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Who has been stripped of UK citizenship before Shamima Begum? | The home secretary, Sajid Javid, has announced plans to revoke the citizenship of the Islamic State recruit Shamima Begum. If the order proves successful, she will join the ranks of around 120 suspected jihadists and criminals since 2016 who have been stripped of their British nationality and banned from returning to the UK. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, who were raised in Britain, are alleged to have been part of an Isis terror cell, known as the Beatles, responsible for the brutal killings of western captives in Syria and Iraq, including the British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines and the US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. The security minister, Ben Wallace, confirmed both men had been stripped of their citizenship in July 2018. Sudan-born Elsheikh, a mechanic from White City in London, came to the UK as a child when his family were granted refugee status. He travelled to Syria in 2012 and joined al-Qaida and later a splinter group that became Isis. Kotey, born in London, is half-Ghanaian, half-Greek Cypriot, and grew up in Shepherds Bush. Believed to have converted to Islam in his early 20s, he left behind two young children in Britain. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Alexanda Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh talk to the Associated Press at a security centre in Kobani, Syria, in 2018. The men said their home countrys revoking of their citizenship denied them fair trial. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP Mahdi Hashi Mahdi Hashi came to the UK from Somalia when he was five with his parents. The family were granted asylum and subsequently became British citizens. He grew up in Camden, north London, and became a care worker after finishing school. He subsequently became involved in the al-Shabaab group. In 2009, aged 19, Hashi claimed MI5 was trying to blackmail him into becoming an informer. Later that year, he moved to Somalia. He was never charged with any crime in the UK. In 2012, the then home secretary, Theresa May, ordered that he be stripped of British citizenship on the grounds that he was involved in Islamic extremism. Hashi is currently in jail in New York on terror charges. Read more Bilal al-Berjawi Bilal al-Berjawi was born in Lebanon and grew up in St Johns Wood. He was suspected of being involved with al-Qaida militants in Somalia. In 2006, at the age of 22, he attended an al-Qaida training camp in Mogadishu where he learned to use explosives and was thought to be part of an extremist group known as the London boys. He was detained on suspicion of terrorist offences in 2009 with another Briton, Mohammed Sakr, following a trip to Kenya. His British citizenship was revoked in 2010, at which point he and Sakr were thought to hold senior positions in a militant group linked to al-Qaida. A terror suspect, he was subject to strict surveillance from US services and MI5, and at one point was on a US kill list. He died in a drone strike, shortly after his wife in London gave birth to their first son. Mohamed Sakr Mohamed Sakr was born and brought up in London. He attended Quintin Kynaston Academy, the same west London school as Mohammed Emwazi, commonly known as Jihadi John. Sakr was deprived of his citizenship in 2009 following a trip to Somalia, while he was still out of the country. He was suspected of being involved with militant group al-Shabaab, although his parents deny this. His was the first known modern instance of a British-born citizen being stripped of their nationality. Sakr was killed in Somalia in 2012 during a US-led drone strike. His Egyptian-born parents have since renounced the dual citizenship of their children, in order to protect them. | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/20/who-has-been-stripped-of-uk-citizenship-before-shamima-begum |
What does it feel like to quit a party? | It was easy to see all of those emotions on display at the press conferences - two days apart - in which seven Labour MPs and then three Conservatives announced that they were quitting (the 11th member of the group, Joan Ryan, did not hold a press conference of her own). But the tone of the two events was subtly different. The Labour defectors all spoke about what the Labour Party meant to them, how they had joined it as young people, filled with idealism and a desire to improve the lives of working people. But, they said, the party had changed beyond all recognition under Jeremy Corbyn and they could no longer be part of it. In other words: "It's not me, it's you." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mike Gapes: Labour to my core Mike Gapes - Labour MP for Ilford South since 1992 and a party member since 1968 - was, perhaps understandably, the most visibly moved by the occasion. "I have always considered myself Labour to my core. I grew up in a working-class family, in a council house in Chigwell, in Essex," he told the audience. He spoke about his father, "a postman and trade union branch secretary", and how he had served the party "at every level" in his long career. Angela Smith spoke at length about her working-class parents and how as a young girl she had cheered for then Labour leader Harold Wilson in 1966, when the rest of the country had been cheering England on in the World Cup. Others were less sentimental about Labour. Chuka Umunna said he was fed up with the "old tribal politics", adding: "You don't join a political party to spend years and years fighting the people in it." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Heidi Allen: I feel excited There were mixed emotions at the Conservative event too, with Anna Soubry clearly finding it difficult. But there was less talk about family and background. And for Heidi Allen at least, it was more business-like, as if she was leaving a job rather than breaking up a family. "I feel excited, so excited. In a way that I haven't felt since I was first elected - and a sense of liberation," said former Tory MP Heidi Allen. Ms Allen does not have deep roots in the Conservative Party - she joined it in 2011 - after a successful career in business. The Conservative Party - rather than a creed or a way of life - had been a career choice for her, she said. And she had been inspired to "serve my country" by the 2011 London riots, having previously had no interest in politics. Like fellow defector, Sarah Wollaston Ms Allen was a product of David Cameron's efforts to open up the Conservative Party to a more diverse and interesting range of MPs, with real-life experience. Dr Wollaston, a GP, was the first Conservative MP to be selected in a US-style open primary, a postal ballot of everyone in her Totnes constituency, in 2009. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Anna Soubry: A considerable amount of heartache Ms Allen also took part in an open primary, in South East Cambridgeshire, which she narrowly lost, before being selected to replace the retiring Andrew Lansley in South Cambridgeshire. Both have proved to be far too independent-minded for the Conservative Party whips, perhaps feeling they owe their first loyalty to their constituents rather than the party. And Dr Wollaston said she would not put herself forward as a Tory candidate now - because the party had changed so much. The open primary system, meanwhile, appears to have been dropped. And it was clear from Anna Soubry's speech that all three believe Mr Cameron's attempt to modernise the Conservative Party is equally dead in the water. Mr Cameron - in a rare public comment - said he had backed open primaries and he respected the decision of Dr Wollaston and Ms Allen to quit the party but he disagreed with them. "We need strong voices at every level of the party calling for the modern, compassionate Conservatism that saw the Conservative Party return to office," said the former Tory leader. Ms Soubry - who first joined the Conservatives as a student in the 1970s - was more sentimental about the party, in her speech. "You don't leave a political party you have called home, without a great deal of thought and a considerable amount of heartache," she said. But, she added, she had always been a member of the pro-EU "one-nation" Tory faction and now the party was entirely run by the "awkward squad" of hard Brexiteers in the European Research Group. The ERG, which is headed by Jacob Rees-Mogg, is arguably far more in tune with the Conservative Party membership - who, polls suggest, are a Eurosceptic bunch (although the defectors say this is because local branches are being "infiltrated" by former UKIP members). What Theresa May makes of all this is anybody's guess. As Tom McAgue pointed out in a piece for Politico, even her closest associates have trouble working out what she thinks. But she is someone who puts a high value on party loyalty. To a far greater extent, perhaps, than the MPs who have now walked out of her party, the Conservative Party has been her life. She met her husband, Philip, at a Tory party dance, at Oxford University, and she is thought to do most of her socialising with fellow party members. Leaving a political party because you profoundly disagree with the direction it is taking might seem an obvious thing to do for those of us who have never been a member of one, let alone an MP. But it is not as straightforward as that for some. And factors such as family tradition, loyalty to friends, and the sheer amount of time and work devoted to the cause - even if you know longer believe in it - will be playing on the minds of MPs thinking of joining the breakaway group in the coming days. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47307042 |
Will former President Barack Obama attend Duke-North Carolina game? | Duke University officials have increased security with the likelihood that former President Barack Obama will attend tonight's game against archrival North Carolina in Durham, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Obama was the talk of Tuesday's news conference with the teams, with Duke's R.J. Barrett thrilled about the possibility of the former president possibly attending. "If he comes, I'm going to be very excited," Barrett told reporters. "This is a legendary game. Many people want to watch. It's going to be a great game." USA TODAY Sports confirmed other reports that Obama planned to appear at the game, although his attendance was not certain. ESPN's Jay Williams and a local ABC11 station reported that Obama was likely to attend. Duke officials have not confirmed his attendance. The Tar Heels (20-5, 10-2) are looking to upset the heavily favored Blue Devils (23-2, 11-1) in the first of two clashes in the next three weeks. Behind Barrett and projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Zion Williamson, Duke is currently the top overall No. 1 seed in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology. North Carolina is a projected No. 2 seed. Former president Barack Obama has close ties with UNC coach Roy Williams. (Photo11: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images) Obama has close ties to UNC coach Roy Williams and often favored the Tar Heels in his NCAA tournament picks while he was president. I never know who is coming, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters Tuesday. I try not to let that be what Im thinking of. Look, anybody can show up here because it is a bucket-list thing. Its a bucket-list just to come to a game in Cameron. But Duke and Carolina at Cameron is one of those great sporting events. So we can expect anything here." Tipoff for the game is 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, and tickets were nearing the price of Super Bowl tickets. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/acc/2019/02/20/barack-obama-attend-duke-north-carolina-basketball-game/2928677002/ |
How bad is Disney's 'Aladdin' blue Genie problem after the Will Smith reveal tanked? | Will Smith stars as Genie in "Aladdin." It hasn't been all smiles. (Photo11: WALT DISNEY) If Walt Disney Studios and director Guy Ritchie were granted three wishes, one of them would surely be that Will Smith's Genie in the live-action "Aladdin" would find a little love. So far, there's been overwhelming vocal consternation over the pivotal character in the remake that flies into theaters May 24. It was always going to be a bumpy ride for anyone stepping into the curled genie shoes after Robin Williams voiced his iconic, exhilarating role in 1992's animated "Aladdin." Fans rejoiced when the Genie-less first teaser arrived last October. "I fangirled so hard ... It looks so good!" one tweeted. "I'm legit over here sobbing," another wrote. But the very blue unveiling of Smith's Genie in a Grammy Awards telecast "special look" was skewered on social media. We are supposed to sleep after this???" We could go on about the chorus of social media barbs, which became such a thing that John Oliver used the blue Genie image as a punchline on "Last Week Tonight," comparing it to the looming "disaster" when Britain leaves the European Union. "You know how Twitter is. Theres a pitchfork army out there and they all join in. And right now, Will Smiths blue Genie is out in front of this army, in a negative way," says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "The Genie just looked odd. And while it's called 'Aladdin,' all the attention since Robin Williams' role is focused on the Genie." First photo: The Internet is fixated on Will Smith's Genie, and not in a good way The backlash: Twitter rips Will Smith's 'too blue' Genie after 'Aladdin' trailer airs Disney wouldn't comment on the marketing aspects of the film, which has stoked excitement with fans who made 2016's live-action "The Jungle Book" a major hit. The studio stood behind its Genie in a statement to USA TODAY: We have one of the most anticipated films of the year and are confident that audiences will fall in love with the Genie and all of the characters when it hits the big screen this May. Bringing out the Will Smith Genie, and the blue, has been a slow, deliberate rollout for Disney after two teaser trailers as if to ease fans into the full live-action blueness against the formidable history of Williams' cartoon creation. I have never known peace pic.twitter.com/zUzl8X1Axw Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) February 11, 2019 In December, a smiling Smith was unveiled on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, minus his CGI blue coloring. After fans reacted badly, the star assured them on Instagram, "Im gonna be BLUE! :-) This is how the Genie is in Human / Disguise Form." They didn't know how blue. However awkward the first look, the negative reaction shouldn't be a surprise, according to director Raja Gosnell, who unveiled his own bright blue update of beloved animated characters in 2011's live-action "The Smurfs." "We didnt have the Twitter world back then that we have now, thank God. But that unveiling was met with levels of horror and gnashing of teeth by the online community," says Gosnell. "There is always going to be some sort of outcry by the keyboard warriors. It was going to be the same thing with the blue Genie from 'Aladdin.' " "The Smurfs" went on to find its audience, make $563.7 million in the worldwide box office, and Gosnell brought the live-action creations brought back for a 2013 sequel, "The Smurfs 2." But there are many voices who contend Disney missed the vital opportunity to make a strong first impression that Smith's Genie could hold his own against Williams' legacy. Critics loathed "Kazaam." But Shaq looked the part of a genie. (Photo11: TOUCHSTONE PICTURES) Paul Michael Glaser conceptualized and directed 1996's "Kazaam" around 7-foot-1 superstar center Shaquille O'Neal. While the fantasy musical was disparaged by critics, visualizing Shaq as a genie was spot-on casting. Glaser says the decision to depict Smith as blue and physically pumped up, like a live-action version of Williams' character, wasn't "a smart thing to do." "Making him blue was a bit of cop-out. But even more than that was the big, muscular look makes this Genie more comparable to the animated version. Why does a Genie have to be all of that?" says Glaser. He would have preferred seeing more of what the superstar leading man could bring. "They missed the boat in terms of trying to really explore what it would be like to rub a bottle and have Will Smith come out of it," says Glaser. Smith has made clear he will make the part his own in the final film, which EW described in the first look story as part Fresh Prince, part Hitch." Smith, who acknowledged he was "terrified" to go up against Williams' "iconic" role, said in the piece his character was "different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane." There's still time for the formidable Disney marketing machine, with the powers of charismatic PR power player Smith, to right the spilled bottle. "Disney has its own magic lamps," says Bock. "And 'Aladdin' is fortunate to pretty much own Memorial Day weekend for family entertainment. So it's in good shape there." Robin Williams' Genie in 1992's animated "Aladdin" is a tough act to follow. (Photo11: WALT DISNEY) Part of the marketing blitz will include a full trailer, which still hasn't been released yet. Perri Nemiroff, senior producer of movie site Collider.com, suggests "scaling back on Genie in the marketing, that might be the smartest move after what we've seen." The emphasis could focus on other "Aladdin" aspects such as Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine and their adventure story. Then Smith will have an entire movie to unfurl his full Genie. "I just want to see Will Smith own that look and make that role his own," says Nemiroff. "I'm hoping my optimism will not be misplaced." Randall Jaynes, who has made a career as a deep-hued member of Blue Man Group and is now its artistic director, believes people will come to love this Genie and his vibrant coloring. "You could already hear this Genie is Will Smith. It had his jingle and pizzazz, but the color is so evocative, it changed the look. Of course, people are going to get used to it," says Jaynes. "Welcome, Will Smith: Blue is a wonderful world to be in." Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Will Smith as Genie in an early shot. Smith assured freaked-out fans he would be blue. (Photo11: WALT DISNEY) Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/02/20/disney-reveals-aladdin-blue-genie-now-what/2877176002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/02/20/disney-reveals-aladdin-blue-genie-now-what/2877176002/ |
Will Trump Put California's Broken Bullet Train Out Of Its Misery? | A little more than a decade after California voters narrowly approved a ballot proposition to build an 800-mile high-speed rail system for $35 billion, with completion promised for next year, the project has been derailed by gross government incompetence and malfeasance. The remarkable (and very public) beginning of the end for the state-run rail project occurred last Tuesday, when newly elected California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared in his state-of-the-state address that, The project, as currently planned, would cost too much and take too long. there simply isnt a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to LA. So instead of build out a high-speed rail system that was promised to voters to span the length of the state, whisking travelers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in only 2 hours and 20 minutes, Gov. Newsom proposed completing a 140-mile segment of the route in the middle of states agricultural region, connecting Merced to Bakersfield. Gov. Newsom didnt directly admit to it, but among the reasons he had to scale back high-speed rail were competing budgetary priorities. The progressives who now control every lever of state government want to provide more government health coverage for 1.2 million illegal immigrants and more government housing for the working poorprograms that, if fully funded, would demand $4 billion or more from Californias budget (about what the rail project would need every year for more than 20 years to complete). Gov. Newsoms candid admission drew a rapid response from President Trump, who tweeted the following day, California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project after having spent and wasted many billions of dollars. They owe the Federal Government three and a half billion dollars. We want that money back now. Whole project is a green disaster!" And now, the formal federal response to the Presidents tweet has arrived in the form of a letter from the Federal Railroad Administration to the California High-Speed Rail Authority declaring the federal governments intent to terminate its agreement and de-obligate $929 million in unspent funds, while seeking to recover the $2.5 billion in federal funding already spent. In ending the agreement, Ronald Batory, the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration noted that California wasnt spending enough money to finish the project on schedule in 2022. Further, Batory wrote, the California High-Speed Rail Authority was consistently late in providing financial reports, observing that over 40 reports and deliverables are delinquent or do not contain the type of information or level of detail necessary to allow the federal government to effectively oversee the projects performance. Upon receipt of the Federal Railroad Administrations letter, Gov. Newsom declared that the whole thing was nothing more than retaliation from Pres. Trump for Californias lawsuit against the administrations national emergency declaration for border security. But the trains problems have been years in the making. Initially approved by the legislature in 2002, the $10 billion high-speed rail bond was pulled from the 2004 ballot over fears that voters in cash-strapped California wouldnt approve the new debt. After being delayed again in 2006, the legislature placed the rail bond on the 2008 ballot, confident that, with Obama at the top of the ticket, enough voters in favor of the project would turn out. It passed with 52.6% of the vote. Passage of the ballot initiative empowered the California High-Speed Rail Authority to award contracts to begin work. But, as with many voter-approved initiatives in California, the peoples elected representatives were virtually frozen out of any governance role. Gov. Newsom admitted as much in his state-of-the-state address when he said of the project, Theres been too little oversight and not enough transparency. The projects estimated costs quickly almost tripled from the $35 billion promised to the voters to $98 billion, prompting a scaling back of the ambitious plans. The trains travel time slowed considerably as fiscal reality dictated a less-advanced design, while the estimated passenger ticket prices more than doubled, making the trip slower and more expensive than a direct flight on Southwest Airlines (cost: $59) from L.A. to San Francisco. In addition, since the system was promised to voters as not requiring taxes to build it or operate it, it forced the bureaucrats staffing it to gin up fantastical ridership projections, projecting that it would be used largely by commuters who would be willing to fork out $1,220 per month to support the trains costs. Further, the lack of oversight from elected officials increased the likelihood that sweetheart contract awards were made to the powerful and connected for financial, legal, and environmental consulting services, as well as to the trade unions and construction companies who made campaign contributions to pass the ballot initiative. While Gov. Newsom may be complaining loudly about President Trumps attack on his billions of dollars over-budget and years-late train, the fact is, Trumps criticism may allow California a way out of spending billions more on a failed project. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckdevore/2019/02/20/will-trump-put-californias-broken-bullet-train-out-of-its-misery/ |
Can New Rules Curtail Evolution Of Sign Stealing? | The concept of stealing signs in baseball has a long, unique and sometimes even shocking history, especially in the early days of the practice. Now it is a matter of who uses their technology and on Wednesday a report by Sports Illustrated emerged stating MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is implementing new rules to guard against the high-tech gamesmanship of recent seasons. Last season after there were several instances of alleged sign stealing from catchers, Manfred vowed to get new rules in place. Existing rules prohibited stealing a sign from any place besides a runner on second base and now the rule updates to include measures that address using new technology to gain an advantage. According to Sports Illustrated's report, the new rules include the following: Banning in-house outfield cameras from foul pole to foul pole Limiting live broadcasts to the team's designated replay official, who gets monitored by a security expert Putting any other TV monitors, including those in the clubhouse and bullpens on an eight-second delay. Making each club provide to MLB an audit of every in-house camera, its purpose, its wiring and where it can be viewed. The new rules are a reaction to what has resulted in recent seasons with numerous mound visits that slowed down games and resulted in last season being the first year with a six mound visit limit per game until extra innings. And even during those mound visits, the impact of technology is revealed since any mound visit includes a player holding a glove over his mouth to avoid any lip reading. According to Sports Illustrated, approximately six teams installed centerfield cameras focused on opposing catchers' signs. Other teams were suspected of the practice and it forced most teams to adopt multiple sets of signs even with nobody on base and then often change them sometimes during at-bats. Among incidents in recent years such as the Houston Astros being accused of stealing the signs of the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. The Indians reportedly warned the Red Sox of an Astros employee of photographing the dugout. Another was the Apple Watch incident where the Yankees accused the Red Sox of using the device to relay pitch calls to runners on second base, who would pass to hitters during their at-bats. The Red Sox then countered by accusing the Yankees of utilizing an in-house television feed to do the same. Another allegation involved the Toronto Blue Jays going back to 2010 when it was believed a man in white was accused of raising his arms above his head when a breaking ball was being called and engaging in no motion when a fastball was coming. Among those who suggested some sign stealing was taking place was former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy but back then even after ESPN reported it MLB said it had never received a complaint about it. While putting rules on the book may limit some things, it is likely teams will find a way around. They and just may do it in a way to avoid detection and avoid the penalties of forfeiting a draft pick or international pool money. The reason these rules are going in place are more because some of the recent incidents are a case of teams not being discreet about it. The gamesmanship has been going on for over a century but even with potentially helpful information it still comes down to executing. It has evolved from low-tech ways of the early 20th century to the enhanced technology of recent seasons that leaves teams paranoid, especially after former St. Louis Cardinals employee Chris Correa was sentenced to federal prison for hacking into the Houston Astros database. There are several notable and primitive examples of sign stealing going back to the earliest days of the game. Some of the practices included electrical pulses with a different buzz signaling what pitch was coming (one for fastball, two for curveball and three for changeup). It was a practice that occurred in 1900 in a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds according to an edition of the SABR Baseball Research Journal. In last year's book on the early days of the Yankees, "A Franchise on the Rise" by Dom Amore, another example of the gamesmanship is revealed from back in 1909 at Hilltop Park, now the site of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The Yankees were suspected of movement in a sign advertising men's hat and how the sign was slanted indicated whether a fastball or a curveball was coming. And then of course perhaps the most famous instance in 1951 when the Giants erased a 13-game deficit from the Dodgers in the NL Race. As later revealed in the book "The Echoing Green", the Giants led by former Dodgers manager Leo Durocher devised a plan to steal signs by putting a spy near the clubhouses in center field. From nearly 500 feet away, the Giants used high-powered binoculars and sent signals to the bullpen. The Giants won 37 of their last 44 games and won the NL pennant over the Dodgers on Bobby Thomson's home run off Ralph Branca. The art of stealing signs has evolved from primitive electrical pulses to technology. Whether MLB can actually enforce the practice is something to observe as games get underway next month. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryfleisher/2019/02/20/can-new-rules-curtail-evolution-of-sign-stealing/ |
What Is The Most Useful Software For Businesses? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Ryan Bonnici, CMO at G2 Crowd, on Quora: Businesses lose billions of dollars every year by buying the wrong software. A study found that more than a third (37%) of the money U.S. business spend on software goes to waste, amounting to more than $30 billion. Part of the problem is that businesses face an overwhelming number of choices. The software market is crowded, with thousands of products, and expanding rapidly. Its expected to cross the half trillion dollar mark in the next few years. To avoid unnecessary expenditures -- and the waste of time that comes from having to buy new software when your first purchase doesnt work out -- every business should start by asking itself two key questions. First, isolate what your team or companys exact needs are. Most of the time, it will fall into one of several major categories, such as sales, marketing, CRM (customer relationship management), HR, etc. But within each category, there are lots of subcategories. Its worth taking the time to consider which is best for you based on the needs of your business. Figure out as many of these specific needs as possible. Next, consider the size of your company and the size of the team that needs this software. There are different opinions about how to determine which category youre in. But generally speaking, a business with less than 50 employees is considered small. And theres broad agreement that a business with at least 1,000 employees is definitely a large enterprise. The size of the team can be just as important. For example, if you have 30 people who work in marketing, then your marketing software tool kit can include various pieces of software to be used by people with different specialties -- something youre more likely to find recommended for large enterprises. But if your marketing team is just a few people, you may want all-in-one software that automates more tasks, in keeping with software for small businesses. With this information determined, youre now ready to start your search based on those criteria. And youll see why its so crucial that you took the time to whittle down what youre looking for. Recently, my team tabulated more than 4 million data points from the largest collection of reviews for business software -- all from just the past year alone. We found that the most popular products were different for small, midsize, and large businesses. We also found something that may change many peoples understanding of the software market: The fastest growing products are often from companies youre less likely to have heard of. This shows that despite the advertising you may see from the tech giants battling to be your provider, and despite the many news stories that draw attention to them, the best software for your business just may be from a startup giving the big corporations a run for their money. Dont go exclusive Once you pick a piece of software, you may be tempted to stick with the same provider the next time you need a solution. Software companies are generally doing a good job of listening to their customers to learn their needs and staying in touch on a regular basis. So your existing provider will be in a strong position to upsell you. But its best for your business that you first look at all your options each time. Some of the most efficiently run businesses mix and match software from dozens of companies. This willingness to consider new brands also helps keep innovation going. Software companies want your business, and know they need to keep creating new solutions that work as new challenges arise in this era of digital disruption. As consumers, many of us are used to a much simpler, faster way of making a purchase. If youre looking for something on Amazon, for example, you type in the category, see whats most popular, consider prices, and are often done within minutes. People in businesses today are busy, with numerous tasks on their plate. So taking a faster route to choosing software is tempting. Dont give in to that temptation. The more you drill down on your specific needs, find software that matches, and consider what buyers at similar businesses have to say about these products, the better off youll be -- and the less likely youll be to see all that money go to waste. 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/2019/02/20/what-is-the-most-useful-software-for-businesses/ |
How Difficult Is It For Pilots To Fly In Formation? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Ron Wagner, USAF pilot in Presidential Wing at Andrews, on Quora: If youre a pilot with an instrument rating, you can pick up the skill to fly an aircraft in formation pretty quickly. As a CFI, I have taught non-military pilots to fly formation and I found that by using the analogy of flying an ILS, they got it right away. The key is to demonstrate it for them by showing them two points on the lead aircraft that they need to line up. One point is usually a wing tip and the other is some distinct point on the side of the fuselage. All you have to do it keep those points lined up, just like the cross bars on an ILS indicator. Within minutes, the newbies were hanging in there. Back in my USAF days I thought it was really special to be able to fly formation. At first I was shocked at how quickly a lifetime civilian pilotadmittedly they were good and experienced instrument-rated private pilotspicked it up. So, the truth is, its just not that hard. BRIEFINGS, BRIEFINGS, and MORE BRIEFINGS But dont be mislead! When you fly an ILS, youre out there all alone. When you fly formation, youre within a few feet of a life-ending midair collision. I was in a little flying group that we called The Beech Boys that consisted of four Beech Barons that overflew air shows. Three of us were former military. I trained the fourth Baron owner, a guy with a solid IFR background and he fit right in. But no matter how much formation experience you have you always conduct a long and thorough briefing before every flight! Between us we had a massive number of formation hours, which is precisely why we knew enough to always spend at least an hour in preflight briefing. Every day we flew. No exceptions. No short cuts. You can find videos of briefings by the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. These are the best formation pilots in the worldwho fly the same show more than 100 times per year and thats after practicing it for monthsand yet they conduct detailed briefings before every show and then reconvene after the show for a detailed debrief. So, like a lot of things, the actual doing of the thing is not that hard. Think of driving a car. A 16-year-oldwith all the video games theyve playedcan jump into a car and start driving it very quickly. But the trick is to learn how to flow with other cars, learn the rules of the game, communicate with drivers in other cars through signals, and handle things when they go wrong. Same with flying formation. Its easy, but if you get lax, itll kill you quick! 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/2019/02/20/how-difficult-is-it-for-pilots-to-fly-in-formation/ |
Should Titans trade for Antonio Brown? | CLOSE The Tennessee Titans' new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, told the media on Tuesday that they will 'not be changing the language' of the offense. If only it were that simple. Antonio Brown is a distraction, which is why the Pittsburgh Steelers appear poised to deal their seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. A couple of months after being deactivated for the season finale because of missed team activities, Brown this past weekend called out quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, coach Mike Tomlin and the organization itself on Twitter. A recent post on Brown's Twitter account explained he and owner Art Rooney II agreed "it's time to move on." So, theres baggage. Theres also elite talent at a position where the Titans are in the market for a veteran addition. The 30-year-old wide receiver has notched six straight 1,200-plus-yard seasons with eight or more touchdowns in each of those years. He demands double-teaming; he beats double-teaming; and he gets his teammates more opportunities across the field. Hed be the most talented weapon that Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota ever has had at his disposal by a significant margin. An offense that sputtered for much of 2018 suddenly would appear much more dangerous. Free newsletter: Titan up on Titans news with player profiles, game analysis and team updates. The question in potentially trying to trade for Brown comes down to cost how much the Titans would have to give up, how much he'd run them back financially, how much of a disruption he would be in the locker room. Browns price tag isnt crushing; most teams in the league could afford him. A potential trade partner would owe him $36.4 million over the final three years of a four-year, $68 million deal he signed with the Steelers in February 2017. The Titans have nearly $42 million in cap space heading into 2019, 11th-most in the league. If a trade happens after March 17, Brown would cost his new team $12.6 million in 2019. If hes traded before that time, the Steelers would not have to pay Brown a roster bonus, leaving his new employer to pay him $14.1 million. Not too steep for a generational talent like Brown. Then theres what the Steelers would seek in return. NFL Network reported Brown could draw a second-round pick, and ESPN reported Brown would command a second- or third-round pick. The Titans have all of their 2019 draft picks except their sixth-rounder, which they dealt to Baltimore for Kamalei Correa in 2018. Through a tumultuous, consistently wild 2018 season, there was a level-headedness that prevailed in the Titans locker room. It was a strength that should not be taken for granted, especially when peering over at a rival like the Jaguars, whose messy locker room situation contributed to the teams unraveling in 2018. After the coach tell the team I quit while nursing some bumps then invite me to watch the show with same guys thinking I quit i can not stand with that! Im the bad guy doe we miss post season think about it https://t.co/imrJ8jnnBc Antonio Brown (@AB84) February 16, 2019 No conflict just a matter of respect! Mutual respect! He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches. Players know but they cant say anything about it otherwise they meal ticket gone. Its a dirty game within a game. #truthhttps://t.co/MsSyBVd3Ny Antonio Brown (@AB84) February 16, 2019 Brown would throw a serious wrench into that mix, and coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson would have to weigh that against adding an incomparable talent to their receiving corps. But nearly every other team in the league should have intrigue in Brown, and some destinations appear to be much better landing spots in a trade. The Colts, Jets and 49ers all have much more cap space. The Raiders and Packers have more draft capital to part with in the upcoming 2019 draft in Nashville. The Patriots have developed a reputation for taking in talented distractions and getting the most out of them. But if youre Robinson or any of the 31 other general managers in the league, for that matter it seems to be worth a phone call at the very least. Reach Erik Bacharach at [email protected] and on Twitter @ErikBacharach. More: 6 Titans story lines to keep tabs on this offseason | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2019/02/20/titans-antonio-brown-steelers-marcus-mariota/2928071002/ |
Is Trump a Racist? | Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. The short answer is yes, but the question itself actually misses the mark and is dangerously misdirected for those who want to redress the ongoing consequences of racism in America. Ad Policy Since January, a number of national leaders have asserted that Trump is a racist. First, when asked on CBSs 60 Minutes whether she believes President Trump is a racist, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded, Yeah, no question. More recently, Senator Sherrod Brown followed suit, telling Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that We have a president who is racist. Bernie Sanders has also forcefully said, We now have a President of the United States who is a racist. These statements were met with surprise by white male reporters. During the 60 Minutes interview, Anderson Cooper immediately challenged Ocasio-Cortez by asking, How can you say that? Chuck Todd, host of one of the most important television political platforms in the country, quickly cut off Brown with the rejoinder, Let me pause you there. You believe in his heart, hes a racist? Related Article The Appalling Clarity of Donald Trump Gary Younge Since that specific question is in the national conversation, we should give it a clear answer: Yes, Donald Trump is racist. My colleagues at Democracy in Color have catalogued 242 separate actions, statements, or policies from the first 18 months of the administration. Both Vox and The New York Times recently provided historical summaries of Trumps racism going back decades. While its important and a good sign that some of our nations leaders, and media, are coming forward to call out Trump as a racist, focusing on that narrow question is problematic and could be counterproductive in many ways to the larger goals of ending inequality and injustice in America. First, it diverts attention from the manifestations of racism that are most destructive. The emphasis on one individuals personal views, actions, or statements misses the point, if the goal is to dismantle racism. Martin Luther King clarified the distinction in 1963 when he challenged the idea that legislation has no great role to play in this period of social change because youve got to change the heart and you cant change the heart through legislation. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me but it can keep him from lynching me. The problem in this country isnt the backward views of individuals, even if one of those individuals occupies the Oval Office. What plagues this nation is a vast array of public policies and practices that perpetuate a status quo that is grossly unequal and unjust after centuries of explicit racialized economic exploitation that is maintained by widespread, contemporary implicit bias. It is those public policies and practices that are the problem and that need to be addressed. Current Issue View our current issue Far more dangerous than Trumps personal beliefs are his public actions to make America white againhis political efforts to consolidate the support of millions of individuals who fervently believe that white Americans are under siege from people of color, especially Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and Muslims. At a recent Trump rally in El Paso, Texas, a Trump supporter articulated the public-policy priorities of far too many Americans when he said, Build the wall, deport them all. Which leads to the second shortcoming of focusing on whats in Trumps hearta diversion of energy and efforts from the immediate and most important challenges before us. The solution to a racist individual in the White House is to remove that individual (which absolutely has to happen). But our countrys problem is bigger than that. Much bigger. In order to transform this status quo, we need sophisticated electoral and social change strategies that are executed with a narrow focus and pinpoint precision. In light of the significant opposition to increasing racial diversity and enthusiasm for returning to the days when white was legally and unapologetically right, the moral and political imperative of this moment is to build a larger, more powerful, and more effective movement than the one that propelled Trump to power and continues to cower most of the Republican Party. Journalist Ron Brownstein, one of the clearest analysts of this situation, describes what is happening right now as a struggle between the Coalition of of Restoration versus the Coalition of Transformation. Fortunately, there are more people in the Coalition of Transformation, what I call the New American Majoritypeople of color and progressive whites. The challenge is ensuring that those in the transformation coalition turn out to vote so that there are more voters in each upcoming election. Naming racismespecially systemic and structural racismcan in fact be an important and motivating signal to the multiracial base of the Democratic Party. To maximize our prospects for victory, we should also work to attract moderate whites who are repulsed by Trumps behavior but have managed to excuse and overlook what he is doing to the country. In order to attract those voters, a singular focus on what goes on in Trumps heart rather than what comes out of his mouth and how those words represent the sentiments of a hateful and hostile movement of people would be a serious electoral mistake. Democrats and progressives made a fatal miscalculation in 2016 when they emphasized Trumps personality over his policies. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent by the Clinton campaign and progressive allies highlighting the shortcomings of Trumps temperament, sending the message that something was wrong with him. Had they highlighted his racially hateful and harmful agenda, then voters, especially moderate white voters, would have had to wonder if something was wrong with them if they chose to side with his candidacy. With the 2020 presidential campaign now underway, it would be electorally disastrous for progressives to replicate that strategic emphasis. The better answer to the question, Is Trump a racist? is that its not about who he is, its about who we are as a country. Whatever is in his heart, his actions plainly show that hes trying to return this country to a time when racism and white supremacy was the law of the land. But we are a better people than that, and if we make the right strategic decisions today, we can reclaim the political power necessary to build a country that reflects our highest and best values and ideals. | https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-racist-democratic-party/ |
Should the Seattle Seahawks pursue a trade for WR Antonio Brown? | originally appeared on nbcsportsnorthwest.com The Seattle Seahawks are loaded with salary cap space this offseason (maybe as much as $50 million) and could use a super star, true No. 1 wide receiver (who couldn't?) but they should, and probably will, stay far away from Antonio Brown. The last thing the Seahawks need is a diva wide receiver on their young roster. Scroll to continue with content Ad Brown, arguably the best receiver in football, is officially on the trade market after he met with Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II and the two agreed that it's time to part ways. Had a great meeting with Mr.Rooney today we discussed a lot of things and we cleared the air on several issues! We both agreed that it is time to move on but I'll always have appreciation and gratitude towards the Rooney family and @steelers organization! #CallGod #Boomin pic.twitter.com/DEgURchvhW Antonio Brown (@AB84) February 19, 2019 Story continues From a talent standpoint, every team in the NFL would want Brown, who is uncoverable. He has the rare combination of being an elite route runner that can also blow the top of the defense with his speed and maneuver in the open field following a reception like a seasoned running back. Brown, 30, has already put up more than 11,000 receiving yards with 74 touchdowns and should have at least two or three elite-level years remaining in his body. He just shouldn't spend those years in Seattle. Brown is only available because of his well-publicized rift with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin. The goal here is not to determine who is right or wrong in that debacle, but the entire ordeal smacks of Terrell Owens vs. Donovan McNabb in 2005. Regardless of fault, the Seahawks aren't about that drama. That's why they moved on from running back Marshawn Lynch and later, cornerback Richard Sherman. Granted, both were past their prime when Seattle cut them loose, but the reality is that Seattle isn't about to seek out a potential headache. Seattle already has two good receivers in Tyler Lockett, 26, and Doug Baldwin, 30. Lockett is truly a class act. A humble, hard-working receiver who is coming off of his best season. Baldwin has the makings of a future politician as a very intelligent, thoughtful and inspiring individual. He has one year remaining on his contract, and although it would be possible to cut him loose and his salary to fit in Brown, that probably wouldn't go over well in a locker room where Baldwin is so well respected. Then there is the Russell Wilson factor. Wilson has shown that he can get along with anyone, even if they don't like the Pro Bowl quarterback (see Richard Sherman). Wilson takes the high road in all potential personality conflicts and is about as classy as they come. Doubtful. Lastly, coach Pete Carroll would probably love to have Brown's talent, but one has to wonder if he would want to deal with such a high-maintenance player. On one hand, Carroll could take the stance that Brown would give him a good shot at winning a second Super Bowl title before the 67-year-old coach calls it a career. On the other hand, Brown could cause Carroll to age 10 years over the next three. Also, Seattle is committed to the running game so much that Brown would likely see a dip in production while playing with Seattle unless the team altered its offensive approach. On the other hand, the idea of Wilson operating a pass-first offense with Brown, Baldwin and Lockett is rather enticing. Hmmm. Not gonna happen. None of this is to say that Brown is a bad person, a bad teammate or even 100 percent wrong in his situation with Roethlisberger and Tomlin. The point here is that acquiring Brown for at least a first-round pick and then giving him the guaranteed money he is demanding while rolling the dice that he would fit into what Seattle has going with a young, up-and-coming team coming off of a 10-6 playoff season doesn't appear to be a smart gamble. It will be fascinating to see which NFL team will make a move for Brown and how it turns out. It just doesn't seem likely that this saga will play out in Seattle. | https://sports.yahoo.com/seattle-seahawks-pursue-trade-wr-204331710.html?src=rss |
Why do retailers going out of business like Bibelot bring in new goods? | Roxy Freese announced late last year that she was retiring and closing her four Bibelot retail shops in St. Anthony Park, St. Paul on Grand Avenue, and Minneapolis in Linden Hills and the Northeast neighborhood. It represented the end of an era for the 86 year old who opened her first store more than half a century ago. The sad news was tempered in January when Tyler Conrad, owner of GoodThings gift shops in White Bear Lake and Maple Grove, announced he was buying the Linden Hills and Grand Avenue stores and renaming them Bibelot-GoodThings. Freese said at the time that another potential buyer was looking at the St. Anthony Park location. The Northeast store closed Feb. 3, and St. Anthony Park store closed Feb. 15. In an email, Freese said, "While Bibelots doors on Como in Saint Anthony Park have now closed, there are positive signs that a similar shop will open in that space sometime this year." A new retailer hasn't come forward yet. Although it may a gift shop, but it will not bear the Bibelot name. The Grand Avenue and Linden Hills stores that Conrad purchased will be re-named Bibelot-GoodThings when the official takeover begins March 1. (All Bibelot gift cards must be redeemed by Feb. 28.) The Grand Avenue Bibelot is now split with half of the merchandise being with new GoodThings items at regular price and the other half being liquidated merchandise at 50-70 percent off. Much of the liquidated merchandise was brought in just for the retirement sale. Asked why retailers bring in new merchandise during a closing sale, Conrad said, "When a store is going out of business, they're losing money on the things they're selling from their regular stock, so they offset it with more profitable consignment goods and off-price dealer incentive merchandise." It's a "mark it up to mark it down" strategy. All of the unsold merchandise from the four Bibelot stores has now been sent to the Grand Avenue store, Gifts are 50-60 percent off, jewelry 60 percent off, and clothing 70 percent off. Everything gets an additional 20 percent off at the register. The liquidation is expected to end by Feb. 28, with ongoing fill-ins of new GoodThings items. On April 13 the new look of the stores will be unveiled for an event called the Good Brunch. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the stores will feature samples and demonstration ideas for Easter, brunch and spring. Formal grand re-openings for the two stores will be held in September after a refresh of the St. Paul store and an expansion of the Minneapolis location. | http://www.startribune.com/why-do-retailers-going-out-of-business-like-bibelot-bring-in-new-goods/506105592/ |
Is it time for Zulus blackface tradition to end? | The controversies over the use of blackface by white politicians in Virginia are putting pressure on Zulu to rethink its use of blackface. Take 'Em Down NOLA is pushing for the carnival clubs riders to stop painting their faces black. Malcolm Suber, coordinator of Take 'Em Down NOLA, says, Anybody who knows the history of blackface knows that it is one of the most important symbols of white supremacy, and this was done to ridicule black people. Former City Council member Oliver Thomas says: 365 other days of the year our black face is the one were born with, and its usually good enough. For more, watch the video. After adopting a 'new look' in 1965 and '66, Zulu pushed back at those trying to fancy them up. | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/02/is-it-time-for-zulus-blackface-tradition-to-end.html |
What can NOPD do to keep bystanders safer? | After five bystanders were wounded Sunday (Feb. 17) during a police shootout near a downtown bus stop, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson emphasized that his officers were just doing their jobs. These officers were fired upon first, so to preserve life they have to return fire. Our officers did what they were trained to do, he said. Police suspected he was connected to two armed robberies, one of which involved a carjacking and stolen gun. Clearly, that is a person who could be dangerous. Bonycle Sokunbi, a spokesman for the New Orleans Independent Police Monitor, said Monday that the monitor has concerns about the two NOPD officers decision to approach the man near the intersection of Canal Street and Elk Place. This happened at a busy intersection. The question is: Was that the proper place for a takedown to happen? Sokunbi said. Gunfight at the City of Yes Corral New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell wants to reassure the public that this is not the "Wild, Wild West." A state trooper who came to the scene fatally shot Bursey about a block away from where the encounter started. Its unclear whether the bystanders were shot by Bursey, by police or by both. That will be important to know. Cops in other cities will say, Better wait to wake the guy up in the morning and arrest him. If somebody is embedded in a crowd, thats the wrong time, LSU School of Public Health criminologist Peter Scharf said in an interview with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Superintendent Ferguson and the NOPD have said little to the public about how the incident unfolded since the news conference Sunday night. The superintendent released a written statement Tuesday afternoon, saying investigators are still putting together the sequence of events. But he hasnt had a press conference since Sunday night. It is always the goal of NOPD to make an apprehension peacefully, and without incident. But in this case, responding officers were forced into a violent confrontation initiated by the suspect that unfortunately came to a tragic end, he said in the statement. Mayor LaToya Cantrells office released a written statement from her Monday in which she expressed concern for the five people who were wounded in the gunfire. Our hearts go out to the victims wounded last night, two of whom required surgery. We are closely monitoring the victims and staying in contact with their families, she said. They matter. Their lives matter. Investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing. She also pushed back against a description by a witness of the shootout as the Wild West. In the wake of last nights tragic events, it is important that we acknowledge and understand the work our New Orleans Police Department is doing to keep our people safe, she said. Far from being the Wild West, our City sleeps under the protection of an interconnected web of law enforcement agencies whose effectiveness is on display every day. That seems disconnected from the reality of the people who were wounded or feared they would be during the shooting, which played out over several blocks. Mayor Cantrell and Superintendent Ferguson need to be frank with New Orleanians. This was a dangerous incident that easily could have resulted in more injuries. The mayor shouldnt be worried about how witnesses described it, but why it happened and how it might have been avoided. New Orleanians are waiting to hear from her and from Superintendent Ferguson about what will be done to keep innocent people safe in the future. | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/02/what-can-nopd-do-to-keep-bystanders-safer.html |
Why does New Orleans have (or need) a statue of Simn Bolvar? | In a city as tradition-bound and yesterday-fond as New Orleans, locals are endlessly fascinated by things -- whether buildings, people, objects or events -- that no longer exist. So it shouldnt have come as a shock to anyone that a photo published earlier this week on NOLA.com of the 1955 demolition of the Southern Railway Terminal at Canal and Basin streets, once the front porch of Storyville, captured many a readers attention. For at least one, however, it wasn't the razing of the strikingly designed train station that was of paramount interest. Rather, it was what now occupies the space: a 12-foot, granite statue of Venezuelan military and political icon Simn Bolvar. Just what does he have to do with New Orleans?" It's a fair question. Bolvar, while revered throughout South America as "The Liberator" -- the man who led modern-day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia (which was named after him) to independence from Spain -- wasn't from New Orleans, nor did he ever live here. There's no firm evidence I could find that he even ever visited. His prominent presence on Canal Street, however, in the form of that towering likeness in Italian marble, speaks volumes about his importance to people of Latin America, who see him as the South American George Washington. It speaks just as much to the historic economic importance to New Orleans of Latin America, as well as standing as a celebration of the citys diversity. That importance wasn't lost on city leaders of yesterday. Even as far back as 1883, locals were celebrating Bolvar, when the Washington Artillery launched an honorary fusillade of cannon fire at the foot of Canal Street to mark the centennial year of The Liberator's birth. "I do not pretend to dwell upon the merits of this famous patriot," Venezuelan Consul E. Martinez said of Bolvar at a gathering that day at the upper rooms of Kuntz's confectionary on Canal Street, according to a write-up in The Daily Picayune, "for I firmly believe that every true American is quite familiar with all his achievements in the path of freedom and independence, which made him the foremost of all men born in South America. Were I to speak about him, I feel that it would not be a difficult matter to call attention to the great deeds which distinguished him as a solider and hero, a legislator, an orator and a poet, a man born to defend the cause of justice and liberty. " (On that same day, in a nicely conceived international display of mutual affection and respect, a monument to the American George Washington, who was such an inspiration to Bolvar, was unveiled in Caracas, Venezuela.) Nearly 70 years later, it was New Orleans Mayor Chep Morrison's turn to pay his respects to Bolvar when -- as a reformist mayor eager to push the city's stature as "The Gateway to the Americas" -- he became the driving force behind an effort to rename a section of Loyola Avenue, as well as a yet-to-be-build extension leading to what would soon become the Union Passenger Terminal, in honor of Bolvar. That roadway still carries the name of Simn Bolvar Avenue today. Fitting then, that Morrison was still in office in November 1957 when the government of Venezuela gifted that Bolvar statue -- all 7 tons of it, crafted by Venezuelan sculptor Abel Vallmitjana -- to the city of New Orleans. It wasn't just a big statue. It was a big affair, the kind of weekend-long to-do that included a special Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, a luncheon for visiting Venezuelan dignitaries aboard the Dock Board yacht the Good Neighbor, publication of a special section in the New Orleans Item, and a pre-unveiling military parade down Canal Street. The stars of the day, of course, were the statue and its sweeping pedestal -- which featured iron highlights in representation of Venezuela's natural resources -- but they were just one part of the show. At the same ceremony, the city unveiled what it called "the Garden of the Americas," a landscaped swath of Basin Street neutral ground that, in addition to the Bolvar statue, includes seven flagpoles -- one for the flag of each of the six Bolivian countries and one for the U.S. flag. As those flags were raised on Nov. 25, 1957, the New Orleans Police Department band played the nation anthems of all the countries represented. That was followed by no small amount of speechifying, including from Morrison, who essentially answered Roscoe's question. "The sea lanes of foreign trade have bound our city in ties of friendship with nations and cities and peoples everywhere," Morrison was quoted as having said in the next day's Times-Picayune. "None of these has been more strong and enduring than that which exists with our friends and neighbors through the Americas. Politically, we are joint products of the great age of revolution and of a common thirst for independence. Simn Bolvar was a leader who could consolidate a thousand people yearning for pollical separation into a crusade for independence." In an editorial, the New Orleans States built on that theme: "The monument, a gift from the Venezuelan people to New Orleans, denotes the esteem this city enjoys in the eyes of its Latin neighbors and stresses, once more, our enviable position at the crossroads of hemispheric trade and culture. But more important is the monument's significance as a hopeful symbol in the troubled world of today. "That Simn Bolvar, the 'father and liberator' of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panama, should be revered in New Orleans attests to the veracity of the proposition that nations can, through mutual respect, live in peace with one another." As part of the Garden of the Americas concept, Morrison invited other Latin American countries to erect statues of their own national heroes alongside that of Bolvar. In the mid-1960s, Mexico and Honduras did just that, with statues of Benito Juarez and Francisco Morazan -- respectively -- being added, adorning the Basin Street neutral ground between the Bolvar monument and the Municipal Auditorium. Mike Scott writes about New Orleans history for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @moviegoermike. The cover of a special section published in November 1957 by The New Orleans Item marking the dedication of the Simon Bolivar monument at Canal and Basin streets. | https://www.nola.com/entertainment/2019/02/why-does-new-orleans-have-or-need-a-statue-of-simon-bolivar.html |
Was attempted murder in the West Island a botched Mafia hit? | A sentencing hearing is to begin at the Montreal courthouse Thursday in a case involving a shooting in Dollard-des-Ormeaux where the gunman might have selected the wrong target while attempting to kill an alleged leader in the Montreal Mafia. Andy Duroseau, 30, faces the possibility of being declared either a dangerous or long-term offender after having been found guilty last March of attempting to murder Nicola Valiante, 42, and Valiantes then-fiance, who was 36 weeks pregnant at the time. On Oct. 3, 2014, Duroseau was apparently lying in wait outside the entrance of the parking garage at a Barnett St. condominium building before he jumped down from a seven-foot wall and opened fire as Valiante and his fiance arrived home in her Chrysler Patriot. Valiante, who would later be identified by police as having acted as the driver for alleged Mafia leader Andrea (Andrew) Scoppa while both men were under surveillance in a cocaine trafficking investigation, immediately put the sports utility vehicle in reverse as Duroseau used a gun equipped with a silencer to fire off five shots. No one was injured in the shooting but Valiantes fiance began to experience early contractions as the couple sought shelter in a nearby Pharmaprix. When she was asked by police why she thought someone might want to kill her or Valiante, the woman replied she believed the shooting was a case of mistaken identity. The woman is related to Scoppa and was living in a condo he owned in that building. I mentioned it was maybe because of who I was renting the place from. I was renting to buy from Andrew Scoppa, the woman said when she testified at Duroseaus preliminary inquiry in 2015. In April 2017, a Montreal police investigator testifying in a separate case described Scoppa as the head of a Mafia clan in Montreal. Scoppa was also described as someone who is often at odds with the Rizzuto organization. He was once secretly recorded referring to the groups decision-makers as the grappa table because they apparently drink a lot. All of the charges brought against Scoppa and Valiante were dropped last year. The prosecution did not provide an explanation in court. During the 2015 hearing in Duroseaus case, Montreal police Det. Sgt. Robert Di Matteo testified Valiantes fiance remained calm as Valiante sped away form the shooter in reverse. She called 911 and supplied the police with a detailed description of the man who turned out to be Duroseau. Di Matteo said two police officers who were in the area in an unmarked police car spotted a man fitting the description she supplied as he walked along Barnett St. and headed toward Lake St. He was wearing gloves and a neck warmer even though it was unseasonably warm that evening. He debated. He wasnt co-operating. He was agitated, Di Matteo said of Duroseaus arrest, noting he would bang his head against the divider between the front and back seats of the police cruiser that was transporting him. As part of his testimony, Di Matteo said that about eight days before the shooting, a woman who resided in the same building spotted a man in the parking garage lying on the floor and reaching underneath the Chrysler Patriot. Valiante was informed of the strange incident and when he brought the Jeep in to a friends garage, to see if it had been damaged, a mechanic found what turned out to be a GPS locator device stuck to the bottom of the vehicle. Valiante testified he didnt know what the black box was when the mechanic showed it to him. But he immediately thought of the mysterious device when the gunman descended from the seven-foot wall and opened fire. Maybe if that (remembering the device) didnt happen I wouldnt be here today, Valiante said. Di Matteo said the police tracked down the supplier of the GPS device. Investigators learned it was purchased with cash and was registered under a false name. In July, Quebec Court Judge Robert Marchi ordered Duroseau undergo a mental health evaluation as part of the Crowns request that he be declared either a dangerous or long-term offender. In December, Duroseau was charged with having uttered threats toward at least five people involved in his case. The alleged threats were uttered throughout October 2018, while Duroseau was detained. [email protected] | https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/was-attempted-murder-in-the-west-island-a-botched-mafia-hit |
Can Klobuchar's record as a prosecutor be an asset in her presidential run? | We know Amy Klobuchar can handle a snowstorm. Now lets see if she can weather storms of a different type: like the criticism of those who believe she cannot credibly argue for criminal justice reform because of her record as a prosecutor. Just as preparation is key to facing a Minnesota winter, an early and clear definition of what Klobuchar would do as president to transform criminal law could be one key to her success. As Klobuchar merges into the center lane of a raceway crowded with candidates, she has probably already noticed the dents to Kamala Harris campaign. Harris made the mistake of looking backward rather than forward. She declared herself to have been a progressive prosecutor as a district attorney and attorney general in California, and was quickly and heatedly reminded of her decidedly mixed record in those jobs. Klobuchar, who is also a former prosecutor, has not made that misstep. Instead, she has hardly mentioned criminal law at all. In her announcement speech (which I watched among the huddled masses on Boom Island in Minneapolis), she lightly glanced on the subject, saying I always believe in doing my job without fear or favor. Thats what I do as a senator and thats what I did as a prosecutor. And that means not only convicting the guilty but protecting the innocent. Thats why I have and why I will always continue to advocate for criminal justice reform. Klobuchars statement might be read to imply that criminal justice reform is about protecting the innocent, but that is only a small part of it. The meat of reform is going to be found in reducing incarceration rates, changing policing practices and re-thinking myriad other issues, including bail policy in the thousands of jurisdictions across the country. Its complicated. The fact that it is complicated, though, does not mean it cant be addressed. In fact, it must be addressed by any candidate who seriously wants the support of Democrats in the primaries. There is a way for Klobuchar to present her knowledge of criminal law as a strength when paired with a genuine commitment to reform. Klobuchar needs to insist on looking forward at what she proposes rather than backward at what she did as the Hennepin County attorney. Yes, she can and should recognize that her experience as a prosecutor gives her unequaled expertise in criminal law among the Democratic field (with the possible exception of Harris). But she needs to pair that recognition with the plain fact that things have changed since she served Hennepin County from 1998-2006. Many of the new initiatives on the agenda of reformers have built on successes over the past decade in states that have lowered incarceration rates while simultaneously lowering crime rates. Lock-em-up justice is properly being rejected based on data, not politics. Twelve years ago is a long time, and the idea of a progressive prosecutor as we now talk of it did not really exist until the recent election of a handful of DAs including Kim Foxx in Chicago and Larry Krasner in Philadelphia. There is room for Klobuchar to lead in this current reality. When she does talk about criminal justice, Klobuchar should focus on the important but limited role a president plays. The overwhelming majority of criminal cases unfold in state courts. The federal government does influence state policies through partnerships and funding, and that lever should be used to push for changes in discrete areas such as bail reform. Still, it is within her own administration that Klobuchar would have the most influence, and it is there that she could make the most difference. First, she could go far toward achieving reforms if she removed the Department of Justice from its current role as the only institutional adviser to the president on criminal justice. The DOJ is inherently conflicted, since nearly any reform is to some degree a rebuke of its current practices. We shouldnt be surprised at its consistent resistance to even the most basic changes. Klobuchar should commit to creating an advisory body within the White House, drawing on experts from a variety of backgrounds. In other fields (intelligence, the economy and the environment, for example), the president employs independent advisers who stand apart from the agencies that implement policy. The same should be done with criminal law. Second, Klobuchar can and should commit to a much broader diversity in appointing judges and high officials in the Department of Justice. Of course, that commitment must embrace the currently neglected need for far more minorities and women in those positions. But it should also seek greater diversity of vocational background. Right now, 43 percent of federal judges are former prosecutors, while only 10 percent served as public defenders, a disparity that matters in the way justice is dispensed. Finally, Klobuchar can reform the federal clemency process. Currently, petitions for clemency (unless they are the subject of intercession by Fox News or a Kardashian) go through a tortuous process that includes seven levels of sequential review, much of it mired in the hopelessly conflicted DOJ. That stymies the pardon power that the framers of the Constitution intentionally put in the hands of the president. The past may be prologue, but it is not determinative. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by a white president (Lyndon Johnson) from a former slave state, and the first female justice of the Supreme Court, Sandra Day OConnor, was appointed by a president (Ronald Reagan) who had been fiercely opposed by feminist groups. Leaders, at their best, are more than the sum of their own pasts. Amy Klobuchar may become that kind of leader. Mark Osler is the Robert and Marion Short professor of law at the University of St. Thomas and a former federal prosecutor. | http://www.startribune.com/can-klobuchar-s-record-as-a-prosecutor-be-an-asset-in-her-presidential-run/506124342/ |
Will any NFL team sign Colin Kaepernick? | Yes, Kaepernick is eligible to play, and eager to get a shot. Sadly for the Kaepernick-haters who pounced on the narrative that his settlement with the league meant he signed away his football future for a big payday, that is not the case. Kaepernicks lawyer, Mark Geragos, indicated last Saturday in a CNN interview that his client is free to play in the NFL and is open to offers. However, Geragos might have been overly optimistic when he said he expects Kaepernick to draw interest from multiple teams. The vast majority of NFL teams want nothing to do with Kaepernick. Most owners either dislike him or fear him, or both. Same with a lot of coaches. Owners and coaches will be verrry careful not to collude via e-mail or other traceable means. They simply wont call. Im guessing Kaepernick is a leper to all but three or four teams. His politics and his style of play definitely work against him. So Kaepernicks market is definitely limited. But a lot of teams are working with very shaky backup quarterbacks, and QBs get hurt a lot. So some team might take a shot on an experienced, healthy, versatile guy. First of all, Kaepernick can read a defense. He read the NFLs defense expertly. He (and his lawyer) stared down the mighty NFL at the very heart of its power, at the corporate and legal level, and picked it apart. The critics would have us believe that Kaepernick is a drooling football doofus who cant tell a linebacker from a limburger. Lets all agree: Kaepernick is not Tom Brady or Drew Brees. But even if he was the slack-jawed yokel many folks claim he is, he did drool the 49ers to a Super Bowl, and he fooled one of the games great coaches, Jim Harbaugh, who called Kaepernick a savant. And Harbaugh worked with Andrew Luck. But lets give Kaepernick a C on reading defenses. That means half the quarterbacks in the league are dumber. When Kaepernicks new teammates arrive for work, he will be there waiting for them. With the 49ers, he was always the first player to arrive for practice. Always. He will be in shape and prepared, thats a given. With the 49ers, he wasnt always. There were reports of Kaepernick putting on his headphones and sinking into his own world, far from his teammates. His silly name-rank-serial-number press conferences made him and his team look bad. But the post-protest Kaepernick was a completely different dude. He dealt with the media on an intelligent, human level. More importantly, he reached out to his teammates, explaining his protest and creating an open dialogue, accepting of those who disagreed with his beliefs. In his final season, Kaepernicks teammates voted him the Len Eshmont Award for inspirational and courageous play. That doesnt mean they all loved him, but for the most part his teammates respected and understood him. Kaepernick became a rare breed, a person who can, as they say in government, reach across the aisle. He learned that he has the power to unite a team. That will be vital when he drops into a team that will surely be divided on the protest issue. Unknown. Well see. His team will be getting a guy who likely has gained wisdom and maturity from two years out of a job, time spent on the streets, working with various charities and with young people. His new team will not be signing up for a media circus. As a 49er, Kaepernick the protester handled media sessions in a dignified and non-distracting manner. He was comfortable in the spotlight, but didnt take over the locker room. As much as Kaepernick wants to further his cause of promoting social justice and fair treatment for minorities at the hands of police, he also wants to play football, and win. When he shows up for work, he will show up for work. Kaepernick might tear up the league with his determination and fire, and with his arm and legs, or he might fall on his face, as many predict. But he will be ready. Kaepernicks new team will get a quarterback who is committed and passionate. Grab your popcorn. Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @scottostler | https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/ostler/article/Will-any-NFL-team-sign-Colin-Kaepernick-13631848.php |
Did Tyler Henry Predict the Tristan Thompson and Jordyn Woods Drama? | Tyler Henry sure has a unique gift of keeping up with the Kardashians. Earlier this week, pop culture fans were shocked when they read the rumors surrounding Tristan Thompson and Jordyn Woods. And while fans are still trying to wrap their heads around the headlines and drama, some have been reminded of a special message Tyler delivered to Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. "There's a situation where someone tries to get with one sister," Tyler shared with the Keeping Up With the Kardashians stars as he let out an anxious laugh. "Someone tries to get with one sister and then tries to get with the other. Does that make any sense?" While the sisters stay mum about how they understand the message, Tyler is just happy they can comprehend what he's trying to say. | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1016795/did-tyler-henry-predict-the-tristan-thompson-and-jordyn-woods-drama?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories |
Could this years best-performing U.S. stocks be among last years dogs? | Its a play on an investment theory: A negative overreaction in the prior year could lead to a potential bounce in the current one. As some would say, a new year brings new beginnings, and indeed the stock market rally weve seen in early 2019 would appear to back this up. As a follow-up to our previous article on TSX-listed names, my associate Allan Meyer and I thought we would take a closer look at some of the dogs in the S&P 500 using our investment philosophy focused on safety and value. The screen Market cap is a safety factor larger companies tend to be more liquid while having more stable and diverse business operations. To find our dogs, we looked at companies with one-year total returns of negative 30 per cent or worse. The list is sorted on this metric, starting with the worst. We used total returns over the past 12 months as opposed to calendar year 2018 in order to have current data, but we still believe this exercise supports the general theory. Story continues below advertisement Dividend yield is the projected annualized dividend divided by the share price and yet another safety measure. Our list is limited to dividend payers. Debt-to-equity is our final safety factor; this ratio is the total debt outstanding divided by shareholders equity. A lower number is preferred and we capped it at 100. This implies that all names on the list are not overly leveraged they have enough equity to pay off their debts. Our investment philosophy also focuses on value were always looking for bargains. Price-to-earnings is the share price divided by the projected earnings per share. It is a valuation metric the lower the number, the better the value. Earnings momentum is the change in annualized earnings over the past quarter. A positive number means earnings are growing, which should lead to long-term price appreciation and perhaps dividend bumps. The opposite is true for a negative number. What we found American Airlines Group Inc. and disability insurance provider Unum Group score well for safety and value. They are also two of four names on the list without any debt global insurance company American International Group Inc. and retailer L Brands Inc. being the others. Video game maker Activision Blizzard Inc. has the highest earnings momentum, while investment manager Invesco Ltd. boasts the best dividend yield. Financial services holding company Lincoln National Corp. and oil and gas producer Cimarex Energy Co. also look interesting on most measures. Investors should contact an investment professional or conduct further research before buying any of the securities listed here. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement S&P 500 dividend stocks with one-year total returns of minus 30 per cent or worse Company Ticker Mkt. Cap. (US$ Bil.) Recent Close (US$) 1yr Total Return (%) Div. Yield (%) Debt/Equity (%) P/E Earns. Momentum (%) Coty Inc. COTY-N 8.3 11.08 -57.2 4.5 85.0 15.7 -11.4 Perrigo Company PLC PRGO-N 6.6 48.60 -48.4 1.6 54.1 10.6 -5.8 Invesco Ltd. IVZ-N 7.5 18.27 -47.1 6.6 89.0 8.4 -10.7 Western Digital Corp. WDC-Q 14.0 47.98 -46.9 4.2 96.9 8.8 -17.6 Nvidia Corp. NVDA-Q 94.3 154.53 -40.1 0.4 21.3 29.2 -10.4 Schlumberger NV SLB-N 61.0 44.14 -39.5 4.5 44.4 26.3 -6.9 L Brands Inc. LB-N 7.5 27.27 -39.4 4.4 0.0 10.0 -4.8 Fluor Corp. FLR-N 5.0 35.69 -38.5 2.4 48.4 11.9 -5.9 Westrock Co. WRK-N 9.8 38.38 -36.6 4.7 55.9 8.9 -1.0 Devon Energy Corp. DVN-N 12.8 27.33 -36.3 1.2 74.2 19.2 13.8 Kraft Heinz Co. KHC-Q 57.7 47.34 -36.2 5.3 47.8 12.8 -1.4 Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI-Q 34.7 45.43 -35.3 0.8 23.5 19.4 15.6 State Street Corp. STT-N 26.1 68.66 -34.3 2.7 61.6 9.9 -2.0 Cimarex Energy Co. XEC-N 7.2 74.87 -33.1 1.0 57.9 11.9 15.1 Unum Group UNM-N 7.7 35.39 -33.0 2.9 0.0 6.4 3.4 American Airlines Group AAL-Q 16.6 36.11 -33.0 1.1 0.0 5.9 2.0 FedEx Corp. FDX-N 48.0 183.92 -31.5 1.4 85.4 10.6 5.2 CBOE Global Markets Inc. CBOE-A 10.4 92.64 -30.9 1.3 37.5 18.7 15.4 American Int'l Group Inc. AIG-N 35.6 40.19 -30.8 3.2 0.0 8.6 -51.7 Lincoln National Corp. LNC-N 12.8 59.92 -30.5 2.5 40.7 6.5 2.0 Source: Eikon, Wickham Investment Counsel Sean Pugliese, CFA, is an investment portfolio manager at Wickham Investment Counsel, helping individuals, families and other investors. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/investment-ideas/number-cruncher/article-could-this-years-best-performing-us-stocks-be-among-last-years/ |
Which teams will move on in Greater Cincinnati high school boys basketball postseason? | CLOSE The Cincinnati Enquirer's writers John Snodgrass, Shelby Dermer and James Weber discuss the sectional brackets and who will advance from them. Melanie Laughman, [email protected] The 2019 OHSAA boys basketball postseason begins locally on Feb. 21 and the KHSAA boys basketball postseason began Feb. 18; with a look at local district tournaments, preps writers John Snodgrass, Shelby Dermer, Jon Richardson and James Weber give their best guesses at which local teams will be advancing to regional tournaments. Ohio Division I Dayton 1 District Dermer - If there's anyone thinking Moeller isn't coming out of this district, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. I have the top-ranked Crusaders facing the winner of Turpin-West Clermont, a toss-up game featuring two teams that split against each other this season, in the district final. Snodgrass - No surprise to anyone; this is Moeller's district to lose. The Crusaders should win the Fairfield sectional and meet the Lakota West sectional winner, West Clermont, at UD Arena. Moeller beats the ECC champs to advance to the Cintas Center. Richardson - Simple enough Moller is in this district so I will choose Moeller as the winner. Dayton 2 District Dermer - I think Mason got a fantastic draw and should win its sectional, but La Salle is a very interesting dark-horse candidate. The Lancers went 4-0 against the GMC this season, and if they were to upset Mason, they would likely get Centerville in the district final, a team they lost to 51-49 back in December. Overall, though, my prediction is that the higher seeds prevail and the Elks take the district final over the Comets, but this entire district is ripe with potential upsets with a sturdy La Salle squad and a No. 9 seed Xenia club led by future UC Bearcat Samari Curtis. Snodgrass - I like Mason to win the Lakota West sectional and meet Centerville at UD Arena with the Elks pulling out a tight win and advancing to the Cintas Center. La Salle is a potential dark horse in this district. Richardson - I also like Mason to take on Centerville for the district title, but agree with Shelby in thinking Mason will advance. NEWSLETTERS Get the Bengals Beat newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Bengals Beat Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Dayton 3 District Dermer- Again, a GCL-South team could spoil this bracket with St. Xavier getting a first-round bye as a No. 13. The Bombers beat Princeton on a buzzer-beater earlier this year and should see the 5-seed Vikings in the second round. Regardless, I still like GMC-champion Lakota East to face Wayne in the district final, where the Warriors advance to the Xavier regional. Snodgrass - Give me Lakota East out of the Hamilton sectional and Vandalia Butler out of Centerville. I expect the Thunderhawks to have a spirited bout with Princeton in their sectional final and Butler to barely get past Wayne in the Centerville sectional. I think Butler heads to Cintas Center. Richardson- The Hamilton sectional should be all Lakota East, but the Centerville sectional looks up for grabs. I agree with John and take Butler, who beat Wayne earlier in the year and only has two losses. Given how well the Thunderhawks played Moeller earlier in the year, I will pick them to win this district. Dayton 4 District Dermer- Not to beat a dead horse, but there's another GCL-South team that could be overlooked. Elder, a No. 10 seed, will get West-side rival Oak Hills in the second round. The Panthers beat the Highlanders by 14 earlier this season. The winner of round two of that matchup would likely face Hamilton in the sectional final. If I had to pick a winner of this sectional, I would take Hamilton, which has its best team in years. The Big Blue would rather face Elder than an Oak Hills team they've lost 11 straight against (the last six by single-digits), dating back to Jan. 2013. With the top sectional up for grabs, I still like Sidney to advance to the Cintas Center. Snodgrass - Springfield and Sidney are the favorites out of the Butler sectional where I think Sidney gets the win and the trip to UD. Oak Hills is the favorite out of the Hamilton sectional but the Highlanders will possibly have to face an Elder team that beat them earlier this season. They'll also, probably, need to beat Hamilton for a third time this season. Sidney advances to Cintas. Richardson- I will take Hamilton over Oak Hills to come out of the Hamilton sectional. The Big Blue have several quality wins and close losses to tough teams. Otherwise I am with John and Shelby in thinking Sidney comes out of this district. Division II Dayton 1 District Dermer - Everyone looks at this district expecting a Wyoming-Aiken bout in the sectional final, but the Falcons would have to get past a McNicholas team they lost to earlier this month. I think it's McNicholas-Wyoming in the sectional final, where the Cowboys continue to dominate. A Wyoming-Chaminade Julienne bout is my prediction for the district final and I like the Cowboys. Snodgrass - I've voted Wyoming the No. 1 team in DII the last few weeks and I'm not changing my mind now. The Cowboys win the Mason sectional and advance to UD Arena. They'll face Aiken in the sectional final after the Falcons avenged a regular-season loss to McNicholas. Wyoming will face Chaminade Julienne in the district championship, defeating the Eagles in OT and moving on to Trent Arena. Richardson - Count me a part of that group that thinks a Wyoming-Aiken matchup is inevitable in the sectional final, where I will take Wyoming. I also think Wyoming beats Chaminade Julienne to advance. Dayton 2 District Dermer - This is the easiest district to predict with the way Trotwood-Madison has played all year. The Rams are averaging over 100 points per game and have lost just once since the calendar flipped to 2019 - they roll over Badin in the district final. Snodgrass - This is Trotwood-Madison's district to lose. I expect the Rams to shred the Springfield sectional before facing Badin, the Fairmont sectional winners, at UD Arena. Trotwood wins the all-Rams district final and roll into Trent Arena. Richardson - I agree with the Trotwood-Madison picks. They have been throttling teams all season, especially as of late, and should have no issues advancing. I like Benjamin Logan to advance to the district final against the winner of a loaded sectional at the bottom of the district. Indian Hill has the best chance of throwing a wrench in the path of a Hughes-Taft sectional final tilt, but Hughes did handle the Braves by double digits earlier this season. Ultimately, Hughes-Taft will be a gargantuan matchup that you could argue to go either way. I'll take the Big Red. Snodgrass - I don't think there's much of an argument against the Mason sectional that feeds into this district as one of the toughest in the state. Ultimately, I like Taft to beat fellow CMAC co-champs, Hughes, in a memorable sectional final. But don't look past solid teams like Indian Hill and New Richmond. With the win against Hughes, I like the Senators to then defeat the Springfield sectional champion (probably Benjamin Logan) handily in the district final. Richardson - We should definitely see Hughes-Taft III in the Mason final, where I will take the Big Red to advance to the final. I agree with Shelby and John about Benjamin Logan coming out of the bottom of the bracket, with Hughes winning the district. Division III Dayton 1 District Dermer - Reading is having its best season since 2011 and the Blue Devils were fortunate to have such a favorable tournament draw. I like Reading to win a district championship over Versailles. Snodgrass - I see Reading coming out of the Western Brown sectional to face Brookville, out of the Northmont sectional, in the district final at UD Arena. I think Reading moves on to Trent Arena. Versailles, the No. 7 seed, could prove a tough out while the winner of Georgetown-North College Hill game could give the Blue Devils a strong sectional championship match. NCH did beat Reading by 10 earlier this year. Richardson - The district final should be Reading against Brookville. Reading is certainly having a strong season, but I am taking Brookville to win this district. Dayton 2 District Dermer - Deer Park is a long way from going undefeated last year and winning a state title, but I like the Wildcats to win another district crown. The Wildcats should roll over Seven Hills in the sectional final, then do the same to Waynesville at UD Arena. Snodgrass - I don't see much trouble for Deer Park until they get to the district final. I like the Wildcats to easily get out of the Princeton sectional and then face Waynesville at UD Arena before moving on to the regional tournament. Dayton Stivers is the highest-seeded team in this district so don't look past the Tigers. Richardson - Deer Park has had its ups and downs this season, but I like them to come out of this district. They are just too talented. Dayton 3 District Dermer - The top sectional is up for grabs with four top 10 seeds battling it out. I like CHCA to win that sectional and fall to Anna in the district final. Snodgrass - Anna is the top seed in this district for a reason. The Rockets win the Northmont sectional and face Madeira in the district final after the Mustangs get through the Western Brown sectional field. Anna wins the district. Richardson - I am taking CHCA and Cole Fisher's 18.3 points per game to come out of this district after beating Anna. Dayton 4 District Dermer - You can book Purcell Marian's trip to Trent Arena in my opinion. The state-ranked Cavaliers will face double-digit seeds in the sectional before taking down either National Trail or Middletown Madison. Those two teams met on Feb. 12 with the Mohawks squeaking out a three-point win. I think it's National Trail's revenge this time around before falling to the Purcell juggernaut. Snodgrass - Purcell Marian will blitz the Princeton sectional before taking down Middletown Madison in the district final. The Mohawks should have few issues with the Butler sectional before running into the Cavaliers buzz saw. Purcell Marian to the regional tournament at Trent Arena. Richardson - Purcell Marian has proven time and again this season that they are among the best teams in the area regardless of conference or division. The Cavs should have no issue advancing. Cincinnati Christian freshman Logan Woods leads the Cougars at 12.4 points per game and is the MVC's assists leader (Photo11: Thanks to Carl Woods) Division IV Dayton 1 District Dermer - The last time Cincinnati Christian was in the Division IV state tournament they won a district title. I think the Cougars duplicate that performance with a win over Fort Loramie in the final. Snodgrass - Cincinnati Christian is the district favorite and I like the Cougars to back up that seeding by winning the Taylor sectional and defeating Fort Loramie in the district final, moving on to the regional. Richardson - Cincinnati Christian has slipped a bit recently, but I think they turn that around and put together a run. Cougars over Fort Loramie for a district title. Dayton 3 District Dermer - I'll take Gamble Montessori to win a sectional title, but that's where the Gators run will end. I forecast Springfield Catholic Central advancing to Trent Arena. Snodgrass - Gamble Montessori is my pick to win the Taylor sectional and the entire district. The Gators will most likely face Springfield Catholic Central in the district championship and I like them to pull off the upset against the Irish. Richardson - I agree with the Gamble picks. They have a ton of talent and should win and advance through this district. Kentucky The lone set of remaining district semifinals in Northern Kentucky are in the 34th District Wednesday night at St. Henry. The host Crusaders take on Villa Madonna at 6 p.m., with Lloyd Memorial and Dixie Heights following. The final is 7 p.m. Friday. St. Henry, led by sophomore Wyatt Vieth, who averages over 21 points per game, has cruised through district play all season. Lloyd, 16-9, would like a repeat of its 63-55 win over Dixie Jan. 22. Dixie has won six of the last eight championships. In the 33rd District, Cooper (23-5) has won five of the past seven district championships and would like to keep that streak going for a better draw in the Ninth Region quarterfinals. Cooper faces Conner (16-11) 7 p.m. Thursday at Cooper. Cooper has won both prior meetings by 20 and 11 points. In the 35th, Beechwood (26-5) and Covington Catholic (24-6) meet 7 p.m. Thursday at Holmes for the title. Beechwood has not won a district championship in at least 20 years and perhaps never. CovCath has won four years in a row. Beechwood beat CovCath Feb. 1 for the first time in 10 years. CovCath has enjoyed the return of junior Michael Mayer, the Notre Dame football commit who is as physical in the post as he is when tackling ballcarriers. Mayer had 14 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night in CovCaths semifinal win over Holmes. Nick Thelen had 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting. In the 36th, Highlands (20-10) and Newport (23-8) will meet in the finals 7 p.m. Thursday at Newport Central Catholic. Highlands got a major upset scare from NewCath in the semifinals, trailing by 10 at halftime before rallying late and winning 57-53. Newport won by two over the Bluebirds, 66-64, on Dec. 17. Highlands has not won a district title since 2008. The Ninth Region Tournament begins Feb. 25 at BB&T Arena, with the draw occurring 9 a.m. Saturday morning. In the Eighth Region, Simon Kenton will host the 32nd District final against Walton-Verona 7 p.m. Thursday. SK (18-9) edged WV (23-6) 60-57 on Jan. 4. The Bearcats have won the last two championships. Both teams move on to next weeks Eighth Region Tournament at Henry County, beginning Feb. 25. The draw is 2 p.m. Sunday. Once again, Campbell County (25-4) and Scott (18-10) meet in the 37th District final 7 p.m. Thursday at Campbell County Middle School. Campbell won 74-68 on Feb. 1. The Camels have won five straight district championships, the last four over the Eagles. Both teams move on to the 10th Region Tournament at Mason County Fieldhouse. The draw is 10 a.m. Saturday. | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2019/02/20/greater-cincinnati-high-school-boys-basketball-bracket-predictions/2916133002/ |
Will New Yahoo Site Be A Hit With Paying Sports Fans? | Verizons interest in digital media may have cooled considerably since it took a $4.5 billion write-down last year on the value of the business which includes Yahoo, AOL, and the Huffington Post but it hasnt been extinguished entirely. Indeed, Yahoo Sports today announced that it will launch a site for fans of the New York Mets called the Queens Baseball Club on March 28, Opening Day of the baseball season. Unlike other Yahoo sites, however, Queens Baseball Club, which will offer exclusive editorial content and fan experiences, wont be free. Memberships to the site will cost $5.99 a month though Yahoo Sports will experiment with a variety of price points and promotions throughout the year, according to a company spokesperson. Queens Baseball will have three writers covering the team who will give members access to batting practices, press conferences and interviews with the Mets front office, according to the New York Post. Yahoo Sports is focused on creating the ultimate experience for active and passionate fans, according to a company statement. Over the course of the year, Yahoo Sports plans to announce around a dozen similar partnerships with other professional sports teams and more into 2020. Whether Mets fans will flock to Queens Baseball is hard to say. Given the competitive New York media market, there is no shortage of content on the hapless team, which last made the playoffs in 2015. Yahoo also runs the Rivals Network of sites geared toward fans of college football and basketball, so it's not new territory for the Verizon business. Yahoo is hoping to emulate the success of The Athletic, a subscription-based sports news site launched in 2016 that has raised $70 million from investors. The Athletic has 325 full-time writers including Hall of Fame Baseball Writer Jayson Stark and NFL pundit Jay Glazer and covers 47 markets in the U.S. and Canada. According to a spokesman, the Athletic has more than 100,000 subscribers and publishes on average 1,200 stories a week. Media companies are increasingly relying on subscription revenue to offset declines in online advertising revenue caused by the stranglehold that Alphabets Google and Facebook have on the digital ad market that has resulted in layoffs at news organizations including BuzzFeed and USA Today corporate parent Gannett. Yahoos corporate parent Verizon reportedly is cutting 1,000 jobs at its media operations which includes The Huffington Post and AOL during the current quarter after writing down half of their value, essentially saying that its foray into the media business was a flop. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2019/02/20/will-new-yahoo-site-be-a-hit-with-paying-sports-fans/ |
Is it worth taking a bet on SNC-Lavalin? | Under normal conditions, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. would be a terrific buying opportunity right now, given the stocks long history of impressive rebounds from beaten-up lows. But these are not normal conditions. The share price of the Montreal-based engineering company has slumped 45 per cent since June, 2018, falling to levels last seen during the depths of the bear market in early 2009. The bad news is piling up. A failure to resolve bribery and fraud charges related to old business dealings with Libya, a $1.24-billion writedown (after tax) on its oil and gas division, worrisome debt levels, a corporate debt-rating downgrade from Standard & Poors and simmering intrigue regarding the companys relationship with the Prime Ministers Office is making the stock difficult to value. Story continues below advertisement On Friday morning, SNC-Lavalin will report its fourth-quarter financial results, which will give investors something else to think about. Analysts expect the company will report a loss of $1.72 per share, according to Bloomberg, or a loss of $1.61 per share after making one-time adjustments. That will mark the companys first quarterly loss since the third quarter of 2013, and reduce its complex challenges to a single figure. Bottom line, we recommend investors wait on the sidelines as we await more colour from fourth-quarter results, Benoit Poirier, an analyst at Desjardins Securities, said in a note last week. Hes not alone. Just eight of the 14 analysts covering the stock now have a buy recommendation after four downgrades within the past month. That marks the most bearish disposition among analysts toward SNC-Lavalin in four years, and adds to the gloom hanging over the company. It also adds to the importance of Fridays quarterly results, and what SNC-Lavalins managers say about the companys operations. For all the ugly headlines, a lot of bad news is already baked into the stock. The price-to-earnings ratio, using trailing 12-month profits, is just 13.2 close to the lowest level of the past 10 years. Admittedly, trailing profits mean little when the future looks bleak. For what its worth, though, management expects that per-share profits will rebound to a range between $3 and $3.20 in 2019, which implies a forward-looking P/E ratio of about 11. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Whats more, SNC-Lavalins engineering and construction (E&C) division, which is the backbone of the companys operations, is now valued at almost nothing. Heres the math. The company owns a significant stake in the money-gushing 407 Express Toll Route, an Ontario highway stretching 108 kilometres from Burlington to Pickering. Mr. Benoit estimates that this stake is worth $28.92 per SNC share. Include a few other revenue-generating investments and the value of the companys capital portfolio rises to $32.20 per share, according to Mr. Benoit. That leaves the bridge, rail and power-station building E&C business valued at just $2-and-change (based on the current price of $34.31). Thats down from about $28 per share last June, when SNCs stock was trading at about $60. Perhaps youre rolling your eyes at the expectation of a profit rebound this year or the true value of a narrowly held highway. But its interesting that the bond market appears to be onside with the optimists. SNC-Lavalins five-year corporate bond, which debuted last year with a coupon of 3.235 per cent, has declined in price only slightly. On Wednesday afternoon, the bonds traded just 3.1 per cent below the issue price, reflecting cool heads among the companys debt-holders, even after S&P downgraded SNC-Lavalins credit rating to one notch above junk status. Clearly, sophisticated fixed-income investors are confident that their dollars are safe. What remains to be seen is whether investors are now positioning for a rally in the stock price. Story continues below advertisement The stock has been on a volatile path plenty of times before, usually rewarding anyone who bought low. Indeed, over the past decade, the stock has embarked on four long-term rallies that have sent the share price surging between 48 per cent and 100 per cent. After SNC-Lavalin reports its fourth quarter results on Friday, we may get a sense of whether the stock is nearing another upswing or weighed down by more grim news. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/inside-the-market/article-is-it-worth-taking-a-bet-on-snc-lavalin/ |
Is Southwests charmed run coming to an end? | An unprecedented number of grounded planes, a spate of maintenance problems and an especially bitter labor dispute could be the latest signs that Southwest Airlines has come of age, running into the same controversies that have beset older airlines that the quirky and beloved Dallas carrier has long tormented. Southwest canceled more than 350 flights late Tuesday and Wednesday due to storms and unspecified maintenance issues, which company executives have linked to years of contract squabbling with the mechanics union. At Hobby Airport, Southwest canceled nine outbound flights and six inbound flights Wednesday due to maintenance. The out-of-service aircraft, primarily at four of the airlines 20 maintenance locations, follow the Wall Street Journals report on Southwests widespread miscalculation of the total weight for checked bags loaded onto planes, which the Journal said could result in discrepancies when pilots calculate takeoff weights. And these problems come 10 months after an engine on a Dallas-bound plane failed. Engine fragments struck the planes wing and fuselage, damaging a cabin window and causing fatal injuries to one passenger. Southwest may want to paint itself with this love image on the outside and very folksy and cute and funny, said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel research company Atmosphere Research Group. But on the inside, the corporate culture is rather dismal right now. Hot pants and peanuts Southwest started by sketching the Texas Triangle San Antonio, Dallas and Houston on a cocktail napkin. It won over passengers with low fares and a fun attitude. Even as it grew, and cast aside gimmicks including hot pants and peanuts, the airline developed customer loyalty partly by eschewing baggage and other fees that its competitors began heaping on passengers. Southwest, known and respected for its family culture in the workplace, avoided much of the labor strife that has been part of the airline industry for decades. Continental Airlines, for example, endured years of rocky employee relations until 1994 when former CEO Gordon Bethune famously improved labor relations, thanks in part to improved channels of communication and employee bonuses tied to the airlines on-time performance. Those labor tensions resurfaced in 2010, when United Airlines completed its merger with Continental, but failed to reach new labor agreements with its mechanics and flight attendants until 2016, after CEO Oscar Munoz took the reins. December 2016 marked an important occasion all United work groups had labor contracts in place for the first time in nearly 10 years. But labor issues resurfaced last year, when Uniteds non-union catering workers voted to join the Unite Here union. Related: Southwest Airlines' goodwill helps withstand crisis Southwest has been negotiating a contract with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents the companys nearly 2,400 mechanics, for more than six years. The two sides came to a tentative agreement last year, but rank-and-file rejected it. The number of out-of-service aircraft skyrocketed on Feb. 12, just days after their last negotiations session. Southwest said it had an unprecedented number of out-of-service aircraft and late last week enacted a staffing protocol to maximize the availability of its mechanics across all scheduled shifts. The high number of groundings led the company to declare an operational emergency, according to media reports. AMFA has a history of work disruptions, and Southwest has two pending lawsuits against the union, Mike Van de Ven, chief operating officer for Southwest, said in a statement. We will be investigating this current disruption and exploring all possible remedies. Southwest prides itself on its reliability and works hard each day to get its customers where they want to go. We apologize to our customers who have been inconvenienced by this disruption. The union responded that the airline is scapegoating its mechanics. Less fearful For Southwest's leadership to connect the airlines self-declared operational emergency to collective bargaining negotiations is simply an attempt to divert attention away from the airlines safety issues, the union said in its statement. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has condemned the carriers capitulation of airworthiness and Southwest has confessed that it has flown passengers in unairworthy aircraft. A union spokesman said in an email that Southwest mechanics have become less fearful to write up legitimate maintenance issues. And that leading up to the operational emergency, mechanics attendance and overtime were at normal levels. They did not call out sick at an increased level or decline overtime work, he said. No matter how small an issue we may find with an aircraft, we have an obligation mandated by operation of our FAA-issued licenses to repair it and make the aircraft airworthy, the spokesman said It is our hope that the Southwest management will join this commitment to restoring our safety culture and looking at this transition not as an operational emergency but rather the beginning of a new normal. This spat is testing a belief that Southwest would avoid the union-management disagreements seen at other companies, said Rob Britton, a former airline executive who is an adjunct professor of marketing at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. The family culture that the late Herb Kelleher and others worked so hard to build and nurture is becoming harder to sustain, Britton said in an email. He said companies in any industry become more complex and harder to manage as they grow. Yet Southwest has built up a respect that will help customers accept operational hiccups, especially if they are clearly explained and deftly resolved. Need for compromise Harteveldt said the airline and union must find a compromise, as the fallout could only intensify. For instance, if Southwest thinks out-of-service planes will become more of a permanent problem, the airline might reevaluate its services and stop operating some flights. Thats going to frustrate everybody, Harteveldt said. No one wins in that scenario. [email protected] twitter.com/andrearumbaugh | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Is-Southwest-s-charmed-run-coming-to-an-end-13632266.php |
Will Senegal be bowled over by big projects? | Image copyright AFP Senegal has witnessed a flurry of inaugurations of ambitious, big-budget projects in the last few months, including a new train line, a new bridge and the imposing Museum of Black Civilisations. Happily snipping the ribbons has been President Macky Sall, who is seeking a second term in office in elections on Sunday. "I will be voting for the first time and my choice is Macky Sall," said Mouhamad Thiam speaking to the BBC at a campaign rally in support of the president in the town of Kaolack, about 225km (140 miles) east of the capital, Dakar. "I think his record is positive, his programme is positive, his accomplishments are positive." But while the 57-year-old, who has been office since 2012, is lauded by some for pulling off these schemes, others are more cynical about a more general lack of development. Image copyright AFP Image caption Senegambia bridge links two side of The Gambia and allows people from northern Senegal to reach its southern province of Casamance with ease These frustrations, and concerns that the electoral process is flawed, mean the incumbent may be surprised to see himself voted out of office. In a country where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line many struggle to see how Mr Sall has improved their daily lives. 'Young people need jobs' "These projects have no importance, it's all politics," said Mamadou Senghor, a motorbike taxi driver in Kaolack. "Before building highways, you have to industrialise the economy so that young people can find jobs and support their families." More than 6.6 million people are registered to vote in these elections, and who young people decide to support could have a significant impact, as the average age in the country is 19. You may also be interested in: Senegal, where there have been three peaceful transitions of power since independence in 1960, has long been seen as a model of stability in the continent. But a number of politicians and human rights groups have raised concerns ahead of this vote. "Senegal is definitely not a model," says Oumar Tour, also known as "Thiat", who is a well-known rapper and activist in the country. "Macky Sall has made our country regress democratically." Backlash Many have criticised the Constitutional Council's decision to bar two main opposition candidates from running. Both Khalifa Sall, the popular former mayor of Dakar, and Karim Wade, the son of the former president, were deemed ineligible to run because of corruption convictions. As a result of the decision, neither of their two parties - the Socialist Party and Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) respectively - which have dominated the country's political landscape since independence, have candidates in the upcoming election. Image copyright AFP Image caption Some are supporting Idrissa Seck, backed by Dakar's former mayor Khalifa Sall, who was not allowed to run "The race is already fixed," says Thiat, who is also a founding member of Y'en a Marre (Enough is Enough), a pro-democracy activist group. "The process is fraudulent because there are candidates who have been put in prison for political reasons which aren't in the interests of the Senegalese people - meaning that our justice system has been manipulated." The government denies those charges. But it is not the only criticism it has faced. Image copyright AFP Image caption Ousmane Sonko is one of four challengers to President Sall There was backlash after a law was passed in 2018 requiring candidates to have a certain number of signatures from voters to be able to run. As a result, only five candidates have been deemed eligible for the 24 February vote, compared to 12 in the last election. The two top contenders apart from the incumbent are: Idrissa Seck, a former prime minister who enjoys the backing of Mr Sall, Dakar's former mayor Ousmane Sonko, a former tax inspector who is popular with the young The remaining two candidates are El Hadji Issa Sall, who has a following among more religious and conservative voters and Madicke Niang, a former minister, who was once a close ally of former President Abdoulaye Wade, who lost the 2012 election. Mr Wade has called on voters to boycott the vote, alleging it has been fixed in advance in favour of the incumbent. The 92-year-old, who has been a leading political figure in the country since the late 1970s, is now calling on voters to attack polling stations, burn their voter cards and electoral rolls. Image copyright AFP Image caption Former President Abdoulaye Wade urged people to attack polling stations The government has warned that anyone involved in illegal action will be prosecuted, adding that Mr Wade's comments were irresponsible and subversive. Mr Sall used to be a member of Mr Wade's PDS party, but he broke away to found his own coalition, APR-Yakaar. In the run-off in 2012 he beat his former boss, who had been power for 12 years. In the first round, Mr Wade had polled 34.8% and Mr Sall came second with 26.6%. But most of the other 12 candidates backed Mr Sall in the second round, securing his victory. This time around he may get a taste of his own medicine if he fails to secure more than 50% in the first round and the opposition decide to join forces to push him out. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47298867 |
Can A City Council Regulate What Real Estate Agents Are Paid? | The New York City Council proposal, introduced last week by Council members Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera, intends to cap real estate agent commissions for rental properties at one months rent. We, in the New York brokerage community, object strongly to this proposal as should agents throughout the country. Here are a few reasons why: Arbitrary cuts. In this era of the Internet, any home seeker can find the vast majority of rental inventory online. They need not retain an agent if they prefer to conduct the search themselves. Commissions are by definition negotiable by each individual. Consumers can always vote for or against our services with their feet, walking away if they feel they are being overcharged. The fact that, for most agents, their business is built on referrals from past clients serves as proof that more often than not, the opposite holds true. Home seekers feel gratitude and appreciation for what we do, which they express by passing our names along to others. Outdated regulations. Since the introduction of antitrust legislation during the first half of the 20thcentury, we have been a country acutely sensitive to the issue of price fixing. Consumers should not, the reasoning goes, be subject to the vicissitudes of predatory capitalism as imposed by monopolistic or colluding entities which have the power to fix prices without being subject to the give and take of competition and the marketplace. Focus on only one profession. Somehow real estate brokerage has been cast in the public eye as a predatory practice. Nothing could be further from the truth. The role of agents, to advise consumers and facilitate transactions, remains a critical part of the house hunting process for the vast majority of home seekers. Real estate agents, like other independent contractor professionals across the spectrum of areas of employment, experience great variation from agent to agent and year to year in earnings. Nonetheless, studies conducted by the National Association of Realtors indicate that the average real estate professional in 2018 earned less than $50,000 per year. Like other working people, we work to support our families. Many agents either lack health insurance or must pay for it, at very high rates since they do not get the discounts provided to large companies. This group of hardworking professionals doesnt ask for special protections. Do Mr. In short, if we as citizens of New York City permit this imposition of arbitrary limits on our professional relationships with our clients, next it will show up in Houston, or Chicago, or Los Angeles. Regulation of sales commissions will not be far behind. Consumers always have the right NOT to hire us if they believe our fees are too high. Unless they make that decision, we in the industry would prefer that the government stay out of it! | https://www.forbes.com/sites/fredpeters/2019/02/20/can-a-city-council-regulate-what-real-estate-agents-are-paid/ |
What's The Future Hold For The World's Best Bars? | Some of the world's most celebrated bar talents convened in Manhattan last week, to discuss trends within the industry. The World's 50 Best Bars, a London-based organization which produces a yearly ranking of the top global bars, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. In honor of the milestone, the organization recently held a panel discussion and a cocktail party with current winners and mixology luminaries. As the industry matures, bartenders are digging into topics such as sustainability and no-proof drinking, as well how bars can foster positive work culture and how drinks can borrow from culinary techniques. There's also a growing sophistication, as more industry professionals delve into in-depth questions about the impact of the cocktail industry, Ryan Chetiyawardana argues. Chetiyawardana, who goes by "Mr. Lyan," is the scientist turned bartender behind Dandylan at London's Mondrian Hotel, the ranking #1 bar in the world. That curiosity ultimately results in more choices for the consumer. "[People are saying,] I want to know the impact [this drink] having," Chetiyawardana explains. "Why can't I have a great cocktail but also feel I didn't also destroy part of the rain forest?" "Where does that sustainability stop?" Chetiyawardana, who gave a presentation on that topic, adds. "[Bartenders] are now considering where things are coming from, and what the impact is on the farmers behind it. It's really nice to see people going down that rabbit hole a little bit." But as much as things change, there will always be fundamentals common to the world's best bars. "Trends come and go but I think the common denominator is about people having a good time," Declan McGurk, bar manager at London's American Bar at the Savoy (2017's #1 title holder). "You have to make sure that over the short time you have with your guests that you get them to enjoy their time, and get them to become the storytellers." Successful bars are "memorable" and "personable," McGurk adds. "Compared to 10 years ago, the bar has gone through different periods," Alex Kratena, the former head bartender of London's Artesian (named World's Best Bar in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), says. Just as the culinary world oscillates between mannerist and minimalism, so too does the bar world. "Now, the focus is on flavor, great produce and simple plating styles." Another trend that's sure to keep going strong: the rise of the no-proof cocktail. Sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks have been featured on the menus of the world's top bars, including Dandylyan, The Artesian and the American Bar. Leading hospitality experts say that no-proof drinks are here to stay, in part because they are integral to the service ethos. "Every bar has to think about the full experience," The Savoy's McGurk says. "Just because someone isn't drinking alcohol, you still have to consider their experience." | https://www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2019/02/20/whats-the-future-hold-for-the-worlds-best-bars/ |
Is Trump Changing His Policy On High-Skilled Immigration? | The first two years of the Trump administration has seen a series of actions to reduce immigration. These efforts have included the travel ban against citizens of several predominately Muslim countries, low levels of refugee admissions, supporting legislation to reduce legal immigration by 50% and numerous administrative measures to make it more difficult for employers to hire or retain high-skilled foreign nationals in the United States. Given this track record, journalists followed up the day after the State of the Union address to determine if the remarks about increasing legal immigration represented a shift in policy. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants to see more legal immigration because additional workers are needed by companies moving back to the United States, reported USA Today. I need people coming in because we need people to run the factories and plants and companies that are moving back in, said Trump in response to questions from journalists. We need people. Mr. Trump has made some supportive comments about demand for foreign labor from U.S. industries before, reported Louise Radnofsky in the Wall Street Journal. But his recent remarks stood in contrast to his longstanding backing of restrictions to favor Americans jobs, wages and security. The White House said Friday that Mr. Trumps focus was on high-skilled labor. If its true the Trump administration is looking to increase legal immigration, including with a focus on high-skilled immigrants, then here are the clues to look for to determine if the administration has changed its mind and now favors pro-immigration policies: We may find out soon whether the Trump administration is serious about increasing or at least maintaining the current level of high-skilled foreign-born professionals, since reversing its plan to rescind the 2015 rule on H-4 EAD would send a clear signal of the administrations intentions on legal immigration. The H-4 EAD (employment authorization document) regulation has allowed up to 100,000 spouses of H-1B visa holders to obtain work authorization. H-4 EAD recipients generally have similar education levels to their H-1B spouses. Removing tens of thousands of well-educated individuals from the workforce does not make economic sense and would go directly against the recent statements by Donald Trump that We need people. The next item on the calendar may be rules that affect the employment of high-skilled foreign nationals on H-1B and L-1 visas. Due to the long waits to obtain an employment-based green cards, H-1B and L-1 temporary visas are often the only practical way for a high-skilled foreign national to work long-term in the United States. Multiple sources confirm that the agency is far along in drafting the H-1B strengthening rule, according to Berry Appleman & Leiden. The rule would revise the definition of specialty occupation and employment and employer-employee relationship, and aims to better protect U.S. workers and wages. USCIS is also drafting an L-1 regulation that would revise the definition of specialized knowledge. (L-1 visas are used to transfer existing employees into the United States.) If new regulations make the H-1B and L-1 visa categories more restrictive, then that will send a clear signal that the presidents remarks in the State of the Union on increasing legal immigration should not be taken seriously. The annual refugee ceiling is announced around October 1 every year and raising the number of refugees admitted to the country would show the administration is serious about increasing legal immigration. Refugee admissions to the United States have reached historic lows since the Refugee Act of 1980 under administration policies. If Donald Trump wants to fill jobs in plants and factories, then according to employers refugees are ideal workers for both plants and factories and are willing to move wherever available jobs are located. If Donald Trumps statement in the State of the Union was sincere that he wants people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, then another item to check on the calendar is the public charge rule. The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) recently submitted comments on the regulation and concluded, The proposed regulation could reduce legal immigration by more than 200,000 immigrants a year. (See here for an analysis.) The NFAP comments focused on the rules flawed methodology for excluding immigrants and the regulations impact. Withdrawing the public charge rule before the end of 2019 would show the administration is no longer interested in reducing legal immigration. The most obvious way for the administration to show it intends to increase legal immigration is to support a bill that would admit more legal immigrants. Absent that, the administration could support H.R. 1044, a bipartisan bill that would not increase legal immigration but would eliminate the per-country limit for employment-based immigrants, which would help retain scientists and engineers whose wait times for green cards can stretch longer than a decade. (See here for an analysis of the bill.) Concrete steps the Trump administration could take to implement a more welcoming policy on legal immigration include allowing the spouses of H-1B visa holders to continue working in the United States, raising refugee admissions and proposing no new restrictions on H-1B and L-1 visa holders. Actions speak louder than words, even if those words were spoken during a State of the Union address. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2019/02/21/is-trump-changing-his-policy-on-high-skilled-immigration/ |
Will wild weather wipe out Auckland's three big gigs? | A tropical cyclone bringing bad weather to New Zealand could impact three music festivals being held over the weekend. Six60 are expecting 50,000 people at their sold out show at Western Springs on Saturday night, while Hidden Festival, an outdoor hip-hop and dance event, debuts tomorrow in Ellerslie, and Splore, a three-day event, takes place at Tapapakanga Regional Park. While Australia was expected to get the brunt of Cylone Oma, New Zealand is also bracing for a weekend of wet and windy weather. MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said the weather watchdog was likely to issue a spate of weather watches and warnings over the next 24 hours. Advertisement Murray warned: "Regardless of Oma, there is significant weather on the way," Murray said. "On Friday things take a turn from some of the wet weather from the north, there will be some bands of rain and some heavy showers." Event organisers all say they're watching the weather carefully, and say they have plans in place should the weather take a turn for the worse. Brent Eccles, who is behind the Six60 show, says the weather is unlikely to be a show-stopper. "We'll definitely play in the rain; a cyclone might be a different story," he said. Organisers of Splore, which is being headlined by Rudimental, took to Facebook to tell punters to pack wet weather gear. WEATHER UPDATE Cyclone Oma has moved in another direction so the Splore weekend forecast is looking a whole lot better!... Posted by Splore Festival on Tuesday, 19 February 2019 Organisers of the first Hidden Festival - at Ellerslie Events Centre and being headlined by Shapeshifter - told attendees they were aware of the cyclone warning. "Don't stress we have a plan B to keep you safe and dry," they said. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12206005&ref=rss |
Why do onscreen publicists get such a bad rap? | Some of the screens most disreputable characters are press agents, despite being the profession best placed to improve its own image. In film and TV, PRs tend to be venal and corrupt at worst, damaged or ditzy at best. Robin, played by Anna Paquin in new TV series Flack, is a classic screen publicist, a cynical schemer who can manipulate public opinion like a master, but whose private life is in freefall. Between cheating on her boyfriend and snorting coke, she spends her working hours salvaging the mangled reputations of her celebrity clients arranging lavender marriages and teenage sex tapes without sweating too much over the moral implications. PR, she says, makes the most of my natural talents: lying and drinking. Anna Paquin: Ive had some horrific experiences Read more Hollywood didnt look far for its first PR villains. The dishonest studio press agent is a popular stock character in most films about movie-making and right from the beginning their job is as much about covering up stars bad behavior as it is posting florid biographies to fan magazines. Matt Libby, who runs damage control on Norman Maines drunken exploits in 1937s A Star is Born, is introduced as our demon press agent with a heart of gold, only harder. In fact, entertainment PRs are some of the nastiest in the movies. Fred MacMurrays lovestruck studio press agent in 1948s The Miracle of the Bells, who arranges a headline-grabbing memorial for his dead girlfriend, is an exception to the rule. The most famous movie publicist of all time is surely the ruthless Sidney Falco, fully up to all the tricks of his very slimy trade, played by Tony Curtis in 1957s The Sweet Smell of Success a film that Flacks Robin must surely have seen and studied. Falcos latter-day successor is Colin Farrells Stuart Shepard in 2002s Phone Booth, the two-timing publicist cornered by a serial killer into a grisly mea culpa: I lie to newspapers and magazines who who sell my lies to more and more people. I am just a part of a big cycle of lies, I should be fuckin president. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tony Curtis in The Sweet Smell of Success. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext PR professionals will tell you thats not quite how the job works, but its a consistent feature of screen PR that the job is intrinsically opaque, and not a little shifty. Youre more likely to see a screen PR procuring drugs for a contact than perfecting a press release. According to a 1999 study by Karen Miller at the University of Georgia, fictional PR falls into two categories. Sometimes it is a matter of complex strategy that cannot be understood by mere law-abiding mortals, the smoke and mirrors that Robin and Falco excel at. Alternatively, its a breeze, a mere matter of having a drink with the right reporter or placing the right call. Youve got a clean shirt and you bathe every day. Thats all there is to it. Both representations feed into the idea that publicity is fundamentally dishonest, and certainly not a real job, which means PR agents are twice as untrustworthy when they enter politics. In 1972s The Candidate, Peter Boyles campaign adviser does such a good job at marketing a reluctant Robert Redford as a Democratic challenger that he creates a monster. As a TV pundit warns, the campaign is dominated by socko salesmanship with no moral considerations involved. Its just a short step from there to, say, the ruthless efficiency of Ryan Goslings junior campaign manager in The Ides of March in 2011 and the gleeful lobbyists for tobacco, firearms and alcohol who nickname themselves the merchants of death in 2005 satire Thank You For Smoking. See also Robert de Niro as the spin doctor who hires a movie producer to stage a phony war in 1997s Wag the Dog just to distract the nation from the presidents philandering. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kerry Washington in Scandal. Photograph: Craig Sjodin/ABC The idea of political PR as crisis management fueled the TV shows Spin City and The West Wing, the latter of which presented the most right-on and morally upright team of communications professionals in screen history: a group of concerned liberals led by unflappable press secretary CJ Gregg and fretful communications director Toby Ziegler. Now that allegations of fake news flay back and forth across the White House press room, these shows seem to represent a faraway political civilization. If youre thinking that most of those job titles arent strictly in the realm of PR, thats almost the point. On screen, hype, spin, propaganda and marketing get muddled with each other and all kinds of other jobs, and a new breed of multitalented publicity professional has arisen: the fixer. Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington in the TV series Scandal, epitomizes the type. She and her posse of gladiators in suits have the capacity to make all the problems of the rich and sleazy in Washington DC go away PR as a magic trick, but taken to extremes. See also Sandra Bullock as a political strategist shipped into Bolivia in 2015s Our Brand is Crisis and Jodie Foster in 2006s Inside Man, the fearsome power broker who is covering up a Manhattan bankers Nazi past. Although she works for B-list celebrities rather than leaders of corporations and countries, Robin follows in their footsteps, finding creative, often illegal solutions to her clients problems whether its a comedians transphobic standup set or a movie stars incriminating hard drive. Not that Robins friends and family know quite how low shell stoop, or hard she works. Her brother-in-law admits that he thought she just flounced around drinking white wine and air-kissing, showing that his idea of female PR agents is badly out of date. in 1964 or her small-screen descendants Edina in Absolutely Fabulous and Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. Robin, however, practises the dark arts of extreme PR, Olivia Pope-style. As Miller writes, although they are often shown to be breathtakingly effective at their jobs, PRs are regularly presented as despicable or morally lax. Throughout their screen history, PRs are seen drinking, smoking, snorting and screwing on the job, when they are not procuring drugs or escorts for clients in the line of work. Robins vodka and cocaine habit recalls Jack Lemmons portrayal of an alcoholic PR in Days of Wine and Roses (1962), except somehow she manages to keep her job, and her dishonesty at work bleeds damagingly into her relationship with boyfriend Sam. Every so often, a PR is shown doing good, as with the mental health campaign in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, or that way that a corporate publicist rehabilitates a raddled superhero and helps to save a city in 2008s Hancock, but screen depictions of the job tend to disprove the idea that no publicity is bad publicity. More seriously, PR insiders regularly say the industry needs a makeover, and after the headlines made by the Bell Pottinger scandal of 2017, those calls have increased. Sounds like a job that Robin could really get her teeth into. | https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/feb/21/flack-anna-paquin-publicist-pr-film |
How can I avoid paying a TV licence fee? | Steve doesnt watch TV and wants to stop paying the UK licence fee, but now it applies to smartphones, consoles and the BBC iPlayer app on all devices I have a TV set for streaming videos from my NAS, but I have given up on the BBC, and I never watch ITV, Channel 4 and certainly not 5. Steve In the old world of analogue broadcasting, this was an easy question. Watching TV just meant feeding a broadcast signal to a box containing a TV tuner and a cathode ray tube. If you did that in the UK then you needed a TV licence. In todays digital world, however, you may need a TV licence if your only device is a smartphone. TVs and aerials are still common, but internet streaming means they are no longer required for watching television. The new licensing rules therefore cover not just TVs but PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones, games consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation, streaming devices from Roku, Amazon and others, set-top boxes and personal video recorders (PVRs). All of this is explained on TV Licensings multilingual website. Live TV Facebook Twitter Pinterest If you use the BBC iPlayer app on any device for any reason, you need a TV licence. Photograph: BBC iPlayer/PA The basic rule is that you must have a TV licence if you watch, record or otherwise consume live television. It doesnt matter which television stations you watch, or how you watch them. You still have to buy a licence if you only watch live streams from Mongolias Eagle TV channel. The definition of live is flexible because there can be delays in transmission, and many set-top boxes and PVRs let you pause or save TV programmes. Indeed, recording, capturing and storing live TV also counts as watching live television. You cant get out of paying for a licence by recording programmes and watching them later. Briefly, if you start streaming a TV programme just before it ends, you need a licence. If you start streaming it just after it has ended, you dont need a licence. As mentioned above, it doesnt matter what kind of device you use to watch live television, or how you collect and process the signal. Youre still watching live TV if you get the feed from an aerial, a cable network, a satellite dish, a wifi hotspot or any other internet server. This includes watching live fights on Sky Sports Box Office, NHL ice hockey games from Canada, ATP tennis on Amazon Prime and so on, even though you will be paying separately to watch them. Logically, it must also include any live television feeds on Facebook or Twitter. Youre still watching live TV if you view the feed on a TV set, a computer monitor, on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, on a VR headset or projected on to a wall. It doesnt matter. I hope this alerts anyone who thought they were within the law because they watched TV programmes on their smartphones or via a Roku stick in the back of a monitor. Stored programmes Facebook Twitter Pinterest On-demand content is exempt, but youd have to delete the BBC iPlayer app at the very least from a Fire TV box. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Conversely, with one exception, you dont need a TV licence if you only watch stored programmes, which are played on demand rather than streamed or broadcast live. For example, you dont need a TV licence to watch movies and TV programmes on DVD or Blu-ray, or streamed from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Now TV, YouTube and similar services unless they stream live TV. You dont need a TV licence to watch programmes on catch-up TV services, with the exception of the BBCs iPlayer. You can watch anything stored on services such as ITV Hub, All 4 and My5, as long as you dont watch live TV. These services are, after all, paid for by advertising. However, you do need a TV licence to use the BBCs advert-free iPlayer catch-up service. In this case, youre paying the BBC because you are consuming BBC content. This exception was only introduced in September 2016, and not everyone knows about it. Mains matters The concept of the TV licence was based on households, and has been extended to shops, offices and other business premises. Once you had a TV licence registered to your home address, it covered numerous people watching live TV on numerous TV sets. You didnt need another licence for a second or third TV set in a kitchen or bedroom. Things got a little more complicated once you could watch live TV on a mobile device, which meant you could watch it outside your licensed home. The solution to this conundrum is battery power. Your home TV licence covers your mobile use outside the home, as long as you watch TV on battery power. However, if you plug your device into a mains socket outside your home, that site needs its own TV licence. In other words, if you take your laptop to a friends house and plug it into the mains to watch live television, then its not covered by the TV licence from your house. Your friends house needs a licence as well. Technically, this should also apply if you plug in your device to watch TV or BBC iPlayer in a coffee shop or on a train, and so on, though that would be somewhat hard to control. However, companies that dont have TV licences should know that they may be breaking the law if any of their staff view or record live television or use BBC iPlayer while in the office. Its only legal if they use a device thats not plugged into the mains and they are covered by their home licence. Make a declaration Facebook Twitter Pinterest The TV licensing site can guide you through making a declaration of exemption. Photograph: Andy Hepburn/PA If you really dont consume any live television, or use BBC iPlayer, then you can make a declaration to that effect on the tvlicensing.co.uk website. This has separate sections for home, student and business addresses. You are not legally obliged to make an NLN (No Licence Needed) declaration, but it is better to do so. First, you can get a refund on fees you have already paid. Second, it will avoid the problems that will arise if you simply stop paying. From the BBCs NLNP (No Licence Needed Policy), you can expect your claim to lapse after two years. The NLNP says: It is the BBCs view that two years is a reasonable length of time for residential guards, given that residential circumstances frequently change. For example, occupiers may move house or change their viewing habits such that a licence is required. Enforcement The NLNPs enforcement procedures have been redacted because they contain information which could be useful to people attempting to evade the licence fee. However, an unknown number of people will be visited by the TV Licensing field operations team. (The collection system is contracted out to Capita.) You can refuse them entry, but they may come back with a search warrant. The BBC says, when contacted, about a sixth of NLN claimants are found to need a licence. You can be prosecuted you for watching TV without a licence, and fined up to 1,000 (up to 2,000 in Guernsey). Hundreds of thousands of people have been prosecuted some of them living in poverty and some have been jailed for not paying fines. Things to do So, if you are going licence free, it is a good idea to disconnect your aerial. You should also delete BBC iPlayer apps from all your devices and clear any BBC cookies and caches. Next, remove any FreeView receivers and set-top boxes that are no longer required and are removable. Reset any products that can receive live TV back to factory condition, and dont install any live TV services. If you cant stop them from scanning for channels, make sure they arent attached to an aerial, though devices may nag you about completing the set-up later. Finally, you could add a block list to your router or to your computers Hosts file to prevent access to content from selected BBC internet addresses. It published a list in June 2018. However, you dont need a TV licence to use BBC websites, or listen to BBC radio. You can easily claim that you dont watch TV, but remember, you may have to convince a licensing officer with a search warrant. Email it to [email protected] This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information. | https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/feb/21/how-can-i-avoid-paying-a-tv-licence-fee |
Why on earth is climate skeptic, Twitter troll Trevor Bauer MLB most hated man? | He may not be the most reviled man in US sports just yet, but Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer seems hell-bent on earning the title. The 28-year-old has been irritating opponents, fans and even his own teammates for years, which makes it all the more amusing that the most recent headlines hes made have involved him complaining about his own well-deserved bad reputation. Few can quibble with Bauers production on the field: hes an All-Star starting pitcher who went 12-2 last year for the Indians with a 2.21 ERA. He also likes to portray himself as an iconoclastic rebel, the last honest man. Im good at two things in this world, he said in a recent Sports Illustrated profile, throwing baseballs and pissing people off. The story also goes into detail about his unconventional training methods, which include pumping electricity into his brain. As one would imagine, given said methods alone, Bauer has increasingly found himself at odds with those within baseball, most recently with his own team. Last week, he emerged victorious from his salary arbitration hearing with the Indians with a chip on his shoulder. They spent the last 10 minutes of the case trying a character assassination, he told the media after being awarded the $13m his side was seeking. The intent behind it, that I would characterize, was to demean my character. If that were true, they would have plenty of ammunition. After all, Bauer is most (in)famous for the time he risked Clevelands playoff chances in the 2016 American League Championship Series after injuring his pitching hand while playing with a drone. He had to leave Game 3 start after his stitches came apart in the first inning, although he was later healthy enough to pitch admirably in a Game 2 loss to the Chicago Cubs in that years World Series. That incident probably didnt help Bauers reputation as a poor teammate, something which dates back to his time with the Arizona. Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero said that Bauer rubbed people the wrong way and his conflicts with management eventually factored into his trade to Cleveland. After he left Arizona, Bauer released a (thankfully deleted) rap song attacking the organization. Besides the Diamondback, hes also ramped up a personal feud with the Houston Astros, whom he has accused of cheating. Its unlikely that these incidents were the Indians main character concerns regarding their ace. According to ESPNs Buster Olney, the biggest sticking point for the Indians was Bauers use of social media, which has come into sharp focus over the last few months for all the wrong reasons. To get a sense of how he conducts himself, its helpful to know that his Twitter handle is the all-so-self-aware @BauerOutrage. He has earned plenty of attention thanks to his skepticism about climate change, his bigoted jokes and the occasional blocking spree. Bauer, of course, has the right to present the worst version of himself online something he has in common with many Americans. Its quite another thing to go on a targeted harassment campaign, which is exactly what Bauer did last month when a female Astros fan had the audacity to call him my new least favorite in all of sports. Bauer claimed the fans comments were tantamount to bullying, and sent a nonstop barrage of messages to her for over a day, all while exposing her to a healthy percentage of his 134,000 followers. Some of them also joined in the dogpile, eventually forcing the fan offline. In total, Bauer tagged the user over 80 times in his subsequent tweets. If this all seems familiar, its because Its the standard operating procedure of a particularly single-minded Twitter troll, albeit one with the follower count of a high-profile pro athlete. Because of his actions, the affair escalated from a rude exchange into something that bordered on cyberstalking of his part. When it became serious enough that it attracted news coverage, Bauer leveled criticism at the media for not saying anything to his face. When some of those reporters did attempt to bring up his social media meltdown in person, he, of course, promptly scampered off. #BeBest, indeed. Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) I often defend myself against internet trolling, bullying and slander. My responses to fans are good-natured. I do not encourage any of my fans, followers, or friends to attack, insult or harass anyone on any social media platform, or in real life. There is no room for that in Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) the world. I have been made aware that some of the interactions related to a specific Twitter exchange may have had a negative impact. That was not my intention. I will wield the responsibility of my public platform more responsibly in the future. After almost certainly being chastised by the Indians behind closed doors, Bauer released something which vaguely resembled an apology in structure (if not necessarily content) along with a promise that he would try to use Twitter more responsibly in the future. The team apparently declined to punish him, but kept it in their back pocket and attempted to bring it up as a reason to pay him less money next season. If this is indeed what happened, its not surprising that the independent arbitrator wasnt entirely sold on the Indians position in the matter. Let us make no mistake here, however: by no means is Bauer the victim here. Here, just like in the Sports Illustrated profile, Bauer is trying to have it both ways: both playing the role of someone unafraid to ruffle feathers alongside that of someone being unfairly targeted. Its laughable to complain about your character being assassinated when its really just you shooting yourself in the foot. | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/21/why-on-earth-is-climate-skeptic-twitter-troll-trevor-bauer-mlb-most-hated-man |
Has the Sun lost its shine? | Fifty years ago, an Australian businessman named Rupert Murdoch took control of the Sun, then a failing Labour-supporting broadsheet, and turned it into a hugely successful tabloid so successful that it became the countrys best-read paper. The formula was seemingly simple: a relentless focus on celebrities, competitions and sex. Half a century later, the newspapers masthead is celebrating with the slogan: The Peoples Paper For 50 Years. But behind the hype, there is a feeling that the Sun has lost its common touch. It certainly remains the UKs best-selling newspaper, but it has not escaped the general collapse in sales across the industry, and in the past decade circulation has more than halved, to 1.4m copies a day. It is investing heavily in its website, but came late to the party, by which time its natural audience was already hooked on the celebrity pictures of the Daily Mail website, MailOnline. At the start of this year, the Suns parent company declared a headline-grabbing pre-tax loss of 91m, weighed down by issues including the stream of legal cases relating to allegations of historic phone hacking. Most worrying for the newspaper and to the delight of its critics there is a nagging fear that the Sun may have lost its swagger. Staff describe an outlet struggling with its identity in a changing Britain, and worry that a newspaper that was able to successfully surf a strand of public opinion for decades could now be losing its touch. Many of those currently at the paper complain that under the leadership of editor Tony Gallagher, the newspapers tone has become far more vicious and politics-heavy. They say he has a penchant for obsessively covering minor political rows and stars posing in vintage glam shots, with hard news prioritised at the expense of current celebrities. One recently departed journalist describes the atmosphere in the newsroom as anarchic, intense and a bit sad, with old-time Sun executives trying to recreate the intensity of the old newspaper operation on a substantially reduced budget. Theres a Last Days of Rome mentality, that the best days are behind us, says one. The problem is that Tony has no sense of humour, says one individual who worked with Gallagher at the Sun. And you cant learn that. (Gallagher declined to be interviewed for this article.) Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Suns front page story in 1986 about Freddie Starr later turned out to be concocted. Murdochs Sun rose by giving the public what they wanted: humour, irreverence and a daily figure to hate, all inside a tightly edited print newspaper filled with puns and giveaways. Stick It Up Your Punter!, one of the definitive books on British journalism, describes the chaos and relentless focus of the newspaper in the 80s under the editorship of Kelvin MacKenzie when sales boomed. Peter Chippindale and Chris Horries book describes how the paper chased whatever trend was in vogue that morning, with the editor ordering his aggressive reporters to put a ferret up the trousers of whoever was making the news that day, before ordering a reverse ferret when it became apparent that this editorial line was unpopular with readers or Murdoch himself. Reporters were despatched to buy donkeys in Spain, while readers were treated to stories such as Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster, an article concocted with the approval of the publicist Max Clifford. Puns ranged from Its Paddy Pantsdown (on coverage of Paddy Ashdowns marital woes), Up Yours Delors (the papers response to Brussels bureaucrat Jacques Delors), and Swedes 2 Turnips 1(following Englands defeat to Sweden in Euro 92). They were no less bullish in terms of politics, notoriously declaring on the day of the 1992 general election that the last person in Britain should turn out the lights if Neil Kinnock were elected prime minister. The same year, MacKenzie allegedly told John Major: Ive got a large bucket of shit lying on my desk and tomorrow morning Im going to pour it all over your head. In 1995, the papers influence was such that Tony Blair flew to Australia to convince Murdoch to throw the Suns support behind New Labour. Years later there were claims that David Cameron had done the same for the Tories ahead of the 2010 general election. More recently, in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, which saw the Sun enthusiastically backing leave, a victorious Gallagher told the Guardian: So much for the waning power of the print media. The former Sun editor and passionate remainer David Yelland says Gallagher is far more responsible for the Brexit disaster than [Irish Taoiseach] Leo Varadkar and has published half-truths and no truths. Yet old-time Sun executives treat politics with caution as something liable to bore readers. Journalists at the paper trade the tale of one reader who rang to complain that it was still running stories about Brexit even though the referendum was won in 2016. James Graham, who wrote the play Ink, based on the newspapers early days, said that, despite its reputation for swinging elections, it has followed rather than led its readers since the start and bent with the prevailing wind ever since. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Feminist campaigners protesting in 2012 against the Suns use of topless women on its Page 3. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images One centrist Labour MP describes the Suns political power as a generational divide; colleagues first elected in the Blair years may be concerned about scrutinising the papers editorial lines, but younger MPs focus on Twitter reaction and are aware of the papers negative reputation among party activists. This negativity is because, in the papers 50th year, its past weighs heavily. Its most high-profile mistake publishing lies about the 1989 Hillsborough disaster under the headline The Truth (which led to a boycott of the newspaper across Liverpool) has become more rather than less toxic over the years with the recent inquest reviving memories. Even the publics attitude to sex one of the Suns main selling points has changed, forcing it into more nuanced coverage. For years, Page 3 was a national institution, and one that could turn the likes of Samantha Fox or Katie Price into celebrities. Despite defending its Page 3 topless models to the end at one point even mocking up the then Labour MP Clare Short as a model in 2015, the newspaper realised the game was up and moved the feature online. In business terms, the paper has struggled to catch up with the online world. In 2013, it erected a paywall, hoping readers would be willing to cough up for a package offering Premier League goal highlights on their phone. They werent. Instead, illegal goal clips were uploaded to social media, while MailOnline rewrote the Suns celebrity scoops. After two years, the experiment was abandoned, leaving the paper to build an online audience from scratch, a decade after its rivals. Today, the newspaper boasts its website reaches more Britons than any other, but industry insiders say they are often lured in with a clickbait headline, and stay for a very short time, before bouncing out. Audit Bureau of Circulations figures show Britons clicked on 86m MailOnline articles a day in January 2019 compared with just 15m a day at the Sun. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Suns website (pictured here in 2012) has failed to keep pace with the MailOnline site. Photograph: Alamy David Dinsmore, a former Sun editor who is now chief operating officer of ultimate parent company News UK, says the Suns regular online audience the people who come back every day is several million strong. Yet in a recent libel case, which saw Labours shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, successfully sue the paper over false claims he performed with a band that delights in Nazi imagery, the Suns defence partly rested on the argument that limited damage had been caused because a mere 7,000 people read the political scoop on its website in the space of six months many of whom were lawyers. In a reversal of fortune, it is now the historically loss-making Times that is now the star financial performer in Murdochs UK newspaper business. All of this is prompting nervousness at the Sun about what happens if Murdochs son Lachlan takes over the family business, especially given revenues at the newspaper have fallen from 456m to 401m in three years, a situation made worse by the tens of millions of pounds put aside to deal with the phone-hacking allegations. The Sun has always strongly insisted that phone hacking took place only at sister paper the News of the World. At the same time, it has paid out millions of pounds to those who claim hacking was widespread at the daily paper, in order to settle cases before the accusations can be tested in open court, with legal proceedings over the issue now well into their second decade. Then there are the accusations of racism, whether over coverage of immigration, which has led to countless complaints to the press regulator IPSO, or its treatment of Raheem Sterling. At the end of last year, the newspaper defended itself from claims that its coverage of the England player was unfair. Its always difficult for editors when it comes to these situations, because you know it is a story that needs to be told but you know theres going to be a reaction. We must be able to address thorny difficult subjects. Dinsmore has a plea to his critics: If you took your blinkers off and read it cover to cover you would like it and it understand it better. | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/21/has-the-sun-lost-its-shine |
Could electric scooters like Bird, Lime help ease traffic congestion, save riders money? | CLOSE The good: a new breed of electric scooter is easy to obtain, via an app, and can be dropped anywhere. The bad: streets are littered with stray scooters and pedestrians are upset. Jefferson Graham reports from Santa Monica USA TODAY In the rush to demonize electric scooters as dangerous nuisances, we might be missing an opportunity. Transportation experts say scooters could be part of a solution to relieve urban congestion and address global warming. Scooters could also help riders save money and arrive at the office without needing to hit the showers. For example, say you have an important meeting 3 miles away, but city streets are jammed with motionless cars. Uber or Lyft would also sit in traffic and could easily cost $15. Instead, you rent a nearby electric scooter for $1 to start and 15 cents a minute. You cruise past cars and arrive in time for your meeting. Total cost: $3. Environmental impact: infinitesimal. A user rides a Bird scooter on April 17, 2018 in San Francisco. (Photo11: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Bumpy ride so far Dockless electric scooters, so-called because riders can leave them wherever their trip ends, began popping up in cities nationwide in 2018. With a smartphone app, riders locate and unlock rental scooters (offered by companies with zippy names like Bird, Lime, Scoot, Jump and Razor) making for a great solution for a gridlocked city. Wrong. With fellow urbanites annoyed by scooter riders dive bombing pedestrians and leaving scooters strewn across sidewalks, an internet sensation emerged: Scooter haters finding new ways including set to music on YouTube to destroy them. Security concerns: Hackers can gain full control over Xiaomi electric scooter, group finds Study: Electric scooters sending lots of riders to emergency rooms with injuries But any time you see someone on a scooter, they arent in a car and we should be hugging and kissing them for that, says Jim McPherson, a San Francisco Bay area lawyer specializing in transportation technology. He says both human-propelled and motorized scooters were popular a century ago, while the current electric scooter rental boom is thanks to powerful lithium-ion batteries and GPS connectivity. Scooters are an attractive addition to the transportation matrix since they travel the same speed as cyclists and in many cities can use the bike lanes already built, Heather Hamilton, an elected official in Brookline, Massachusetts, and a transportation-focused project manager with engineering firm BSC Group, tells NerdWallet. Scooters could be one puzzle piece in efforts to attain carbon neutrality, Hamilton wrote in a recent Boston Globe opinion piece. On the topic of inner city congestion, its clear we cant drive our way out of this problem, says Alissa Walker, urbanism editor for real estate site Curbed. Instead, she says we need micro-mobility, a variety of small, lightweight transportation devices, like electric scooters and bikes. Scooter sharing services also could save riders money. A recent study estimated that a 3-mile journey in Chicagos traffic would cost $6 in a car versus $5.07 by scooter. The study by DePaul University was partially funded by scooter company Bird. Road to acceptance Walker believes scooters are really just a part of a suite of options for helping people get around, she says. For example, Ubers app now also connects you with bikes and scooters through partnerships with Jump and Lime. You open up your phone and you see that this method (of transportation) will take this long and cost this much and be zero emissions, Walker says. You can gauge your decision based on the information in front of you. Although electric scooters, which cost $350-$500, are cheaper than cars, they fill a different need and likely wont replace cars for most people. However, easy access to scooters could mean driving less. Over time, that could help reduce ones total car ownership costs, which include gas, parking, maintenance and insurance. And whether scooter haters like it or not, the urban transportation market is exploding. Bird scooters are available in over 100 cities, including Paris and Tel Aviv, Israel. Meanwhile, Lyft introduced scooters in a test program in Denver and bought the countrys biggest bike-share operator, Motivate. Experts say electric scooters offer a number of advantages over other forms of transportation: Cheaper. With rides starting at about $1, electric scooters are much less expensive than driving, paying for gas and parking. User-friendly. Theyre easier to get on and off compared with a bike. Effortless. You dont work up a sweat. Less hassle. You can park almost anywhere (but dont block sidewalks). But there are drawbacks: More risks. Electric scooter sharing has a higher rate of fatal injuries compared with bike sharing. Best for short jaunts. Theyre less efficient for trips over 3 miles. Costs can rise. All-day rentals get pricey. You have to go to it. You have to walk to a scooter rather than being picked up (but soon, scooters might be delivered to you). In the rapidly evolving world of mobility, the electric scooter, used responsibly, seems to have a place. But as Walker says, Next year theyll have some other new device that everyone is talking about. More from NerdWallet: Philip Reed is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: [email protected]. NerdWallet is a USA TODAY content partner providing general news, commentary and coverage from around the web. Its content is produced independently of USATODAY. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2019/02/21/electric-scooters-could-bird-lime-rentals-ease-traffic-congestion/2926267002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2019/02/21/electric-scooters-could-bird-lime-rentals-ease-traffic-congestion/2926267002/ |
Will council finally approve FC Cincinnati zoning change? | CLOSE Aerial footage above the future site of FC Cincinnati's new stadium in the West End neighborhood. (Sam Greene & Albert Cesare/The Enquirer) Sam Greene and Albert Cesare, Cincinnati Enquirer FC Cincinnati continues to work on deals to help a black restaurateur keep her business in the West End and with its tenant, the Cincinnati Ballet issues Cincinnati City Council urged the team to work out before it would approve a zoning change for the team's stadium. That vote is set for Thursday and a deal is close to help Monica Williams and her Just Cookin' restaurant, said Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman. Negotiations with the ballet continue Thursday. It's unclear this morning. The stadium is already behind schedule, costing it a half million dollars and construction officials fretted any further delays could push back the planned 2021 opening. Cincinnati City Council hit the pause button last week, after supporters of Williams turned out in droves during public comment protesting how her business was shuttered to make way for the stadium. And council members were concerned about how the Cincinnati Ballet, which sits on land owned by the team and whose parking lot is slated for part of the development, and the team would co-exist. FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding argued those issues were outside council's control. But still council members sent everyone back to the negotiating table. More: FC Cincinnati stadium: Issues with ballet, restaurant prompt Cincinnati City Council to delay key vote More: Key dates in FC Cincinnati's lurching effort to get a stadium approved Monica Williams of Just Cookin' sits in a city council meeting on Wednesday Feb. 13 to hear the outcome of a vote regarding FC Cincinnati's West End stadium. Williams and her restaurant were displaced by the plans to build the stadium (Photo11: Phil Didion) More: Cincinnati Ballet's 'Sleeping Beauty' tutus are something special FC Cincinnati is building a $250 million stadium in the West End, which council gave the go-ahead for last year in a 5-4 vote. And it approved nearly $35 million in incentives for infrastructure purposes. But that approval still had to go through the city's planning commission and get zoning approval from council. Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/21/fc-cincinnati-stadium-zoning-change-city-council/2924882002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/21/fc-cincinnati-stadium-zoning-change-city-council/2924882002/ |
Will Gavin Newsoms individual mandate plan hurt the poor? | When Kate Green calculated her health care costs last year, it just didnt add up for her to stay insured. The 30-year-old worker in a real estate referral company had signed up for the lowest-cost plan possible, but it came with high out-of-pocket costs. Premiums ate up money Green had planned on spending to pay off car and college loans. The final straw: a $1,200 doctor bill for a minor knee injury. Green dropped her coverage in late 2018, and the tax penalty for not having insurance disappeared this year for the first time since the launch of the Affordable Care Act. So far, she hasnt regretted the gamble. If I have a life-threatening injury and I get taken to the hospital in an ambulance, yes, right now Id have hundreds of thousands [in] bills, the Sacramento resident said. And if I was insured it might be like tens of thousands. Its bankrupting me effectively either way. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee When the federal Affordable Care Act first took effect in 2014, Americans had to pay a penalty known as the individual mandate if they didnt have insurance. Congress has since rolled back the penalty, meaning Green wont be fined for not having coverage. But that could change if California Gov. Gavin Newsom recreates the individual mandate at the state level as part of his plan to prop up the states health insurance exchange and get more people insured. Newsom and his legislative allies say they want the state-level mandate to work the same way as the federal one. The goal is to encourage enough healthy people to buy coverage to offset costs from those who need expensive care. Newsom characterized the mandate as necessary to stabilize the health care system under the Affordable Care Act in the face of the federal governments vandalism of the law. You need that stability of the mandate because that increases the purchasing pool, which lowers your cost, Newsom said last month when outlining his budget proposal. Every single person in California should be celebrating that. SHARE COPY LINK During his budget presentation in January 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined his plan to expand subsides for health care coverage to more Californians by restoring the individual mandate. He also plans to expand health care for undocumented residents. Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, is carrying a bill that would implement the governors vision. We want as many people participating in the health care market as possible, Bonta said. The Newsom administration estimates the penalty would generate about $500 million each year. Newsom wants to earmark that revenue to fund insurance subsidies for what he calls middle-income families individuals earning between $48,560 and $72,840 or a family of four with a household income of less than $150,000. In a report last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office said the mandate could be one of the states most effective policy options to increase the number of insured Californians and lower coverage costs by using the threat of a penalty to increase the pool of healthy people paying into the system. But the LAO also cautioned that the individual mandates goal of getting more people to buy insurance is at odds with the goal of raising revenue for insurance subsidies. Thats because as more Californians sign up for insurance, fewer people will pay the penalty, generating less money. People who fall below a certain income threshold wouldnt have to pay a penalty under Newsoms plan. But the mandate would still disproportionately affect people in lower- and middle-income tax brackets, according to an analysis by the USC Center for Health Journalism Collaborative. Almost 600,000 Californians paid a penalty in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available. Nearly three in four of those Californians earned less than $50,000 in gross income, IRS data shows. In 2016, the penalty was $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of yearly household income, whichever was higher. Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump argued it was unfair to penalize people for choosing not to have insurance when they rolled back the individual mandate in 2017. The mandate isnt popular among California Republicans either. State Sen. Andreas Borgeas said it would prop up the existing patchwork system. Were putting gum and MacGyvering Band-Aids on this system, the Fresno Republican said during an event at the Sacramento Press Club last week. It needs to be redone and reviewed top to bottom. Even for Democrats, who have supermajorities in each chamber of the Legislature, voting for the individual mandate could be a heavy lift. Lawmakers in vulnerable districts are often targeted if they vote for taxes. Last year, Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton was recalled after he voted to increase California gas taxes. Taxes also typically require a higher threshold for passage in the California Legislature: a two-thirds supermajority instead of the simple majority required for most bills. The Newsom administration says it believes its individual mandate proposal will require only a majority because it would simply reimpose the federal penalty at the state level. Bonta said that when it comes to his bill, that will be up to the Legislatures lawyers to decide. If the state doesnt take action, as many as 450,000 more Californians will be uninsured in 2020 than if the federal government had left the individual mandate in place, according to a recent analysis by researchers at UC Berkeley and UCLA. While some celebrate plans to shore up the finances of Californias individual health care market with a state penalty for going uninsured, Green, the woman who dropped her insurance, isnt among them. Even with additional subsidies, the mandate would still hurt people who have trouble affording insurance, she said. I think the idea of penalizing people for not being able to afford health insurance is kind of counter-intuitive, Green said. You already cant afford it, and here, lets charge you more money. | https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article226534430.html |
Could airlines spy on us through in-flight entertainment systems? | One passenger brought up the possibility after discovering a small camera under his TV screen. Singapore Airlines passenger Vitaly Kamluk discovered the camera while travelling on one of the airlines' Boeing 787. He took a picture of the screen and circled the small camera, then posted on Twitter to ask why it was there. Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines. pic.twitter.com/vy0usqruZG Vitaly Kamluk (@vkamluk) February 17, 2019 "Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines," he tweeted. Perhaps @SingaporeAir could clarify how it is used?" He received an almost immediate response from Singapore Airlines, who confirmed it was a camera but said it was not switched on and there were no plans to use them. "We would like to share that some of our newer in-flight entertainment systems provided by the original equipment manufacturers do have a camera embedded in the hardware," the carrier tweeted. "These cameras have been disabled on our aircraft, and there are no plans to develop any features using the cameras." Hi there, thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to share that some of our newer inflight entertainment systems provided by the original equipment manufacturers do have a camera embedded in the hardware. (1/2) Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 17, 2019 These cameras have been disabled on our aircraft, and there are no plans to develop any features using the cameras. Thank you. (2/2) Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 17, 2019 After another Twitter user asked the airline why the cameras were there if there were no plans to use then, Singapore Airlines responded again. "These cameras on our newer IFE (in-flight entertainment) systems were provided by the original equipment manufacturers. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras." Hi there, these cameras on our newer IFE systems were provided by the original equipment manufacturers. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras. Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 19, 2019 It made one commentator wonder if cameras could be used in the future, since IFE systems were being manufactured with them installed. Claire Reilly, an editor for electronics website CNET, wrote in a blog post: "You can bet that the 'original equipment manufacturers' who installed these cameras weren't trying to meet a growing demand for seat-cam footage of tired plane passengers. "We aren't livestreamed entertainment in this grim, dystopian future: We are an audience to be marketed to, data to be mined and a captive set of eyeballs to be coerced. "Cameras are in our advertising billboards, in our devices and on every second street corner, tracking our movements and slowly building up a picture of our lives in minute-by-minute real time. Add airplanes to the mix and you have a terrifying new way to calculate your social credit score." | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=12206009 |
Is Writing With A Pen Better Than Happy Hour? | One doesnt have to look very far to find reasons to use a pen. True, digital communication is often the method of choice these days, but there are many reasons why putting pen to paper makes sense. And the Pilot Pen Corporation of America has its own data to prove it. The Jacksonville, FL-based Pilot conducted an online survey earlier this year and posed questions about writing habits and the role a pen plays in daily living. Some of the questions were based on recent reports in the news, and each ultimately points toward an interesting fact about the practical and emotional effects of handwriting. According to U.S. News & World Report, more than 80% of people abandon their New Years resolutions by the second week of February. A pen might help, Pilot implies, since more than 80% of its survey respondents agree that writing down goals aids in achieving them, yet only 25% of them committed their New Years resolutions to paper. The benefits of handwriting have been scientifically proven and continue to be highly relevant, even in this digital age, says Ariann Langsam, Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Pilot Pen. Forty-three percent of participants reported noticeably lower stress levels when engaging in writing-related activities such as journaling, doodling and list making. And this dovetails well, according to Pilot, with the American Psychological Association's findings that Americans are no strangers to stress. Again, perhaps a pen is just the ticket: ditch the before-dinner cocktail and pick up a pen. Ninety percent of survey respondents shared that receiving a handwritten note or greeting card made them feel loved and appreciated, while 80% of respondents stated they still write every day. And in this vein, Pilot is encouraging people to share their everyday writing in the form of handwritten notes, to-do lists, calligraphy and more on social media using #pilotpenpreferably executed with a writing implement from one of its many collections. One of my favorites is the Precise collection, which highlights Pilots stature as the brand that introduced the U.S. to fine-point writing in relatively recent history, and today maintains the top-share position in the gel and rolling ball pen categories. In case you didnt know, the brands Japanese parent company, the Pilot Corporation, has been around since 1918 and is well known for its many innovations in pen making and its production of all manner of writing implements and inks, as well as its tastefully decorated and highly collectible maki-e fountain pens. So find a pen you like and give writing a shot. Not only is it fun, its good for you. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyolson/2019/02/21/is-writing-with-a-pen-better-than-happy-hour/ |
Which U.K. Tech Companies Now Hire More People For Non-Tech Than Tech Roles? | The number of non-tech jobs in the U.K.s biggest and most high-profile tech businesses has risen by 11% points in just the last seven months - from 43% to 54%. It means that high-profile employers, such as Salesforce, Amazon and Apple, are now more likely to appoint an account manager than a solutions architect, a marketing manager than a systems engineer, according to a survey compiled by Glassdoor. The changing profile of their recruitment needs reflects a sector that is maturing from the fewer functions required by startups and scaleups to those of more traditional SMEs or corporates. For those with ambitions to work in a tech company, but put off by the view that they only employ geeks, it might be the time to look again. Non-tech jobs by employer Overall, Salesforce hired the highest percentage of non-tech roles at 83%. While we may be a technology company, we hire across a range of roles and skills to support customer success in the region, says Ana Recio, Executive Vice President, Global Recruiting, Salesforce. Its peers, SAP, Oracle and Amazon, were pretty close behind with more than half of their roles for non-tech workers. Even Google, Apple and Expedia have between more than two fifths to a half of their jobs open to non-tech workers. Facebook comes in at 47% but for each of its individual tech roles on offer, it might appoint several of those who apply not something it does for non-tech jobs. There is no correlation between the number of generic listings on recruitment platforms and the number of people we hire, says Alexandru Voica, EMEA Communications Manager, Engineering. Top 10 non-tech jobs Account manager, operations manager, project manager, account executive and marketing managers are the roles most in demand by the tech companies. Sales executive, support technician, business development manager, recruiter and security officer come next. Yet these top 10 non-tech jobs account for only one in five of the non-tech jobs on offer suggesting there is a real multitude of non-tech jobs on offer in the tech companies. The median salary for non-tech roles is 38,100 per year compared to the 40,440 per year for tech jobs, a relatively insignificant difference of 2000. Tech companies in Exeter, Slough Reading, Birmingham and Leeds are all cities more likely to hire more non-tech employees than those companies in London. In fact, 68% of employees appointed by tech companies in Exeter are joining to do non-tech jobs. More diverse functions Modern tech companies started out as startups, raising funds not based on income but potential. As they scaled, new waves of investors expected to see those promises turn into revenue and profit. A more diverse workforce is required to deliver it. So it becomes necessary to appoint sales. With these appointments come the need for marketers to join the team to supply the leads. Both functions get the job based not on whether they have worked for a startup or a scaleup but because they can deliver revenue. Tech companies have also come under increasing scrutiny on a number of public affairs issues such as tax and data protection. It means that whereas once a dynamic founder might have been able to bat for the company alone, he or she now needs a phalanx of professionals to see the growing company through the twists and turns of public opinion. And, most importantly, customers. As startups become scaleups and then global technology companies, they need to find mainstream, paying customers beyond the early adopters that first used their products and made the companys name. Polish up that C.V. Last year, we announced plans to hire 900 employees in the UK over five years, with a strong mix of technical and non-technical roles, including sales, customer success, solution engineering, support, partner engagement, legal, marketing and more, concludes Recio. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwelsheurope/2019/02/21/which-u-k-tech-companies-now-hire-more-people-for-non-tech-than-tech-roles/ |
Is Bernie Sanders too old to run for president in 2020? | By Cait Bladt Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced his intention to run for president in 2020. If he were to win the presidency, he would become the oldest person to hold the office in American history, celebrating his 80th birthday in office. Sanders, at age 77, argues he is in impeccable health and has a sharp mind. Not only that, but our current president is 72 years old and frequently faces concerns about his health. Others say Sanders is too old to connect with the country as a whole. At 77-years-old, Sanders is by far the oldest candidate running for president. Former Vice President Joe Biden who is expected to join the race, would be younger than Sanders by only a year. Many pundits worry Sanders' age could not only negatively affect his performance in office but hurt his chances of ever winning the seat. Per New York Magazine: [I]ts no secret that when people, particularly men, get to that age, the risk of mortality rises significantly (a 75-year-old man has a 22 percent chance of dying within six years), and along with it the possibility of cognitive deterioration (an estimated 15 percent of people between the ages of 80 and 84 suffer from some form of dementia). If voters fear any of that happening, it could (particularly with some encouragement from the kind of intensely hostile conservative media that Sanders and Biden were spared in 2016) affect their electability in ways that are not easy to anticipate in scope and power. And even more obviously, if a 77- or 79-year-old candidate suffers from any real or perceived impairment, the issue could take over the campaign to an extent that makes Hillary Clintons email problem look minor. Sanders supporters are quick to point out that Sanders appears to maintain a far healthier lifestyle than the current sitting president. Not only that, but he would not be the oldest person holding elected office in the federal government. Per the Intercept: Yet his likely Republican opponent, Trump, will be the previous record-holder. He was 70 in 2016 and will be 74 in 2020. Yes, the overweight sitting president, who eats junk food, doesnt exercise, and refuses to release his medical records. In terms of the Democratic primaries, Sanders will be 79 in 2020, but Biden will be 77 and Elizabeth Warren will be 71. Sanders himself has acknowledged that his age could be a concern for some voters. However, he told Politico that he is of excellent health and his age would in no way affect his performance. Its part of a discussion, but it has to be part of an overall view of what somebody is and what somebody has accomplished, Sanders, who is 77, told POLITICO. Youve got people who are 90 years of age who are going to work every day doing excellent work. And obviously, age is a factor. But it depends on the overall health and well being of the individual. Sanders has been questioned about his age several times since entering the race. During an interview with Vermont Public Radio, he responded: "We have got to look at candidates, you know, not by the color of their skin, not by their sexual orientation or their gender and not by their age," Sanders said. "I mean, I think we have got to try to move us toward a non-discriminatory society which looks at people based on their abilities, based on what they stand for." The hosts of FiveThirtyEights Politics Podcast felt the response was self-serving and somewhat defensive, lumping real concerns about his age in with unfair racial biases and gender being held against other candidates. 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2019/02/is-bernie-sanders-too-old-to-run-for-president-in-2020.html |
How Will The Model 3 Price Cuts Impact Tesla? | Tesla has cut the price of its Model 3 sedan twice this year. After slashing prices of all its vehicles by $2,000 following the reduction of the federal tax credit for its cars in January, the company dropped Model 3 prices by another $1,100 earlier this month after ending its customer referral program. In this note, we take a look at the potential impact of the price cuts on Tesla. We have created an interactive dashboard analysis that breaks down our price estimate for Tesla, based on key drivers including Model 3, S, X average selling prices and deliveries. You can modify inputs for Teslas pricing, volumes, and margins to arrive at your own valuation for the company. In addition, you can view all Trefis Consumer Discretionary company data here. Why The Price Cuts Are Necessary At the start of 2019, the federal tax credit for Tesla buyers fell to $3,750 from $7,500, as the company crossed the sales threshold of 200k cars set by the government. The total price cut of $3,100 over the past few weeks largely helps to offset this, and now the least expensive version of the Model 3 sells for $42,900 for a car offering mid-range battery capacity (264 miles) along with the premium interior package. However, it will become important for the company to move further down the price curve in early July, as the tax credit again drops by half, effectively making Teslas more expensive by $1,875. The credit will go away entirely in January 2020. With Tesla being the first automaker to lose access to the full credit, and competition in the broader EV market heating up, the company will have to launch the standard version of the Model 3 ($35,000) to mitigate the impact. However, it appears that Tesla will have some work to do on this front. Towards the end of last year, Tesla indicated that it would cost about $38,000 to make the standard range Model 3, implying that it would still need to make meaningful cost cuts to make the vehicle profitably. Tesla has been taking multiple steps to cut costs. Firstly, the scale-up of Model 3 production could help the company improve economies of scale and reduce costs. Tesla is likely to be producing over 5,500 Model 3 vehicles per week currently according to the Bloomberg Model 3 tracker, up from less than 2,500 units a week in mid-2018, and the metric is expected to approach 10k vehicles by the end of this year. Moreover, the production process for the Model 3 uses a significant amount of automation, which helps it drive down costs. For example, in Q4 Tesla has said that the number of labor hours per Model 3 declined by roughly 20% compared to Q3 and by about 65% in the second half of 2018. The company also decided to cut 7% of its full-time workforce in January to save costs. Tesla also has an advantage in terms of battery costs, with the company aiming for battery cell costs of less than $100/kWh last year, which is well below the broader industry. Separately, Tesla also ended its customer referral program which offered new buyers six months of free supercharging, while offering existing owners other perks and this could also help the company cut costs. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/21/how-will-the-model-3-price-cuts-impact-tesla/ |
How do brokers Tal and Oren Alexander keep setting sales records? | Heres how to start off your new year with a bang: Since Jan. 1, brothers Tal and Oren Alexander, who oversee a 10-person team of brokers at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, have closed on three deals worth nearly a half-billion dollars. First came the Jan. 21 sale of a mansion at 3 Carlton Gardens in London to billionaire Ken Griffin for $122 million the highest recorded purchase in that city since 2011. Two days later, the brothers brokered the sale of a New York City penthouse at 220 Central Park South for a whopping $238 million, the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S., also to Griffin. Then on Feb. 1, the Alexanders represented the seller in the $50 million sale of a mansion at 3 Indian Creek Island Road the highest price ever paid for a single-family home in Miami-Dade County to an undisclosed buyer. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald Sitting poolside at their sprawling Miami Beach mansion, Tal, 32, and Oren, 31, acknowledge their record-setting real estate hat trick has been a little surreal. Just dont call them lucky. People often say weve had beginners luck, Oren says. But weve been doing this for over a decade. There were deals that weve been working on for the past three years, using relationships that weve cultivated over the last decade. Weve been able to grow a network that is unprecedented. Theres not a person or a client we cant get to. In just 10 years, the Alexanders have established themselves as major players in an industry that often takes decades to crack: The competitive world of ultra-high-end real estate. After growing up in Miami Beach, the brothers separated to attend college. Oren went to the University of Colorado Boulder, and Tal attended Hofstra University in Long Island. Upon graduation, the pair moved to New York City to launch their careers in 2008 just as the real estate market imploded. Still, they pushed forward. Oren landed a job with Douglas Elliman Realty and focused on sales. He was only 21 when he brokered his first major deal, an $8.2 million penthouse at the Park Imperial in Manhattan in the summer of 2009. The buyer was the well-known Miami attorney Jim Ferraro. Real Estate Brokers Tal (right) and Oren Alexander at their home on Miami Beach on Friday, February 1, 2019. PATRICK FARRELL [email protected] Four years later, Ferraro paid $7.75 for the adjacent penthouse in the same building, again hiring Oren as his broker. It definitely crossed my mind at the time that Oren was so young, Ferraro says today. But I started my law firm three years out of law school, so I started young too. He got me a great deal. The numbers were really good and they got a write-up in the New York Post, because the market was dead at that time. And my place today is worth more than double what I paid for it. While Oren concentrated on sales, Tal started his own company in 2009 focusing on luxury rentals. I was showing apartments to an elderly couple who were looking to sell their place and move downtown, Tal says. They owned a seven-room apartment at The Eldorado on 90th and Central Park West, and I told them they had to meet my brother. That $7.5 million unit became Orens first listing in 2011 and made the brothers to realize they should be working together. Since then, the pair have negotiated sales for everyone from the state of Qatar to the unnamed Russian buyer who paid $47 million in cash for the estate at 3 Indian Creek Island Road in 2012 the former record for the most expensive single-family home sale in Miami-Dade. Other famous clients have included footwear magnate Steve Madden, designer Tommy Hilfiger and Hamilton producer Sander Jacobs. The Alexanders currently represent more than $1 billion of properties in New York and Florida. Word of mouth is the most important kind of marketing, Oren says. It makes up 90 percent of our business. The other 10 percent: Showing their potential clients they can play and vacation at their same level, they say. The Alexanders various Instagram accounts, which have a combined 65,000 followers, are filled with photos of the brothers frolicking in the Bahamas, Aspen, Cambodia and West Maui. They travel constantly, whether its bouncing back and forth between Manhattan or Miami or visiting Art Basel fairs in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires and wherever else their clientele might be. Oren and Tal have a knack for being at the right event during Art Basel, at the right camp at Burning Man and at the right party at the Oscars, says Jay Parker, CEO of Douglas Ellimans Florida brokerage . They have the gift of gab, they work very hard, theyre very disciplined and theyve been able to leverage their previous successes. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, and these guys never stop squeaking. The family connection Parker says he first met the Alexanders at a Shabbat dinner at their parents home a familial connection that remains intact today. Their father Shlomi Alexander, a developer who specializes in building high-end mansions and spec homes, says the real estate bug bit his sons early. They would run around with me when they were still kids at the construction sites, already negotiating with people, says Shlomi, who built the 3 Indian Creek Island Road spread that first sold in 2012. They used to run after me to see who was coming to see the property. They had this great dynamic from a very young age. Theres nothing better than when you can work with your own kids and build a beautiful company. I build the homes and the boys sell them. The Alexander brothers represented the seller in the recent sale of this mansion at 3 Indian Creek Island Road for $50 million. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Another plus: Each of the brothers strengths complements the other. Oren is the ambassador, the one who speaks about architecture and design and stonework. Tal is the salesman, the one with the encyclopedic knowledge of statistics and market trends. Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of the New York-based Miller Samuel Inc. real estate consulting firm, says he was walking down Madison Avenue last fall when he ran into Tal. He started grilling me about the market, and in return shared a lot of intel with me, Miller says. It was a very rapid-fire, off-the-cuff conversation. Hes really into pricing and is very knowledgeable about the international buyers coming in. I dont know what their secret sauce is, but they have something that gets them in the middle of many high-profile deals other brokers cant touch. Part of that secret sauce may be the confidence the brothers exude the kind of self-assurance that only comes with success. Our deals do the talking for us, and were a lot younger than the competition by far, Tal says. We look forward to settling down and starting families one day, but right now this is a 24/7 job for us. And our parents taught us to be equal partners and work together from an early age. We bring a different perspective into the industry because of that. For the price of one, youre getting the best of both. | https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article225291390.html |
Are we all peeling bananas wrong? | By Jessie Blaeser You may think the way to peel a banana is one of life's universal truths. Of course, you take the stem of a banana, snap it, and peel -- it's simple. But some are saying there is an easier way: Peeling from the bottom. This camp points out that monkeys peel bananas from the bottom, so it must be the way nature intended. Banana-traditionalists call this heresy. There's only one right way to peel a banana. PERSPECTIVES Of course, you peel a banana from the top. The stem is there to provide the perfect handle for peeling. You just grab, snap and peel -- easy enough. Be honest with yourself: The function of the stem is to act as your gateway to the banana fruit itself. No. Peeling a banana from the bottom is the more efficient route. You simply pinch the bottom and peel. There's no concern about wiggling the stem back and forth to get it to snap -- you get it right every single time, and your banana will never suffer in the process. If this feels like sacrilege to you, take solace in the fact that this is the way nature intended; monkeys peel bananas from the bottom. Flip your banana upside down and enjoy your un-mushed fruit. 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.cleveland.com/food/index.ssf/2019/02/are_we_all_peeling_bananas_wro.html |
Why do white supremacists, racists and other fringe characters love Kelli Ward? | Opinion: Arizona's Republican Party Chairman attracts the darndest people. Kelli Ward greets supporters during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Last year, it was then-White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who once described his Breitbart News website as the platform for the alt-right. Bannon was on the stage at the kickoff to Wards second unsuccessful Senate campaign, announcing that Republicans would reap the whirlwind and that whirlwind is Kelli Ward. It wasnt until months later, when Bannon had a falling out with President Donald Trump, that Ward announced she wasnt even sure if Bannon had endorsed her. Then there was Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump national security aide who some have linked to a quasi-Nazi Hungarian nationalist group. (Gorka has disputed that he is a member of Vitzi Rend. He also has explained that white supremacists are "not the problem" in America when it comes to battling terrorism -- this just a few days before the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead and 19 injured -- and that there has never been a serious attack or a serious plot that was unconnected from ISIS or al Qaeda.) Ward paid Gorka to come to Phoenix last year to attend a campaign rally. Dont forget Wisconsin congressional candidate Paul Nehlen, who cheerfully describes himself as apro white Christian American candidate. In 2016, Ward supported his unsuccessful bid to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan and in 2017 she was seen palling around with him at the #Deploraball. It was great to see him in #DC at the #DeploraBallpic.twitter.com/cXDXY9actQ Dr. Kelli Ward (@kelliwardaz) January 31, 2017 Breitbart cut ties with Nehlen later that year, given his anti-Semetic tweets. The Wisconsin Republican Party has said hes not welcome there. In early 2017, he published a list of journalists who are Jewish and went on former Klu Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Dukes podcast to offer his vision for Trump's border wall. Armed machine gun turrets every 300 yards, he said in February 2017. And you can automate those. Anyone who approaches that barrier will be treated as an enemy combatant. Man, woman or child. In early 2018, he was banned from Twitter after posting a racist tweet about Meghan Markle, Strangely, it would take until June 2018 before Ward distanced herself from Nehlen, calling his comments outrageous. Now comes a report that Ward, the Arizona Republican Partys new chairwoman, has enlisted the help of a volunteer who just a few years ago was tweeting racist and homophobic bilge. Shialee Grooman invoked the N-word, used a disgusting term for Hispanics and repeatedly tweeted homophobic slurs. Now shes helping Wards transition team over at state GOP HQ. She even has a state-party email address. Grooman, now in her early 20s, tells The Republics Yvonne Wingett Sanchez the tweets date to high school and that she is not that person today. "I'm one of the people who now have their childhood mistakes opened to public debate and are not allowed to grow or mature," Grooman wrote, via email. "Those tweets don't reflect who I am and I won't allow them to define me as a person." Grooman was associated as recently as earlier this week, according to her Linked In Profile -- with Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization led by Charlie Kirk. Kirk has come under fire for allegations involving racial bias. Meanwhile, the groups communications director, Candace Owens, earlier this month was criticized for remarks she made about nationalism and Adolf Hitler. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Huffpost, in an April 2018 story about Turning Point USA, reported Groomans tweets, which have since been removed from the Internet. Several of the tweets arent fit even to be paraphrased in a family publication. Lets just say her remarks showed a propensity toward racism, homophobia and a disturbing interest in the anatomy of a certain race of males. If youre a race other than white I promise to make racist jokes towards you, she wrote in December 2012. Reach Roberts at [email protected]. MORE FROM ROBERTS: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/02/21/why-do-racists-and-other-fringe-characters-love-kelli-ward/2937481002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/02/21/why-do-racists-and-other-fringe-characters-love-kelli-ward/2937481002/ |
How long should it take to get my tax refund this year? | CLOSE Tax filing season is here, and the overhaul of tax laws means some potentially big changes for your budget. Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY Many taxpayers are anxiously awaiting this years tax refund that they hope to use to pay down debt, pad their savings or make a big purchase. Historically, almost three-quarters of Americans receive a refund, which has averaged just under $3,000, a big sum for many families. This year, the Internal Revenue Service expects most refunds to be issued in less than 21 days, as long as the return doesnt require further review. Some USA TODAY readers have reported getting their refunds in as fast as one week. Heres how to find out the status of your refund if youre still waiting for it. Tax troubles: Some Americans face a costly surprise this tax season: tiny refunds or bigger bills Tax filing tips: Taxes 2019: 10 common filing mistakes to avoid this year (Photo11: GETTY IMAGES) Track it If you havent received your tax refund, you can track its progress using the Wheres My Refund? app online or the free IRS mobile app IRS2Go. Information on your tax refund typically will be available within 24 hours after you filed an electronic return or four weeks after mailing a paper return. The app updates once a day usually overnight. Tax stress: Some Americans face a costly surprise this tax season: tiny refunds or bigger bills To check your refund status, you will need provide your Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount. The tool will show one of three statuses: Return Received, Refund Approved and Refund Sent. If you dont have internet access, you can call 800-829-1954 for an audio version of Wheres My Refund? Tax refunds for EITC and ACTC filers The Wheres My Refund tool was also updated this week for the majority of early filers who claimed either the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Before that, those filers may have received a projected date or message saying the IRS was still processing their return. Tech tips: 10 tech tips for Google, Instagram and Facebook to get your digital life in order Taxpayers who claimed the EITC or ACTC will see their tax refunds in their bank accounts or debit cards starting the week of Feb. 27, if they chose direct deposit. Thats because, by law, the IRS couldnt begin issuing those refunds before Feb. 15 to give the agency more time to detect possible fraud. Its time to call the IRS about your tax refund if it has been more than 21 days since you e-filed, more than six weeks since you mailed your return, or the Wheres My Refund? tool directs you to contact the agency. CLOSE Its tax time again. In your rush to get your taxes done, dont make these six mistakes. Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/21/where-my-tax-refund-2019-how-long-does-take-irs/2938220002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/21/where-my-tax-refund-2019-how-long-does-take-irs/2938220002/ |
Is the rodeo ready for Cardi B? | Joel Cowley admits that RodeoHouston disappointed black fans with last years inclusion of Leon Bridges on the lineup. RodeoHouston president and CEO Cowley isnt just blowing smoke. Fort Worth native Bridges performance on Black Heritage Day drew 51,870 paid attendance, the lowest of 2018. Large pockets of seats were empty throughout the stadium, and the uppermost sections were almost completely bare. Previous Black Heritage Day performers fared much better, including Alicia Keys (73,660 in 2017), Jason Derulo (59,236 in 2016), John Legend (69,583 in 2015) and Usher (75,067 in 2014). Bridges inclusion on the 2018 lineup was met with sustained criticism from black fans because his music appeals to a largely white audience. RodeoHouston lineup Feb. 25: Kacey Musgraves Feb. 26: Prince Royce Feb. 27: Brooks & Dunn Feb. 28: Luke Bryan March 1: Cardi B (Black Heritage Day) March 2: Turnpike Troubadours March 3: Panic! At the Disco March 4: Old Dominion March 5: Camila Cabello March 6: Luke Combs March 7: Tim McGraw March 8: Zedd March 9: Kane Brown March 10: Los Tigres del Norte (Go Tejano Day) March 11: Zac Brown Band March 12: Kings of Leon March 13: Santana March 14: Chris Stapleton March 15: Cody Johnson March 16: Brad Paisley March 17: George Strait with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen Read More Thats not what the African-American community wanted to see, Cowley says. We heard about that. We saw it in the stadium, and we saw it on the grounds. DON'T MISS THESE: The 7 RodeoHouston shows you need to see Cowley says last years tepid reaction factored into this years decision to book Cardi B on Black Heritage Day. She makes her debut Friday, less than three weeks after winning a Grammy for best rap album. She is the first solo female to ever win the award. Given the opportunity to book her, to really make a statement to the African-American community, who we disappointed last year, we decided we needed to (do) that, Cowley says. Cardi B was named Billboards top new artist of 2018, and her bilingual tune I Like It was one of the biggest songs of the year. The rapper, who is Trinidadian and Dominican, is the jewel atop one of the most diverse RodeoHouston lineups in years. She previously performed a 15-minute set at the Day for Night festival and canceled a headlining slot at Jmblya last year because of her pregnancy. This show, then, is a long time coming for local fans. Local rapper Genesis Blu calls Bridges a brilliant and talented artist but thinks RodeoHouston put him in a losing situation. It makes me think that people still dont understand that booking someone on Black Heritage Day just because they are black isnt going to cut it, she says. I am stoked about Cardi B performing because she continues to break down barriers for women, people of color and rap music. Keeping it clean Indeed, Cardi Bs name has kept RodeoHouston a popular topic across social media since January. But theres also been concern about her explicit lyrics, which arent what were used to hearing on the revolving stage. Theres risk, of course, anytime you put a microphone in someones hand. Maroon 5s Adam Levine let loose a barrage of foul language in 2006 when he noticed every word he spoke was picked up by the stadiums captioning screens. He issued an apology on the rodeos website and again when the band returned in 2014. Cowley promises Cardi B will keep it PG. Or PG-13, a challenge he says shes ably handled during TV appearances. We talked to her folks, and they tell us she can do a clean show. Shes played on Saturday Night Live and the American Music Awards, and shes been clean in those live performances, Cowley says. We emphasized that we strive to be a family-friendly environment. Thats very important to us. Language or not, Cardi B is one of this years hottest shows. Tickets sold out in 40 minutes, even faster than George Straits season-closing performance. So much attention is likely why an online petition targeted Cardi B, asking her to withdraw because of RodeoHoustons treatment of animals. More than 18,000 people have signed it as of mid-February. Horrible news, animal lovers: Cardi B is headlining an event chock-full of animal abuse: the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the petition begins. Cardi B has 11 dogs, thats how much she loves animals. She may not know all the ways animals are being abused to make this Houston event go on though. Thats why its up to us, her fans, to ask her not to use her name and popularity to support such gruesome behavior. The petition criticizes the calf scramble and other rodeo events. There are no petitions asking other performers to step down. RodeoHouston officials responded in a statement, stressing that the organization strongly believes in the importance of animal welfare. We take great pride in the care and attention our livestock receive throughout the rodeo. We work closely with veterinary professionals and the Houston SPCA, who are on-site daily. We are looking forward to welcoming Cardi B on March 1 and would be happy to show her how we treat all animals. Many noncountry acts As always, the inclusion of so many genre-busting performers has stirred up the usual This aint country! arguments. The rapper is one of several noncountry acts on the lineup alongside bachata heartthrob Prince Royce, Havana singer Camila Cabello, pop/rock band Panic! At the Disco, EDM superstar Zedd, Kings of Leon and Santana. Cowley has one word for the haters: 1974. The RodeoHouston lineup that year included The Jackson 5, Sonny & Cher, Doc Severinson, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Vicki Carr and Elvis Presley. Even 2017 featured Fifth Harmony, Blink-182, The Chainsmokers, Demi Lovato and Alicia Keys mixed in with the usual country acts. When we put an act out there that is not country, we tend to draw a younger audience, we tend to draw a more diverse audience and we tend to draw a higher proportion of people who have never been to our event, Cowley says. Historically, its really not that big of a departure. Its kind of whats hot at the time. In other words, buckle up, yall. [email protected] | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/Is-the-rodeo-ready-for-Cardi-B-13633724.php |
Will Louisiana GOP hand John Bel Edwards a second term? | Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards prospects for re-election have never looked rosier than they do this third week of February, a little less than eight months away from the Oct. 12 primary. By every objective measure, the Democratic governor holds the edge over his announced Republican challengers and just about anyone else who might be thinking about getting in. That is all the more remarkable given that Edwards was not expected to win four years ago, Republican Donald Trump carried the state with 58 percent of the vote two years ago, and Edwards remains the only Democratic governor in the Deep South. But here he is, looking for all the world like a heavy favorite while Republicans look panicked if not yet desperate. If inmates were being released too early, you can bet folks would pay attention The Louisiana Department of Corrections says complex calculations are to blame for keeping prisoners past their release date. Some of Edwards' advantages come from being the incumbent, some come from his aggressive campaign, and some are the result of the fractured and so-far feckless GOP efforts to throw him off his game. His first big break came late last year when state Republicans failed to settle on a single candidate to carry the banner into the fall. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, one of the states best-known elected officials, said he preferred to stay in Washington. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, decided to bide his time in hopes of a shot at someday becoming speaker of the House. State Attorney General Jeff Landry, who gamely tried to organize the united-front strategy, also announced he would seek re-election instead of going after Edwards. That leaves Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone and north Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham as the only declared Republicans in the race. Rispone, who co-founded ISC Constructors, a specialty contractor with annual revenues of $350 million, has never run for elected office and is all but unknown to Louisiana voters. Abraham was just elected to his third term representing the 5th Congressional District from his home base in Alto, an unincorporated community in Richland Parish. Others could jump in before the Aug. 6-8 qualifying period, but there doesn't appear to be anyone left in the bullpen with the kind of name recognition of financial resources to make up ground on Edwards. The climb looked even steeper last week with the release of the candidates' first meaningful campaign finance reports. Rispone, who launched his bid in October, reported $5.5 million in his account but only $550,000 from donors, which reflects popular support. The other $5 million is his own money. Abraham, who didnt get started until early December, raised nearly $357,000 in a holiday-shortened month and reported having about $350,000 in the bank. Not shabby, but not awe-inspiring. The governor meanwhile reported having about $8.4 million cash on hand with another $2.1 million in the pro-Edwards Gumbo PAC. That prompted one high-ranking state Republican to hit the panic button this week. Ive been getting a lot of chatter about, Is this the field?" state GOP rules chairman Scott Wilfong said in a radio interview Tuesday (Feb. 19). "Theres definitely some movement to try to get another candidate into the race. Wilfong didn't speculate on who that would be and whether he or she would be able to clear the field or reduced to throwing elbows with Rispone and Abraham for a spot in the runoff. It's also not clear how this newcomer will be able to raise enough money when the current contenders couldn't even scratch up $1 million between them. The money discrepancy is huge," Wilfong said. "I know there is a movement to get another candidate in the race. If that will be successful or not, I dont know. Gunfight at the City of Yes Corral New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell wants to reassure the public that this is not the "Wild, Wild West." The state GOP issued a statement Thursday, noting that Wilfong does not speak for the party or its leadership" and that his claims of a new candidate search are unfounded. From the partys perspective, we feel very confident that we have two great candidates in the race for Governor, either of whom would bring real leadership and reform to Louisiana, state GOP Chairman Louis Gurivch said. Convincing either Rispone or Abraham to bow out might help, but theres not a clear-cut case for who should stay and who should go. And there is no clear party authority to make that decision. Tim Morris is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write to Tim at [email protected]. | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/02/will-louisiana-gop-hand-john-bel-edwards-a-second-term.html |
Can Digital Sales Drive Growth For Home Depot In Q4? | Home Depot had a fairly strong first three quarters of 2018, as the home improvement retailer managed to grow its revenue by just over 6% in the first 9 months of the year. This performance was primarily attributable to strength in the housing market, better-than-anticipated growth in its digital segment, and a lower effective tax rate. We expect these trends to continue in the near term, though higher-than-expected transportation costs and a tougher comparable sales comparison should slightly dampen its Q4 results. Nevertheless, we expect the company to announce another solid quarter when it announces its Q4 results on February 26. Further, the companys strategic investments to bolster its supply chain and tackle higher costs should begin to show results in the medium term. Below we take a closer look at what to expect in Q4. We have a $210 price estimate for Home Depots stock, which is slightly higher than the current market price. Our interactive dashboard on what to expect from HD in Q4 details our expectations for the companys earnings. You can modify the charts in the dashboard to gauge the impact that changes in key drivers for Home Depot would have on the companys earnings and valuation, and see all of our Consumer Discretionary company data here. Factors That May Impact Performance 1. Housing Market: Despite the news surrounding a weak housing market, Home Depot saw its revenues grow by just over 6% in the first nine months of 2018, largely due to homeowners preferring to remodel their homes rather than selling. Further, the company has often highlighted that the housing stock in the country is old and in need of restoration and remodeling, which should drive growth for Home Depot. Even though interest rate hikes make mortgages more expensive, on the whole it is indicative of a robust economy. Moreover, unemployment is at its lowest level since 2000, and wages are improving. As a result, solid economic conditions bode well for a company like Home Depot that is heavily reliant on broader economic conditions. 2. Pro Sales Outpacing DIY Sales: HDs Pro segment should be the key driver for its growth, largely due to Pro sales outpacing its DIY (Do It Yourself) segment. Further, its big-ticket transactions those above $1000 form nearly 20% of U.S. sales. Consequently, a sustained focus on this segment is imperative for ensuring future growth. Further, the Pro segment sales have consistently improved above the company average in the first nine months of 2018. In addition, the company has been enhancing its investments to deepen its relationship with such customers, including enhanced associate tools in the stores and expanded delivery options. 3. Interconnected Retail Strategy: The company has made a concerted effort to create a truly integrated retail strategy, which seamlessly connects the online and offline channels, in an attempt to improve the shopping experience and store efficiency. Additionally, Home Depots digital segment saw solid growth in the first nine months of the year, largely driven by enhanced online traffic. Consequently, this has led to improved revenues and profitability. Moreover, in the digital space, the typical transaction ticket size is three times that in stores, and by focusing on this interconnected channel strategy, Home Depot has been able to boost revenues per square foot. This has ensured that its present store network is being efficiently used to drive revenues. 4. Higher Ticket Size: Numerous factors have benefited, and should continue to benefit, the average ticket size. Besides the aforementioned factors such as greater Pro sales and growth in digital sales, the focus on appliances as well as innovation are other factors driving this increase. Better than expected investment in appliances has resulted in share gains, with appliances garnering a higher than average ticket size. 5. Higher Transportation Costs: The company faced transportation headwinds throughout the first nine months of 2018. The higher costs in the third quarter resulted in a 23 basis point contraction in gross margins. While Home Depot isnt the only company facing higher transportation costs, the increasing shift toward the online space, as well as the addition of features such as same-day delivery, should continue to put pressure on gross margins through the fiscal year. Consequently, the company expects gross margin to improve 37 bps this year, down slightly from the previous guidance of 44 bps. 6. Reduced Tax Rate: Given the fact that Home Depot operates primarily in the U.S., its effective tax rate has been 35% or higher in the past few years. As a result of the decline in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective January 2018, the company is expected to have an effective tax rate of 24%, which should be a key driver in the substantial improvement in its net margin this year. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/21/can-digital-sales-drive-growth-for-home-depot-in-q4/ |
What does the code at the back of a bottle of wine signify? | Here it is: L18065D01 09:01 The answer Thats the lot number. It refers to the bottling date. Most wineries display such codes as a way to trace wine back to the batch from which it was bottled. This can be critical in the event that a product recall becomes necessary. For consumers, it can also explain why two bottles of otherwise identically labelled wine can taste markedly different. Often, a winery will transfer only a portion of a tank into bottles, reserving the rest for bottling at a later date, once the market is thirsty for new stock. That held-over lot, purely by virtue of spending another, say, six months or so maturing in tank, is likely going to taste slightly different than the first lot. Story continues below advertisement While not all countries require such numbers, the European Union mandated them many years ago. And while there is no universal format for how the codes are to appear, in Europe the number must begin with an L, as is the case on your bottle. Im not an inventory-control expert, but Ill take a stab a cracking the code on your bottle. The first two numerals are the final two digits of the bottling year, specifically 2018. This makes sense for a ros that was harvested in 2017 because typically pink wines are meant to be consumed fresh and are bottled early in the year following harvest. My second guess is that the next three digits 065 refer to the number of days elapsed in 2018. Given that January has 31 days and February has 28 (there was no leap year in 2018), there were 59 days in the first two months of the year. If you add the first six days of March, you come up with 65. Im not sure about the rest of the numbers used by the winery in question. The D01 could be a small batch from a larger lot. And I suspect the last four digits divided by a colon 09:01 could be the time of day when the bottle came off the line. Like I say, Im not certain of the finer details of your particular wine. But if Im wrong, I suspect that some lot-number geek out there will advise me of my error soon enough by email or Twitter. E-mail your wine and spirits questions to Beppi Crosariol. Look for answers to select questions to appear in the Wine & Spirits newsletter and on The Globe and Mail website. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-what-does-the-code-at-the-back-of-a-bottle-of-wine-signify/ |
What's wrong with gas hobs? | Image copyright Getty Images Gas hobs could become a thing of the past if recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change are implemented. Gas hobs and gas boilers use fossil fuels which produce greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists believe these gases are contributing to global warming by increasing the temperature of the planet. This is a problem because the UK is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 based on 1990 levels. This has recently become even more of a problem as emissions from housing suddenly increased by 1% last year, which is believed to be due to reductions in the installation of household energy efficiency measures. Gas is cleaner than coal, but it is still bad for the environment. To reduce these emissions the committee has said new-build homes should be banned from connecting to the gas grid. Instead of gas hobs these homes could be equipped with electric induction hobs and homes could be warmed using heat pumps. An induction hob produces heat using copper wire coils which create an electro-magnetic field underneath a glass ceramic surface. Heat is only produced when a pan with a magnetised based is place on the cooking surface - pans made of copper or aluminium will not work. According to the Committee on Climate Change heat pumps produce efficient electric heating by operating "like a fridge in reverse". Where a fridge's temperature is kept low by the evaporation and cooling of a liquid, heat pumps can be used to take thermal energy from the air outside, where it is compressed. Heat is then transferred into the home using a series of coils. The Renewable Energy Hub says heat pumps are efficient because they don't depend on the burning of fuel to create the heat. There are currently around 160,000 heat pumps in the UK with annual sales of around 20,000. The Committee on Climate Change says this is significantly lower than in other countries and points to Italy where 1.5 million heat pumps were sold in 2016. The Committee on Climate Change said people shouldn't worry about throwing out their current hobs and gas boilers. They are recommending that no new homes are connected to the gas grid by 2025 at the latest. Government advisers want gas hobs to be banned from being installed in new homes within six years. The committee sets out the need to decarbonise heating in existing homes by 2050, through low-carbon heat networks, heat pumps and/or by piping hydrogen through the gas network instead of natural gas. Last year the Dutch government introduced regulations which prevent new homes connecting to the gas grid. It wants all residential buildings to be off gas by 2050, reducing CO2 emissions from all residential buildings. Large cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht have signed a Green Deal, hoping that over the next few years gas-less neighbourhoods will emerge. Although tackling existing homes will be difficult and expensive in the short-term, money will be saved on gas bills in the long term. The committee wants the government to consider the renovations as a national infrastructure priority, akin to widening roads. Government advisers say gas hobs should be banned from being installed in new homes within six years. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47320673 |
Can Black Panther win best costume design at the Oscars? | Ruth E. Carter knows her Black history. and the 2016 remake of Roots. Carter was Oscar-nominated for her work on Amistad and Malcolm X. But on Feb. 24, she could be the one making history herself. Carter is nominated for best costume design for Black Panther. Along with Ray and Dreamgirls nominee Sharen Davis, she is only the second Black person ever nominated in the category. Should she win the neck-and-neck race against Sandy Powell, nominee for The Favourite, she will become the first Black best costume design winner in Oscar history. Ruth E. Carter's design for Black Panther's Queen Ramonda. ( Courtesy of Disney ) "I feel like this film is a culmination of everything that Ive done," says Black Panther costume designer Ruth E. Carter. ( Courtesy of Disney ) Over the phone from New York City, we asked Carter about creating the look of Black Panthers Wakanda, Africas influence on her work, and why the learning curve for superhero style is far steeper than a corset and a bustle. When you (first) see Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) on the landing pad, she has on her 3-D-printed hat; she has on her shoulder mantel (an overcoat that covers the shoulders), which was based on African lace. Using heightened technology to produce those two 3-D-printed pieces and basing them on African traditional dress was one way of showing that this was a technologically advanced country, and this woman was of royal blood. The dress that Ramonda wears, its a recognizable shape for a queen. Its a long dress, its a full skirt. It was undeniable who she was. Article Continued Below Director Ryan Coogler had given you the note that the uniforms of the all-female royal guard, the Dora Milaje, should almost be like jewelry. The neck rings and the arm rings were inspired by the Ndebele tribe. They had a spiny necklace under their neck rings. I started by hiring a jewelry designer, Douriean Fletcher. Her whole esthetic was very Afrocentric. Because the pieces were created by a jewelry designer, it did feel like you can wear them with a gown. Which is what we did with Danai (Gurira) in the casino. Nobody would be feeling like you are wearing armour its armour that feels and looks like jewelry. In the U.S., Black Panther is being shown for free in theatres as part of Black History Month. Its interesting that, even though the movie is based in an imagined world, it has such a connection to Black history and culture that it can be used as an educational tool. Thats what I take a lot of pride in. Black Panther was accurate. (Africans) saw their real cloth. They saw the Lesotho blankets. The Himba women saw their traditional dress. People of Africa rejoiced in seeing their history clearly in the film. African Americans rejoiced because they could make a beautiful connection to their own past. If you win this year, Black Panther will be the first film set in contemporary times to win best costume design since Priscilla, Queen of the Desert won in 1994. People dont realize how much work goes into it. They think the Wizard of Oz is behind a curtain pulling all these levers at the studio and thats how those films get made. Nobody works hard; everyone just makes money. But thats not true. I worked harder on Black Panther than on any film Ive ever done. Maybe we make it look easy but those supersuits you see running through the streets, they stay intact, theres never a crease, theres never a lump, theres never a bump. It takes six months to build that costume. Article Continued Below I think when they look at Mary Queen of Scots beautiful work, I love that designer when they look at these films they go, Wow, they had to research! Oh yeah! I feel like this film is a culmination of everything that Ive done. My other films prepared the world to receive this film. Malcolm X prepared the world to receive Black Panther. Selma prepared the world to receive Black Panther. Roots prepared the world to receive Black Panther. We already know the story of African Americans in the U.S. Now it was time to go back to Africa. | https://www.thestar.com/life/fashion_style/2019/02/21/can-black-panther-win-best-costume-design-at-the-oscars.html |
What is the truth about Shamima Begum's citizenship status? | According to the UK government, she is no longer a British citizen. The Home Office wrote to Begums parents on 19 February saying they had made the order to remove her citizenship that day. The governments reasons, or how they might argue the action was legal, are not known. International law makes clear a persons citizenship can not be revoked if doing so would make them stateless. So the Home Office evidently believes Begum either currently holds or is eligible to apply for citizenship of Bangladesh, from where her parents originate, in accordance with article 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981. Begum insists not she says she has never held or applied for Bangladeshi citizenship, and she has never been to country. The Bangladeshi government has been even more explicit, insisting she is not a citizen and there is no question of her being allowed to enter. Experts with knowledge of the British and Bangladeshi legal systems are divided on whether the Home Offices action is legal. Fahad Ansari, a lawyer who acted for two men in a similar case, has said the UK-born children of Bangladeshi parents are automatically dual citizens at birth, but that right lapses at the age of 21. The government lost that case, but only because the two men were over 21, which would not apply to Begum, who is 19. But Najrul Khasru, a British-Bangladeshi barrister and part-time tribunal judge who has reviewed Bangladeshs citizenship laws, told the Guardian he believed Begum was not a Bangladeshi citizen unless, at the time of her birth, her parents had registered her at the High Commission, which he said was very uncommon within the British-Bangladeshi community. The Guardian understands Begums parents say they did not register her birth in this way. Its now up to the courts to decide. Begum familys lawyer has confirmed they wish to appeal the removal of her citizenship, which could be a lengthy process. Crucially, Begums baby son, still less than a week old, was born before the order to strip her nationality was lodged, meaning he is British and his rights are unaffected, Sajid Javid indicated on Wednesday. The child therefore has the right to return to the UK, but the practicalities would be extremely complicated, as he wont have UK identity documents. Begums family are now exploring the legal and practical possibilities of bringing the baby to Britain, if his mother consents, while she awaits the outcome of any appeal in her case. | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/21/what-is-the-truth-about-shamima-begums-citizenship-status |
Which of this year's films will actually be remembered 20 years from now? | You can bet 1941s How Green Is My Valley wouldnt have toppled Citizen Kane. Theres a fair chance 2014s Boyhood will be better remembered in its 20th-anniversary year than Birdman. The Oscars may be a snapshot of the industry, but theyre usually blurry and often half obscured by someones big fat thumb. The year after the Shakespeare imbroglio, Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment won for their supporting work in The Sixth Sense; Spike Jonze took the directing prize for Being John Malkovich while Charlie Kaufman won for its screenplay; and Fight Club was named best picture. Actually, none of that is true. Those pictures went home empty-handed, as did Toy Story 2, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Iron Giant, Magnolia, Election and Run Lola Run. Sure, Bradley Cooper wasnt nominated for directing A Star Is Born, but you know therell be a fourth remake in another couple of decades. Here are some films that didnt even make the ballot but will surely stand the test of time. If you dont believe me, clip this out of the newspaper and get back to me in 2039. Eighth Grade: Like a grade-school version of last years Oscar nominee Lady Bird, writer/director Bo Burnham presents 13-year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) navigating the final week of Grade 8. The film will be remembered by todays eighth graders long into their greying years. Hereditary: Horror films generally get a bad rap at Oscar time; see the unheralded The Sixth Sense and, from the same year, The Blair Witch Project. This one deserves better, as (again!) does star Toni Collette. A Quiet Place: Another horror that will still be scaring them in years to come, John Krasinskis latest actually scored one Oscar nomination for sound editing. Annihilation: About the only genre to fare worse than horror at Oscar time is science-fiction. Alex Garlands Ex Machina won for its screenplay in 2014, and his follow-up, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, should have got at least that nomination. Sorry to Bother You: This politically trenchant, very funny first feature from writer/director Boots Riley leaves no stone unthrown, and should have swelled the ranks of black nominees with its fine work by Riley and star Lakeith Stanfield. Leave No Trace: You could make an alternate Oscar ballot out of the ignored films from female directors. Debra Graniks searing story of a PTSD-addled veteran living in an urban forest with his 13-year-old daughter would top that list. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts: Another fantastic film from a female director (Indonesias Mouly Surya), it feels like Quentin Tarantino and Nuri Bilge Ceylon had collaborated on a western. It should have been Indonesias first nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. : Inexplicably missing from the best documentary shortlist, this portrait of childrens TV host Fred Rogers feels like an antidote to the worst of the world of 2019, and will, if we know whats good for us, still be celebrated in 2039. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/which-of-this-years-films-will-actually-be-remembered-20-years-from-now |
Does Tyler Henry Foresee a Wedding to Boyfriend Clint in His Future? | Most of the time, Tyler Henryhas a knack for anticipating what's next. Courtesy of his tenure on Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry, predicting the outcomes of other peoples' personal ventures is more or less his day job. In an exclusive interview with E! News ahead of Hollywood Medium's fourth season premiere, Tyler says that when it comes to the details of his own futurespecifically, his future with steady boyfriend Clint Godwinthe 23-year-old clairvoyant tends to draw more of a blank. "I always say, I can tell everybody else's future except my own," Tyler laughs, replying to a question about whether he foresees wedding bells on the horizon for himself and his photographer beau, who've been dating for several years now. | https://www.eonline.com/uk/news/1017003/does-tyler-henry-foresee-a-wedding-to-boyfriend-clint-in-his-future?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories |
When Is the NHL Trade Deadline? | The 2019 NHL trade deadline is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 25. Teams will have to complete their deals ahead of the 3 p.m. ET deadline. With the NHL season entering its final stretch, teams are beginning to make key roster adjustments in hope of setting themselves up for a postseason run or to make way for future transactions. A handful of teams have been active ahead of the league's trade deadline. The Boston Bruins recently acquired center Charlie Coyle from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for center Ryan Donato and a draft pick. The Washington Capitals also traded for forward Carl Hagelin, shipping a third-round 2019 pick and a conditional sixth-round 2020 pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange. | https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/nhl-trade-deadline-date-time-2019-season |
How Much Leisure Time Do the Happiest People Have? | The correlation that Holmes and her collaborators hit upon persisted even after they controlled for peoples age, gender, race, parental status, and other demographic variables (though they did not calculate how the optimal amount of free time varied depending on these factors). The researchers write that their finding is a small effect, but still significant, considering that there are a slew of other variables that play into peoples overall assessment of their satisfaction in life. An experiment that the researchers arranged hinted at a possible explanation of the correlation they found. They asked participants to picture and describe what it would be like to have a certain amount of daily free time, and then report how theyd feel about that allotment. What we find is that having too little time makes people feel stressed, and maybe thats obvious, says Holmes. But interestingly, that effect goes awaythe role of stress goes awayonce you approach the optimal point. After that point, Holmes says, the subjects started to say they felt less productive overall, which could explain why having a lot of free time can feel like having too much free time. Its not clear what an individual is to do with these findings, since the amount of free time people have usually has to do with a variety of factors, such as having children or a degree of control over work schedules. That said, Holmes told me that she shared her research with the MBA students in her class on happiness, and some of the most time-crunched among them were comforted by the findings: I think that two and a half hours creates a nice goal that, even if you increase a little bit more of your discretionary time use, you [can expect] that it will translate into greater life satisfaction. Daniel Hamermesh, an economist at the University of Texas at Austin who studies time use, said it can be difficult to suss out the relationship between free time and life satisfaction. For one thing, some of the data analyzed in the paper was obtained by asking people to estimate how much free time they have, and those estimates can be unreliable. For another, its difficult to systematically say what qualifies as discretionary time and what doesnt. Every minute we have is subject to choice one way or the other, consciously or not, he notes. While Hamermesh didnt inspect the underlying data in the paper, he offered a couple of possible (but, he notes, hard-to-test) explanations for the findings. Lets say everybody around me has two hours of discretionary time, and for some reason I have four, he says. I have no friends to play withhis point being that peoples free time might be less fulfilling if they cant spend it with others. Another theory: Having too much free time might challenge a persons self-image. For a man who provides for his family, Hamermesh says, if I have so much time that I can spend it on, I dont know, watching television, maybe I feel Im not a real man. (This feeling could be related to the pressure many people feel to appear useful and in demand as they vie for work in a competitive labor market.) | https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/02/free-time-life-satisfaction/583171/?utm_source=feed |
How Will Boeing Gain Market Share? | Boeing (NYSE:BA) A number of changes are expected in 2019 that we believe will lead to Boeing gaining market share, which we believe will lead to improved earnings during the coming quarter. We analyze those factors in this article. Macro Analysis for Boeing, and its Shift Away from North America /Europe to Asia-Pacific: Boeing will increasingly see a shift away from American, and European customers, to APAC customers, during the current year, and into the next decade. Furthermore, this trend will increasingly become a common theme for Boeings earnings going forward, with China making up the largest portion of airline sales. Therefore, with China showing signs of an economic slowdown, Boeings deliveries in the region may witness a slowdown in 2019, the extent to which this affects Boeings earnings depends largely on Chinese consumers and their travel trends. Europe has also showed early signs of a slowdown with Italy and Germany both showing early recessionary signals. But with the load factor being historically high we expect that Boeing, regardless of macro conditions, will continue to see a robust delivery schedule. We currently have a price estimate of $441 per share, which is 5% higher than the market price. to modify key drivers and visualize the impact on Boeings price estimate. In addition, here is more Industrials data. Key Competitor Analysis: Commercial Airliners: Airbus is the other big name in the commercial airline space, both Boeing and Airbus each own about 43% and 45% of the global commercial airline industry, respectively, by revenue, with the rest of the market share owned mainly by Bombardier and Irkut. While Airbus continues to outpace Boeing in terms of overall deliveries, Boeings latest wide-body aircraft, the 777, is doing much better than the Airbus A380, and with the introduction of Boeings 777x, we expect Boeings wide-body sales to perform better than those of Airbus, and this should translate into slightly increased market share in 2019. This is mainly owing to the Emirates, who will decide whether or not to switch to the new 777x model being offered by Boeing. Should this happen it would effectively end the the A380 program, and help push Boeings market share to 45%. Airbus has largely been reliant on its single-body aircraft the A320 NEO to retain market share, and has used it to shore up its sales. This compared to Boeings version of the single-body 737; which has seen less demand (Boeing delivered 52 737s per month during 2018), mainly due to the A320 NEO being more fuel-efficient. We expect lower demand for the A320 NEO aircraft in 2019, and this could translate into Boeing coming up on top in terms of overall sales for the year. Russian airline maker Irkuts new single-body commercial airline, which will enter production in 2019, is also widely anticipated to do well, but questions remains about its performance, it is yet to be seen how well the aircraft performs once it enters service. Meanwhile, China has come up with their own versions of the single-body aircraft, and it is expected to enter service in a couple of years. Defense: Boeings defense contracts are largely dependent on its FA-18 aircraft, this compared to the F-35 Lockheed aircraft which is its main competitor. While the F-35 is expected to become the backbone of the U.S military replacing the FA-18 eventually, we believe the FA-18 aircraft will continue to see demand through the next decade, helping Boeings defense revenues remain consistent. But risks do remain if the military decides the F-35, (which has been historically plagued by issues) is to permanently replace the FA-18. With Germany recently considering the FA-18 over the F-35, this should help the fighter jets case to remain in production. Boeing may see an increase in earnings over the next 4-5 years from the order should it go through. Boeing also continues to see strong demand for its helicopters with Russias Kamov and Mi-26 models mainly offering competition. We expect Boeings helicopter sales to remain robust through the year, especially in international markets. We believe that with Airbus shutting down key commercial aircraft models, and Boeing gaining as a result, and that also combined with continued defense contracts, Boeings market share will improve during the year. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/21/how-will-boeing-gain-market-share/ |
Will injury impact Zion Williamson's NBA draft stock? | CLOSE SportsPulse: Dan Wolken explains why no one should be panicking over Zion's injury vs. UNC and why his time at Duke has only benefited his NBA career. USA TODAY Duke star Zion Williamsons knee injury called a minor sprain by the team should have no impact on his draft stock, multiple NBA team executives told USA TODAY Sports. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about Williamson, who sustained the injury in Wednesday's high-profile game against North Carolina. Even in a worst-case scenario in which Williamson needs knee surgery, teams will still want to draft Williamson with a high pick. Right now, Williamson is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the June draft, and given his extraordinary combination of skill, size, strength, quickness, agility and playmaking, its difficult to see a team passing on him with his latest injury. Potentially millions of dollars. The first in salary for the first pick and the fifth pick in the 2019 draft over four NBA seasons is $12.6 million. Teams drafting in that position are looking long term and are willing to select a guy with so much difference-making ability even if the player will miss some, or all, of the next season. Duke's Zion Williamson reacts after going down against North Carolina on Wednesday. (Photo11: Rob Kinnan, USA TODAY Sports) Its not unheard for teams to select injured players in the draft. In 2014, Joel Embiid had just had surgery on his right foot when the Philadelphia 76ers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick. Embiid missed the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with another surgery and rehabilitation. It was worth it for the 76ers who now have one of the best centers in the league. Embiid is dominant big man, and the Sixers signed him to a five-year, $147 million extension through 2022-23. This season, Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland underwent surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee, and he remains a top-7 pick in respected mock drafts. It is a conversation taking place in front offices in wake of Williamsons injury. OPINION: Don't blame the NCAA for Williamson injury FTW: Williamson shouldn't play another minute for Duke If the injury was a serious as a torn ACL and MCL or a compound fracture, it could have an impact. But even then, players return from those kinds of injuries and perform at elite levels. Foot and back injuries concern front-office executives the most because of the resulting lingering issues that sometimes occur. Oregons Bol Bol has dropped in some 2019 mock drafts because of a foot injury, which concerns general managers. Embiid returned just fine from a similar injury. Both other big men, such as Yao Ming, have long-term foot problems. Bol is considered a late lottery to mid-first-round pick. But he was as high as No. 6 in some mock drafts before the injury. Michael Porter Jr. was considered one of the top prospects in the 2018 draft until a back injury derailed his freshman season at Missouri. Instead of a team drafting him in the top three, Porter fell to Denver at No. 14. But as history suggests, a team will need considerable evidence that Williamson cant perform like No. 1 pick before they draft someone else. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/draft/2019/02/21/zion-williamson-duke-injury-draft-stock/2941405002/ |
What did William Shakespeare look like? | Early last year, doing research for a book, I started to spend more and more of each day thinking about that question. The thing is, it seems like we should know what he looked like the greatest writer in English and to many people it probably feels like we do know. But we dont know. Well, okay, we kind of know. There is one (one!) picture that scholars agree portrays Shakespeare, a black-and-white engraving by a man named Martin Droeshout please get in touch if you know how on earth to pronounce that name which shows Shakespeare in a big fancy white collar. All modern images of him are variants of this one, in which he looks blandly authorial, gaze disapproving, hairline beating a hurried retreat from his forehead. (Photo11: Claudio Divizia, Getty Images/iStockphoto) The Droeshout portrait is what you might call, if you were conversant with the most recent technical terms of art history, bad. (Droeshouts artistic abilities are typically regarded as very limited, offers Wikipedia.) Theres no life in the picture, no glimmer of genius. But its what we have. All that we have for sure, with the exception of a sadly porcine and generic painted bust in a church in Stratford-upon-Avon. Beyond Droeshout, there are only possibilities, guesses, each one more tantalizing than the last. Among these is the Chandos portrait, which shows a dashing, bohemian young fellow with a gold earring the Shakespeare we want to believe in. Thats one of the many credible choices. Among the less credible ones is the hilarious Janssen portrait, which used to look uncannily like the Droeshout engraving, until it was painstakingly restored, when it was revealed to look nothing like the Droeshout at all. Of the numerous possible portraits, though, only one really captured me. Its a mysterious picture, held in a private collection in, of all places, Ottawa. Its called the Sanders portrait. A woman looks at portraits of William Shakespeare on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of an exhibition, "Searching for Shakespeare," of portraits and manuscripts from Shakespeare's lifetime, in 2006. From left: the portrait known as the Janssen portrait dated 1610. Second from the left, a painting attributed to a little-known artist named John Taylor, dated by experts to between 1600 and 1610, is the so-called Chandos portrait. The painting second from right is known as the Sanders portrait, dated 1603, and the artwork, right, is known as Grafton portrait dated 1588. The Grafton is believed to not show the real Shakespeare. (Photo11: SAN TAN, AP) The book I was writing when I got so obsessed with these portraits is called The Vanishing Man. Its a prequel to my long-running (and bestselling! he said proudly) series about an amateur Victorian detective, Charles Lenox, and it is partly about a secret lost portrait of Shakespeare. "The Vanishing Man," by Charles Finch. (Photo11: St. Martins Press) Being a prequel, the book features Lenox in his early, scrappy, hungry days in London. I wanted an echo of Shakespeares own youthful hunger there; as I say in the book, longstanding tradition has it that the playwrights first job in London was minding horses outside of a theater, no doubt dying to be inside instead. The Sanders portrait became my model. In it, the sitter wears a simple shirt and an open collar; its allure lies not in his garments but in his obvious intelligence, wit, curiosity. His smile is in his eyes, caught in an eternal leftward glance. A label on the back says that it was painted in 1603, the year of the first printing of Hamlet, the year of the plague, the year Queen Elizabeth died. Shakespeare would have been 39. Stare at the picture for hour after hour I tacked it over my desk and youll see the playwright in it. The beauty of Shakespeares work is that he never stays where you left him last, and the same goes for the man. (Did you know that he himself never once spelled his name the way we do?) "The Vanishing Man" features a kidnapping and a murder, but its title is actually a play on Shakespeares elusiveness. The harder I looked for him, it seemed, the more adroitly he kept vanishing. That hasnt convinced me to stop looking. Charles Finch's latest book, "The Vanishing Man," published Tuesday from St. Martin's Press. It's a prequel to the Charles Lenox Mysteries series. Charles Finch (Photo11: Timothy Greenfield Sanders) Even more great reads: More new books: In Alan Brennerts Daughter of Molokai, story continues in WWII-era California New review: Review: 'The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls' is a stunning debut novel Coming soon: With 'The Border,' Don Winslow closes modern literature's most important crime saga Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2019/02/21/what-did-william-shakespeare-look-like/2941609002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2019/02/21/what-did-william-shakespeare-look-like/2941609002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-lifetopstories |
Will Cobo Center in Detroit be named TCF by the end of the year? | TCF Financial will soon have its name on the convention center in Detroit as a result of its pending merger with Chemical Financial Corp. When the proposed TCF/Chemical deal gets final approvals the new name of the facility will be TCF Center. When TCF and Chemical were negotiating their merger of equals announced in February both sides were aware Chemical was negotiating a $33 million deal, to be paid $1.5 million annually over 22 years, to have its name on the Detroit convention center, a 59-year old landmark in Detroit that is home of the annual Detroit auto show. The Cobo Center in Detroit (courtesy Cobo Center) On Wednesday Chemical Financial and the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority announced that Chemical had won the naming rights to the center. In a release announcing the deal they said the facility will remain the Cobo Center until the end of 2019. By that time the proposed merger between TCF and Chemical should be complete. As part of the negotiations for the deal it was agreed that the headquarters would be in Detroit where Chemical is building a 20-story, $60 million office building in downtown Detroit, but the name of the company would be TCF Financial. Todays announcement continues to build on our banks investment in the city, its neighborhoods, the region and our state, said Gary Torgow, chairman of the board for Chemical Financial Corp.. Along with our recently announced merger with TCF Financial Corp. that will bring the headquarters of the combined company and the TCF brand to downtown Detroit, we look forward to contributing to make this Center a vibrant destination for our city and our region for many years to come." Opened in 1960 the building has 723,000 square foot of exhibit space and is the 17th largest convention center in the United States The building was originally named after Albert Cobo, the mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. According to a story in the Detroit News city officials have been eager to remove Cobos name from the convention center. With Wednesday's announcement in Detroit, the TCF name will be prominent on two major landmark facilities in the two largest employment centers for the combined company, said TCF spokesman Mark Goldman. In 2005, Wayzata-based TCF Financial agreed to a 26-year, $35 million sponsorship agreement with the University to support Gopher Athletics and the construction of TCF Bank Stadium. They amended that deal in 2017 investing another $8 million in part to support the Universitys Athletes Village. The merger between TCF and Chemical could enhance the value of naming rights deal for TCF Bank Stadium since the combined footprint now includes more Big 10 Conference cities. TCF has national lending operations but its branch locations are concentrated in Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, the Detroit area and Denver. Chemicals branch locations are concentrated in Michigan and Northern Ohio. Our customers across major cities in the upper Midwest prominently see the TCF name on the field, which builds our brand awareness beyond Minneapolis. We believe our naming rights agreement is a highly successful use of our marketing spend, particularly based on the measurement of our brand strength across all of our markets, Goldman added. | http://www.startribune.com/tcf-chemicalbank-win-naming-rights-to-detroit-convention-center/506172202/ |
What killed the dinosaurs? An asteroid or volcanoes? Or both? | CLOSE Scientists are saying that its now increasingly likely that an asteroid or comet impact could have reignited massive volcanic eruptions in India 66 million years ago. Buzz60 Maybe it wasn't just the asteroid that killed off most of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago: New research reveals how volcanoes half a world away may have also played a role. It's well-known that an asteroid slammed into the Earth near present-day Mexico, unleashing huge tsunamis and ash that blotted out the sun. That led to a "nuclear winter" that wiped out over half the animal and plant species on the planet. But volcanoes located in what's now India may have also contributed to the extinctions, and the new studies pinpoint when those eruptions occurred and how long they lasted. This should give further clues as to what caused the extinction. To understand volcanoes role in mass extinction, we need to understand when the eruptions were occurring, how long they occurred for and how much volume was erupted during what time, study co-author Courtney Sprain, a geoscientist at the University of Liverpool, told Gizmodo. Maybe it wasn't just the asteroid that killed off most of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago: New research reveals how volcanoes half a world away may have also played a role (Photo11: Elenarts, Getty Images/iStockphoto) Sprain and other researchers traveled to India to study those long-past volcanic eruptions, looking at immense mounds of hardened lava known as the "Deccan Traps." Those lava flows, which began before the asteroid impact but erupted for several hundred thousand years afterward, probably spewed immense amounts of carbon dioxide and other noxious, climate-modifying gases into the atmosphere, according to the University of CaliforniaBerkeley. Thursday, in the peer-reviewed journal Science, two separate research teams published studies about what they found in the Deccan Traps. One study, led by Sprain, says it's increasingly likely that the asteroid impact caused the volcanic eruptions in India to intensify as most of the lava erupted about 600,000 years after impact. The other research, however, headed by geoscientist Blari Schoene of Princeton University, said the eruptions happened before the asteroid hit. This implies that that the climate changes caused by the eruptions "could have triggered mass extinction ahead of the collision," CNN reported. While they may differ on the details, what both studies found was that the volcanoes in India erupted for about 1 million years and that both events were likely a factor in the mass extinctions. Both reports pave the way for ongoing research into the subject. In addition, the studies also shed light on our current era of man-made global warming: Studying past climate change "is as relevant today as for these catastrophic events in Earth history," Schoene's study concluded. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/21/dinosaur-extinction-caused-asteroid-volcanoes-both/2938728002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/21/dinosaur-extinction-caused-asteroid-volcanoes-both/2938728002/ |
Why Do I Keep Secrets From My Financial Planner? | What is your height and weight? Tell me what medications you take. What exactly do you call your eye condition? These are just a few of the questions posed to me recently by a colleague who was helping me apply for an insurance policy. It was his job to gather all my health history so the insurance company could decide if I was someone they wanted to insure. After the small talk and laughter, our call took a sharp turn toward the personal. This didnt exactly come as a surprise. I knew he would need to know these things. I also knew that each time he asked, have you ever had a history of? the best answer was a definitive no. After answering yes more than once, I noticed a few worrisome thoughts running through my mind. Maybe Im not as healthy as I think I am. As the questions continued, I started noticing and interpreting his every pause and exhale. When he said mmhmm I wondered what the heck that was supposed to mean. I thought by the end of the call he would tell me whether I was an underwriting train wreck, but instead he just thanked me, agreed to get back in touch and politely got off the phone. When I hung up, I was caught off guard by how I felt. I hadnt been nervous to have the call. I was familiar with how underwriting worked. After all, Ive been the impetus for many people to apply for insurance over the years and had been alongside them through the process. Nevertheless, I felt exposed. Outside of the doctors office, Id never had to share my health history with anyone, much less someone with whom I had a professional relationship. Its just not what you generally talk about with people. Thats when it occurred to me; I must be feeling the same way that most people do when they talk to a financial planner. Being on my side of the table, it doesnt feel at all strange or uncomfortable to talk about how much money someone makes, how much debt they have or who they want in their will. Of course, thats easy because its not about me and my choices. When it is own our financial life up for discussion, the process can range from slightly uncomfortable to downright invasive. We could chalk it up to money being a taboo topic in our society, but I dont really think our hesitation is about whether its tasteful to talk about money with a financial planner. That explanation diminishes the emotional weight of the situation. Our hesitation is driven by two much bigger fears: the fear that we are royally messing up our financial life and that we are going to be judged for it. By the time we meet with a financial planner, we have inevitably been forced to make loads of financial choices on our own. We decided what career to pursue, when and how much to save, what home and car we could afford or how to invest our 401(k). We made the best decisions we could, but we never had the financial context to know how these decisions might ultimately free us or limit us in the future. Of course, we hope the decisions we made will set ourselves up for success, but we also fear that maybe they wont. Its easy to put those thoughts aside in the hustle of daily life, but the moment we sit down with an advisor, we know our decisions will be on full display. With nothing more than our entire lifes happiness at stake, we sit down to learn how weve done. If its the latter, we often feel disappointed, not just with the outcome, but with ourselves. Now layer on top of that the fear that our advisor might judge us. Because money touches so many parts of our lives, financial planning involves sharing more than account balances and savings rates. A discussion on college might reveal that we disagree with our spouse about how much to pay. A review of our estate plan might uncover that we are estranged from a family member. An analysis of our insurance coverage might expose that weve battled addiction. A cash flow projection might shine a light on a spending issue. Were expected to open up about the most personal and private matters in our lives; the things we intentionally dont talk about because we dont want to be vulnerable to judgment from others. And were not telling just anyone; were confessing to a person we (hopefully) like and respect and who might seem like they have their life together more than we do. Our natural desire to maintain a positive regard in our planners eyes makes it all the more difficult to share. The point here isnt to send us running and screaming away from financial planning, but to highlight the courage it takes to find out how were doing financially and share the necessary information it takes to help our advisor be effective. FDR said Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. If we can focus on how much we want to put our kids through college, start a business, buy our dream home, retire on the beach or just make sure we never have to sustain on Ramen noodles, hopefully well make it passed the uncomfortable nerves at the beginning of the process. If that doesnt work, keep in mind that if everyone who walked into a financial planners office was already doing everything right, they (and I) would all be out of a job. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielleseurkamp/2019/02/21/why-do-i-keep-secrets-from-my-financial-planner/ |
Will A New Goldman-Backed Credit Card Breathe Life Into Apple Pay? | Apple is partnering with Goldman to offer a new credit card. 2019 Bloomberg Finance LP With additional reporting by Antoine Gara Apple is partnering with Goldman Sachs to offer a new credit card, which its releasing to employees in a test phase in the coming weeks. The card will integrate with the iPhone, Apple Watch and Apples mobile payment services Apple Wallet and Apple Pay, paving the way for new features, like helping consumers set spending goals and nudging them to pay down debt faster, according to the Wall Street Journal (Apple didnt respond to requests for comment). The iPhone maker is trying to diversify its business away from hardware sales and make its products stickier. Theyre trying to become further entrenched within the consumer ecosystem, says Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush Securities. Phone sales fell 15% to $52 billion in the last quarter of 2018, compared with the same period in 2017. For Apples payments initiatives, the holy grail would be to build businesses like Chinas Alipay and WeChat Pay, payments apps that have morphed into ecosystems of services, letting consumers book flights and summon rides. Apple is a long way away from that level of penetration, but aspiring to it and finding new ways to spend its $130 billion in cash is a worthwhile effort, says Tom Forte, a consumer technology analyst at D.A. Davidson. Bain Capital Ventures managing partner Matt Harris thinks the card could gain real traction because its bringing together two aggressive, well-funded companies with strong brands and loyal customers, although he thinks adoption will depend on the specifics of the offering. The card will give 2% cash back rewards, but it wont offer massive upfront incentives like the Chase Sapphire card did in 2016, according to the Wall Street Journal. For Apple, this is a toe in the water, Wedbushs Ives says. If successful, Apple could invest more in the cards back-office operations, infrastructure and distribution. In the near term, Ives thinks Apple will invest more heavily in areas like content acquisition, potentially buying a large studio like CBS or Viacom over the next year. But they have a lot of arrows in their quiver, and I think theyre trying to test which are going to be successful. For Goldman, a company that has historically focused its services on the wealthiest of customers, the new card is an opportunity to step further into main-street banking. Goldman will keep the loans for the Apple card on its balance sheet. And through its Marcus platform, which offers personal loans and high-interest savings accounts, it has brought in $27 billion in customer deposits, so it has a growing capacity for lending. Apple Pay has attracted fewer users than expected since its 2014 release. Most Americans still prefer to use a physical card to pay, Matt Harris says. Venture capital firm Loup estimates that 24% of U.S. iPhone users have used Apple Pay. Google Wallet has encountered similar difficulties since it launched in 2011. Osama Bedier, the founder of Google Wallet who now runs point-of-sale software company Poynt, recently told Forbes that it sometimes takes much longer than expected for consumers to adopt a given technology. If consumers arent ready yet, nothing will matter, he says. He also cites a chicken-and-egg problem: Ubiquity trumps novelty, he says. It needs to be everywhere for people to care. Ives is doubtful the new card will move the needle in Apple Pay adoption. We have serious doubts about the overall reaction they can get in a massively competitive space, he says. It's such a difficult market to penetrate, just given existing competition from the core banks and financial institutions. Bains Matt Harris agrees. It would be a fabulously successful effort if it garnered one million active users, which is less than 1% of credit card users in the U.S., he says. If 20% of the Apple credit card users tried Apple Pay, thats only about 200,000 new users, Harris says. Not exactly a sea change. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2019/02/21/will-a-new-goldman-backed-credit-card-breathe-life-into-apple-pay/ |
Does Blockchain Matter Yet In Intellectual Property For Business? | There is hope that blockchain might provide some alternative to the often-confusing and expensive traditional types of intellectual property protection. Blockchains potential for your business will differ, depending upon what type of intellectual property you are interested in protecting. The three main pillars of intellectual property are patents, copyrights, and trademarks. The potential of blockchain, at the present time, varies for each of these. For patent law, blockchain has probably been most noteworthy because of the influx of applications filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect various uses of blockchain technology. But blockchains strength as an unchangeable, distributed ledger is ideally suited to compiling information and lists. While its tamper-proof code can provide solid evidence of facts about what invention may have been created, and when, the only way to get enforceable patent rights is by filing an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, surviving the application (or prosecution) process, and having a federal patent issued in your name. That is the only way to get a legal monopoly. You can invent that Next Great Thing, but if you dont patent your rights, it will be free for anyone to copy once it is out in public and you have exceeded the timetable to get a patent. Blockchain is a great way to track all of the information regarding inventions, inventor names, ownership rights and other formalities. There are also evolving markets for patent pools, investor collaboration, and patent licensing. But nothing about blockchain technology at the moment will provide an alternative to patent protection for inventions. No patent, no monopoly. Copyright protection is a bit different. First of all, because you can claim copyright ownership and gain copyright protectability even without federal registration, the system is more flexible than the patent system. Blockchain provides a great system for recording rights that are created in original works of authorship, which can be anything from a photograph to a book, to a website, to a doctoral thesis. It is very conceivable that an updated blockchain-secured distributed ledger could supplant the copyright system presently in use by the Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. But for now, documenting your creation and first publication on blockchain will be more like improving your evidence, rather than securing any legal rights. To actually sue in court based upon copyright, you need to get a copyright registration (which you can do after the fact). The United States Copyright Office is sorely in need of an updated platform which would make it easy for the public to see exactly what is being protected by copyright law. Currently, you can find owner names, registration dates and titles in the Copyright Office online records. But samples of what is actually registered are not generally available without going to the Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. So, as with all legal documents, proof of your underlying facts and claims can be critical. Using blockchain to document everything related to your copyrighted property may strongly improve your position, and make it easier to prove the rights which you own. Of the three fundamental types of IP protection, trademarks hold the most immediate blockchain promise. Blockchain is perfect for chronicling proof of use, and nailing down dates and evidence. It is widely known that a federal trademark registration is not necessary to prove rights or to claim ownership of a trademark. With or without blockchain, solid proof of use can be invaluable. By using blockchain, many of the questions which can arise about exactly when, where, and how the trademark was used, can be instantly answered. Blockchain technology also and this applies to copyright as well can be used to track the path of any single article through the stream of commerce. This can let companies know what path their products have traveled to get to a seller, and whether their products are being diverted to unauthorized markets (the gray market), and therefore know whether products showing up for sale by third parties were in fact authentic, or whether the goods might be unlawful copies. Without blockchain, this type of investigation can be much more painstaking, and sometimes virtually impossible. Using blockchain technology to track the root of every single product that a company produces will provide the promise of knowing, with certainty, if a product is truly a copy, or whether it is a genuine product which has been sold and resold in violation of a distribution agreement. For small to medium enterprises, the potential to easily track goods is very attractive. Otherwise, the costs and infrastructure requirements for this type of tracking may be highly prohibitive. There is a nascent industry of publicly documenting trademark rights in all of those names and marks which are not registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I co-founded a company several years ago (since acquired) which did exactly this. The marketplace is just starting to come to grips with this concept, where every company and individual may opt in to the concept of making a public record of all of their trademark, business name, and product name rights. The highly secured, decentralized ledger which characterizes blockchain technology provides a perfect environment for that type of application. The more information which sees the light of day, the less chance for unintended or undesired conflict over trademark and naming rights, a benefit important to every business, but particularly to entrepreneurs. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jesscollen/2019/02/21/does-blockchain-matter-yet-in-intellectual-property-for-business/ |
Should Dukes Zion Williamson sit out the rest of the season? | By Daniel Tran Dukes Zion Williamson suffered a knee sprain when his shoe exploded against North Carolina in a nationally televised game. Williamson was picked by many to be the No. 1 NBA Draft pick in 2019 and could potentially lose millions of dollars if teams get scared away. Some are using this incident to make the argument that he should sit out the rest of the season, to protect himself and his NBA dream. Others dont want him to abandon his teammates and quit. This freak injury couldve cost Williamson millions of dollars. College basketball players like Williamson dont need to the risk of putting their body on the line for no money. In fact, he is so highly sought after by the NBA, he might be losing money with this injury. While he is not unanimously expected to go No. 1 in the NBA Draft, many picked him for that position. The injury might scare away teams at the top and cause him to fall. Until college players get paid, there is no reason for Williamson to sacrifice his body for nothing. He needs to assure that he gets healthy by sitting out the rest of the season and prepare for the draft. Injury shows why itd make sense now When Duke came back from a 23-point deficit, Williamson took pride in not quitting. There is no way he should walk away now when Duke has national championship aspirations. He said as much when people told him to sit out earlier in the year to Sports Hub Triad: I just cant stop playing. Id be letting my teammates down. Id be letting Coach K down. Id be letting a lot of people down. If I wanted to sit out, I wouldnt have went to college. I came to Duke to play. Williamson wont quit on his brothers. Williamson explained why he wont sit out a month before his injury 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/02/should-dukes-zion-williamson-sit-out-the-rest-of-the-season.html |
How did Scottish sides fare in Europe this season? | Thirty eight games, 88,842 miles, 56 goals and a fistful of European coefficient points. After seven months and 12 days, Scottish football's continental competition is finally at an end for another year. Celtic kicked it all off in Armenia in early July, with Brendan Rodgers' side bringing down the curtain on their Europa League campaign in Spain on Thursday. It's been long. It's been emotional. Here, BBC Scotland analyses the impact of Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibernian and Rangers on the European stage this term. Hibs fans saw their team draw with Asteras Tripolis in Greece to progress Aberdeen: Derek McInnes' side were knocked out of the Europa League in the second qualifying round - the stage at which they entered after finishing second in the Scottish Premiership - in August after taking English Premier League side Burnley to extra time. Celtic: Participants in the Champions League the previous two seasons, the Scottish champions were knocked out by AEK Athens in the third qualifying round. A 4-1 aggregate win over FK Suduva earned a place in the Europa League group stages, then the Parkhead club finished second behind RB Salzburg, beating RB Leipzig on the way to their last-32 date with Valencia. Hibernian: The Easter Road club went on their longest run in Europe since 1973, kicking it all off with a 12-5 aggregate win over Faroe Islands side Runavik. Greeks Asteras Tripolis were also dealt with, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Molde denied them a place in the Europa League play-offs with a 3-0 aggregate win. Rangers: The Ibrox side only lost two of their 14 Europa League matches after entering in the first qualifying round in July, having made it through four rounds to reach the group stages. Steven Gerrard's side were eventually knocked out after the final round of matches in their section in December. Coefficient climbers Scotland had slipped from 10th place in Uefa's rankings in 2005, to 26th position at the start of this season. No other nation had dropped so drastically, and it will take more than one good season to redress that balance. Next year, all three Europa League entrants will likely have to enter in the first qualifying round, with the champions again having to negotiate four qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League group stage. However, the performances this campaign have already moved Scotland up to 20th, above the likes of Sweden, Poland and Belarus. Just one more draw for one of our teams would have seen Scotland overtake Serbia and clinch 19th place. Coefficient rankings are calculated by adding up the points from the most recent five campaigns. If Scotland can somehow work its way up to 15th position again, a Premiership club will receive an extra Champions League qualifying place. Denmark currently sit in that position, although Dinamo Zagreb's victory on Thursday maintained their Europa League interest, meaning Croatia could overtake the Danes. This campaign, Scottish clubs have outperformed their recent yearly scores, recording their highest coefficient tally for 11 years. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47325838 |
What Are Some Common Misconceptions About Robotics? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Balaji Viswanathan, CEO of Invento Robotics, on Quora: Do not think of robotics as a product. It is actually a field. Some ask us [at my company] if we are competing with Boston Dynamics or GreyOrange. That is as intelligent as saying I saw a brown guy in another continent 3 days ago. Is he related to you? robotics is a whole field with thousands of companies. Do not think every robotics company should produce the same thing. People ask us Why dont you build those robots like what Boston Dynamics does? If such folks ask in some social gathering, I might have some energy to answer such kindergarten questions, while in a tradeshow I typically smile and get back to focusing on real customers. Each robotics company builds what their customer wants and the customer segments and requirements vary substantially. Do not assume that bipedal walking is somehow superior to moving on wheels. There is a reason why human civilization was radically altered by the invention of wheels wheels are incredibly efficient in helping us move. The reliability, cost advantage and battery efficiency of these robots are an order of magnitude more than bipeds. Even in applications with slippery/uneven terrain, a biped never really makes engineering sense to make. Just because some apes in eastern Africa began using their two front legs for tool usage doesnt mean that design is the right one for robots. This is NASAs Mars Rover. Mars has a frigging challenging terrain. And the rover has wheels because wheels are good and efficient. You can have fairly simple wheel based robots that can climb stairs bipeds are even more unbalanced for this task. There are bigger engineering challenges in robotics than putting effort on bipeds just because our ape species does so. 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/2019/02/21/what-are-some-common-misconceptions-about-robotics/ |
Why Is The Andromeda Galaxy Moving Towards Us If The Universe Is Expanding? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Viktor T. Toth, IT pro, part-time physicist, on Quora: The universe is expanding. The Local Group of galaxies is not. It is a gravitationally bound structure. Let me explain. The early universe was filled pretty much uniformly with gas that was expanding everywhere. However, it had small density perturbations: In some places, it was a little denser, in some places it was a little less dense. Wherever it was denser, it had more gravity. Gravity that was pulling it together. If the density was high enough, gravity was sufficient to overcome the expansion: those bits of matter stopped flying apart and instead, ended up in gravitationally bound structures. These structures are the largest gravitationally bound structures today, clusters of galaxies such as the Local Group, to which Andromeda and the Milky Way both belong. So clusters of galaxies do not individually expand, but clusters of galaxies do still fly apart from each other everywhere. Having said that, there is also a degree of randomness involved. Take the Virgo cluster, for instance. It is a cluster of galaxies some 5060 million light years from here, moving away from us at nearly a thousand kilometers per second. But within that cluster, galaxies move about rather rapidly, in chaotic orbits in their mutual gravitational field. So there is M86, for instance, a member of the Virgo cluster that happens to be moving toward the Milky Way at the moment. It is still gravitationally bound within Virgo, and a few billion years from now, it will be receding from us just as rapidly as it is in a different segment of its trajectory within Virgo. To make sense of it, imagine that you are looking at a child on a merry-go-round. Say you are slowly backing away from the merry-go-round, so the distance between you and the merry-go-round steadily increases. But if the merry-go-round spins fast enough, for every half revolution the child may actually be approaching you. Yet the child is still bound to the merry-go-round and, averaged over several revolutions, the distance between you and the child will continue to increase. 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/2019/02/21/why-is-the-andromeda-galaxy-moving-towards-us-if-the-universe-is-expanding/ |
How many detectives assigned to the Jussie Smollett case? | Something important has been lost in the embarrassing saga of Jussie Smollett, the tuna fish sandwich-loving actor and anti-Trump activist, and those muscular Nigerian brothers. And I suppose its easy to lose whats important with all the panic and intersectional hatred and liberal identity politics gone bad in this Smollett story. Whats been lost is this: Im told that two dozen detectives were assigned to the Smollett case. No. Jussie Smollett There were some 18 people killed in Chicago after Smollett began telling his story in late January, that story in which he cast himself as the hero, about having to fight off pro-Trump racists. Now it turns out that the pro-Trump racists, who he says put a noose around his neck, may actually be his friends, two muscular Nigerian brothers who may or may not have been paid in this deal. Either way, his story is that he fought them off. Even though he had a cellphone in one hand, a tuna sandwich in the other. Smollett must be a certified badass. His sandwich survived. Even in Chicago, a city known for its unending violence and political corruption, assigning two dozen detectives seems a bit overdone. I could go with a lower number say 20 detectives given to me by someone who knows. But thats still high given all the homicides that are never solved. Chicago has an abysmal homicide clearance rate of about 17 percent. Chicagos detective ranks have been decimated by attrition and idiotic shortsighted political management. There arent enough detectives. Thats an issue in the mayoral campaign. Thousands of people have been murdered in Chicago over the past few years, and thousands and thousands more have been shot and survived. Theyre alive because of the wonders of trauma center technology and the brilliance of ER doctors, and the hard work of Chicago Fire Department paramedics. Even so, the city is numb to physical violence on the street. And numb to the emotional violence exerted by the political class. But two dozen detectives for Smollett just doesnt seem right. Make no mistake. Im not blaming the detectives or the Chicago Police Department. They work for a politician. His name is Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who famously announced a few years ago that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. And when Smollett told his amazing story, about being a black gay man attacked by racist Trump supporters on one of the coldest nights of the year, the media were all over it. National politicians were all over it. They bought it without question. This was an attempted modern-day lynching, tweeted Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris of California. No one should ever have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate. Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat, issued a similar tweet, although it saddened me that his mythical friend, the dangerous drug dealer T-Bone, had nothing to say. But other Democrats fell in line. And CNN and many who earn their livings in the Washington-New York liberal media echo chamber rushed to judgment. So did a few in Chicago, but Chicago reporters had more healthy skepticism than their national counterparts. It was a perfect anti-Trump story. It fit the prevailing narrative of many in the media (who are themselves liberal Democrats) that Trump supporters are racist and just itching to find some minorities to beat up. Just a few weeks ago, the same media and Twitter mob descended upon those Covington High School boys and blamed them for race hatred in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It turned out the boys were innocent. But the social justice warriors of the left shrugged and moved on, looking for the next story with which to portray America as a hateful nation because it fits their politics and some found it in Smollett. For a list of media examples, you might want to go to Mediaite and the article Did the Media Jump the Gun on the Jussie Smollett Story? by Caleb Howe. Or you might consider CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin. She looked into the camera, and sighed, and her sigh was full of her politics. This is America in 2019, she said. We get it, Brooke. Were terrible. Donald Trump is the president, and everythings gone to hell. Theres nothing new there. Trump is a political-lightning-rod president, inspiring irrational hate in some and irrational adoration in others and most likely both groups are tribal and wrong. But America isnt a hateful nation. America is the least hateful nation, and the best hope of humankind on Earth. A few weeks ago, after Smollett began telling his tale in which hes the hero fighting oppression and hatred a 1-year-old child was shot in the head. It looked like a street gang may have been targeting his mother. Shes been shot before. The child, Dejon Irving, is on life support. I dont think there were two dozen detectives assigned to Dejon Irvings case. But hes not a star to be used by politicians in pursuit of power. Hes not a symbol. Politicians dont tweet his name. Hes just a little boy from Chicago, shot in the head. | http://www.startribune.com/how-many-detectives-assigned-to-the-jussie-smollett-case/506184862/ |
Did Dodgers Just Drop Scary Hint About Clayton Kershaw? | The headline was innocent enough -- Kershaw gets day off after frustrating 'pen -- but the subhead was concerning: "Roberts won't 'overplay' early discouraging spring practice." The quotes that followed were downright scary. To me, anyway. But see if you don't agree. From Dave Roberts, 1) He didnt feel his best and we knew it was going to rain today so I told him to just go home ... Hes a little down, so I just said go home. He just didnt feel right. Roberts, 2) I dont want to overplay it, because Im going to give him some days off this spring anyway ... He didnt say he was hurt, just that it didnt feel as good as he wanted to feel. Just some frustration. He worked really hard this offseason. The article appeared at Dodgers.com, which means it's club sanctioned information -- actual public relations material (although league writers will tell you otherwise) -- and material that Los Angeles inherently agreed to disseminate. All Roberts had to say if he was asked about his long-time ace, was "Kersh wasn't feeling well, so I told him to take a day." Easy, and especially so with an organization as accustomed to spin as this one. Especially so with a player -- with a patient, if you will -- who keeps his health care records as close to the vest as this one. Kershaw has been shelved with back injuries in each of the last three seasons, has dealt with both hip and bicep issues additionally, and has worked 149, 175 and 161 1/3 regular season innings from 2016 to 2018 after averaging 221 per for the previous six. His velocity has been trending down. He was supposedly working on a new exercise regimen to regain some of that lost oomph on his fastball. I was skeptical -- pitchers don't get healthier with age and mileage -- but I wasn't prepared for a problem a week into camp. Kershaw is the Dodgers' highest paid player, fresh off a newly-minted three-year $93 million contract extension. He's on a team that appears to be watching what it spends down to the last dollar; a team that's at $198,385,000 in collective bargain threshold money as we speak, with $7,831,667 of leeway to avoid going over the $206 million limit, and the luxury tax penalty that goes along with it. He's followed in the rotation by three guys who missed time due to injury in recent seasons and another who had Tommy John surgery before he threw a pitch in rookie ball. He's on a team that's intentionally parted with offense with a plan to increase run prevention. I have no idea why Roberts would offer the comments he did with a man standing in front of him with a microphone. Or a notepad, it doesn't matter which. Maybe we'll find out Friday if there is a follow-up from the league-approved publication and writer Ken Gurnick. In the meantime you'll forgive me if I'm a little frightened. Because if you're not frightened, you should be. And if you are frightened, you should be. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardcole/2019/02/21/did-dodgers-just-drop-scary-hint-about-clayton-kershaw/ |
Could changes in university funding limit student places? | Image copyright Getty Images Universities will have to offer fewer places if cuts in tuition fees are not replaced by government money, say leading research universities. A funding review of post 18 study is expected to be published next month. The Russell Group, and seven charities, want ministers to rule out an overall drop in funding. The government says job prospects and drop out rates are as important as fair access. An independent panel, led by Philip Augar, has been asked to look at whether the current system offers value for money for students and taxpayers in England. Tuition fees are now the main source of funding for universities. Universities receive 9,250 a year per student, up front - to meet teaching costs. The Russell Group of research focused universities argues that some courses will close if tuition fees are cut, and not replaced with taxpayer funding. Colin Bailey, the Principal of Queen Mary University in London, says they break even overall on the cost of teaching home students under the current system, but if tuition fees were reduced that would change. "We would have to reduce our places, because there are only so many courses you can run at a loss. "Therefore there would be a de facto cap on numbers. There will be some courses which would be under pressure." Image copyright Getty Images 'Privileged kids will get the places' Universities already receive top up cash from the government for courses that are very expensive to teach, such as engineering and medicine. That is likely to continue whatever the panel recommends. Universities are worried about potential tuition fee reductions in subjects such as English, history or languages, which might not attract a government top up. In a statement backed by seven charities that help low income students into university, the Russell Group says a reduction in places could lead to fewer students from poorer backgrounds getting places. "The more privileged students will get the places, because some of the poorer students may not get the three As or have the same family support", says Colin Bailey from Queen Mary University. Anand Shukla is the chief executive of Brightside, one of the charities that has also signed the statement. "We are concerned that if a cut to tuition fees leads to an overall cut in university funding, then efforts to improve social mobility will go into reverse. " These arguments are likely to face a strong push back from the government, which has ruled out any cap on numbers. Ministers may also point to recent data on graduate earnings. While a degree from a high profile university, such as those in the Russell Group, can lead to a significant increase in how much you earn - that's not the case across all universities, or degree subjects. The figures published last year suggest that a third of men are going to universities which have a negligible impact on their earnings by the age of 29. In response to the Russell Group's joint statement, the government says there are now record numbers of disadvantaged students and the review is intended to make sure there are no barriers to going to university. Image copyright Getty Images 'A sharp cut to funding' The Department for Education said: "We need the access and participation work done by universities to ensure all parts of society have fair access." "But participation also has to mean successful participation and that means focusing not just on admissions but on progression, dropout rates and ultimately employment." The Labour Party is committed to getting rid of tuition fees and funding universities directly. Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, said: "A small cut in tuition fees with no replacement in funding would be the worst of all worlds. "Students will still face tens of thousands of pounds of debt and those with low incomes would see no benefit at all." "Meanwhile, universities will see a sharp cut to their funding, which could create a crisis in the sector". Tuition fees are the most politically contentious issue being considered by the review panel, but its remit is far wider. Further education colleges in England have been the most cash starved part of education under successive governments, and are also pressing for a rethink on their funding. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47322531 |
Should Verizon's 2019 Oscar Ads Win Their Own Statuettes? | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNdCXCCDTNk&feature=youtu.be Thus far, there has not been a lot of good news surrounding this year's Academy Awards telecast on ABC. Plagued by declining ratings, difficulty finding a host, and other miscellaneous disputes, much of the press surrounding this year's telecast has focused on its problems. Yet, there appears to be least one bright spot emanating from an unlikely source: advertising and, in particular, Verizon's new "Real Good Reasons" campaign. In spite of falling to a record low average of 26.5 viewers last year, ad rates for the 2019 Oscars increased to be in the neighborhood of $2.3 million for a 30-second spot. Because there are so few "big events" left that attract even this level of viewership and potential buzz from media pick-ups, the increase is not so surprising. In an effort to make a big impact in debuting its campaign, Verizon has bought no less than six ads, and they appear poised to make a big splash. Verizon will run the six spots throughout the show. Each will feature a real Verizon customer whose life has in some way been impacted by the ability to stay connected. Collectively, the ads are representative of a diverse mix of Verizon's customer base and focus on how the network has helped them during moments in their lives. The ad at the top of this article features Tiffany, whose husband was deployed when their baby was being born. Here we hear that story of how she was able to Facetime with her husband and his whole platoon from the delivery room and how they helped encourage her to push during the delivery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdD5Qd4TlG8&feature=youtu.be Another ad, shown above, features Michael (above), a truck driver whose job takes him to remote areas and uses Verizon's network to stay in touch with his children on a daily basis. Both of these ads make very effective emotional appeals that are likely to resonate with a wide cross-section of consumers. Additional ads feature Jarrett (below), a tall young African American man who enjoys attending music festivals and sharing pictures from his reliable network with his friends and Ned, General Manager of the Kansas City Royals who fell out of a tree in a remote location and used Verizon's network to get help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqgcZte7OpE&feature=youtu.be The remaining two ads make use of a combination of English and Spanish. The first focuses on Susanna and Randy, who is an emergency first responder who needs to be away from home a lot. The ad is in a mix of English and Spanish. The second features Maria, who stays in touch with her aging parents who are in Mexico and have gotten too old to travel. These ads will be the first in Oscars history to use Spanish without English language subtitles. After previewing the ads, I think the answer is a resounding yes for four reasons. First, by kicking off the campaign with six ads at a major event, Verizon does not run the risk of its message getting lost in the clutter of numerous advertisers running ads that have a corporate social responsibility aspect to them as has happened to at least some advertisers in the last recent Super Bowls. The Oscars is also a very appropriate context in which to kick off a campaign that makes use of storytelling. Second, the focus of these ads on humanization and how Verizon's services have helped real people brings authenticity to the campaign in a way that is likely to resonate with consumers. With all the focus on targeting millennials with CSR appeals recently, the need for the company and its ads to be perceived as authentic is central to the success of these appeals. A third plus for this ad is the inclusion of a diverse group of people in the ads while delivering a positive message allows the ads to appeal to a wide cross-section of Americans without alienating any significant portion of the target audience, thereby avoiding the trap Gillette fell into with its recent online ad. Verizon serves a very diverse market in of 180 million consumers and is wise to focus on messages that a broad cross-section of Americans can relate to. Finally, in terms of positive about the ad, I think the creative is excellent. Some market research/analytics types like me like to see ads tested and tested for brand building and other properties. While such testing is generally well advised, let's face it, there is no substitute for great creative when it is on point. I had the chance to interview EVP and President Consumer Group, Ronan Dunne, and Verizon's Chief Marketing Officer, Diego Scotti to get additional insight on the philosophy behind the "Real Good Reasons" campaign. CMO Scotti emphasized the need for brands to be aware of the cultural/societal context of advertising while focusing on authenticity, stating: "Brands today need to consider the cultural and societal context of doing business. Consumers are thirsty for authenticity and honesty from the brands they do business with, and it shouldn't be about bashing competitors, being divisive or creating controversy for publicity. That's never been part of Verizon's ethos. We want to focus on what is real and true, not what's fabricated or fake. Consumers want substance and they are smart enough to see through it when it's not there. The campaign uses real Verizon customers sharing real experiences, it represents our customer base, respects the diversity of our audience and focuses on bringing people together versus dividing them. I've never been more proud of the work." EVP Dunne emphasized the broader business strategy context of the campaign, stating: The shift in our marketing creative is helping to set the tone for the consumer strategy this year - it's customer-centric, authentic and uses real-life situations as examples of how Verizon's technology helps to connect people during big and small experiences. My priority is to grow the business and reach our customers wherever they may be, and through all the different channels that they live and breathe. This campaign resonates because it speaks to real-life and the moments that matter." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLCV349QV_Y&feature=youtu.be The one potential criticism of the campaign I can see is whether Verizon's customer service lives up to the "humanization" theme included in the ad. The management team, led by new CEO, Hans Vestberg appears committed to infusing these values throughout the organization. CMO Scotti shared with me that there is a concurrent set of six videos (including the one above) that are aimed at employees of the organization. These videos feature employees talking about the importance of delivering great service to consumers. This concurrent campaign is an excellent idea in terms to ensure that the message in Reasons to Believe is lived up to in terms of customer service. In sum, it looks to me like Verizon will be a big winner on Oscar night, and potentially beyond. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2019/02/22/should-verizons-2019-oscar-ads-win-their-own-statuettes/ |
What's it like to have the gift of 'the cure'? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rebecca Hamilton claims to have cured thousands over the past four decades On any given day, the phone calls start early and continue late into the night at Rebecca Hamilton's County Donegal home. From an initial hello, the caller quickly moves to ask is she "the woman who has the cure". The question finishes depending on their ailment. The cure might be for shingles, ringworm or mouth ulcers. Once she was asked to cure a flock of sheep of the contagious ovine skin condition orf. "I never knew I had a cure for that," she told BBC News NI. "But he rang back three days later to say it had gone," she said. She's had the gift of the cure for more than 40 years, after being given it by an Irish man she met on holiday. Right across Ireland, there are people like Rebecca, said to be able to cure a host of common ailments. Image caption According to local belief, the soil from a churchyard in Boho, County Fermanagh can cure infections This is a land where local belief suggests water from certain wells or even soil from specific graveyards has healing properties. The cure - seemingly part folk tradition, part faith healing - predates Christianity. In a world of modern medicine, many people's belief in the cure persists. The secret prayers and set of actions involved have been passed discreetly from one healer to the next. In spite the cure's pre-Christian origin, Rebecca's methods are based in prayer and a belief in God. At her home in St Johnston, her family joke that "she says more prayers than the Pope". Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption On one occasion Rebecca was asked to pray for lambs with Orf - the farmer said it cleared from his flock within days How she came to have the cure is a "long story", she says. "We were on holiday in Austria, maybe about 40 years ago, and we fell in with an older couple. "She had fallen and broken her elbow and her husband Jack couldn't help her into toilets or things like that, so I did. "We got talking, started to spend meal times with them and they told us Jack had the cure for shingles and ringworm. "My own husband Tom would often take people to a lady close to where we lived to get the cure. "It was something we had a belief in and knew all about. "Jack was in his 70s then and they had no family - I said to him that he would have to pass it on before his time came. "He came down to breakfast the next morning and said: 'Rebecca, I've been thinking over what you said and I want you to take it.'" Image caption The man she met in Austria in the 1970s told her " go out and get yourself a pen knife" as part of the actions involved in curing people of shingles Over the 40-plus years since, Rebecca has seen and spoken to thousands of people seeking the cure. In days gone by, she would visit people in their homes or they would come to her. For shingles, she circled the infected area with a pen knife. For ringworm, a lit candle was used in the same way. It was what Jack had instructed her to do. All the while, she recites two secret prayers passed to her by Jack - they have been kept secret to this day. The only thing she needs to know to administer the cure is the person's name. Image caption Donegal woman Rebecca Hamilton takes on average seven or eight calls a day from people looking for 'the cure' Working with a lit flame close to human skin scared Rebecca initially. "I was scared to burn someone but one day a man that lived close to us told my daughter about his wee girl who had ringworm and she said to bring her up. "I didn't want to use the candle but I did, I saw him a few days later and asked how she was - I asked if she had been taken to a doctor. "He said: 'There was no need Rebecca, sure didn't you cure her.'" In the years soon after Jack passed on his knowledge, Rebecca's fame grew so much she "didn't have the time to get around everyone". "Mostly I do it over the phone now, it seems to work just as well," she said. But Rebecca insists the cure belongs to God. "You say the prayers, mention the person's name and then it is with God." 'Two days later and they were gone' Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Shingles causes a nasty, painful rash and can lead to complications in older people Back in 2012, David Allen from Londonderry had shingles. His mother knew Rebecca had the cure but he was sceptical. As the unbearable itch showed no signs of waning - and to appease his mother - he gave in. "Mum kept saying ring Rebecca, but I thought: 'What a load of rubbish,'" he says. "But to please my mum I gave in, I made the phone call to Rebecca. "Rebecca asked me a couple of questions and told me she would say the prayers - she said the shingles would go. "Within two days they were away." Sometimes people come back to Rebecca and tell her it has worked and say thank you but most times she hears nothing. She is quick to ask those who ring what medical help they are getting. If they say none, she tells them they should. But she says nurses often get in touch asking for the cure and a nearby chemist often refers people to her. That local chemist was the person that first made her aware the gift might extend beyond shingles and ringworm. "I did not know I had a cure for cold sores until a girl called me and said the chemist had told her they come from the same virus as shingles - she was told to call me. "Now I get lots of calls from people about cold sores and mouth ulcers," she adds. Image caption Like most people with the gift of the cure, Rebecca takes no money Rebecca knows there are sceptics - it is up to others to decide how they view her gift. Those with the cure take no money for their endeavours. Often there is a comfort for people just to know they are being prayed for, says Rebecca. "I like to be able to help people, that's all I try and do." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-47297831 |
Why didn't Amazon pay federal taxes for the second consecutive year? | Though Amazons Queens headquarters were ultimately scuppered it turns out the company is already receiving benefits from the government Amazon will not be moving to New York after all. After months of public debate, the plans for the technology and e-commerce company to establish a second headquarters in Long Island City were ultimately scuppered last week. Cities across the US have been attempting to lure Amazon by offering public subsidies in the hopes that the company would bring jobs. And New York was no exception, offering Amazon nearly $3bn in tax incentives. Researchers, activists and union leaders claimed that money could have been better spent. 'We proved Amazon wrong': activists celebrate Bezos retreat from Queens Read more Amazon is already getting plenty of benefits from the federal government. The company nearly doubled its profits to $11.2bn in 2018 from $5.6bn the year before and, for the second year running didnt pay a single cent of federal income tax. In fact, Amazon reported a federal income tax rebate for the past two years totalling almost $270m according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy analysis of Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Netflix also paid no federal or income tax on profits of $845m last year. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Amazon reported a federal income tax rebate for the past two years totalling almost $270m. Illustration: Mona Chalabi In a statement issued to the Guardian, Amazon said: Corporate tax is based on profits, not revenues, and our profits remain modest given retail is a highly competitive, low-margin business and our continued heavy investment. The use of the word modest in this statement was, it seems, not sarcastic. | https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2019/feb/22/amazon-taxes-federal-benefits |
Which banks do customers love or hate? | Image copyright Getty Images Metro Bank has taken top spot in an official survey of customers' satisfaction with their banks, with the Royal Bank of Scotland ranked bottom. Despite Metro's share price having been hit, in part, by errors in the way it accounted for some of its lending, the bank overtook First Direct to go top. Some 83% of its personal customers said they would recommend the bank to their family and friends. The rankings are published every six months by the UK's competition body. Banks must prominently display the results in branches, on websites and apps, with the aim to encourage competition on customer service. The rankings are drawn from the views of 16,000 people (1,000 from each bank), who were asked how likely they would be to recommend their account provider to friends and family. For personal banking, Metro Bank - which started operating in the UK in 2010 - was the most popular. Image copyright Reuters It has had a relatively tough few months in terms of its share price, but was second in the customer satisfaction ratings six months ago and has now taken top spot. A Metro Bank spokesman said: "Our offering is simple. We believe in providing the very best in service and convenience for both consumers and businesses, and this latest set of results speaks for itself." It has switched positions from six months ago with First Direct, with the Nationwide Building Society maintaining its position in third. The Royal Bank of Scotland was bottom of the 16 banks on the list. It scored poorly on services in branches. On the day that its parent company RBS announced a doubling in annual profits, the survey revealed that fewer than half (47%) of Royal Bank of Scotland personal current account customers said they would recommend the bank. Among the various categories, TSB - which suffered a major IT failure that led to the departure of its chief executive last year - finished bottom of online and mobile banking services. Clydesdale Bank was bottom on the ranking of overdraft services. HSBC-owned First Direct, which has no branches, was top of both these categories. Business banking Nearly 20,000 small businesses were also asked about customer service at banks, resulting in a ranking of 14 banks. Swedish import Handelsbanken was ranked top with an 85% satisfaction rating, with a particularly strong showing in the relationship and account management category (91%). Metro Bank was second and Santander third. TSB was bottom of the 14. Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority, which published the results, said: "We introduced this survey last August so that people can see exactly how well banks are treating their customers. "If people are unhappy with the customer service they are currently getting, I would encourage them to look at the results and think about switching to a better performing bank." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47251465 |
Who should fuel the EV revolution? | Open this photo in gallery Globe Drive automotive journalist Mark Richardson moderates a discussion on integrating mobile technology into society at the Smart Cities conference on urban mobility in Toronto at The Globe and Mail Centre on Feb. 12. From left, Peter Hatges of KPMG Canada, Stephen Beatty of Toyota Canada and Andrea Brown of Ontario Power Generation. As an example of one regions readiness for electric vehicles, Ontario Power Generation, which produces about half of the provinces electrical generation, said it will be able to provide the extra power needed for an estimated three million or more EVs to hit Ontarios roads in 20 years. The energy is there, but the infrastructure is lacking the ability for drivers to conveniently plug in their cars en masse overnight, said Andrea Brown, senior manager of electrification development at Ontario Power Generation Story continues below advertisement There have been a lot of investments made by the province and the federal government, but theres still a long way to go," she said. I dont know that we can necessarily leave it all to the government. I think other parties need to take a role," she added, speaking at the Smart Cities conference on urban mobility at The Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto this week. Electric vehicles are by far the biggest load that we see coming into the electricity system. Its comparable to when we saw air conditioning come into the market," she said. Stephen Beatty, vice-president, corporate at Toyota Canada, said that, in addition to Toyota not wanting to be in the power business, a major issue is that electrified vehicles come in many formats. Hybrids run on battery and gas. Pure EVs are just battery powered. And with the technology evolving, Toyota has recently sold a fleet of 50 EVs with hydrogen fuel cells to the Quebec government, as well as partnering with Honda Canada and other companies to build a multi-fueling station in Quebec City, which includes a hydrogen fueller. Some of those solutions require new infrastructure investment. Some dont, he said. The technology will continually change for different needs, making it hard to develop one aspect of the power infrastructure over another. And at the moment, the momentum is in Quebec and B.C., he argued. "You have to have both an energy policy and an environmental policy working in parallel with each other. I suspect that will come in Ontario, but right now were in a hiatus. The difficulty is that transportation needs vary so much. Today, theres a very wide range of different types of [electric] vehicles on the marketplace, serving both retail and fleet needs. Thats going to continue to be the case in the future, he said. If infrastructure favours one kind of EV technology and not another, it will only create a continuing need for gas cars to fill that gap, he said. Peter Hatges, national sector leader, automotive at KPMG Canada, noted that the lithium battery, for instance, takes many hours to charge, and therefore doesnt fit the needs of a parent rushing to pick up a child from hockey practice. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement The alternative to that and this is where the industry is pointing is that alternate methods of electric power seem to be better, such as hydrogen fuel cells, he argued. But the larger point is that there is ongoing debate over which technology will win out. I think that makes the infrastructure question even tougher. Its a lot of money. We have 12,000 gas stations [in Canada]. Think about how many charging stations you might need, if you were to compel consumers to use electric cars," Mr. Hatges said. Petro-Canada is among those seeing emerging demand, announcing Wednesday it is planning to open more than 50 EV charging stations across the country along the Trans-Canada Highway. Construction will begin this spring, and the stations are due to open next year, Petro-Canada said. Mr. Hatges believes the larger impetus has to come from the federal government, with policies consistent across provinces and with the United States. Yet, he doesnt feel that government rebate incentives are an effective allocation of public money. Nor does Mr. Beatty at Toyota, in what may seem like a contrarian view from an auto executive. "I got into a royal smack-down with a couple of previous governments on the subject of consumer incentives. What those do is, they are putting government money into vehicles that dont necessarily stay in the jurisdiction. It puts downward pressure on other technologies that can produce carbon reduction. And ultimately its money just taken off at the end of your ownership of the vehicle. So, its just a downward spiral that takes the most expensive technology, the most advanced technology in the marketplace, and reduces its value in the eyes of the consumer, he argued. Story continues below advertisement Instead, he favours multiple incremental policies, such as carbon targets for specific vehicles, rather than overarching policies such as rebate incentives or what he described as arbitrary targets to end gas-powered vehicle sales, which a number of countries are pursuing to fight climate change, including Britain by 2040. He argued that the existing gas infrastructure will remain for a long time, as EVs continue to catch on. Its going to be a long time before they represent half of the vehicle sales in any given year, he argued. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-who-should-fuel-the-ev-revolution/ |
Could Trumps next trade move be a tariff on imported cars? | Open this photo in gallery New cars sit on a lot at the Auto Warehousing Company near the Port of Richmond on May 24, 2018 in Richmond, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Sometimes, on a bad night, Brad Strong wakes at 2 a.m. and cant get back to sleep. The insomnia isnt about his family or money or health. Its about tariffs. The Strong familys three car dealerships in Salt Lake City could suffer a significant blow if President Donald Trump proceeds with a proposal to impose tariffs of 20 to 25 per cent on imported autos and auto parts. Strong may be in for a few more sleepless nights. Story continues below advertisement By Sunday, Trumps Commerce Department is expected to issue an opinion on whether auto imports endanger U.S. national security enough to justify such import taxes. Trump would then have 90 days to decide whether to impose them. The department could decide to postpone its conclusion. Or it could just hand its recommendations to Trump without making them public. But if it does suggest that Trump impose the tariffs, Commerce would be advocating a major escalation in Trumps combative trade policies. So far, he has stuck tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, dishwashers, solar panels and hundreds of Chinese goods. The tariffs have become a financial burden for U.S. companies that import goods and parts and have led some to pass on their higher costs to customers. Many economists worry about the eventual impact on the U.S. economy. U.S. auto tariffs would almost surely lead Japan and the European Union to retaliate. They could also spark a rebellion in the U.S. Congress including from Trumps fellow Republicans over concern that he is raising tariffs by invoking his authority to label certain imports a threat to Americas national security. I dont believe that minivans from Canada or other allies are a threat to our national security, said Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. I hope the administration takes a step back and reconsiders any auto tariffs. The tariffs could have far-reaching consequences on the companies that make cars, often with imported parts; on the dealerships that sell them; and on the consumers who buy them. U.S. imports of passenger vehicles and auto parts amounted to $340 billion in 2017. All three of Strongs dealerships sell vehicles made by German automakers Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. No Porsches or Audis are built in America. Only a couple of Volkswagen models are. The likely result is higher prices and lower sales for Strong and other dealers who sell imported vehicles. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement I worry about the people that work for me and their families, said Strong, who fears that his dealerships would have to lay off some of their 225 employees. If 25 per cent tariffs were imposed on imported parts and vehicles, including from Canada and Mexico, the price of imported vehicles would jump more than 17 per cent, or an average of around $5,000 each, according to IHS Markit. Even the prices of vehicles made in the U.S. would rise by about 5 per cent, or $1,800, because all use some imported parts. Luxury brands would absorb the sharpest increase: $5,800 on average, IHS concluded. Mass-market vehicle prices would rise an average of $3,300. If the tariffs are fully assessed, IHS senior economist Peter Nagle predicts that price increases would cause U.S. auto sales to fall by an average of 1.8 million vehicles a year through 2026. Were talking about an environment where sales are slowing already, Nagle said. In addition to Audi and Porsche, the most affected brands would be Mazda, Aston Martin and McLaren, which build all of their vehicles outside the U.S. The tariffs also would hit Audi, Porsche, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Volkswagen hard. Nearly 100 per cent of Volvos sold in the U.S. were produced elsewhere last year. The figure is 67 per cent for BMW, 63 per cent for Mercedes, 84 per cent for the VW group and 62 per cent for Hyundai. Story continues below advertisement I think it would be harmful to the whole economy, said Howard Hakes, president of Hitchcock Automotive, which has three Toyota showrooms in metro Los Angeles. You put a 25 per cent tariff on that, youre slowing down the train thats rolling already. Mario Murgado, who owns Honda, Volkswagen, Audi and other dealerships in the Miami and Chicago areas, has a different view. He says hes willing to sacrifice sales if necessary to make global trade fairer. Other countries, Murgado argues, assess higher tariffs than the U.S. does, while countries like Japan impose other barriers to importing U.S. vehicles. Im just trying to do the right thing thats in the best interest of our country, he said. Of the 17.2 million vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2017, 52 per cent were produced in the U.S., according to the Center for Automotive Research. Fourteen per cent came from Mexico and 11 per cent from Canada. Ten per cent were made in Japan, 5 per cent in South Korea, 3 per cent in Germany and 5 per cent elsewhere. There are many ways auto tariffs could be imposed. The worst-case scenario for the industry would be tariffs on both vehicles and parts. The administration also could slap levies on vehicles but not parts. Or it could suspend tariffs and use them for bargaining. But the tariffs would likely invite retaliation aimed at U.S. farmers or other sectors of the economy, said Kristin Dziczek, a vice-president at the Center for Automotive Research. Story continues below advertisement If we (tax) Audis, Germany could say, We dont want your peanut butter, she said. Trump ran for president on a vow to shrink Americas trade deficit with the rest of the world by renegotiating trade deals and attacking what he called abusive practices by other nations. The administration has invoked a little-used weapon in trade policy: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which empowers a president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs if Commerce finds that they threaten national security. The administration has used that authority to tax imported steel and aluminum. Now, it may use it on auto imports. Especially in the case of autos, the administration seems to be relying on a broad definition of national security. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross last year said it could include a very big variety of things that one would not normally associate directly with military security, including the U.S. economy. Trump has sought to use the steel and aluminum tariffs and the threat of auto tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations, including a rewrite of a North American agreement with Mexico and Canada. To the shock of many lawmakers and businesses, Trump kept in place the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico even after they agreed to a new pact last year. So its not clear if he is content to use them as a negotiating tactic or if theyre a permanent policy from a president who has called himself a Tariff Man. Story continues below advertisement Its hard to know exactly what the intent of the policies are, said Bryan Riley, director of the Free Trade Initiative at the conservative National Taxpayers Union. In her view, said Syracuse University economist Mary Lovely: This is not a negotiating tactic. Trump is a true believer He wrongly believes tariffs will help the U.S. auto industry. The auto industry itself opposes auto tariffs. And Congress is getting restless. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced legislation to reassert congressional control over trade. Their bill would give Congress 60 days to approve any tariffs imposed on national security grounds. It would also shift responsibility for Section 232 investigations away from Commerce to the Pentagon. Toomey noted that Trump agreed last summer to hold off on any auto tariffs while the U.S. and EU held trade talks. Negotiations are continuing, Toomey said. That means we should not see a new round of auto tariffs. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/international-business/us-business/article-could-trumps-next-trade-move-be-a-tariff-on-imported-cars/ |
What Did Elliott Abrams Have to Do With the El Mozote Massacre? | In El Salvador, the Reagan administration, with Abrams as point man, routinely defended the Salvadoran government in face of evidence that its regular army, and allied right-wing death squads, were operating with impunity, killing peasants, students, union leaders, and anyone considered anti-government or pro-guerrilla. Abrams went so far as to defend one of the death squads most notorious leaders, Roberto DAubuisson, who was responsible for the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero while he was saying mass, in March 1980. It was Romeros assassination that touched off a civil war in El Salvador an alliance of the military and the oligarchs, which had ruled for decades with support from the United States, against a Marxist-inspired insurgency. Most of the support for the revolution came from El Salvadors peasants, who had little to lose in seeking to overthrow a government that had resorted to brutal repression to keep them in miserable poverty. To drain the peasant sea in which guerrillas swam, to borrow from Mao, the Atlacatl battalion, whose officers had recently completed counterinsurgency training in the United States, launched a scorched earth operation in Morazon, a mountainous region where semi-literate peasants labored on their small plots of sisal and corn. I began reporting from El Salvador for the New York Times in December, 1980. Four American Roman Catholic churchwomen had just been raped and murdered by Salvadoran soldiers, another heinous crime that the Reagan administration sought to cover up. One year later, I was smuggled by guerrillas into Morazon. I was accompanied by Susan Meiselas, the photojournalist already well-known for her work in Nicaragua. Simultaneously, but separately, Alma Guillermoprieto of the Washington Post made her way into the area as well. When we reached El Mozote, evidence of the massacre was still abundant. Skeletons were being picked over by vultures, the stench of death carried by the breeze. My reporting and Susan's pictures appeared in the Times, and Alma's reporting in the Post, in January 1982. Immediately, the administration attacked us and sought to deny the stories, calling them guerrilla propaganda. The reports were not credible, Abrams said. As Abrams put it, El Mozote appears to be an incident that is at least being significantly misused, at the very best, by the guerrillas. So the murder of hundreds of children became a mere incident. I returned to El Mozote last year, the first time since the 1980s. I found a survivor, Amadeo Sanchez. He had been eight years old at the time, a peasant boy who worked in the fields with his father. When word of the Atlacatls operation reached his village, the gun fire close enough to be heard, and the helicopter gunships overhead, Sanchez told me he fled with his father. His mother remained in the village, with Sanchezs three younger siblings, including a one-year old brother. I have done nothing wrong, nothing is going to happen to me, Sanchez recalled his mother saying. | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/ilhan-omar-elliott-abrams-and-el-mozote-massacre/582889/?utm_source=feed |
What is A Fair Tip For A Fill-In Caddie? | Years back as an inexperienced recreational golfer, I once under-tipped a forecaddie and suffered the embarrassment of right then and there being told what the recommended gratuity was before reaching into my pocket to rectify the situation. So the Kuchar looper-lowballing scandal hit home, granted my flub never resulted in getting tarred and feathered on Twitter. Theres a range when it comes to a regular tour caddys piece of their pros winnings on the PGA TOUR. But the rule of thumb is if youre playing wing man on the course to an established player you get a bonus for a top-10 finish and 10% of the prize money for a win. So by that math if a golfer tops the leaderboard and receives a check for 1.3 million, the etiquette is the caddies cut is $130,000. David Ortiz who works at El Camaleon Golf Club, in Playa del Carmen where the Mayakoba Classic is played was paid $5000 by Matt Kuchar to fill in for his regular caddie. Mum would be the word if that was the end of it but Kuchar went on to top the leaderboard and receive a winners check for $1.296 million. Ten weeks later Ortiz was offered a $15,000 bonus that he reportedly found unacceptable and turned down. When the story broke on Golf.com a couple days ago, the interwebs went wild with condemnation against Kuchar for not ponying up more. Ortiz didnt expect 10 percent of the winnings but had imagined that a $50,000 bonus would be the right amount. Yesterday Kuchar defended his decision. "It's done. Listen, I feel like I was fair and good. You can't make everybody happy. You're not going to buy people's ability to be OK with you, and this seems to be a social media issue more than anything, he told GolfChannel.com. I think it shouldn't be, knowing that there was a complete, agreed-upon deal that not only did I meet but exceeded. So, I certainly don't lose sleep over this. This is something that I'm quite happy with, and I was really happy for him to have a great week and make a good sum of money. Making $5,000 is a great week." Kuchar in a conversation with Golf.com writer Michael Bamberger said the agreement with Ortiz was a payment of $1,000 if he missed the cut, $2,000 if he made the cut, $3,000 for a top-20 result, and $4,000 for a top-10 finish. The extra $1000 was a thank you. While Ortiz reportedly accepted Kuchars contract before electing to work with him and legally doesnt have a leg to stand on in this dispute, the player ranked 10th all time on the career money list comes off as tone deaf in his defense. If Kuch could have this one back Im betting the nine time PGA TOUR winner would have given Ortiz a much more generous Thank You, right there on the spot back in November. If you have an amazing meal at a restaurant and the service was spectacular, when it comes time to pencil in the tip, youre probably going to aim higher than the minimum recommended gratuity. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikedojc/2019/02/15/what-is-a-fair-tip-for-a-fill-in-caddie/ |
Can Insurer Blue Cross Rescue Dallas, Chicago Consumers From 'Food Deserts'? | Retailers have a new ally in the long-running struggle to get healthier food options to consumers in under-served areas. A pilot program announced this week by health insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield and its licensee Health Care Service Corp., bypasses the debate about grocery store locations and aims to deliver healthy, prepared meals to consumers in Dallas and Chicago for as little as $5 a meal. Backers of the foodQ program hope to improve health outcomes and reduce avoidable emergency room visits and hospital admissions by improving consumer diets. The program was developed by the BCBS Institute, a subsidiary of Blue Cross. It is being launched through the Affordability Cures program of Health Care Service Corp., one of the largest health insurers in the U.S. Affordability Cures works to develop long-term solutions that address the root causes of an expensive health care system. The team selected 15 ZIP codes in Dallas, including parts of southern Dallas along with Vickery Meadow, Knox-Henderson and East Dallas. The six-month test also includes 25 ZIP codes on Chicagos south and west sides. We know a ZIP code is just as important as a genetic code in determining a persons health impacting medical needs and access to care, Trent Haywood, a physician and president of the BCBS Institute, said in a statement. With the alarming rates of obesity and diabetes in our country, we need a different approach to supporting healthy living, and this pilot program can help remove the barriers that keep people from accessing healthy, affordable and nutritious foods, Haywood said. Throughout the pilot, consumers will be asked to complete a survey to help verify that in eligible communities there is demand for access to healthy nutrition options if they are offered at an affordable price. FoodQ operators will use the data to determine if the program is sustainable and scalable. The USDA defines food deserts as areas where residents do not have easy access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods. Food consumed in food deserts often is high in cholesterol, sugar and fat -- food attributes linked to obesity and diabetes as well as hypertension. A 2016 estimate in the Nonprofit Quarterly estimated there were 2.3 million people in the United States living in food deserts at that time. Matthew Trog Trogdon, vice president of South Dallas urban Bonton Farms program, is not surprised to see the health insurance industry launching a program that focuses more on cause than treatment. I think the health care community understands the data as well if not better than anybody else, he said. I think that makes perfect sense it would be health care that saw the need. For more than a decade, much of the discussion about food deserts has focused on providing incentives to grocers, who operate on notoriously thin margins, to set up shop in under-served areas. The industry, through the Food Marketing Institute, cites factors including high investment and operating costs and inadequate demographic base as barriers to more construction in food deserts. The typical supermarket takes between five and seven years before its initial investment costs of [up to] $25 million are recovered, the Institute said in a 2011 report called Access to Healthier Foods. Local zoning regulations along with high real estate and development costs are often barriers to entry, said Heather Garlich, vice president of media for the Food Marketing Institute. Theres no single answer, but working closely with local government leaders and other stakeholders, it is possible to develop local solutions that address the local obstacles, she said. By focusing on the food, rather than bricks and mortar, backers of foodQ can launch quickly and at a fraction of the cost of building a 40,000 square foot facility that needs a fair amount of foot traffic to survive. Beginning in April, the food and its delivery in Dallas will be provided by by Front Porch Pantry, a meal-preparation service launched in March 2016 by Michaelann Dykes, who also serves as managing partner. Dykes referred calls on her participation in the program to Blue Cross. The project already is operating in Chicago through Kitchfix, which prepares meals that adhere to Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, anti-inflammatory and organic diets. Any consumer living in the program ZIP codes can participate, regardless of health insurance status or insurance carrier. All meals follow a nutritional framework based on the USDAs nutritional guidelines and Healthy Eating Index. Consumers in Chicago and Dallas will be able to pay $10 for individual meals plus a $6 per order delivery fee or subscribe to the foodQ program for $10 per month, which includes free delivery and a buy-one-get-one option for every meal purchased. That means two meals would cost $10 or $5 each. Chicago has the largest population of individuals living in food deserts in HCSCs service area. And Dallas has an estimated 40 food deserts, according to Trogdon. Bettie Montgomery is with the Oak Cliff Veggie Project in southern Dallas, which works to get fresh fruits and vegetables, for free, into the hands of area residents. She sees food delivery as part of a broader effort, that could also include a retail outlet. There should be several different levels that we look at to make affordable food, nutritious food available to the population, she said, days before a scheduled food giveaway. People are getting fatter, people are undernourished, and those are the issues that need to be tackled. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenrobinsonjacobs/2019/02/15/can-insurer-blue-cross-rescue-dallas-chicago-consumers-from-food-deserts/ |
What does the future hold for the Saints at quarterback after a successful 2018? | New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) takes the field during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Sunday, December 23, 2018. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) At age 39, Brees delivered a master class in how to play the quarterback position, especially in an absurdly efficient first 11 games. In that span, Brees completed 76.4 percent of his passes and had a 29:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His cumulative passer rating in those games was 127.4, a figure achieved through consistently excellent play Brees compiled a passer rating of 110 or better in nine of the first 11 games, and he became the second player in NFL history to record three games with a 150-plus passer rating in a single season, joining Kirk Cousins in 2015. With Brees playing at such a high level, the Saints ripped off 10 consecutive wins and finished 13-3 to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As superb as Brees was in 2018, he came back to earth in the home stretch of the season. In his final four games (Brees sat out the season finale), Brees passed for just 214.7 yards per game just 6.4 yards per attempt and threw as many interceptions (3) as touchdowns. The Saints went 3-1 in that stretch, but that was largely thanks to a defense that held opponents to 16 points per game. He bounced back a bit in the playoffs, throwing for 550 yards and four touchdowns. He turned 40 in the week leading up to the NFC championship game, and has already made it clear he will return for his 19th NFL season in 2019. | https://www.nola.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/5ad6d45c864125/what-does-the-future-hold-for-the-saints-at-quarterback-after-a-successful-2018-.html |
Is Baidu a Buy? | Long-term Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) shareholders have enjoyed stellar performance from the stock; its shares are up more than 1,200% over the last decade. However, its run over the last several years has been characterized by volatility. The Chinese search engine and online advertising leader saw its stock price hit a lifetime high in 2018, but a slowdown for China's economy and concerns that its stock market had become overheated prompted steep sell-offs in the year's latter half. Baidu stock is off roughly 40% from its high and now trades at roughly 16.5 times this year's expected earnings -- a multiple that looks enticing in comparison to recent historical context and the company's ample growth potential. The Chinese tech stock's risk profile won't be a great fit for every investor, but for those who are intrigued by the long-term growth potential in the country and aren't put off by volatility, there's a compelling case for buying Baidu. Baidu's logo. More Image source: Baidu. Search still looks solid Baidu has often been referred to as the "Google of China," and like the American search giant, it commands a dominant position in the search space and makes money by serving up targeted, keyword-based advertising. China's digital-ad market grew more than 25% in 2018, and Baidu claimed roughly a 70% share of the search market that's at the center of online advertising. The company is looking to cloud and artificial intelligence services to power its next big growth leaps, in part because the strong ecosystems of companies like Tencent Holdings present a long-term threat, but the search business still looks solid. It would be unwise to completely write off competition considering existing competitors like the Tencent-partnered Sogou are offering alternatives and the possibility that Google will re-enter the Chinese market, but Baidu's position continues to look strong. Baidu built its lead in the space by delivering a superior user experience, and the nature of the search algorithms and artificial intelligence systems at the core of its engine mean that these advantages tend to become self-reinforcing. The more data is pumped through Baidu's channels, the more its algorithms are refined and its performance improves -- and the harder it becomes for rival offerings to catch up. In that way, many of the same dynamics that have helped Google dominate in America and Europe continue to work in Baidu's favor in the Chinese market. Baidu's growth businesses In addition to its core search business, the company is branching out into cloud services and has positioned itself as an early leader in the artificial intelligence space. The company counted 141 million users for its DuerOS voice operating system at the end of September, up from 100 million users early in August, and its favorable position in search and voice-based operating systems makes the company a likely candidate to benefit from the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the country. Concepts like artificial intelligence and IoT can sometimes come across a bit nebulous and futuristic, but Baidu is making real progress with initiatives in those fields. These businesses stand to see substantial growth over the next decade and tap into the type of wide-sweeping, hugely influential trends that should be of interest to growth-focused tech investors. | https://news.yahoo.com/baidu-buy-130000711.html |
Will Dell Technologies Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Dell Technologies As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Dell Technologies Inc. DELL. The stock has moved higher by 0.8% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider DELLs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as DELL has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. From more than 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank, these 10 were picked by a process that consistently beats the market. Even during 2018 while the market dropped -5.2%, our Top 10s were up well into double-digits. And during bullish 2012 2017, they soared far above the market's +126.3%, reaching +181.9%. This year, the portfolio features a player that thrives on volatility, an AI comer, and a dynamic tech company that helps doctors deliver better patient outcomes at lower costs. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/dell-technologies-continue-surge-higher-124312996.html |
Is my Gmail account really going away? | Q: I have had a Gmail account for the past few years. Recently I was informed that effective in early April 2019 all personal Gmail accounts will be deleted. I would appreciate your recommendations for a replacement email provider. A: I have been contacted a number of times on this issue and I am happy to say that your Gmail account is not going anywhere. You, like many others, have misinterpreted a message from Google that has been sent out to let users know that their Google+ account is being deleted. Google rolled out Google+ in 2011 in an attempt to compete with social media services like Facebook and Twitter. As it turns out, Google+ failed spectacularly, as evidenced by the fact that most Gmail users didnt even realize they had a Google+ account. Google announced last year that it would be shutting down the service and the email you received is simply confirmation of that fact. The email is intended to let you know in case you need to preserve any data you may have uploaded to that service. Q: I am using a Canon color printer on my home network and all of a sudden my Windows 10 computer will only print in black and white. My other computers using Windows 7 will still print in color. A: If the printer was working normally on your Windows 10 system it is possible that a recent Windows update might have made an unwanted change to your print settings. The first thing you will want to verify is that your printer settings are set correctly. To do this, open your Control Panel and then click on Devices and Printers. Locate your printer, right click it and select Printing Preferences. Look under the Paper Quality tab and you should see the ability to choose Black and White or Color as your preference. Just set it to Color and then click OK and close out the control panel. If you do not have these choices in the preferences Control Panel you may need to completely uninstall the print driver and set it up from scratch. Start this process by opening up the Printer Control Panel and right clicking on your printer and deleting it. Then click the Search box and type printui /s /t2 and hit Enter. This will bring up a list of all of the printer drivers on your PC. Locate your Canon, highlight it and click on the Remove button. Once you have done this, reboot and then setup the printer just like you did when you first installed it. If needed, you should be able to get setup instructions and software from the Canon support site. [email protected] | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/jaylee/article/Is-my-Gmail-account-really-going-away-13607363.php |
How much does Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods get paid? | Atrium Health gave Gene Woods about $6.1 million in total compensation last year, an increase of more than 12 percent from the year before, according to disclosures the Charlotte-based hospital system released on Thursday. Woods package includes a salary of about $1.7 million and a cash bonus of $1.6 million. The remainder includes contributions Atrium makes toward health benefits, as well as cash awards for performance. Its the largest payout for Woods since he began work at the public nonprofit in April 2016. In a statement, Atrium said its board of commissioners used independent, third-party experts to provide compensation data on organizations of similar size, scope and complexity. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer It also noted that combined compensation for Atriums top 10 executives is less than 1 percent of total compensation for all its roughly 63,000 employees. The figure includes more than 36,000 in the Charlotte metro area. For 2017, Woods made about $5.4 million in total compensation. In 2016, he received $1.7 million in total compensation, including a salary of $828,110 and a bonus of $500,000. That year, he replaced predecessor Michael Tarwater. Last year was one of much change, some of it turbulent, at the states largest hospital network. That included: In February, Atrium announced a name change from Carolinas HealthCare System, a move it said reflected its growth from a single community hospital in Charlotte to a regional health care giant. The next day, Atrium announced plans to combine with Georgia-based health care system Navicent. That deal closed in December. In March, Atrium said it had ended discussions with UNC Health Care to form a joint operating company, citing an inability to reach an agreement to form a mega-system. In April, a group of about 90 doctors announced they wanted to leave Atrium, accusing it of monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior. Atrium granted the doctors requests to break away. In July, Atrium switched anesthesiology providers at most of its Charlotte-area hospitals. The termination of its contract with a longtime vendor sparked lawsuits that are pending in North Carolina Business Court; In October, Atrium said it was seeking to build a $116 million hospital and $13.5 million medical office in western Union County, a project it estimated to be completed in early 2022. And in November, Atrium said that personal information for more than 2 million of it patients may have been compromised in a data breach of billing information, including addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers. Gene Woods is president and CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System Jon Strayhorn Jon Strayhorn MAC330 In disclosing Woods latest compensation figures, Atrium noted that it also invested more than $100 million in its frontline employees, nurses and doctors last year. Those investments included announcing in June an increase in Atriums minimum wage to $12.50 per hour, up from $11.50. That change impacted more than 7,500 employees in the Charlotte metro area, Atrium said at the time. This month, Atrium said it plans to increase pay for more than 15,000 employees, primarily nurses and those in nursing support roles across the Charlotte-based hospital system. Those increases will range from 2 to 5 percent for some workers and 5 percent on average for others, Atrium said. | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article226281770.html |
Could We Be In A Recession And Not Know It? | It is possible. Retail sales for December fell, and the yield curve is flat. Plus, the Fed recently apparently changed course on what was expected to be a series of rate hikes for 2019. Also, the data from China is soft. The IMF has the globally economy "losing steam" and Italy was in recession for the second half of 2018. There's a lot of bad news out there. However, there are positive signs too, or at least, less bad ones. Though areas of Europe may be struggling with recession, most other major economies are growing on most recent data. Plus, there is always bad news out there. That's true even at the best of times, if you care to look. The inverted yield curve has a decent track-record of recession forecasting. However, it's often an early indicator, and the yield curve is not meaningfully inverted yet. The same is true of leading economic indicators. For example, the Conference Board's leading indicators are not in a firm downtrend yet, if anything they look pretty neutral. So, some of the more reliable indicators aren't calling for a recession yet, and if they did, a recession could still be a year out. Circularity Fundamentally, if you are an investor using these forecasting tools, then I'm afraid to say, you have a problem. Many leading indicator tools actually incorporate both the yield curve and the S&P 500 as forecasting metrics used to make recession predictions. This means that by the time these indicators are giving an indication that the U.S. economy may be in trouble then the stock market could well already be down too, to generate the very signal that you may have been hoping to act on. It's circular. This means that, as an investor, watching the leading indicators to gain an edge in the markets will not necessarily help you. This is because the leading indicators are watching the stock market closely as an early recession signal. You can't outsmart the stock market by watching indicators derived from the stock market. In this case, trying to call recessions can be a near impossible task. Especially since the markets themselves provide one of the most accurate means to forecast recessions. However, actually, market valuations, rather than recession forecasting, can work out to be better predictors of returns. The reason is that recessions typically come around every decade or so, so there's always a recession behind us and another ahead. Recessions are, in a sense, a fact of life for most economies. However, market-valuation levels do move around over time and can be reasonably predictive of future market returns over the long-term. Reasonably predictive, means not very precise, but somewhat helpful in informing the level of returns over the next decade or so. Currently, the U.S. market is at a high level relative to history. This is not a good sign on a medium-term view. It suggests U.S. stock returns over the next decade will likely fall well short of expectations. Therefore, in trying to dive into the economic data we may be missing the more obvious and reliable datapoint that suggests the U.S. markets are unlikely to deliver for the next decade, recession or not. Interestingly, this may one reason to look overseas for potentially better returns. Not Yet So looking at the data, it seems were are not yet in a recession in the United States. The Fed is holding rates steady, but is not cutting them as they were going into the last recession. The stock market has risen almost 20% from the lows of late 2018, whereas 3 months prior to last recession it was in sharp decline. The yield curve is flat, but no yet meaningfully inverted. Leading indicators are somewhat soft but not in freefall. Realtime GDP forecasts have US Q4 GDP at over 1% from the Atlanta Fed forecast and over 2% from the New York Fed. Plus, remember that the definition of a recession is two successive quarters of negative growth. Currently, the most recent actual GDP number we have is Q3 2018 growth of over 3%, so quite a healthy rate. So, perhaps things are softening, and we won't get Q4 GDP until later this month, but the idea that we are in a recession now, in the U.S. seems unlikely, based on the current data. That said the U.S. consumer may be weakening, and consumers make up about two thirds of the economy. Things are softening, but it certainly seems too early to call a full-blown recession. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmoore/2019/02/15/could-we-be-in-a-recession-and-not-know-it/ |
Will Donald Trumps violation of the Cuban embargo hurt him in Florida? | The Associated Press is reporting that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria crystallized during a December 14 phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the news agency, the decision was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. One of the surprising details of the report is that Erdogan himself was taken aback at how successful he was in convincing Trump on the Syrian matter. Before the phone call, the consensus position that the Trump administration had reached, backed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, was that Trump would tell Erdogan to back off from his threats to attack Kurdish forces in Syria. But during the phone conversation, Trump threw away the script and agreed with his Turkish counterpart. As AP relates, Trump started by reiterating the message of backing off. But then a change occurred: Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants. Trump then posed Erdogans question to his National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was participating in the phone call. Bolton admitted that the Islamic State had indeed lost 99 per cent of its territory but said that it was in Americas interest to make sure the group did not enjoy a resurgence. Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan. Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said. From this reporting, it seems likely that it was never Erdogans intention to get the United States to withdraw. Rather he made the demand as a bargaining move, to get other, lesser goals. Trump, displaying his mastery of the art of the deal, gave in to Erdogans maximum position. The White House denies the accuracy of APs account. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/137316/will-donald-trumps-violation-cuban-embargo-hurt-florida |
Is the Clinton campaign setting a trap for Trump or does it really think it can win Arizona? | Arizona has voted for the Republican candidate fifteen times in the last sixteen elections. (The exception was 1996, when the state narrowly voted for Bill Clinton over Bob Dole.) Clinton was up a shade over one percent in the polls in the state in mid-August, but has since fallen back to earthshe currently trails Trump by an average of four points. FiveThirtyEights polls-plus forecast gives her a 23.3 percent chance of winning the state, which means that she has about the same chance of winning Arizona as she does of winning Missouri and Georgia, two states she almost certainly is going to lose. And yet, the Clinton campaign has announced a six-figure ad buy in the state. Maybe. The Clinton campaign, led by campaign manager Robby Mook, wants to shoot the moon. Of course, any campaign manager would, but Mook has sent signs that he and the campaign are eyeing a landslidethey just hired staffers in Georgia, another Democratic dream state. But its just as likely that all this ambition is a feint, meant to force Trump to spend time and resources in states the Clinton campaign fully expects him to winless than a day before the Arizona ad buy was announced Politico reported that the Clinton campaign was convinced that Trump had fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. This would be the equivalent of Hillary having to campaign in Massachusetts or having to campaign in California, except [to raise] money, Democratic strategist Chris Lehane told Politico. Either he has fallen for it hook, line and sinker, or there are substantive concerns given his changes in some of the margins within specific cohorts of voters. Either way, its good news. In other words, the Clinton campaign sees ad buys in Arizona as a win-win. At the very least, they can fool Trump into spending his own resources in the state. At most, they win Arizona for the first time in twenty years. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/136502/clinton-campaign-setting-trap-trump-really-think-can-win-arizona |
What was the point of Donald Trumps town hall on Thursday? | The Associated Press is reporting that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria crystallized during a December 14 phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the news agency, the decision was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. One of the surprising details of the report is that Erdogan himself was taken aback at how successful he was in convincing Trump on the Syrian matter. Before the phone call, the consensus position that the Trump administration had reached, backed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, was that Trump would tell Erdogan to back off from his threats to attack Kurdish forces in Syria. But during the phone conversation, Trump threw away the script and agreed with his Turkish counterpart. As AP relates, Trump started by reiterating the message of backing off. But then a change occurred: Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants. Trump then posed Erdogans question to his National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was participating in the phone call. Bolton admitted that the Islamic State had indeed lost 99 per cent of its territory but said that it was in Americas interest to make sure the group did not enjoy a resurgence. Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan. Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said. From this reporting, it seems likely that it was never Erdogans intention to get the United States to withdraw. Rather he made the demand as a bargaining move, to get other, lesser goals. Trump, displaying his mastery of the art of the deal, gave in to Erdogans maximum position. The White House denies the accuracy of APs account. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/137568/point-donald-trumps-town-hall-thursday |
Why Is the U.S. Green Party So Irrelevant? | During the 1980s and early 1990s, Green Party conventions in Germany were dominated by fierce infighting between moderate Realos (realists) and radical Fundis (fundamentalists). The Realos, who prioritized electability over ideology, eventually prevailed. In order to graduate from an opposition party to a ruling party that controlled cabinet posts, German Greens had to develop a capacity for compromise. To gain power, they had to form coalitions with center-left Social Democrats. But coalitions require consensusespecially in parliaments with proportional representation. Interacting with centrist politicians, unionists, church representatives and the media taught Realos to act less like activists and more like politicians. In 1998 the Green Party formed a so-called red-green coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD), a party that has traditionally championed the working class, and won a large majority in the Bundestag. Working through this alliance, former activists initiated reform of an antiquated immigration and citizenship law and worked toward recognition of same-sex unions. They implemented an environmentally driven tax code and brokered a deal with the nuclear energy industry to cancel projects for new plants and phase out nuclear power by 2022. Many Green Party supporters thought Realos were too eager to compromise. Some even physically attacked their party leaders when the coalition government supported use of military force in a NATO-led campaign against Serbia in 1999. Many critics viewed this decision as the remilitarization of German foreign policy under the leadership of Joschka Fischer of the Green Party, then serving as Foreign Minister. However, these compromises did not erode broad public support for the Greens. On the contrary, in 2002 the red-green coalition was reelected and the Green Party received more votes than it had in 1998. When the coalition government broke down in 2005, it was due to Chancellor Gerhard Schrders lack of leadership within his own SPD. Although the Green Party has not regained control of Germanys federal government since 2005, its positions have become part of the nations mainstream political culture. Notably, after the 2011 nuclear plant meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, a center-right German government decided to accelerate the phaseout of nuclear power in response to rising public concern. To reach this goal, Angela Merkels centrist government has implemented an ambitious policy bundle known as the Energiewende that seeks to transition Germany to a nonnuclear, low-carbon energy future. Massive governmental support for alternative energy sources has encouraged Germans, especially in rural areas, to invest in solar power, wind turbines and biomass plants. These green policies did not harm, and may have buoyed, Merkels status as one of the most popular German chancellors prior to this years controversies over immigration. Germany reformed its renewable energy law this year in response to new European Union rules governing electricity markets, and will shift from subsidies to market-based mechanisms, but the Energiewende remains highly popular. No third lane There is no easy way for the U.S. Green Party to emulate its German counterparts. Because the American political system makes it difficult for third parties to participate, Green Party candidates do not have opportunities to learn the trade of politics. They have remained activists who are true to their base instead of developing policy positions that would appeal to a broader audience. By doing so, they weaken their chances of winning major races even in liberal strongholds. As a result, green ideas enter American political debates only when Democrats and Republicans take up these issues. It is telling that major U.S. environmental groups started endorsing Clinton even before she had clinched the Democratic presidential nomination over Bernie Sanders, who took more aggressive positions on some environmental and energy issues during their primary contest. And although Sanders identifies as an environmentalist, he sought the Democratic Party nomination instead of running as the Green Party candidate. This suggests that running on a third-party ticket in the United States is still not a winning route to shaping a message aimed at a broad electorate. Instead, climate change, dwindling energy resources and growing human and economic costs from natural disasters will do more to promote ecological consciousness and political change in mainstream America than the radical rhetoric of the U.S. Green Party. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137924/us-green-party-irrelevant |
What Does it Take for a K-Pop Star to Cross Over? | CL certainly has some of the best infrastructure in place to make it in the States. While she remains under her Korean label YG Entertainment, her U.S. manager is Scooter Braun, who was behind the rise of pop phenoms Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. CL often collaborates with Diplo, tastemaker of dudebros everywhere. And, if youve listened to any of her songs, you know that CL is unmistakably a starnot in the old-timey Hollywood way, but in the sense that her presence is reminiscent of a massive, all-engulfing ball of fiery carbon. But, despite all this, more than half a century after strains of Sukiyaki floated from a jukebox, it remains to be seen if CL can endear herself to an American audience without having to Westernize herself. The currency that CL deals in is superlatives. One of 2NE1s most popular songs is I Am The Best, and CLs first solo venture in Korea earned her the title of The Baddest Female. She has popularized words like gizibe, which can roughly be translated into bad girl or a fonder version of bitch. One of the first songs she dropped in the U.S. was the forceful Hello Bitches, in which CL asserts of her listeners: And they singing every word / Like they was at the karaoke. In Korea, where women can often feel intense pressured to conform (somewhere between one-fifth and one-third of women in Seoul have undergone plastic surgery), CL has built her brand on standing out. She is bringing this aggressive self-confidence to the States where, in her own words, she hopes to be considered a boss ass bitch. As an Asian-American woman, this is an especially appealing pitch. Growing up, there were few celebrities who looked like usa coworker once told me that people always compared her to Mulan, who is not even a real person, but a cartoon. For Chinese-American women in the 1960s, the model was the infamous prostitute Suzie Wong from the movie The World of Suzie WongChinese women were even referred to as Suzies. In my case, people always told me I looked like Lucy Liu, which, on the one hand, hell yeah, but on the other hand, I resemble Lucy Liu as much as I do Kevin James (to clarify: not at all). This is to say that Asian women have never had much representation in American pop culture. As Elaine Teng has pointed out at The New Republic, more white women in yellowface have won Oscars than actual Asian actresses. And when Asian women are portrayed, its often through a stereotype, whether it is the more outdated image of sexualized subservience (think of the women who are saved by white soldiers in Miss Saigon and Madame Butterfly) or as the deferential model minority. When it comes to music, there are artists who have reached moderate success, such as Malaysian-born Yuna, whose glimmering song Crush reached number 39 this May on Billboard. If CL can bring her image of a brash and bombastic Asian woman to the mainstream, it could help to break through some of these stereotypes. CL recognizes the value of this endeavor. Im trying to come out here to set an example of an Asian girl, she told Paper Mag last August. But even the Baddest Female can stumble. A lot of Asian girls love being basic because its safe, she added. In Fader she asserted, I dont want a good image. Im not the standard Asian girl. At times, when attempting to contradict the myth of the meek Asian woman, CL actually perpetuates it. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137258/take-k-pop-star-cross-over |
Will Liberal Ballot Issues Give Hillary Clinton an Edge? | Part of the reason for this is that conservative social issues, particularly opposition to gay rights, have grown unpopular. But the bigger reason is that conservatives dont need to go to the ballot to pass their priorities. They can just go to the state capitol. Republicans have by and large taken control of government at the state level, thanks to big midterm election victories in 2010 and 2014. Republicans hold majorities in 69 of the nations 99 state houses, and have total control of the legislature in 31 states (thats 30 plus the nominal Republican control of the allegedly nonpartisan unicameral Nebraska legislature), with Democrats controlling only eleven, and the other eight split. For Democrats to get legislating again in those states, theyll need to win elections. Otherwise, one of the only ways to break through is by taking issues directly to the ballot. This is supposed to have a win-win effect; not only could liberal issues become law at the state level, but the opportunity to vote on hot-button topics could drive liberals to the polls and help retake the state legislatures, or at least cut into Republican majorities. California Democratic Party chairman John Burton has been calling marijuana-related ballot measures the secret weapon for Democratic success since 2010. In 2014, Democrats tried out their liberal wedge-issue strategy. Minimum-wage increases passed in four states (Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota), along with a non-binding measure in Illinois. Alaska and Oregon decriminalized marijuana use; Massachusetts instituted paid sick days; Washington state implemented background checks for all gun purchasers; and additional taxes on millionaires and businesses to fund school revenue passed in Illinois and Nevada. The liberal measures dont attempt to scare voters into turning out. They play on hopes instead of fears. And that wont move the needle. This was good news for many low-wage workers, K-12 students, and would-be drug offenders. But it did nothing for Democrats up and down the ballot. Voter turnout nationwide was the lowest since World War II. Republicans picked up an additional 13 seats in the House, nine Senate seats, two more governorships, and eleven more legislative chambers. The result was a high-water mark for the Republican Party since 1928. This included major losses in places with high-profile ballot measures pushed by the left. In Illinois, voters supported millionaires taxes and a higher minimum wagebut voted for a Republican governor. Arkansas flipped a Senate seat red. Voter turnout actually declined in South Dakota, where the minimum wage was on the ballot, while Oregons turnout was virtually identical to the previous midterm in 2010. Washington state saw the fewest voters for a midterm since 1978. Alaska did have the highest midterm turnout in 20 years, but its unclear whether to attribute that to ballot measures or hotly contested U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. And Republicans won that Senate race, while an independent took the governors seat. | https://newrepublic.com/article/136590/will-liberal-ballot-issues-give-hillary-clinton-edge |
What Makes A Novel Subversive? | Judy Blumes books are famous for pushing the decency envelope. Her 1972 novel Forever is also frequently banned for sexual content and for profanity. (Pretty much yearly since its publication, Forever has been challenged by Focus on the Family or The Christian Coalition.) But theres another aspect to Forever thats rarely discussed: It has a fat character who has lots of sex. Sybil is often seen as a foil to the main character Katherine, a rail-thin control freak who loses her virginity deliberately and with purpose. Sybil is the other side of the body image spectrum: Shes fat and has been laid by six guys. At least she gets to have sex, which is pretty uncommon for a fat girl in 1972 young adult fiction. (And theres a penis named Ralph in the book, yet another reason to read this classic.) But Forever is an extreme outlier. The way the media depicts fat charactersand fat peoplehas been a problem for generations. In 2011 NPR aired a piece on fat stereotypes in pop culture. The report dissected the typical fat character in TV shows and films: someone self-loathing and desperate to be loved. Of course, the lives of fat people arent much different from those of thin people. But you wouldnt know that from the way fat bodies are portrayed on TV and in film. Research on weight bias in the media suggests that most representations of fat people in media are stigmatizing. More research suggests that shows like The Biggest Loser and More to Love reinforce anti-fat bias rather than fat acceptance. We were all teenagers once This is why Eleanor & Park is so refreshingly different. Like many protagonists in young adult novels, Eleanor is a teenager whos desperate to be an adult so she can escape her awful circumstances. But while the parents trying to ban the book pounced on the profanity, they ignored one of the novels biggest triumphs: Eleanor is fat. Yes, Eleanor is a fat female protagonist in a young adult romance novel and shes in loveshe even has a cute boyfriend named Park. As author John Green wrote in a review of the novel, the obstacle in Eleanor & Park is simply the world. The world cannot stomach a relationship between a good-looking Korean kid and Big Red. (Big Red is Eleanors nickname.) Last year, BuzzFeed writer Kaye Toal penned a beautiful personal essay about discovering Eleanor in an airport bookstore. Part of what struck Toal as significant about Eleanor is that she is fat yet is not required to become thin or change in order to be loved. Despite the recent increase in fat characters appearing on television and in movies, many of them are required to change in order to be accepted. Not surprisingly, another study published in 2013 connects the prevalence of the thin ideal in popular literature to low self-esteem in female readers. Letting Eleanor be fat and be loved is much needed in todays climate of the obesity epidemic and misplaced concerns with fatness. Park loves Eleanor; she loves him back. A simple story, but with a difference. Eleanors fat is not really a crucial aspect of her being. She doesnt need to be fixed. Thats what makes this lovely and painful novel subversiveand what makes efforts to ban it all the more misguided. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137295/makes-novel-subversive |
Whats the Purpose of the Bestseller? | THE BESTSELLER CODE: ANATOMY OF THE BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL, by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers St. Martins Press, pp. 256, $25.99 The authors of The Bestseller Code refer to themselves as literary scholars, and while both have their PhDs in English, their passion is clearly for word-crunching technologyJockers is the director of the Nebraska Literary Lab and Archer is a former researcher at Apple. Awed by the market, the two are downright breathless over their bestseller-ometer and its talent for machine-learning and text-mining. They ably show that verisimilitude rules the bestseller list and always has: Readers savor the sentimental preciousness of seeing familiar human predicaments dramatized. Bestsellers usually have plenty of feeling to impart, which fits in well with our current autocracy of emotion. (A Nicholas Sparks novel is so chronically saccharine you can feel yourself getting diabetes as you read.) This rabid realism comes as no surprise; once a writer disposes of it he becomes obliged to rely on sophisticated language that recruits the imagination of his readers. If theres one thing the average bestselling writer cant ever pull off, its language. Remember Evelyn Waughs relevant admission: I regard writing not as an investigation of character but as an exercise in the use of language. For bestsellers, the plots the thing; the dynamism and dimensions of language are rather beside the point. The marketplace cant and wont measure merit, and its perfectly okay with that. When a nations taste in books is seemingly in the gutter, you can count on other things soon joining it there, such as that nations facility for language and thinking. Well, things were never right. Flip through Horace and youll find no golden age of reading, one in which the masses revered serious and artistically accomplished works of art. Instead youll be confronted with a castigation of inferior ancient poets and the plebs who celebrated them. In an 1818 lecture, William Hazlitt called literary popularity the shout of the multitude, the idle buzz of fashion, the venal puff. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in an 1841 Journals entry, wrote: People do not deserve to have good writing, they are so pleased with bad. In 1899, Henry James lamented the pervasiveness of bad taste, the millions for whom taste is but an obscure, confused, immediate instinct. In 1919, George Bernard Shaw wrote: Everybody knows how to read and nobody knows what to read. Theres Ezra Pound, in a 1933 letter, railing with characteristic bile against the enfeebled adolescent Amurkn mind that allows low culture to thrive. In 1973, Gore Vidal had fun poking at the sort of exuberant badness which so often achieves perfect popularity. No one, he wrote, has ever lost a penny underestimating the intelligence of the American public. You cant help suspecting that the common reader of Samuel Johnson and Virginia Woolf was a whole lot less common than the ecstatically gullible reader who helped build Dan Browns mansion. The numbers that Jockers and Archer give us are dizzying: More than 50,000 new works of fiction are published every yearthat doesnt count the self-publishing racket, the vanity printers that cash in on dreamersand the five biggest publishing companies own approximately 80 percent of bestsellers. In the United States, around 200 novels make the New York Times bestseller lists each year, less than one half of one percent of the total novels published annually. Danielle Steel has sold six hundred million copies of her booksthats not a typo, six hundred million. Were told that disciples of romance often read hundreds of romances per year, which isnt quite the feat it sounds like when you consider how little is actually there, each one a bonbon tossed lazily onto the tongue. The reality of what is selling is related to the reality of how people are thinking. Pound believed that if a nations literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays. Nobodys pretending that Tom Clancy is literature, but you see Pounds point about the link between what we read and how we think, between the books we love and the world we see, between language and apprehension. Pound also argued that a nation growing accustomed to shoddy books is in the process of losing itself irrevocably. Accept the middling and false in your books and before long youll accept the middling and false in everything else tooyour food, your friends, your presidential nominees. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137280/whats-purpose-bestseller |
Can Dark Tourism Help Cambodia Heal? | Now, an independent research group in Cambodia hopes to jump-start the countrys process of reconciliation by attracting tourists to the mountains of Anlong Veng, where Pol Pot made his last stand. There are already more than a dozen historical landmarks in the area, including the villa of Ta Mok, an infamous commander known as The Butcher, and the spot where Pol Pot was cremated on a pile of old tires following his death in 1998. Supported by $100,000 in grants, much of it from the U.S. government, the Documentation Center of Cambodia is working to restore the sites and provide visitors with historical context. In July, DC-Cam opened the Anlong Veng Peace Center in a former meeting house for the Khmer Rouges top brass. Out front, a display features a comprehensive timeline of the Khmer Rouges reign, in English and Khmer. Inside are collections of academic literature about the regime and its victims. Cambodias reconciliation process has been fragmented at best. For the most part, the government has followed a simple principle: Dont look back. Those involved with the project hope it will help Cambodia confront its violent history. To date, the countrys reconciliation process has been fragmented at best. For the most part, the government has followed a simple principle: Dont look back. We must dig a hole and bury the past, and look ahead into the twenty-first century, Prime Minister Hun Sen once proclaimed. Nearly two-thirds of Cambodians are younger than 30, and parents rarely talk to their children about what they endured during the Pol Pot time. Khmer Rouge history was not taught in schools until 2007, and some youth doubt that the slaughter took place at all. They simply dont believe that Cambodians could kill other Cambodians, says Matthew Trew, a Canadian anthropologist who has studied tourism and post-conflict recovery in Cambodia. Ive talked to people who you show the bones to, and they say, Oh, these are chicken bones. When the past is acknowledged, the government often uses it to sow fear and resentment, rather than trust and understanding. The Cambodian Peoples Party, which has ruled the country in various guises since the early 1980s, has exploited the Khmer Rouges atrocities to maintain its grip on power. The party offers a stark message: With us, peace; without us, chaos. The sentiment gains a national audience every May 20a holiday originally called the Day of Anger, but now rechristened as the Day of Remembrancewhen communal visits to the killing fields are broadcast on government-aligned media channels, complete with dramatic reenactments. By politicizing the past, the holiday winds up inflaming old animosities and further alienating former Khmer Rouge fighters. People in my town, when they hear that a man is former Khmer Rouge, they are afraid of him, says my translator, Vanna Chea. DC-Cam hopes to change that. The group is training dozens of tour guides to escort visitors to Anlong Vengs historical sites, and it hosts peace tours for Cambodian students that feature group discussions and written reflections. But its most ambitiousand controversialeffort is one that goes to the heart of reconciliation: It has recruited former Khmer Rouge soldiers to speak with visitors about their experiences. Youk Chhang, the director of DC-Cam, believes that such face-to-face interactions with Cambodias longtime boogeymen will help foster forgiveness and understanding. While he does not advocate excusing Khmer Rouge crimes, he hopes to show that the regimes former soldiers are human beings, many of whom acted out of fear or ignorance. As with the most effective efforts at reconciliation, the goal is not to provide simple answers, but to ask difficult questions. Can Khmer Rouge be peaceful? Chhang asks. Can Khmer Rouge be part of us? | https://newrepublic.com/article/136310/can-dark-tourism-help-cambodia-heal |
Why did it take Donald Trump a year to hire David Bossie? | The Associated Press is reporting that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria crystallized during a December 14 phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the news agency, the decision was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. One of the surprising details of the report is that Erdogan himself was taken aback at how successful he was in convincing Trump on the Syrian matter. Before the phone call, the consensus position that the Trump administration had reached, backed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, was that Trump would tell Erdogan to back off from his threats to attack Kurdish forces in Syria. But during the phone conversation, Trump threw away the script and agreed with his Turkish counterpart. As AP relates, Trump started by reiterating the message of backing off. But then a change occurred: Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants. Trump then posed Erdogans question to his National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was participating in the phone call. Bolton admitted that the Islamic State had indeed lost 99 per cent of its territory but said that it was in Americas interest to make sure the group did not enjoy a resurgence. Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan. Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said. From this reporting, it seems likely that it was never Erdogans intention to get the United States to withdraw. Rather he made the demand as a bargaining move, to get other, lesser goals. Trump, displaying his mastery of the art of the deal, gave in to Erdogans maximum position. The White House denies the accuracy of APs account. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/136535/take-donald-trump-year-hire-david-bossie |
Will 2016 Mark the Return of the Blue Dog Democrat? | Kander is essentially running a biographical campaign grounded in character, not ideology. He has broken with his party many times, Hayden said in an interview earlier this month. He was the first Democrat to come out against the Iran deal. In an election season that has partly been defined by establishment vs. anti-establishment politics, Kander falls squarely in the latter camp. Not only is he running against Republican elites, but is also keeping his distance from Hillary Clinton. He appeared with Clinton at an early campaign rally, but hasnt been seen with her for months and sat out the Democratic National Convention in July. Kanders twist is that he doesnt belong to the main anti-establishment wing of the Democratic Partythe Bernie Sanders wing. When we asked Hayden which senators Kander most admired and would want to work with in Congress, he listed Iowas Joni Ernst and Arkansass Tom Cotton, two fiercely conservative Republicans who, like Kander, are also veterans. Its not uncommon in Missouri, the former state legislator told The New Republic. Democrats there are most successful when they can carve out a niche for themselves. Chris Koster is the states tough-on-crime attorney general. Kander is the patriotic harbinger of good government, his candidacy summed up in the words of his campaign spokesman: ethics reform, rooting out corruption, serving his country. Kander isnt the only young, white Democrat to run for office in the South, drumming up national media attention as the Next Big Thing in the region. Patrick Murphy, the Democratic Senate candidate in Florida, fits a similar mold. Hes moderate and charismatic, a rising star in state politics. Ditto Jimmy Carters grandson, Jason, a former state senator who ran for Georgia governor two years ago. They all have moderate stances on the issues, tailor-made to appeal to white voters in the South. Their policies are so bland, indeed, that they rely heavily on their youth to manufacture enthusiasm among voters. At the heart of their strategies is the idea that old order is corrupt and decrepit. Even running neck-in-neck with Blunt, Kander has shown that Democrats have a shot in the South if they rise above partisanship and engage in anti-establishment politics. His performance in Missouri will likely be seen as a blueprint for Democrats in the region and other conservative areas. The problem for the Democratic Party is that, if these candidates begin to win, it will introduce new tensions to a congressional coalition that has grown accustomed to being more uniformly liberal. Kander is a throwback from the conservative wing of the Democratic Partythe so-called Blue Dogs who were all but flushed out of Congress in the revanchist backlash to President Barack Obama that began in the 2010 midterms. Their influence has been supplanted by the coalition Obama cobbled together: women, African-Americans, Latinos, and young voters, who together constitute the future of the Democratic Party at the national level. Blue Dog Democrats often frustrated the national partyto say nothing of the leftby refusing to tow the party line: Think of the unseemly deal-making that the Democrats had to undergo to get a single vote for Obamacare from Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson (which ended up being unnecessary anyway). Kanders opposition to the Iran deal, to say nothing of his desire to work with far-right senators like Ernst and Cotton, suggest that he wouldnt exactly be a rubber stamp for a Clinton White House. Of course, Kander is preferable to Blunt, just as Joe Manchin is preferable to any West Virginia Republican. The question is whether the Democrats, who have turned left over the last eight years, are capable of putting together a stable and coherent governing coalition, particularly in an institution like the Senate, which tilts power toward rural, conservative areas. But having a conflicted, raucous coalition may be preferable to the alternative. The Republican Party in the past decade has gone through a series of purges that have resulted in a homogenous, shrinking party obsessed with the purity of its members. And look where the GOP is now. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137910/will-2016-mark-return-blue-dog-democrat |
Was Mike Pences call for broad-shouldered leadership sexist? | The Associated Press is reporting that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria crystallized during a December 14 phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the news agency, the decision was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. One of the surprising details of the report is that Erdogan himself was taken aback at how successful he was in convincing Trump on the Syrian matter. Before the phone call, the consensus position that the Trump administration had reached, backed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, was that Trump would tell Erdogan to back off from his threats to attack Kurdish forces in Syria. But during the phone conversation, Trump threw away the script and agreed with his Turkish counterpart. As AP relates, Trump started by reiterating the message of backing off. But then a change occurred: Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants. Trump then posed Erdogans question to his National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was participating in the phone call. Bolton admitted that the Islamic State had indeed lost 99 per cent of its territory but said that it was in Americas interest to make sure the group did not enjoy a resurgence. Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan. Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said. From this reporting, it seems likely that it was never Erdogans intention to get the United States to withdraw. Rather he made the demand as a bargaining move, to get other, lesser goals. Trump, displaying his mastery of the art of the deal, gave in to Erdogans maximum position. The White House denies the accuracy of APs account. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/137475/mike-pences-call-broad-shouldered-leadership-sexist |
Who Detoxified Paul Ryans Budget? | Initially, it looked like Ryans extreme agenda would become a death warrant for Republican candidates. In May 2011, the month after Republicans had passed Ryans budget on a party-line vote, Republican Congressman Chris Lee resigned, opening up a heavily GOP district in upstate New York. Republicans had a solid candidate, state legislator Jane Corwin; Democrats nominated Kathy Hochul, a moderate county clerk. Hochul immediately got to work savaging the Ryan budget. Corwin had never had a chance to vote for that budget, and she outspent Hochul 2-1 in the race. But Hochul, now New Yorks lieutenant governor, won by vowing to preserve social programs from the Ryan budget. Liberals assumed that the Ryan budget would continue to be poisonous in elections, and that any future efforts to pass it would be punished at the ballot box. But it didnt materialize that way. Republicans kept passing budgets similar to Ryans cuts-for-the-poor, tax-breaks-for-the-rich approach. But though Democrats spent money on campaign ads in 2012 and 2014 that specifically focused on Ryans plans to transform Medicare, the attack lost its bite. Part of this can be attributed to Democratic fecklessness. Even when Ryan was the vice-presidential nominee in 2012and even when he reiterated that if elected, he and Mitt Romney would pass his budgetthis emblem of the conservative domestic policy agenda merely sat in the background of the presidential campaign. Instead, character-based attacks on Romneys private equity record and statements about 47 percent of the country being moochers took the lead. Partly because, by the time he was nominated, Ryan had become somebody Democrats could work with, relative to the Tea Party conservatives whod swept into the House in 2010. Ron Wyden had joined with Ryan in late 2011 to endorse his Medicare plan. After the election, Patty Murray engineered a Bipartisan Budget Act with Ryan in 2013, to avert a government shutdown. When Ryan became Speaker last October, he ushered through another Bipartisan Budget Act. The flack he took on his right for that deal, which increased discretionary spending modestly while offsetting that with other cuts, established him as the sensible alternative (again, relatively), the guy Democrats could deal with in the opposition party. And this is where media culpability comes in. Reporters and pundits have historically gone to bat for Ryan, exalting him as a legitimate thinker trying to solve problems rather than a dangerous ideologue. Politifact helped negate Democrats Medicare attacks by calling them the 2011 Lie of the Year. Nobody in Congress gets more loving profiles, dating from before he became the Veep nominee or Speaker to the present day. That Ryans budgets were mainly snake oil, that his plans would have dire consequences for every American without a trust fund, usually get edited out of the story. Even today, the media assists Ryan when he tries to distance himself from Donald Trumpwhen in reality, Trump would likely be little more than an autopen as president, signing whatever noxious policy Ryan shuttled through the House and put on his desk. Despite this, the media almost affords him sympathy for his plight about dealing with Trump (hes campaigning with Trump on Saturday, so it cant be that wrenching), rather than recognizing his role as the author of the agenda the next Republican president will carry out. The normalization of Ryan as a serious, honest figure allows him to put out as radical a budget as would ever be initiated in American history without anyone batting an eyelash. This may not come back to sting the country next year, if Trump falls the way his poll numbers currently suggest. But at some not-too-distant point, when conservatives capture the entire government, theyll be able to implement this blueprint, the Ryan budget, that should have been made into nuclear waste long ago. | https://newrepublic.com/article/137553/detoxified-paul-ryans-budget |
Why was Hillary Clinton so cavalier about the question of her health? | The Clinton campaign claims she was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, meaning that the press and the public were notified two days later, and only after she semi-collapsed on camera. One explanation for the Clinton campaigns silence is simply that it was in uncharted water: It is normal to release bills of health (both Clinton and Trump have given the public the bare minimum on this count), but there is no norm relating to the release of a pneumonia diagnosis. Dr. Lisa R. Bardack, M.D., Clinton's doctor, says the Democratic nominee has pneumonia. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/qloLbhjdZy Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) September 11, 2016 Clinton did cop to having allergies a week ago (sort of), and no one took it seriously, because people dont take allergies seriously. So its also possible that the Clinton campaign, obsessed with narrative at a granular level, worried about the backlash of disclosing a low-level health problem. But Clinton has also spent the last few weeks being extremely cavalier about the question of her health, treating the issue as stemming from a hare-brained corner of the vast right wing conspiracy, rather than the legitimate one it has now become. In late August, she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where Kimmel took her pulse and she opened a jar of pickles to prove her vitality. This was just two weeks before the pneumonia diagnosis. Its possible that this was just wishful thinkingthat Clintons health would cease to be an issue, exposing the candidates enemies as the weirdos they arebut it also fits a troubling pattern of choosing opacity over openness and of making short-term decisions that backfire spectacularly. That, politically speaking at least, seems to be the biggest blunder here. Clintons pneumonia is now a political issue, because it fits snuggly within a narrative that has existed for two and a half decades that the Clintons, and Hillary in particular, are not honest with the public or the press except when it is absolutely necessary. The Clinton campaign only has itself to blame. | https://newrepublic.com/minutes/136719/hillary-clinton-cavalier-question-health |
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