own life to them and what I dont want to happen is we get into the middle of session, the budget is done in one chamber and there is an opportunity to get a platinum package on public education and because were fractured or were not hanging together we end up settling for the silver package, Israel said. 'Far-left Democrats' The House session opened with 83 Republicans, 64 Democrats and three vacancies in Democratic districts. Just by definition, the more closely divided a chamber is, the more balance there is, said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. A natural byproduct is going to be compromise, bipartisanship, cooperation and the House now with 83 Republicans, and, once these vacancies are filled, 67 Democrats, is the most evenly split since 2009. In the intervening years weve seen a nearly two-thirds/one-third split, a near super-majority, most of that time, and policies and politics reflected that. We need to be moderate, we need to get back to an equal House, where you can get better bills for the state," said Michelle Beckley, who used her perch as the owner of the Kookaburra Bird Shop in Carrolton to take out three-term state Rep. Ron Simmons, who had been in the thick of the bathroom bill as the sponsor of the privacy legislation in the House, intended to bar localities from making their own transgender-friendly bathroom policies. Beckley, whose front bangs are dyed blue, said, "I think people are shocked to see the blue hair and that Im actually pretty moderate. I'm a business owner. Im an Aggie." Her desk mate on the House floor is Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, an arch-conservative. Among the last to get to choose a seat, Beckley's options were the desk next to Cain or the desk in front of the press table, and both Beckley and Cain are good with her choice. "I like that there's 150 of us because I think you can get every little nuance of Texas and Texas is a large state," Beckley said. "We all have strong personalities and, at the end of the day, we all just want to make Texas better." Rinaldi said the common ground on school finance and property taxes will eventually quake. Theres a big chasm over what should be done so the question is who is going to show their hand first," Rinaldi said. "On one side you have conservatives who very much support the governors plan as it is now, very heavily focused on property tax reform, while putting more money into education, while making sure were not just throwing money into education without any accountability." Abbotts plan calls for capping revenue increases for local taxing entities at 2.5 percent a year. Democrats oppose that approach, preferring to dramatically increase the state role in paying for public education to reduce the burden on local property taxes without tying the hands of local governments to tax as they see fit. Of the new freshmen, Rinaldi said, "These are very far-left Democrats. These are not Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) Democrats; these are not Tracy King (D-Batesville) Democrats." "I dont see where, at the end of the session, Julie Johnson and Michelle Beckley end up on the same page as even a mainstream Republican like the speaker," Rinaldi said. But Johnson said, My sense right now is that the members of the House and Speaker Bonnen really want the House to be productive, fix this education system, get very positive results for Texans and not be as divisive and mean-spirited as it was last session." "I dont think anyone looks at last session with warm, heartfelt feelings," she said. "A lot of resentments were laid down. My experience with Bonnen so far have been exceedingly positive." And Nevrez, recalling the last day of the last session, said, "I really think what happened that day was the death knell for this Texas that I think in two more election cycles will not exist electorally. I really believe that." "The electorate told us that they want us to govern from the center, and if they do not heed that call, they are going to feel it," he said. | https://www.statesman.com/news/20190111/will-freshmen-democrats-make-mark-on-texas-house |
Could Malcolm Jenkins keep Saints from another Super Bowl? | Of four of the players from that New Orleans Saints team that won a Super Bowl nine years ago set to be on the Superdome field Sunday (Jan. 13), one will be on the opposite sideline. Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins is 10 seasons into an NFL career that began with the Saints. After five seasons, the Saints let him leave as a free agent. In the five seasons since then, hes been with the Eagles as an anchor to their secondary. Letting him leave probably as big a mistake as weve made here in 13 years, Saints coach Sean Payton said when the teams met in November for a Week 11 game the Saints won 48-7. He repeated that statement to Philadelphia media during the week. Then Friday, he said hes definitely a guy that you see on tape, and you see his leadership jumps off the film. Hes just a real good football player, a guy that in hindsight we shouldnt have let out of the building. Of the Saints players still in the building, seven of them were around during the time Jenkins played. Sean has described him as the Swiss Army Knife, Drew Brees said. I think thats a good description. Just a guy that can do everything. We drafted him in the first round as a corner so he played corner here for the first two years and then ended up gravitating to free safety. His versatility, his ability to come down and cover a slot receiver, to cover a tight end, to cover a running back, to pressure. But more importantly hes just a smart, tough football player. Jenkins drew attention the last time the Eagles played in New Orleans for when he directed an obscene gesture toward Payton after Brees threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara on fourth-and-6 in the fourth quarter of a game the Saints already led by more than four touchdowns. Jenkins downplayed the reaction immediately after the game when he told NBC Sports Philadelphia knew Payton was one of those people that theyre going to go for it, and I understood that. I was more upset that it was on me. We talked after the game, Jenkins said then. Its all good. The Eagles at that point held a 4-6 record and their chance to defend the Super Bowl title they won last season appeared dim. The Eagles have since won six of the next seven games, including the wild-card win at Chicago. Some of that turnaround can be traced to Jenkins, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. When things looked a little bleak for us earlier in the season, (Jenkins) just really stood up and held himself, plus others, accountable, Pederson said. That is what you need from your top guys, and he has been that way for us. To the Saints players who know him, those types of actions sound familiar. He was the voice of the defense when he was here, said Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, whose time with the Saints overlapped Jenkins by one season. They ask him to do a lot of things in Philly, Armstead said. He makes plays. He gets it done. Hes a key part of their defense. Saints punter Thomas Morstead remembered the approach Jenkins brought to special teams when both arrived as rookies for that Super Bowl season. The Saints selected Jenkins at No. 14 overall out of Ohio State and Morstead in the fifth round out of SMU. Great leaders dont wait for someone else to step aside before you become a leader, Morstead said. He always led by example. Hes an alpha dog. Hes respected by all. I think he help people accountable. He cared about winning. He wasnt afraid to get after people if they werent up to the standard that people expected. He was a great leader for us. Other current Saints on the team at the same time is Jenkins are offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod, running back Mark Ingram, tight end Ben Watson and defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jenkins hasnt missed a start in five seasons with the Eagles. His 97 total tackles in the regular season were more than he had in any season with the Saints and are the second-most for his career. He had three forced fumbles and one interception during the regular season. For as much his former teammates respect him, when the game Sunday begins, hell be No. 27 in the green jersey, Watson said. After the game, the mood will change. In every game you always see guys come together and shake hands, Watson said. And theres a tremendous amount of respect that all of us have for each other." Unlike any handshakes that happened after the Saints' Week 11 throttling of the Eagles. these handshakes will come with one of the players having his season ended just moments earlier. Rookie of the Year: Saints owner Gayle Benson is on verge of history in Year 1 | https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/could-malcolm-jenkins-keep-saints-from-another-super-bowl.html |
Do Women Avoid Economics...Or Does Economics Avoid Women? | A recent New York Times piece highlighted the problems women continue to face in the economics profession. The article in question discusses the harassment experienced by female economists and touches on several related issues like the low number of women PhD economists (especially at senior ranks). This is hardly news to any of us in the dismal science. There have long been articles, both in the popular press and academia, about the underrepresentation of women and the challenges they face. Recently there was a particularly upsetting piece on the horrific language used by budding PhDs to describe their female colleagues. It makes for very depressing reading. A number of hypotheses have been forwarded, including... Women dont like math: Economics is relatively math-heavy and for many years thats been the excuse for the lack of female representation. But, while that might have been defensible twenty years ago, the relative success of the STEM fields suggest that this is no longer true. Today, for example, 56% of PhDs in STEM fields go to women, but it is still < 33% in economics. Women are scared away by low grades: It has been argued, too, that women in intro econ classes accustomed to earning As in high school are frightened off by the fact that a good grade might be a B or even a C. But, again, this is equally true in STEM fields. Lack of female role models: Again, STEM! They, too, had this problem, but were far more successful in overcoming it. There must be something else. Women are inherently less interested in economics: You probably think Im going to say STEM again, but Im not. I actually think this one is closer to hitting the mark. The problem, however, is not some quirk on the part of women (and minorities, by the way) in terms of their spheres of interest, but how irrelevant economics has become to them (or perhaps always was). Consider this. The core explanation of the determination of wages in the typical economics classroom centers on the idea that your salary equals some objective measure of your actual contribution (in econ talk, the wage rate is equal to the marginal product of labor). If you earn $5/hour, that's sad but it's what you deserve. And if women earn less than men even in the same profession, then that's simply the objective, scientifically-valid judgement of "the market." Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker explained it thusly. For whatever reason (the "reason" is deemed to be relatively uninteresting by economistsfiguring that out is what the soft sciences like sociology do), women tend to be more responsible for things like housework and child rearing. This is tiring work. Hence, women voluntarily choose less demandingand lower-payingjobs. Furthermore, even in the same job they will typically have less experience because they have been busy with housework. Both of those translate into justifiably lower wages. Its a result of voluntary, conscious choices and free market processes. To be fair, your econ instructor may then add some additional factors as perhaps being important. Maybe some people have a taste for discrimination, for example. Of course, over time this should go away, too, since the employers without such an irrational taste will hire better workers and outcompete the bigots. Yay for the market! Regardless of any addenda, however, the core theory one learns in most intro microeconomics classes is that your contribution determines your remuneration. Low contribution. Im sure I dont have to answer that. Of course, if economics explanation of the way the world works is accurate, then fair enough. But its not. Social and cultural factors are terribly important to economic outcomes and should not be outsourced to another discipline. Take as just one quick example recent work on the Mexican labor market, showing that wealth was highly correlated with skin color (three guesses who gets paid more!). This was after correcting for the fact that many of the indigenous (i.e., darker-skinned) people live in resource-poor regions. They found that race is the single most important determinant of a Mexican citizens economic and educational attainment. Not an important determinant, the single most important determinant. Now imagine instead an intro econ class with the insights of that paper as the inspiration for the core theory that is laid out (rather than as something tacked on to you earn what you deserve). I suspect that you would get a very different audience. Indeed, this is precisely the sort of thing the Diversifying Economics web site suggests. Talk about things that matter to them (things that should matter to all of us). First and foremost, it was (white) men who created modern economics. When they thought to themselves, What are the important economic issues to be explained? they quite naturally focused on those that affected them. Im sure there was some outright sexism involved, too (What men do is more important than what women do), but its not strictly necessary to get the same outcome. Lets see, completion percentage, touchdown passes, passing yards," etc., etc. Even the very concepts of modern economicscompetition, exploit, and survival of the fittesthave what some economists have called a masculinist bias to them (Hewiston, G.J. (1999), Feminist Economics: Interrogating the Masculinity of Rational Economic Man, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar). Of course not. Furthermore, some have even suggested that economists fascination with mathematics (their physics envy) is a macho thing. Look how clever I am, I can invert a matrix! And lest you think there is something inherently leftist about any alternative to mainstream economics, bear in mind that Marxs theories, too, have many of these same problems (see for example Hartmann, H. (1981), The unhappy marriage of Marxism and Feminism, in L. Sargent (ed. ), Women and Revolution: A Discussion of the Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism, Boston, MA: South End Press, pp. 141.). This is a very complex and deep-seated issue that deserves a far more nuanced and well-documented argument than I can possibly give in a blog post. But none of these are my ideas, anyway. MANY others have been writing on these issues for years. However, the economics discipline continues to be blind to the fact that its core theories, not some peculiarity of women (lack of math skills, fear of Bs, or scarcity of role models), is the primary problem. Until that changes, which would then generate a genuine wave of diversity into our classrooms (both at the front and in the seats), I really doubt if any of the issues raised in the New York Times article can possibly be addressed. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2019/01/11/do-women-avoid-economics-or-does-economics-avoid-women/ |
Will arrival of Dan Enos and maybe Jalen Hurts shake up UM QBs? | University of Miami head coach Manny Diaz spoke to reporters Friday about Dan Enos, his new hire as the Hurricanes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. And, naturally, the subject of UMs current quarterbacks arose as well as soon-to-be Alabama graduate transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was coached by Bamas Enos this past season. Hurts on Friday was set to visit Maryland, where former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley just became head coach. Then, according to CaneSport.com, Hurts will visit UMs Coral Gables campus as early as Sunday. Diaz was asked if he were concerned that one of the current Miami quarterbacks rising redshirt sophomores NKosi Perry and Cade Weldon, and redshirt freshman Jarren Williams might transfer if Miami brings in another signal caller. Digital Access For Only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. No, Diaz said. Im excited about them coming and competing. I think they all know that they have a clean slate. I think they know that theyll be evaluated on really what they do going forward. I said all along we are looking for the solution. If the solution is in Coral Gables, then thats fantastic. If the solution is outside Coral Gables, then thats fantastic. If bringing someone from the outside spurs one of our guys to bring his level to where they can uphold the standard of being the quarterback at the University of Miami, outstanding. This is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not care who plays quarterback for us. But we do care that its played at the standard that the great ones that have come before have set. This season, Hurts, a backup to Heisman Trophy runner-up Tua Tagovailoa, completed 51 of 70 passes (72.9 percent) for 765 yards and eight touchdowns, with only two interceptions. He added 167 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. His career passing numbers numbers: 445 of 707 (62.9) for 5,626 yards and 48 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. As a true freshman in 2016, he was SEC Player of the Year. In three years he gained 1,976 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns on 381 carries (5.2 yards a carry). Hurts was a big reason Alabama played in the College Football Playoff national title game the past three seasons. In 2018, he came off the bench to lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory in the SEC title game after Tagovailoa injured his ankle. The Canes quarterback situation in 2018 was chaotic and controversial. Perry started six games and finished 97 of 191 (50.8) for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns, with six interceptions. He added 169 yards and one touchdown on 61 carries. His season was marred by social media-fueled scandals one pertaining to a video of him flashing wads of money and the other related to a sexually explicit video. Weldon played sparingly in four games, completing two of three passes for 14 yards. He scored one touchdown rushing. Williams, a highly touted four-star recruit out of Central Gwinnett High in Georgia, only played in one game, completing one of three passes for 17 yards. He had two carries, one of them for a 1-yard touchdown. The other starter, Malik Rosier, has graduated and wont be back. Its safe to say that Enos had plenty of experience handling a sensitive quarterbacks competition at Alabama. Hurts was benched at halftime of last years national title game (2017 season) and never started again at Alabama, despite going 26-2 as a starter. On Friday, Diaz was asked about Hurts interest in Miami. Like I mentioned before, I cant comment on any one player specifically, Diaz said. But I told you in the press conference, were going to look from Miami to Maine, from Los Angeles to Seattle and anywhere beyond for the players that can help us play quarterback. As for UMs QBs, Diaz said, Weve got to get those guys to maximize their potential and find out how really good they are. Weve seen the glimpses of what they really can be. ...Everybody wants to talk about quarterback. We know we have to get that fixed. | https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/college/acc/university-of-miami/article224204970.html |
Does Michael Cohen deserve our forgiveness? | Michael Cohen, erstwhile Trump lawyer and self-proclaimed "fixer," has agreed to testify before Congress. The announcement comes on the heels of weeks of Cohen's attempts to distance himself from his former boss. From telling the public he was merely following orders to encouraging voters to cast ballots for Democrats, Cohen has been trying to redeem himself in the public's eyes. PERSPECTIVES Cohen announced his intention to testify on Twitter, claiming he intends to "give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired," further distancing himself from the president. My statement regarding testifying publicly before Congress: pic.twitter.com/apNhAdfVds -- Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) January 10, 2019 Not everyone has been impressed with Cohen's moral about-face. Stephen A. Crockett Jr. at The Root writes: Cohen is on a full redemption tour to try and paint himself as a true patriot of America, and of course, all of this comes after pleading guilty to multiple charges including "two campaign finance crimes tied to illicit payments made to silence women during the presidential campaign." Cohen has already said that he was just a puppet, that it was Trump who was calling all the shots and he was merely a grown damn man who could've have told Trump, "I'm not going to be able to do all this ..." Cohen's agreement to testify comes at the end of a several-months-long attempt to rehabilitate his image. Before the election, Cohen urged voters to cast their ballots for liberal candidates in order to better fight back against the president's agenda. "Get to the poll, because if not, you are going to have another two or another six years of this craziness." Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, tells Americans to vote against the President and the Republican Party. https://t.co/tuTCnxfQfP pic.twitter.com/VXfbAPIKAY -- CNN (@CNN) October 19, 2018 Even this Get Out the Vote PSA fell flat for many. Michael Cohen's turtleneck wants you to vote Democrat https://t.co/SiS6nqENBc pic.twitter.com/cqP1MQOGo8 -- Jezebel (@Jezebel) October 19, 2018 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/does_michael_cohen_deserve_our.html |
What was the last team to win back to back Super Bowls? | The Super Bowl is only a few weeks away, meaning one NFL team will soon stand under confetti as NFL champions. Only a handful of teams have ever won the title game two years in a row. The New England Patriots were the last team to do so in 2004 and 2005 with their victories in Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won their first championship together in 2002 and added to their dynasty with a 3229 defeat over the Carolina Panthers in 2004 and an equally close game the following year. The Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 2421 in 2005 after both teams traded touchdowns in the second and third quarters. The Eagles scored a touchdown with 1:48 left on the clock but couldn't score again to take down New England. Brady and the Patriots have recorded five additional Super Bowl appearances, winning two more titles in 2015 and 2017. Seven franchises, including the Patriots, have won back-to-back Super Bowl victories. The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowls I and II, then called the AFL-NFL Championship Game, under legendary coach Vince Lombardi in 1967 and 1968. Other franchises to do so include the Miami Dolphins (1973 and 1974) and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who did it twice in 1975 and 1976 before repeating again in 1979 and 1980. The San Francisco 49ers (1989 and 1990), the Dallas Cowboys (1993 and 1994) and the Denver Broncos (1998 and 1999) round out the list of teams to accomplish the rare feat. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/11/super-bowl-back-to-back-wins-champions-repeat-history-new-england-patriots |
Will Altria Group Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | Few stocks have matched the dividend performance of tobacco giant Altria Group (NYSE: MO). For the past half-century, Altria has overcome huge obstacles to generate impressive returns for its investors, and although the shares have seen their price appreciate over that span, Altria's dividends have made the largest contribution to the stock's success over the long haul. Those returns haven't come without effort, though, and Altria has worked hard to navigate the changing climate in tobacco and related industries. The company has recently made some major moves that could dramatically change its business, including its decision to take substantial stakes in e-cigarette maker JUUL Labs and cannabis company Cronos Group (NASDAQ: CRON). With Altria having spent that much cash, some shareholders fear that the tobacco giant won't want to continue giving investors higher dividend payments. Below, we'll consider that question more closely. Dividend stats on Altria Group Quarterly Dividend Per Share $0.80 Dividend Yield 6.6% Number of Consecutive Years With Dividend Increases 49 years* Payout Ratio 57% Last Increase September 2018 Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date. *Takes into account adjustments for spinoffs. 2018 was a great year for Altria's dividend Altria made an unusual move with its dividend in 2018, giving shareholders not one but two separate increases. In the first quarter of the year, Altria made a modest increase of about 6%, taking the payout from $0.66 to $0.70 per share. Yet later, Altria made its more typical third-quarter dividend boost, with a big bump higher of 14% to push the quarterly dividend to $0.80 per share. One key reason for the double-move was tax reform. The massive cut in corporate tax rates gave Altria an unexpected profit boost, and in line with its past practice, the tobacco company shared part of that windfall with its shareholders through dividends. As a result, the total dividend increase of 21% for the year was extraordinary -- and not something that investors should count on happening again. Nevertheless, even with more typical once-annual increases, Altria has been good to dividend investors. Over the past decade, it's been common for Altria to deliver high single-digit percentage boosts to its quarterly payout. MO Dividend Chart More MO Dividend data by YCharts. Yet Altria isn't typically treated the same as other companies with similar dividend histories. That's mostly because Altria has broken itself up into multiple pieces on a couple of occasions. Having once incorporated the Kraft brand of food products under its corporate umbrella, Altria chose to spin off that business. Similarly, the spinoff of its international tobacco business into Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) left the surviving Altria holding only the company's U.S. operations. Because of those spinoffs, the amount of Altria's dividend has occasionally gone down. But when you account for the fact that the size of Altria's business also shrank -- and that investors who held onto the spun-off shares of other business still ended up ahead on a total dividend basis -- it's fairer to treat Altria with the respect it's earned as a dividend powerhouse. | https://news.yahoo.com/altria-group-raise-dividend-2019-011600590.html |
Could Tesla Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | Hey! Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) sold more than twice as many cars in 2018 as it did in 2017! Better yet, it managed to post a quarterly profit in Q3, and may be on track to do the same in Q4! In spite of all this, the stock's price has bounced around a lot, starting 2019 at almost the exact same level as a year earlier. Well, unfortunately, for all of its success to date, the math may be stacked against investors who buy in now. Here's why. A red Tesla Model 3 with a city skyline in the background More Buying a Tesla costs a pretty penny, and so does buying Tesla shares. Image source: Tesla. A lack of value Over the past year, Tesla's stock has been quite volatile, seesawing between about $250 a share all the way up to almost $375 a share. That's brought the company's market cap from highs of around $65 billion to lows of around $42 billion. For the sake of argument, let's say that an investor is able to buy into the stock at the low end of that range, about $250 per share. Let's also say that an investor can purchase 40 shares of the stock, for an initial investment of $10,000. Well, in order for that to happen, Tesla would have to grow by 10,000% (one hundredfold). That seems like a ludicrous number, but since going public in 2010, Tesla's share price has grown by an impressive 2,640%. However, as a company gets larger, rapid growth becomes more difficult. A company can only get so big, after all. To put that number in perspective, in order to grow a hundredfold, Tesla's market cap would need to balloon to $4.2 trillion, assuming no dividends or share repurchases. That would be more than five times larger than Apple or Amazon, which currently have market caps of just over $750 billion. For any company -- let alone a car company -- this is next to impossible. Even for investors who bought in during Tesla's first year, when its market cap was less than $2.5 billion, a 10,000% return would make it the largest car company in the world by far, surpassing Toyota's (NYSE: TM) current $169.2 billion market cap. Impossible growth Now, there's certainly the possibility that Tesla's investments in solar installation and energy storage technology could pay off and turn it into more of a broad-spectrum electrical tech company than a car company. In fact, there's some evidence that Tesla's energy storage segment has just as much growth potential as its electric vehicle business. But the solar business has been on the decline for years, and Tesla doesn't seem to be investing heavily into that side of the business. The vast majority of Tesla's sales right now are of electric vehicles. So let's see if we can determine what a reasonable growth projection is for Tesla's automotive arm. In 2018, Tesla delivered 245,240 vehicles. Interestingly, that's about the same number as Porsche delivered in 2017. But Porsche's market cap of $17.6 billion is only about one-third of Tesla's. By contrast, Toyota sold 8,964,394 vehicles around the world in its most recent fiscal year (April 2017-March 2018). In other words, Toyota sells 36.6 times the number of vehicles that Tesla sells in a year, but its market cap is only about three times as large. So even if Tesla managed to sell as many cars as Toyota -- which, just to be clear, would require an astronomical amount of growth -- it seems unlikely that investors would see a corresponding 3,600% gain in share price. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-tesla-millionaire-maker-stock-005100744.html |
Is Craft Beer Still Worth Investing In? | Off-premise sales of craft beer inched higher in 2018, with the overall volume of craft beer sold rising 1.2% through Dec. 2, according to data from market research firm IRI. The year-over-year increase really isn't surprising since there are more than 7,000 breweries operating in the U.S. today, more than at any time in history and 10% greater than the number in business in 2017. Yet despite more breweries churning out more beer, the gains are fairly anemic and call into question whether investors should even bother looking at the sector anymore. The industry looks poised to head into decline even though another 1,000 breweries are expected to open this year. Brewer looking at a snifter of dark beer, with brew tanks in the background More Investing in craft beer requires looking more closely at which beer is winning. Image source: Getty Images. On the precipice of decline Craft beer's slowdown has been well-documented as drinkers have turned to whiskey, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. There may even come a time when Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) brews more hard cider, tea, and seltzer than it does its flagship Samuel Adams brand, as beer drinkers continue favoring local microbreweries over more mass-produced beer. That helps explain the explosive growth in the number of breweries that continue to open each year, but the saturation is also causing fewer brewers to become breakout successes. While the dollar amount of craft beer sold off-premise rose in 2018 by 1.7%, it was higher prices driving this growth as volume was down 0.4%. Off-premise sales are those made at packaged goods store and other convenience outlets like supermarkets, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, and drugstores. Craft beer overall saw better pricing from switching over to 15-pack packaging, which helped overall dollar sales rise 2.5% for the period, but it couldn't help the industry's biggest brands sell more of their brew. Volume sales for 17 of the 30 best-selling craft brands were down through the beginning of December, with Samuel Adams' Boston lager tumbling 14%, Leinenkugel's seasonal beer falling 13%, and Blue Moon from Molson Coors' (NYSE: TAP) MillerCoors division off 4.7%. Even worse was New Belgium Brewing, which saw a 19.5% plunge in its flagship Fat Tire brand. Well-heeled winners Yet not every craft beer saw falling sales. In fact, some brands are soaring, among them Cigar City Brewing's Jai Alai IPA, which saw volumes surge 71% in the year through Dec. 2; a near-32% increase for Big Wave from Craft Brew Alliance's (NASDAQ: BREW) Kona Brewing; and a 21% gain by Firestone Walker Brewing's American-style blonde ale 805. Even Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD) had a big hit, as its Elysian Brewing saw volumes soar 68%, an indication the macro brewer's strategy of buying up a dozen craft brewers wasn't a complete swing and a miss. This all suggests there is still opportunity in craft beer, though investors need to carefully choose their spots. Shares of Craft Brew Alliance, for example, lost 25% of their value last year, but Kona Brewing has been a huge success for it and could be what saves the brewer. Its stock is up almost 8% so far in 2019. It also means it's good to have deep-pocketed backers. A-B InBev not only invested in distribution for its Elysian Brewing brewery, but it owns a third of Craft Brew Alliance and has helped Kona through its national distribution network. Similarly, Cigar City Brewing is owned by CANarchy Craft Brewer Collective, which is backed by private equity firm Fireman Capital, and Firestone Walker is owned by Duvel Moortgat, the second-largest brewer in Belgium behind InBev. | https://news.yahoo.com/craft-beer-still-worth-investing-021800496.html |
What Would A World With Decentralized Transport Look Like? | This article is Part 1 of 2. In Part 1, I discuss the concept of decentralization and how it pertains to decision-making and authority. In Part 2, Ill build on the concepts in this article specifically through the lens of transportation and mobility. These days, decentralization is a quasi-buzzword. Its only quasi because most people dont really understand what it means, and even amongst the technorati there has been some disagreement on the definition. There are also various types of decentralization. So for the sake of this article, lets settle on no single entity controls everything. Another way of thinking of a decentralized network is to consider the slicing scenario. If you were to slice the networkincluding its usersin half (or thirds, or whatever), and the two halves were to continue to operate independently, its decentralized. Its a buzzword because its a (and perhaps the) central promise of blockchain, and goes arm-in-arm with other words like disruptive, transformative and world-changing. Its used in marketing for a wide variety of blockchain projects, many of which are appropriate for the decentralization model. Of course, many are not, as we have come to learn. Centralization is the Status Quo Our world has largely operated in a centralized fashion since time immemorial. Banks are our trusted gatekeepers to and custodians of our money, for saving, lending, borrowing, and investing. Government provides excellent examples of centralized order: look at the feudal system, which held sway in Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Power and land were the province of the King (or less often, the Queen), and in exchange for taxes, service and loyalty, dukes and earls held, worked and profited from those lands granted them. The dukes and earls couldnt manage those lands by themselves, so lesser lords swore fealty to them for smaller portions of land, again in exchange for taxes and loyalty. This continued down to the serf, who was bound to the land he worked, his labour offered to his lord in exchange for protection. Of particular relevance to this discussion is the way authority was transmitted in a feudal network. All rules, all policies and all protocols came from the King, who informed his direct underlings (the dukes and earls) of his wishes. These great lords notified their own underlings of the royal decrees and so forth. Notably, at each tier of authority the lord would usually call upon his most important underlings to attend a council for advice on meaningful matters, but just as notably the final decision was always the lords. There was no question that authority and decision-making power was held by those above you in station. Your participation in all such matters wouldve been solely at their pleasure. At the beginning I stated that decentralization is often nebulous in its definition, and this is reflected in all of its applications. Consider the business management definition of a decentralized organization: a systematic delegation of authority at all levels of management and in all of the organization. Within the details of that definition though, we see that while more authority is given to lower-rank members of a team than is customary, ultimate authority and strategic decisions remain at the top. Id argue that this model is better titled somewhat re-distributed authority, where the old rules still apply. Actual decentralized authority, as you might find on a blockchain, is where no single entity controls everything. Theres no chief executive, or board of directors, or suite of vice presidents making decisions for the whole or larger part. Instead, each participant in the system is a member of the entire body, and each participant has as much authority as the next participant. No one is special, no one has a tie-breaking vote, no one has veto power. Decisions that impact the entire body are made as a whole, with each participant having a voice. Decisions that have to do with just the participant are decided upon by that participant. Decisions that involve two (or three or four, etc) participants are decided upon by the involved parties, again with each having a voice. To a large degree, the Internet is an example of decentralization. It is a body that has no central governance. There are multiple stakeholders who have varied, complex and competing interests who ultimately cooperate to bring about consensus on policies and standards created for the public good. Participation in governance by these interconnected and autonomous networks is voluntary. They represent the public and private sectors, academia, and national organizations among others. The decentralization however ceases at the stakeholder group level, where each group has its own board, executives and staff, all of whom have roles to play within their own hierarchies. Keep an eye out for Part 2 next week, where I put the ideas discussed in this article to use in a meaningful scenario for the average consumer in the transport space. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfrazer1/2019/01/12/what-would-a-world-with-decentralized-transport-look-like/ |
Did alarms work when 2 Sewerage & Water Board employees slept through a water pressure drop? | Amid revelations that two key Sewerage & Water Board employees were asleep during a major citywide water pressure drop in November, questions remain over whether any measures were in place to sound an alert for such an emergency. Executive Director Ghassan Korban said Thursday (Jan. 10) that no alarm went off during the overnight pressure drop Nov. 17, but a consultants report produced more than a year ago notes the existence of at least two alarms in the building where the sleeping employees had been assigned. Korban, in a meeting with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayunes editorial board, disclosed that the two supervisors were asleep early on the morning Nov. 17 as water pressure plummeted, leading to a day-long boil advisory for the citys east bank. His account matches findings from an internal investigation report dated Nov. 28, which concluded the two employees had been sleeping during a critical point in the operational response to the pressure drop, though one employee denied it when interviewed by investigators. Korban said no alarm sounded to alert the two sleeping employees there was a problem, but the investigation report obtained Friday notes testimony from employees that an alarm did sound at one point. The investigation determined crucial minutes elapsed between when pressure began to fall around 4 a.m. that morning and when the two sleeping employees were roused, after other water plant operators had tried to reach them repeatedly by phone and intercom. Sewerage & Water Board investigation details how sleeping workers missed pressure drop The two employees, both steam plant engineers, were suspended Nov. 26 for neglect of duty, records show. Korban said Thursday they have resigned. They had been in charge of monitoring power levels to the water pumps and authorizing transfers between different power sources, which other operators had requested the morning of Nov. 17. The existence of alarms in at least two of the Sewerage & Water Boards water pumping stations was noted in late 2017 in a report authored by Matt McBride, an engineer who the city hired to evaluate the utilitys drainage assets. McBrides report assessed the causes and results of a drop in citywide water pressure on May 5, 2017. In his report, McBride said the utilitys High Lift station, where water pumping and power coordination take place, has at least two alarms meant to sound when water pressure drops below a certain level. The High Lift station is where the two sleeping steam plant engineers had been assigned Nov. 17 to work the overnight shift, records show. One of the alarms in the High Lift station is in what McBride terms a control cabinet in the station, while the other is programmed in a computer monitor that tracks water pressure in real-time, according to McBride. The High Lift operator reports the alarm is quite loud and cannot be ignored within the control room, McBride said in his report. - Read the full report here - According to McBrides Oct. 27, 2017 report, the alarm in the High Lift control cabinet has an on-off switch that he describes as of a design identical to a household light switch. His report includes a photograph of the switch thats labelled Low Water Pressure Alarm Silence, which allows an employee to turn it off. Once the alarm silence is activated, McBride said, it can remain in that condition until turned off. There does not appear to be any timer or other control to dismiss the silence after a time or resolution of the alarm condition. This photo is included in Matt McBride's Oct. 27, 2017 report on a water pressure drop he found had occurred earlier that year. It shows what McBride describes as a control cabinet (left) housing an audible alarm in the Sewerage & Water Board's High Lift station, and a switch panel (left) that purportedly can turn off the alarm. Photo from Matt McBride report Whats unknown is whether the same alarms were operable during the Nov. 17 pressure drop. The Sewerage & Water Board did not answer several questions NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune sent Friday morning (Jan. 11) about the alarms and McBrides report. Instead, the utility provided a statement from Korban, saying the two employees' actions were unacceptable and that the utility aims to foster among our employees a strong sense of duty and pride in their work. The Sewerage & Water Boards recent internal investigation report cites testimony from another employee working at the time, who said the the two steam plant engineers were found sleeping in their chairs when they were awakened shortly before the alarm went off indicating the pressure was low. It is unclear from the investigation report what time exactly that alarm went off or whether it was an alarm in the High Lift station or at another location. One of the engineers, a 32-year veteran, denied that he had been asleep. He told in-house utility investigators that he was watching television when the alarm was initiated indicating there was a problem, the report says. McBride was given a $60,000 contract by the city shortly after the widespread flooding of Aug. 5, 2017, to provide expert engineering and evaluation efforts following the flooding events," his contract says. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune received numerous reports and emails composed by McBride under his city contract in a public records request last year, including his report on the May 5, 2017 pressure drop and station alarms. McBride declined to discuss the report Friday, citing a non-disclosure clause in his contract with the city that bars him from discussing confidential/proprietary information." Sewerage & Water Board leader faces long to-do list with scant resources | https://www.nola.com/politics/2019/01/did-alarms-work-when-2-sewerage-water-board-employees-slept-through-a-water-pressure-drop.html |
Why Hasnt Trump Folded? | Read: Trump is debating the shutdown on Democrats manufactured terms This is textbook, Rush Limbaugh fumed. Its a textbook example of what the Drive-By Media calls compromise. Trump gets nothing and the Democrats get everything, including control of the House in a few short weeks. Ann Coulter blasted the president as gutless (earning herself a Twitter unfollow). Even Laura Ingraham was critical. It was supposed to be a big beautiful wall with a big beautiful door, she tweeted. Now its just an open door with no frame. Unreal. Representative Mark Meadows, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, held out hope that Trump might still veto the bill. Renegotiating. Even though there was no clear plan for how Trump would get money out of the new Democratic House majority once it took office in early January, the pushback got his attention, and he announced that he wouldnt sign any legislation without wall funding. Positions have been stuck since then. Democrats have not shown any weakened resolve; neither has Trump. On the Democratic side, the X factor seems to be Pelosi and her newly empowered caucus. Schumer has been inclined to negotiate with Trump in the past, but the House Dems, having campaigned against the president and his wall, show no appetite for compromise. Whats less clear is why this is the moment Trump has decided to take a stand. Though he styled himself a master dealmaker in the business world, hes been far softer in politics, showing a surprisingly deferential side at the negotiation table, whether his interlocutor is domestic or foreign. He backed down after promising to go after the National Rifle Association on gun control; he shied away from branding China a currency manipulator; he didnt follow through on threats to investigate the Justice Department or withdraw foreign aid as retaliation for UN votes. The timing is also peculiar. Trumps best opportunity to get funding was when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress, during the first two years of his term. But Congress refused, and while Trump griped about it, he never pushed the issue as far as a shutdown. As my colleague Peter Beinart has written, the president shows little interest in actually building the wall. Instead, he appears to view it as an effective political bludgeon against Democrats. Whether it actually is effective is unclear. Polling since the start of the shutdown has shown that more Americans blame Trump than Democrats for the deadlock, though Democrats havent escaped blame altogether. But a Morning Consult poll this week showed a four-point increase in the share of voters who see Trump as the culprit. Even if Trump is losing, theres no massive shift against him that polls are picking up, and both sides seem to believe that they are winning. | https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/trumps-surprising-decision-not-fold-shutdown/580216/?utm_source=feed |
Can Solar Stocks Recover in 2019? | 2018 was a year to forget for most solar companies. Policy changes in the U.S. and China led to a drop in demand that caused solar panel prices to plunge, squeezing margins across the supply chain. You can see below that most major manufacturers, like JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS), SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), and Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ), saw their shares drop. Even First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), which was the big winner of 2017, wasn't able to overcome weak pricing and demand, causing its shares to decline as well. FSLR Chart More FSLR data by YCharts. Demand is back! As 2018 wore on, solar panel prices fell by about one-third, even in the U.S., where tariffs hit the industry starting in February. Lower pricing led to margin pressure for some solar manufacturers, but for developers who are buying solar panels, the lower costs are great news. That's one of the reasons the stock of Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN) is up 73% over the past year, vastly outpacing most solar rivals. Its costs are falling, which is helping margins grow. The same dynamic is playing out at developers large and small around the world. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report for Q4 2018 from Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association, U.S. bookings through the first three quarters were 11,200 megawatts (MW), causing their analysts to increase their 2018-to-2023 utility-scale solar forecast by 1,700 MW. a big increase considering that just 6,600 MW will be installed in 2018. Large home with solar panels on the roof. More Image source: Getty Images. Headwinds may be strong As good as it is for investors to see strong demand for solar panels, they should be very discouraged by the pricing environment that's driving demand. According to an analysis by EnergyTrend, global commodity solar-panel prices are now as low as $0.22 per watt, a price that will make it hard for most manufacturers to make money. Interest rates are also steadily climbing, making it more expensive for developers to borrow money for new solar projects. Even companies like Sunrun and Vivint Solar (NYSE: VSLR), which are benefiting from low solar panel prices, will be affected by less up-front cash when they sell contracted future cash flows. | https://news.yahoo.com/solar-stocks-recover-2019-131700981.html |
Will Home Depot Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | The housing market has recovered nicely from the bust of the mid-2000s, and Home Depot (NYSE: HD) has been a big beneficiary of housing's rebound. The home-improvement retailer always has been a magnet for do-it-yourselfers, but more recently, Home Depot also has embraced professional contractors looking for access to the retailer's wide array of affordably priced products. Home Depot also has done a good job of treating investors well. Not only has its share price risen dramatically, but it's also built up a respectable dividend history. Below, we'll look more closely at Home Depot to see whether higher dividends are in the cards. Dividend stats on Home Depot Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share $1.03 Current Yield 2.4% Number of Consecutive Years With Dividend Increases 9 years Payout Ratio 45% Last Increase March 2018 Source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date. Look how Home Depot's dividend has soared Home Depot has paid dividends for a long time, but it hasn't always been very important for the home-improvement retailer to return capital to its shareholders through quarterly payments. Typically, Home Depot gave investors regular increases in the mid-single-digit percentages, with a long break in the late 2000s in the immediate aftermath of the housing bust. Yet in the 2010s, Home Depot made up for lost time. Annual dividend increases in the 15% to 35% range became par for the course, and that led to a dramatic uptick in the total amount of money that the retailer paid to its shareholders. Early last year, Home Depot made its latest move, taking the dividend up from $0.89 per share to its current $1.03 per share on a quarterly basis. That was a 16% boost. HD Dividend Chart More HD Dividend data by YCharts. The reason for the change has to do with deliberate strategic moves from Home Depot. The company boosted its target for the percentage of earnings that it pays to shareholders in dividends in the early 2010s, taking it from 40% to 50%. That prompted the big gains in dividend payments that investors received back then, and strong earnings growth also helped support the rise in the quarterly payout. In light of a tough year for the stock, it's reasonable to ask whether Home Depot's best growth years might be behind it. But CEO Craig Menear and his team have a lot of ideas for where the home-improvement retailer can find areas for its own corporate improvement, and despite early signs of success, there's further to go. | https://news.yahoo.com/home-depot-raise-dividend-2019-131700083.html |
Which Are The Most Sung About Cities In The World? | Hit the road Jack sang Ray Charles back at the beginning of the sixties, putting to music the daydreams of millions around the world who long to drop everything and hit the road, be it on vacation or to travel for longer. Music and travel have long had an innate connection and bond from our use of music to pass time on journeys to our personification of memories, events and places in lyrics and songs so they live on forever. To find out, Celebrity Cruises have built this rather wonderful interactive music map of the world the single largest collection of song and geographical data publicly available. Best of all you can filter by genre, decade and artist to see whos singing, about where and how preferences have changed over time. The clear winner is the Big Apple. New York has featured in the lyrics of 161 charting singles with UK capital London the only other entry to break triple figures with 102 songs. Rounding out the top five are Los Angeles, Paris and Miami. The large scale data trawl analyzed the lyrics of more than 200,000 songs that charted in the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Official Singles chart since 1960 to find mentions of cities, towns, neighborhoods and states. This revealed more than 2,000 songs by 897 artists mentioning 422 different places around the world. Without the geographical touchpoints found in Britpop, it simply wouldnt make sense. And how would the blues, country and rock and roll genres be received if they were stripped of all connections to the geography and politics of the American Deep South that inspired them? Its not just trends in places that the map reveals, but also in artists. Canadian rapper Drake seems to be the most location obsessed lyricist, mentioning 29 places across his musical catalog everywhere from his hometown Toronto to Versailles, Rotterdam and Madrid. Jay-Z comes in a close second, followed by Elvis, Tinie Tempah and The Beach Boys. You can explore the interactive map here and Ive included some fun roundups below for quick reference. The 10 most sung about places in the world: New York, USA 161 songs London, UK - 102 songs Los Angeles, USA - 87 songs California, USA - 68 songs Hollywood, USA - 66 songs Paris, France 52 songs Miami, USA - 46 songs New Orleans, USA - 43 songs Brooklyn, USA - 38 songs Rome, Italy 30 songs The 10 most sung about places in Europe: London, UK - 102 songs Paris, France - 52 songs Rome, Italy - 30 songs Ibiza, Spain - 12 songs Liverpool, UK - 11 songs Amsterdam, Netherlands - 10 songs Milan, Italy - 10 songs Berlin, Germany - 8 songs Brixton, UK - 8 songs Dublin, Ireland - 8 songs The most sung about places in the UK: London - 102 songs Liverpool - 11 songs Brixton - 8 songs Dover - 7 songs Belfast - 6 songs Camden - 5 songs Leeds - 4 songs Waterloo - 4 songs The 10 most sung about places in the US: New York - 161 songs Los Angeles - 87 songs California - 68 songs Hollywood - 66 songs Miami - 46 songs New Orleans - 43 songs Brooklyn - 38 songs Texas - 29 songs San Francisco - 28 songs Memphis - 28 songs Georgia 28 songs Harlem 26 songs Artists that sing about the most places: | https://www.forbes.com/sites/duncanmadden/2019/01/12/which-are-the-most-sung-about-cities-in-the-world/ |
Why Is Adobe (ADBE) Down 4.2% Since Last Earnings Report? | Adobe (ADBE) reported earnings 30 days ago. We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues. It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Adobe Systems (ADBE). Shares have lost about 4.2% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Adobe Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates, Beats Revenues Adobe Systems Incorporated reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 non-GAAP earnings of $1.83 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.88. However, the figure increased 5.8% sequentially and 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. Adjusted revenues also increased 23% year over year to $2.46 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.43 billion. Excluding the acquisition of Marketo, revenues in the fiscal fourth quarter were 2.44 billion. The growth was driven by contribution from Marketo acquisition, strong demand for the companys innovative solutions and products, strength across geographies, along with growing subscriptions for its cloud application. Top Line in Detail Adobe reports revenues in three categories Subscription, product and services & support. Subscription revenues came in at $2.18 billion (88.6% of its total revenues), up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Product revenues totaled $150.4 million (6.1% of revenues), decreasing 22% year over year. Services & support revenues came in at $130 million (5.3% of revenues), increasing 10.5% year over year. Segment Details The company operates in two reportable segments Digital Media and Digital Experience. Digital Media This segment generated revenues of $1.71 billion, which increased 23% on a year-over-year basis. The segment comprises Creative Cloud and Document Cloud. Additionally, Digital Media ARR increased by $430 million to $6.83billion. Creative Cloud (CC) generated $1.45 billion of revenues, reflecting 26% year-over-year growth. Additionally, Creative ARR increased by a record $373 million. The growth drivers in the quarter were strong net new subscriptions across user segments and geographies, driven by robust traffic and customer acquisition on Adobe.com. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales also aided the results. Moreover, new product introductions, strong demand for online video creation and improving average revenue per user (ARPU) across key offerings were other positives. Document Cloud (DC) generated $259 million of revenues, up 10% from the year-ago quarter. Moreover, Document ARR came in at more than $800 million. This was driven by strong performance of Adobe Sign and growing adoption of Acrobat DC. The company experienced robust growth in Acrobat units on a year-over-year basis. Moreover, it experienced robust bookings across various platforms such as Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Analytics Cloud and Adobe Advertising Cloud. Digital Experience This segment generated revenues of $690 million, which increased 25% on a year-over-year basis. The segment includes Adobe Experience Cloud. Further, robust Analytics Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Advertising Cloud offerings, coupled with emerging solutions such as Audience Manager, Campaign, Target, and Media Optimizer solutions drove its top line. Operating Details Gross margin was 85.4% in the quarter, contracting 110 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis. Adobe incurred operating expenses of $1.35 billion, reflecting an increase of 26.6% year over year. As a percentage of total revenues, sales & marketing, general & administrative, as well as research & development costs increased. Adjusted operating margin was 38.6%, reflecting a decrease of 160 bps year over year. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow As of Nov 30, 2018, cash and investments balance was $3.23 billion, down from $4.94 billion in the fiscal third quarter. Trade receivables were $1.32 billion, up from $1.04 billion recorded in the fiscal third quarter. In the reported quarter, cash generated from operations was $1.1 billion, up from $955 million in the fiscal third quarter. Guidance For first-quarter fiscal 2019, the company projects total revenues of $2.54 billion. | https://news.yahoo.com/why-adobe-adbe-down-4-143002176.html |
Why Is Ciena (CIEN) Up 5% Since Last Earnings Report? | Ciena (CIEN) reported earnings 30 days ago. We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues. It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Ciena (CIEN). Shares have added about 5% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Ciena Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y Ciena reported healthy fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 (ended Oct 31, 2018) results wherein both the top line and the bottom line surpassed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Net Income On a GAAP basis, net income for the reported quarter was $64 million or 34 cents per share compared with $1,160.1 million or $7.32 per share in the year-ago quarter. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to higher cost of goods sold and lower benefit from income tax. For fiscal 2018, net loss was $344.7 million or loss of $2.49 per share against income of $1,262 million or $7.53 per share a year ago, mainly due to higher income tax expenses. Non-GAAP net income came in at $81 million or 53 cents per share compared with $48.5 million or 32 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4 cents. Revenues Quarterly total revenues increased 20.8% year over year to $899.4 million, primarily due to higher product sales. The top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $861 million. Fiscal 2018 revenues increased 10.4% year over year to $3,094.3 million. Geographically, revenues from North America were $555.3 million, up 26.1% year over year. Revenues from Europe, Middle East and Africa were $123.1 million, up 11.2%. In Caribbean and Latin America revenues totaled $53 million, up 21.8% and in Asia Pacific revenues were $168 million, up 12.2%. Other Quarter Details Gross margin was 44.3% compared with 43.7% in the year-ago quarter. Operating expenses were $302.2 million compared with $269.9 million a year ago. Operating margin was 10.7% compared with 7.5% in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was $145.8 million, up from $109.7 million. Segmental Performance Revenues from Networking Platforms increased 19% year over year to $712.9 million. Software and Software-Related Services revenues were $67.3 million compared with $41.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Revenues from Global Services were $119.2 million compared with $103.7 million a year ago. Share Repurchases During the quarter, Ciena repurchased approximately 1.3 million shares for an aggregate amount of $36.2 million. During fiscal 2018, the company repurchased approximately 4.3 million shares at an average price of $25.86 per share for an aggregate amount of $111 million. Cash Flow and Liquidity In fiscal 2018, Ciena generated $229.3 million of cash from operating activities compared with $234.9 million in fiscal 2017. As of Oct 31, 2018, Ciena had $745.4 million of cash and cash equivalents and $686.5 million of net long-term debt. Fresh estimates followed an upward path over the past two months. The consensus estimate has shifted 10.35% due to these changes. VGM Scores Currently, Ciena has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Ciena has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ciena Corporation (CIEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/why-ciena-cien-5-since-143002901.html |
Do people not know how to cook any more? | Open this photo in gallery istock Years ago, while teaching a baking class, I looked across the room to witness an eager new baker in the back, his arm deep in a bowl of wet chocolate-cake batter, blending it with fervent enthusiasm. The recipe says to stir it by hand, he replied to my offer of a spatula, clearly anxious to accurately follow instructions. Of course, anyone attending a cooking class is there to learn, and often my presence makes them pay even closer attention to the detail of a recipe Ive set out for them to follow. And yet, while a big part of my job is writing recipes, I cant help but feel that prescribing a list of detailed instructions and precise measurements can actually hinder the development of culinary intuition. A cake or curry is not an IKEA bookshelf; there are no precut pieces with one set of directions from which the merest diversion would result in disaster. Great food is not always the result of a prescribed formula; experienced cooks we all seem to have some in our families turn out enviably perfect pies and biryanis by feel, adding salt and spice without the aid of a measuring spoon and just enough liquid to make the dough feel right. A recipe writer may decide that precisely two teaspoons of thyme yields the right flavour for her or his half-dozen chicken thighs, but ingredients vary and taste is subjective. Yes, measurements can act as a guide and are arguably more important when it comes to baking ratios but always specifying a precise measure can teach the cook that success relies on repetitive meticulousness. Story continues below advertisement There was little precision in the kitchen before the arrival of standard measures; literal teacups and teaspoons were often enlisted as the similarly sized instruments most likely to be in most kitchens (old recipes often call for butter the size of an egg), and its believed that the Boston Cooking School Cook Book, published in 1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer (and later republished as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook), was the first to utilize standardized measurers. Soon after, it was decided across much of the Western world that cooking should be part of school curriculums, which meant it was necessary to establish a consistent format of step-by-step instruction, with an ingredient list for the instructor and students easy reference. Directions remained succinct enough to fit more than one recipe on a page, far from the exhaustive step-by-steps with detailed doneness indicators we are hand-held with today. Even up until the seventies and eighties, a basic cooking knowledge was assumed in the original Best of Bridge series, which sold millions of self-published copies to Canadian home cooks, instructions were blunt: cook the pasta, brown the meat in a skillet, or bake until bubbly. Yet today, as Tasty-style cooking videos dominate Facebook and we carry access to every recipe that has ever been published plus unlimited culinary resources in our back pockets, when I share simple processes on social media boil new potatoes, squish them with a fork, drizzle with oil and roast at 425 F until golden people inevitably reply, This sounds great! Wheres the recipe? I try to comply, but not everyone needs the same quantity of roasted smashed potatoes at any given time. We dont all have the same taste for spice and salt, and there are no standard-issue baking dishes. Some of us have a bottle of canola oil beside the stove, some keep olive oil, others a tub of ghee. Kitchens come loaded with variables the material your pots, pans and baking dishes are made of, the accuracy of your oven and whether its gas or electric, traditional or convection, the way you mix, fold and saut, where your flour was milled and how you measured it, the size of the scoops of cookie dough you portioned out onto your sheet, even the temperature of your kitchen. Cookbook authors can test and retest in the name of reliability and accuracy, and write recipes with ultraprecise measurements and temperatures, but in the end, there will be variables we can never account for. Season to taste takes our diversity into account, but also relies on the cooks ability to adjust seasonings salt, spice, acid as needed. It relies on some level of innate cooking knowledge. Its likely that this century-old, if wordier, composition of a recipe an ingredient list followed by step by step instructions is so ingrained in our cultural psyche, there will never be a new standard. Recipes themselves are refreshingly analog; only their delivery method seems to evolve, moving online, transmitted digitally, often in spurts on Instagram stories. If you can follow a recipe, you can cook is a common mantra, but perhaps we need to let them go once in a while, and attempt to hone our culinary instincts at the stove, with a pot and spoon, without an iPhone or guidebook. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-do-people-not-know-how-to-cook-any-more/ |
Can Xavier find some Big East consistency at home Sunday against Butler? | CLOSE Xavier erased a 17-point first-half deficit Wednesday night and beat Georgetown 81-75 in front of a sellout Cintas Center crowd Adam Baum, [email protected] The biggest question going into Xavier's Sunday meeting (noon, CBSSN) against Butler at Cintas Center is whether the Musketeers can string two positive performances together in Big East Conference play. Georgetown Hoyas center Jessie Govan (15) pulls down a rebound over Xavier Musketeers forward Tyrique Jones (0) in the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. (Photo: Kareem Elgazzar) Sunday will be a great chance to bolster Xavier's resume a bit. Butler, according to both Ken Pomeroy's rankings and the NCAA NET rankings, would be Xavier's best win of the season. "It's gonna be a big challenge," said Xavier head coach Travis Steele, who graduated from Butler and was a basketball student manager while he was there. "They're a terrific offensive team, really good defensive team. "Obviously, going to Butler and being around the program and being from the Indianapolis area, I have great respect for them. The way they go about their business ... they do things the right way. I always cheer for Butler when they're not playing Xavier. I even taught my son, Winston, he cheers for Butler other than when they're not playing Xavier." On paper, Butler's strengths are unquestionably offensive efficiency, shooting ability from beyond the arc and the foul line, and taking care of the basketball. Butler averages only 10.6 turnovers per game and it's 15.8 turnover percentage ranks 24th nationally. Xavier's on the other side of that turnover graphic but the Musketeers are coming off a four-turnover showing against Georgetown. More:Xavier erases a 17-point deficit to beat Georgetown More:How toughness helped Xavier battle back to beat Georgetown Xavier junior point guard Quentin Goodin's status remains a question going into Sunday. He missed the Georgetown game with a knee injury and Steele said Friday that Goodin's still considered day-to-day. If Xavier wants to win a second straight conference game, the Musketeers need to have a good night on the defensive end. The Bulldogs have made 141 threes in 16 games, and it's guard Kamar Baldwin that runs the show. "I think it starts with keeping the ball out of the paint on drives and ball-screens," said Steele. "They're a really good drive-and-kick team. They rely on Kamar Baldwin a lot to get into the paint, get into the teeth of the defense and he makes the right play. He can finish but he can also really find those other guys, they surround him with shooters." Baldwin averages 16.9 points. After that, Paul Jorgensen and Sean McDermott are Butler's two best shooters. Jorgensen averages 13 points and shoots 40 percent from three. McDermott, at 6-foot-6, averages 10.4 points and knocks down 42 percent from beyond the arc. Xavier also has to pay attention to Jordan Tucker and Henry Baddley, both capable shooters from deep. The Musketeers had a great inside presence against Georgetown, playing Tyrique Jones and Zach Hankins together for the first time. That's a trend Xavier would like to continue, but the Musketeers have to be careful of Butler big men Joey Brunk and Nate Fowler and their ability to draw fouls. This is the point in the season when teams want to start stringing good basketball together from game to game. That's a top priority for Xavier. "I think it shows maturity if we do that," said Steele. "It's like I told our guys today, Georgetown, it's old news, nobody cares. I don't care. Let's move on to the next game. "We've gotta see that maturity. In the Big East, every game's gonna be hard and you've gotta be able to string along games, positive games, which again we have a great opportunity to do Sunday against Butler." SCOUTING REPORT THE GAME Tipoff: Sunday, noon at Cintas Center TV/Radio: CBSSN/700-AM Xavier Musketeers Record: 10-7 (2-2) Offense: 74.0 ppg Defense: 70.9 ppg PROJECTED LINEUP PLAYER POS. HT. KEY STAT Quentin Goodin (G, 6-4, 12.6 ppg) Paul Scruggs (G, 6-3, 12.6 ppg) Kyle Castlin (G, 6-4, 4.5 ppg) Naji Marshall (F, 6-7, 13.1 ppg) Zach Hankins (F, 6-10, 10.2 ppg) Butler Bulldogs Record: 10-6 (1-2) Offense: 73.5 ppg Defense: 66.8 ppg PROJECTED LINEUP PLAYER POS. HT. KEY STAT Kamar Baldwin (G, 6-1, 16.9 ppg) Paul Jorgensen (G, 6-2, 13.0 ppg) Sean McDermott (F, 6-6, 10.4 ppg) Aaron Thompson (G, 6-2, 6.4 ppg) Nate Fowler (C, 6-10, 5.1 ppg) PLAYER TO WATCH Kamar Baldwin The Bulldogs' leading scorer (16.9) is also their leading rebounder (5.2) and second-leading assist man (3.8). Baldwin's strength is his ability to drive and disrupt the defense from the inside. He's usually surrounded on the floor by three shooters and a big man who can finish at the rim. NCAA NET Ranking: Xavier is No. 83 and Butler is No. 48 KenPom.com: Xavier is ranked No. 81 and Butler is No. 41 | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/2019/01/12/2018-2019-xavier-musketeers-take-butler-bulldogs-home/2547181002/ |
Will Amazon Split Its Stock in 2019? | Many investors love to see stock splits from the companies in their portfolios. They understand fully that splitting a stock doesn't add any real value to a company, but they nevertheless see a decision to do a stock split as a sign of confidence from management that the future looks bright. Long-time investors in e-commerce giant Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) remember well how the company did stock splits several times early in its existence. Yet it's now been almost 20 years since Amazon last split its stock, and with the share price finally seeing some downward pressure after a huge run-up in recent years, some shareholders would love to get the encouraging signal that a stock split would send. The three stock splits Amazon has done in its history Unfortunately for those who like stock splits, you have to go back to the boom times of the late 1990s to find the last time Amazon decided to split its shares. At that time, CEO Jeff Bezos and his team didn't hesitate to pull the trigger several times in short succession, with three splits occurring in just a year and a quarter. The result at the time was that rather than seeing Amazon's share price vault above $1,000, investors ended up with a total of 12 shares by late 1999 for every one they had owned in early 1998. Amazon's apparent strategy in setting stock splits was very much in line with prevailing wisdom at the time. The first stock split came almost immediately after Amazon shares hit the $100 per-share mark. The pace of gains accelerated in late 1998 and early 1999, and that prompted a more aggressive 3-for-1 split to knock down a stock price that had climbed above $150. Yet it only took months for Amazon to regain those past heights, necessitating another split. Split Date Ratio 100 Shares in Early 1998 Became... June 2, 1998 2 for 1 200 shares Jan. 5, 1999 3 for 1 600 shares Sep. 2, 1999 2 for 1 1,200 shares Data source: Amazon investor relations. Following the company's stellar rise, Amazon saw its stock lose a huge portion of its gains. By the early 2000s, as interest in internet-related stocks waned, Amazon stock saw its price drop into single digits. Even once it recovered, it took years for Amazon to get back to its former share-price levels. AMZN Chart More AMZN data by YCharts. Note: Prices are split-adjusted. It took nearly a decade for Amazon to return to its late-1999 peak for good. Yet as the economic recovery gained steam, Amazon was able to take advantage of steady growth in its e-commerce business to drive share-price gains. The rise of Amazon Web Services only accelerated the company's growth, and other initiatives further broadened Amazon's scope to create brand new opportunities for success. The long pause Yet throughout the rise that eventually sent the tech giant toward a $1 trillion market cap, Amazon has never done another split. Even a brief move in the share price above $2,000 during 2018 didn't prompt a move. CEO Jeff Bezos has historically shown no real interest in doing further stock splits. In communications with shareholders, he's acknowledged that Amazon looks at the question from time to time, but he has no plans to do a stock split anytime soon. | https://news.yahoo.com/amazon-split-stock-2019-155100588.html |
Where Will CRISPR Therapeutics Be in 10 Years? | Predicting the future is never easy (at least not with any hope of being remotely accurate). But attempting to look 10 years in the future for an early-stage biotech is especially tough. CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) is about as early as you can get with early-stage biotechs. The company began its first clinical study only a few months ago. There are multiple paths that could unfold based on how this study and others progress. Here are some possible futures for the up-and-coming biotech. Physician with stethoscope around her neck holding palm out with a question mark appearing over it and cloudy wisps in the shape of DNA helixes in the background More Image source: Getty Images. Dream scenario CRISPR Therapeutics' dream scenario would definitely include a resounding success for its lead pipeline candidate, CTX001. The biotech is currently enrolling patients in a couple of phase 1/2 clinical studies evaluating the gene-editing therapy in treating rare blood diseases beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD). Both of these studies are scheduled to wrap up in 2022, although primary results should be available in early 2021. Assuming all goes well, CRISPR Therapeutics will advance CTX001 to registrational studies. And if those studies are successful, the biotech could have its first product on the market well before 10 years from now. In this scenario, CRISPR Therapeutics would probably be generating revenue in 2029 of more than $1 billion with CTX001. Current treatments for beta thalassemia and SCD are very limited. Patients frequently require transfusions and hospitalization. CTX001 could be a lifesaver for thousands of patients each year. But CRISPR Therapeutics could also have another product on the market in 10 years. The biotech plans to begin an early-stage clinical study of allogeneic CAR-T therapy CTX110 in the first half of 2019. Current CAR-T therapies require expensive and slow processes where patients' own T cells are genetically engineered to fight specific types of cancer. Allogeneic CAR-T therapies use genetically engineered T cells from healthy donors. These "off-the-shelf" therapies enable immediate treatment at lower costs. CTX110 targets tumors that express the CD19 protein. CRISPR Therapeutics also has several other allogeneic CAR-T therapies in preclinical testing that target other tumors, including those that express BCMA and CD70. In a dream scenario, the biotech would leverage what it learns with CTX110 into positive studies for other CAR-T therapies and launch the most effective cancer treatments available. Success for its allogeneic CAR-T therapies could make CRISPR Therapeutics one of the hottest biotechs on the market in 2029. Nightmare scenario Things could turn out much worse for CRISPR Therapeutics, though. There's a real possibility that safety issues could doom the company's underlying technology. CRISPR Therapeutics named itself after the gene-editing approach that it has helped pioneer -- CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). With CRISPR, bacterial enzymes are used to target specific sections of DNA. Sequences in the DNA can be disrupted (inactivated), deleted, or replaced. Two serious concerns have been raised about CRISPR. One is that there could be unintended "off-target" changes made when using CRISPR to edit DNA sequences. Another is that using CRISPR could increase the risk of cancer. | https://news.yahoo.com/where-crispr-therapeutics-10-years-170000630.html |
Are women punished more harshly for killing an intimate partner? | Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life in prison in 2004 for a man she killed when she was 16 years old. This week though, Brown was granted clemency by the Tennessee governor after appeals by her lawyers claiming that she was a victim of sex trafficking who feared for her life. Brown, now aged 30, will remain on parole supervision for 10 years so long as she retains a job and participates in regular counseling sessions. The man Brown killed was Johnny Allen, who had taken her to his house that night. Though he wasnt her partner, the case prompted me to look at sentencing statistics for intimate partner violence in the US. Cyntoia Brown: celebrities call for release of sex-trafficking victim Read more Statistics cited by the ACLU and the Womens March suggest a wide gender gap in sentencing. The average prison sentence for men who kill their female partners is two to six years (the illustration here takes the midpoint of those values). By contrast women, who kill their partners are sentenced on average to 15 years. Despite its widespread use, the statistic is dated. It was first published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 1989. It remains true that most women who kill their partners cite self-defense as a motive. In fact, 70-80% of incarcerated women report intimate partner violence. But there doesnt appear to be any recent analysis of sentencing to see if this gender gap in sentencing remains the same. Since the statistic was first published, one of the clearest changes in the US prison system has been the dramatic increase in womens incarceration rates. Research also suggests that women are given harsher punishments when they have committed crimes that are perceived as more masculine, such as murder. More recent statistics from other countries suggest that intimate partner violence committed by men continues to be treated with leniency. In Ireland, men who are convicted of the manslaughter of current or former partners serve an average of 2.8 years less time in jail than other men convicted of the same charge against people who were not their partners. This is a column that illustrates numbers from the news each week. Write to me: [email protected] | https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2019/jan/12/intimate-partner-violence-gender-gap-cyntoia-brown |
Is The Los Angeles Teacher Strike A Different Kind Of Strike? | In my entire teaching career, I was in two teacher strikes; one as a newly hired first year teacher, the other as the president of the local association. The on-the-ground specifics of every strike are different, but both experiences underlined what I have come to believe is true of all teacher strikes: Teachers don't want to strike. Teacher strikes happen because teachers believe they are out of alternatives. There has never been a union meeting in which members said, "The board says they're willing to talk, and we trust them to do so in good faith, but we think we should strike instead." Teachers strike because they face issues that can't be ignored and a board that won't sit down to help solve those issues. Even then, teachers strike reluctantly. Strikes don't happen because the most active, cranky members are ready to walk, and strikes don't happen because local, state or national leaders convince the rest of the members to walk. Strikes happen when school district leadership convinces the most strike-averse teachers that they are out of options. That's what makes the L.A. strike, like the statewide strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado and Washington, so extraordinary. If you have not worked in union leadership, I'm not sure you can imagine just how difficult it is to push that many teachers to undergo the stress, uncertainty and trouble of a strike. No union leadership could do it without the assistance of the local school district's board and administration, or the politicians overseeing education on the state level. This part of the L.A. strike is not new. Teachers strike because they want to be able to do their jobs with a decent standard of living, without having to constantly watch their backs, under conditions that allow them to do the best they can, and with a sense that they'll leave a stronger school for the future. Teachers strike because they have stopped believing that their school board can be trusted to help them pursue those goals. All of this has been true of every teacher strike ever. But in L.A. (and West Virginia and Oklahoma and the other #REDforED states) there is a new factor. In my two strikes, and in virtually all strikes of the past, we could make one assumption safely--that as much as we disagreed about the means, everyone wanted, in their own way, to see the public school district remain healthy and whole. This is no longer a safe assumption on the local, state or national level. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner came to the job with no background in education. This is no longer unusual in large districts, nor in state school leadership positions. Increasingly the agenda of many people taking positions of authority over public education is to dismantle public education and replace it with a network of private charter schools, a process often accelerated by starving public schools for funding in order to manufacture a crisis. And lest we forget, current secretary of education Betsy DeVos once declared that public schools are a "dead end." Beutner's comment to a reporter regarding the strike was "There are ways to educate kids that don't rely on a physical body." Teachers are not necessary. L.A. schools particularly feel this privatization push. Eli Broad has long been a wealthy advocate of approaching education as business, and through Great Public Schools Now, announced in 2016 a bold plan to move half of Los Angeles students into charter schools. Currently charters have enrolled one in five of LA students. Last fall, charter school advocates poured millions of dollars into LAUSD board elections in order to install a charter-favoring majority on the board. Teachers in many school districts and many states across the country find themselves in the unusual position of working in an institution led by people who want to see that institution fail. Back in the day, teacher strikes were about how best to keep a school district healthy, but these modern walkouts are about the very idea that public schools should be kept healthy at all. UTLA demands for smaller classes, more support staff, safer schools, community schools, and charter school oversight are not about making their working conditions a little better, but about keeping public education alive and healthy. Teachers across the country are dealing with the problems created by systematic underfunding of public schools and a systematic devaluing of the teaching profession by leaders who believe that public education should be swept aside to make room for a system of private free market education. Of all the reactions to this, the #REDforEd movement and the wave of strikes are actually the good news, because these are the teachers who intend to stay and fight for the future of public education and the students it serves. When those walkouts are settled, the teachers will return to the classroom. The oft-noted teacher "shortage," is really a slow motion walkout of teachers who will never return to the profession at all. When the teachers of my district walked out years ago, it was a small strike that attracted little attention outside of our area because our issues were strictly our own. When Los Angeles teachers walk out, it will resonate across the country because the issues they walk for are about the health and survival of public education for children in their communities are the same issues that teachers all across the country are struggling with as well. That's what makes this strike, like last year's wave of state strikes, different--many teachers will see it not as simply a local battle, but as a skirmish in a larger national fight. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/01/12/is-the-los-angeles-teacher-strike-a-different-kind-of-strike/ |
Why Is It So Hard To Talk To Aging Parents About Money? | The questions about parents' finances often come up when a parent starts to need some help. Basics like shopping, cooking or bathing can become too difficult for an elder with chronic illness, frailty and problems with memory. It may have started at retirement when income became fixed but unpredictable expenses weren't figured into the cost of living. You, the adult children grow concerned that Mom or Dad need to spend more now for new things in their lives, such as paying a caregiver. You ask questions. Often there is push-back from the parent: "That's not your business!" In your mind there is fear that the cost of these new expenses will fall on you. It might! It can be very frustrating when they avoid the subject. Financial means is often an emotional subject, particularly for a parent who lived through the Great Depression, and saw family, friends and associates lose fortunes overnight. The impact of that time on the generation suffering the most from it has not disappeared. At AgingParents.com, where we see that money is often a subject of family conflict, sibling arguments and parental resistance, there are recurring themes. They revolve around the parents' belief that their kids will take care of them if they run out of money. And since most parents do not want to be a burden to their children, (that's what they say anyway), they may be embarrassed to reveal that they have little saved or that they have debt. One not need to have lived through the Great Depression to have this belief that there's nothing to worry about, as their kids owe to them to care for them. In truth, whether a parent believes it or not, there are plenty of adult children who do not want the burden of taking care of an aging parent. They may feel guilty about it but they do not hesitate to express that sentiment when we speak with them. I hear from one or the other that the aging parent is a grouch, or was always angry when they were growing up, or that the parent has become very difficult now that she has memory loss. The aging parent's expectations do not match those of their adult kids. The question of how to pay someone else to do the caregiving job looms uncomfortably. One can be frustrated when the parent changes the subject and you put it off again, or you can take another approach. We recommend that those who may have to take on the financial or other burden of caregiving first meet with each other, in the absence of the parent(s) and figure out who is best equipped to bring up the topic of finances with aging parents. If you are an only child, you may need an ally. Someone in the family who empathizes, or a friend your parent respects can help. The meeting among kids should have a goal. Decide what to do if you think your elder is hiding their financial status from you because the news would be bad or if they are afraid you might take advantage of them if they seem to be well fixed. The truth has to come out. Set a date to meet with your aging loved one and let them know you all agree that some planning for the future needs to happen. After a birthday, anniversary or other occasion can be good, as it is a reminder of time passing. One of the first things is to reassure aging parents that you have no intention of taking advantage of them nor of disrespecting their wishes. You need to express your worries: fear that they going to run out of funds to pay for help. Be honest in discussing that not everyone is willing or able to provide hands-on caregiving. And if the need increases for paid help or a different living situation as age takes its toll, a plan to cover these costs must be in place so all can be prepared. The subject can trigger anger in a parent who realizes that he or she has to hear this with offspring joining forces on the subject. But it may break down the secrecy and allow everyone to work on the truth of their situation. Adult children who find out that a parent has credit card debt, for example, may be more adept at consolidating and managing it than the parent was. Access to parents' bank accounts online can be very helpful. Aging parents may need help keeping track of and paying their bills. And if they do not have the means to pay for caregiving when needed, exploring their possible eligibility for public benefits can be explored. Takeaways: yes, finances can be an emotionally loaded subject, but if you have a plan, unite with siblings to address it with your elders and set a date to bring it up, it will be far better than a nasty surprise down the road. Getting past aging parents' resistance and your own discomfort can save your sanity. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynrosenblatt/2019/01/12/why-is-it-so-hard-to-talk-to-aging-parents-about-money/ |
What Are the Income Tax Brackets for 2018? | Many taxpayers will be in a lower tax bracket when they file their 2018 tax return. However, the marriage penalty could still burn high-income couples. A key feature of the new tax law is lower tax rates for most Americans. There are still seven tax brackets, but the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act dropped the rate for five of them for 2018. The new 2018 rates are now 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37% after tax reform. You'll use the new rates for the first time when filing tax returns for 2018, which are due to the IRS by April 15, 2019 (April 17 if you live in Maine or Massachusetts). The old 2017 rates were 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35% and 39.6%. There's more good news. The taxable income range for each 2018 bracket was also tweaked. In most cases, the new tax rate kicks in at a higher income level. This means more taxpayers will fall into a lower bracket starting with their 2018 returns. 2018 Tax Brackets for Single/Married Filing Jointly Tax Rate Taxable Income (Single) Taxable Income (Married) 10% Up to $9,525 Up to $19,050 12% $9,526 to $38,700 $19,051 to $77,400 22% $38,701 to $82,500 $77,401 to $165,000 24% $82,501 to $157,500 $165,001 to $315,000 32% $157,501 to $200,000 $315,001 to $400,000 35% $200,001 to $500,000 $400,001 to $600,000 37% Over $500,000 Over $600,000 The "marriage penalty" is also minimized under the new tax law. This tax-law twist makes certain couples - typically, those whose incomes are similar - filing a joint return pay more tax than they would if they were single. It's triggered when, for any given rate, the minimum taxable income for joint filers is less than twice the amount for single filers. Before the new tax law, this happened in the four highest tax brackets, which meant that couples with a combined taxable income over $153,100 were susceptible to the penalty. After tax reform, only the top bracket contains the marriage penalty trap. As a result, only couples with a combined taxable income over $600,000 are at risk when filing their 2018 tax return. 2018 Tax Brackets for Married Filing Separately/Head of Household Tax Rate Taxable Income (Married Separate) Taxable Income (Head of Household) 10% Up to $9,525 Up to $13,600 12% $9,526 to $38,700 $13,601 to $51,800 22% $38,701 to $82,500 $51,801 to $82,500 24% $82,501 to $157,500 $82,501 to $157,500 32% $157,501 to $200,000 $157,501 to $200,000 35% $200,001 to $300,000 $200,001 to $500,000 37% Over $300,000 Over $500,000 Looking forward, the new tax law also affects how the brackets will be indexed for inflation each year after 2018. Previously, the brackets were adjusted based on the standard Consumer Price Index. However, some economists believe the old formula doesn't fully account for changes in spending as prices rise, so lawmakers adopted a "chained" CPI formula for post-2018 adjustments. This will result in lower inflation adjustments to the tax brackets in the years ahead. Finally, for comparison's sake, here are the old tax brackets from 2017: 2017 Tax Brackets for Single/Married Filing Jointly Tax Rate Taxable Income (Single) Taxable Income (Married) 10% Up to $9,325 Up to $18,650 15% $9,326 to $37,950 $18,651 to $75,900 25% $37,951 to $91,900 $75,901 to $153,100 28% $91,901 to $191,650 $153,101 to $233,350 33% $191,651 to $416,700 $233,351 to $416,700 35% $416,701 to $418,400 $416,701 to $470,700 39.60% Over $418,400 Over $470,700 2017 Tax Brackets for Married Filing Separately/Head of Household Tax Rate Taxable Income (Married Separate) Taxable Income (Head of Household) 10% Up to $9,325 Up to $13,350 15% $9,326 to $37,950 $13,351 to $50,800 25% $37,951 to $76,550 $50,801 to $131,200 28% $76,551 to $116,675 $131,201 to $212,500 33% $116,676 to $208,350 $212,501 to $416,700 35% $208,351 to $235,350 $416,701 to $444,550 39.60% Over $235,350 Over $444,550 See Also: 18 IRS Audit Red Flags Every Taxpayer Needs to Know EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors | https://news.yahoo.com/income-tax-brackets-2018-175541203.html |
Are Conventional Producers Really Losing Influence? | Energy professionals and others following the developments in the oil and gas industry during the last couple of years have witnessed a massive rise in reporting concerning hydraulic fracturing technology. The role of conventional oil could easily be undervalued considering the rising importance of shale oil. Although hydraulic fracturing has changed the market significantly, conventional producers still make up the bulk of todays oil mix. Production of shale oil in the U.S. is poised to grow even further in the coming years. However, basic economic fundamentals such as profitability and availability bode well for conventional producers and especially for those in the Middle East. Conventional oils technical and geographic soft spot Despite shale oils impressive rise in production, the majority of the worlds oil is produced from conventional fields which hold around two-thirds of the global recoverable resources. OPECs member countries possess the bulk of these assets with nearly 82 percent of the total. Of this amount, 65 percent is in the Middle East, led by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE. The technical advantages of oil recovery from this region are that production is relatively easy and cheap. Black Gold in the Middle East is amassed in large deposits near the surface either onshore or in relatively shallow waters. This means that the worlds oil producers with the lowest breakeven costs are Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq with costs between the $9 and $10 dollars a barrel in 2016. The immense size of Middle Eastern oil fields and the relative ease with which it can be extracted, have made it the most important oil production region since the Second World War. Conventional oils decreasing role outside of the Middle East The world produced almost 100 million bpd per day in 2018. Both production and consumption are set to rise even further in 2019. Conventional production beyond the Middle East peaked in 2010 and expectations are that production will continue to fall to 45.6 million barrels a day in 2020 which is a 2.3 mb/d decline from the current level. Furthermore, global consumption is set to rise even further reaching 112 mb/d in 2040. This additional demand will be met primarily by U.S. shale, new deepwater oil production and conventional oil producers from the Middle East. Related: OPECs No.2 Boosted Production, Exports Just Before Cuts Began (Click to enlarge) Analysts expect Middle Eastern oil production to grow by 2.7 mb/d by 2025. The extra barrels will be supplied by Iraq (approx. 1.5 mb/d) and by the presumed resumption of production in the Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The UAE hasnt announced large production increases but the Emirates have the capacity to do so when proper investments are made. Also, statements concerning Irans future level of production are unreliable due to political risks associated with the Trump administration or any future Presidents policy vis--vis Tehran. Shale oils influence on global prices Traditionally OPEC has dominated global oil markets and price setting. However, with the introduction of shale oil, a new bandwidth has been introduced. Following the experience of the last couple of years concerning wild oil price swings, most analysts agree that U.S. shale oil production growth is capped by $50 dollars a barrel. The price of WTI indexed oil was on average $48 (2015) and $43 (2016). The price of oil below $50 has caused a decreasing of activity in the shale oil sector in the U.S. Related: Maduro Clings To Power As Venezuelas Oil Collapse Continues The flexibility of fracking technology and quick investment returns mean that U.S. shale producers are sensitive to price swings. This, in turn, introduces a new balancing force in the oil market meaning that when price drop below $50, economic activity will also reduce quickly in the shale oil production areas. The same logic is also applied when prices rise towards $70, when most shale oil fields become profitable, and increased production lowers prices again. | https://news.yahoo.com/conventional-producers-really-losing-influence-200000892.html |
What would a Saints home game be without these local musical acts? | In New Orleans, home-field advantage doesnt just bring black-and-gold jerseys and Who Dat chants to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. When the top-ranked New Orleans Saints (13-3) host the Philadelphia Eagles (10-7) on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 13), fans inside the stadium will also be treated to some of the citys biggest musical acts. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, New Orleans' iconic traditional jazz ensemble, will signal the start of the game with the national anthem. At halftime, the famed 7th Ward high school band, the St. Augustine Marching 100, and the Grammy award-winning Rebirth Brass Band will perform. The musical offerings dont end when the clock hits zero. Choppa will perform live at the Masquerade nightclub at Harrahs casino after the game. Theres no admission fee, and Choppa will host a dance contest, in addition to performing. See Choppa perform for free after the Saints-Eagles game Sunday | https://www.nola.com/sports/2019/01/what-would-a-saints-home-game-be-without-these-local-musical-acts.html |
Could Saints receiver TreQuan Smith have another big game vs. Eagles? | TreQuan Smith has been confident in his skills since joining the New Orleans Saints, but he thinks his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 might have helped his teammates, and specifically quarterback Drew Brees, trust him a bit more. In the 48-7 blowout nearly two months ago, Smith had the most productive game of his rookie season with 10 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown. With the Eagles focusing on limiting Michael Thomas, Smith had more opportunities and took advantage. They came with a game plan to double Mike, so somebody else had to step up, Smith said this week. Thomas still produced in the game with four catches for 92 yards and one touchdown, but all of the Saints receivers made plays in the game. Keith Kirkwood, in just the second game of his career, had three catches for 33 yards, and Austin Carr caught his first career touchdown. Saints offense, Eagles defense among the NFLs best in clutch situations However, Smith became Brees go-to receiver in the game as his 13 targets were significantly more than anyone else in the game. Kirkwood was second with five. When the Saints play the Eagles again Sunday in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, they dont know what to expect from the Philadelphia defense. Thomas said the Eagles hadnt really double-teamed a receiver in any games before or after the first matchup, so the Saints had to adjust on the fly in the game. If they have the same game plan, somebody else is going to have a big game, Smith said. Whether itll be Smith is tough to predict. With Ted Ginn Jr. back from injured reserve, it would seem like Smith could have fewer opportunities in the game, but offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. said there are some differences in their roles. Ginn missed 10 games with a knee injury, and when he returned in Week 16 against the Steelers, he had five catches for 74 yards. Smith had one catch for 11 yards in that game. With Ginn having more experience, its likely hell play more than Smith in Sundays playoff game, but theres a chance the Saints like something about Smiths matchup based on the first game. Ginn, meanwhile, said he was glad to see Smith play well in that first meeting. Thats what hes supposed to do, Ginn said. He went out and took on the big stage. It kind of shows what this (wide receiver) room is about. I was excited for him, but you just got to put it back together. If the ball goes Smiths way on Sunday, hell be ready, but he wont be upset if he doesnt have the kind of performance he had in Week 11. As long as we win, thats all I really care about, Smith said. If I have zero catches, zero targets but come out with the win, thats fine with me. Im not here for personal success. Im here for team success. | https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/could-saints-trequan-smith-have-big-game-vs-eagles-again.html |
What do the players say? Will 2019 Cleveland Indians be better or worse than 2018 edition? | CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The media can be fooled. Fans can be fooled, but its hard to fool a ballplayer when the question is about talent. So the answer is yes, the 2019 Indians are going to be a different team than the one that ended the 2018 season with 91 wins and a third straight AL Central title. The list of departed Indians does not include free agents Cody Allen, Brandon Guyer, Josh Tomlin, Melky Cabrera, Oliver Perez and Adam Rosales, who are still looking for homes. I wouldnt say that, said catcher Roberto Perez, who moves into a starting role following the trade of Gomes. All I can say is that were going to get there. We lost some pieces like Encarnacion and Brantley. Those players are special and they fit here well, but were going to concentrate on what we have here now and see what happens. Asked if the Indians can win the World Series in 2019, Perez said, Yes, I believe in my team 100 percent. This is Perezs 11th season in the organization. Considering the experience and talent the Indians have lost this winter, he qualifies as an elder statesman. His tenure has given him a chance to see how the front office has put together winning rosters for the last six seasons. Of course, Im very confident in the front office, said Perez. I believe in my team. Each person here knows what they can do. I think our strength is here ... its the (starting) pitching. Were going to be the underdogs. I think we all know that. But were ready for the challenge. When asked if he really believed the Indians were going to be underdogs in a division theyve dominated for three years, he said, Not really. The other teams have done great jobs this offseason, the White Sox and Minnesota. But in 2016, nobody thought that we were going to be in the World Series. Weve just got to prove people wrong. Reliever Dan Otero is entering his fourth season with the Indians. He said last year the Indians dwelt too much on the players theyd lost to free agency specifically Bryan Shaw. This winter its Miller and Allen. I dont want the narrative to always be about the people we lost, said Otero. I felt like last year I thought there was a lot of that with Shaw leaving. How are we going to replace him and maybe we werent focused on who we had here. I kind of want to get away from talking about the guys who arent here and talk about the guys who are here. We have some new blood here. Guys trying to make a name for themselves. Whether its Neil Ramirez coming back again. Jon Edwards coming back after a good year. Nick Goody coming off an injury. There are guys here we need to count on and hold accountable. As much as those guys meant to us in the past, we do need to look at the guys we have here. Theyre at different places and hopefully they do well except when they play us. Over the last six years the Indians have won more games than any team in the AL. The roster didnt turn over that much until the last two seasons. But as players keep performing well and gain more service time in the big leagues, their salaries increase as free agency draws nearer. That means change for a team such as the Indians. With change, comes opportunity. Its an opportunity to make your name, said Mike Clevinger, when asked about this winters roster turnover. When I was coming up here, I took it as there was an awful lot of good arms in front of me. I told myself if I can crack this rotation, its going to be a pretty big thing for myself. Were a winning ball team. Weve been winning for years. If you can crack this lineup (as a position player), its obviously a feat for yourself and your personal endeavors. With the trades and free agents departures of Gomes, Gonzalez, Encarnacion, Chisenhall, Brantley and Alonso, the Indians have lost 307 runs, 90 homers and 270 RBI. The good part of being here the last couple of years, said Clevinger, was seeing how this front office replenishes the holes in the lineup. So now its not the anxiety of not knowing your lineup. I know theyre going to be putting some good bats in there. Weve won the AL Central three years in a row. Why not keep it going? Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz., for the start of spring training on Feb. 12. GM Mike Chernoff told the Tribe Fest audience on Saturday that they will keep trying to improve the team right through the start of camp and beyond. There have been rumors all winter that one way to do that would be to trade one of their top two starting pitchers, Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer. Id really be sad to see Klubes or Trev leave because theyve been such great mentors to learn from, said Adam Plutko. Seeing them leave would be a real bummer on my end. But in an offseason where there has been change in every other part of the roster, a move with the rotation would not be a surprise. | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/01/what-do-the-players-say-will-2019-cleveland-indians-be-better-or-worse-than-2018-edition.html |
Is Shopify a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | There's no solid definition. If you start out with $1,000 and expect it to turn into a cool million, you'd need returns of 99,900%. Conversely, if you started out with $500,000 in a single stock, you'd only need a return of 100%. To simplify the question, I'm going to define a "millionaire-maker" as a stock that can return 10 times its value in 20 years. Investors in Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) have already had a great ride: shares are up 500% since its 2015 initial public offering and 650% since February of 2016. That might make you feel like you've missed your chance with Shopify. I'm here to tell you that isn't necessarily the case. A fake $1,000,000 bill More Image source: Getty Images. A mission with a million different directions Let's think for a second about some of the stocks that have returned the greatest value over the last 20 years. Think about Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN): It started out selling just books, and has become an Everything Store, streaming giant, and cloud force that is redefining almost every industry in commerce. Or think about Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) -- the parent of Google -- which started out with a simple search engine. Today, it offers up eight different tools that each have over a billion users, and is working on moonshot projects that could fundamentally change our everyday lives, hopefully for the better. It would be difficult for someone around in the founding days of either company to have envisioned the scope of influence that each has today. And yet, one simple sentence from each company's beginning would have given us a clue: its mission statement. Amazon's was simply "to be earth's most customer-centric company." Alphabet's (then Google's) read: "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Both of these would have been helpful in predicting what was to come. That's because they share the three traits I consider paramount to finding millionaire-making stocks. Their mission statements are: Simple: Any employee can decide on a course of action in a split second, based on how it aligns with the mission statement. Optionable: There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different ways the company could go about fulfilling this mission. Inspirational: Far beyond simply adding to the bottom line, the company serves an enduring, existential human desire. Which brings us to Shopify. Right now, the company makes most of its cash from a two-pronged approach: a subscription platform that allows anyone to set up an e-commerce site, and "merchant solutions" like help with shipping packages and collecting online payments. But if we want to know where the company is going, we need to analyze its mission: "to make commerce better for everyone." This checks all three boxes. It is simple, optionable -- as the addition of merchant solutions a few years ago clearly shows -- and inspirational. And Shopify's founder and CEO, Tobi Lutke, has already demonstrated that this mission statement is not an empty one. Owner-operators with skin in the game Speaking of Lutke, there's a lot to like. He started a snowboarding company in 2004 and developed his own platform to sell his wares. Over time, it became apparent the platform, rather than the snowboards, was what the world really wanted. Born a coder, Lutke was happy to oblige. Today he still owns over 60% of Shopify's Class B shares, meaning his net worth is closely tied to the fate of the company. Just as importantly, it means that he -- the person who has grown the company from scratch -- remains in control. When an owner-operator is at the helm, I believe there's enormous intrinsic (read: not wringing out short-term profits) motivation to build something with long-term value. Perhaps it's no coincidence, then, that both Amazon and Alphabet are still run by their founders as well. | https://news.yahoo.com/shopify-millionaire-maker-stock-213500775.html |
Is Apple a Buy? | Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) didn't end its year well. CEO Tim Cook issued a rare letter to shareholders in which he slashed the company's earnings guidance for the fourth quarter from a range of $89 billion to $93 billion down to $84 billion. That's a $7 billion shortfall if you had assumed the company would deliver a number in the middle of its original range. The shortfall came because iPhone sales have been slow in China as well as in emerging markets. In addition, the company has been hurt by slower adoption for its newest phones -- a problem it exacerbated by having its latest operating system, iOS 12, improve the performance of older phones. Those are big issues for a company for which iPhone sales have accounted for at least 50% of revenue, and sometimes nearly 70%, since the beginning of 2013. Customers look at iPhones in an Apple store. More Apple has reported slower-than-expected iPhone sales. Image source: Apple. Phone replacement used to be tied to contracts with the major wireless carriers. Customers generally got a heavily subsidized phone in exchange for a two-year commitment to the carrier. At the end of that two years, most consumers would upgrade their phone as part of the process of signing a new contract. That's not how things work anymore. The four major carriers -- AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint -- now charge for phones separately, though they all offer installment plans, and some offer leases. That has given consumers a better look at how much their phone actually costs, instead of having that number hidden within paying for the service. It's a change that now has people holding on to their phones longer. Globally, smartphone sales appear to have passed their peak, with year-over-year shipments falling in each of the past four quarters, according to data from IDC, which noted that Apple isn't alone in struggling in China. "China's domestic market continues to be challenged as overall consumer spending around smartphones has been down," said IDC Program Vice President Ryan Reith in a press release. "High penetration levels, mixed with some challenging economic times, has slowed the world's largest smartphone market." Reith, however, doesn't believe further declines are inevitable. In fact, he sees the situation in China getting better. "Despite this, we believe this market will begin to recover in 2019 and beyond, driven in the short term by a large, built-up refresh cycle across all segments, and in the outer years of the forecast supported by 5G migration," he said. While it's concerning that iPhone sales are slowing because consumers are waiting longer to upgrade, it's not enough to scare me away from Apple. The company has acknowledged it has a problem, but it's also already made a major move to account for it. Consumers may upgrade less often, but they'll still upgrade. Apple understands that and has priced its newest devices accordingly. The base model iPhone 6 cost $649 at launch, while the entry-level XS costs $999. That's an increase of more than a third, and it shows that Apple understands its audience. Yes, the company will have to deal with lumpier upgrade cycles as consumers around the world realize that their existing phones are good enough that they don't need a new one quite as often. That group will be counterbalanced by the Apple enthusiast audience that considers owning the new phone a badge of honor -- and one that it seems quite willing to pay for. | https://news.yahoo.com/apple-buy-213200119.html |
Why Did Comcast Corp. Shares Drop by 12% in 2018? | What happened Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) saw its stock price fall in 2018 despite putting up relatively strong numbers. That probably happened because of fears that cord cutting would eventually cause problems in the company's core cable business. The company has lost about 340,000 cable customers through three quarters. That's up from a drop of 151,000 in all of 2017. Customers are dropping cable in favor of streaming services in faster numbers, but Comcast has more than made up for those losses by adding broadband customers. It's possible that the market for broadband reaches a saturation point, but that hasn't happened yet, and cable companies have been winning share from telephone-based providers. Comcast has added just over 1 million broadband customers through three quarters, around triple the number of cable customers it lost. Two women sit on the floor of a living room, while one points to a large TV screen. More More consumers are dropping cable, putting a drag on Comcast shares. Image source: Getty Images. So what Fears over the decline of cable also cast a shadow over Comcast's broadcast and cable business. It's not that anything truly bad has happened yet. There's simply a fear that it will. That dragged the company's share price from $39.01 on the last day of trading in 2017 to $34.16 when the market closed for 2018, a 12% drop, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. CEO Brian Roberts doesn't share the market's concerns. In fact, he noted in his remarks in the third-quarter earnings release that the company grew in a number of ways in Q3. "Comcast Cable's EBITDA growth was the fastest in six years, and customer relationship growth accelerated, driven by the best broadband net additions for a third quarter in 10 years," he said. "At NBCUniversal, our TV businesses continued their strong performance. NBC finished the 52-week season ranked No. 1 in total viewers for the first time in 16 years and No. 1 in adults 18-49 for the fifth consecutive season, and is off to a great start in the new season." Now what Roberts and Comcast have to show that the company can maintain its audience as customers drop traditional cable. That's a big challenge, because the company doesn't offer a streaming service, though it could do so in the future. That's a challenge, but one the company should be able to meet, given its strong lineup of intellectual property and its ability to market to its broadband customers. More From The Motley Fool Daniel B. Kline has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/why-did-comcast-corp-shares-233500456.html |
Can Oregon basketball recover from historic collapse against UCLA? | EUGENE It appeared talk of the Oregons demise in the wake of the season-ending injury to Bol Bol appeared premature, then a historic collapse of losing a nine-point lead with less than a minute to play against UCLA put UOs season on the brink. How the Ducks (9-6, 0-2 Pac-12) respond from Thursdays backbreaking 87-84 overtime loss to the Bruins will determine whether they can keep any faint hope of making the NCAA Tournament alive or if the worst final-minute collapse in Pac-12 history was the opening line to the epitaph of their season. Of the five teams to relinquish larger leads in the final minute in NCAA Division I history, two saw their seasons end with the defeat, two had winning records to end the the season and one went into a deeper tailspin. Northern Iowas season ended after blowing a record 12-point lead to Texas A&M in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, as did Virginias following a 10-point collapse to Miami in the 2011 ACC Tournament. Colgate went 5-3 after losing a 10-point lead to Bucknell last season and Maryland went 7-5 before advancing all the way to the Final Four after Dukes Miracle Minute 10-point comeback in 2001. After allowing UNLV to dig out of an 11-point gap in the final minute, San Diego States 2004-05 season ended with a 1-6 thud. Oregon coach Dana Altman, the lone voice to speak after Thursdays game, said the players were crushed but hoped having two days before hosting USC (9-7, 2-1 Pac-12) on Sunday (5 p.m., ESPNU) would help recover. Its got to be everybody, all of us. Were all out there together, (we need to) bounce back, Altman said. We played our tails off in 35 minutes. I thought we really played well, we just didnt finish it. We didnt rebound, we didnt defend, we had a couple of bad turnovers that enabled them to get back. Until the final seven minutes of regulation, Oregon had arguably its gutsiest, most energetic and smartest performance of the season. The Ducks capitalized on 23 UCLA turnovers, which led to 32 points, and after a blazing fast start forced the much bigger and deeper Bruins to play at a slower tempo. As long as Kenny Wooten is out recovering from a broken jaw Oregon will have no choice but to play at a slower pace and minimize possessions in order to maximize efficiency, keep the eight healthy players fresh enough to play as much as possible and ultimately remain competitive. Until UCLAs furious comeback, that plan was working and could remain Oregons blueprint. I hope the guys can realize they played really good for 35 minutes, Altman said. "and then address what we didnt do well down the stretch. However, no matter what strategy Oregon employs it must have consistent performances from its best players and leading scorer Payton Pritchard is coming off his third career game without a field goal and first since March 11, 2017. Louis King is ascending and likely Oregons best offensive weapon, but Pritchard must score more and Altman was not sure why the junior point guard had such a poor offensive showing (0 for 6, including 0 for 5 from three-point range, with four free throws) against UCLA. We want him to look for shots and I thought the ball movement was pretty good," Altman said. "He missed a couple of good looks, but we do need him to be more aggressive offensively. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/can-oregon-basketball-recover-from-historic-collapse-against-ucla.html |
Is Bill Belichick right to devalue weather in Patriots-Chargers? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Bill Belichick has always had a rocky relationship with the weather. So, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised the New England Patriots head coach doesn't believe Sunday's chilly forecast -- expected to be in the high 20s -- will give his team any edge whatsoever over the Los Angeles Chargers in their AFC Divisional Round clash at Gillette Stadium. Scroll to continue with content Ad "They're a good football team," Belichick said Friday in a press conference. "We're playing the Chargers. We're not playing the weather. Whatever it is, it is." "Yeah," Belichick responded. "Gonna be on the same field." We hate to disagree with the greatest NFL coach of all time. But we're of the mind that Mother Nature should at least benefit the Patriots somewhat. First: The Chargers aren't used to playing in the cold. That's a fact. They've played in just one game this season with a kickoff temperature below 50 degrees -- a Week 15 win at Kansas City in 39-degree weather -- and last Saturday's Wild Card win over the Baltimore Ravens was played in 51-degree weather. Sunday will be at least 20 degrees colder than all but one game they've played in this season. Second: Philip Rivers isn't all that good in the cold. The Chargers quarterback has played in just five career games with game-time temperatures at or below freezing and is 1-4 in those contests. Story continues Finally: Tom Brady and the Patriots are very, very good in the cold. The Pats QB boasts a 98.9 passer rating in his last 10 cold-weather games (40 degrees or below), and New England is 13-2 in its last 15 playoff games played in 34-degree weather or colder. Far from it. The Chargers haven't lost a game outside L.A. County this season, going 8-1 on the road (playoffs included) with their only defeat coming to the Los Angeles Rams. But expect the elements to play more of a role than Belichick would like to admit. 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/bill-belichick-devalue-weather-patriots-180907440.html?src=rss |
What are the potential health benefits of gene editing? | Your browser does not support playing this file but you can still download the MP3 file to play locally. Last year a Chinese scientist shocked the world by claiming that he had created the worlds first gene-edited babies. Anjana Ahuja talks to Robin Lovell-Badge, a developmental biologist and geneticist, about the controversy and about the potential for gene editing tools such as Crispr-Cas9 to revolutionise the treatment of genetic diseases.This podcast is supported by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. Read more in the FT Health series Future of Research and Development Contributors: Joshua Noble, weekend news editor. Anjana Ahuja, science columnist, and Robin Lovell-Badge, head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at the Francis Crick Institute. Producers: Ruth Lewis-Coste and Fiona Symon | https://www.ft.com/content/4f01edd7-81ae-4aa7-bf25-7188e4c56e4d |
How can I get child support if the father is dead? | Eighteen years ago, I had a child out of wedlock. The father, who I will call Joe, and I were both young. He was never really involved but did give me money, $2,000 per month and extra when I asked. He also always sent birthday and Christmas gifts. We had always talked about equally sharing her college expenses when the time came. Joe married two years ago and last year had a baby with his wife. She has always resented the money he sent me, and when their child was born, she insisted he stop supporting our daughter. She is applying to college and I need that money even more now. After much deliberation, I filed a paternity complaint to get a child support order. He requested a paternity test and, as I understand it, went forward with the testing. I have not seen the test results but I know he is the father Joe was my first and only boyfriend back then. Last week, Joe was killed in a car crash. His wife immediately filed a death certificate and motion to dismiss my complaint. There is a hearing scheduled in two weeks and I am worried. While the death of a party terminates a pending divorce, that is not necessarily true of either an annulment or paternity action. In the instance of an annulment, a spouse who is deemed not to be a spouse would not be able to inherit if never married. And for a paternity action, if the test confirms paternity, the child should be entitled to make a claim under the decedents estate. Child support does not end on the death of the obligor. Ask the judge to wait for the lab results and, assuming paternity is established, to then deny the motion to dismiss. Tell the judge of your intention to conduct discovery into Joes estate so you can then ask for child support and college contributions from his estate. It may be Joe had a will that includes your child. If your child is not specifically excluded from the will, even if she is not named, she will fall under the catchall definition of child of the deceased and thus be entitled to make a claim. If the judge seems inclined to allow the motion to dismiss, ask the judge to stay the case and report the issue to the appeals court for determination rather than just dismiss the case. Remind the judge that Rule 64 permits a reservation and report and if you are required to file a full appeal, it might give the wife time to protect Joes assets from creditors such as your daughter, thus quashing her college dreams. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/13/wendy-4/ |
Did Devin McCourty's text convince Bill Belichick to sign brother Jason? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Looking back, it almost seemed inevitable. Scroll to continue with content Ad Devin McCourty was an essential cog in the New England Patriots' defense, but the team still needed secondary help entering the 2018 season. McCourty's twin brother, Jason, was in the final year of his contract on a rebuilding Cleveland Browns team that probably wasn't going to re-sign him. Last March, the exact thought occurred to Devin -- who then did something about it. In an article published Friday for The Players' Tribune, Jason explained how Devin straight-up texted head coach Bill Belichick to suggest the idea of trading for Jason. "Coach!!! Two McCourtys are better than one," Devin texted Belichick, according to Jason. Belichick didn't text back. But 45 minutes later, Jason says, Devin got a phone call from the Patriots coach with some good news. "Right after they spoke, Dev FaceTime'd me. 'I wanted to be the one to break the news to you. So, get ready. We're about to trade for you.' " Sure enough, the Patriots sent a 2018 sixth-round pick to Cleveland on March 15 in exchange for Jason and a seventh-rounder. Belichick may have been eyeing Jason before Devin texted him, but we'd like to think the legendary coach simply saw Devin's text, said, 'Sure, why not?' and pulled the trigger. Jason's full article is worth the read, as he also shares a humorous moment he and his identical twin brother shared with Belichick at training camp. Story continues We were out there doing drills and Bill called us both over, super serious. When we got to him, he looked at both of us back and forth a couple of times and said, "Do you guys have to wear the same f***ing sleeves?" You asked for two McCourtys, Bill. 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-devin-mccourtys-text-convince-135236882.html?src=rss |
Will the countrys leading life coaches help me raise my game? | For years, Sophie Heawood has procrastinated horribly. Here she puts her trust in the life lessons of brutal billionaires and heartfelt hippies to see if she can get back on track They say you shouldnt judge a book by its cover, but I feel quite able to judge the life coach Michael Serwa by all the books on display in his living room, especially since his Mayfair penthouse appears to be entirely empty otherwise. While he makes us tea I glance at a shelf of titles by beefy, ambitious men such as Richard Branson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk and, er, Alastair Campbell. Three minutes in the company of the man who describes himself as the UKs highest-paid personal coach, and I already feel certain that millionaires and masculinity are what hes all about. Which is worrying, because Ive come here to sort my life out, and Im not sure that he can really do it for me. Im a freelance writer who has held on to a journalism career despite being terrible at deadlines. Im someone who started three university degrees and only finished one and that was by the skin of my teeth due to the absolute chaos with which I have always sabotaged my own proceedings. Yet I have also managed to work passionately on the things I love, in my own way, and am currently writing a book. But the thing is, Ive been writing this book for some time now, and finishing the manuscript still feels as distant as Mars, and the clock is ticking. Im so tired of messing things up. Michael listens, he nods. And then he gives his diagnosis: Talent, in itself, he announces, is completely fucking useless. Well, he has a point there. When you add some discipline to it, thats when talent can make you great, he continues. He goes on to explain calmly that the difference between talent and success is simply accountability, and because my publishers have left me to get on with the book by myself, I dont have any. He adds that, given Im also a single mother, something he doesnt have much experience of, I might be expecting a certain level of compassion from him. But he questions whether compassion gets the job done. All that empathy: Ahh dont worry about it. No, I want you to worry about it, because youre wasting your fucking time. I want you to worry, says Michael, because you are wasting your time So far so brutal, at least on paper. In the flesh, though, Michael is really quite funny. There is a twinkle in his eyes throughout it all, and I begin to feel strangely moved by his caring about my wasted life. He comes from a family of professionals in Poland where he shocked everyone by dropping out of high school. After moving to London he worked in high-end fashion retail for years, on the shop floor, perfecting his English, before becoming a coach (and being able to support his family in Poland). He likens himself to a Polish builder who doesnt care what day or time it is he will simply get the job done. He understands your fears then works through your doubts, writing them up on a whiteboard as you confess them before turning them all around and convincing you to JFDI: Just Fucking Do It. Hes a night-owl, and stays up late then rises at 9am. It works for him. Theres no set way to do any of this, he says. The thing is, I tell him, Ive been trying to JFDI for years, sometimes to a heartbreaking degree. I really do care, deeply, and worry, deeply, about all this stuff. I stay up all night trying to finish things. I lose sleep. I read so many other books, thinking I should pay attention to everyone elses writing, too, and I have ideas for films when I watch films, and I write those ideas down in detail and then Im not sure what happens after that. And I cant bear ruining my editors days, and yet I do it repeatedly, distractedly. Again, Michael listens patiently, and then cuts through it all. Theres no drama, no blame. You need to switch from being a consumer, he says, to being a producer. Facebook Twitter Pinterest With this information, I am freed. Theres no secret to happiness! No unicorns, no magic you simply replace your wishbone with a backbone, bit by bit: Sophie Heawood. Photograph: Pal Hansen for the Observer We come up with a long list of positive reasons to finish this book: honouring the commitment to my publishers, being able to buy a house and raise my professional profile. I ask, sheepishly, if its all right to have an unhealthy reason, too, such as really wanting to fuck off certain people from my past. Fucking them off, he says calmly, is my entire purpose! Michael then brings out a list of about 20 aspects of life health, sex, friendships, home, leisure, etc and says I must give each a mark out of 10. No discussion, just a number. The last question is about my overall happiness and off the top of my head I give it a 6. I knew you were going to say 6, he replies. Because thats the average of all your other marks. People come in here every day and ask me what the secret of happiness is well there isnt one. Its simply the total of all those other areas of your life. So if you want to bring your happiness up to, say, an 8 or 9, you do it by raising all those other things up. And with this information, I am freed. Theres no secret to happiness! No unicorns, no magic you simply replace your wishbone with a backbone, bit by bit. We agree that I will start writing the book in shorter bursts, three hours per day, divided into two 90-minute sessions, starting at a specific time. He feels Ive been spending too long on it, and my mind has wandered. So I go through my diary marking these hours in as an actual daily appointment, checking for prior engagements that might interfere. I start to feel like the Velveteen Rabbit, that childrens book character who comes into consciousness only through the attention of others. This is real. I am real! On my way home I walk more proudly than usual. The guilt dissipates. The city feels full of opportunities; the expensive houses dont make me feel bad. At bedtime, the gnawing fear that usually accompanies my journey into sleep seems to be shifting. Two weeks later I return to Michaels flat, delighted to report that Ive sent a chunk of new chapters to my agent and publisher and that everyone is excited. Michael has been texting me every single day when my time is up to ask my word count and, even though Ive dodged him a couple of times and been distracted by a friends funeral, he hasnt given up and neither have I. God, the trust you can develop in yourself. Its like having a friend inside your own head. There is one day when I really feel I cant write anything at all, that everything is pointless, that my work is a disgusting joke. A quick voice message from Michael later and I end up writing for a couple of hours in bed that night, newly determined not to go to sleep without producing. From a place of disgust, this chapter turns out to be one of my favourite things Ive written. Another two weeks pass, more chapters, another meeting. Michael feels like a friend now. We laugh a lot. It seems I have gone from despising a business-like, corporate vibe to appreciating its fierce beauty. The book is more than halfway there! The thought that there will come a day, probably soon, when it will not be Michael Serwas job to cheer for me on a daily basis is sad. But I guess we all have to grow up at some point. Facebook Twitter Pinterest He tends to work with corporate CEOs. Could he help me?: Sophie Heawood with life coach Michael Serwa on the roof of his Mayfair penthouse. Photograph: Suki Dhanda for the Observer Coming from a background of coaching high-flying CEOs, he says hes used to working with a fear of failure. Fear of success, though, he says, smiling at me as if regarding a curious new exhibit, is a new one. He finds it interesting that I have dedicated so much of my journalism career to interviewing the famous, because I dont think you would spend so much time around wealthy celebrities if there wasnt something in their lives that resonated with you personally. Hmmm, I think. Mmmmm, I think. This might explain why, for my other part of the sorting-my-life-out plan, I have chosen to visit Lynne Franks in her new holistic retreat in the small town of Wincanton, Somerset. Lynne ran a highly successful PR agency in 1980s London, representing some of the biggest names in fashion and entertainment, but has long since moved into womens development, and consulting on sustainable entrepreneurialism. Now, she wants to use her lifelong interest in healing to help others refocus their lives, and is as passionate about working with schoolgirls and shopkeepers as with her fabulous friends. Your heart is open to love, Lynne tells me. You just have to choose it Because, of course, she is still best-known for being the inspiration behind Absolutely Fabulous, and if Edina Monsoon is an image she wants to leave behind, she isnt entirely managing. I say this because at 8am, the morning after my arrival, Lynne gets me doing Buddhist chanting in front of her shrine, only she has to break off from the ferocious pace of her Sanskrit recital to take a call from a makeup artist who is outside the front door trying to get in, but Lynne is fed up because Mercury is retrograde and everyones turning up at the wrong time, so she gets rid of the makeup artist and goes back to her chanting, and to be fair, its my fault shes annoyed, because I found the alpaca duvet she gave me so insanely comfortable that I slept right through my alarm and was late to the shrine. I never recognised myself in Ab Fab, she will say later, as the feathers in her hair waft slowly in the breeze. Still, nobody said that setting up a centre of relaxation was in itself an act of relaxation. Lynne is now 70, which I find hard to believe, as she is an absolute titan, constantly making tea, cooking, washing up, organising builders and discussing the state of the world and our souls with the team of alternative healers she has brought together, for when Hub at No 3 officially opens in February. Since selling her PR agency she has worked in rural African villages and with women leaders in Kazakhstan, and written several books about women running businesses. Im in awe of her work ethic and feel slightly ridiculous talking about my problems, but that is why I am here. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The big knotty journey of my life appears and all the things that ever made me feel sad make me feel proud: Sophie Heawood. Photograph: Pal Hansen for the Observer She is firm but fair, and says she doesnt believe have a problem not finishing things, that this is just a story Ive been telling myself. As for love we have moved on to relationships she doesnt really believe that I have any problems there either, despite every single sign to the contrary. Your heart is open to love. You just have to choose it, she says. Lynne is divorced but not without company, and what I am thinking of choosing, specifically, is to copy the layout of her house, where she has one bedroom for sleeping and one for sex. Leave London and you could afford that extra bedroom, too, she points out cheerily. So if I ever tell you Ive moved to the countryside for my daughter to get more fresh air, youll know exactly what Im talking about. Lynne wants me to try her treatments, so I greedily take them all. First a massage, with a zapping device invented by the Soviets to clear blockages in their astronauts. The masseur, Gordon John Hughes, is also a psychic, so takes my mind off the weird Russian tingling by telling me all about my familys trauma. Something happened to your father when he was three, he intuits from the knots in my back, and he has never got over it. I weigh this up, decide it could actually be true, and feel rather sad but not to worry, he now wants to talk about my sister, and I dont have one, so thats easier to dismiss. Did your mother lose a child? he continues. Well, yes she did, as it goes. So you do have a sister! he says proudly. Shes there, in the spirit world. Oh. After two and a half hours of this I feel very, very awake. So I check my phone, where there is a text from Michael, whom I have forgotten to tell that Im going on retreat. Are you producing? he asks. No, I want to text back, Im communing with my dead sister in Somerset, but I suspect he might not be the target demographic for such news. Facebook Twitter Pinterest When the glitter pens come out I say a firm no. But I find myself completely engrossed in my collage: Sophie with heartfelt hippy Lynne Franks. Photograph: Sam Pelly for the Observer Over the next two days I have a flower essences session with Saskia Marjoram, who holds a pendulum over her floral potions, a natural health consultation from Clive de Carle who believes we could all cheer up by taking magnesium, and an astrological reading from John Wadsworth, author of Your Zodiac Soul. When Lynne sets me up with a pile of old magazines to make a collage, I reach my limit. She wants us to listen to inspirational music, then create a vision board, finding pictures and words that resonate with my dream life, my future goals. When the glitter pens come out I say a firm no I have a seven-year-old daughter and if my life needs a transformational journey, it is to a world in which there are no glitter pens. I do not want to do this tonight. It is strange, then, that long after Lynne has gone to bed, I am still there, completely engrossed in my collage. Its ridiculous I cant stop doing it. Somehow, not only have I cut up Vanity Fair and Grazia to find headlines that relate to my future: Bestselling Novelist and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy TV Series, and Warm Addictive Drama thats my writing, not my love life but unlikely words from my past have also popped up. My beloved grandparents village in Devon, the town where my daughter was conceived, even my school. I cut out all these place names and stick them on to the trunk of a big knotty tree, and the big knotty journey of my life appears. I look at it, and all the things that ever made me feel wistful and sad and unfinished start to make me feel proud. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Unlikely words pop up. My grandparents village, the town my daughter was conceived: Sophies collage proves more insightful than she imagined it would be. Photograph: Sam Pelly for the Observer The next day, Lynne is very impressed with my collage. I tell her I cant understand how I got so gripped and focused on it. Do you not remember taking Saskias floral essence for procrastination beforehand? she says, her eyes twinkling. Oh my God. No. It is at this point that I notice that the kitchen doormat says A Witch Lives Here on it, and I read it aloud. Well, she does, says Lynne proudly. Unexpectedly, the final part of my healing then appears. It is the missing link. Do you know who youve reminded me of the whole time youve been here? asks Lynne. Dawn French! You sound like her, you have the same sense of humour you even look a bit like her. This means everything to me, because I grew up believing Dawn French was actual God my work on Earth is done. You were better at the chanting than her, though, Lynne continues. At least you tried to learn the Lotus Sutra. When I worked with her and Jennifer Saunders I got them to sit at the shrine with me, but they wouldnt do it in Sanskrit. They just chanted Frenchandsaundersfrenchandsaunders repeatedly. Back in London, I stick my collage on my bedroom wall. Ive made peace with it all. But I have other work to do and struggle to get back into writing the book. I anticipate a bollocking from Michael, but in fact he simply tells me to do one single hours writing. This advice saves me again. A week later, I print out all the old and new chapters of my book, having found the thread that weaves them all together, the pulse that runs right through it, and I realise it is finally done. I could cry. I do cry. The life lessons of heartfelt hippies and brutal billionaires both had something to offer, it transpires. Im cured of chaos. * For now. *This piece was filed one week after deadline Coaching with Michael Serwa costs from 3,000 (michaelserwa.com). Overnight stays at Lynne Franks Hub at No 3 from 85, exclusive of treatments (hubatno3.com) | https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jan/13/will-the-countrys-leading-life-coaches-help-me-raise-my-game |
Can Persimmon start building a better reputation? | When the racehorse Persimmon retired in 1897, the future Edward VIIs brilliant thoroughbred was packed off to Sandringham with his stud fee set at 300 guineas a pop. Thats about 40,000 a try in todays money, which instinctively feels like decent work if you can get it. That is, of course, until your thoughts turn to the nags corporate namesake the housebuilder Persimmon where City wags reckon former chief executive Jeff Fairburn trousered 75m for performing a similar job on the firms reputation. Fairburn, of course, spent much of 2018 trotting out optimistic defences for his grotesque pay packet, with one of his better cracks being an insistence that the figure was in line with accepted practice. That was quite an ambitious line to deliver with a straight face and became more so when chairman Nicholas Wrigley, plus the chair of Persimmons remuneration committee, Jonathan Davie, both quit over the scandal. Fairburn was then left to limp on, courageously doing a runner of his own from a BBC Look North interviewer, which in turn seemed to hasten the executives own retirement. Which brings us to this week and the Persimmon trading statement the first since the former chief exec was forced out in November and the first in more than a year that wont be about Fairburns package. As analysts at the online stockbrokers The Share Centre put it: The media focus will now shift to the groups performance rather than its previous CEOs pay packet. The shares have been lifted at the start of 2019 as peer Taylor Wimpey reported a relatively positive update for the year ending 2018 while the outlook for 2019 remained resilient despite the political and macroeconomic backdrop. Investors will ... be on the lookout for comments on the potential impact of Brexit and whether the costs of labour and materials are heading higher. Certainly Persimmon will be hoping that this could be the moment when the whiff of Fairburn is finally scrubbed from the company stables, and history suggests that there are worse points in the calendar to attempt that trick. This weeks statement happens to be scheduled at a traditionally propitious time of year for housebuilders with the first quarter often proving to be a period when the sector is seen as being in decent fettle. Shares in housebuilders tend to rise between January and March, when the news flow is skewed towards the all-important spring selling season. That, in turn, focuses investors attention, and the companies seem to be able to find buyers for both houses and shares. For four out of the past five years, shares in Persimmon have risen between January and March. Admittedly, last year was the exception, and maybe right now is not the time to be confidently applying long-term trends. Still, if you have to start rebuilding Persimmons public image in the middle of a national maelstrom, then you might as well do it in January, particularly as the Brexit downside is known and partly priced in. A note looking at the sectors prospects for 2019, published by financial services firm Canaccord Genuity in December, stated: The sector appears to be broadly pricing in a 5% fall in house prices and a 10% fall in volumes, and if the actual outcome for 2019 is at or close to current consensus expectations, we would expect a sharp value rally. Translating from the jargon into English, that means: if Brexit isnt that bad, Persimmon might give somebody a big payday. Again. | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/13/persimmon-build-better-reputation-jeff-fairburn |
Can Congress Void a Tribal Treaty Without Telling Anyone? | Herrera and the tribe argue that the hunt was legal, because the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie guarantees the Crow the right to hunt on the unoccupied lands of the United States so long as game may be found thereon, and as long as peace subsists among the whites and Indians on the borders of the hunting districts. When Herrera was brought to trial, however, the state court refused to hear his argument. The treaty, the court said, was invalid under a 120-year-old Supreme Court case. He received a one-year suspended sentence, and three years suspension of all hunting privileges in Wyoming. Lets take a quick look at the erratic history of federal Indian policy. In the early Republic, the federal government made treaties of friendship with Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. In the 1830s, it stopped feeling friendly and removed the eastern Indians to the West. It set up reservations for eastern and western tribes and solemnly promised in treaties that the land would be theirs forever. In 1871, Congress decided there would be no more treaties, because Indian nations were no longer sovereigns; the courts soon confirmed that Congress could void any treaty without the consent of the tribes that had signed it. Next, from the 1880s until the 1930s, came the allotment era. The government decided to break up the reservations and allot much of the land to individuals, who could sell them. By the 1930s tribes had lost 60 percent of their previous land base. The New Deal was a brief respite: allotment ended and tribes were allowed to re-form their governments. Then in 1953 came the termination era, when Congress decided that the federal government would no longer provide services to tribes, or deal with their governments. It sold off some tribes reservation lands and proclaimed that those tribes no longer existed. Not until the Nixon administration did Congress and the executive decide to deal again with tribes as genuine governments. (The famed Native writer Vine Deloria Jr. in 1971 hailed Nixons as the best administration in American history for its responsiveness to tribal concerns.) Since then, tribal governments have gained in strength and organization. In 1978, the high court made explicit the rule that tribal rights cant disappear without clear indications of legislative intent. State governments and tribes, however, have been ceaselessly at each others throats since the 19th century, fighting bitterly over issues of natural resources, fish, game, and wildlife management, taxation, and law enforcement. Heres how that history shook out in the case of the Crow. In 1890, Wyoming became a state. By 1896, in Ward v. Race Horse, the new state was asking the Supreme Court to void Indian treaty rights. Race Horse involved the elk-hunting rights of a member of the Bannock tribe of Idaho, under a treaty whose language was almost identical to that of the Crow. The high court held, 7-1, that the admission of Wyoming had silently voided all tribal hunting rights there. Because Wyoming had been admitted on an equal footing with other states, its powers over fish, game and wildlife couldnt be limited by the Bannock treaty. | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/herrera-v-wyoming/580243/?utm_source=feed |
Is Brookfield Renewable Partners a Buy? | For a company with a stated goal to grow its distribution 5% to 9% per year and deliver long-term total returns (the stock performance plus distribution payments) averaging 12% to 15% per year, things didn't quite go according to plan for Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP) last year. Shares of the renewable energy leader fell 25.8% in 2018 -- the worst annual performance in the last decade -- and were down by double digits for much of the year. The stock posted a total return of negative 20.9% when distributions were included. That put shares neck-and-neck with the total return of the S&P 500 in the last three years, an unusual position for a stock with a solid track record of comfortably outperforming the index. A stack of colorful note cards with a question mark drawn on the top one. More Image source: Getty Images. By the numbers Brookfield Renewable Partners owns and manages renewable energy power assets in North America, Europe, and South America. It generates revenue and earnings by selling the electricity generated from its portfolio of hydroelectric dams, wind farms, and solar arrays to customers. Depending on market forces, it may sell assets in one location and reinvest the proceeds in a new geography capable of supporting higher rates of return and maximizing shareholder value. Rinse, repeat. It's a pretty straightforward business. The company turned in a solid year of operations through the first nine months of 2018. There was only one blemish: relatively weak hydroelectric dam output. Heavy rainfall in North America and Columbia made 2017 a banner year for hydroelectricity, which made year-over-year comparisons appear weak. In reality, U.S. hydroelectric dam output in the rolling-12-month period through October 2018 was the second-highest in the last decade -- second only to 2017. In other words, the financial comparisons could have been much worse. Nonetheless, lower year-over-year rainfall totals explain why the year-over-year comparison deteriorated in the first nine months of 2018. For its hydropower segment, Brookfield Renewable Partners reported an 8.2% drop in electricity output and an 8.5% drop in funds from operations (FFO). While hydro comprises nearly 80% of its portfolio, the business more than made up for that blemish with impressive growth in wind and solar assets. In the first nine months of 2018, total FFO increased 7.3% compared to the year-ago period. That's great news considering the business is gradually transitioning its portfolio to wind and solar for the long haul. | https://news.yahoo.com/brookfield-renewable-partners-buy-120400429.html |
How long can O'Rourke wait as 2020 pace picks up around him? | AUSTIN, Texas You wont see Beto ORourke announce whether hes running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime. So, Im here at the dentist, the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anyone grumbling about livestream overexposure can catch ORourke on more traditional airwaves next month in New York, when Oprah Winfrey interviews him. ORourke barged into last years Senate race almost laughably early, in March 2017, insisting he was a credible contender against the incumbent, Republican Ted Cruz, when almost no one nationally knew of ORourke. Now hes doing almost anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a presidential campaign for 2020. Hes not expected to decide until next month at the earliest whether hes running. These days, that counts as playing hard to get. Influential activists in Iowa and elsewhere are clamouring for him to get in the race while some potential rivals move their timelines earlier. Theyre not going to wait forever, Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, said of Democratic campaign operatives, donors, activists and fellow politicians looking to pick sides or offer endorsements. The more candidates who start to formally launch their candidacies, the greater the pressure will rise on Beto. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren announced on New Years Eve that shed formed a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to get an early jump on people such as ORourke, former Vice-President Joe Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. Since then, Warren has seen enthusiasm rise, especially after a successful trip to Iowa, which kicks off presidential primary voting. Julian Castro, housing chief under President Barack Obama, kicked off his campaign Saturday and could appeal to the same Hispanic community that ORourke may count on as a bilingual native of the borderland city of El Paso. A string of announcements from top Democrats could come this month. While still deciding, ORourke plans to travel the country and meet voters beyond Texas, but avoid places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the nations first presidential primary, even though Democrats there have invited him. My feeling is hes lost a little momentum and thats the downside of being a media product, said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California. Solomon said questions remain about whether ORourkes voting record during his three terms in Congress is too centrist to excite the Democratic base. That anyone would ask if ORourke is waiting too long with the election 22 months away is unusual. But anger over President Donald Trump has created an outsized Democratic appetite to go on the political attack. And because impeachment seems unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may become necessary. American political campaigns have really become almost reality television programs, said Ray Sullivan, a veteran of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry waited until August 2011 to join an already months-old Republican presidential primary field and briefly became the front-runner something that seems impossible just two presidential campaigns later. The attention span of activists and voters and even the media has become so short, and the attention-grabbing events so vacuous and fleeting, that the candidates would be very smart, I think, to get in early and identify and carve out their niche, Sullivan said. For ORourke, a 46-year-old, ex-punk rocker, trying to project a down-to-earth image may be a major selling point to voters. But Sullivan raises this questions: What if another candidate gets in and captures the imagination of Twitter and the activists and there may not be room for the celebrity of Beto when hes ready? Still, ORourkes delays havent lessened the enthusiasm of operatives from past Democratic presidential campaigns who have formed Draft Beto 2020 groups. Were building an apparatus that we can hand off to an actual campaign should he run, said Boyd Brown, a prominent South Carolina Democrat and former member of the Democratic National Committee. He is among the leaders of the ORourke draft movement in the Souths first primary state. Were treating this like a presidential campaign until told otherwise. Working in ORourkes favour is a lack of a perceived 2020 heir-apparent candidate who can draw in donors and top operatives. That model may be evaporating anyway, though, because the two politicians who looked to take on that role heading into the 2016 campaign, Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, fell short of the presidency. Everybody who has ever thought about running for president is threatening to do it this time, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The sheer size of the potential field throws out the rules of the game that have been created by years of campaigns. Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/how-long-can-orourke-wait-as-2020-pace-picks-up-around-him |
What if all nations viewed refugees as invaders? | A girl from Salvador, part of the Central American migrants hoping to reach the United States, looks through the US-Mexico border fence in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on Dec. 29, 2018. (Photo: Guillermo Arias, AFP/Getty Images) Back in 1991, after the first Gulf War ended with a cease-fire and Saddam Hussein started his campaign against the Kurds in the north, numerous Chaldeans who lived in, or adjacent to, the Kurdish areas left, running on foot north towards Turkey. One of those families, who happened to be relatives of mine, fled, with their great-grandmother traveling on a donkeys back while the rest of her extended family walked on foot all the way to the Turkish-Iraqi border, where they were able to cross into Turkey. N. Peter Antone (Photo: Courtesy photo) Many of those Chaldean refugees had neither a passport nor a visa to enter Turkey, nor was Turkey aware of whether they would be able to travel elsewhere or would settle in Turkey. While some waited in Turkey, others continued their walk to Europe, reaching as far as Greece, Austria and the like, seeking places to find asylum. My own distant relatives were lucky to receive support from then-U.S. Senator Carl Levin, who helped them to relocate to the U.S. on a rather expedited humanitarian basis. More: Trump needs to give up quest for a wall, end government shutdown | Opinion More: Trump's support in Michigan cracking over his policies, personality Imagine, if at the time, the Turkish authorities had stopped the fleeing refugees because they did not have a visa to enter Turkey. Imagine, if the Turkish attitude was that their country was one of laws, not of emotions, and that everybody entering Turkey needed to have the proper papers ahead of time. Imagine, if a segment of the Turkish population had viewed the fleeing Chaldeans as criminals, because they were violating Turkish laws that require entry only at certain points recognized by their government, and only if they had secured proper documentation ahead of time. Imagine, if the president of Turkey had labeled the arriving Chaldeans as invaders and sent tens of thousands of the Turkish army to confront them. More: Michigan caravan meets immigrants in Texas More: There's reason to fear the people in that caravan | Thompson This came to mind as I learned of the caravan from Central America. The number of refugees in the caravan fleeing Central America and headed toward the U.S. is relatively small in comparison to those who fled to Turkey from Iraq back in 1991. When people travel thousands of miles on foot, carrying their kids, trying to reach a better life, that is a humanitarian crisis. Granted, the U.S. is not obligated to accommodate persons fleeing all humanitarian crises happening everywhere in the world, nor should we accept people just because they are undergoing hardships. But what we should do is view this situation for what it is, a humanitarian issue, not an invasion by people, many of whom our officials accuse of being criminals or bad individuals. If we view the matter in a more humane way, perhaps we can find a solution, such as reaching agreements with Mexico, Canada, and other countries to allocate the refugees among them, and perhaps we can find solutions that would balance our ideals of helping the unfortunate while at the same time making sure that we do not sacrifice our own security or the well-being of our nation. N. Peter Antone is an immigration attorney and a former adjunct professor of nationality and immigration law at Michigan State University College of Law. Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/01/13/opinion-what-if-we-had-always-viewed-refugees-invaders/2547894002/ | https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/01/13/opinion-what-if-we-had-always-viewed-refugees-invaders/2547894002/?from=new-cookie |
Could Verizon Communications Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | Shares of telecom giant Verizon (NYSE: VZ) were a relatively safe place to be in 2018. The stock posted a reasonable gain over the year -- nearly 4.7% -- and, on top of that, paid out respectable quarterly dividends. By contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually had a negative total return over the course of 2018. I'll cut right to the chase and answer the question that I posed in the headline: No, Verizon stock probably isn't going to make you a millionaire over the long term unless your up-front investment in the shares is already quite substantial and/or your time horizon is quite long. Verizon logo. More Image source: Verizon. What it is likely to do, though, is -- over the long haul -- give you meaningful capital gains as well as a robust dividend. (And, if you reinvest those dividends, that could serve to amplify your total return.) Here's why. A lot of people use cellphones Verizon is a relatively safe way to benefit from the popularity of smartphones because the company's revenue is fairly independent of the rate at which consumers buy new smartphones. What does impact Verizon's core wireless business is how much data those smartphone buyers use (Verizon charges more for smartphone plans that allow users to consume more data per month), as well as how successful it is at retaining customers. Verizon, clearly, isn't the only game in town, but it's one of the biggest and most successful -- and the barriers to entry in telecom are significant. This is in stark contrast to a company like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), which depends on being able to sell a bunch of new iPhones each year to profit from the smartphone market. There are numerous risks there, such as slowing smartphone upgrade cycles and increasingly intense competition. That stability is what allows Verizon to profit in both good times and in bad (the company actually posted revenue increases in both 2008 and 2009) and to reliably pay a significant dividend that has been growing consistently. VZ Revenue (Annual) Chart More VZ Revenue (Annual) data by YCharts. About that dividend... Telecom companies often pay substantial dividends to help make their shares more appealing (since, after all, telecom companies generally aren't known for delivering explosive revenue growth). As of this writing, the company's dividend on an annualized basis stands at $2.41 per share, translating into a dividend yield of 4.28%. That's not the biggest dividend you can find in the broader sphere of technology and telecom stocks, but it's certainly more than respectable. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-verizon-communications-millionaire-maker-140200643.html |
Is Self-Driving Car Evolution Hitting an Inflection Point? | Over the past several years, there have been plenty of headlines concerning autonomous vehicles, and the inevitable self-driving future hurdling toward us. The race is on to determine the winners in this fast-emerging industry. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG), has long been considered the front-runner, being the first to have a working model on the highways and byways of America. Competition is beginning to loom, however, as evidenced by the increasing number of test drives by well-heeled competitors. Let's look at recent announcements by Waymo, General Motors (NYSE: GM), and Ford Motor (NYSE: F) that give insight into the fast-approaching future of self-driving cars. A woman and children sitting in a Waymo-branded minivan, smiling More Image source: Waymo. Cruise Automation, the self-driving start-up acquired by GM in 2016, just announced a partnership with food delivery service DoorDash to begin testing driverless deliveries. The service will be tested in San Francisco, Cruise's home base. A human "safety driver" will be located in each vehicle to take the wheel in the case of an emergency. A select number of DoorDash merchants will participate in the test, which is looking into the challenges of driverless food delivery and how they can be overcome. Ford, which pumped $1 billion into Argo AI in 2017, announced in October 2018 that it would expand its autonomous testing program to Washington, D.C. early this year, joining ongoing tests in Detroit, Miami, and Pittsburgh. This is part of a two-pronged strategy for the company -- testing self-driving vehicles on the roads, while also testing the business model and public perception of the technology. Ford turned heads early last year when it partnered with Domino's Pizza to test self-driving pizza deliveries. Unlike at GM, the car will still be driven by a human driver, while researchers on board will be working to understand how customers respond to and interact with what they believe is a self-driving car. Ford expanded these tests in mid-2018 to include urban delivery start-up Postmates. Walmart joined Ford's delivery tests in November. Waymo launched its commercial ride-hailing service in four Phoenix suburbs in December, after an extensive testing program. The service, called Waymo One, is currently only available to customers who participated in the company's Early Rider program. Human backup drivers will initially accompany the vehicles, though Waymo hasn't provided a timeline for eliminating them. The company plans to expand the program in the coming months and years. All that glitters is not gold It's important to note that the self-driving technology is far from perfect, and improvements to the technology will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. Early last year, Uber was forced to temporarily pull its self-driving cars off the road, after causing the first fatality involving a pedestrian being struck by an autonomous vehicle. A number of residents in suburbs around Phoenix have complained about Waymo vehicles, saying the self-driving cars are overly cautious. For example, the cars tend to give other vehicles a wide berth, and stop for three full seconds at stop signs, causing frustration among human drivers. Some residents of Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix and one of Waymo's first test cities, typify the fears among some of the population about the rise of autonomous driving and artificial intelligence. A few have attacked the company's autonomous vehicles, throwing stones, threatening test drivers with guns, and even running the cars off the road. | https://news.yahoo.com/self-driving-car-evolution-hitting-140200144.html |
How long can Beto ORourke wait as 2020 pace picks up around him? | By WILL WEISSERT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) You wont see Beto ORourke announce whether hes running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime. So, Im here at the dentist, the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anyone grumbling about livestream overexposure can catch ORourke on more traditional airwaves next month in New York, when Oprah Winfrey interviews him. ORourke barged into last years Senate race almost laughably early, in March 2017, insisting he was a credible contender against the incumbent, Republican Ted Cruz, when almost no one nationally knew of ORourke. Now hes doing almost anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a presidential campaign for 2020. Hes not expected to decide until next month at the earliest whether hes running. These days, that counts as playing hard to get. Influential activists in Iowa and elsewhere are clamoring for him to get in the race while some potential rivals move their timelines earlier. Theyre not going to wait forever, Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, said of Democratic campaign operatives, donors, activists and fellow politicians looking to pick sides or offer endorsements. The more candidates who start to formally launch their candidacies, the greater the pressure will rise on Beto. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren announced on New Years Eve that shed formed a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to get an early jump on people such as ORourke, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. Since then, Warren has seen enthusiasm rise, especially after a successful trip to Iowa, which kicks off presidential primary voting. Julian Castro, housing chief under President Barack Obama, kicked off his campaign Saturday and could appeal to the same Hispanic community that ORourke may count on as a bilingual native of the borderland city of El Paso. A string of announcements from top Democrats could come this month. While still deciding, ORourke plans to travel the country and meet voters beyond Texas, but avoid places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the nations first presidential primary, even though Democrats there have invited him. My feeling is hes lost a little momentum and thats the downside of being a media product, said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California. Solomon said questions remain about whether ORourkes voting record during his three terms in Congress is too centrist to excite the Democratic base. That anyone would ask if ORourke is waiting too long with the election 22 months away is unusual. But anger over President Donald Trump has created an outsized Democratic appetite to go on the political attack. And because impeachment seems unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may become necessary. American political campaigns have really become almost reality television programs, said Ray Sullivan, a veteran of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry waited until August 2011 to join an already months-old Republican presidential primary field and briefly became the front-runner something that seems impossible just two presidential campaigns later. The attention span of activists and voters and even the media has become so short, and the attention-grabbing events so vacuous and fleeting, that the candidates would be very smart, I think, to get in early and identify and carve out their niche, Sullivan said. For ORourke, a 46-year-old, ex-punk rocker, trying to project a down-to-earth image may be a major selling point to voters. But Sullivan raises this questions: What if another candidate gets in and captures the imagination of Twitter and the activists and there may not be room for the celebrity of Beto when hes ready? Still, ORourkes delays havent lessened the enthusiasm of operatives from past Democratic presidential campaigns who have formed Draft Beto 2020 groups. Were building an apparatus that we can hand off to an actual campaign should he run, said Boyd Brown, a prominent South Carolina Democrat and former member of the Democratic National Committee. He is among the leaders of the ORourke draft movement in the Souths first primary state. Were treating this like a presidential campaign until told otherwise. Working in ORourkes favor is a lack of a perceived 2020 heir-apparent candidate who can draw in donors and top operatives. That model may be evaporating anyway, though, because the two politicians who looked to take on that role heading into the 2016 campaign, Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, fell short of the presidency. Everybody who has ever thought about running for president is threatening to do it this time, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The sheer size of the potential field throws out the rules of the game that have been created by years of campaigns. ___ Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/13/how-long-can-orourke-wait-as-2020-pace-picks-up-around-him/ |
Why Do We Blame Women For Prohibition? | One hundred years ago this monthon January 16, 1919the 18th Amendment was ratified, enshrining alcohol prohibition in the U.S. Constitution. And for the past hundred years, weve largely blamed women for that. With the obvious exception of the womens rights movementfrom suffragism to #MeTooperhaps no other social movement in American history is as synonymous with women as temperance, and none is as vilified. Histories dismiss prohibition derisively as a pseudo-reform ... carried about America by the rural-evangelical virus, and a wrongheaded social policy waged by puritanical zealots of a bygone Victorian era. We describe prohibitionists in the same way we talk about Al Qaeda or ISIS: They were ruthless extremists, deeply antidemocratic fanatics and fools, who posed a threat to individual freedoms. These evildoers are almost universally understood to be women. Story Continued Below The standard trope back in the 1920s, when prohibition was in full force, was that the policy was put over while the boys were away fighting World War Iif only the men had been home, prohibition would have been avoided. Surprisingly, this gendered conspiracy theory has endured, despite being completely unfounded. There was no popular referendum on 18th Amendment, and most women couldnt vote anyway since, chronologically, the 18th Amendment came before the suffragist 19th Amendment. (A handful of western states granted women full voting rights before the 19th Amendment.) The only woman who voted for the 18th Amendment was Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the countrys firstand at that time, onlycongresswoman. In 1918, hers was but one of the bipartisan supermajority of 282 yeas (to 128 nays) in the House that passed the prohibition amendment. In the all-male Senate, the vote to submit the amendment to the states for ratification was even more lopsided: 65-20. In January 1919, the 18th Amendment was the first order of business for many state legislatures elected in the 1918 midterms. With unprecedented speed, 46 of the 48 states voted for prohibition, in some cases unanimously. With 80.5 percent of state legislators in favor (5,033 to 1,219), support for prohibition was even greater at the state level, where 99.8 percent of representatives were men. Think of the Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)or one of its greatest celebrities, Carrie A. Nation. She famously led bands of women into Kansas saloons, smashing them with hatchets, singing Bible hymns and quoting scripture! As her celebrity rose, she even trademarked the name Carry, in order to coin the phrase Carry A. Nation for prohibition. Anecdotally, Ive long asked colleagues, students and historians: Whos the most famous prohibitionist? The answer is Carrie Nation, every time. Little wonder: Today, she plays a starring role in virtually every temperance history, features prominently in Ken Burns documentary Prohibition and was the first personality youd meet at the prohibition exhibition at the National Constitution Center. Carrie Nation embodies everything we think we know about prohibitionists: a scorned, white, protestant, evangelical, Midwestern woman. She was imposing in stature, prone to violence andclaiming God spoke to her, urging her to attack saloonsslightly unhinged. In sum: the perfect Maleficent for American historians. The only problem is that Carrie Nation died in 1911, almost a full decade before the 18th Amendment was ratified. Based on Googles Ngram dataset of over 500 billion words from some 15 million digitized books, we can chart the notoriety of individuals over time. The data suggests that, since prohibitions repeal in 1933, the men responsible for prohibition have begun largely to vanish from history, while the image of Carrie Nation endures. The Forgotten Prohibitionists Yearly frequency of names mentioned in Googles corpus of digitized books, 1900-2000. If you asked me, I would say progressive stalwart William Jennings Bryan was the most famous American prohibitionist. He fought vehemently against the liquor traffic where rich capitalists got richer by getting workers addicted to booze. The Great Commoner had far more political clout than Carrie Nation. Or consider Frederick Douglassperhaps the most famous orator of the 19th century, back when abolitionism was virtually synonymous with temperance. On his temperance tour of Britain in 1845, Douglass, who, like Nation, died well before nationwide prohibition was passed, claimed, If we could but make the world sober, we would have no slavery. Mankind has been drunk. In his autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: American Slave, he explained that keeping slaves stupefied with liquor was the most effective means in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection on the plantations. Such details largely disappear from contemporary biographies, perhaps because they dont fit our image of temperance as an angry, white, female, Bible-thumping crusade against individual liberty. While their political legacies are obviously variegated, Frederick Douglass, William Jennings Bryan and Carrie Nation all held the exact same positions on abolition, suffragism and prohibition. Yet even the titles of their biographies belie their differential treatment by historians: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. William Jennings Bryan: A Godly Hero, or Champion of Democracy. Vessel of Wrath. Historians give William and Fredrick a free pass for their role in prohibition along with Neal, Wayne and Andrew; were told that Carrie is the real villain. Misogyny is the easy answer; but more fundamentally, we need to better understand not just who the prohibitionists were, but what motivated them in the first place. Perhaps they werent the deeply antidemocratic monsters that we now make them out to be. Contrary to popular description, prohibitionists werent hellbent on taking away the individuals right to drink. From its very inception, the temperance movement targeted not the drink, or the drinker, but the drink seller. Just as abolitionists objected to the slave trader who profited from subjugating others, prohibitionists aimed at a predatory liquor traffic of wealthy capitalists and saloonkeepers whotogether with a state that, before the income tax, relied disproportionately on liquor revenuesgot rich from the drunken misery of the poor. The 18th Amendment doesnt even outlaw alcohol or drinking. It prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors. This wasnt some oversight; the target was the traffic, not the booze. Wikimedia Commons Prohibitionists were very clear about this. The 18th Amendment was very clear, too. That we have a hard time believing it todayscoffing that outlawing booze or booze sales has the same practical outcome of restricting the rights of the individualsays more about our changing understandings of liberty than theirs. It is only in more recent generations (with the rise of Hayekian neoliberalism after World War II) that any interference with the free market is deemed a constraint on our citizenship rights. For most of American history, political liberty and economic liberty were understood to be distinct from each other. There is no right to buy anywhere in the constitution. Ultimately, we need to stop vilifying prohibitionists as antidemocratic simply because our understanding of liberty has changed. In fact, prohibitionists championed the right of self-determination, and the right of the community to defend itself against extortionate businesses and government corruption. Prohibitionists encouraged grassroots powerespecially for communities, counties and states to vote themselves dry at the ballot box. Such Jeffersonian commitments made prohibitionists natural allies of abolitionists and suffragists from the very beginning. (Prohibitionists who cheered the 18th Amendments ratification in 1919 also cheered when the 19th Amendment gave women the vote the following year.) At its core, prohibition was a populist attack against predatory capitalism and its corrupt ties to government power. It was no fluke that the ultimate victory of prohibition came at the high point of the Progressive Era: like other reforms of its day, prohibition was fundamentally progressive. Prohibition protected consumers from unscrupulous sellers of potentially dangerous substances, just like the progressive Pure Food and Drug Act, and Federal Meat Inspection Acts of 1906. Prohibition targeted the corrupting power of big business, just like the Federal Trade Commission Act and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts of 1914. Moralizing Bible-thumpers like Carrie Nation were only one part of a broad prohibitionist coalition. Focusing only on activists like her, though, produces a wildly incomplete picture, which our brains try to make whole by filling in the gaps with deeply rootedand misogynistsocial biases. Centennials are a time for reassessmentand since prohibitions centennial comes in the #MeToo era, it is high time to unpack our highly gendered received wisdom. Mark Lawrence Schrad is assistant professor of political science at Villanova University and author of the new book Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State. | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/13/prohibition-women-blame-history-223972 |
Was Comeys FDR Trump tweet linked to Obama 2012 insider threat memo? | Comey tweets enemies line that Trump tweeted on day of memo on policy for employees who may threaten national security Reacting to Donald Trumps fury over a New York Times report that said the FBI investigated whether the president was working for Russia after he fired James Comey, Comey himself tweeted a quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Trump vents fury over Russia stories and again threatens national emergency Read more I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made, the former FBI director wrote on Saturday, adding an attribution: FDR. It soon became clear the tweet almost exactly matched one by Trump, issued on 21 November 2012, when the then reality TV star was digesting the re-election of Barack Obama. I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made, Trump wrote, adding a slightly longer attribution: Franklin D Roosevelt. The quote is from a speech in Portland, Oregon, on 21 September 1932, in which Roosevelt, then a candidate for the White House, attacked the behaviour of owners of public utilities. According to documents made available online by the 32nd presidents library, he told his audience: My friends, judge me by the enemies I have made, and was greeted with cheers, prolonged applause. The Times article, published on Friday night was greeted with a mass intake of breath. It concerned FBI attempts to determine whether the president was a Russian asset. The presidents reaction to the report included a failure in a Fox News interview to deny he had ever worked for Russia and familiar abuse of the FBI director he fired in May 2017. It all made the congruence in their tweets seem amusing. But it seems Comey might have been making a sharper point. 21 November 2012, the date of Trumps FDR tweet, was also the date of a presidential memorandum issued by Obama. Its subject: National Insider Threat Policy and Minimum Standards for Executive Branch Insider Threat Programs. In the memo, Obama defined its purpose as to provide direction and guidance to promote the development of effective insider threat programs within departments and agencies to deter, detect, and mitigate actions by employees who may represent a threat to national security. These threats encompass potential espionage, violent acts against the Government or the Nation, and unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Sign up for the new US morning briefing According to White House practice, the memo followed a 2011 executive order on Structural Reforms to Improve the Security of Classified Networks and the Responsible Sharing and Safeguarding of Classified Information. The Times report said the FBI was worried about Trumps behavior, including repeatedly linking the firing of Comey to investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and links between Trump aides and Moscow, and in an infamous Oval Office meeting with Russias foreign minister shortly after the firing. Trump attacked the report again in his Saturday night interview with Fox News, saying it was a great insult and the New York Times is a disaster of a paper. Its a very horrible thing they said. Comey book likens Trump to a mafia boss 'untethered to truth' Read more Also on Saturday, the Washington Post reported that Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Vladimir Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired. In the 2012 memo, Obama wrote that he wanted to reinforce our defenses against both adversaries and insiders who misuse their access and endanger our national security. Obama appointed Comey director of the FBI in 2013. At the time of the order and memorandum, he was out of government. Since his firing by Trump, he has published an explosive and bestselling memoir and stringently criticised the president. The memo and Trumps tweet being issued on the same day could of course be a coincidence. But on Sunday, a source who worked in the first Bush justice department told the Guardian that either way, Comey is making a point: Trumps my enemy. That says plenty about me. Comey did not immediately comment further on Saturday but he did tweet about a trip to see a Broadway show: The perfect day to see To Kill a Mockingbird Amazing cast and vital message: All rise. | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/13/comey-fdr-trump-tweet-obama-2012-memo-insider-threat |
Will McDonald's Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has a solid year in 2018, posting a modest gain in a year in which the Dow Jones Industrials lost ground. That might have been a bit of a letdown following its 40% jump in 2017, but the fast-food giant remained on course to sustain its impressive long-term performance in providing good returns to shareholders. One way in which McDonald's has contributed to its shareholders' success has been in the growing dividends it's paid over time. Since the 1970s, the company has boosted payouts on an annual basis, and with its fundamentals looking stronger than ever, many investors hope that McDonald's will be even more generous on the dividend front. Here, we'll look more closely to see whether McDonald's is going to raise its dividend in 2018. Dividend stats on McDonald's Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share $1.16 Current Yield 2.6% Number of Consecutive Years With Dividend Increases 43 years Payout Ratio 70% Last Increase November 2018 Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date. Tasty dividends at McDonald's With 43 years of consecutive dividend increases, McDonald's has been part of the prestigious Dividend Aristocrats group of stocks for a long time. Moreover, the fast-food giant has never been content to get away with just making tiny increases for the sake of extending its streak. During the 1990s, the company commonly gave increases of high single-digit to double-digit percentages. In the 2000s, when McDonald's moved to an annual dividend for a brief period, the rate of growth skyrocketed. Boosts of as much as 70% lifted the fast-food giant's dividend to impressive proportions. In the span of just seven years, McDonald's saw its total annual payouts rise nearly ninefold. MCD Dividend Chart More MCD Dividend data by YCharts. Since then, McDonald's has been a bit more conservative in sharing its success through higher dividends. Single-digit percentage increases have been a lot more common, but the company under the Golden Arches did deliver a strong boost of nearly 15% in 2018, reigniting healthier dividend growth. There's a lot of optimism among investors about the fundamental business right now. The company saw its comparable restaurant sales across the globe rise 4.2% during the most recent quarter, and that helped to boost its overall market share in the highly competitive industry. McDonald's has worked hard to keep up with the times, introducing popular concepts such as delivery and digital ordering, as well as offering enhanced features at its restaurant locations. A partnership with ride-sharing service Uber could help spark greater utilization of its delivery option, and self-ordering kiosks promise to make it easier for customers to get in and out of McDonald's locations at the speed they want. McDonald's golden arches hanging above a convention center floor, with lots of people around. More | https://news.yahoo.com/mcdonald-apos-raise-dividend-2019-141600906.html |
Are Zodiacs The Future Of Luxury Cruising? | Historically, there has been a distinction between luxury cruising and what the travel industry describes as adventure or expedition cruising. Luxury cruising was just thata cruising experience with luxury amenities on a small ship that typically held from 200 to 900 or so passengers. Like the larger, mid-market cruise lines, the itineraries focused on popular destinations in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic or Alaska. The smaller ships did have the advantage of being able to call on smaller ports; ones that couldnt handle the 2,000 passenger and up cruise liners. Expedition cruising was much more adventurous with a strong focus on the natural world. Many itineraries focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic, venues that, until quite recently, were avoided by the commercial cruise industry. Additional venues included more exotic destinations like the Galapagos, the Amazon or the South Pacific. Ships were typically older and lacked the amenities associated with luxury cruises. Ships destined for Arctic and Antarctic waters were usually older icebreakers that had been refurbished for adventure cruising. The most important distinction between adventure cruising and luxury cruising, however, was that the former was much more interactive. While luxury cruise ship passengers simply sailed by exotic locations, adventurer cruisers often times landed on these remote shores to observe the wildlife and to see the area up close. Zodiacs, a type of rigid inflatable boat (RIB), were the vessel of choice for landing on remote, inhospitable shores that lacked docking facilities. The sales and marketing brochures of adventure cruise companies invariably contained up-close photos of eager passengers making their way in a RIB to a remote beach. There are two trade organizations for the adventure cruising industry: Association for Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and International Association Antarctic Cruise Operators (IAACO). Both organizations have about 40 members. Not surprisingly, many adventure cruise companies belong to both groups. Notwithstanding the polar references, many of the expedition companies that are members also organize adventure cruisers to other parts of the globe. Not all members of the organizations offer shore excursions on polar cruises, although most do. Membership includes such well-known tour operators as Oceanwide Expeditions, Linblad/National Geographic, Hurtigruten, and Abercrombie & Kent. It also includes, however, luxury cruise lines like Silversea, Seabourn and Ponant. The World, which bills itself as the largest private residential ship on the planet, is also a member. Viking Cruises, another trendsetter in the luxury cruising sector, has also just joined. In addition, both Celebrity Cruises and Holland America operate cruises along the Antarctic peninsula and are members of IAACO. According to IAACO, approximately 50,000 tourists visited Antarctica during the 2017-2018 season. About 10,000 of those visitors were cruise only, while the balance were on expedition cruises that made landfall on the Antarctic continent. Tourist visits in the Arctic are the mirror image of the Antarctic. According to AECO, there were around 100,000 cruise visitors in the Arctic region. About 30,000 of which were expedition cruisers. About 60% of the expedition cruisers went to the Svalbard Archipelago, about halfway between Norways North Cape and the North Pole, and another 30% went to Greenland. Polar cruisers currently represent less than 1% of the cruising market. Lately, luxury cruise lines have begun expanding their polar cruise offerings. Partly that expansion is driven by a warming Arctic creating more possible itineraries, heightened consumer interest in the region, and in part it is driven by the need of luxury cruise companies to differentiate themselves in what is becoming an increasingly crowded market segment. Ponant has ordered a specialty-built icebreaker cruise ship, Le Commandant Charcot, which it describes as the first luxury ice breaker. The ship is scheduled for deployment in 2021. Silversea Cruises has announced that during its scheduled 2020 drydock, the Silver Wind will receive a strengthened ice-class hull as well as new-state of the art equipment for cruising in remote regions. In addition, the ship will be outfitted with a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks. According to Roberto Martinoli, Silversea's CEO: Evolving the ship into an ice-class vessel, complete with Zodiacs and kayaks, will diversify her offering for our guests: she will be capable of unlocking deep travel experiences in both classic and expedition destinations, from the Caribbean to Antarctica, and everywhere in between. There have also been persistent rumors that Viking Cruises will soon introduce Zodiac based excursions on three of its ships: Viking Star, Viking Sky and Viking Sea. Polar cruising is rapidly becoming the latest frontier of luxury cruising. With more than 40 companies now offering cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, there are literally hundreds of cruise itineraries to choose from. See the membership roster of the AECO and the IAACO for a listing of their members and links to the cruise itineraries that each offer. Bon Voyage | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2019/01/13/are-zodiacs-the-future-of-luxury-cruising/ |
What does the week ahead hold for the Brexit debate? | Monday The European Union is expected to publish a letter of clarification emphasising that any use of the Northern Ireland backstop designed to keep the land border open would only ever be temporary, although it will be a surprise if it makes much difference to the Commons arithmetic. The prime minister will also make a public appeal for support in a speech in Stoke-on-Trent in the morning, while MPs move on to day four of the Brexit debate, with Philip Hammond, the chancellor, closing proceedings. Monday night is the deadline for submitting amendments to the Brexit motion. Tuesday If May allows it, MPs will finally get to vote on her Brexit deal, although few believe the prime minister can get it approved, given that over 100 Tory MPs have said they will vote against. John Bercow, the speaker, will select which amendments to vote on. The one to watch is the Hilary Benn amendment, which rejects both Mays deal and no deal, and gives MPs a say in what happens next. The prime minister will conclude proceedings, speaking just before voting starts at 7pm. A result on the Benn amendment could come around 7.30pm. If that falls, the all-important vote on Mays final deal is expected between 8 and 9pm. Jeremy Corbyn could immediately demand to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, if May is defeated. A heavy loss, and May will face immediate calls to resign. Wednesday If May were to prevail, business as usual will commence, starting with prime ministers questions. But the DUP have threatened to abandon their confidence-and-supply agreement with the government if Mays deal goes through, leaving the Conservatives without an overall majority. A confidence vote could be held on Wednesday, if Corbyn calls for one. It will be hard for Labour to win, because in this scenario, if Mays deal is voted down, the DUP have said they will support the Conservatives in an attempt to get the Brexit deal renegotiated. If May suffers a heavy defeat perhaps with 80 rebels or more she may find she is not able to stay on. A more narrow defeat 40 rebels or less could encourage her to try and ask MPs to vote on the deal again, although it will almost certainly need to be revised first. Thursday and beyond May could make a dash to Brussels to see if there is any hope of renegotiating. The prime minister, if defeated, has until the close of business on Monday 21 January to tell MPs what her plan B is; the Commons would then debate and vote on that later that week. The prime minister could seek a general election, which Labour would support, but her own party may not. Soft Brexiters in the Conservatives could break ranks to see if there is majority support for the UK remaining in the customs union, and even the single market. Campaigners for a second referendum see this as their moment to strike: believing that their idea needs to be the last one standing the only option that could achieve a majority in the house amid a crisis atmosphere. Except that there would then be argument about what options should be on the ballot paper. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/13/what-does-the-week-ahead-hold-for-the-brexit-debate |
Are Republicans Abusing Their Power in Congress? | This is a partial transcript of "The Big Story With John Gibson," May 11, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Democrats are in the minority in both the House and the Senate, a position that severely limits their power. And to make matters worse, they're now charging that Republicans are abusing their power in an attempt to rubber-stamp the president's agenda. Joining me now is former campaign manager for John McCain (search), Republican strategist Rick Davis, and the author of "Bush Must Go," Bill Press. BILL PRESS, AUTHOR, "BUSH MUST GO": Hey, John. GIBSON: Bill, that didn't work out too good. PRESS: Still a good idea. GIBSON: I'm going to go to Rick first. RICK DAVIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Hi. DAVIS: Well, I hope they're using their power in Congress. The people gave it to them. I mean, elections have consequences. And, in the last election, the Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. And the only people who seem to have a hard time dealing with that is the leadership of the Democratic Party. GIBSON: You know, Bill, a lot of people think that filibuster is an abuse of power. PRESS: Well, first of all, I've got to say, I met Davis in New Hampshire in 2000, when he was working with John McCain. I wish he would listen to John McCain. John McCain, among other Republicans, says, this nuclear option getting rid of the filibuster is not a good idea. The House should not rubber-stamp any president's decision. Look at the numbers, John. George Bush got 208 out of 218 judges, 95 percent. If I got 95 if I got 55 percent of anything I wanted I would be a happy man. I think the Republicans ought to stop whining and get back to work. DAVIS: The issue isn't all about the nuclear option. That's one aspect. But look at what has happened in this session of Congress already. Every proposal that's been made out of the leadership or the White House has been ballyhooed against it by the Democratic leadership. A real solid effort was made by the president of the United States to bring one of the most important issues of our time onto the forefront, which was Social Security. And the only thing that the Democratic leadership has given him is lip service. That was long before anybody started talking about the nuclear option. If the Democrats want to cooperate and get something done for the country, they should not focus on the negative. They ought to try and come across the aisle. PRESS: John, John, Rick, Rick, come on. There is an opposition party. I mean, I'm not that old, but I'm old enough to remember that Republicans weren't exactly rolling over for everything that Bill Clinton sent up to the Congress. Deal with it. Democrats may not support something George Bush wants, especially if it's a bad idea. It's called democracy. That's democracy. DAVIS: The first 100 days of both of Bill Clinton's terms of office were seen as a lot more productive by both sides of the aisle than this one has been. This is the continuous campaign. The Democrats have basically said, look, we refuse to accept the consequences of an election. And if they're going to take that tack, you're never going to get anything done. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: They're in negotiations, Bill. Go ahead, John. I'm sorry. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Yes, he does. (LAUGHTER) GIBSON: Bill, of course he wants 100 percent. Look, there are negotiations going on, so that there will be something given the president gets something out of this. And if the Democrats promise to not use the filibuster, maybe the Republicans won't blow it up. After all, they can. PRESS: My recommendation would be to stand up for what you believe. If you believe these judges are extreme judges and not good for the American republic, then they ought to stand up for them and use... (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: But, Bill. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: If Rick takes your advice, if he stands up for what he believes, the filibuster goes away. PRESS: Fine, and use any tools that are available, including the filibuster. Just like Republicans used the filibuster against Bill Clinton, Democrats ought to use it against George Bush. DAVIS: No. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Fine. I stand up for what I believe. I'm going to blow up this filibuster. DAVIS: Americans are all about fair play. And, in fair play, you count up the votes. You see who is ahead. And the winner and the majority always rules. (CROSSTALK) DAVIS: And what the Democrats are using is a parliamentary technique that has never been historically accepted as the way to keep federal judges from the bench either Supreme Court justices, second court judges or anything else. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Rick Davis and Bill Press, they will fight to the end of their breath. Thank you, both. I have got to run. Appreciate it, guys. Content and Programming Copyright 2005 Fox News Network, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2005 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, L.L.C. 's and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation. | https://www.foxnews.com/story/are-republicans-abusing-their-power-in-congress |
What brings a new sponsor into NASCAR? | Earlier this week, Youngs Motorsports announced it would field a fulltime entry in the Gander Outdoors NASCAR Cup Series this season with up-and-coming driver Gus Dean, who has competed in ARCA the past two seasons. Sponsoring Dean for a significant portion of the 2019 season is LG Air Conditioning Technologies, a division of LG Corp., a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation that manufacturers cell phones, appliances, TVs, computers and even solar technology. Its LGs first foray into sponsorship in NASCAR. A lot goes into it. We have lots of opportunities to sponsor things and I think the biggest thing for me is when Charlie (Dean, Gus father) and Gus were sitting around talking and getting to learn about Gus and his history and what hes done and their passion for this sport, said Kevin McNamara, senior vice president and general manager, Air Conditioning Technologies, LG Electronics USA. Being a dad, and my son is kind of in the same age range, I was like, Heres a great young guy. Heres a guy thats committed to what he does. He works real hard. He wants to be a winner, he is a winner. We just thought it was the opportunity to associate with a really good group of folks and somebody who is going to do real well and be a part of a winning team. It was a very easy decision to make, quite frankly, with all the other decisions we have. Companies like LG are pitched sponsorship opportunities daily but McNamara said personal relationships with those involved is probably the biggest deciding factor on completing a deal. Story continues We could sponsor anything we wanted to, any sport, any activity. Its about people. Its a business of course but if youre not associated with the right kind of folks then there is no point in doing it. Then with NASCAR, and with as big as NASCAR is, it is still very personal. People relate to the drivers, people relate to the teams and its a good thing for us. For LG to be part if it is a big plus. Gus Dean LG-sponsored NASCAR Truck Motorsport.com Gus Dean LG-sponsored NASCAR Truck Photo by: Grace Krenrich LG is already cashing in on its NASCAR sponsorship even though Deans No. 12 Chevrolet hasnt yet hit the track. One of Deans LG-sponsored trucks will be on display during the upcoming International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition in Atlanta, site of LGs air conditioning technologies headquarters. Weve kept it off the radar screen a little bit but as part of one of our events at the expo, were going to have a truck there, McNamara said. Our employees, our partners, our customers are all going to see this at the same time. We think its a great opportunity to blow up the excitement to a whole new level. Dean said the faith and trust from LG is very humbling. Like they said, they could take their money and put it anywhere they want to. They could put it on billboards, but they chose to use me as their marketing platform, he said. Obviously, they feel I can represent the company well which is an enormous honor. And in doing so, they are allowing me to live out my dream. Ive been racing my entire life and now Im going to be in one of the big three NASCAR series. Thats possible because of them and their faith in me to represent them both on and off the track. Its a little bit of added pressure but I like pressure. Im really excited and I cant wait to represent them and get them out front. | https://sports.yahoo.com/brings-sponsor-nascar-212932974.html?src=rss |
Does California Need a $1 Million 'Fish Ladder'? | This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 4, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malibu. Sun, surf, sand and million-dollar homes. But there's something missing from this coastal paradise: steel-head trout. (on camera) For centuries here in Malibu, California, the fish used to travel back and forth between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica mountains. But that all changed when humans moved in. RON KOSINSKI, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: In 1949 they built the Pacific Coast Highway and blocked the passage ability for the trout to pass and go up dream from the ocean and spawn. EARHARDT: So 60 years after the people got their highway, California wants the trout to get theirs. KOSINSKI: Currently, if you're a fish and you're swimming in from the ocean, you're going to come to this and it's it's like a dam, right, so you're going to have to jump up into this shallow concrete channel and then skedaddle up through the culvert until you get to the natural stream on the other side of Pacific Coast Highway. EARHARDT: And the fish can't do that, so the California Department of Transportation will be spending a million dollars building a fish ladder to help them. MARK ABRAMSON, SANTA MONICA BAY RESTORATION: We're going to put steps every 20 feet. They'll be a foot and a half high, and it will create a ladder, which is why we call it a fish ladder, so fish could jump a foot and a half. There will be a little pool there so it can rest for a second. It will swim up a little further, jump another foot and a half, a little pool there so it can rest and continue until it can get upstream through the Pacific Coast Highway. ROSI DAGIT, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST: If we restore passage in places throughout the Santa Monica mountains, throughout the range of the southern steelhead trout, then we open opportunities for them to spawn again. It's one of those rare opportunities where you can create suitable habitat and connect again and potentially have the fish go back. KOSINSKI: It's an endangered species. What we're trying to do is bring back steelhead trout to this area and we create that. Certainly, these are tough economic times, and we understand that, and so it is a balance, no doubt. EARHARDT: A balance not everyone agrees with. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ROBERT FLUTIE, R-CALIF.: We're in difficult times. I mean, I think that the fact that we have the highest unemployment rate in the nation and that we are continuing to see jobs leave the state... EARHARDT: Robert Flutie is a Republican running for Congress in the district that contains Malibu. FLUTIE: People are sympathetic to being able to conserve the beauty of the landscape of a wonderful state like California. But it's hard to reconcile that against the backdrop of people who are having difficult times paying their mortgage, putting food on the table, and putting gas in their car. EARHARDT: In fact, California is broke, worse than broke. The state is facing a more than $19 billion budget deficit. So Governor Schwarzenegger just demanded $12.4 billion in cuts to programs like welfare, childcare and mental health services. GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER , R-CALIF: California no longer has low-hanging fruits. We don't have any medium-hanging fruits. We also don't have any high-hanging fruits. We literally have to take the ladder from the tree and shake the whole tree. EARHARDT (on camera): This happens to be one of many projects funded by bonds voted on by the voters here in the state of California before this state fell into a deep financial mess. DAGIT: There was a proposition that was to fund specifically projects to improve water quality and to improve habitat for aquatic organisms. And so that money can only be spent on projects that achieve those two goals. FLUTIE: At the time that that those bonds were voted upon, the state was in a completely different set of circumstances. KOSINSKI: Certainly there's there are some that individuals that, you know, would rather we take that money and pay the state employees what they were paid with before these furloughs came in. But you know, I think that the vast majority of people support the concept of re-introducing this endangered species into this area. Some environmentalists say no. ABRAMSON: All the people that are dealing with fish passage projects consider a fish ladder the worst and last possible option. You look for many other options before you would ever even consider a fish ladder. Two thousand tons is a lot of boulders to make sure that it goes out to the ocean, and then they can put their little steps in there to get the fish up into our culvert. It's certainly not going to be a sandy beach. It's a 60-foot wide, 120-foot long, 2,000 tons of rock channel. EARHARDT: Abramson would rather knock out the culvert and put in a bridge for both fish and people to use. ABRAMSON: And even if a fish never showed up, that's still is a good project. You give us a bridge, we'll get at least another 50 years of life out of it. EARHARDT: And the million-dollar price tag might be just the beginning. This is a picture of a fish ladder built for a million dollars eight years ago in Santa Paulo, about an hour away. It no longer works, and the federal government is considering spending 7 1/2 million more to redo it. JOE BLAINE, FORGE PROPERTY CARETAKER: I call it the great Malibu steelhead trout pork, because there's a whole lot of pork, but I haven't seen any trout. EARHARDT: Joe Blaine lives on the Malibu property belonging to Daniel Forge, whose restaurant butts up to the Solstice Canyon Creek. BLAINE: Unfortunately, the system is set up so that nobody says, "No, we don't want any more money." Everybody says, "Sacramento, send us more money. Federal government, send us more money." EARHARDT: When Mr. Forge refused to let Caltrans use part of his property for the project, he was threatened with having it seized by eminent domain. DANIEL FORGE, MALIBU RESTAURANT OWNER: There's no fish. There's never been any fish. I've never seen one in 35 years here. FORGE: Just think for a second that you're a trout or a fish. FORGE: No, never. EARHARDT (voice-over): But advocates say that could soon change. DAGIT: The great thing about these fish is that they're like the Field of Dreams fish: if you build it, they will come. They're opportunistic in the way they go to their spawning grounds. And if the creek is suitable and if they can get up it, they will do so. DAGIT: I don't think we're putting fish before families. I actually think that that's an incorrect way to state it. The fish are part of our world. And when we start removing and taking out pieces of our world, we pay for it, one way or another. (END VIDEOTAPE) SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And joining us now, our own Ainsley Earhardt. Listen, I'm all in favor. We should I'm a conservationist. Good stewards of the gifts God gave us. Here's the problem we have: Unemployment now in California is 12.6 percent. California has a $20 billion budget deficit. EARHARDT: Well, that's the problem. The state of California voted for this. They said they wanted this money to go to efforts to save fish and this type of thing. HANNITY: Fish ladder. EARHARDT: Now they're saying, at least the people that we talked to are saying, "Hold on a minute. We're spending a lot of money, almost a million dollars to save these fish. Is this really the right time to do that?" That's the controversy there in California. We don't look, I'd love to do wonderful projects, worthy projects, you know, to help people, but right now California, by the way, has slashed childcare programs, mental health programs, California's welfare program. That's 1.4 million people that will be impacted by this. HANNITY: Right. Well, you heard in the story, I said the I asked the environmentalists, I said, "Are you choosing fish over families?" And she said, "You can't even ask that because we need the fish to be part of the ecosystem." So she makes a good point, and I definitely see both sides. But there's also that issue of spending a lot of money when people are out of work. HANNITY: Ainsley, $19.1 billion budget deficit. EARHARDT: I agree, but I'm a journalist. I have to see both sides. HANNITY: You have to see both sides. I have to see one side, the right side. We can start a ferry service for fish. Anything but, you know, a ladder, fish ladders. Your taxpayer dollars at work. Ainsley great report, appreciate it. EARHARDT: Sure. (END VIDEOTAPE) Watch "Hannity" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET! Content and Programming Copyright 2010 Fox News Network, Inc. Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. | https://www.foxnews.com/story/does-california-need-a-1-million-fish-ladder |
Is NASCAR considering a change to the current Watkins Glen layout? | With Watkins Glen International repaving the entire racing surface after this weekend's Sprint Cup Series event, many have called on NASCAR to run 'the boot' section of the track utilized by many of the sports car series that also run the facility. The current layout run by NASCAR does not utilize the nearly one-mile section of track between Turns 6 through 9. The stock cars have never used the boot section of the track. Talking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Tuesday morning, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell said he believes running the boot is something the sanctioning body is looking to do in the future, but it may not happen next season. "It's one of those ideas that's been out there. We've kicked it around with (track president) Michael Printup," O'Donnell told "The Morning Drive." "It's never come to that final conclusion, but I think as you look forward that is certainly something we can consider. For those that have been up there, you know it's a challenge with sight lines and being able to see that area (of the track), but the way Michael is bringing folks in and what TV is able to do now, I think there's the opportunity to work together and maybe make that a reality down the road." In terms of repaving the entire facility, O'Donnell said the sanctioning body works very closely with tracks when a repave is considered. While drivers often bemoan track repaves, this will be the first time Watkins Glen has updating the racing surface since 1998. "Any time a surface is going to be repaved we've got to know almost at least a year in advance -- and we will," said O'Donnell. "We've got to work with Goodyear on the tires that will be prepared for that race, they may be different. Obviously the track surfaces change -- when you look at a Darlington before and after, Talladega is the same. We'll work closely with Goodyear. You'll certainly hear from the industry, particularly the drivers. When the word 'repave' comes up, it's not usually a good word. "We feel like a worn-in racetrack puts on the best racing, for the most part, so what we've got to do then is match the tire from a wear standpoint based on the newness of the facility's asphalt,' he said. "It's really a balance for us to kind of almost put new asphalt on and get it where it's 10 years in, and that's tough to do, but that's the goal." | https://www.foxnews.com/sports/is-nascar-considering-a-change-to-the-current-watkins-glen-layout |
Could Oil Prices Rise By $25 Per Barrel In 2019? | As we begin 2019, the energy markets and the stock markets are experiencing incredible volatility. Both underwent steep declines during the latter part of last year, but both are off to a fast start in the new year. Below are my predictions for some of the significant energy trends I expect this year. As I often point out, the discussion behind the predictions is more important than the predictions themselves. Thats why I provide extensive background and reasoning behind the predictions. I also provide predictions that are specific and measurable. At years end, there are specific metrics that will indicate whether a prediction was right or wrong. Oil prices will rise at least $25/bbl in 2019 Six months ago, when oil prices were pushing above $70/bbl, I was preparing to make a more conservative oil price prediction for 2019. I thought the price rise would slow heading into 2019, but what I didnt foresee was the collapse in prices that took place in the second half of 2018. That collapse in oil prices makes this prediction a lot easier. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed the last day of 2018 at $45.15/bbl, after falling $30/bbl in the last three months of the year. Oil closed $15/bbl lower than it opened the year. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil inventories are almost exactly where they were a year ago. The difference is in the perception of where the oil market is going. Market bears foresee electric vehicles taking a larger bite out of oil consumption, and they see continued growth of U.S. oil production contributing to an oversupply of crude oil globally. They are also concerned about an economic slowdown. OPEC is the wild card here. A big reason oil prices collapsed is that President Trump convinced Saudi Arabia to increase production to make up for oil that would be lost as a result of Iranian sanctions. But at the last minute, the Trump Administration granted generous exemptions to allow countries to continue importing Iranian oil. These exemptions are supposed to be for 180 days, but they suddenly created too much oil in the market. Saudi Arabia was furious, and they immediately cut oil production. At the next OPEC meeting, the cartel agreed to cut production to balance the market. I expect they will have success with this strategy in 2019, the same way they did the last time they went down this path. OPEC hasnt lost its pricing power yet, as long as they maintain discipline. I expect their previous success will be repeated this year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that WTI will average $54/bbl in 2019. I think thats too conservative. Its hard to project an average price, because I dont know how long it will be before sentiment shifts. And there are still going to be those who think electric vehicles are soon going to put oil out of business. Those sentiments will impact prices. But I expect that by the end of the year, OPECs strategy will be working, and you will see oil prices get back to the $70/bbl level. U.S. oil production growth will slow in 2019 versus 2018 Except for an OPEC-induced dip in production in 2016, U.S. oil production has risen like a rocket since 2011. None of those years was bigger than 2018, when domestic oil production rose by 1.5 million barrels per day (BPD). In the six of seven years since 2011 when production did increase, it rose by an average of one million BPD. While I do expect U.S. oil production to grow again in 2019, I think the combination of lower oil prices to begin the year and a potential economic slowdown stemming from trade tensions will result in a slowing of production growth for 2019. Related: The Natural Gas Crash Isnt Over However, average production for all of 2018 was 10.9 million BPD. By the end of the year this level had reached 11.7 million BPD. Thus, it wont take much of a rise to add another average of one million BPD to 2018 levels. I believe this will happen, but I dont believe we will add a million BPD from the year-end level of 11.7 million BPD (as we did in 2018). All we need to do is sustain another 300,000 BPD in 2019 to year-end 2018 levels to average a million BPD over 2018. I can see that happening, but I dont see a repeat of 2018s huge growth. Despite President Trumps best efforts, gasoline prices will end the year at least $0.30/gallon higher than they began the year. I typically make a natural gas prediction, but the fundamental picture is mixed. Inventories are still extremely low, which should call for higher prices. But natural gas prices are quite low to start the year. If the inventory picture improves, they will stay low. If not, we will see a lot of volatility. Its a coin flip, so I am going to forego a natural gas price prediction this year. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-oil-prices-rise-25-160000052.html |
How well is Obama handling the racial divide? | This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," July 12, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The overwhelming majority of police officers do an incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally. They are deserving of our respect and not our scorn. When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety. We ask the police to do too much and we ask too little of ourselves. (END VIDEO CLIPS) SHANNON BREAM, GUEST ANCHOR: Let's bring in our panel. That was the president today speaking at the memorial service for the five murdered Dallas police officers. We're joined now by syndicated columnist George Will, editor in chief of Lifezette, Laura Ingraham, and Charles Lane, opinion writer for The Washington Post. George, I felt like it was the most full throated defense I've heard the president speaking on behalf of law enforcement and really talking about their bravery and their dedication and the respect that they're due. GEORGE WILL, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: He got off to a bad start as president on this subject when six months into his term, there was that episode in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between the Cambridge policeman and Henry Gates, a friend of his, an African-American professor of Harvard, and the president immediately said the police had acted stupidly. Presidents -- all presidents, I guess, feel obliged to weigh in on almost everything that happens in America. Sometimes they overdo it and do it without information. However, in this case, the president, as he ruefully said, has had a lot of practice at this. And practice, if not making perfect, makes him very skillful at it. I thought he did a good job today. He had the difficult task of following Chief Brown, who is a perfect master. This says something wonderful about the social soil of this country that we produce people like that on occasions like this. BREAM: He actually -- Chief Brown brought a smile to a lot of people's faces, sort of in a fun way talking about his own efforts trying to get dates as a teenager and using lyrics of songs that he thought was important, which he did today, Laura, in a very moving way today. LAURA INGRAHAM, EDITOR IN CHIEF, LIFEZETTE.COM: I think George is absolutely right. Out of the carnage and utter despair that we've seen really I think in race relations in the last five or six years in this country, it seems to have gotten worse in many ways, to see someone like Chief Brown come out of this -- he is in deep pain. These are men he knew personally. He knows their wives, knows their kids. And then he gets up there before the entire nation and acts -- and conducts himself with such grace and such poise, a man of deep faith, a man of great discernment. And yet we kind of separate ourselves, all of us, from those men and women who are doing these tasks every day that keep the order in society. And he said this yesterday, the day before. People are getting like $40,000 a year. They're having trouble retaining police and recruiting police in Dallas. I don't know if this is all, you know, going to help all that much. But I agree. We have to focus on the really bright lights in our society today that are making a difference day in, day out. I agree that President Obama's speech was quite moving. It would be nice if we heard some of that earlier on in this this big controversy about the police. But I think he's almost like a preacher in these moments. He has that pastoral effect. BREAM: We also heard from former president George W. Bush today. And he -- of course, he does a lot of speaking privately and that kind of thing. But he has really tried to stay out of the limelight, let the next president be the president he is. But that being his own community, his home state and his home city today, his remarks very moving as well today. CHARLES LANE, THE WASHINGTON POST: He had to, I think, step forward, it being the state of Texas. And I think he, like the president, basically rose to the occasion. Just going back to the points people were making about Chief Brown. It's a reminder that even as there's great loss of faith across the board in this country, and all the polls show it -- in federal leadership, in the Congress, the president, and so forth, there's actually good evidence of people admire their state and local leadership more. Gallup just produced a poll showing people have almost twice as much faith in the state leadership where they live as they do in the federal. And looking at the performance of that police chief, not just today but over the last few days, is perhaps one reason why. It's also true, if I may add, the police remain, after the military, the one institution in this country that enjoys a majority of popular support. Obviously there's a racial divide on that. But I think that's another reason the president, you know, is constrained to speak as strongly as he did today. WILL: I would add with regard to state and local officials, the state in this union that has the most African-American elected officials -- not the most per capita, the most -- is Mississippi. BREAM: That's an interesting fact. The president starting out today with lauding each of these officers, telling very personal stories of each of their lives, he did also veer into the political. We want to play a little bit of what he had to say, something we see him repeatedly do when these incidents happen to talk then about issues involving guns. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book. WILL: That's an exaggeration, but the president has a metabolic urge to talk about gun control. And I sort of forgive him that on an occasion like this. But I don't think that kind of hyperbole is helpful. INGRAHAM: First of all, verifiably it's untrue. He says something that is verifiably untrue, and it has no relation at all to what happened. This was a military-trained expert at combat. And he went in there knowing what he was going to do. He wasn't a teenager. It wasn't some kid who was kicking around, decides I'm going to go get a 9 millimeter or something. That ruined much of the speech for me, because you don't have to get political. This is not a day really to be political if you're up there on that stage. So I'm glad he quoted Chief Brown and said we're asking police to do way too much in this country. They're not parents and spiritual counselors and finding the stray dogs. There's too many dogs now that are stray dogs. So that was good. But the gun control thing, I think it's like a Pavlovian response. He has to go there. LANE: Honestly, I agree with both of you that that was a strange exaggeration and not true what he said. But the broader point, speaking of things we ask the police to do too much of, we ask them to go into situations where everybody is armed too often. Indeed what happened in Dallas could have been much worse given that some of the people in the protest were parading carrying weapons, which is, strangely, legal in Texas. LANE: Because it shouldn't be. LANE: According to me and a lot of other people. It could have made that situation catastrophically worse. Yet another reason to praise the Dallas police. BREAM: Important to note, though, that there were no other incidents other than the sniper taking the officers' lives. And, yes, there were a lot of guns in Texas. That's how they roll. But everybody else was peaceable. Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. | https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/how-well-is-obama-handling-the-racial-divide |
Did NASA Mars Rover find a signature of past life? | During its wheeled treks on the Red Planet, NASA's Spirit rover may have encountered a potential signature of past life on Mars, report scientists at Arizona State University (ASU). To help make their case, the researchers have contrasted Spirit's study of "Home Plate" a plateau of layered rocks that the robot explored during the early part of its third year on Mars with features found within active hot spring/geyser discharge channels at a site in northern Chile called El Tatio. The work has resulted in a provocative paper: "Silica deposits on Mars with features resembling hot spring biosignatures at El Tatio in Chile." [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life] Field work As reported online last week in the journal Nature Communications, field work in Chile by the ASU team Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer of the university's School of Earth and Space Exploration shows that the nodular and digitate silica structures at El Tatio that most closely resemble those on Mars include complex sedimentary structures produced by a combination of biotic and abiotic processes. "Although fully abiotic processes are not ruled out for the Martian silica structures, they satisfy an a priori definition of potential biosignatures," the researchers wrote in the study. Ancient setting Spirit landed on Mars in January 2004, a few weeks before its twin, Opportunity, touched down in a different part of the Red Planet. Both golf-cart-size rovers were tasked with looking for signs of past water activity during their missions, which were originally planned to last three months. Spirit encountered outcrops and regolith composed of opaline silica (amorphous SiO2nH2O) in an ancient volcanic hydrothermal setting in Gusev crater. An origin via either fumarole-related acid-sulfate leaching or precipitation from hot spring fluids was considered possible. "However, the potential significance of the characteristic nodular and [millimeter]-scale digitate opaline silica structures was not recognized," Ruff and Farmer noted in the new study. El Tatio: Mars-like conditions The physical environment of El Tatio offers a rare combination of high elevation, low precipitation rate, high mean annual evaporation rate, common diurnal freeze-thaw and extremely high ultraviolet irradiance. "Such conditions provide a better environmental analog for Mars than those of Yellowstone National Park (USA) and other well-known geothermal sites on Earth," suggested Ruff and Farmer. "Our results demonstrate that the more Mars-like conditions of El Tatio produce unique deposits, including biomediated silica structures, with characteristics that compare favorably with the Home Plate silica outcrops. The similarities raise the possibility that the Martian silica structures formed in a comparable manner." Biosignature definition Previously, a NASA science team defined a potential biosignature as "an object, substance and/or pattern that might have a biological origin and thus compels investigators to gather more data before reaching a conclusion as to the presence or absence of life." "Because we can neither prove nor disprove a biological origin for the microstromatolite-like digitate silica structures at Home Plate, they constitute a potential biosignature according to this definition," Ruff and Farmer wrote. Spirit of future exploration Spirit bogged down on Mars in May 2009, becoming stuck in soft soil. In late January 2010, after months of attempts to free the rover, NASA dubbed the wheeled robot a stationary research platform. The lack of mobility and the harsh climes of Mars conspired to seal Spirit's fate, with attempts to regain contact with the robot ending in May 2011. Subsequently, NASA announced the end of contact efforts and the completion of Spirits mission. (Opportunity is still going strong today.) The ASU researchers suggested that a future and specially instrumented rover mission could perhaps provide a more definitive assessment of possible biogenicity of Home Plate silica structures. "However, because of the challenges in obtaining unambiguous evidence in situ, coordinated microscopic and compositional analyses of samples returned to laboratories on Earth may be required to reach a robust conclusion as to the presence or absence of past Martian life in these rocks," Ruff and Farmer stated. The new study can be viewed here. | https://www.foxnews.com/science/did-nasa-mars-rover-find-a-signature-of-past-life |
What If Mueller Proves Trump Collusion and No One Cares? | (Bloomberg Opinion) -- This past week, we saw the first concrete evidence that Donald Trumps 2016 campaign colluded with Russia and it seemed as if no one cared. That would mark a radical transformation in the nature of contemporary U.S. politics. Of course, its far from certain that Democratic efforts to draw attention to the shocking facts would fail. But the fizzle outcome now looks genuinely possible, not because Mueller wont get the goods, but because of a combination of Trumps talent at changing the subject, his Republican supporters ho-hum attitude toward campaign wrongdoing, and public fatigue at the duration of the investigation. To understand this potential scenario in which Mueller strikes pay dirt and Trump nevertheless emerges unscathed, the place to start is with the latest revelation about Paul Manafort. The astonishing and entirely new fact revealed last week is that, according to Mueller, Manafort, while chairman of the Trump campaign, sent polling data to a Russian associate with close ties to Russian intelligence. Until now, Muellers investigation and reporting by the news media have established two things: that Russian intelligence actively tried to influence the outcome of the election, and that Russian intelligence used numerous pathways to reach out to members of the Trump campaign and inner circle. Lacking so far is any direct proof that the Trump campaign took up these overtures in a way that actively constituted cooperation or collusion. If it can be substantiated and Mueller almost certainly wouldnt be alleging it if it couldnt the Manafort revelation is that proof. This cooperation with Russia didnt come from some minor figure in the campaign, but from the chairman himself. This is a hugely significant development. Sharing campaign research in the form of proprietary polling data has one obvious explanation: Manafort was giving the Russians data they could use to try to influence the campaign. Proof that the Trump campaign cooperated with the Russians would close the evidentiary circle by connecting Russian outreach with Russian efforts to use social media to affect the vote. Proof that Manafort sent data to the Russians would not be just a step toward proof of collusion. It would itself be proof of collusion. Yet this development, which should have dominated the news cycle, fell distantly behind the topics of the government shutdown, Trumps prime-time address on border security, and the presidents threat to invoke emergency powers to build the Mexican border wall that Congress has denied him. Several factors probably contributed. One explanation is that the revelation didnt come from prosecutors or from leaks to a news organization. Instead, the information was unintentionally revealed by Manaforts lawyers when they failed to successfully redact a document they submitted to court in connection with Manaforts sentencing. This strange mechanism of hitting the news made the original story one about cutting and pasting a word-processing document, not about the content of what was revealed. A second explanation is that the news media and the public had already given up on Manafort as a source of meaningful Trump-related revelations. After all, Manafort pleaded guilty to a series of crimes that long predated his involvement with the Trump campaign. And based on the length of the sentence Manafort got and prosecutors insistence that he was still lying even after agreeing to cooperate, many of us had begun to think that Manafort wasnt going to be the subject of any major campaign-related breakthroughs. In retrospect, that conclusion seems to have been premature maybe even spectacularly wrong. Mueller, it would seem, can prove that Manafort brought the Trump campaign into cooperation with Russia. The third and most troubling possibility is that, as the Mueller investigation has proceeded, fatigue and acceptance have set in. Trumps supporters and opponents alike may have more or less come to think that there was some sort of collusion with Russia. The supporters, arguably, dont much care. The opponents increasingly think that no matter what Mueller finds, it wont be enough to convict and remove Trump from office in impeachment proceedings. | https://news.yahoo.com/mueller-proves-trump-collusion-no-133022943.html |
Where will Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. play in 2019? | With Antonio Brown trying to force his way out of Pittsburgh, and Odell Beckham perpetually on that special were-not-actively-shopping- but-if-you-happened-to-call trading block, weve heard a lot about the value of a franchise wide receiver as he relates to a functional, Super Bowl-winning offense. In case you need reminding, here are the last 18 years worth of leading receivers from championship teams 2000: RavensShannon Sharpe (TE), 67 catches, 810 yards, five touchdowns 2001: PatriotsTroy Brown, 101 catches, 1,199 yards, five touchdowns 2002: BuccaneersKeyshawn Johnson, 76 catches, 1,088 yards, five touchdowns 2003: PatriotsDeion Branch, 57 catches, 803 yards, three touchdowns 2004: PatriotsDavid Givens, 56 catches, 874 yards, three touchdowns 2005: SteelersHines Ward, 69 catches, 975 yards, 11 touchdowns 2006: ColtsMarvin Harrison, 95 catches, 1,366 yards, 12 touchdowns 2007: GiantsPlaxico Burress, 70 catches, 1,025 yards, 12 touchdowns 2008: SteelersHines Ward, 81 catches, 1,043 yards, seven touchdowns 2009: SaintsMarques Colston, 70 catches, 1,074 yards, nine touchdowns 2010: PackersGreg Jennings, 76 catches, 1,265 yards, 12 touchdowns 2011: GiantsVictor Cruz, 82 catches, 1,536 yards, nine touchdowns 2012: RavensAnquan Boldin, 65 catches, 921 yards, four touchdowns 2013: SeahawksGolden Tate, 64 catches, 898 yards, five touchdowns 2014: PatriotsRob Gronkowski (TE), 82 catches, 1,124 yards, 12 touchdowns 2015: BroncosDemaryius Thomas, 105 catches, 1,304 yards, six touchdowns 2016: PatriotsJulian Edelman, 98 catches, 1,106 yards, three touchdowns 2017: EaglesZach Ertz (TE), 74 catches, 824 yards, eight touchdowns 2018: PatriotsJulian Edelman, 74 catches, 850 yards, six touchdowns The conventional wisdom goes like this: Almost none of these teams needed a tempo-setting wideout (the kind of receiver who needs 10 targets a game; the kind whose mood is attached to the effect he was able to have on the game). Its far more cost-effective to use a receivers basic traits to manipulate defenses, and you can find speed, strength and precision route-running fairly cheap. Its when those things come in one package that a player gets expensive. Heres what makes both Beckhams and Browns situations so interesting, though. Not only are they tremendously talented, but they exist on teams in a very specific, problematic moment in time: The precious remaining years of a franchise quarterback. Should the Giants trade Beckham, they almost certainly will forego the final relevant season (or two) that Eli Manning has left. Theyll also burn one of the precious few seasons of Saquon Barkleys athletic prime, which is a different and more exclusive window of time in which the Giants have pressure to succeed. Similarly, the Steelers are dealing with a soon-to-be 37-year-old Ben Roethlisberger who has openly discussed retirement in years past. Their additional window is up front, with a once-in-a-decade offensive line that is also nearing the end of its collective run. Trading Brown takes arguably the most difficult-to-scheme-against wide receiver out of the equation, and all-of-a-sudden, everyone needs to work a little harder to make the offense work optimally. This is a fascinating case study on how franchises view their ability to acquire good quarterbacks, and what, in their mind, constitutes a roster that is good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. Seeing where Beckham and Brown end up will speak volumes not only about themselves, but the people paid to evaluate them and the guys throwing them the football. Sign up for The MMQBs Morning Huddle. HOT READS Now on The MMQB: A much-discussed Gary Gramling Sunday Freakout on John Elway. Michael McCann on the legal significance of Colin Kaepernicks settlement with the NFL. The latest free agent stock watch: Landon Collins. What you may have missed: The last firing of Bill Belichick. Your franchise tag primer for Tuesday. Ranking the NFLs neediest teams going into free agency. PRESS COVERAGE 1. Derrius Guice is coming back stronger. 2. Calais Campbell will be back for another season in Jacksonville. 3. Josh Allen wonders if Jalen Ramsey thinks hes still trash (hint: Ramsey still does, yes). 4. 5. THE KICKER A wildly controversial hot take: SNL still has it, and this is one of the best casts in years. Let the team know at [email protected] | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/02/19/nfl-trade-rumors-odell-beckham-jr-giants-antonio-brown-steelers |
Are our schools too big? | Some fear many are as rampant population growth in Auckland puts the pressure on. Soaring Auckland secondary school rolls may force more parents to look at options outside the state system, a leading educationalist believes. Clarence van der Wel, a senior executive with ACG Education which operates four independent schools in New Zealand, thinks student numbers will continue to grow: "We have to accept this, and as a result I believe parents may start looking at alternatives for their children in private schools." His comments come as 2018 Ministry of Education figures show two Auckland secondary schools now have rolls over 3000 and at least another ten have more than 2000 students. Auckland student numbers (including primary schools) grew by over 75,000 between 1996 and 2018, rising from 202,600 to 278,336. This has put increasing pressure on school infrastructure, particularly primary schools, with reports that in recent years some have been forced to erect temporary classrooms on fields or set up space in staffrooms, libraries and, in one case, an old dental clinic. Advertisement van der Wel questions whether large rolls are good for students. "Years ago people thought a roll of 1600 was big, so perhaps we should now be asking, 'how big is too big'?" However van der Wel, who is CEO Schools and Early Learning at ACG, says his comments are not meant to be taken as criticism of state schools which, he believes, do a good job in educating young people. Rather he sees them as part of a debate about what is an optimum school roll level. If schools get too big education can become less personal making it harder to ensure the needs of all students are being met," he says. "We don't want to find ourselves in a situation like in China where you see schools with up to 10,000 students." In very large schools it can be easy for students "on the fringes" to slip through the cracks and become somewhat anonymous, a situation van der Wel fears could lead to a greater incidence of problems such as failing to identify a need for support or bullying not being seen and therefore not addressed. The issue has long been debated around the world. In Canada a 2007 review by Simon Fraser University, a public research university in British Columbia, found "a growing consensus that small schools not only have an academic achievement advantage, but promote character development, emotional stability among their students, higher attendance, lower dropout rates and safer schools." The review also noted the schools create higher levels of job satisfaction for teachers as well as increased public confidence and parent satisfaction. "Most importantly, small schools improve educational outcomes," it said. "Students from small schools tend to complete more years of higher education and score higher on standardised tests." And in 2010 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - in a project known as the Small Schools Initiative - determined that "mega" US high schools with as many as 4500 students were found to be breeding apathy, sapping students' motivation to learn and the commitment of teachers. Although the initiative also concluded there is no guarantee small schools in and of themselves will create good climates, "smaller schools are more likely to create the sense of connectedness among students and teachers that motivates them to work harder." Meanwhile van der Wel says the four ACG schools - which run classes from pre-school to Year 13 - generally have no more than 100 students at each year level. "Some large schools have up to 600 per level which is a big number," he says. "My concern is that it becomes difficult to ensure quality." He says smaller numbers mean ACG teachers can get to know the names of all students in the school, not just those in their class. This, he believes, creates a sense of community - and conditions beneficial to their academic, social and emotional development. "Their school becomes an anchor, especially as they get to the turbulent adolescent years," he says. "Because we can be with them from Year 1 (and sometimes from pre-school), we are able to track their learning journey and early on recognise any weaknesses; we can closely monitor their social development and help them become well-adjusted, well-rounded young people. "More importantly, early intervention means we're in a better position to remove any barriers to learning." van der Wel says in the state system students go through big changes at Year 7 (when they go to intermediate school) and again at Year 9 (secondary school) "so a lot of information about them is lost at that stage, as is the all-important knowledge of the student as an individual." "By moving to new schools, students also need to form new friendship groups and for some this can be quite unsettling." | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/acg-schools/news/article.cfm?c_id=1504055&objectid=12203549 |
Will 2019 see an end to Made in China? | Made in China 2025 (MIC2025) is a plan to upgrade the countrys manufacturing capability to mirror its world class physical infrastructure. China intends to ensure its competitiveness by adopting advanced technology in manufacturing, robotics, 5G, artificial intelligence and the internet of things. This strategy sits at the top of President Xi Jinpings economic agenda, part and parcel of his plan to create a sustainable economic model. Unfortunately for China, the administration of US president Donald Trump has put the industries and products associated with this plan at the very heart of the trade dispute. Although Chinas official media has toned down its patriotic praise of MIC2025 since the trade war erupted, there is scant chance that Beijing will really back away from the most important industrial upgrade in Chinas history. On the contrary, external pressure especially the threat of sanctions from the US on key technologies and industrial products will push Beijing to pour more capital and administrative resources into boosting technological upgrades and self-sufficiency across the most strategic industries. Beyond shrinking the trade deficit, the Trump administrations agenda is really aimed at preventing Chinas rise as a rival power, and thus US-China policy is starting to bear a striking resemblance to economic warfare. beyondbrics Emerging markets guest forum beyondbrics is a forum on emerging markets for contributors from the worlds of business, finance, politics, academia and the third sector. All views expressed are those of the author(s) and should not be taken as reflecting the views of the Financial Times. Mr Trumps demands, as spelt out by the US Trade Representative, require China to slash state support for high tech industries, stop forcing foreign companies to share core technology with Chinese enterprises (and otherwise protect IP), remove ownership restrictions on incoming investments, open more widely to foreign goods and services, and walk away from the goal of self-sufficiency in key technologies and products in high-value added industries. To force these developments, the US government has imposed 10-25 per cent tariffs on $250bn worth of Chinese imports, tightened controls over Chinas investment in US tech companies, and set export sanctions on several Chinese tech companies. The effects of the trade war are already being felt, with multinational companies relocating, threatening Chinas current economy and its plans to upgrade its technology. If the dispute escalates further, China may lower the temperature by scaling back self-sufficiency targets, improving protection for intellectual property, and tilting the playing field back a little to help foreign and domestic private companies versus state-owned enterprises (SOEs). But we see little chance of MIC2025 being abandoned; instead, it is likely that Beijing will publish a new national strategy for technology development under a new name, essentially a MIC2025 plan B. Unfortunately for China, this and other initial adjustments are not likely to appease US China hawks. Tighter restrictions on access to US technology are already being strengthened and are likely to remain in place over the long term. The potential damage to Chinas industrial future is hard to quantify but important for investors to consider. If the US government sets more restrictions on Chinese students and researchers studying in US universities, or blocks the interaction of scientists from the two countries or the acquisition of Silicon Valley start-ups by Chinas VC funds and tech giants, the pace of knowledge acquisition in China may slow appreciably. Of course, the US will suffer as well. Removing Huawei from the list of potential suppliers of 5G technology, an essential building block of the digital economy, leaves the US exposed to a duopoly. The roll-out of 5G will undoubtedly cost more, take longer, and handicap the country in the race towards a smart manufacturing sector, not to mention a smart infrastructure. A Made in China plan B is likely to disguise its ambitious import replacement and copyright control objectives and concentrate overwhelmingly on industrial upgrading and the development of specific technologies. The self-sufficiency targets may become internal objectives known only to industry regulators and key domestic players and will be diluted to reflect a more long-term road map of technology development. This will allow more space for foreign players to profit from Chinas development. The highest priority for self-sufficiency will remain the semiconductor sector though the deadline will probably slip given the increasingly central role technology plays in the rest of industry and Chinas now obvious vulnerability to foreign restrictions in this area. The US is also demanding reduced levels of state support to SOEs. Such adjustments may already be under way on the Chinese side. Amid the escalation of the US-China trade war, Premier Li Keqiang, Vice Premier Liu He, MIIT governor Miao Wei and other senior government officials promised to offer fair treatment to all types of enterprises including foreign firms in the execution of the MIC2025 plan. This fair treatment would include equal access to government auctions, subsidies and information resources. Although some scepticism of Beijings promises is always advisable, the need to prevent the US-China trade war from destroying Chinas supply chain has led Beijing to take these particular commitments seriously this time. As one of the key steps towards fairer treatment, Beijing has eased ownership restrictions on foreign groups investment in China; for example, by allowing Tesla, BASF and Exxon Mobil to build new, wholly-owned plants, and letting BMW buy a majority stake in its China JV Brilliance Automotive. Increased ownership of their Chinese subsidiaries will alleviate some of the forced technology transfer concerns. The authorities have also proposed a ban on forced technology transfer in the recent draft of the Foreign Investment Law, published by the National Peoples Congress, which could then be approved over the next 15 months or so. However, reaching agreement on reforming Chinas SOE subsidies could prove much harder; existing government support is huge. Total government subsidies reached an estimated Rmb800bn ($118bn) in 2017, accounting for 4 per cent of total government spending and 1 per cent of GDP. Further complicating matters is the fact that a large proportion of local government subsidies are issued with the primary goal of keeping local enterprises operating (along with their employment and tax payments). If the primary purpose of the subsidies had been research and development, or innovation, cuts would have been easier to achieve. Apart from the US demand for removal of subsidies, China may be considering taking the initiative itself in this area. High levels of local-government debt and excess capacity make large subsidies increasingly unaffordable and therefore it would make sense to cut them. Limited fiscal resources would become concentrated on the most important industries such as semiconductors, robotics and pharmaceuticals, and government subsidies to less strategic industries would shrink. Another option is to offer foreign manufacturers of machinery and equipment access to government subsidies. Autos could become one of the first sectors to witness this. The ongoing US-China trade war and subsequent spotlight on the MIC2025 strategy is merely a symptom of the rising strategic competition between the two nations. The Chinese cannot and will not make the wholesale changes in their political economy that the US is demanding, but the political desire from both Mr Xi and Mr Trump to achieve a deal is high. Thus, chances are that concessions will be made and trade pressure will gradually ease over the near term. The superpower rivalry, however, is here to stay. Gary Greenberg is head of emerging markets at Hermes Investment Management. | https://www.ft.com/content/c4e86ff8-33a8-11e9-bb0c-42459962a812 |
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