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Will An Appeals Court Make The EPA Ban A Pesticide Linked To Serious Health Risks? | Eric Perez and his wife, Mari, live with their five children in the Wenatchee Valley, in central Washington state. Their house is just feet from an orchard. A couple years ago, the kids were having an Easter egg hunt in the yard when they smelled something "plasticky," Perez remembers like "rotten eggs." Perez says they realized the orchard must have been sprayed while the family was away for their Easter lunch. Perez says they got stomachaches, started throwing up and having trouble breathing, and got diarrhea and scratchy throats. "I think we all went to the doctor," he remembers. Washington's Department of Agriculture investigated and found evidence that a pesticide called chlorpyrifos had drifted onto the Perez property from the neighboring orchard. Crops like apples, corn, soybeans, and Christmas trees are all sprayed with chlorpyrifos. The Environmental Protection Agency decided to phase the popular pesticide out of household use back in 2000, but it's still allowed in agriculture. Now, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether or not the EPA has to ban it. When chlorpyrifos drifts onto farmworkers and rural residents, the immediate symptoms can include "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, muscle weakness, muscle twitching, coughing, wheezing," says Richard Fenske, a University of Washington professor who's studied the chemical. For babies and children, the pesticide can be even more dangerous. "There are developmental effects in children and in the fetus during pregnancy," he says. "We may see slower learning, not making progress in school as quickly as other students." Specifically, children with more chlorpyrifos in their blood at birth and in early childhood scored lower on memory, verbal comprehension, and reasoning tests. They also had lower IQs and higher rates of ADHD and impulsive behavior than children exposed to less chlorpyrifos. EPA scientists recommended a total ban on the chemical. But in March 2017, President Donald Trump's new EPA administrator at the time, Scott Pruitt, decided against that. A group of environmental and farmworkers' organizations who want a total ban sued the EPA. Last August, a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the EPA had to ban chlorpyrifos. But the EPA appealed that decision, and, now, the full Ninth Circuit Court is reconsidering the ruling. Farmers applaud that decision, saying they need chlorpyrifos. Sean Gilbert is a fifth-generation farmer in Yakima, Washington. He grows apples and other tree fruit. He says he sometimes uses chlorpyrifos in his orchards. "It will primarily go after a pest called scale," Gilbert says. "Scale irritates the skin of the apple and creates bright red spots on it. It would look like it had the measles." "Scale, in particular, if left unchecked can kill your tree," says Betsy Beers, an entomologist at Washington State University who studies pest management. "So it is something that growers have to take very seriously." Not just apple growers use chlorpyrifos. Christmas tree farmers also depend on the chemical; they use it to kill aphids, which can leave trees black, gnarled, and pretty much unsellable. Beers says there are alternatives to chlorpyrifos, but they're more expensive. "We can't count on there being an effective replacement coming anytime soon," she says. It's unclear how much chlorpyrifos residue remains on fruit and Christmas trees when they reach consumers. One study found chlorpyrifos derivatives in the urine of kids who eat produce that is not labeled organic. But there's no evidence linking that level of exposure to actual harm. In the Wenatchee Valley, Eric Perez got tired of the pesticide blowing over onto his house. "I saw my kids go to the doctor so many times," he says. "I failed them as a parent." He wishes he had said or done more, sooner, to keep the chemical away from his family. A year and a half ago, in September 2017, he bought the orchard next to his house. Now, it's farmed organically. The Ninth Circuit Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case against the EPA on March 25. Tony Schick of Oregon Public Broadcasting contributed to this story. | https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/02/26/698227414/will-an-appeals-court-make-the-epa-ban-a-pesticide-linked-to-serious-health-risk?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr |
Can Vegas Vic bring star power to UNLV football defense? | UNLV football has a star in junior quarterback Armani Rogers. He is one of the highest rated recruits in program history, the offense is built around his formidable skill set, and his teammates look to him to set the tone. In the 2018 finale, it was Rogers who put the Rebels on his back and carried them to victory, totaling five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in a memorable comeback win over rival UNR. On the first day of spring practice, Rogers exuded that broad-shouldered star power. He flashed a big smile and expressed his confidence that the offense will put plenty of points on the board in 2019. Rogers could be right. He could be wrong. But what really matters is that his teammates completely believe in his ability to make it happen. Thats what star players do they draw in their peers and lead from the front. And thats exactly what UNLV has lacked on the defensive side of the ball during Tony Sanchezs tenure as head coach. Sure, the Rebels havent been overly talented on defense, but those issues were exacerbated by a lack of personality, a lack of identity the absence of an it factor. What the Rebels could really use is a Rogers type on defense. And they may have it in Vic Viramontes. Viramontes is probably the highest-profile recruit of the Sanchez era only Rogers can challenge him for that title and he has the outsized personality to match. A 4-star linebacker who played at Riverside CC last year, Viramontes committed to UNLV in December and immediately endeared himself to Rebels fans by tweeting a photo of himself dressed as the Vegas Vic cowboy. Viramontes carried that flashy persona onto the field for the first day of spring ball, where he lined up at middle linebacker with the first team and looked really good, according to Sanchez. The middle (or Mike) linebacker is a position that carries leadership responsibilities, and Sanchez thought Viramontes fit in with his new teammates like a natural. Hes a confident dude, Sanchez said. He knows the game. Hes studied it. So to come on out and be as communicative as he was on Day 1 is kind of surprising since he hadnt been out there before. But sitting there at that Mike spot and getting the defense lined up and talking the way he did, I was really impressed. An athletic specimen at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Viramontes recorded 66.0 tackles and 1.5 sacks in junior college last year, and he intercepted a pass. But more than stats, the Rebels are looking to him to galvanize a defense that showed flashes under first-year coordinator Tim Skipper last year, but ultimately allowed 37.2 points per game. After one practice with the team, Viramontes thinks UNLV has the pieces in place to turn things around. I think we have a lot of talent on this defense, Viramontes said. Weve got to start Day 1. We got Day 1 done, and weve just got to continue through all these practices, continue in the weight room tomorrow. But this defense has a lot of potential. Especially with this defensive staff here, theyre going to coach us up and theyre going to put us in the right spot to make plays. When asked how he can contribute, Viramontes said his leadership will extend off the field. A lot of energy, he said. I love to work out, so Im going to be in the weight room pushing all the guys. Even Sanchez seems to be buying in. He kind of created it, Sanchez said. So its like, youd better put up now. Hes got that type of a personality. I think hes going to be fun for [the media] to talk to. Hes like that all the time. Hes got a great energy. Heck, were expecting him to be as good as he says he is. Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala. | https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/feb/26/can-vegas-vic-bring-star-power-to-unlv-football-de/ |
Is the Stock Market More Volatile Now Than Ever Before? | During periods of heightened stock market volatility, some investors believe this time around is worse than before. Sometimes thats true. For example, 2008-2009 was a volatile period for stocks, but the recent past has been volatile, too. Since 2008 we have had a handful of scary corrections, including a big one between 2015 and 2016. 2017 was a somewhat steady year, but 2018 was more erratic. Markets go through periods of high and low volatility regularly. Its normal! And higher volatility isnt necessarily a bad thing. Like so many things, volatility cuts both ways and you generally wont hear much handwringing when it cuts to the upside. Volatility Isnt Always Negative Volatility (both positive and negative) can be measured by the standard deviation of returns. Standard deviation is a measure of how much a statistic deviates from its average. Lower standard deviations mean the results didnt vary much, and higher ones mean there was more variability. Most people wrongly assume stocks were more volatile in 2008. However, 2008s standard deviation was 20.1% and 2009s was 21.3%. [i] 2009 was more volatilealthough just by a hair. Big down stock market years can hurt and leave a lasting effect on the psyche of many investors. In many cases, those bad years are followed by positive subsequent rebounds. Though you may not believe it, these rebound years can sometimes be more volatile than the big down years before them. The S&P 500s annualized standard deviation from 1926 through 2017 was 15.2%. [ii] But that includes some outliers and steeply volatile years, which can skew the average. Over that same period, the median standard deviation was 12.5%. So, both 2008 and 2009 were well above the median but with wildly different results. And dont forget, standard deviation is inherently backward looking. While it is a useful tool, it cant tell you about how volatile markets will be moving forward, just what has happened in the past. Past data can be helpful when identifying the probability of outcomes. However, volatility is not a forecasting tool. You dont need much data to realize stocks can be quite volatile. And stock market volatility data is itself volatile. Some years, market volatility may be above average, and in others, it may be less than average. More importantly, stocks can rise or fall in times of either high or low volatility. Theres no predictive pattern. Volatility Isnt Predictive Some of the most volatile years in history dont end up hugely up or down. Volatility can be persistent from day to day, week to week or month to month. Despite some of those short-term swings, the annual returns may still end up middling or even near average. The most volatile year in history was 1932when the standard deviation was 65.4%. [iii] But stocks were down just 8.9% for the year. Not great, but not a tragedy either. All it tells you is monthly returns were wildly variable that year. The second most volatile year ever was 1933. Standard deviation was 53.9% but stocks rose a massive 52.9%. [iv] That starts to make sense when you understand that volatility is how much something deviates from its averagenot some big bad thing that measures stock market downside. Big volatility also doesnt mean stocks must necessarily fall. In 1998, standard deviation was 20.6%. Way above average, yet stocks were up 28.6%. [v] In 2010, standard deviation was 18.4% and stocks rose 15.1%. [vi] Yes, big volatility has happened in down years. But not always and not enough to make you automatically fear above-average volatility. And the reverse is true. Lower volatility doesnt automatically mean big returns. In 1977, standard deviation was a below-average 9.0% and stocks fell 7.4%returns nearly identical to 1932s return but with much less volatility. [vii] Put differently, there is nothing about any level of volatility that is predictive. Rather, standard deviation is descriptive of the pastand the past doesnt dictate the future. Dont Blame the Speculators One popular scapegoat for market volatility is speculators. They arent the enemy. In fact, most stock investors are, in some way, speculators! Even if investors hold stocks for long periodsa year or 10 or 50when they invest, they speculate those stocks will do something over that timeframe. But more often, people mean futures traders when talking about speculators. Futures are agreements to trade something at a specified price in the futureoil, pork bellies, stocks, whatever. Futures are basically bets on future prices. Speculators are usually betting on future prices and dont want or need the underlying thing theyre betting on. When oil prices fluctuate, headlines commonly blame speculators. But speculators dont work together as one collaborative group. Some speculators believe prices will improve and others believe the opposite. They arent nancial geniuses who only profit at our expense. Like anyone, they can and do lose money at times. Futures also have hugely important uses by businesses. Airlines often buy fuel futures to help smooth those costs for travelers. Farmers buy futures to manage their margins too. Many of their costs and revenues are hugely dependent on stable pricessomething futures can help them achieve. But futuresand speculatorsare significant in capital markets. They help increase liquidity and transparency. People often overlook the fact that having more liquidity and more transactions happening can actually reduce volatility. Remember this next time someone recommends banning speculators. Banning them could potentially increase volatility. So thank a speculator, and dont fear volatility. Its not predictive; you cant get upside volatility without the downside volatility, and over time, upside volatility tends to happen more often. Embrace it. To see more of the latest updates from Fisher Investments, visit us on Facebook or Twitter. Investing in stock markets involves the risk of loss and there is no guarantee that all or any capital invested will be repaid. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. International currency fluctuations may result in a higher or lower investment return. This document constitutes the general views of Fisher Investments and should not be regarded as personalized investment or tax advice or as a representation of its performance or that of its clients. No assurances are made that Fisher Investments will continue to hold these views, which may change at any time based on new information, analysis or reconsideration. In addition, no assurances are made regarding the accuracy of any forecast made herein. Not all past forecasts have been, nor future forecasts will be, as accurate as any contained herein. [i] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/2007 to 12/31/2008 and from 12/31/2008 to 12/31/2009. [ii] Source: Global Financial Data (GFD), Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/1925 to 12/31/2017. The S&P 500 Total Return Index is based upon GFD calculations of total returns before 1971. These are estimates by GFD to calculate total returns for the S&P Composite before 1971 and are not official values. GFD used data from Cowles Commission and from S&P itself to calculate total returns for the S&P Composite using the S&P Composite Price Index and dividend yields through 1970, official monthly numbers from 1971 to 1987 and official daily data from 1988 on. [iii] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/1931 to 12/31/1932; see note ii. [iv] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/1932 to 12/31/1933; see note ii. [v] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/1997 to 12/31/1998. [vi] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/2009 to 12/31/2010. [vii] Source: Global Financial Data, Inc., as of 12/31/2018. S&P 500 Total Return Index from 12/31/1976 to 12/31/1977; see note ii. | https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWAOA9NUAIRCF192L |
Will Anheuser-Busch Sustain Higher Margins In 2018 Despite Currency Headwinds And Less Revenues? | Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), a multinational drink and brewing holdings company, is set to announce its fourth quarter 2018 results on February 28, 2019, followed by a conference call with analysts. The market expects the company to post revenue of $14.2 billion in Q4 2018, 2.7% lower than the $14.6 billion in Q4 2017. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.94 per share in Q4 2018, which marks a decline of 9.6% on a year-on-year basis. Lower revenues and earnings are likely to be the result of declining beer sales, loss of market share for Budweiser in the U.S., strengthening of the dollar, partially offset by growth in Asia-Pacific, coupled with synergy and productivity savings. In addition, here is more Consumer Staples data. Key Factors Affecting Earnings Sluggish sales in US and EMEA: Though the company is growing in its key markets due to continued premiumization, declining beer sales and higher marketing expenses in the U.S. are the main factors being a drag on overall performance. Lower beer sales are expected to lead to flat revenues in the US, whereas the EMEA region is likely to see a significant drop in sales. The primary reason for falling beer sales is changing consumer preferences, health consciousness, and increased awareness, which has shifted consumers to healthier drinking options such as wine and drinks like sparkling water. This industry trend is pushing most of the beer companies to diversify and include newer drinks or innovate the beer range by lowering the alcohol content. The companys flagship Budweiser and Bud Light brands continued to lose market share though 2018. In the third quarter, Bud Light and Budweiser lost 90 bps and 35 bps of the total market share, respectively. This is expected to adversely affect revenues in the US and Europe. Benefits from FIFA sponsorship: Budweiser was the global beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2018, held in Russia in June-July. Partnering with such a massive event, which boasts of an audience of over 3.2 billion, bodes well for the company. Its biggest commercial campaign called Light Up the FIFA World Cup was activated in more than 50 countries, which included not only those where the brand already has a significant presence such as China, Brazil, the U.K., and Russia, but also new markets like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Australia, and Africa. Despite bleak results in the U.S., the companys three global brands Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois continue to reflect strength outside the U.S. Consolidated revenues for these major brands improved 7.7% globally and increased 10.6% outside home markets in the third quarter, mainly benefiting from the FIFA sponsorship. We expect these three premium brands to continue to post superior performance in FY 2018 and beyond. Growth in China: We expect revenue from Asia-Pacific to grow by a whopping 15% in 2018, mainly driven by strong growth momentum in China since the beginning of the year, fueled by successful brand activations and ongoing premiumization. Budweiser is likely to perform very well in Q4 and over the entire year, supported by a more balanced growth profile benefiting from increased penetration in more regions of China. The companys super premium portfolio continues to deliver strong growth off a meaningful base, led by Corona. Additionally, BUDs business in the e-commerce channel continues to be a relevant contributor to growth as this channel is of increasing importance to the Chinese consumer, especially for premium products. Profitability: BUD continues to reap benefits from synergies achieved from the acquisition of SABMiller. In the first nine months of 2018, the company achieved total synergies and cost-savings of $588 million. We believe that the company will continue to achieve cost-reduction as the synergy guidance remains at $3.2 billion, which is expected to be delivered within the four-year period following the close of the combination. This will, in turn, provide a fillip to margins in 2018. Also, the marketing and sales expenditure is concentrated in the first half of the financial year. Consequently, the margin pressure should further ease in the final quarter of the year. However, currency headwinds are expected to remain the biggest deterrent to growing margins. Strengthening of the US dollar vis--vis other currencies affected the companys top as well as bottom line in the first nine months. As per the trend observed over the last few quarters, currency headwinds are expected to lead to mark-to-market losses on derivative instruments which will weigh on margins. Thus, we expect net income margin to marginally drop to 13% in 2018, from 14.2% in 2017. Dividend Halved: BUD has cut its dividend in order to accelerate deleveraging towards its optimal capital structure with a net debt to EBITDA ratio of around 2x. We expect the total dividend pay-out in FY 2018 to be 1.80 euro per share, which would translate into a 50% cut compared to the previous year. Dwindling revenues along with a significant cut in dividend payment led to BUDs stock price falling by over 30% in the last one year. However, we believe that the stock price still has some upside potential from its current level, driven by growing sales in emerging markets, the non-cyclical nature of the business, synergies and productivity savings achieved due to acquisition, focus on lowering debt which would in turn translate into better margins, and modest shareholder returns which are expected to grow over time. We have a price estimate of $89 per share for Anheuser-Busch InBevs share price, which is higher than its current market price. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/26/will-anheuser-busch-sustain-higher-margins-in-2018-despite-currency-headwinds-and-less-revenues/ |
Could Vince McMahon Have $20 Million Reasons To Bring Colin Kaepernick To XFL Version 2.0? | Anyone who has done business with Vince McMahon knows that the chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment is a master when it comes to putting headliners on a big stage. But it appears McMahon could possibly in discussions of being the one who puts Colin Kaepernick back on the football field. McMahons new XFL wont debut for another year and is still taking shape. But if the league is in search of a face besides that of its high-profile founder, Kaepernick would represent a major building block. But, it will come at a cost. The former 49ers quarterback, who hasnt played for two years after being the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem, was seeking $20 million to play in the new Alliance of American Football. On Tuesday, The Sporting News reported that it will apparently take the same $20 million for Kaepernick to enter a gridiron tag team with McMahon's XFL. According to the Sporting News, Kaepernick had discussions with McMahon last fall about playing in the new XFL. In order to do so, however, the league that will attempt to re-invent itself after failing once before will need to meet his demand for $20 million. McMahon has known to love a good storyline as any pro wrestling aficionado can attest. But as the genius behind a professional wrestling company that is filled with heroes and heels alike, landing Kaepernick could be quite the coup for both McMahon and his style of football. If McMahon is willing to pony up the money Kaepernick seeks, the signing could provide the kind of spark that the rebranded XFL needs to win over the American public. The league, which created a stir with its brand of football, lasted only one season and folded in 2001, is set to start signing a crop in the first quarter of 2019. Sources told the Sporting News that the eight-team league will likely pay starting quarterbacks an average of $250,000. But after he settled a collusion complaint against the NFL for an undisclosed amount, Kaepernick could see much, much more from the XFL should McMahon decide Kaepernick and his politics are a good fit. In addition to the money he made in the settlement with the NFL, Kaepernick also signed a lucrative apparel deal with Nike last fall believed to be worth millions. The contract provides Kaepernick with an apparel line while also giving him facetime on billboards, in television commercials, and in online ads. For his part, McMahon has never been one to shy away from allowing those he employs to put their personality on full display. But in a video press conference announcing the XFLs return, McMahon addressed what expectations he would have when it comes to players standing for the national anthem. He has made it clear that he wants the XFL to be about entertainment and did not want social issues to become part of the product. McMahon has not said he will force players to stand for the national anthem, but he will be looking for uniformity. Its a time-honored tradition to stand and appreciate the national anthem with any sport, McMahon said during his video press conference announcing the league's reappearing act. Here in America for that matter in any country, so I think itd be appropriate to do that. McMahon is investing $100 million of his own money to restart the league in 2020, which would suggest he would be willing to pay for the kind of talent that would be needed to make the XFL more sustainable than during its first go-round. Whether he is willing to pay Kaepernick the money he is seeking to return to the field remains yet to be seen. But for a showman that always seems to have a trick up his sleeve when it comes to keeping audiences entertained, making Kaepernick one of the XFLs main attractions could be an interesting first step in McMahons foray back into football. The question would then become one of what Kaepernick would accept to take on a headlining role with the XFL. Unlike the NFL, which has the resources to make a quarterbacks $20 million contracts a reality as evidenced by deals like Aaron Rodgers $33.5 million deal and similar $30 million deals for Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo, McMahons new XFL will have its limits. So while the conversations taking place between Kaepernick and McMahon would make for good TV, whether a deal can be struck is a whole other story. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffarnold/2019/02/26/could-vince-mcmahon-have-20-million-reasons-to-bring-colin-kaepernick-to-xfl-version-2-0/ |
What is Miami Heats plan for working Goran Dragic back? | Point guard Goran Dragic saw an uptick in his minutes in his second game back from knee surgery, but he insists hes not ready for his usual workload yet. After playing 16 minutes during Saturdays loss to the Pistons in his return from a two-month absence, Dragic totaled 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 23 minutes in Mondays loss to the Suns. Theres still rust in his game, as expected, as he missed three layups against Phoenix. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald It was better the second game than the first one, Dragic said after Tuesdays practice. I played more minutes, but I felt good. : Nah, not yet, not yet. Coach Erik Spoelstra said around 20 minutes is the ballpark Id like to keep him at for now. But the games will decide it, Spoelstra said. Last nights pace and because of the zone [against Phoenix], I think he could probably have played a couple more and he would have been fine. Dragic missed 31 consecutive games after underdoing right knee surgery on Dec. 19. Hes been used in a bench role in both games hes played in since returning, averaging seven points on 38.9 percent shooting and two assists. Im trying my inner-Allen Iverson, Wade said with a smile. Miami Heat Dwyane Wade and new hair style as they play the Phoenix Suns at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida, Monday, February, 25, 2019. CHARLES TRAINOR JR [email protected] Theres a lot of factors. Ive been growing my hair. Im growing my hair to do different looks and I decided to do a different look. Once I got it done, I was like, You know what, Im going to do it in a game. Ive gotten my hair braided like three times in practice, but I havent worn it in a game. But I felt I was game ready, so For the Culture. When asked if the cornrows are here to stay, Wade said: I dont know. Well see what happens. Injury report After playing Mondays game against the Suns with 11 available players, theres a good chance the Heat wont be as shorthanded Wednesday against the Warriors. Justise Winslow is probable to play against Golden State after missing two games with left knee soreness. Derrick Jones Jr. is also expected to play after missing Mondays loss with a stomach illness. Rodney McGruder (bruised right knee) and James Johnson (slight AC sprain in left shoulder) are questionable to play against the Warriors. This and that With the Heats roster returning to health, forward Emanuel Terry, who signed a 10-day contract Feb. 20, has been returned to the Heats G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. His 10-day contract expires Friday. Fox Sports Sun will honor Wade with a Best of Wade day. On March 3, the local television home of the Heat will celebrate Wade by airing three of his most memorable performances and it will include pop-ups featuring facts and tidbits about his accomplishments. The day will begin at 11:30 a.m. with Wades 48-point performance in a double-overtime win over the Bulls, which is known for his game-winner at the buzzer and then him getting him on the scorers table and yelling, This is my house! The other two games that will be aired will be Wades performances in Games 5 and 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals. | https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article226798699.html |
Is it true that Ivanka Trump created "millions" of jobs? | On Monday, President Trump boasted that his daughter and top White House adviser Ivanka Trump created "millions" of jobs. "My daughter has created millions of jobs," he told a White House gathering of the nation's governors. "I don't know if anyone knows that, but she's created millions of jobs." However, he did not elaborate on this claim. Asked by CBS News about the claim, a White House official didn't exactly answer the question but said that because of Ivanka Trump's leadership of the Office of Economic Initiatives, "millions of opportunities have been created for America's workers both by legislative and administration action, including Perkins CTE, tax reform, the National Council for the American Worker, and the 6.5 million opportunities for career enhancement, continuing education, and on-the-job training pledged by 200 companies the private sector for American students and workers." Ivanka Trump has played a role in her father's workforce development initiatives, including co-chairing the "Council for American Worker," a White House education and job training entity. In her work for the council, she has, the White House said, highlighted the need for more vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities across the country. Mr. Trump said in his remarks on Monday that the council has "gained commitments from private sector leaders to hire and train more than 6.5 million Americans." But those "commitments" to the president's initiative do not translate into tangible jobs created, but rather, training and "career enhancement." The Pledge to America's Workers White House website expressly notes that the commitments are not for concrete jobs, but for "new opportunities pledged for America's workers" over the next five years. Some entities, like A2Z Hospice Sterilization Corp., promised 25 opportunities, and on the high end, IPC, the association for the electronics interconnection industry, pledged 1 million. There does not appear to be a mechanism for tracking fulfilled jobs or training opportunities on the White House website. Meanwhile, the eldest Trump daughter, who before joining her father's administration worked as a fashion model and later started her own now-defunct clothing line, weighed in on wages for American workers. She argued that most Americans don't want a "guaranteed minimum" wage, as currently outlined in the Green New Deal and throughout Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's platform. "I don't think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something. I've spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last four years. People want to work for what they get. So I think that this idea of a guaranteed minimum is not something most people want. They want the ability to be able to secure a job. They want the ability to live in a country where there's the potential for upward mobility," Trump said on Fox News Channel's "The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton." Trump went on to tout her father's impact on the nation's economy, saying the country's economic health was "undoubtedly" better than it was two years ago. "America is doing very well and it stands in quite sharp contrast to the rest of the world. So, not only are we doing well but much of the world has slowed down in terms of the pace of their growth. And our policies are continuing to allow this economy to thrive," she added. CBS News' Kathryn Watson contributed to this report. | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-touts-daughter-ivanka-as-creating-millions-of-jobs-ivanka-slams-guaranteed-minimum/ |
Whos running in NC3 special election for Walter Jones seat? | At least three North Carolina state lawmakers have entered the race for the Republican nomination in the special election to replace the late Rep. Walter Jones in Congress. And thats not even half the Republican field. State Reps. Greg Murphy, Michael Speciale and Phil Shepard have announced their candidacies in the 3rd Congressional District, which covers much of Eastern North Carolina. The growing field also includes: Michele Nix, an official with the state party; Phil Law, a Marine who twice ran against Jones; Jeff Moore, who served in former Gov. Pat McCrorys administration; and Sandy Smith, a political newcomer. Democrat Ollie Nelson planned to announce his candidacy Monday night, according to the Jacksonville Daily News. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer Jones, a Republican, represented the district from 1995 until he died on Feb. 10. The 76-year-old Jones, who was a Democrat before changing party affiliation prior to the 1994 election, earned a reputation as a independent voice in Congress, often irking those in his own party. He ran unopposed in the 2018 general election. Gov. Roy Cooper will set the dates for the new election. The state board of elections sent Cooper a proposed schedule for the 3rd district, which would put the primary election on May 14 and the general election on either July 23 (if a second primary isnt needed) or Oct. 9 (if a second primary is needed). The state board will set the dates for the new election in North Carolinas 9th Congressional District, which remains without a representative after the five-member board voted Feb. 21 to order a new contest due to fraud in the 2018 general election. Board chairman Bob Cordle said it makes sense for the two elections to run on the same dates. Phil Law: Law grew up near Winston-Salem and joined the Marines upon his high school graduation. He saw combat in Iraq and also served in Kosovo and Liberia during his four years in the Marines. A married father of three, Law lives in Jacksonville and works in information technology. He said he will stand behind President Donald Trump on issues, including combating illegal immigration. President Trump is fighting for us every day and needs our support, which I will stress each day on the campaign trail. We cannot allow radical Democratic officials to nullify the vote of the people through phony impeachment charges. If this is to become President Trumps Alamo, then I will stand with him to the very end win or lose, Law said in a statement announcing his candidacy on Jan. 14. Jeff Moore: Moore, who worked in McCrorys administration on economic and workforce development policy, is a native of Carteret County. Moore, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, worked in financial services and now is a geopolitical risk consultant. He also worked as a reporter for the North State Journal. A married father of two, Moore lists immigration as his top issue. The leftist push for amnesty for illegal aliens and protection from law enforcement in sanctuary cities rips at the fabric of civil society. Every town should cooperate fully with ICE, and we should empower those protecting our homeland to do their jobs, Moore writes on his campaign website. Greg Murphy: Murphy represents NC House District 9 in the legislature. A urologic surgeon, Murphy is a practicing physician. As a medical missionary, Murphy traveled to Haiti, India and Africa. In the state House, he introduced legislation to stop the misuse of opioids. A married father of three, Murphy attended high school in Raleigh and lives in Greenville. Murphys platform includes calls for lower taxes, less government, more liberty and the promotion of personal responsibility. My vote will never be turned over to any person or party. It belongs to the people, Murphy said in a statement announcing his candidacy. Michele Nix: The vice chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, Nix calls herself a conservative patriot on her Twitter account. She filed paperwork to run in February. Nix, from Kinston, worked at First Citizens Investor Services for nearly 18 years, according to her LinkedIn account. In October, Nix posted a photo on Instagram that some Democrats called racist. It featured a white hand making the OK symbol and a dark-colored hand making a fist. Phil Shepard: A pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church, Shepard is in his fifth term representing Onslow County in the NC House. He was born in Jacksonville, attended Coastal Carolina Community College and has lived in Onslow County all of his life, he said in a candidate questionnaire last fall. Sandy Smith: Smith has never run for political office before, according to her campaign website. She calls herself the breath of fresh air that the Republican Party needs. Smith is married and has four adult children, including a daughter who enlisted in the Marines. She and her husband have a sustainable farm in Ayden, raising free-range pigs and bees. She is a graduate of East Carolina University, who has lived all over the country but settled in Eastern North Carolina. Yes, we have the most women ever in congress, which is truly a great thing, Smith writes on her website. The problem is we have the wrong women in congress. The time is imperative now that we put the right women in congress. I am a Strong Republican Women that love this great country, respect our President and is truly proud to embraces all of Americas Greatness. Michael Speciale: Speciale, who was born in Chicago, is in his fourth term in the NC House representing Craven County. He joined the Marines and spent much of his career at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point. Speciale is married with two children and eight grandchildren. Speciale has made headlines throughout his term in the NC House. In 2017, he introduced a bill to make gay marriage illegal again in the state in defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The same year, he wanted the states constitutional ban on secession dropped. In 2015, Speciale shared a Facebook post that referred to President Barack Obama as Islamic son of a bitch. He made fun of a bill aimed at requiring dog breeders to exercise their animals and use humane euthanasia, according to previous News & Observer reporting. Exercise on a daily basis if I kick him across the floor, is that daily exercise? Speciale said during floor debate in 2013. Euthanasia performed humanely so I should choose the ax or the baseball bat? Speciale played up those headlines in his campaign announcement. He is unapologetic for what he believes and has made media headlines for standing strong for those positions, the statement said. | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article226775819.html |
How did a 10-ton humpback whale end up in the Amazon jungle? | A 10-ton whale was found on the island of Marajo, seen here, at the mouth of the Amazon River, in late February 2019. A 10-ton whale was found on the island of Marajo, seen here, at the mouth of the Amazon River, in late February 2019. 1 / 23 Back to Gallery It sounds like the start of a children's nursing rhyme or riddle. Researchers stumble upon a 26-foot-long humpback whale amid the twisting vines and sagging trees of Brazil's Amazon jungle, nearly 50 feet from the shore. Scientists aren't entirely sure. The 10-ton mammal was found on the island of Marajo, at the mouth of the Amazon River, in late February, according to the Independent. The Bicho D'Agua Institute, a conservation group that is studying the animal, think a large wave tossed the carcass deep into the mangrove, but it's unclear why the whale was swimming off the coast of Brazil in the first place. ALSO: Dead and dying dolphins washing up on Calif. shores "We're still not sure how it landed here, but we're guessing that the creature was floating close to the shore and the tide, which has been pretty considerable over the past few days," Renata Emin, the institute's project leader, told the Independent. Emrin said she was "baffled" by the whale's presence on the north coast of Brazil in February, which she called a "very unusual occurrence." Humpback whales, though common on the Bahia coast of Brazil between August and November, rarely swim north to the mouth of the Amazon, a journey requiring thousands of miles of travel inland. It appears the humpback was a calf that was separated from its mother while migrating to Antarctica for the warmer season, Emrin told the publication. A cause of death has not yet been determined. Researchers continue to study the whale, an effort made especially difficult by the large animal's remote location. Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at [email protected]. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. | https://www.sfgate.com/science/article/humpback-whale-amazon-jungle-brazil-how-washed-13647004.php |
Why would Warriors stars join LeBron James collapsing kingdom in L.A.? | Because NBA chatter is all about tomorrow, weve heard at various times that Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would be interested in playing for the Lakers someday. The Warriors stars cant possibly be thinking that now if they ever did. The Lakers are doing a slow and depressing fade out of the playoff picture, and perhaps that isnt so surprising. Executives Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka built a terribly flawed roster, putting coach Luke Walton in an untenable position, and few expected this team to be a significant postseason threat. What no one could have forecast is the utter collapse of LeBron James kingdom. He has become an outsider in his self-created world, a strangely distant man whose comments cant be taken seriously. Make no mistake, hes still LeBron, earning deep and everlasting respect for a career of grand accomplishment. But for the Warriors superstars, hooking up with this LeBron, at this stage of his life, makes no sense at all. Once believed to be indestructible, without a shred of evidence to the contrary, the 34-year-old James limped off the Oracle Arena court with a groin injury on Christmas night and missed 18 games. His recovery apparently complete, he told reporters at the All-Star break that my playoff intensity has been reactivated, and with the trade deadline passed no Anthony Davis, just a room full of disillusioned young Lakers wondering about their status with the franchise LeBron seemed ready to make everything OK. That is hardly the case. The Lakers last two games brought inexcusable losses to New Orleans (a team actively trying not to win) and the desultory Memphis Grizzlies. And instead of trying to revive the Lakers fractured chemistry, James threw his teammates into the trash bin of irrelevance. A ridiculous question came forth after the Memphis game Monday night, someone asking James if the young Lakers were distracted by all the noise surrounding their playoff chances. And this came after the best of those young players, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram (Lonzo Ball remains injured), combined for 54 points in defeat. At this point, if youre still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of, James responded, and you should just be like, Listen, I dont (think this is for me). Its not an innocent remark if it implies certain players arent worthy of wearing a Lakers uniform. And if youve seen the highlights of LeBrons pitiful defense occasionally standing like a statue near the basket while an opponent scores at point-blank range you realize his words carry little weight. (Just when you wonder if James injury recovery might not be quite complete, there he goes, throwing down a massive dunk in traffic.) So much is wrong with this picture. On the Lakers postgame broadcast, retired great James Worthy said it just seems like theres some type of virus going on with this team right now. Rajon Rondo mysteriously lost his starting job after beating the Celtics with a last-second shot Feb. 7, and with Rondo offering little spark of late, Worthy said he was just going through the motions and called his performance detrimental to the team. This could all disappear next season if Johnson and Pelinka lure a big-name free agent into the fold, but that seems a bit unlikely now. Theres no chance Kyrie Irving makes that call. Kawhi Leonard has expressed a preference for the Clippers, if he returns to his Southern California home. The Warriors are going to lock up Thompson before long, so just forget that angle. And when Durant told Bleacher Report about a toxic atmosphere surrounding LeBron, he spoke for an increasing number of stars wary of playing with The King. Reports surfaced recently that Green is preparing to switch agents and sign with Klutch Sports, which represents James and other luminaries around the NBA. That sounds like a good move for Greens life after basketball; Klutch is a powerful, influential organization. But its also capable of an ill-timed pratfall. With James and agent Rich Paul calling the shots, Klutch effectively dismantled two teams the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans before the trading deadline. In going public with a trade demand, Paul seemed confident that Davis would be immediately traded to the Lakers, shutting out all other interested parties. Instead, the Pelicans were offended and barely acknowledged the L.A. offers. They wound up stuck with Davis, playing him only for show. James teammates realized he was angling to get them out of town, and thats something they will never forget. No wonder they sometimes look disjointed on the court; theyre about as together as a bunch of kids in detention hall. Perhaps none of that is Greens concern. He also has a strong relationship with James, despite their occasional on-court beefs. Its just that Green has become synonymous with winning, in a most distinctive way, with the NBAs most respected franchise. He cant be blind to the truth in L.A. The kingdom is in tatters. Bruce Jenkins is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/jenkins/article/Why-would-Warriors-stars-join-LeBron-James-13647184.php |
Does Help to Buy prop up housebuilders? | Image copyright Getty Images The Help to Buy housing scheme, launched in 2013, is hailed by the government as one of its big successes. The Treasury says 494,108 English homes have been bought through the scheme, with the vast majority going to first-time buyers living outside London. Ministers and mortgage lenders alike say it lifts people into home ownership by getting them on the housing ladder. But critics say it merely subsidises housebuilders and pushes up the price of new homes. Similar schemes exist in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are two main forms: Help to Buy loans and Help to Buy Individual Savings Accounts (Isas). In the first version, the government lends up to 20% of the cost of a newly built property - or 40% within Greater London - so buyers need only a 5% deposit and a 75% mortgage to buy it. Those purchasing a new-build home are not charged interest for the first five years. The Help to Buy Isa was launched later, in December 2015, and is open to first-time buyers in the UK. Savers receive a 25% bonus from the government when they withdraw the money they have saved to buy their first property. The maximum purchase price is 250,000, or 450,000 in London. The maximum government bonus that someone can receive is 3,000, if they have saved 12,000. Savers can deposit up to 200 a month, although they can kick-start saving with a lump sum of 1,200. Chancellor Philip Hammond is certainly firmly behind the scheme, which was introduced by his predecessor, George Osborne. He has extended it to run until March 2023 and says the move will support "half a million more home purchases". He said: "The government supports those who dream of owning their own home and wants to help them take the first step on to the property ladder." Support also comes from the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association. Its executive director, Kate Davies, said Help to Buy had become "a cornerstone of the UK property market" and provides "essential support to the whole of the UK property sector". She added: "Although last year saw the highest number of first-time buyers since the financial crisis, millions of households are still waiting to get on the housing ladder and Help to Buy will continue to play a crucial role in helping some of these households into home ownership over the next four years." The argument against the scheme has gained ground this week, with the news that one of the UK's biggest builders of houses, Persimmon, saw its annual profits top 1bn last year. A day earlier, the firm's share price fell 5% because of suggestions that its participation in Help to Buy was under government scrutiny. For opponents of the scheme, that just shows how dependent the firm has become on big injections of public cash. Mike Amey, managing director of global investment management firm Pimco, told the BBC that profit on a house sold by Persimmon had trebled since Help to Buy was introduced, "roughly from 20,000 to 60,000". Image copyright Getty Images And property expert Henry Pryor told the BBC that last year, half the number of homes Persimmon built were underpinned by support from Help to Buy. Mr Pryor said the scheme was brought in for legitimate reasons following the credit crunch, to restore confidence in the sector. But since then, it had become "the crack cocaine of the building industry", he said. "When we are weaned off it, it is going to be painful," he added. Other big housebuilders, such as Barratt and Taylor Wimpey, are thought to have benefited to a similar extent. Well, it has arguably distorted the housing market by making it more advantageous to buy a new-build home than an existing one. Research by investment bank Morgan Stanley in 2017 said the price gap between new homes and second-hand ones had set a new record. "There has always been a small premium for new-build; people will pay extra for spanking-new kitchens and bathrooms. But since 2013, that premium has rocketed," it said. For Mark Dyason, managing director of specialist property broker Thistle Finance, Help to Buy could come to a sticky end when the scheme is finally wound up. He said: "Help to Buy is in much the same vein as low [interest] rates since the global financial crisis. "They have kept the economy going, but equally they have kicked the can down the road. "The Help to Buy scheme is arguably a hollow victory, with the potential to cause all manner of problems, both for the buyers who have used it and the developers that have offered it." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47372385 |
Why is tech show full of men? | Image caption BBC colleagues Zoe Kleinman and Tracey Langford As I walked into the chaotic registration zone at the hall hosting Xiaomis press conference, my first event of the 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC), I soon became aware that I looked different. I was dressed reasonably smartly and was even dutifully wearing my delegate's lanyard just like everybody else, even though I hate it it is too long and I had to tie a knot in it when I realised people were not admiring my belt but trying to read my name. But, in the sea of people milling around awkwardly, waiting to collect a pass giving them access to the event, my colleague Tracey and I were two of very few women. It was a woman who gave me my pass. It was also a woman who was pouring out glasses of wine for the reception afterwards. But there were no women speaking inside the hall during the presentation. We left in a hurry to go to another event across town, hosted by Huawei, the brand everybody is talking about both here in Barcelona and around the world. Once there, I looked at the long queue snaking round outside the beautiful Italian Pavilion in the heart of Barcelona. I was once again in the minority. Inside, there were no women on stage here either. I shared a taxi to the next event with analyst Carolina Milanesi, who travels the world attending technology industry events such as MWC. It was the same every year, she told me as we chatted. At CES [the Las Vegas technology fair], the thing was booth babes and skimpily dressed people thats not the case here but women are in the position of being the hostess, they are smart and look nice but they are serving, she told me. You are either sexually objectified or you are the housewife but you are not seen as making a decision about tech or buying it. Image caption The conference halls are also full of men At my final event of the day, hosted by Microsoft, the organisers had clearly tried to even out the presenters, alternating men and women although after the first four speakers, there was a succession of men before the next woman joined the stage. On day one of the exhibition itself, I spent an hour in the priority queue to try out Microsofts HoloLens2. Not only was I the only woman in that queue, there were only a tiny handful in the enormous, general queue, which, I heard, was four hours long. The security guard at the front was a woman. Around the conference halls, I found myself constantly jostled by crowds of men swarming around concept cars, robots and 5G smartphones. Meanwhile, the press officers who were constantly pinging me on email, asking me to meet their exhibiting clients were more likely to be women than men. Claire, not her real name, is attending MWC for the first time, working for one of the major global brands. I have to say I am surprised by how few women there are at the event - barring of course hospitality and venue staff, she told me I thought that this should be different [to other industry events] - it's much more consumer focused - but a common theme among the women I've met here is the fact that the halls are a sea of testosterone. She thinks some technology companies need to rethink their priorities. Image copyright EPA Image caption Men queue up to take a picture of Huawei's foldable phone The industry talks a good game about being relevant to women - but it's hard to believe that for some companies it's anything more than lip service when you look around the hall, she said. One company under scrutiny for many reasons already is Huawei, which has a huge presence here. In one hall, it occupies a vast space, easily the size of a supermarket. And every single delegate's lanyard bears the Huawei logo. We arrived before its stand opened but waiting to greet people when it did were women dressed in national costumes from around the world. Thankfully, there were no bikinis but still I couldnt quite decide whether this was a beautiful display of global inclusivity or a cringeworthy homage to Miss World. Its not like female attendees are screened out. If youve got the 450 euros, and/or press or analyst credentials, you can come. A spokesman for the Global System for Mobile Communications trade body, which organises MWC, told me that in 2018 24% of the delegates had been women, a 1% increase on 2017. Over 100,000 people attend. He also told me about the Women4Tech programme, which runs a number of events aimed at women working in and around the industry during the four days of MWC. I love tech, I have spent years covering the subject as a journalist and I dont feel my gender prevents me from doing so. Its very rare that I feel actively unwelcome at an event I dont here either - and the days when people used to ask me who was looking after my children while I was working seem, fortunately, to be behind me. Its more subtle than that - and not necessarily a conscious bias. Perhaps its a vicious cycle - women like me come along, feel a bit like we should be serving the drinks and then decide not to return. We have to shout louder, jostle harder, raise our arms higher to get those photos. The men I have spoken to about it seem a bit embarrassed. The women seem resigned. An industry friend of mine told me it was one reason why she chose to avoid these events. Dont forget, though, that women are equally expected to consume all of this technology. And if we disappear, our voices will not be heard when it comes to their design. Heres an example of what I mean. At a networking event one evening, I chatted to the owner of a mobile phone company over a glass of wine. We were discussing the new trend for folding phones. And I said I would prefer one that folded out to be the size my existing phone is now. He asked me why on Earth that was the case, so I showed him how awkwardly it fits into the pockets of my jeans. And he was absolutely astonished. His fitted just fine, he said - hed never even thought about it. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47373935 |
Was GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz's Tweet to Michael Cohen Witness Intimidation? | As Michael Cohen apologized to a Senate panel Tuesday for having previously given false testimony, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Congressman serving Floridas first district and a stalwart ally of President Trump, took to Twitter with a tweet that some ethics experts considered a threat to Cohen. Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if shell remain faithful when youre in prison. Shes about to learn a lot, Gaetzs tweet said. Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if shell remain faithful when youre in prison. Shes about to learn a lot Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 26, 2019 Cohen made a long-delayed return to Capitol Hill Tuesday to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, apologizing for false testimony he gave the panel during a 2017 appearance, CNN reported. Cohens latest testimony, conducted behind closed doors, is the first of three planned appearances before congressional committees this week. In a reply to Gaetzs tweet, Walter Shaub, a former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, invoked the federal witness tampering statute and quoted a 2017 Congressional interpretation of the U.S. Constitutions Speech or Debate Clause. Conversely, actions that have not been viewed as integral to the legislative process and, therefore, have not been interpreted to be protected legislative acts include: speaking outside of Congress; writing newsletters and issuing press releases, Shaub wrote, quoting from the document. A tweet in which a sitting member of Congress tries his hand at witness intimidation: https://t.co/tSdtKvgDjb Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) February 26, 2019 "Conversely, actions that have not been viewed as integral to the legislative process and, therefore, have not been interpreted to be protected legislative acts include: speaking outside of Congress; writing newsletters and issuing press releaseshttps://t.co/an5i4KkpOm Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) February 26, 2019 The statute Shaub referenced reads in part, Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent toinfluence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. Rep. Gaetz didnt immediately respond to an email from Fortune seeking further comment about his tweet. Alex Ward, a reporter for Vox, said on Twitter he asked Gaetz about claims his tweet was a form of witness tampering. Im witness testing, Gaetz answered. @mattgaetz: Im witness testing. We still are allowed to test the veracity and character of witnesses, I think. Gaetz: Yes. https://t.co/aBRZAF314A Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox) February 26, 2019 Gaetzs tweet about Michael Cohen comes a month after a series of tweets and comments that Trump made about Stones family, particularly his father in law. Trump attorney Rudy Giuilani said at the time that Trumps comments were simply defending himself against Cohens planned testimony. | http://fortune.com/2019/02/26/trump-ally-gop-congressman-matt-gaetz-tweet-michael-cohen-wife-girlfriends/ |
Is Twitter Really Faster Than The News? | One of the most basic truisms of the social media era is that social media offers the fastest indicator of breaking events, beating the news by allowing witnesses and participants to live stream stories as they happen. In turn, social media is increasingly viewed as the ultimate dataset through which to study human society. Pinpointing the precise moment when a story leaps into Twitter consciousness is often quite difficult due to the stream of consciousness narration and changing vocabulary that underlies an evolving story. The first tweets documenting a dam burst might be from those downriver who simply post uncaptioned photographs of water rushing down the street or musing that a water pipe must have broken, entirely unaware of the real cause of the water and the deluge yet to come. As flooding gets worse, tweets are likely to begin chronicling cars swept away, houses flooding and cries for help. Only later, as the events are tied back to the dam failure is any mention of a dam likely to appear. This can make it difficult to estimate the very first social media posts about an event. A Scud missile launch might be observed by witnesses not as missiles flying through the sky, but through air raid sirens, scrambled security assets, military movements, explosions, warnings to stay indoors and other strange events. Rather than searching for the equivalent of Scud missile launch from Yemen into Saudi Arabia one must search for the myriad physical manifestations that might represent what a citizen on the ground might have observed. In many ways this is similar to the changing metadata tags applied to realtime news archives, in which the early days of a conflict might be recorded merely as military skirmishes and only later, once the events have broken into full-scale war, eventually relabeled as the early events leading to that war. The decentralized nature of the worlds media outlets makes it difficult to monitor global events at the speed at which they appear in the news. While Twitter offers a single firehose containing every tweet sent by every user worldwide, monitoring the worlds online news outlets requires a massive global crawling infrastructure and maintaining a constantly updated list of news outlets. It can be difficult to directly compare news, social media and web searches due to their very different vocabularies. Social media reflects a mixture of stream of coconsciousness musings in the absence of contextualizing information and specific comments filled with the typographical errors and misspellings attendant to the social space. Web searches reflect the contextualization of events to the specific information seeking needs of each unique individual and can reflect very specific dimensions, such as searches for curfew times or which roads are open, while not necessarily mentioning the motivating context of a dam closure. In contrast, news content tends to provide as much context as is known at the time and restates concepts in expanded format, meaning a news article involving climate change is likely to actually spell out climate change at least once in the article, while a climate related tweet might not actually mention climatic change at all. Despite these complications, it is possible to identify specific events where the vocabulary and expression is sufficiently aligned between the three mediums to enable comparison. Last week I showed how in the case of scripted political press conferences that are announced ahead of time and involve highly anticipated announcements, news media can actually lead Twitter in coverage volume. In the case of the Green New Deal press conference, news media provided a much earlier signal of the event as it mused in advance on what might be announced, while Twitter was largely reactive, surging immediately before the presser. Google searches, on the other hand, built slowly over the course of the day as people checked the news and caught up on the latest details. News media also continued to reflect on the details of the announcement over the following days even as web searches and Twitter posts died down. More interestingly, the timeline below shows the breakdown of those Green New Deal tweets by type by hour in Eastern Standard Time, using data from Crimson Hexagon. Immediately clear is that the initial burst of tweets largely consisted of retweets and forwarded links, rather than original commentary. Indeed, perhaps most apparent of all is that much of Twitters speed in this case came from retweeting previous posts, recasting Twitter as a behavioral dataset rather than a content dataset and reminding us that Twitters speed may not coincide with new insights. Twitter may be fast, but that speed may merely be the equivalent of a forward rather than new information that expands our understanding of the event. Just 18% of the total Twitter volume were not retweets and 57% of tweets included either a link or image. Similarly, in the case of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in June 2017, the White House had previewed the week before that an announcement would be coming the following week. The Presidents May 27, 2017 tweet that his decision would be coming the following week lead to a surge of news coverage as the press speculated on his decision and its impacts. The timeline below compares Twitter coverage via Crimson Hexagon, web searches via Google Trends and worldwide online news coverage in 65 languages via the GDELT Project. All times are reported in Eastern Standard Time and the Y axis is reported as standard deviations from the mean (Z-Scores) to normalize for the very different volumes across the three mediums. On May 31st as news outlets ran the story that the White House would be announcing the following day that the US was withdrawing from the agreement, Google searches actually peaked first, from 6AM to 7AM Eastern Standard Time, followed by Twitter and news media peaking together from 8AM to 9AM. As before, news media was the first to react, speculating on the events to come days in advance. This time, however, when the announcement actually came, it was web searches that reacted first, followed by Twitter. Breaking the Twitter timeline down by tweet type, we once again see that Twitters speed comes largely from retweeting, rather than users sharing their own new perspectives and thoughts on the events. Just 16% of total tweet volume came from non-retweets and 67% of all tweets included a link or image. When it comes to scripted political events, whether preannounced or anticipated, it seems Twitter does not beat the news and that even when it does react, the majority of that reaction comes in the form of retweets and link sharing, rather than users sharing their own personal perspectives on the events. Of course, political theater represents highly mediagenic messaging designed for maximum press uptake. Those are more likely to showcase Twitters realtime nature. Hurricane Harveys August 2017 landfall was anticipated to cause heavy flooding to Houston, Texas, but the exact extent of its impact and damage was still speculative. The timeline below compares Twitter, news and Google searches mentioning Houston and flooding. As with both of the previous examples, news is the first to react. For three days prior to landfall, media outlets run wall-to-wall coverage documenting all of the possible doomsday scenarios of Houston flooding. Neither web searches nor Twitter show any movement during this period, suggesting people were waiting to see what would actually happen. As Houston begins to flood, news coverage surges, before tapering off in the late evening, but comes back to life again around 1AM local time as the media digests the extent of the damage and the first deaths are reported, before media tapers off again for the night. Web searches begin to rapidly rise through the late evening and early the following morning as people digest the emerging reports of catastrophic flooding. Twitter is the last to react, waking up around 7AM and surging vertically as the Twitterverse reacts to all of the media reporting of damage. Many of the tweets were forwarded news articles containing photographs of the destruction. Over the course of the day media coverage rapidly increases again as reporters fan out to gather a fuller story of the damage and its impact on the city and the lives of its inhabitants. This time the majority of tweets included links or images and non-retweets were even slower to build. Just 16% of tweets were not retweets and a whopping 85% of all tweets included links or images. Similarly, the historic Townsville flooding earlier this month offers an example in which expected heavy rains gave way to unexpectedly severe flooding that led to a dam opening that caused heavy losses. Most of the tweeting, searching and news coverage began each day around 3PM EST, which corresponds to 7AM Australian time the following day, suggesting that much of the attention was local to Australia. For the first few days, Google searches, Twitter and news coverage were fairly well aligned. As flooding reached historic levels and the Ross River dam gates were opened to relieve pressure, news coverage and searching began to rapidly increase, even as Twitter activity did not respond as significantly. As the city warned that the flood gates might be opened further and began evacuations downstream, search activity surged and remained highly elevated throughout the day on February 2nd, from 7AM to 10PM local time, with a surge of news coverage as well, but little increase in tweets. Warnings about further dam opening caused an additional surge in search activity. Finally, as the police warn just after midnight EST on February 3rd that the dam flood gates may be opened to their maximum setting four hours later, there is a vertical surge in both search and Twitter activity. News coverage, actually peaked several hours earlier as the government warned that opening the floodgates further was likely to be announced shortly and then peaked again the following day as the aftermath became known. Once again, news coverage offered the first warning of each major development in the flooding, previewing events that would come in the following hours. Search interest appears to correlate with periods of high uncertainty coupled with government activity like evacuations, likely reflecting the public searching for more information on the latest government warnings. As with the other examples, the overwhelming majority of tweets about the Townsville flooding were retweets, with very little original content until the aftermath became known. Much of the earlier tweeting, including through the dam release, were links and images. Finally, the Brumadinho dam collapse offers a unique case where news was considerably slower than Twitter and Google searches. The dam collapsed around 10AM EST. Searching for any mention of Brumadinho shows sharp vertical surges in both web searches and tweets, though news takes an additional hour to reflect the event. Web searches take around an hour to hit their initial peak, tweets take two hours and news takes around 6 hours as it takes in the extent of the damage and speaks to those on the ground affected by the disaster, as well as chronicles the governments response. It is unclear why news coverage took so long to build in this case. There was certainly detailed breaking reporting shortly after the dam failed, but this may reflect the delay in a critical mass of reporters arriving at the incidents rural location and a focus by reporters on the impact and aftermath of the failure, rather than rapid rehashing that the dam had failed. It is also important to recognize that GDELT currently has approximately a one-hour delay between the time it monitors an article and when it processes it, which would precisely explain its one hour delayed signal compared with news and Twitter in this case. GDELT also recrawls each news outlet on a dynamic schedule calculated based on how often that outlet changes over the course of a day. This algorithm is not particularly well-suited to picking up the earliest glimmers of breaking stories in areas that do not typically receive much news coverage and which have their earliest reporting in outlets that do not typically update very frequently throughout the course of an average day. The release of GDELT 3.0 later this spring will address these limitations and allow GDELT to flag a storys rise within minutes of its publication globally which would likely result in news offering a signal much closer to search and Twitter in cases like this. As with each of the other examples, the overwhelming majority of tweets were retweets, showing that the majority of social media activity was not original eyewitness documentation from the ground, but rather individuals forwarding information. Does Twitter truly beat the news? In all but the Brumadinho damn collapse, news media offered advanced warning of the impending activity long before either social media or web searches. This is largely because even unexpectedly severe flooding is typically preceded by warnings that such flooding could occur and projections regarding worst-case outcomes. Similarly, in the case of political events, the desire for media coverage leads them to create highly mediagenic environments. Only in the case of a sudden dam failure did news not offer an obvious advanced warning, though a closer inspection of media coverage suggests there were significant advanced warnings of concerns with the dams stability, suggesting here too a more sophisticated examination of media would likely yield a longer-term warning signal. In contrast, Twitter attention appears to be highly reactive, waiting until major activity is occurring before registering a signal. It tends to surge quickly and dissipate just as quickly, operating more like an alarm that something is currently happening, whereas news media offers the advanced warning well before it actually happens. In essence, news media offers a rich advanced warning signal of events to come, while Twitter acts as an on/off light switch registering as quickly as possible when the event finally occurs. To forecast future events, news media appears to be the clear winner. To flag the instant those events come to pass, Twitter would appear to be the best source. Web searches offer a powerful counterpoint to these two production-oriented signals, reminding us of the difference between information production and information consumption. Comparing Google Trends interest with news and social media attention makes it possible to identify where in an events trajectory the public is finally taking an interest. In the case of an ongoing natural disaster it can help governments understand peak periods of information seeking and consumption behavior to boost their outreach. Most interestingly, we see that much of the signal originating from Twitter during events is not the original commentary of participants and witnesses detailing what they are experiencing firsthand, but rather Twitter acting as a glorified global link forwarding service. A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment when asked about retweeting trends on the service and whether this was a broader trend of how people are increasingly using Twitter. The promise of social media was that it would enable us for the first time to experience breaking news through the eyes and ears of those on the ground in the midst of the story. In reality, we see that most of the social attention is the outside world forwarding stories of interest from afar. From an analytic perspective, this suggests that we should treat Twitter not as the content signal that we have, with our natural language processing algorithms, but rather as a behavioral and attention signal, using event stream approaches to understanding its insights. In the end, perhaps the biggest lesson is that the popular narrative that Twitter beats the news and lets us experience events live from the ground as they unfold is far more nuanced, with news typically offering us the earliest warning signal, Twitter telling us when it finally happens and search telling us when it catches peoples attention. As with all good stories about big data, we see more and more that the narratives that have defined the rise of our data-driven world are a lot like fairy tales: there is often a grain of truth to their stories, but most is merely a figment of our imagination. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/26/is-twitter-really-faster-than-the-news/ |
Could barristers earn more working in McDonald's? | Image copyright Getty Images A senior lawyer has claimed that barristers are often paid less per hour than they would be working in a fast-food restaurant. Chris Henley, who chairs the Criminal Bar Association, said: "Too often fees for prosecuting produce hourly rates worse than wages at McDonald's," adding that this "sadly" was not hyperbole. He gave an example of a barrister being paid 46.50 for a full night of preparation and a day in court, working out at about 5 an hour. The average pay for a junior criminal barrister with up to 15 years experience is about 40,000 a year. Once you subtract the fees to rent chambers and other costs, this falls to about 28,000, according to figures from the Bar Council. That's still significantly more than the annual earnings of someone working front of house at McDonald's, on a starting wage of 8 an hour or 16,640 a year. But that's an average - low fixed fees for public barristers and the many hours it can take to prepare for a case mean they can quite easily slip under the minimum wage. Equally, some barristers will earn far more and those working privately can earn hundreds of thousands. Criminal barristers can also supplement their incomes by taking a mix of public and private cases. '5.80 an hour' While law can be an incredibly lucrative profession, especially in the private sector where they often bill by the hour, barristers in public criminal cases funded by the state face a different prospect. Public prosecutors and defence barristers' rates are set by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) respectively - and most barristers are self-employed, so their gross fee has to pay for travel, insurance, pensions and other costs. A junior prosecuting barrister will receive 46.50 for a single court appearance. If that takes a full eight-hour day, factoring in the court appearance itself, preparation and travel time, then this works out at 5.80 an hour - way below the minimum wage. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Actress Maxine Peake joined protests against legal aid cuts in 2014 A junior defence barrister (who may have up to a decade of experience) will be paid 90 for a single court appearance and 125 for a sentence hearing. A basic trial fee would be 600 but can be considerably more depending on the offence being tried and how long that trial is therefore likely to last. The Criminal Bar Association has calculated that average hourly rates for prosecution barristers work out at 20 or less in a quarter of Crown Court hearings. Barristers are set to meet next week to discuss what to do about the "crisis" in fees. Last year, the MoJ published a new system, banding different types of offences by complexity and therefore how much a barrister should be paid to take them to court. For example, a multiple murder, the highest banded offence, would attract higher rates for barristers, to reflect the complexity of the case and volume of evidence. Digital evidence When the government consulted on these changes, it said the aim was to make sure barristers were paid fairly for complex cases, particularly "taking into account the fact that more and more evidence is submitted electronically". This relatively new wealth of digital evidence means lawyers have far greater volumes of material to go through to prepare for a trial. But the Criminal Bar Association says, despite the new system, these fixed fees don't take into account all the preparation that goes into a trial. And if the trial is dropped, that fee can be significantly reduced - even if all the work has already been done on it. The association is concerned that this will lead to many barristers turning down particularly prosecution work, which attracts lower pay, putting at risk the ability to secure convictions. There has been a 20% fall in criminal cases being prosecuted by the CPS over the past three years. When many of the cuts to publicly funded law were ushered in, in 2014, Baroness Hale warned that it could also have an impact on diversity in the legal profession, making people "who don't fit the male, public school boy model" less able to succeed at the bar. The CPS is currently reviewing the pay of prosecuting barristers. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47372265 |
Whos going to play the outfield for the Cleveland Indians after the winter purge? | CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If youre Greg Allen, this has to be a an uncomfortable time of year. If not uncomfortable as least uneasy. Tyler Naquin, Jake Bauers, Jordan Luplow, Brandon Barnes, Matt Joyce and Trayce Thompson have to be feeling the same way. Allen and the others are Indians outfielders in spring training and they really dont know whats going to happen in the weeks ahead. Last years outfield has been all but purged. Michael Brantley, Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis, Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer have all signed elsewhere as free agents. Bradley Zimmer is still recovering from surgery on his right shoulder and will probably open the year on the disabled list. Leonys Martin is back and healthy. If he stays that way, hes going to be in the outfield come opening day. Barnes played briefly with the Tribe in September. But hes in camp on a minor-league deal. Prospects Daniel Johnson and Oscar Mercado have had their moments in the early part of the Cactus League schedule Johnson homered and tripled in Tuesdays 5-3 win over the Rockies but theyll open the season in the minors. Allen, Bauers, Luplow, Naquin and Zimmer have minor-league options. Joyce and Thompson are in camp on minor-league deals. The addition of Hanley Ramirez may have added another twist. If Ramirez, who signed a minor-league deal on Tuesday, makes the team hell be the DH, according to manager Terry Francona. Before Ramirezs arrival, it seemed like Bauers and Carlos Santana would share DH and first base. Ramirezs presence may force one of them, probably Bauers, into competition for an outfield spot. The good thing is the Indians need four or five outfielders on the 25-man roster. Three starters and one or two reserves depending how many relievers Francona carries and how versatile his utility man is. The Indians penchant for platooning will help the Tribes displaced outfielders as well. Francona says you cant platoon everybody on the roster, but he may try that with the outfield. So Allen and the others have that going for them. But unless youre a thrill seeker, someone who gets by on a daily surge of adrenaline, its a hard way to go to work every morning. For me and a lot of the other guys here, I think we see ourselves fitting anywhere theres an opportunity, said Allen in the early days of spring training. Were still five or so weeks from opening day. Theres a lot that can change from now until them. Allen made five trips between Class AAA Columbus and Cleveland last year. But all that bouncing around taught him something. More than anything (it taught me) to try and keep myself mentally and physically in that place where Im focused on the moment wherever my feet may be, said Allen. Whether it was down in Columbus or up with the big-league team. Focus on what I can do and what I can control and go from there. When Francona told Allen he was going to compete for a job in all three outfield positions this spring, he knew exactly where his feet were. What helped me over the past year has been getting acclimated to all three positions, said Allen. You never know where you could find yourself. You could be coming in late in left or right field. A lot of times Id come in and be in center field and Rajai (Davis) would come in and play center and Id move to right. I think that really helped me to be dialed into all three positions. Allen is a switch-hitter who can run and track down a fly ball. He needs to get on base more to make himself an option if leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor cant open the season because of his right calf injury. He had a .310 on-base percentage last year, drawing just 14 walks in 91 games. But from Aug. 9 through the end of the season, Allen hit .297 (35-for-118), scored 12 runs and stole 15 of his 22 bases. Allen got his chance to play regularly when Martin went down with a bacterial infection that nearly killed him. Martin took ill in early August when Allen was recalled from Columbus. For whatever reason, when he came back, and Leonys (Martin) went down, he stepped up his game and really helped us, Francona. He was always a good defender, but he was getting on base. Driving the ball a little better. Swinging at more strikes. Allen has played parts of two seasons with the Indians. But there was always someone in front of him. Now theyre gone and no one else is coming. The door is wide open for Allen, Naquin and all the others. I felt fortunate the past few years to be around those veterans that we dont have now, said Allen. Just to see how they went about things, and the culture and standard that was set here. Even though they may be gone, were still going to hold ourselves to it. Culture is one thing. The chance to play is another. Thats what this camp represents for Allen and every other outfielder wondering what the next day will bring. | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/02/whos-going-to-play-the-outfield-for-the-cleveland-indians-after-the-winter-purge.html |
Could Bruce Irvin return to the Seahawks this offseason? | Bruce Irvin will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins next month. Bruce Irvin will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins next month. 1 / 13 Back to Gallery The Seahawks need more pass rushing in 2019. And as loaded as the top of April's NFL draft is with top-tier edge defenders, they may not even need to look there. The solution could be in the open market next month in the form of a familiar face. Defensive end Bruce Irvin, a former Seahawk from the Legion of Boom years, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts on March 13. Frank Clark, who played with Irvin when he was a rookie, has actively been entertaining the idea of an Irvin-Seahawks reunion on social media for more than a month. It would actually make a lot of sense. Irvin, 31, has shown that he's still a productive pass rusher in spite of his age, and would be available at a reasonably cheap price a bonus in general but especially in an offseason where the Seahawks will have to open up their pocket books, starting with keeping a borderline Pro Bowler in Clark through at least next season. Irvin recorded 6.5 sacks combined in 2018 playing for two teams. He signed with his hometown Atlanta Falcons for the last eight games of the season after being cut by the Raiders. Irvin had signed a multi-year deal with the Oakland Raiders after leaving the Seahawks as a free agent following the 2015 season. For his career, he's posted 43.5 sacks in seven NFL seasons. RELATED: Report: Russell Wilson rumored to consider leaving Seahawks for Giants The Seahawks recorded pressure on just 31.5 percent of opponent's dropbacks in 2018, tying for 23rd in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Clark accounted for 24.6 percent (nearly a fourth!) of those pressures, which was the fifth-highest share of any defender in the league last year. Seattle's 2018 pass rush, essentially, was just Clark and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, with intermittent spurts from sixth-round standout Jacob Martin. Irvin would bring help in that department, with the versatility to play strongside linebacker in base packages and defensive end on passing downs. One question to consider, though, is whether or not head coach Pete Carroll and John Schneider would even want to bring in a voice from the LOB years into the re-tooled team. The better part of more than a year has been spent cleaning house of the old era. Richard Sherman was released, Michael Bennett was traded, Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor are likely done playing due to injury, and Earl Thomas is all but assured to head out the door in free agency. Irvin's case is very different from the other defensive players of Seattle's golden years earlier this decade. Any grudges the former first-round pick may have had after the Seahawks declined to pick up his fifth-year option in 2015 could be squashed once and for all with a reunion (and a suitable dollar amount). And his relationship with Seattle defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. is particularly close. Norton was Irvin's position coach in Seattle in 2013 and 2014, and his defensive coordinator with the Raiders for parts of two seasons before getting fired in November 2017. "I look at you not only as a coach but as a friend, as a father, as an uncle, as a step dad as everything," Irvin told Norton last year, per The Mercury News. "I just thank God for bringing us together. This is forever, man. I love you." Ben Arthur is a Seahawks reporter for the SeattlePI. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter at @benyarthur. | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/seahawks/article/Could-Bruce-Irvin-return-to-the-Seahawks-this-13647474.php |
Why is The SEC Picking on Elon Musk Instead of Mark Zuckerberg? | Investors around the globe look to the SEC to properly supervise public companies and take enforcement action when necessary. The SEC is supposed to instill confidence in American markets. The problem is: the SEC's enforcement is so inconsistent it is confusing. Take for example, the erratic nature of its fines and its complete lack of patience with Elon Musk compared to its apparent unending patience with Mark Zuckerberg. Just consider what we know about Facebook. A consolidated class action suit filed on October 15, 2018, against Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and CFO David Wehner alleges the defendants made "materially false and misleading statements and omissions concerning Facebook's privacy and data protection practices," "employed devices, schemes and artifices to defraud...and engaged in acts, practices, and a course of business that operated as a fraud or deceit," impacting the company's stock price and impacting its investors. Far from puffery, in July 2018, Facebook lost $119 billion in market value in one day -- the single largest drop in the U.S. stock market history, following an earnings call which revealed a decline in Facebook users and a lack of readiness to comply with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. The class action complaint also alleges the three executives violated insider trading laws, detailing Zuckerberg's sale of more than 29.4 million Facebook shares for nearly $5.3 billion, Sandberg's sale of over 2.5 million shares worth $389 million, and Wehner's trades totaling $21 million. The 164-page complaint is eye-opening and worth a read. Following Mark Zuckerberg's testimony to Congress in April 2018, numerous media reports speculated whether he had possibly lied to Congress; the Washington Post ran a story detailing 14 years of Zuckerberg repeatedly apologizing for privacy lapses and then promising to do better. Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Zuckerberg's testimony, we learned that the SEC, FTC, Department of Justice, and FBI were investigating Facebook over its sharing of personal user data and other actions and statements by officers. Since then, there has been no further news about the SEC's investigation. It is apparently progressing, but certainly not swiftly. (In contrast, The Washington Post reported recently that the FTC was negotiating a "multi-billion" dollar fine with Facebook for violating its 2011 Consent Order about protecting personal data.) There is another very important point to make here: the SEC is the only entity that can rein in Mark Zuckerberg. He owns 60% of the stock and 70% of the voting rights. Neither the board nor the shareholders can curb his greed or errors in management. The only entity who can be the parent to Zuckerberg and protect shareholders is the SEC, and they have failed to take action. Let's look at a couple of other SEC enforcement actions to get a clearer picture of the uneven nature of its enforcement actions. In April 2018, the SEC took action against Yahoo for failing to notify investors of a 2014 breach that involved personal data on 500 million users. (It is unclear why the SEC took no action regarding a 2013 breach that also was not reported, but which involved 3 times the number of users...1.5 billion Yahoo account holders.) In addition to the 2014 breach that was undisclosed to Yahoo users, the SEC found that Yahoo misled Verizon in its due diligence. The SEC Order states: Although Yahoo was aware of additional evidence in the first half of 2016 indicating that its user database had been stolen, Yahoo made affirmative representations denying the existence of any significant data breaches in a July 23, 2016 stock purchase agreement with Verizon, by which Verizon was to acquire Yahoos operating business for $4.825 billion. Yeow! That is a serious misrepresentation. The SEC ultimately fined Altaba (the name of the company holding the remaining Yahoo shares that Verizon did not purchase) a paltry $35 million. One may ask why the SEC did not go after Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo who managed these incidents. "We do not second-guess good faith exercises of judgment about cyber-incident disclosure," Steven Peikin, a codirector of the SEC's Enforcement Division, said in a statement. Also consider the action that the SEC took against Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes and the company's president "Sunny" Balwani, charging that they raised "more than $700 million from investors through an elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the companys technology, business, and financial performance." Holmes's settlement with the SEC amounted to a $500,000 penalty and disbarment from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years. She also had to return shares she obtained during the fraud and voting control of the company. Now, contrast all of this with the SEC's swift action against Elon Musk for tweeting on August 7 that he was taking his company, Tesla, private. The very next day, on August 8, the Wall Street Journal reported that the SEC was making inquiries into the truthfulness of Mr. Musk's statements. On September 27, 2018, the SEC filed suit against Elon Musk that sought civil penalties and asked the court to bar Mr. Musk from serving as an officer or director in a public company, noting the stock price fell 16% after he pulled back from his statement that he was taking the company private. Mr. Musk caved to the pressure and within two days reached a settlement with the SEC that required him to step down as chairman for 3 years, add two new independent directors to the board, put new controls in place, and he and Tesla would each pay a $20 million fine. That is a $40 million penalty contrasted with a $500,000 penalty against Holmes for massive fraud and a $35 million penalty against Altaba for the worst data breach in history and an attempt to defraud a $5 billion purchaser. Plus, as John Reed Stark, who has 20 years of experience in the SEC's Enforcement Division, noted so well in one of his own posts: The SEC does not typically file SEC enforcement actions like the one against Musk. Indeed, a close reading of the SECs complaint against the celebrated billionaire finds a litany of glaring absences within the SECs allegations, including: No alleged profits or other ill-gotten gain earned by Musk; No alleged scheme conducted by Musk; No alleged market manipulation orchestrated by Musk; No alleged pump and dump ploy executed by Musk; No alleged conspiracy between Musk and anyone else; No alleged evidence of scienter or intent by Musk; No alleged false filing or other false or inaccurate Tesla report to the SEC by Musk; No alleged violation of any sort of required SEC quiet period by Musk; and No concrete evidence of an alleged motive attested to Musk (though not required in SEC enforcement actions, motive is typically pled or implied in some way, shape or form). This week, we were greeted with the news that the SEC filed another court action against Musk, claiming that he had violated the terms of his settlement because he tweeted on February 19, 2019 (after the market closed), about planned production without getting the tweets approved by the SEC. Let this soak in...within one week the SEC rushed to court to hold Elon Musk in contempt, yet it has failed to take any action against Facebook, Zuckerberg, or Sandberg for 164 pages of alleged shenanigans, public statements, and $119 billion drop in market value. The agency is letting the shareholders do all of the heavy lifting, with a heavy burden of proof in pleading securities fraud. It is also important to note that the impact of Elon Musk's tweets on Tesla's stock was not long term or significant. In fact, the SEC's action may have harmed investors more than it helped them. A historical review of Tesla's stock price indicates the stock closed on August 6 at $341.99; on August 7 it (day of the tweet) it closed at $379.57 and on August 8 at $370.34. So, it spiked a little after the tweet-to-go-private, but then it dropped and on September 7 it closed at $263.24. On September 27 (the day SEC filed) it closed at $307.52, and the SEC and Musk settled on Saturday, September 29. On Monday, October 1, the stock closed at $264.77 and slid further to close on October 8 at $250.56. Prior to the SEC's second filing on February 25, 2019, Tesla's shares had been on a steady rise since February 21, but The Wall Street Journal reported that the shares "were off 4% after hours following the SEC filing." Nevertheless, the stock closed at $297.86, just slightly down from the prior day. He is the brain trust, force of innovation, and driver of that company. (Don't fool yourself...we don't have three clones waiting in the wings.) If, by SEC orders, he is forced to keep his companies private, we all lose because he will not have investor money to grow them and America -- including our economy -- won't get maximum benefit from his genius. He is a cowboy, but he is much less of a cowboy than Zuckerberg and much less of a fraudster than Holmes. The SEC is handling this all wrong. Either Elon Musk made some bureaucrat terribly mad at the SEC or their enforcement division is mismanaged and seemingly oblivious to its own erratic behavior and the message that it sends to the market. It can't justify these discrepancies as Celebrity Fines that set a precedent and send a message because that is laughable in the face of the Theranos fraud and Yahoo's attempt to hide the worst breach in history during a $4.8 billion bid for the company, which it later acknowledged was a breach of personal data on 3 billion accounts. We can't look to administrative solutions here. Congress needs to investigate what is going on at the SEC Enforcement Division and introduce legislation that reins in this erratic enforcement bureaucratic behavior. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodywestby/2019/02/26/why-is-the-sec-picking-on-elon-musk-instead-of-mark-zuckerberg/ |
Where does fake movie money come from? | Jacopo Prisco , CNN Written by "I just got out of a meeting with the Secret Service. I'm still in the parking lot," said Rich "RJ" Rappaport at the beginning of our phone interview. Some discussion about fake money. Rappaport is the founder of Atlanta-based RJR Props , a movie prop company that specializes in faux cash for filming. His money was used in "The Wolf of Wall Street," "The Fast and the Furious," the Netflix series "Ozark" and in 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar music videos. But printing money is a delicate business, which is why he stays in touch with the men in black. "I wanted clarity about laws and regulations. Most other companies that make prop money are actually producing illegal prop money, and that can get a show shut down and someone fined and jailed." Too good to be fake Technically, fake money in the US should adhere to strict federal rules (outlined in the Counterfeit Detection Act of 1992 ) which include being printed on one side only and being significantly larger or smaller than actual currency. But not everyone is on board with the rules, and incidents do happen. This is not real money. Credit: rjrprops.com In 2001, during the filming of "Rush Hour 2" in Las Vegas, about $1 billion in convincing prop money was blown up during a scene, but some bills escaped destruction and ended up in circulation. That's when the Secret Service got involved . The event set a precedent for prop money makers. RJ said he speaks directly with the government to comply with federal rules while finding ways to create the best possible fake dollars. He makes two types: one for close-ups and one that will look real from about 15 inches away. He calls them high grade and standard grade. "Our standard grade prop money is printed on both sides, but has an optical illusion built into it. It looks realistic at an arm's length, but when you start bringing it closer, it actually changes over and it reveals itself as fake." The trick, he said, is to make it look real on camera but fake if somebody tries to spend it at a store. 1 / 10 Left: Standard grade. Right: high grade. Credit: rjrprops.com "We also have a high grade type, better known as close up money. That's the one you use for a close-up scene, or if somebody is counting money and putting it in someone else's hands. That looks fantastic. But since it looks so real, we can print it on one side only." Ima Not Real To comply with federal laws, reproduction money cannot be made by modifying the design of actual money, so RJR Props have created their own design. "We start from scratch. We start with blank paper. We get a paper that looks incredible. Some of our paper has a color change as you move across: pink-yellow-pink or green-yellow-green. We're the only company in the world that does this because it's very expensive, but we want our money to look right," said Rappaport. At a glance, the high-grade money looks just like the real thing. But once you zoom in, the differences become obvious. High grade prop money from RJR Props. Credit: rjrprops.com Instead of "United States Federal Reserve," the words under the "100" in the top left corner read "Unreal Fake Currency Reserve." The artwork of Franklin's face has been done from scratch, and doesn't have his name underneath it. The seal is a different design, and the two signatures actually read "Ima Not Real" and "Not Real Currency" instead of the names of the Treasurer of the United States (changed to "Treasurer of the Treasurer") and the Secretary of the Treasury (turned into "Secretary of the Secretary"). Nothing survives the scrutiny: even "United States" is spelled with a "W" instead of a "U." RJR sell theirs in stacks of 100 bills, with the standard grade going for $45 per stack, and the high grade for $65. They also make a special "distressed" type of money that looks like it's been in circulation. That costs an extra $20. The "distressed" prop money. Credit: rjrprops.com "It's very difficult to make, harder than people would imagine. It's made by hand. Every bill is wrinkled, creased, stained, cigarette-burned. Everything that you might find on money in circulation, that's what we do to it. It's a difficult process, usually requiring 15 or 20 people sitting around a table." One of the largest orders of prop money RJR has ever filled was for Neflix's "Ozark," in which a drug cartel lawyer, played by Jason Bateman, stashes large amounts of cash in the walls of his house and other locations. A scene from Ozark. Credit: Eliza Morse/Netflix "We didn't know what was going to happen and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. It was absolutely iconic. You never know how these things are going to turn out. But that was a very very memorable moment," said Rappaport. Hollywood of the South The Atlanta area, where RJR is based, has recently become a huge filmmaking capital, thanks to attractive tax credits, and has earned the nickname "Hollywood of the South." It boasts the largest purpose-built studio outside of Hollywood, Pinewood Studios, where "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" were both filmed. To keep up with demand, RJR has about 30,000 different props other than money in stock, including everything from fake cocaine to space capsules (the latter used in the NASA drama "Hidden Figures.") "We have an operating room that you would see in a hospital. We've got doctors offices. We've done an entire computer laboratory with the latest, newest servers. We had to do what's called a server farm for the movie 'Ant Man.' We have airport props like walk-through metal detectors and baggage scanners and they're all fully operational. I think we have five or six aircraft, some of them are real and can be filmed from the inside or the outside. We've got cameras from some of the earliest American TV shows, like the 'Howdy Doody' show and 'Sesame Street.' We got vintage cameras from the original NBC, ABC and even CNN studios." Rich "RJ" Rappaport with some prop missiles. Credit: rjrprops.com A large part of the business is music videos, which fuel a lot of the demand for fake money. "We get music video artists probably 20 times a week, which is really quite, quite a bit if you think about it," said Rappaport. While most props are rented, money is almost always purchased (and occasionally flaunted on Instagram.) "Yes, actually there are a number of artists who use real money," Rappaport revealed. "But I can't say who uses real money and who uses fake money because it would be a security risk." Top image: A still from "Breaking Bad" | https://www.cnn.com/style/article/rjr-props-fake-money/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_world+%28RSS%3A+CNNi+-+World%29 |
Can We Talk About Anything But The Weather? | February 2019 Has Been a Doozy Yes, we've all had enough. Even the hardiest of Minnesotans are starting to complain. We surrender! I don't have anymore room to put all this February snow - good grief! Snowiest February and 4th Snowiest Month on Record - AND Counting! According to the National Weather Service (thru 6PM February 26th) 37.2" of snow has fallen at the MSP Airport, which not only crushes the previous snowiest February on record of 26.5" set in 1962, but it is now the 4th snowiest MONTH in recorded history at MSP! What is impressive is that we were able to achieve this in the first 26 days of the month! ____________________________________________________________________________ Record February Snowfall Here's how much snow has fallen across the region so far this month. Note the "R" appended to a few of the numbers below. This means that those locations have had their snowiest February on record! ________________________________________________________________________________ "February 2019 is Setting Records for Snowfall - Updated February 25th" "This month has been so snowy that it is setting records for daily and monthly totals. On February 12th, Eau Claire, Wisconsin set a record for their snowiest February on record, and they continue to demolish this record total with each additional storm. The Twin Cities and St. Cloud also broke their February snowfall record as of February 20th, and continue to add to the record total. In addition, Eau Claire has had the all-time snowiest month on record this February with 48.3" as of February 25th. This shattered the previous monthly snowfall record from January of 1929 when 35.3" fell. Eau Claire has also broken the record for the most snow during meteorological winter (December through February). As of February 25th, Eau Claire has received 67.6" of snow. The previous record was 61.6" during the winter months of 1996-1997." See more from the NWS Twin Cities HERE: ______________________________________________________________________ Snow Depth Take a look at the snow depth report from Sunday of last weekend. Note that most locations have more than a foot of snow on the ground. There are even a few locations across central and northeastern Minnesota that have more than 2ft of snow on the ground. ____________________________________________________________________________ More Snow End of Week We're not quite done with the snow chances just yet this week. In fact, there's another light snow chance that looks to scoot across the southern half of the state with more light accumulations. However, Friday is also the first day of March, so our snow February will have ended by then. ____________________________________________________________________________ Snowfall Potential Here's the ECMWF snowfall potential from Tuesday to Saturday, which shows a fairly broad swath of 2" to 4" tallies across the southern half of the state. Keep in mind that the totals below will be from two different systems, the one on Tuesday and the one on Friday. ________________________________________________________________________ Weather Outlook Wednesday High temps on Wednesday will only warm into the single digits and teens across the state, which will be nearly -15F to -25F below the average for late February. Keep in mind that our average high in the Twin Cities now is +33F. ____________________________________________________________________________ Temperature Outlook Here is the temperature outlook as we head through the rest of the month and into the first 13 days of March. Temps on Wednesday will still be quite a bit colder than average as our high in the Twin Cities approaches +15F. We do warm up a touch as we head through the rest of the week, but keep in mind that our average high is +33F, so we will still be well below average. It appears that we take another hit in the temp department late weekend and early next week with high temps back in the single digits and lows in the sub-zero range. Well, let's consult the MNDNR State Climatology Office who has a running tally on how "severe" the winter has been thus far. Here's how it is measured: "The Twin Cities Snow and Cold Index (SCI) is an attempt to weigh the relative severity of winter when compared with winters of the past. The SCI assigns single points for daily counts of maximum temperatures 10 degrees F or colder, and daily minimums of 0 degrees F or colder. If the minimum temperature drops to -20 degrees or colder greater, eight points are attributed to that day. Snowfall totals of one inch or greater in a day receive one point. Four-inch snowfalls generate four points for the day, an eight-inch snowfall receives a whopping 16 points. To quantify the duration of winter, one point is tallied for every day with a snow depth of 12 inches or greater." Based on this information (thru February 12th), the Twin Cities has accumulated 103 points, which is considered to be a "moderate" winter. Keep in mind that these numbers haven't been updated since our record breaking February snow earlier this week, so the number will certainly be higher when the updated information comes out. By comparison: "The SCI for the winter of 2013-14 in Twin Cities was 207 points, or in the high end of the "severe winter" category. This was the 9th most severe winter on record based on SCI points. The lowest SCI score was the winter of 2011-2012 with 16 points. The most severe winter is 1916-1917 with 305 SCI points." See more from the MNDNR State Climate Office HERE: _____________________________________________________________________________ Great Lakes Ice Coverage According to NOAA's GLERL, Lake Superior is nearly 75% covered in ice, which is greater than it was at this time last year and also in 2017. The last several weeks have really helped with significant ice growth over the Great Lakes region. Interestingly, the entire great lakes (as of February 25th) was sitting at nearly 56% ice coverage, which is just slightly above the long-term average of 55%. ____________________________________________________________________________ "The science behind the polar vortex" "The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth's North and South poles. The term vortex refers to the counter-clockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air close to the poles (left globe). Often during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the polar vortex will become less stable and expand, sending cold Arctic air southward over the United States with the jet stream (right globe). The polar vortex is nothing new in fact, it's thought that the term first appeared in an 1853 issue of E. Littell's Living Age. " ____________________________________________________________________ Temperature Anomalies Here's a look at the temperature anomaly aross North America on Tuesday, which showed cooler than average temps across much of the Upper Midwest and Western Canada. _________________________________________________________________________ Temperature Outlook Here's the temp anomaly outlook from across the nation as we head into the last couple of days of February and into early March. Note the next blob of colder air that looks to move into the Lower 48 as we approach the weekend. ____________________________________________________________________________ Temperature Outlook Oh the humanity... According to NOAA's CPC, the temperature outlook from March 5th - 11th suggests colder than average temperatures continuing across much of the country once again. ___________________________________________________________________________ Spring Leaf Anomaly Here's an interesting map for folks that may be sick of winter. It's the NPN Spring Leaf Anomaly map, which shows that spring has indeed sprung across the southern tier of the nation. The red colors indicate that spring leaves are actually emerging earlier than average in those areas. _______________________________________________________________________ "Phenology Report: February 12, 2019" If you're interested in nature and how it relates to climate, you might like this. John Latimer is a Phenologist in central/northern Minnesota and has a weekly phenology report on KAXE. Here's what he has been observing. "Phenology is the biological nature of events as they relate to climate. Every Tuesday morning, our resident Phenologist John Latimer gathers his phenological data and reports his findings in the weekly Phenology Report. In this week's report, return of gold finches,deep snow and an increase in sunlight resulting in changes in the colors of many trees including the speckled alder!" Listen to his report on KAXE HERE: _______________________________________________________________________________ Ice Safety Reminder The MN DNR has some basic guidelines on how thick the ice should be before you even think about stepping out onto the ice! Also remember that ice is NEVER 100% SAFE! By Paul Douglas This is getting out of hand. Russian trolls mock me on Twitter. Polite conversation stops when I walk into a room. Dear friends don't return my calls. Even my dog looks up at me with contempt. February is the cruelest month, and 2019 is Exhibit A. Nearly 3 month's worth of snow has fallen this month. Winter snowfall at MSP just passed 54 inches, which is average for an entire winter. NOAA predicts colder weather into mid-March, which seems right. Consider this: we've picked up 2 hours, 16 minutes of daylight since December 21 - 3 extra minutes of daylight daily. A higher sun angle will soon thaw us out, melt snow; turning landscapes green and lush. Probably in a meteorological blink of an eye. Skies clear today with a quiet Thursday on tap. Another plowable snow is possible PM hours on Friday (shocking) but a push of colder air keeps weekend storms confined to our south. I see a few 30s the second week of March. This too shall pass. Really! _____________________________________________ | http://www.startribune.com/can-we-talk-about-anything-but-the-weather/506379712/ |
What Was It Like When Our Solar System First Formed? | If you were to look at our Universe at the time our Solar System formed, nothing would look out of the ordinary. The Milky Way would appear relatively isolated: the second-largest member of a relatively small group of galaxies. Small, dwarf galaxies would be seen slowly merging and being acquired by larger ones, just like they would all over the Universe. And throughout the Milky Way, hundreds of billions of stars are already shining, with gas clumps occasionally contracting along its spiral arms to trigger new waves of star-formation. There are tens to hundreds of these regions active in our galaxy at any time. In one of those regions, 9.2 billion years after the Big Bang, our Sun, planets, and Solar System formed. Here's what it was like when the Universe made what would become us. Gas clouds have been contracting to form stars for over 99% of the Universe's history, but systems like ours weren't always possible. It took generations of stars living and dying, burning through their fuel, going supernova, blowing off their outer layers, and having white dwarf-white dwarf and neutron star-neutron star collisions occurring to fill our galaxy with the heavy elements we'd later need for life. It was only with these raw ingredients in place that our Solar System had the potential to give rise to us. But in order for us to exist with the properties that we had, a whole slew of other things had to line up just right. Spiral galaxies are shaped roughly like a pancake: the gas within them is in a thin disk that's denser towards the center and less dense at the outskirts. As they rotate, the inner parts spin around a greater number of times than the outer parts; galaxies rotate differentially, rather than like a spinning record. The heaviest elements preferentially wind up towards the central regions, while the lighter elements wind up at the outskirts. Our Solar System formed from a gas cloud about halfway towards the edge of the disk, about 25,000 light-years from the center, in the central part of the disk if you were to slice it length-wise. When our Solar System first formed, we were made out of about 70% hydrogen and 28% helium, and only about 2% of everything else combined. Still, this represents coming a long way since the Big Bang, where everything was 75% hydrogen, 25% helium, and practically nothing else. The way most stars form in galaxies like ours in evolved spiral galaxies that are relatively quiet is when clouds of gas in the disk pass through one of the spiral arms. Material gets funneled into these clouds, causing it to reach an even greater-than-average density than before, which can often trigger gravitational collapse. When the collapse happens, these clouds of gas, which can range from thousands to millions of times the mass of the Sun, begin to fragment into a myriad of tiny clumps. The largest clumps to first form begin attracting the most matter, and they grow into the largest stars. Smaller clumps grow more slowly, and clumps that merge together will see their growth accelerate. Inside these star-forming regions, a race begins to occur: between gravity, working to form and grow stars, and radiation, emitted by the hottest stars to newly form. Over time, it becomes clear who the big winners will be: the most massive stars can be tens or even hundreds of times as massive as our Sun, and can give off radiation thousands to millions of times as luminous as our own star. These are the behemoths that will destroy the active star-forming regions by evaporating the gas away. But gravity is a tenacious competitor. It draws gas into a large variety of regions. While a large, star-forming nebula might form tens or even hundreds of high-mass stars, it's going to form hundreds of times as many low-mass stars. While the brightest, hottest, bluest stars get all of the attention early on, they're mere flashes-in-the-pan on a cosmic scales. In a few million years, they'll all be gone. They say that the flame that burns twice as bright burns only half as long, but for stars, it's even worse than that. A star that's twice as massive as another burns through its fuel about eight times as quickly. Compared to a star like our Sun, which might last for 10-12 billion years, a star that's tens or even hundreds of times as massive will live for a few million years at most. While our early Solar System is still pulling in matter, growing, and working to collapse down to form a central star orbited by planets, the most massive stars around it are furiously burning through their fuel, going supernova, and putting an end to star-formation in the surrounding environments. The Universe is a violent place, and star-forming regions are some of the most violent places of all. But our Solar System isn't exactly on the low-end of things, either. The central clump of matter that will grow into our Sun started out larger, earlier, and grew faster than the vast majority of clumps that are present. If we were to take a look at our Sun, today, and compare it to all the other stars in the Universe, here's a surprising fact about it: it's more massive than 95% of all the stars out there. In fact, somewhere between 75% and 80% of all stars are red dwarf (M-class) stars: the lowest-mass, coolest, and smallest class of star out there. Of the rest of the stars, more than half of them are the next class up: K-class, which is still smaller, less massive, and cooler than our Sun. The amount of matter that clumped together to lead to us was above average in terms of mass, and typical in one very important fashion: we were alone. In most of the large star-forming regions we find in Milky Way-sized galaxies, thousands of new stars are born. Of these, many of them will be bound together in multi-star systems, while approximately half of them, total, will be single stars without another stellar companion. We learned this relatively recently, by looking at the nearby stars to Earth, thanks to a collaboration known as RECONS. The REsearch Consortium On Nearby Stars (RECONS) surveyed all the stars they could find within 25 parsecs (about 81 light-years), and discovered 2,959 stars total. Of those, 1533 were single star systems, but the remaining 1426 were bound into binary, trinary, or even more complex systems. Pure chance. As the years ticked by, the fragment of the gas cloud that turned into our Solar System accrued matter largely onto a central clump. The molecules radiate heat away, allowing this cloud to grow into our Sun, while gravitational collapse simultaneously causes the temperature to rise and rise in the center. At some point, a critical threshold is reached: a temperature of 4 million K, which is the point at which individual protons can begin to fuse into heavier elements through the process of nuclear fusion. This is the moment that a star is officially considered alive. To the best of our knowledge, this moment happened 4.56 billion years ago, when the Universe was approximately 2/3rds of its current age. At that instant, our Solar System first officially formed. Over the past few years, we've finally been able to observe solar systems in these very early stages of formation, finding central stars and proto-stars shrouded by gas, dust, and protoplanetary disks with gaps in them. These are the seeds of what will become giant and rocky planets, leading to full-on solar systems like our own. Although most of the stars that form including, very likely our own will have formed amidst thousands of others in massive star clusters, there are a few outliers that form in relative isolation. Although the history of the Universe may subsequently separate us from all of our stellar and planetary siblings from the nebula that they formed in billions of years ago, scattering them across the galaxy, our shared history remains. The galaxy is likely full of them. Further reading on what the Universe was like when: | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/02/27/what-was-it-like-when-our-solar-system-first-formed/ |
Can An Urgent Severe Weather Forecast Really Be A Bust If A Strong Tornado Killed Someone? | An EF-3 tornado killed one person in Columbus, Mississippi, on February 23, 2019. The forecast issued ahead of that tornado called for a widespread severe weather outbreak that didn't materialize. The lethal-but-underperforming severe weather outbreak that occurred in the southeastern U.S. this weekend fell right at the intersection between adhering to hard science and adjusting to the public interest. An outbreak of severe thunderstorms across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia on Saturday, February 23, 2019, led to seven confirmed tornadoes across the three states. Most of the tornadoes were relatively weak, but a tornado that made a direct hit on Columbus, Mississippi, received an EF-3 rating due to the damage it left behind in the town near the Alabama border. The Columbus tornado killed one person and injured eleven more, demolishing at least one home and causing significant damage to numerous other homes and businesses along the tornados ten-mile track. Columbus was right on the edge of a moderate risk for severe weather issued by the Storm Prediction Center earlier in the day. A moderate risk is a four out of five on the SPCs ascending scale measuring the risk for severe weather in a particular area. Forecasters rang the alarm for a significant tornado and wind damage event given the environmental setup heading into the day. As it turns out, the sloppy nature of Saturday's thunderstorms prevented many of the storms from taking full advantage of the environment around them. However, a storm was still able to produce a lethal tornado that produced significant damage. A bust is a term used to describe a forecast that was wrong. Busts are commonly discussed in cases where a snowstorm or severe weather outbreak doesnt pan out as expected. Forecasters issued the moderate risk for the Deep South on Saturday in anticipation of strong, long-track tornadoes and widespread damaging winds. Technically, two significant (EF-2 or stronger) tornadoes did form within 25 miles of the moderate risk zone, so despite the lack of windthe storms only generated 31 reports of wind damage and 3 reports of large hailthe forecast was justified even if the overall extent and intensity of the storms didnt live up to their full potential. However, the isolated nature of the most intense storms, and the relative lack of storm reports, would strongly back up the assertion that the forecast a bust. After all, the severe weather didnt materialize on nearly the scale expected. Balancing hard science with practical applications is one of those lines that meteorologists have a hard time straddling with when they look back on forecasts and determine what they could do better. The thunderstorms didnt live up to expectations, but people in the path of the storms had plenty of advanced notice and that advanced warning likely kept the casualty count low. The point of a weather forecast is to keep people safe. I would argue that the forecast wasnt a bust at all if it saved even one person from injury or death. The crying-wolf effect could harm trust in future outbreaks, but its better to warn people of a large-scale threat that doesnt materialize than keep them uninformed and taken by surprise by an approaching storm. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/dennismersereau/2019/02/27/can-an-urgent-severe-weather-forecast-really-be-a-bust-if-a-strong-tornado-killed-someone/ |
Can a nice guy like Ben Ray Lujn elbow his way to the top? | As assistant speaker, Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.) is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. The fourth-ranking House Democrat has built strong ties throughout the caucus, positioning him to rise in leadership. As the 2018 campaign stretched on, House Democrats who did their part to boost the party found themselves getting chile-infused chocolates and pork rinds from Rep. Ben Ray Lujn. They were little gifts from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairmans home state of New Mexico for hosting fundraisers or paying their dues the type of gestures that have made him beloved by colleagues and vaulted him into the partys leadership. Story Continued Below Lujn ranks fourth in a sprawling hierarchy helmed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. But whether a lawmaker known for his congenial, easygoing personality can ascend even higher at a moment when Democrats are burning with anger at President Donald Trump is unclear. And the competition would be fierce. Lujn would square off against an ever-growing roster of seasoned Democrats, some with more name recognition and sharper elbows. In a caucus brimming with egos and a raft of lawmakers eager to move up after years under the same leadership, being the nice guy might not be good enough. Its easy to box a guy like that in, said freshman Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). [But] he is strategic. He thinks long term. So hes definitely not to be written off. Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. As assistant speaker, Lujn is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. But its no secret the six-term lawmaker from Santa Fe is already eyeing his next move. Before the election, Lujn reached out to colleagues to gauge their support for a run at the whip post if it opened up, according to multiple sources. When Democrats won the House and it became clear the top three planned to stay, Lujn aimed for the next highest job in the ranks, and won. Pelosi could serve four more years as caucus leader under self-imposed term limits. But with the top Democrats Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn all near 80 years old, Lujn, 46, is viewed by his peers as a potential successor to one of them in the next few years. Other lawmakers frequently mentioned as potential party leaders include Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the No. 5 Democrat, and Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois. Jeffries holds a weekly news conference as caucus chairman and Bustos is likely to have an outsize spotlight as she leads Democratic efforts to hold on to the House majority as the new chair of the DCCC. Lujn brushed off questions about his future in a half-hour interview in his office recently, instead returning the focus to his new role as a leadership liaison to the freshmen. Theres plenty of time to have conversations about whatever the future may hold, Lujn told POLITICO. In every way that I can support our colleagues, our caucus in delivering with what I think makes a positive difference in peoples lives, thats where my focus is. After helping deliver Democrats the majority and the partys biggest freshman class since the Watergate era, Lujn was easily elected assistant leader after Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island dropped out of the race. Pelosi later changed the title to assistant speaker, raising eyebrows from some members who privately wondered whether she was trying to help position a close ally for a promotion down the road. Although the position has a new title, Lujn occupies the job held by Clyburn during the eight years House Democrats were in the minority. But he has big plans to expand his new role, which had largely been a behind-the-scenes strategy operation under Clyburn. Lujn describes his primary focus as working with the dozens of newly elected Democrats helping to navigate everything from the politics of tough floor votes to the nitty-gritty of setting up IT and signing leases for district offices. Ben Ray Lujan flips through his political strategy playbook as he talks to reporters on Election Day 2018 at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Democrats say Lujns work to help the new class is particularly crucial for the 40 freshmen who won in red districts, most of whom are already top targets for GOP operatives in 2020. He knows what it took for them to win those seats, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who watched Lujn crisscross the country for two years ahead of the November elections. Wherever I went, Ben either was there, was going to be there the next day, or had just left. One of those freshmen, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, said she's repeatedly leaned on Lujn since arriving in January, especially since she's still building up her own policy team. Ahead of the vote on the bipartisan bill to fund the government, Davids said Lujn sat with her for 15 minutes on the floor going over details in the 1,100-page bill. Lujn is rare in the caucus in that he is close to Pelosi but has also maintained strong ties to Hoyer, Pelosis longtime No. 2, after serving as one of his top whips. Pelosi handpicked Lujn to run the DCCC in 2014, surprising most House Democrats who didnt think the little-known lawmaker was even on the shortlist. Lujn was unanimously picked by his peers to helm the DCCC again in 2016 after the caucus decided to make the position an elected one. Lujns relationships with the freshman class could also lay the foundation for any future leadership run. The group represents a quarter of the Democratic Caucus and will likely play an outsize role in choosing the next slate of party leaders. Lujns current task is made more difficult, however, by how many strong-willed freshmen are eager to upend the status quo on Capitol Hill, even if it means undermining their own leadership. Several new members, including Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are quick to dispute the idea that they need a middleman to Democratic leadership. Underwood even suggested she would call up Pelosi directly if she had an issue an unthinkable action for most freshman classes in years past. I dont think we need a liaison. I think that Mr. Lujn can be a partner, and a source of advice, Underwood said. Many of the freshmen feel no need to hew to the unwritten rules of seniority that have long governed the caucus, especially those who can harness social media in a way more veteran politicians only dream of doing. Lujn acknowledged that this years freshman class feels different, and said he has no plans to rein them in. What I have seen and what I believe is that you embrace that expertise and that passion, Lujn said. The freshness of their perspective of what is happening across America, and you unleash it. You dont contain it. Democratic leaders, led by Lujn, have made an attempt to keep tabs on the new members, through regular meetings, including sit-downs with Pelosi, as well as a slew of texts, phone calls and emails. Lujn said he makes time to huddle with freshmen every time hes on the floor. He has that rare skill of being a very good listener, said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, who said shes seen Lujn quickly go from troubleshooting a new members IT issues to pushing major legislation like Democrats anti-corruption bill HR 1. Sometimes good guys finish first, said Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a friend of Lujns. Everyone likes Ben Ray and respects him he brought us to the majority, Pocan added. Thats the bottom line. Lujns charm extends beyond the halls of Congress. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington, co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said he once stumbled across a small shrine to the New Mexico Democrat at a Star Wars novelty shop in Aberdeen, Wash. Kilmer remembers being stunned when he saw a photograph of Lujn holding a toy Yoda at a place that hed once recommended his colleague visit. When Kilmer asked the storekeeper why hed kept the picture of Lujn who is far from a household name he was told, Because he was the nicest guy ever! | https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/ben-ray-lujan-house-democrats-leadership-1179295 |
Could Hogan be the NJ GOPs hero? | Presented by rsted U.S. Offshore Wind Good Monday morning! Before I get to the real news, I want to engage in some fun presidential speculation. Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan may be considering primarying Trump in 2020, according to recent reports . Im skeptical anyone could put up much of a challenge to Trump in a primary. But I wonder if New Jersey Republicans quietly hope so. Our state had been trending more and more Democratic for a couple decades before Trump took office. But theres no question he accelerated that trend. Face it, no matter what the pro-Trump Republicans say, Democrats wouldnt have an 11-1 House majority in New Jersey without the president fueling their base and alienating more moderate, traditionally Republican voters. So imagine our congressional races in 2020 if the moderate and popular-in-his-similarly-blue-home-state Hogan were the GOPs nominee. I would normally expect some elasticity in those flipped House seats, with one or two bouncing back in the next election. But with Trump on the ballot in 2020, theres a good chance the same dynamic in 2018 is at play. But I also wouldnt expect a lot of New Jersey Republicans, notwithstanding Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, to publicly get behind a Hogan bid knowing theyd likely face a primary challenge soon after. Especially when one of the county Republican parties that is losing the most in the Trump era is doubling down on its association with the president by spending their increasingly-limited resources bringing in pro-Trump personalities . WHERES MURPHY: Returning from the NGA meeting in Washington HAPPY BIRTHDAY Attorney Jeffrey S. Jacobson BAD OUTFIT OF THE DAY Im far from a good dresser. But even I would have advised Sen. Booker against this outfit . DAYS SINCE MURPHY-ALIGNED GROUP INTENTIONALLY BLEW OFF SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE TO DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 56 QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Last week you worked at Starbucks and this week you're working at a dispensary. We want to make sure you have the proper training and background to be effective in that job. New Jersey CannaBusiness Association President/former Assemblyman Scott Rudder on colleges weed education programs WHAT TRENTON MADE A message from rsted U.S. Offshore Wind: rsted, the global leader in offshore wind energy, with support from PSEG, is proud to present its Ocean Wind project. Located 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, Ocean Wind will deliver clean energy and jobs to New Jersey for years to come. Visit oceanwind.com and follow us @OrstedUS. MURPHY HAS TAKEN HIS TRADEMARK FISCAL CONSERVATISM TOO FAR Dozens of groups urge Murphy to resolve dispute over housing assistance bill, by POLITICOs Ryan Hutchins: Nearly 125 charities, housing groups and other organizations sent a letter Friday urging Gov. Phil Murphy to compromise with legislative leaders on a bill he vetoed last month that would overturn a lifetime cap on Emergency Assistance benefits for the homeless. The state Senate was prepared to vote in favor of overriding Murphys veto on Thursday, but Senate President Steve Sweeney, the primary sponsor, agreed to try to negotiate new legislation in coming weeks. We urge you to consider other solutions, like a new bill that limits the cost of the program to $20 million that would protect residents while limiting the impact on the budget, the letter states. Read more here PORTAL II As feds stall on Gateway funding, key bridge project is ready to go, by POLITICOs Ryan Hutchins: As President Donald Trumps administration continues to stymie funding for the Gateway rail tunnel and other related work along the Northeast Corridor, New Jersey officials say a key bridge project is now ready to go as soon the feds pony up. NJ Transit, the project sponsor, said Friday it had completed all five major elements of an early-construction contact for the Portal North Bridge, the replacement for an aging, swing-style rail span that has become one of the worst bottlenecks on the busiest stretch of railroad in America. While the initial work was done with the help of a $16 million federal TIGER grant awarded last September, the rest of the $1.6 billion for the project will have to wait until the Department of Transportation signs off on federal matching funds through the Capital Investment Grants Program if it ever does. Read more here The rusty old bridge that kills your NJ Transit commute is very close to being replaced Read more here APRIL FOOLS! Suspended NJ Transit rail line riders will finally get a date when trains will return, by NJ Advance Medias Larry Higgs: Displaced riders of the Atlantic City line and Princeton shuttle, both suspended since the fall, should learn next month when their trains will return. Commuters on those lines and riders who use direct off-peak Raritan Valley Line service to and from New York have been given a generic second quarter 2019 time period for when service would resume by NJ Transit officials. That could be anywhere from April 1 to the end of June. Read more here THE AFTERMATH Maire Cervenak Two Sides, from The Ed Podcast: It's easy to say that there are two sides to every story, but depending on what side you're on, the experience of this truth can be devastating. This week, I'm joined by Maire Cervenak who knows just how damaging a media story can be. Formerly a highly praised classroom teacher, Maire is now in a stage of figuring it out after having left the profession. In our conversation she relates her experience following a mistake at work that, vis-a-vis media attention, was spun into a story that proved incredibly damaging to her career and well-being. Berkeley College owner Tim Luing could challenge Gottheimer, GOP sources say, by New Jersey Globes David Wildstein: Some Republican insiders want Tim Luing, one of the owners of Berkeley College, to challenge Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) in New Jerseys 5th district in 2020. The 50-year-old Saddle River businessman would have the ability to self-finance a campaign against Gottheimer, a two-term Democrat known as the `human fundraising machine. Right now, the idea of a Luing campaign is only speculative, according to three sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. Luing is already familiar to national Republicans: he serves on the steering committee of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and raised over $250,000 for GOP candidates last year. Read more here FATHER OF THE ISIS BRIDE Family of ISIS bride, Hoda Muthana of Hackensack, files lawsuit against Trump, by USA Todays Kim Hjelmgaard: The father of a woman who traveled from her home in Alabama to marry an Islamic State fighter filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration as part of an effort to get her and his 18-month-old grandson returned to the United States. Lawyers acting for Ahmed Ali Muthana, a former diplomat at the United Nations for Yemen who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and lives in Alabama, argue in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington D.C. late Thursday that remarks by Trump and other senior White House officials claiming that Hoda Muthana, 24, who was born in Hackensack, is no longer a U.S. citizen thus barring her and her son from re-entering the USA are unconstitutional. Read more here MURPHY APPARENTLY HAS ACCESS TO MONEY Murphy opens his home to raise money for Booker, by NJ Advance Medias Jonathan D. Salant: Murphy is opening his home next month for a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. While details of the event have yet to be announced, Murphy said the fundraiser was just one venture he will undertake on behalf of Booker. I have said to him I will campaign for him, Murphy told NJ Advance Media. I will serve as a surrogate. I think I can speak with as much detail and authenticity about his record in New Jersey as a councilman, as a mayor, as a senator. Ive known Cory a long time. This is not just a guy Ive just gotten to know over the past few years. Im a huge fan. Read more here Cory Booker's Jussie Smollett response haunting after Coast Guard white supremacist hit list Read more here NJ backs suit against Trump administration policy that denies access to asylum at border Read more here LOCAL BURLCO GOP IS DYING. QUICK, SOMEONE CALL JEANINE PIRRO AND DIAMOND & SILK TO REVIVE IT Murphy key to Dems taking Burlco sheriff post early, by New Jersey Globes David Wildstein: The announcement that Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield will retire on May 1, seven months early and six months before the November general election, creates an opportunity for Democrats now the majority party in Burlington to take control of the Sheriffs Department this spring. Republicans have lost one of their top vote-getters heading into the November 2019 general elections. There had been speculation that Stanfield was preparing to retire after six terms as sheriff. Both parties are expected to re-open their candidate search now that Stanfield will not be a candidate. Even with Burlington becoming more Democratic in recent years, Stanfield still would have been favored to hold the seat. Upon Stanfields departure, Undersheriff Diane Jasmine will become acting sheriff. Jasmine would remain in that post until January, when the winner of the general election is sworn in unless Gov. Freeholder wants to make bid for HQ2, by The Courier-Posts Mike Deak: Somerset County Freeholder Director Brian Levine is not afraid of quixotic quests. Ten years ago, as the Republican mayor of Franklin Township, he mounted a campaign against tremendous odds for the GOP nomination for governor. Chris Christie won that contest. Now he is mounting another possibly long-shot campaign to lure Amazon to locate its new headquarters in Somerset County. Somerset County is on the map, Levine told the Somerset County Employers Legislative Committee at a Friday luncheon at Verve Bistro. I want to make it bigger on the map. Levine said he wants to make the bid for the second Amazon headquarters in partnership with Newark, which was a top 20 finalist for the headquarters after the corporation reviewed more than 100 applications from cities nationwide. Read more here BLENDER FOUND IN KITCHEN IS A MAGIC BULLET, HOWEVER Stockton's Atlantic City campus not economic 'magic bullet,' report finds, by The Press of Atlantic Citys David Danzis: Stockton Universitys arrival or rather its return will have a long-term positive impact on the local economy, but officials caution against overly optimistic ideas that it will radically reshape the citys fortunes. A new report from the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton included a study on the institutions long-range impact on its host city and determined the university will ultimately serve as a catalyst for economic growth. But, despite the rosy outlook, the studys author cautions against putting too much stock in the universitys ability to alter Atlantic Citys growth. Read more here BODYBUILDER HEATHER DARLING VS. CIVIL WAR REENACTOR MICHAEL PATRICK CAROLL Heather Darling to run for Surrogate, from Parsippany Focus: I am announcing my candidacy for Morris County Surrogate. Current Surrogate John Pecoraro is retiring at the end of his term. My 15 years of legal and business experience in private practice, having provided legal representation to many individuals in the Morris County Surrogates Court along with my personal experiences will ensure that the benefits to the individuals served by this office are maximized. Read more here ROCK-ROCK ROCKAWAY BREACH OF CONTRACT Rockaway Twp. 's new mayor sues council, similar to previous mayor, by The Daily Records Gene Myers: Before his unexpected death in August, the late Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Dachisen was embroiled in a lawsuit with the Township Council he claimed was usurping his authority. The new mayor has filed a similar suit against the same council. Mayor Michael Puzio, less than six months on the job, announced on Tuesday that he filed a lawsuit against Council President Tucker Kelley and the council. A disagreement about the township attorney contract is at the heart of the conflict, according to the suit. When I became mayor, I promised the citizens of Rockaway Township that I would make every effort to work with the council to end the toxic atmosphere that existed for almost a year, and which frustrated responsible and productive government, reads Puzio's Facebook post where he announced the suit. The mayor said he was at his wits' end after trying everything possible to bring about needed change in a town that fell prey to one controversy after another in 2018 due to harshly divided political lines that led to multiple lawsuits. Read more here OH ITS VAUGHN NOW Trenton councilwoman hits councilwoman Vaughn with cease-and-desist letter, threatens suit, by The Trentonians Isaac Avilucea: A lot of council members want Robin Vaughn to shut up, but now one of them has slapped down her fiery colleague from the West Ward with a legal edict. Vaughn was served with a cease-and-desist letter Friday, sent to her Stuyvesant Avenue home. The letter came in response to comments Vaughn made on social media months back alleging North Ward councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson was being investigated by the authorities after one of her campaign workers was criminally charged. The letter, a copy of which was provided to The Trentonian, warned the free-wheeling Vaughn about making any further `defamatory statements. Read more here HANGIN' WITH MS. COOPER John Lennon and Yoko Onos Amsterdam honeymoon 'bed-in was crashed by a N.J. teenager, by The Philadelphia Inquirers Kevin Riordan: Purposeful, businesslike, and starstruck, Alisa Cooper picked up a house phone in the lobby of the Amsterdam Hilton and asked to be connected with John Lennon. She offered her name but didnt mention that she was only 16 and on spring vacation with her mother. I have a talk show in the United States, she remembers saying, which was true, more or less. And I would like to arrange an interview. It was March 26, 1969. Lennon and his bride, the artist Yoko Ono, were on the hotels top floor, commanding global attention with a publicity-minded, but evidently heartfelt, honeymoon bed-in for peace Now 66, Cooper tells me the story (I never get tired of it) from behind her desk at the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, a view of the Atlantic Ocean before her and a photo of her teen-aged self with John and Yoko on the wall behind her. Read more here 'WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP' SETH GROSSMAN Study names Jersey City most diverse US city, by News 12s Brian Donohue: News 12's Brian Donohue took to the streets of Jersey City to put that to the test by seeing in how many languages he could learn to say That's Positively New Jersey. Donahue picked up some lessons in Hindi, French and even pig Latin. Read more here Lawyer alleges Hudson County prosecutors have pattern of withholding evidence Read more here 4 Dickinson High students accused of hacking computer system, changing grades Read more here BOAT CHECK Ex-police chief gets $600K payout, sex harassment allegations swept away after Dems take over, by NJ Advance Medias Allison Pries: The biggest winner in Englewood Cliffs November election wasnt even listed on the ballot. Embattled Police Chief Michael Cioffi who was suspended for 120 days in October after being caught on tape saying he wanted to kill a councilwoman has, so far, reaped the biggest reward from election night. Within three weeks of Democrats taking back control of the borough council, all of Cioffis legal and professional problems disappeared and he was given a nearly $600,000 parting gift. Read more here Mercer County Executive Hughes makes high-profile appointments, wants freeholder consent Read more here Furloughed Bayonne worker wins $29.5 million jackpot Read more here Monmouth County plans $7.5M to fix stinky landfill Read more here Paterson court employee says prosecutor grabbed her sexually Read more here A message from rsted U.S. Offshore Wind: rsted, with the support of PSEG, is proud to present New Jerseys first utility-scale offshore wind farm Ocean Wind. The Ocean Wind team brings a winning combination for New Jersey with an unrivaled success in the offshore wind industry in the US and globally, and a decade of experience developing offshore wind in New Jersey. If awarded, Ocean Wind will deliver the first permanent offshore wind manufacturing jobs in the US, provide up to 600,000 homes with clean energy, and create more than 1,000 construction jobs. Ocean Wind will position the Garden State as a leader in the offshore wind industry. For more information oceanwind.com or follow @OrstedUS on Twitter. EVERYTHING ELSE IT ONLY TOOK 70 YEARS FOR THE BEGINNING TO START Archdiocese of Newark: Release of names of priests accused of sex abuse was only the beginning, by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin for The Star-Ledger: Our Church cannot move forward until we have fully addressed the past. Hence, it is crucial to emphasize to the victims, their families, the faithful, and the public at large that the publication last week does not represent an endpoint in our efforts. Rather, it is a beginning. The release of this information represents our commitment to a new level of transparency in the reporting and response to allegations of abuse. Read more here Rutgers basketball: The piece of Paul Robeson's legacy you probably don't know, by The Asbury Park Press Jerry Carino: In December of 1918, when the Rutgers basketball team played its home opener against Colgate, the strategy was simple: Get the ball inside to one of the best athletes in the east, Paul Robeson. It was not easy. As reported by the Daily Home News of New Brunswick, Colgates players started by roughing Robey. The newspapers account, as detailed in the 1998 book The Young Paul Robeson by Lloyd Brown, continued, frequently at the opening of the game he was knocked down. Apparently the roughing was to no avail, for each time Robey came up with a smile, only to enter the fray with renewed pep. It should be noted that basketball was a more spartan game in that era. But the whistle-free hammerings of Robeson and his bring-it-on response were part of the deal for the pioneers who integrated college sports. The spring marks the 100th anniversary of Robesons graduation from Rutgers, and most of his story is widely known: He was a two-time All-America in football and one of the greatest ends of his time, enduring dirty play and racist taunts from opposing teams and fans; he attained worldwide fame as a singer and actor; he was a staunch human-rights advocate who became blacklisted during McCarthyism. Read more here 18 hate groups are menacing N.J. but their numbers are dwindling, group says Read more here Black travelers had every reason to fear N.J., but you wouldnt know it from 'Green Book' Read more here Montclair soup kitchen holds first 'Babs Day of Service' in honor of LGBTQ activist Read more here Another N.J. college opens a food pantry for students, public no questions asked Read more here Follow us on Twitter Matt Friedman @mattfriedmannj | https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-jersey-playbook/2019/02/25/could-hogan-be-the-nj-gops-hero-398700 |
Why are the BBC and ITV creating BritBox? | Image copyright BritBox/PA Two inescapable trends are driving the TV business around the world today - one in consumer behaviour, the other in business strategy. The first is exponential growth in streaming, with an accompanied decline in scheduled TV. The second is consolidation among content providers who are desperately seeking scale. BritBox is a marriage of the two. For the BBC, the iPlayer is still a small part of overall viewing, but the key growth area, especially among the younger audiences who much prefer other digital platforms, particularly YouTube. BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. This makes sense, because digital delivery of content is not a zero-sum game: BritBox growth will not be at the cost of iPlayer growth, and vice versa. ITV faces a hugely different set of challenges. It is a mostly ad-funded, linear channel - the opposite of Netflix, a subscriber-driven, streaming service. Carolyn McCall, its CEO, says TV advertising is holding up reasonably, despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit. Clubbing together It is an imperative for her, and ITV, that the broadcaster develops a digital offering that reduces reliance on advertising and gathers data on the viewing habits of consumers. ITV Player has done a bit of this. BritBox will supercharge it. Clubbing together to offer the maximum amount of content allows the BBC and ITV to provide a better service than they could alone, at a time when other media giants, such as Disney, are pulling out of Netflix to launch their own direct-to-consumer offerings. The sticking point in negotiations until now has always been how to build technology that reconciles the commercial imperatives of ad-funded ITV with the licence fee-funded BBC - and how the BBC's vast ambitions for the iPlayer sit alongside this new venture. Given the urgency of the BBC and ITV's need to capture the eyeballs of a distracted generation, BritBox is a small but significant new entrant to the video-on-demand business. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47388140 |
Is The Current Oil Price Sustainable? | When the price of oil was over $100 a barrel, I was often derided for suggesting that level was a) elevated and b) unsustainable. (I was also derided in 2006 for suggesting in Forbes the price might go as low as $20 by 2008, which it almost did, but not because of market fundamentals as I thought but rather due to the financial crisis. Mea very culpa. But when the price soared in 2008 and I wrote columns titled Investing for the Oil Price Collapse, the response was beyond derisive, so tongue-stuck-out-emoji.) The oil price roller coaster has definitely been on the up side over the past two months, up $10 a barrel from the mid-December trough, much of the credit belonging to overseas producers who have reduced supply to stabilize the market, as well as continuing problems in Venezuela and Libya. At the same time, many have noted that the market balance appears to be weakening as the figure below shows, with non-OPEC supply growing faster than total demand. [I have used the simplistic meaure of world demand minus non-OPEC supply, ignoring NGLs, processing gains, etc.] Prices can always surge quite easily given the right geopolitical developments, most especially new supply disruptions. At present, it might seem as if the recent losses from Iran, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela are probably as bad as they can get, but the reality is that the bottom could be lower and broader, i.e., spreading to other producing countries. (I presume that the positive impact on demand of a China-U.S. trade deal with not be very significant.) It would seem highly likely that weaker demand for oil from OPEC (plus stocks) predicted at a drop of 0.4 mb/d by the IEA, 0.77 mb/d by OPEC, and 1.08 mb/d by the EIA, will be offset by lower production in Iran and Venezuela, possibly requiring an increase by some producers to keep prices from growing. The precise offset is uncertain but should mean a relatively balanced market. But clearly producers cannot count on continued declines from those countries forever, and longer term their production is likely to recover, maybe even surge. Which means that Russia, Saudi Arabia and others presumably want growing demand for OPEC oil or else they will face not just a decline in market share but the requirement to cut absolute production volumes (or at least exports). Which brings us to consider why prices dropped in the past. In at least two instances, 1986 and 2014, it appears that the Saudis were concerned that prices had reached unsustainable levels, specifically, that competition from non-OPEC sources were pressuring their markets. The two cases were somewhat different, as the figure below shows, in that OPEC market share was down sharply in 1986 but only slightly in 2014. But following the theory that the desired price for Saudi Arabia is what they believe the sustainable price to be, the fact that U.S. shale production was soaring in 2014 and that Iraqi production was also growing rapidly (figure below) suggested a growing market imbalance. The addition of 5 mb/d of new supply from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2014 just from those two sources was a clear and present danger to other oil producers, and especially the Saudis, who had long been pressured by other OPEC members to make room for additional Iraqi oil. At present, the major forecasters project a slowdown in U.S. shale oil production, as the table below shows. Of course, in February 2018, they are too pessimistic about last years growth (the figures are for total U.S. production) and could prove so again. Moreover, this pessimism reflects more the pipeline capacity constraints on shipping production out of the Permian than production slowing. Drilled, uncompleted wells in the Permian have been growing steadily, dwarfing those in other regions, as the figure shows. Although Wall Street is said to be pressuring shale producers to scale back investment plans, and some are said to be responding positively, the number of rigs active both nationally and in the Permian does not show significant decline, as the figure below shows. And with the expansion of pipeline capacity towards the latter part of this year, the realized price for some producers will improve sharply, encouraging more investment. Which raises the important issue of how producers, and especially the Saudis, will perceive the impact of soaring shale oil production on the sustainability of the current price. If, at $50+ per barrel, shale oil grows by more than 1.5 mb/d per year, it should be clear that either the major oil exporters will have to accept lower production, or prices will have to drop enough to slow upstream investment in the U.S. shale fields. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2019/02/27/is-the-current-oil-price-sustainable/ |
Are Entrepreneurs Happier After Starting A Business? | I know a lot of entrepreneurs. In fact, my time is spent almost exclusively with them. Ive interviewed thousands of them, researched tens-of-thousands of them and written books about them. A question I often get asked is are entrepreneurs happier now they have their own business? The answer is, entrepreneurs typically experience higher-highs and lower-lows than they did at work. Superficially speaking, the brain is made up of three major parts: 1. The reptile - fight, flight freeze, fornicate (emotional in a bad way - aggression, fear, panic, etc). 2. The monkey - learn, remember, repeat, stay in the comfort-zone (practical but not very adventurous). 3. The visionary - insight, inspiration, strategy, empathy, compassion, play, creativity (emotional in a good way - passion, love, humour, etc). In any given situation, these three parts of the brain ask three very different questions: 1. The reptile asks Is something threatening my survival?" 2. The monkey asks Am I trained to deal with this situation?" 3. The visionary asks Whats possible, where's the opportunity, how could I influence this for the better? When you work in a large corporation the answers to these questions look like this: 1. Reptile - No your survival is not threatened. You could be asleep at your desk most days and theyll still pay you for 3-6 more months while they figure out what to do with you. 2. Monkey - Yes you are trained for this. Youve done this exact same day many times in the last hundred days. 3. Visionary - You arent able to change things for the better. Youre not the CEO and even if you were, changing the brand of coffee we drink might take months. For this reason, in a corporate environment, you rarely experience the low-lows of panic, fear or rage. You also don't get the elation that comes with being the source of a big transformation. When you work in your own small business your brain answers the questions differently: 1. Reptile - Yes your survival is in danger. This business is only surviving because you are working your crazy hours and if you stop the business will fall apart. What's more, if you don't stop working so much, you might fall apart. Time to freak out! 2. Monkey - No you are not trained for this. The core skills youre trained for now make up less than 30% of your time and the other 70% is stuff you didnt even know existed back at your old job. What's more, the school system seems to have taught you the exact opposite of what you now need to know (eg: delegating tasks to smarter kids is not a bad idea). 3. Visionary - "Anything is possible. Its your business and the world is your oyster; that kid Mark Zuckerberg started with nothing and hes got $60Billion now so maybe you could do it too - lets watch a TED Talk! For this reason, entrepreneurs can swing from rage to optimism, fear to delight, anger to passion and everything else in the emotional spectrum every month. The short-term solution involves identifying your triggers, having an awareness of which part of your brain is firing and making sure you only act upon the stuff the visionary gives the OK to. Recognise when you are having a reptile moment and dont press sent on the nasty email you want to write or be unkind to the person whos probably trying to help. Be aware of monkey mode, when you get stuck doing things that arent highly valuable and could be delighted to others. Longer term, you need a buffer of cash personally and in the business to prevent your survival brain going into overdrive, you'll need to surround yourself with highly-skilled people who know how to respond to situations and you'll need to have a peer-group of big "change the world" types to bounce your crazy ideas off. Eventually, after building experience as an entrepreneur and developing a team around you, you will reach a point where you stay in the visionary most of the time. Things that used to scare you are now less worrying, the day-to-day work of the business has competent people in the role and your job is to work on the business rather than in it. At this point, you will experience more of the highs that come with creativity, innovation, networking and success without so many of the low points. You might even say you are much happier as an entrepreneur than you were in a safe job - but it probably took you time to get there. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielpriestley/2019/02/27/are-entrepreneurs-happier-after-starting-a-business/ |
How can Detroit Red Wings recover, restore pride rest of season? | CLOSE The Detroit Red Wings showed no heart in 8-1 loss to Montreal. Filmed Feb. 26, 2019 in Detroit. There are five weeks left in their season, 18 games, and much as finishing low in the standings benefits their eventual draft lottery odds, it cant happen like it keeps happening when the play the Montreal Canadiens. No heart whatsoever, Niklas Kronwall said. That was absolutely embarrassing. Our fans deserve a hell of a lot more than that. Dylan Larkin called it doing nothing. That was embarrassing for our fans. They deserve better. The city of Detroit deserves better. The Wings oldest and youngest leaders had just been part of an 8-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens if its a rout, its a fair guess its Habs Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena. The Wings showed none of the pride thats marked most of their season, when theyve competed but come up short on talent, not work. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Brett Kulak (17) and Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) get into a fight during the third period at Little Caesars Arena on Feb. 26, 2019. (Photo: Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports) It was straight-up embarrassing, Frans Nielsen said. Whatever position youre in in the standings, you still have to go out there and compete. If you dont compete, you dont have a chance. Youre going to have good and bad nights. But the compete level has to be there every night. Larkin stormed off with five minutes to play after sparring with Brett Kulak and earning a 10-minute misconduct. Larkin tore off his helmet as he went down the tunnel, his face revealing his anger. I was frustrated with what happened there, Larkin said. I dont know what that guy was doing if he was angry about the little slash I gave him a couple shifts before, its pretty ridiculous. I just tapped him in a 7-1 game and he comes after my head. I wasnt happy about that, and with the effort there, myself. The way its been going it all added up there. Something about the Canadiens gets to the Wings: they lost to them 7-3 in October, and 10-1 last season. More: Detroit Red Wings' Ken Holland talks trades; 'I'm preaching patience' Its nothing we talked about before the game, Nielsen said. I dont know what it is. It happens so much weve had a few against Boston, too, where it got away from us. You know it happens every second year, you have a game where you lose like this, but now its been three or four within the last two years. Its just not good enough. The Wings had an already scheduled day off Wednesday (per the CBA, players get four a month) and next play Saturday at Arizona. Thats the first of 15 games in March, 10 of them on the road. They head out having to look back six games for their last victory, on an 0-4-2 skid. In the two overtime losses, the Wings staged exhilarating rallies in the third periods. There wasnt even a hint of that against the Canadiens. It was 5-0 by the time Anthony Mantha scored. Theres no explanation, Larkin said. Its embarrassing. Weve been saying it for too long, too many times coming in here, in front of you guys, in front of our fans. They pay money to come watch us play and we have to have pride. We have to believe in each other, believe in what we are doing. Weve had this question asked too many times, why we were out-competed, why we were out-skated. Jimmy Howard was subjected to a barrage and pulled after getting dinged six times on 22 shots. The team played no better in the third period in front of Jonathan Bernier, allowing the Canadiens two goals on 12 shots. Howard and Bernier, rookie Filip Zadina, newcomer Madison Bowey and little-used Luke Witkowski had nothing to answer for. Everybody else did. How about being frustrated at the start of the game and out-competing the other team, coach Jeff Blashill said. That team outcompetes us on a regular basis. Its a joke. Weve competed hard all year, since the last time we played these guys, for the most part. Thats stupid. No reason for it. It was embarrassing. Ive said this lots: this town you can hold your head high if you work your ass off and you compete your ass of. When you give up and dont finish the game the way we did, it is embarrassing. More: Here's why Detroit Red Wings' trade deadline moves earned good grades Asked if it had anything to do with the trade deadline passing Monday, Kronwall said, you would think it would be the other way around. The last few days, theyre hard in their own way. But its part of the business. We lost a few guys that meant a lot to the guys in the room, but we just have to play. We werent even trying. That was absolute embarrassing. Blashill pointed out that with veterans Gustav Nyquist and Nick Jensen gone, theres bigger opportunity for young players. Theres a whole bunch of guys that think with more opportunity we can put this organization in a better spot. Well, here it is. Youve got lots of opportunity. So show us what youve got. If thats the result, then youre not making us better. Blashill specified he did not include Zadina in that group, as it was only his second NHL game. Youngsters and veterans had tough games Danny DeKeyser was minus-5, Luke Glendening minus-4. The only skaters to escape unscathed were Nielsen and Jonathan Ericsson. Lets be honest here, we havent been able to put together a 60-minute effort for quite some time now, Kronwall said. You cant hide from the fact we havent been playing very well. We got what we deserved. Blashill has preached short-term memory all season: forget the last game, focus on the next one. We have a good chunk of time left and we cant have this effort, Larkin said. We have to buy in and at least work hard, at last battle. Every day should be a try-out for us. Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. | https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2019/02/27/detroit-red-wings-pride/2989937002/ |
What will happen to SF home prices if Slack, Airbnb, Uber and Lyft go public? | FILE PHOTO: Real estate signs are posted in front of homes for sale in San Francisco, California. FILE PHOTO: Real estate signs are posted in front of homes for sale in San Francisco, California. We can look to the Facebook Effect for insight. The Facebook Effect Facebook's public offering had such a profound impact on the Bay Area that real estate insiders named it. The "Facebook Effect," felt full force in the spring of 2012 leading up to the company going public in May, continued to reverberate for the rest of that year -- and perhaps still does. Facebook went public on May 18, 2012. On May 17, Julian Herbon of Basis Point wrote of multiple buyers hovering around limited properties, out-bidding one another with a frenzy unseen even in a market well accustomed to frenzy. "It's what some are calling The Facebook Effect on San Francisco real estate," Herbon explained. One of the "main themes that set fire to this trend starting in late-2011 was a "rush to buy before IPOs set ever higher bars for tech firm valuations." ALSO: 15 years and a luxe remodel add $2.755M to Russian Hill home's price tag Tech valuations In Hebron's example, tech valuation refers to the idea that the perceived value a company has increases when it goes public; and then, those individuals who hold stock in the company are suddenly owners of some (sizable) portion of that increased value. Hebron cites LinkedIn's and Zynga's IPOs as evidence, and then points out that Facebook dwarfed them all, especially after the latter acquired Instagram (which was still another high-value tech company), bringing numbers to the billions instead of just millions. In 2012, valuations of then still-private Bay Area based companies were eye-popping: Twitter: $8b+ Dropbox: $4b Square: $1-2b Path: $1b Airbnb: $1b -Pinterest: $1.5b -Quora: $1b "You can argue against these absurdly high valuations all you want but thousands of liquid millionaires are being created before and after these firms go publicand the impact on our property market is real," wrote Hebron. Effect on prices There is no denying the effect is real. In studying census data, Zillow determined that starting around Facebook's 2012 public offering "home values in the census tracts where likely Facebook employees lived rose faster than in those not home to Facebook employees." More precisely: Every 10 Facebook employees living in a given census tract at the time of Facebook's IPO in May 2012 were associated with an additional 1.6 percentage points of home value increase over that year. Using designated areas closest to Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, Zillow found that between 2012 and 2013, home values around likely Facebook employees climbed 21 percent, compared to 17 percent in all other Bay Area census tracts. "This faster growth translated into an extra $29,800 in appreciation for the typical home in these Facebook-employee-heavy areas compared to homes in the rest of the Bay Area," said the report. Rumored to be racing ahead of Uber, Lyft has filed filed a statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. If all goes as planned, Lyft could be the first major tech IPO of 2019. According to NBC News, Lyft's currently enjoying a $15.1 billion valuation. Uber, meanwhile, also plans to go public this year. In 2018, Investopedia wrote "Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc could be valued at $120 billion, when it finally goes public next year." Meanwhile, both AirBnb and Slack are in the mix to go public, but perhaps without banks, in the manner that Spotify went public in 2018. Patrick Carlisle, data analyst with Compass Realty, told SFGate that "If the big IPOs actually occur, and the market reacts enthusiastically, one can only assume it will put upward pressure on prices in those areas where the unicorn employees live in greatest numbers." But then again, maybe not. It may be a countervailing factor in a cooling market, as opposed to a accelerating factor in a hot market. There are a lot of political and economic "plates in the air" right now, and financial markets have been extremely volatile. In recent weeks, the economic indicators have been mostly quite positive, but just weeks ago they were quite negative, so we can't take for granted what direction indicators will go in the near future. We simply don't know. If the Facebook Effect is precedent, we could be in for a dramatic year. Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert | https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/What-will-happen-to-SF-home-prices-if-Slack-13598371.php |
Is Bernie Sanders a Leftist or a Moderate? | Now consider a third framework for analyzing U.S. politics: a spectrum that runs from most establishment on one end to most anti-establishment on the other. For some Democrats, it will seem obvious that Sanders inhabits the latter pole, back on the left flank of the Democratic field, where he is seeking to rein in billionaires, corporations, and a hawkish military-industrial complex, via a mass movement funded by small donations from a big donor pool. Some of his supporters perceive him as the only credible reformist outsider. But other Democrats more prone to judging individuals based on their immutable traits see Sanders as yet another old, straight, cisgendered white man seeking an office held by similarly privileged sorts for most of U.S. history. That renders him more establishment in their view than a black woman like Kamala Harris, who represents progress in terms of diversity and representation, even if she substantively exacerbated the injustices that the carceral state inflicts on the wrongly accused, arguably harming people at the bottom of socioeconomic and racial hierarchies more than any other candidate. In sum, one cannot draw any easy conclusions about how Democrats will understand Sanderss candidacyor assess his chances of beating President Donald Trumpmerely by knowing whether they want a more centrist or leftist party. While Im an independent, not a Democrat, I dont know where I personally stand on Sanders. Perhaps my uncertainty can further illuminate relevant complications. I value Sanderss opposition to corporate rent-seeking, his anti-war credentials, and his universalist approach to our wonderfully diverse democracy, while I dislike the ideological socialism that caused a younger, hopefully more naive Sanders to praise murderous regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua and to spin Sandinista bread lines as a sign of economic health, as Michael Moynihan documents. (Vermont could set an example to the rest of the nation similar to the type of example Nicaragua is setting for the rest of Latin America, Sanders once declared.) The most indefensible of his bygone comments didnt stop me from preferring an older, hopefully wiser Sanders to Hillary Clinton in 2016the least defensible parts of her record included support for catastrophic wars in Iraq and Libya. While the next president will be unnervingly free to start wars of choice abroad without securing the lawfully required permission from Congress, he or she has no chance of imposing anything close to democratic socialism. Still, I want to see Sanders grapple with the occasions when he has prioritized his commitment to socialism above his commitment to civil liberties. And I want him pressed on what Kmele Foster smartly flagged as the most interesting line in the speech when he announced his 2020 candidacy: We are the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, Sanders declared in order to highlight the unacceptability of U.S. failures to provide for the least well-off. | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/sanders-democrats/583519/?utm_source=feed |
Could Carolina emerge as an Antonio Brown suitor? | Its known that the Steelers dont want to send receiver Antonio Brown to a division rival or the Patriots. Its been speculated that Brown could land with the 49ers or the Cardinals. Peter King has thrown a few darts in a different direction as part of Mondays Football Morning in America column. Scroll to continue with content Ad New owner David Tepper, a Pittsburgh guy, went to Pitt and then Carnegie Mellon, and donated $55 million to CMU, which now has a Tepper School of Business in his honor, King writes. He bought a 5 percent stake in the Steelers in 2009, preceding his purchase of the Panthers last year. So hell know the holes in Browns persona, but hell also know the difference Brown could make in a passing game that needs a downfield threat. Brown has averaged 114 catches and 1,524 yards a year for the past six years with the deep-armed Ben Roethlisberger, and hell be motivated to keep the distractions to a minimum so he can earn a new deal. Tepper is motivated to inject new life into a 24-25 team since Carolinas Super Bowl appearance three years ago. Though G.M. Marty Hurney is a conservative type by nature, I think he could be convinced to take a shot on this get-rich-quick scheme. Itd thrill Cam Newton too. The Tepper connection bears watching, given that he either knows or should be in position to find out what he needs to know about Brown. And thats the flip side to this one; if the Panthers dont make a move for Brown, maybe other teams without that inside information should take heed of Teppers tepid reaction to Brown being available. King also suggests Washington, the Raiders, the Bucs, and the Jets as possible Brown destinations. Story continues The Steelers claim they want significant compensation, Brown claims he wants a new deal, and it will not be easy for a new team to thread the needle on this. If the Panthers dont even try, maybe no one else should, either. | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-carolina-emerge-antonio-brown-150048924.html?src=rss |
Is YouTube safe for kids? | Every minute, 400 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube. With this kind of volume, some parents question whether or not the site can ever be truly safe for kids. In early 2019, one parent found a video on YouTube Kids with hidden instructions on how to commit suicide. Many parents feel that no matter how many parental controls the site rolls out, YouTube can never be completely safe. Others trust that YouTube does everything in its power to purge problematic material around the clock. In early 2019, one mother in Florida was horrified to find instructions on how to commit suicide spliced into a video on YouTube Kids, a section of YouTube dedicated to "family-friendly" content. The Daily Mail's Tim Stickings reported that the so-called "instructions" were hidden four minutes and 45 seconds into a seven-minute video. In the clip a man signals with his hand on his wrist, giving specific advice on how to slit them to 'get results'. CNN's Doug Criss added that the mother, Free Hess, first saw this video in July of 2018. YouTube promptly took the video down, only for Hess to find it again in February. Upon further investigation, Hess was shocked to find more dangerous content on YouTube Kids: When Hess went to YouTube Kids and started exploring the site, what she saw there shocked her. She said she found videos glorifying not only suicide but sexual exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, gun violence and domestic violence. One video, inspired by the popular Minecraft video game, even depicted a school shooting. Florida mother finds horrific suicide clip on YouTube Kids But according to YouTube, the site does everything within its power to prevent content like this from appearing on YouTube Kids and to take it down immediately if it does. YouTube tells parents: We use a mix of filters, user feedback and human reviewers to keep the videos in YouTube Kids family friendly. But no system is perfect and inappropriate videos can slip through, so were constantly working to improve our safeguards and offer more features to help parents create the right experience for their families. CNN reported on YouTube's statement following the controversy with the "instructional" video. The YouTube team understands that there are improvements to be made, and it is ready and willing to do the work to make sure parents feel totally secure. We appreciate people drawing problematic content to our attention, and make it possible for anyone to flag a video, the statement said. "Flagged videos are manually reviewed 24/7 and any videos that dont belong in the app are removed. YouTube Kids Some say that YouTube's algorithm is also to blame. The Verge's Julia Alexander reported on comments from Matt Watson, a former YouTube content creator, on the subject. According to Watson, it is incredibly easy for predators to both sexualize innocent content via video comments and to assist other predators in finding explicit content. Watson explains: Youtubes recommended algorithm is facilitating pedophiles ability to connect with each-other, trade contact info, and link to actual child pornography in the comments, Watson wrote on Reddit. I can consistently get access to it from vanilla, never-before-used YouTube accounts via innocuous videos in less than ten minutes, in sometimes less than five clicks. 400 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and 1.3 billion people use the site. In other words, YouTube remains a never-ending maze of content, making it almost impossible to expect zero foul-play on the site. From Elsagate in 2017 to the life-threatening instructions found in 2019, YouTube cannot guarantee safe content for kids. YouTube still cant stop child predators in its comments Given the depth of content on the site, part of YouTube's strategy for monitoring is leaning on parents to report the questionable content they find. According to The Conversation: YouTube largely regulates itself...YouTube also uses computer programs to try to identify and classify problematic content, and complaints by users themselves...This last ideaof user complaintsdepends on parents to be vigilant or to teach children to make these complaints themselves. Although this might seem like a daunting task, there are a number of simple steps parents can take to help monitor the content their kids consume. CNET recommends things like turning off the search function for kids to counteract YouTube's algorithm, setting a custom passcode, and whitelisting certain channels and videos. In 2017, YouTubes global head of family and learning content, Malik Ducard, maintained that in the past 30 days, less than .005 percent of the millions of videos" on YouTube Kids contained inappropriate content. YouTube might have unlimited videos to sift through, but parents need only approve of the content they want their kids to see, rather than feeling the pressure of searching through it all to find the bad. If and when something inappropriate comes up, parents can report it immediately. As Ducard puts it, parents are in the drivers seat. How to make YouTube Kids safer for your children | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/02/is-youtube-safe-for-kids.html |
Why are there UK wildfires in February? | Image copyright PA Scorched Earth images of Marsden Moor - close to Saddleworth - look horribly familiar. In June 2018, a fire on moorland in that area took hold and burned for weeks; the army was called in, carbon-storing peatland and entire ecosystems were incinerated. But that was during a memorably hot, dry summer. We are now witnessing the strange spectacle of large winter wildfires. Separate, smaller fires broke out on Tuesday, too - two in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the woodland made famous in AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. And in Scotland, fire-fighters battled through the night to extinguish a large gorse fire on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Image copyright PA Image caption Fires were seen elsewhere in the country, such as this one at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh Woodland fires in the UK are unusual, but fires on moorland - even at this time of year - are actually fairly typical. "This is the 'muirburn' season," Dr Thomas Smith, an environmental geography researcher from the London School of Economics, explained. "That's when Natural England permit fires on moorlands, before a ban on burning around mid-April. Those burns are part of the management of moorland - particularly when it is used for grouse shooting. Grouse prefer a habitat where heather is not overgrown. Burning small areas removes older growth and allows plants to regenerate and new shoots to come through. Image copyright PA Image caption This time of year marks "muirburn" season when fires are permitted on moors before a ban around mid-April Land managers and fire services often work closely together to ensure conditions are right for these controlled burns. "Looking at the satellite image for Tuesday (26 February), there were plenty of well managed fires burning across Northumberland and Highland moor sites," said Dr Smith. The scale of the West Yorkshire fire, the cause of which is not yet known, has been driven in part by a favourite British talking point - the weather. Sunny, dry conditions created a tinderbox effect that we usually see in the spring. Prof David Demeritt from Kings College London explained: "It's unseasonable. "Landscape fires in Britain happen disproportionately in the Spring, because on the moors and in the forest, you have no leaf cover. "Sticks and leaf litter dry out. And because this has been a relatively dry winter, there's more of that fuel on the ground - everything has dried out early." Image copyright JOSH EDELSONg Image caption Climate change is forecast to increase the risk of wildfires, like those in California in 2018 Commenting on the high February temperatures, Dr Friedericke Otto, acting director of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University, said: "I am very confident to say that there's an element of climate change in these warm temperatures," she said. "But climate change alone is not causing it. You have to have the right weather systems too." Prof Demeritt agreed. "This is consistent with what we might expect in the future, but attributing one particular warm weather event to climate change is tricky. "Weather patterns are noisy, but the general trend is earlier springs, so this is consistent with that trend." The good news about the fires, according to Dr Smith, is that they will probably not cause significant ecological damage, because deeper wetter soil will limit their spread. "The fires could even be doing us a favour - burning off overgrowth that may have become fuel for worse fires later in the season." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption On board the flying lab testing UK wildfire smoke We are you are unlikely to see big causalities from wildland fires in the UK, like you do see in Australia, California, and Mediterranean. "Here, the fires are smaller in extent and intensity," explained Dr Demeritt. "But what they will cause is lots of smoke and other atmospheric emissions and this is likely to make our air quality problems, particularly if the fires occur upwind of urban areas that are already struggling with poor air quality." Follow Victoria on Twitter | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47389480 |
What Will It Take To Turn A Profit In Space? | By Scott Wallask As entrepreneurial rocket companies come closer to shooting the first space tourist into the void, perhaps even this year, another reality is dawning: The business of space is no different than new industries everywhere else. Its tough to launch. Up until now, companies competing in the commercial space race have been blessed somewhat by the glamour of it all. Investors enthusiastically, maybe too much so, backed a host of startups including those headed by superstar names like Sir Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. Rich adventurers are lining up with wallets out to be among the first star men and women. Better yet, companies such as SpaceX and Orbital ATK (now a division of Northrup Grumman) have actually proven their launch vehicles by delivering satellites or payloads to extraterrestrial destinations. But the business reality is that we dont really know if commercial space flight will ultimately be a money maker, how many competitors will fit in the market, or what demand will be for consumers taking off on space vacations after the initial enthusiasm wears off. In some ways, that's the really interesting thing about where human commercial space flights lead us, says Matthew Weinzierl, the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Weinzierl is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and studies tax policy and the economics of the commercial space sector. The race is on Commercial space ventures have received more than $18.4 billion of investment since 2000, according to the Start-Up Space 2018 (pdf) report from research firm Bryce Space and Technology. Weinzierl says recent progress by two of the most well-funded companiesVirgin Galactic and Blue Originmakes him more optimistic than in prior years about the future of human space exploration via non-government firms. Virgin Galactic, founded by billionaire Branson, wants to sell short, suborbital flights, in which passengers get a taste of zero gravity and see the Earths curvature. Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo commercial vehicle made its inaugural trip into space with two pilots in December 2018. Meanwhile, Blue Origin, under the ownership of BezosAmazon CEO and richest man in the solar systemis also pursuing citizen astronaut flights on its New Shepard rocket and space capsule. Weinzierl suspects Blue Origin will be the first company to deliver on a civilian astronaut experience because of Bezos fortune and his longtime appetite for space exploration. Other companies are also in the modern space race. Musk, the head of automaker Tesla, is behind SpaceX, which has developed the Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft. Dragon has already delivered cargo to the International Space Station, and SpaceX is finishing preparations to use the vehicle for commercial human flights, in its Crew Dragon version. Long-term NASA partner Boeing continues work on its CST-100 Starliner commercial orbiter, and the rocket manufacturer is collaborating with NASA on human commercial flights to the International Space Station. Space travel is inherently dangerous18 astronauts and cosmonauts have died during spaceflight as of 2018. Accidents can set a companys program back months or years. One of Virgin Galactics test pilots died during a flight mishap in 2014, and a SpaceX vehicle exploded on the launch pad in 2016 during fueling. Such incidents raise a question of how risk-averse space exploration companies will want to be, Weinzierl says. Because we've had mostly government astronauts, the policy has been that there is zero tolerance for fatalities. And, of course, that doesn't mean we haven't had them, but that's the goal, he says. Another obstacle that human space travel must avoid: Venture capital money suddenly drying up if there is a perception that space flights are not launching quickly enough. There is a real possibilityand I've heard more rumblings of this than I used to from people inside the sectorthat there's a bit of an [investment] bubble, and people have gotten a little bit ahead of themselves on some of this stuff. If the bankrollers or the public weary of waiting, the starry-eyed appeal of humans going into space can wear off. It's easy for the exciting stories to get told without the caveat that this is super hard, it takes a long time and there's a lot of uncertainty, he says. Its also possible that optimism will eclipse concerns about slow progress and instead lead to the intersection of popular culture and commercial space flights. Every astronaut who's been in space describes how, in essence, their whole view of what it means to be on Earth and to be a person changes when you see the Earth from that perspective, Weinzierl says. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2019/02/27/what-will-it-take-to-turn-a-profit-in-space/ |
Is "Robo Voting" An Abdication Of Fiduciary Duty? | What about Robo voting a system that many public pension funds use to discharge their responsibility to execute proxy votes solely for the benefit of their clients, the hard working men and women who toil for decades to make our towns, cities and states run, educate our children, and the police and fire fighters who protect us. Many public pensions plans rely on proxy advisory firms to help inform them on shareholder resolutions. However, proxy advisory firms today have an outsized influence on shareholder resolutions and impact every aspect of the shareholder resolution process, with public pensions simply buying what proxy advisors are selling. Proxy advisors make recommendations to their clients on shareholder resolutions to put forward, and then how to vote on these shareholder resolutions. Moreover, proxy advisors, led by the two behemoths, ISS and Glass Lewis , who combined, have a 97% market share, typically then cast the vote for their clients in the shareholder resolution vote. How this is not a violation of fiduciary responsibility on the part of the pension plans, I do not know. Being a public pension plan fiduciary means that the retirement funds to which they have been entrusted, must be managed solely for the benefit of the beneficiary. A recent report by Ike Brannon and Jared Whitley of the CATO Institute showed that Institutions vote as directed by ISS and Glass Lewis more than 80% of the time. This includes their push of ESG principles environmental, social, and good governance principals as integral to their recommendations. I used to chair our global ESG committee at Deutsche Asset Management. I have no heartburn with its intent, and have passionately believed that companies around the world that embrace good governance and good stewardship out perform companies that ignore them. We used to call this good corporate leadership. However, when they have a political purpose rather than a fiduciary purpose and the line between the two is razor thin then fiduciary duty is violated as political whim replaces it. This is not too different from politicians in the City of New York trying to strip out energy stocks or tobacco stocks from the fire fighters pension system. Public pension plans and their trustees need to take a far greater hands-on approach to proxy voting, and not let that essential fiduciary duty be outsourced to private, agenda driven, proxy advisory firms. Until that happens, a good start would be to make proxy firms register with the SEC and be subject to the same fiduciary responsibility that money managers must adhere to, and then consider the impact their recommendations have on portfolio performance. How about we make them take the Series 7, 63, and 79 for starters. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherburnham/2019/02/27/is-robo-voting-an-abdication-of-fiduciary-duty/ |
Can The Golden State Warriors Sign Another Superstar If Kevin Durant Leaves? | With an aggressive and ambitious ownership group, the Golden State Warriors are always looking to their next move. This summer they face a pivotal offseason with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both becoming free agents, and Draymond Green potentially becoming eligible for a huge contract extension if he wins Defensive Player of the Year. Last week I looked at what the Warriors salary cap would look like if Kevin Durant stays. This is clearly their Plan A, and despite the huge financial ramifications, they have the resources to afford to keep the core together. The second installment of this series looked at what options the Warriors will have to remain in contention in the short-term if Durant leaves. The biggest question though is what the Warriors can do in the longer-term if Durant does not sign a long-term deal this summer. This could mean either he leaves this offseason, or he re-ups for one more year to play at the Chase Center in San Francisco and chase another title. That is surely an attractive option for Durant even if he doesnt plan to stay with the Warriors forever, though the experience of this year's continuous free agency circus may yet sour Durant on this course. The offseason of 2020 Both paths would see the Warriors enter another pivotal offseason in 2020, potentially armed with significant cap space. Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala will both become free agents. Depending on what they do in the summer of 2019, the Warriors could only have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jacob Evans, and their 2019 and 2020 first round picks on the roster. The NBA salary cap is projected to be $118m in 2020. Curry will be in the penultimate year of his big deal paying out $43m for the 2020/21 season, and Thompson (if he signs a max deal) would be on the books for around $35m. If the Warriors renounced all other free agents and dumped Jacob Evans, they would have a total cap hit of around $90m including the minimum roster spot charges that are included when teams have fewer than 12 players. That leaves cap room of around $28m. Its not quite enough for a max player, but its not far off and the Warriors could try to entice someone on a slightly discounted one-year deal and then re-sign them the following year. That was the path Durant took, though there are risks in this scenario as the Warriors are seeing now. The issue for the Warriors is that the 2020 class is not really shaping up to be a stellar class, though that may change if one of the stars of this years class takes a one-year deal. The current headliner would be Anthony Davis, but he will be presumably traded somewhere this summer, probably Boston. The most likely outcome is that Davis re-signs there in the summer of 2020 but if the Warriors have cap space they will certainly make a run at him. Beyond that though, there arent the kinds of big targets that would make it worth the Warriors while to move on from Draymond Green, who has been such a central part of their dynasty. One thing worth noting is that Green is apparently signing with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, which does not feel like a move that a man looking to give back a discount would make. If the Warriors want to keep Green they will probably have to pay him handsomely. Beyond 2020 That could influence how willing the Warriors are to roll the dice, let Green walk, and then enter free agency in 2021 when Giannis Antetokuonmpo potentially headlines the free agent class. Marcus Thompson of the Athletic recently wrote that Antetokuonmpo is indeed in the Warriors sights. At this point, it should be stressed that the Milwaukee Bucks are doing everything right to build a contender around him, with a genuine shot at reaching the NBA Finals, and Antetokuonmpo reportedly loves Milwaukee. So theres no guarantee of anything, and letting Green walk to roll over their cap space feels a lot like wasting a year of Currys prime. The summer of 2022 could be the next real opportunity to add a player if Green has re-signed as Currys $200m deal comes off the books. Even if Thompson and Green have re-signed at their max salaries, or close to it, their total salary would reach around $80m. If Curry were amenable to the sort of post-prime discounts other one-team superstars like Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki have taken, that could leave the Warriors in a strong position to add another piece depending on where the salary cap ends up. The Warriors plan A remains retaining Durant and then paying everyone else what it takes to keep them around. There will still be negotiations, especially with Green whose age at the end of whatever deal he signs presents a risk. But if Durant leaves, that question of future flexibility becomes more important. For example a small discount from the max the Warriors can give Klay Thompson, but still above what other teams can give him, would potentially open up a slightly bigger cap amount in 2020, thereby making it easier to add another star. Given Greens age it seems very unlikely that he would prefer max money for two years, and then to enter free agency just at the point he leaves his prime, rather than locking up a long-term deal running until he is 34 or 35. With Green, that years vs dollars element of the negotiation will be a fascinating battle to watch unfold. Given his impact on the floor and his emotional leadership off it, Green is worth a lot of money specifically to the Warriors. Indeed, its hard to see how they could replace him. So for the first few years, a max salary at 30% of the salary cap is probably still reasonable value. Its at the back end of that deal, which could reach over $40m even without the Designated Veteran Exception that the concern comes in. Ironically, given their well-publicized spat earlier in the season, if Durant stays long-term Green is more likely to get his money as the Warriors will be so far over the salary cap they will not have any options to replace him. If Durant goes, and the Warriors start looking at other stars they can add, Greens contract could potentially be the piece that needs to go to carve out the requisite room under the salary cap. The trade scenario The other consideration is that re-signing the core players on long-term contracts does not preclude a trade down the line to bring someone else in. Due to Greens age and particular value to the Warriors, its unlikely they will be able to get commensurate value for him. However Thompson, as a durable, reliable two-way player who is also one of the greatest shooters in the history of the NBA, will likely retain his trade value throughout his contract. Indeed the Warriors original Anthony Davis plan had one, or both, of those two potentially being offered in a trade to New Orleans. That is complicated this summer by Thompsons free agency, and Greens upcoming free agency. But if both are secured on longer-term deals that will become a potential option again. Charting the future The most likely path though remains that the Warriors roll forwards with the original championship crew for a couple of years, utilizing the tax-payer Mid Level Exception to add pieces if need be, hoping to hit on a mid-late draft pick like the San Antonio Spurs did with Kawhi Leonard. The core will still be very good for a few years yet, and punting on that in the hope of something insecure in the future is a big risk. They will still have opportunities to open up cap space in the summer of 2020, depending on what Green demands. Then as the core approaches the end of their prime the Warriors can either execute a trade, perhaps built around Thompson who will still have some value left as a shooter even towards the end of his contract, or reload in the summer of 2022. In the end, Durants decision will have a huge impact not just on his legacy, but also on the future of the Golden State franchise and their dynastic ambitions. If he leaves the Warriors will not be the same, and it will be incredibly challenging to put quite that level of talent together on a basketball court again. But with some smart decision-making and a bit of luck, the Warriors will still have plenty of options to remain a contender. Given their track record, it'd be foolish to bet against the Golden State Warriors. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmurray/2019/02/27/can-the-warriors-golden-state-warriors-sign-another-superstar-if-kevin-durant-leaves/ |
How Can The Government Incentivize First-Time Buyers? | Many people in the U.K. can't afford to buy a house. And avocado toast usually isnt to blame. The number of young people owning a home in England has decreased to 38%, down from 55% in 2009, and up to a third of millennials (the so-called Generation Rent) face a lifetime of renting. This situation is hardly surprising when a house in modern Britain costs roughly 121 times as much as it did in the early 1950s. This issue has been fermenting for decades; and left unnoticed, most industry experts agree that the problem is likely to get worse. Britain has a rising population and a penchant for households with fewer people, both of which means demand for housing will keep on rising. Green belt One answer that often arises in discussions like these is that the country should be opening green belt land to housing development. Theres a reasonable argument to be made for this. First introduced for London in 1938 and rolled out to England in 1955, green belt-designated land has remained relatively untouched while real incomes have tripled and demand for housing has grown dramatically. Since supply has been rationed, land prices have increased, and this, in turn, has had a knock-on effect on house prices. 70% of the cost of building new houses is the purchase of the land (up from 25% in the late 1950s). As proponents of opening the green belt for development argue, correcting this undersupply of land wouldnt require widespread destruction of natural environments; you would only need a small fraction of it to satisfy housing supply. But as critics argue, theres always a risk of going too far. The government certainly shouldnt permit building everywhere, and planning will be needed to preserve environmentally valuable land and lots of space for recreation. Just as importantly, local authorities need to be incentivized to make this all happen. Housing density One approach to bolster supply without sacrificing green space involves changing population densities but again, incentivizing for high-density construction is a tricky challenge. More-frequent use of density bonuses is one possible solution, which would allow developers to build more densely than under normal circumstances in exchange for providing some kind of public good, such as affordable housing. This would enable developers to build additional units and increase profit, while also increasing density. Making wider use of inclusionary zoning policies which require new units to include a certain number of affordable homes, as part of the development approval process would complement this. Inclusionary zoning ensures that first-time buyers, who are often pushed outside of well-serviced dense urban areas, can afford to live inside popular U.K. cities. Higher densities dont necessarily mean unsightly high-rises. Medium-rise, higher-density buildings (in the region of 34 storeys) are said to provide the maximized density while negating a feeling of overcrowding and can be designed to be attractive and energy efficient. A different kind of tax Much like the green belt, council tax hasnt changed since its introduction in 1993. As the Resolution Foundation thinktank explains, the tax is poorly correlated with the value of property and has not responded to changes in house prices. The original council tax bands using 1991 valuations have never been changed. Land value tax, a policy of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, may be one way forward. Its a tax, not on the value of property, but on the land on which it would be built. Not only does this have the potential to raise significant revenue, but it also serves a stimulus for positive behaviours in the market. As opposed to property tax, it doesnt discourage people from improving their home. It disadvantages those with idle properties as well as speculators, and in and of itself, goes some way towards encouraging higher-density construction. Changing the construction strategy To accommodate for the current crop of young buyers priced out of the market, new houses not only need to be built with density in mind; they also need to be built quickly, and at scale . Its difficult to see how this could happen with the way we build currently. Offsite and modular construction must increasingly be part of the picture, with designs that respect the local architecture. Projects need not be exclusively focused on London; extending commuter towns and other big cities like Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester would be a sensible way forward. Although most construction activity could come from the private sector, public-sector construction shouldnt be dismissed outright. When the U.K. last built more than a million homes, Clement Atlees post-war Labour government was in power, and there was a massive council housing programme underway. Social housebuilding may need to play a part if we are going to achieve this output again. Conclusion Incentivizing first-time buyers through discounts for first-time property purchases is a short-term fix to a long-term problem. Rather than subsidising buyers, we need ways to encourage supply. To help first-time buyers, we need to address the root cause supply and not just the surface level problem price. Disparate parties will need to work together to make this a reality: homeowners want to protect their house prices; builders want to work to a budget and for a profit. Other public bodies will have their own agendas and budgets. But to really benefit first-time buyers, everyone needs to be singing from the same hymn book. One thing is certain: initiatives currently in place arent having the impact they should, and for the benefit of the wider economy, we need action now. Theres no one magic bullet, but there are steps we can be taking right now to alleviate the situation. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/garybarker/2019/02/27/how-can-the-government-incentivize-first-time-buyers/ |
Can Scottsdale get a bond passed to address its infrastructure needs? | A giant crane moves the "LOVE" sculpture to its new location in front of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts on the Civic Center Mall Oct. 12, 2018. The city hopes to renovate the mall if a bond measure moves forward. (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic) Scottsdale is asking residents which city construction projects they want to see addressed before calling for a potential bond election in November. The City Council nixed a bond proposal last year as controversy and mistrust swirled amid the Desert Edge debate, which voters settled last fall. The city's Capital Improvement Program Subcommittee met earlier this month to discuss projects which need approximately $438 million to begin construction. A list of 67 potential city construction projects is available for public review online and at open houses scheduled through March. City staff will compile feedback and potentially eliminate projects that aren't considered a priority. "We have to consider what we can actually explain to the voters are critical for the city of Scottsdale," Councilwoman Suzanne Klapp said. "Somewhere around the $300 million range is a better list of projects to potentially send to the voters." Bonds have been a tough sell in the city. Scottsdale voters passed two of six requests in 2015 but rejected all bond requests in 2010 and 2013. The Capital Improvement Program lists city projects that need to be built, repaired, expanded or maintained. Several projects at WestWorld the city's multi-use events center that hosts the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show to the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction carries the highest pricetag at $58 million. Improvements would include building more shaded areas, expanding horse barns, expanding restrooms and adding more parking. Councilman Guy Phillips expressed concern at the inclusion of WestWorld projects in a bond package. "I'm not sure that that's really the public's main focus," Phillips said. "I guess if we bring it to the public they'll tell us one way or the other." Another project is a massive overhaul of Civic Center Plaza, with a price tag of $27 million. The project would update aging infrastructure and turn the mall into an event venue to attract large-scale events, including Super Bowl Live, according to the city. Some of the other pricier proposed projects include: NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you 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 AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters $31 million : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. $27 million : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. $23 million: Repairing lakes and irrigation at Vista del Camino Park in the Indian Bend Wash. Other projects include community centers and parks, solar panels and underground power lines. The only transportation project on the proposed bond list is the Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge at Reata Wash, to build a northern bridge over the wash. The project will cost approximately $6.3 million. Voters approved a temporary increase in the city sales tax in November to raise an estimated $100 million for road and other transportation infrastructure. It will also allow Scottsdale to access $140 million in matching regional transportation funds. Public weighs in Scottsdale will host three more open house meetings for the public to ask questions and learn more about the projects: Wednesday, Feb. 27 : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Tuesday, March 5 : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. Thursday, March 7: 4:30 6:30 p.m. at Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road. Residents can also view, rank and provide feedback on the projects online. City staff will compile the feedback and rank the projects by priority. The council hopes to call a bond election at their April 16 bond meeting. Reach the reporter Lorraine Longhi at [email protected] or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ |
What's Going on With The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a Dog Named Lucy? | As her new tagline indicated, it seems Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave has had enough. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star took to her blog to discuss the ongoing issues between the ladies, namely Dorit Kemsley and Lisa Vanderpump, and a dog named Lucy. In her blog, Teddi discussed the turn of events that dragged her into the feud regarding pup Lucy while the ladies were on vacation in Baha Mar. "By the time we hit dinner, I knew that Dorit needed to know everything that was happening and being said about the dog situation. Lisa Vanderpump and Dorit are supposed to be best friends. But it's when LVP tries to spin it on me that I knew exactly what was happening, and I wasn't able to let it be. I end up leaving before saying something I would regret," Teddi wrote. | https://www.eonline.com/news/1019010/what-s-going-on-with-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-and-a-dog-named-lucy |
Are the New Orleans Pelicans better without Anthony Davis? | Thats a complicated question. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. When Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was asked point blank after Mondays game against Philadelphia if the team plays harder when Davis is out, he said, I think we play hard all the time. We were in scramble mode (at the end). I dont know how you answer that, and I dont know if thats a fair question to ask. Guard ETwaun Moore said he doesnt notice any uptick in energy when Davis is out or done for the night. I dont know about that part, Moore said Monday. I just know we go out there and try to play, whoever is on the court just tries to get it done. But fans and media alike have seen a difference in what happens when Davis is on the court compared to what happens whens on the court since he requested a trade in late January. Nobody benefits from Anthony Davis charade The NBA has created an untenable situation in New Orleans and needs to solve it. To answer that, we took a dive into the numbers to figure things out. Theres a variety of ways you can break down Davis impact on the game and how the Pelicans perform when hes on or off the floor. The first is plus/minus. Since Davis has returned from his finger injury after the trade deadline passed, he is a plus-16, signifying the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the court. Breaking that down further, one game stands out above the rest the first game Davis played against Minnesota on Feb. 8. It was Davis first game since suffering a finger injury on Jan. 18. In just 25 minutes, Davis put up 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shots from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. He finished with a plus-22 that night. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-22 Pelicans without Davis: minus-17 Since then, the numbers fluctuated. He played the next night in a back-to-back, and while the Pelicans lost 99-90 to Memphis, Davis was a plus-2. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-2 Pelicans without Davis: minus-11 On Feb. 12 against Orlando, Davis and the Pelicans played one of their worst games of the season, losing 118-88. Davis was a minus-16. Davis vs. Orlando: minus-16 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 In New Orleans Valentines Day showdown with Oklahoma City prior to the All-Star Break, Davis only played the first half after injuring his shoulder just before the halftime buzzer. He ended up leaving the arena during the fourth quarter to get an MRI, which the Pelicans confirmed was ordered by the team, and it only showed a contusion. He played in the All-Star Game three days later. The Pelicans took a 66-63 lead into halftime and pushed the lead to 17 in the third quarter before holding on for a 131-122 win. Davis, who played 14 minutes, was plus-10. Davis vs. Oklahoma City: plus-10 Pelicans without Davis: minus-1 When New Orleans returned from the All-Star break with a more concrete plan in place for Davis and how to control his minutes, it started in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Pelicans jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter with Davis on the court and finished with a plus-10 in his nine and a half first-quarter minutes. New Orleans pushed the lead to 20 before halftime, but Indiana stormed back in the second half, and the Pelicans ultimately lost by 15. Davis played in the third quarter and finished the game at a minus-1. Davis vs. Indiana: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 Davis didnt play against the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday and the Pelicans took home a convincing 128-115 win over the team that tried to pry Davis away before the Feb. 7 deadline. The latest example and perhaps the one that sticks out most to Pelicans fans came on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams looked sluggish in the first half, but Philadelphia eventually got things goings and took a 13-point lead. Davis, who still finished with a minus-1, checked out for good in the middle of the third quarter, Philadelphia was up 84-69. But the rest of the Pelicans managed to fight back, and New Orleans had a chance to win before Jimmy Butler blocked Moores last-second shot attempt. The Sixers escaped with a 111-110 win. Davis vs. Philadelphia: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: even The numbers vary from game to game on if the Pelicans are better. As Jrue Holiday pointed out, the Pelicans got off to a quick start with Davis on the floor against Indiana. If plus-minus isnt your thing, we can look at the Pelicans offensive and defensive ratings with Davis on the court. Offensive rating is team points scored per 100 possessions while a player is on court while defensive rating is team points allowed per 100 possessions. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 111.2 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 103.6 On court: +7.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 99.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 112.0 Off court: -12.1 rating No surprise, but the Pelicans are a better team when an MVP-level player is on the floor, even in limited minutes. But that includes the monster game against the Timberwolves. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 104.5 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 104.2 On court: .2 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 110.9 Off court: -9.2 rating Davis still maintains a positive net rating and the team is worse with him off the court. Davis didnt play against the Lakers, but it still includes the team numbers. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 108.8 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 109.4 On court: -.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.9 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 105.4 Off court: -3.5 rating The defensive rating is better with Davis on the sidelines, but the offensive rating takes a huge hit. Davis has a negative rating when hes on the court in the last two games hes played but the rating is even worse when hes on the bench. To compare these numbers to the entire season, the team has a 112.1 offensive rating and a 108.1 defensive rating when Davis is on the court. When Davis has been off the court, the offensive rating falls to 107.3 while the defensive rating jumps to 112.1. Well, statistically, the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the floor compared to when hes not. The players taking Davis spot on the court are playing as hard as they can given the opportunities theyve been granted. Forward Cheick Diallo, the Pelicans Energizer Bunny, is averaging 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the last three games, shooting an absurd 89.5 percent from the floor (17-of-19) while averaging 20.9 minutes. Guard Frank Jackson and forward Kenrich Williams are rookies fighting to prove they should be receiving the minutes they are getting. Holiday is never going to turn off the switch. The Pelicans may not be better when Davis is off the floor, but the eye test says they play harder. And to many fans who are already looking toward whatever haul the team can get for Davis and into the 2019-20 season, top-notch effort might be better than anything else. | https://www.nola.com/pelicans/2019/02/are-the-new-orleans-pelicans-better-without-anthony-davis.html |
Will Red Sox follow through on trading catcher before Opening Day? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Dave Dombrowski has been transparent about the Boston Red Sox's catcher situation. He'd prefer to have two on the Opening Day roster, and the Red Sox currently have three with major league experience. Scroll to continue with content Ad But Boston's season opener is just over a month away, and it doesn't sound like Dombrowski is planning to trade any of Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart in the immediate future. "I would've even thought we would have made a move before we came to spring training, in a lot of cases," Dombrowski said Monday in Bradenton, Fla., before a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. "There are some catchers who aren't even signed yet, who are still out there. It's one of those where, I learned a long time ago, don't worry about what you can't control." Vazquez, who started 10 of the Red Sox's 14 postseason games last season, appears to have the edge over Leon and Swihart for the starting job. He's the best defensive catcher of the trio and at least provides serviceable offense, as Leon (.177) and Swihart (.229) both struggled mightily at the plate in 2018. Swihart's agent also requested a trade for his client last season, so Boston likely will explore the possibility of moving the 26-year-old over the next few weeks. But the catcher market, like the rest of the free agent market, has been slow-moving. Some veterans like Martin Maldonado still haven't signed, and there's been virtually no trade buzz at the position since J.T. Realmuto landed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month. Story continues That means Dombrowski may have to wait until the end of spring training to find a suitor for one of his catchers or risk releasing a player like Leon or Swihart, who both are out of minor league options. "None of them have options left, but we're also not going to just give them away to give them away," Dombrowski said back in December. "We'll see where that takes us." In the two-plus months since Dombrowski made that comment, the answer is "nowhere." And we may have to wait another month for closure. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-trading-catcher-opening-191618424.html?src=rss |
Could Durham take Duke land for light rail? | Duke faculty, on the eve of a critical decision, called Tuesday night on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. Duke is the last local partner that needs to sign a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle for the 17.7-mile light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham. The plan also depends on Duke donating land for the light-rail corridor on Erwin Road. Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. Is this consistent with the moniker of being the most progressive city in the South? Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton told The News & Observer. If light rail is truly all it is billed to be then how can we allow it not to happen? Middleton wrote in a statement he sent to The News & Observer on Tuesday night. I dont want to hear any more bellyaching from GoTriangle, nor prompting or cajoling from public officials about black folk going hat in hand to Duke begging for our economic future while not boldly and redemptively using the power that made us beggars in the first place. Weve heard the case, now show us how serious you really are. Welcome to the unsexy part of the actual work of racial equity, Middleton said. The Duke Faculty Union, in an urgently considered vote, overwhelmingly supported the statement urging Duke to back the project and help improve transportation for the most marginalized members of society. Union President Christopher Shreve released the statement in an email Tuesday. In it, Duke faculty noted the years of hard work planning the 17.7-mile light-rail system and the need to bring federal dollars home to meet the Triangles goals of green infrastructure and improved access to medical facilities, schools, and shopping centers. The economic and social benefits that a reliable, affordable, and convenient transit system will make are undisputed, the statement said. The vast majority of local organizations, businesses, and academic institutions have enthusiastically put their support behind this well-researched, carefully planned project. As the largest employer in Durham, Duke University and its affiliated Health Systems stand to gain tremendously from the increased access to and from campuses, hospitals, downtown, and neighboring universities. The Faculty Union represents instructors and lecturing fellows in Dukes Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and Center for Documentary Studies. Middleton called on the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham CAN, the Peoples Alliance, N.C. Central University, Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit and the Durham Housing Authority to make their case not just to Duke, but to ask those of us entrusted with immense power where our land grabbing, tunnel digging resolve has gone. How dare we look the heirs of Hayti in the face after a decade of raising expectations only to once again dash hopes by mortgaging our citys future off to a powerful private institution. Duke has been and will continue to be a beloved partner in Durhams future. They should not, however, determine our future, he said. If light rail dies it wont be because Duke killed it. It will be because Duke was allowed to kill it, Middleton said. Earlier this week, leaders at NCCU, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham Technical Community College and the Durham Housing Authority held a press conference touting their support for light rail. Henry McKoy, an instructor in the NCCU School of Business and a representative of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People said on Monday that light rail could bring back economic development thats been missing for so long in the Hayti area. Middleton said when he and the rest of the City Council approved the rail operations maintenance facility rezoning in South Durham, parcels of that rezoned land were acquired through eminent domain. What makes Duke University so different? Middleton asked. Neighbors of the rail yard have filed a lawsuit over the rezoning. The Duke Faculty statement was issued just one day after GoTriangle released a 20-page report outlining six years of talks with Duke leaders about the light-rail project and how it might affect Dukes medical and research facilities. The report and documents submitted to the Federal Transit Administration during that time show Duke did not raise objections to the proposed light-rail route. Duke officials did ask that GoTriangle move a station from the front of the Duke and Durham VA medical centers to a site closer to Trent Drive. Duke President Vincent Price, in a November letter to Durham and GoTriangle officials, said the university has been trying to work with GoTriangle for years. He cited several lingering concerns, including maintaining emergency access to the hospital, how noise and vibrations from the light rail might affect medical and research facilities, and how road closures could affect traffic around the medical center. The projects risks to Durhams health, safety and economy are too great to move forward, Price said. The GoTriangle report paints a different picture, noting the conversation with Duke was productive until the project advanced to the planning stage in 2016. After that, GoTriangle officials said Duke staff rarely attended planning meetings, delayed critical information about Dukes needs and only in recent months raised concerns about how electromagnetic radiation from the light-rail system might affect sensitive medical and research equipment. The conversation began to reveal bizarre contradictions, complications, and a general dissatisfaction, the GoTriangle report said. Duke officials have not responded to questions about the GoTriangle report. Michael Schoenfeld, Dukes vice president for public affairs and community relations, said in an email Friday that Duke officials still are reviewing data about possible electromagnetic interference from the light-rail system. GoTriangle must meet an April 30 deadline for submitting the project to the Federal Transit Administration for $1.23 billion in funding half the projects $2.47 billion construction cost. A federal decision has to be in hand by Nov. 30 to meet a deadline for getting $190 million in state funding. That puts the project on a tight timeline and makes it unclear if Durham has time to pursue an eminent domain taking of Duke land. Eminent domain would require a third-party appraisal and potentially could end up in court. | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226856199.html |
Can Oregons RBs bolster durability during spring? | Were taking a look at each position group as Oregon prepares to open spring practice on March 7. The second of a nine-part series looks at the running backs. EUGENE Oregon might have the best returning duo of running backs in the Pac-12 in CJ Verdell and Travis Dye. Part of why its debatable and not a definitive statement is Arizona also has a good duo as well and Arizona State is led by Eno Benjamin but need a stronger No. 2, but the main reason is the durability concerns for Verdell. Those concerns are underscored by Oregon ranking 54th in rushing offense despite Verdells breakout year. If the Ducks leading rusher, who was one of only two players with 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving, can add muscle in the offseason itll help him stay on the field on a week-to-week basis in the fall. Projected depth chart: CJ Verdell, redshirt-sophomore, 202 carries for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns with 27 receptions for 315 yards and two touchdowns Travis Dye, sophomore, 140 carries for 739 yards and four touchdowns Cyrus Habibi-Likio, sophomore, 18 carries for 36 yards and seven touchdowns Darrian Felix, redshirt-sophomore, 14 carries for 47 yards Departed: Tony Brooks-James Due to arrive in the fall: Sean Dollars, Jayvaun Wilson Outlook: There isnt much to sort out at the top of the depth chart; Verdell is the starter, best pass blocker and capable as an every-down back and weapon out of the backfield. Dye is a great complementary back, more elusive and has great top end speed. Having said all that, their individual talents probably surpass what the Ducks did collectively in 2018 and that has to change in 2019 for Oregon to achieve its lofty goals. After that is where things get interesting and while the No. 3 running back may not draw a lot of attention on paper, it only takes an ankle sprain or tweaked hamstring to make them a significant contributor in a game. Cyrus Habibi-Likio did well in short yardage situations early in the season but injuries and the emergence of Verdell and Dye set him back later in 2018. Darrian Felix had to redshirt due to injuries of his own. There should be a battle for reps between them in the spring. The loss of Tony Brooks-James from the backfield should be viewed as an addition by subtraction. While his straight line speed is hard to match, his issues with ball security and pass blocking proved costly far to often to justify playing him more. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/02/can-oregons-rbs-bolster-durability-during-spring.html |
Whats not to love about the sentimental, sensationally scented sweet pea? | Heres how to get a jump on the season by starting seed indoors. I ADORE SWEET PEAS. Their history the first sweet pea is credited to a 17th-century Sicilian monk. The romance the delicate blooms are totally swoon-worthy. But most of all, their fragrance! Sweet peas will always hold a special place in my heart, as they are the flower that launched our flower business, reflects Erin Benzakein, the floral maven behind Floret, a family flower farm in the Skagit Valley. They may seem delicate, but these little blooms can fill a room with their sweet scent. No cut flower garden is complete without a few of these old-fashioned favorites. It seems sweet peas touch a tender collective memory in us all. Now is the time to get a jump on sweet pea season by starting seed indoors. Ravenna Gardens in Seattle stocks more than 30 varieties of sweet pea seeds from Renees Garden, a reliable seed source and early champion for reintroducing heirloom varieties to the gardening marketplace. According to Ravenna plant and seed buyer Vanessa Kimling, sales of sweet pea starts at the retail nursery have nearly doubled in recent years. When pressed to name a customer darling, she replied, Its hard to pick a favorite, but the saturated crimson and aubergine tones of the heirloom Black Knight play dramatically with each other and are delightfully fragrant. Sweet pea grower extraordinaire Langley Fine Gardens of Vashon Island grows more than 25 varieties of sweet peas, which are offered through regional nurseries and at the West Seattle farmers market each spring. Co-owner Leda Langley told me they concentrate on producing the sweetest-smelling choices, with a preference for heirloom varieties that withstand heat. Ive had Cupani, the original sweet pea native to Sicily, still blooming on Thanksgiving some years, she says. To support a long bloom season, Langley recommends amending the soil at planting with a granular organic fertilizer. Keep plants watered, especially in the heat of summer, and mulch heavily to keep roots cool. Boost growth during the growing season with regular doses of a liquid feed thats strong in nitrogen to keep the vines thriving. Heres how to sow your own: Soak sweet pea seed overnight to soften the hard seed coat. Sow three to four seeds, 1 inch deep, in pots of moistened seed starting mix. Seeds will germinate in seven to 10 days. Place indoor seedlings in a cool location where they will get good light to promote sturdy growth; too much warmth produces lanky stems. Pinch out growing tips when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall to promote branching. Transplant seedlings into the garden when the pots have filled with roots, siting them where they will get plenty of direct sunlight and shelter from strong wind. Protect young plants from slugs, snails, birds and mice, which can devour vulnerable seedlings overnight. Provide sturdy support for the vigorous climbing vines. A simple bamboo teepee further webbed with jute twine will work just as well as a formal metal obelisk. Dwarf and window-box varieties do not need staking but benefit from judicious propping to keep flowers out of the mud. | https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/whats-not-to-love-about-the-sentimental-sensationally-scented-sweet-pea/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Will the BBC and ITV's BritBox be a hit or a flop? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Living The Dream, made by ITV Studios but shown on Sky in the UK, airs on BritBox in the US The BBC and ITV's partnership on the BritBox streaming service is a move born of necessity. Both have long been aware that they are losing ground to Netflix and other rival TV services - but previous attempts to compete in that arena have been stymied by regulators. Back in 2008, they had plans to launch a joint service along with Channel 4, called Project Kangaroo. But the Competition Commission blocked it after lobbying by commercial rivals. During the inquiry, Sky and Virgin Media gave evidence complaining that Project Kangaroo would concentrate too much power over content and harm their own video-on-demand efforts. Naturally, both the Competition and Markets Authority and media regulator Ofcom are being consulted on this latest venture. But more than a decade later, new entrants to the market and new ways of watching TV have radically transformed the landscape. Now the BBC and ITV look less like the big beasts and more like the Johnny-come-latelies. Cost and content Most of the details of the service, due to become available in the second half of 2019, are yet to be announced. The price, for instance. But Tom Harrington, senior researcher at Enders Analysis, said it was unlikely to be more than 5.99 a month. "Anything more and people are going to start comparing it to Netflix," he told the BBC. "It's not going to be anything like Netflix in terms of scale or size." Another issue that has yet to be resolved is the kind of content that will be available. Mr Harrington said he expected to see ITV dramas such as Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Endeavour in the line-up. "Excellent programmes, but these are the sort of things that people expect to get for free as part of their licence fee," he said. Judging by the responses from people contacted by BBC News on Twitter, that does seem to be the biggest sticking point. "We have paid for the BBC content already," said Martin Holme. "Why should we pay more to see the same old stuff?" replied Ian Gatward. "Must have new and exclusive content not on the networks," said Peter Jones. "If it does not, then no thanks, we don't need another streaming service with the same old stuff." The BritBox streaming service already operates in North America, where it has 500,000 subscribers. By contrast, Netflix has 139 million subscribers globally. Aside from Netflix, there is also Amazon Prime, YouTube and Sky's Now TV, with other entrants likely to emerge soon. Television industry analysts are sceptical. The competition is high for subscription video on demand services and Britbox UK is launching just as major studios and tech players, from Apple to Disney, are also set to launch their own services," says Kaltrina Bylykbashi, managing editor at Television Business International. "The BBC and ITV have to remain competitive and British content is held in high regard, so they should own that, but there are many worried that the broadcasters may have joined forces a little too late. "With so many offerings, consumers may tire of shelling out money for each new venture." Commercial firepower And Netflix has the power to outspend all its rivals. It lavished $12bn (9bn) on programme-making last year, while ITV has said it will spend 25m on BritBox this year and 40m in 2020. The BBC has not given any comparable figures. As Mr Harrington of Enders Analysis says, referring to one of Netflix's biggest successes, "25m - that's three episodes of The Crown." Enders Analysis says UK households that consume streaming video on demand have an average of 1.4 services each. These are generally Netflix and Amazon, the latter bundled with the online retail giant's 79-a-year Prime membership that offers free one-day delivery on orders. "People usually get Amazon because of the shipping and they don't really use it for video," says Mr Harrington. So if you already have a streaming service that you don't actually watch, there seems little point in signing up for something else, he adds. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47389420 |
Why Are Air France-KLM Shareholders So Scared Of The Dutch Government? | Shares in Air France-KLM plummeted by as much as 15% today after the Dutch governments surprise decision to buy a sizable chunk of the Franco-Dutch airline group. The move is intended to bring Amsterdam on equal footing with Paris when it comes to shaping strategy at the holding company, which was formed in 2004 by a merger of the flag-carriers of France and the Netherlands. "With this share purchase, the Dutch cabinet wants to be able to directly influence the future development of Air France-KLM in order to optimally ensure the Dutch public interest," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said of the 12.68% stock acquisition, which cost Amsterdam approximately 680 million ($774 million). The Dutch state already held a 5.9% stake in KLM, but lagged behind France for control at group level. Amsterdam is planning to lift its stake further over the coming weeks to match Pariss 14.3% shareholding. Shedding further light on the thinking behind the transaction, Hoekstra noted: In recent years it has become apparent that important decisions about KLMs strategy were increasingly taken at the level of the Air France-KLM holding company. His remarks underline longstanding tensions that reached boiling point this month amid a public row over the fate of Pieter Elbers, KLMs chief executive, whom the holding companys French-dominated board has reportedly been seeking to push aside. Air France-KLM chief executive Benjamin Smith sees Elbers as an obstacle to his plans for closer integration of the two airlines. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire responded to the news by complaining that neither his government nor Air France-KLMs board were given advance notice. He warned Amsterdam somewhat ironically to avoid state interference in the group. A tougher line was taken by an anonymous source at the ministry, who subsequently told Reuters: Its an unfriendly, surprising move that is extremely detrimental to Air France-KLM financially The Dutch authorities have already lost 70 million on their investment. Its their problem Investors are completely confused about the move. Analysts say that Amsterdams willingness to take a large financial hit underscores the peculiar logic behind the transaction. Far from signaling confidence in Air France-KLMs business prospects, the Dutch government seems to be positioning itself for a more adversarial relationship that could one day render the alliance untenable. Investors are right to be concerned. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinrivers/2019/02/27/why-are-air-france-klm-shareholders-so-scared-of-the-dutch-government/ |
Is Self-Promotion On Social Media Savvy Or Arrogant? | Youve just earned your Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) and you want to announce it to the world. This is a question Ive often struggled with as I achieve hard-won, notable accomplishments that seem worthy of public acknowledgment, but I often hold back because Im not sure of the right way to do it (if there is such a thing). My LinkedIn feed is barraged with professionals promoting their latest certification, media citation, job promotion, etc. but oftentimes twisting themselves into a pretzel trying to find the right approach. Overall, Ive noticed five commonly used social media self-promotion approaches with varying focus on candor and humility. Hey, I just earned my PMP certification, heres the certificate! This is the blatant self-promotion post. While these type posts certainly get the job done, they can sometimes seem self-aggrandizing or even a bit immature. I have to admit that Ive found myself pity liking these type posts every now and then. At times they can come across like someone yearning for a hug or a pat on the back. Pros: Direct, to the point and authentic. Posts are often brief because theres no pretense, no masquerading. Cons: Can be perceived as too blatantly self-promoting; could be a turn off to some viewers. #2 Thank Others Id like to thank AICPA for the opportunity to present this years keynote at the Annual Conference. This approach disguises the self-promotion just a bit by focusing the post on thanking others. This seems like a more sophisticated approach but could turn off some viewers if the "thank you" is instead perceived as a completely insincere vessel for the ultimate goal of self-promotion. Pros: Feels less self-promoting, more humble Cons: Could seem somewhat disingenuous #3 Outsource Announcement Please join me in congratulating Leslie on a well-deserved promotion to VP Marketing North America! This approach uses content similar to approach #1 but is simply posted by someone else. So, instead of you announcing your promotion, one of your colleagues posts the announcement on your behalf. When posted without the individuals knowledge (certainly not at their behest), it comes across as much more genuine, objective, organically cultivated kudos. However, all outsourced kudos is not created equal. Certainly, an eloquently worded post that seems sincere and heartfelt is better received than a post that reads as if its written by the subject and simply posted by a surrogate. Our video (below) has helped thousands of health care professionals become better leaders. Here the focus of the post is seemingly another topic, but the reader gets the gist of the subjects accomplishment/expertise in the process. Sometimes the post includes an indirect reference that promotes themselves or they might link to a video that includes clearly promotional content. Either way, while the primary focus is not overtly self-promoting, this style post oftentimes has the same promotional effect. Pros: Content is more focused on the reader than the subject as valuable content is often shared Cons: Less focus on the subject translates into less attention focused on their accomplishment or expertise; obviously, some readers will focus on the objective content and disregard the source. #5 Indirect/Subtle Promotion Interesting new findings on top reasons why Millennials are seeking more work-life balance. This post doesnt reference the subject (or their accomplishment) at all but may present their data or reference them in the byline of an article for example, but the clear focus is not on self-promotion. Readers may often not even know the person posting had any relationship to the content so any benefit they derive may be almost coincidental. Pros: Significant value provided to the reader often makes these type posts more valuable and attractive to readers Cons: Little focus on the subject's accomplishment or expertise As each social media posting style clearly brings with it inherent pros/cons, I dont think theres a clear best approach for every situation. Candidly, Im not sure that self-promotion and humility are concepts that can naturally coexist. I dont think so. In fact, it seems that within the social media construct some element of self-promotion is expected if not a Darwinian reality. However, the rules in the social media space are not necessarily the same as those offline. Id venture to guess that while one would cringe at the thought of passing around their shiny new PMP certificate at a business meeting, posting it on LinkedIn doesnt seem out of the ordinary. Let me know what you think! (Note: Sample posts noted in this article in italics are completely fictitious and provided for illustrative purposes only.) | https://www.forbes.com/sites/danabrownlee/2019/02/27/is-self-promotion-on-social-media-savvy-or-arrogant/ |
Have Brands Lost Their Manners? | Whatever happened to the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I think gorilla brands have squashed The Golden Rule. For the uninitiated, gorillas represent those organizations that out-spend, out-sell, out-merchandise, out-staff and generally out-resource all others in the category. Because they can. The Golden Rule is no more; its now the Gorilla Rule -- Do unto us as we would have you do unto us. The Gorilla Rule is a one-way street pointing right back to the gorilla brand. With the Gorilla Rule comes gorilla manners -- or a general lack of manners. The gorilla mindset is a selfish one, a belief that the gorilla is owed everything and all others exist to serve them. The gorilla brand marches forward unapologetically, taking what it wants and carelessly discarding its banana peels wherever it wishes, with no regard for others. There are no manners in the gorillas world. A challenger brand, on the other hand, is an entity that is out-resourced by its competitors via greater ad spending, distribution, brand awareness, finances, etc. or a brand competing in a very complicated or aggressive market. Enlightened challenger brands know they are not obligated to live in the gorillas world; they are not bound by the selfish and wasteful environment created by the biggest brands in the jungle. The informed challenger brand knows to create its own jungle, a smaller ecosystem where they can compete and win. A successful challenger brand leads by dignified example, earning the respect of its colleagues, customers and competitors. We know the Golden Rule, and we honor it. Although, to the ethics majors among us who recognize the flaws in doing unto others (not everyone cares how they are treated), we suggest everyone simply do unto others as you would have them do unto your mother. If you want to up the dignity quotient in your organization, gain a greater level of respect, create a more attractive work environment for your current and prospective employees and want your customers to adore doing business with you, preach good manners. Here are six things you can start doing today to improve your manners, impact your business and impress your mom: 1. Say Please And Thank You Say please and thank you all the time -- even in emails. All correspondence counts and even single-word responses can be followed with a simple thanks. Email tone can be difficult to read, so make an effort to be courteous in all exchanges. Think about the receiver of your correspondence and how your words affect them. Write emails with the recipient in mind. 2. Return Calls If somebody calls you, call them back. We know this takes time, and you really dont want to talk to everyone, but the positive impact a simple returned phone call has is immeasurable. The marketplace is now trained to not expect a returned call, so when one arrives, it can be a bit of a shock. Not long ago, I received a voicemail message from a salesperson pitching a media service in which I was not interested. Even so, I called the individual back to thank him and let him know I was not interested in his service at that point in time. "Do you realize Im in sales and every call is critical to me making my numbers?" In spite of this salespersons commitment to his stat sheet, a returned call will reflect positively on you and your company, and its just good manners. 3. Return Emails Just like phone calls, if someone took the time to send you an email, you should feel obliged to send one back. Even a single word response is better than nothing -- followed by a thank you, of course. 4. Whenever I received a gift as a kid, I couldnt use it, play with it or spend it until I wrote the giver a thank you note. Although every thank you note sounded the same -- Dear Grandma, Thank you for the generous check you sent me for my birthday. It was very thoughtful. I was planning on buying some baseball cards with it. Hope I get a Wes Parker. Love, Your Grandson -- the gesture made the recipient feel respected. Feel free to use my note to my grandma as a template for your own thank you notes. 5. Dont Interrupt Respect the speaker, and let them finish their thought before stepping in with a thought of your own. Nothing says, Ive got something better to say than interrupting someone mid-sentence. For bonus points, practice this during conference calls. 6. Watch Your Language Our vocabulary has taken a beating over the past several years. Words that would have regularly found themselves in business conversations a decade ago have been contracted, replaced or outright removed in todays vernacular. In spite of an effort to shorten language and reduce the length of most conversations, there still seems to always be room for the occasional curse word or the salty slang. You know, the seven dirty words George Carlin said could never be said on TV. No one can argue with the impact that a simple single-syllable four-letter word beginning and ending with hard consonants can have on a business meeting, but save that language for where it belongs: the locker room, a wrestling match, etc. Nothing reveals character more than word choice, and choosing words frequently used in a Ray Donovan script isnt going to help you out in the dignity department. In short, having good manners is good business. It reflects well on you, your company and your mom. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/02/27/have-brands-lost-their-manners/ |
Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men? | The numbers dont lie: women tend to live longer than men. The average American man will live to age 76, according to the latest CDC figures, while the average woman in America will live to age 81. And a womans extra years tend to be healthy ones. The World Health Organizations HALE index, which calculates the number of years a man or woman can expect to live without a major disease or injury, finds that American men can look forward to 67 healthy years, while American women will enjoy 70 years of full heath. This male-female lifespan gap is not a new phenomenon; experts have known about it for decades. Its also not restricted to Americans. This gender gap in life expectancy is true for all societies, and it is also true for the great apes, says Dr. Perminder Sachdev, a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of New South Wales in Australia who has studied human longevity. Sachdev says there are a few popular theoriessome to do with biology, and some to do with behavior. Men are more likely to smoke, drink excessively and be overweight, he says. They are also less likely to seek medical help early, and, if diagnosed with a disease, they are more likely to be non-adherent to treatment. On top of all that, he says, men are more likely to take life-threatening risks and to die in car accidents, brawls or gun fights. TIME Health Newsletter Get the latest health and science news, plus: burning questions and expert tips. View Sample Sign Up Now Theres evidence that a mans biologynamely, his elevated levels of the male sex hormone testosteronemay lead him into the kind of trouble that could shorten his life. Research from Duke University has found that elevated testosterone levels are associated with risky behaviors. Experts say testosterone may abbreviate a mans lifespan in other ways. Male sex hormones decrease immune function and increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases, says Kyung-Jin Min, a professor of biological sciences at Inha University in South Korea. In a 2012 study published in the journal Current Biology, Min and his colleagues examined the historical health records of 81 Korean eunuchs: men who were castrated as children, and who therefore stopped producing much testosterone. They found the eunuchs tended to live about 14 to 19 years longer than uncastrated men who shared their same socio-economic status. While the links between testosterone and immune function arent clear, Mins study points to lab research showing that testosterone may block the release of some disease-fighting immune cells. On the other hand, theres also a good amount of research linking low levels of testosterone to heart disease and poor health outcomes in men, so the relationships between testosterone and a mans health are complex. It may well be that a mans hormones arent to blame; instead, a womans hormones may offer her some added lifespan benefits. Estrogen appears to be protectiveit has been shown to have an antioxidant role, says Sachdev. A 2013 review in the International Journal of Endocrinology found evidence that estrogen can prevent the kind of DNA damage that leads to disease. That review also turned up evidence that estrogen can help maintain normal, healthy cell function. These sorts of findings help explain the male-female longevity gap. All this is entirely speculative, Sachdev says, but it may have to do with a females historical role as child-rearer. Once children are born, men are disposable, he says. But the robust body of the mother is important for the survival of the offspring. A womans body has evolved to withstand and bounce back from the physical trauma of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the demands of breastfeedingchallenges to which a males body is never exposed. As the saying goes, what doesnt kill us makes us stronger. And for women, that strength may translate to a longer, healthier life. Contact us at [email protected]. | http://time.com/5538099/why-do-women-live-longer-than-men/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29 |
Will China's EV Leadership Bring Global Automotive Dominance? | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars, over half the global total and twice as many EVs as the year before. So quickly has China grown to become the worlds dominant EV manufacturer that it appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market overall, particularly as EVs expand beyond their niche status to the mainstream. A recent article in MIT Energy Review laid out a solid argument for the emergence of a globally competitive Chinese auto industry, while noting that Chinese have faced a huge challenge in overcoming the technology advantage enjoyed by established Western, Japanese and Korean automakers, particularly in complex systems such as engines. For the Chinese government, it has been really disappointing that domestic car manufacturers have not become export giants, says John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation, a global automotive research consortium headquartered at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton Business School. EVs, the theory goes, could change all of that. Electric cars are reliant upon technologies where China bears no handicap. The technologies it already produces in abundance, notably those that underpin iPhones and other complex electronics, are related to the systems that make EVs work. China, which grants certain EV subsidies only to cars with batteries produced domestically, is the worlds largest manufacturer of automotive lithium-ion batteries and home to seven of the 13 biggest battery makers. To boot, Chinas leading carmakers, including BAIC and Geely (Volvos owner), aim to go almost wholly electric by the middle of the coming decade. Its easy to imagine Chinese marques pushing their EV capacity onto the global market, and their automobiles flooding the highways of Europe and North America. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained . Any future Chinese EV hegemony assumes that global auto incumbents have been asleep at the wheel. They most decidedly havent. One notable example is Volkswagen, which has both stated its intention to essentially abandon efforts to further develop automotive gasoline and diesel engines after 2026, and to turn its focus to electrics. Other German brands are thinking the same. And Volkswagen, as part of its Diesel Gate settlement, will invest $2 billion in the development of EV charging infrastructure in the US. In the US, GM and Ford are abandoning the market for fuel efficient sedans, and using the money they save (and profits from SUV sales) to develop electrics. Chevys Bolt plug-in EV, which has been widely praised, offers proof that the incumbents can get EVs right. Which brings up a major barrier for the Chinese carmakers looking abroad: the brand equity of the established global competition. We already know that Chinese consumers often prefer the foreign brand to the domestic brand, says MacDuffie. Many people thought that certainly by now, and maybe even by five years ago, the world would be flooded with inexpensive Chinese exports because thats how the Japanese and Koreans entered the market in the past. It hasnt happened. Even Chinas dominance in electric vehicle batteries comes with a caveat. While domestic Chinese battery makers are aggressively growing capacity, established automotive marques from Japan and Korea arent necessarily buying. Toyota sells cars in the Chinese market with Panasonic batteries, while the Koreans use batteries from LG Chem and Samsung SDI , made in China to comply with local content requirements. The introduction of solid state lithium-ion batteries, with much improved energy density, could within a decade create new opportunity for technology leaders to differentiate themselves at the high end, leaving production of commodity Li-Ion cells to Chinas mega manufacturers. And Chinas lock on natural reserves of rare earth metals, normally a key ingredient in EV motors, loses relevance when a company like BMW announces that future designs will be rare-earths free. None of this means that Chinas impact on the global car industry wont be substantial. Quite the opposite, Chinas EV presence could upend the hierarchies of the automotive industry. As the focus of value in a given car shifts from gasoline engines to batteries, some of that value will migrate away from the OEMs, who make engines themselves, to third-party battery producers. In July, 2018 the United Auto Workers union testified to the U.S. Commerce Department that by 2021 56% of Li-Ion batteries used in electric cars would be made in China. And a study funded by German automakers says 75,000 Germans could lose their jobs as a result of falling ICE demand. Whether these predictions will play out depends in part on the spread elsewhere of policies to support EV market growth, and the scale economies that would follow. What looks more certain is that China will be a major player in a future global car market dominated by EVs, regardless of the success of its automotive brands. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andystone/2019/02/27/will-chinas-ev-leadership-bring-global-automotive-dominance/ |
When Does A Start-Up Become A Scale-Up? | Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) performance and entrepreneurship trends are now firmly linked to worldwide economic growth, with SMEs accounting for over 95% of firms and 60-70% of employment in OECD economies (statistics provide by OECD.org). As larger firms downsize and begin to engage smaller firms to deliver outsourced functions, there is a heightened expectation for SMEs to continue to deliver for the economy. According to the National Federation of Self Employed & Small Businesses (more commonly known as the FSB) at the start of 2018 the UKs SMEs made up to 99% of private sector businesses and accounted for 2 Trillion in combined annual turnover. In my opinion this means that the market for entrepreneurs and business owners is one that should be applauded and assisted in scaling to become even more successful, as the contribution to the UK and Global economy is huge. However, there is a feeling amongst many of the entrepreneurs I know and mentor that there isnt enough support from the government (and other institutions) to support and encourage SME growth. That said, Barclaycard in the UK; which processes nearly half of the nations credit and debit card transactions, has recently published some new research which explores the pain points and milestones associated with scaling up a business and highlights innovation as a key opportunity for growing companies. A scale up business is defined as a company which has seen average annualised growth of at least 20% over three years with 10 or more employees at the start of the period, according to the OECD. More interestingly the study found that almost six in ten (57%) leaders of scale ups had experienced a moment of uncertainty when they were afraid that their business would fail. There is an expectation that the struggle into entrepreneurship is firmly an issue that occurs during the start-up phase of a business but this evidence just shows that growth can also be scary especially, in my opinion, if the infrastructure isnt right. The majority (65%) of business leaders believe that scale-ups have the edge on bigger businesses when it comes to innovative initiatives, due to more nimble ways of working and a strong pool of talent. The reality is that due to less red tape and bureaucracy scale up businesses are able to implement new ideas at speed, as the saying goes Try Fast, Fail Fast. The ability to move with current trends or implement new initiatives to improve customer satisfaction is a major contributing factor to the success of many scaling businesses. Therefore, it is important that you use your size to your advantage but dont forget to re-invest a proportion of turnover to continue to improve business growth; 77% think a scale up business needs to invest to grow and 29% was identified as the average amount of annual turnover to invest. What does all of this do for business infrastructure (I hear you ask), well it helps scale up businesses to attract the most exciting and creative talent! The most pressing concern cited were: Employee wellbeing and satisfaction (66%) Finding and retaining talent (64%) Standing out from the competition (63%) Maintaining customer service standards (63%) I reached out to Konrad Kelling, Managing Director of Payments Solutions at Barclaycard. He looks after an extensive portfolio of business customers, and is passionate about helping them flourish. I wanted to find out from him why he felt this research was so pertinent to the future of scaling businesses. Reaching the scale up phase is an exciting moment for any business but as our research shows, it brings new challenges as well as opportunities. Whether theyre looking to trade internationally, launch a new product line or update their payment technology to meet customer demand, in todays uncertain economic environment, growing businesses should lean on their partners for advice and support. If scale ups can access the help they need to overcome the pain points of growth, they will be much better positioned to build a successful business both in the short and long-term. Unfortunately, in the battle to scale most founders will have to tackle many hurdles and are often unsure where to turn. According to the research, 27% turn to their bank for advice and support; 22% call on IT providers (think servers, web designers and such like) and an equal number to local business networks. Overall, the vast majority of growing companies (91%) have looked to external partners to help scale their business I absolutely understand this because as a lean business my partners have been essential in helping my businesses and my mentees businesses to scale effectively. There remains, however, a clear gap in support with 71% of scale up business leaders calling for more help to be available to successful start-ups ready to grow. And when. [Scale up business research conducted by Opinium on behalf of Barclaycard amongst 500 key decision makers in scale up businesses] | https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancamillercole/2019/02/27/when-does-a-start-up-become-a-scale-up/ |
Do we want our phone buttons back? | Image caption The Pro1 has a keyboard hidden inside An Android phone that slides open to reveal a physical qwerty keyboard inside has launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The F(x)tec Pro1 phone also has a bespoke shutter button on the side to click when taking photos. The London start-up behind it said it wanted to "return the keyboard" to consumers. Other handsets with keyboards built in, from brands such as BlackBerry Mobile and Swiss firm Punkt, were also on show. "A lot of consumer tech still has buttons even though the tech is there to get rid of them," said Adrian Li Mow Ching, founder of F(x)tec. "Haptic feedback never gives the same satisfaction as pressing a physical button. He said that the folding handsets unveiled by phone giants Huawei and Samsung demonstrated that "people want more than the single slab". Image caption Zoe Kleinman with the Pro1 The handset I tried was a prototype, but it ran pretty smoothly. It was chunkier than a standard smartphone and a little heavier. While I cannot deny that the sliding keyboard was fun to open, I did fear for the hinge and the plastic stand on which the screen sits at an angle. The keys did take a little getting used to if you are more familiar with a touchscreen pad, but I found I made fewer typos when writing. The Pro1 will go on sale in July for 649, or $649 in the United States. Image caption F(x)tec says its apps have been optimised for landscape use Image caption The Nokia 950 prototype inspired the Pro1 Lianchen Chen, who designed the device, describes himself as a BlackBerry fan. However, his device was inspired by a prototype from Nokia he was given in 2010, which was never released to the public. The Nokia 950 had a slide-out keyboard hidden beneath the screen but was only ever given to app developers. Mr Chen said he used it until 2015. More Mobile World Congress stories: The Pro1 features a full touchscreen in addition to its physical keyboard, an approach shared by BlackBerry Mobile's Key2. Punkts MP02 phone is also covered in buttons, but it has limited functionality compared to modern smartphones. It is designed to be a so-called companion phone rather than a primary device. Image caption Punkt's phone is a "companion" device Punkt chief executive Petter Neby said the device would have been 75% cheaper to manufacture if it had just a touchscreen rather than physical keys. But he said physical keys gave people a more "optimal" experience. We press keys and buttons all the time and expect something to happen, he told the BBC. The touchscreen is a convenience, its not optimal for a call to action. Both F(x)tec and Punkt deny that the hardware required for a physical keyboard limits the life of their devices. Mr Neby says he still uses a 10-year-old BlackBerry with physical keys as his primary phone and has experienced no issues with it. Image caption The BlackBerry Key2 sports a touchscreen and a keyboard UK start-up Planet Computers is another company producing Android phones with physical keyboards. In 2018, it successfully crowd-funded a modernised "digital assistant" device, and is now working on a follow-up phone. However, there is no indication that the broader mobile phone industry is planning a physical keyboard comeback. I am not sure if this is nostalgia or trying to find a way in the market serving those groups that the big guns have no interest in serving, said analyst Carolina Milanesi from the consultancy Creative Strategies. I think this is really more what we see in a market where competing with the top players requires not just different hardware but a different approach to the market. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47364932 |
Is National Debt As Scary As It Seems? | If youve been keeping up on the status of our national debt, youve likely read that its about $22 trillionand rising. Looking back, we have added approximately $16 trillion since 2000 (about $900 million per year), $11 trillion since 2008 (about $1.1 trillion per year), and $2 trillion since the end of 2016. And it is only expected to get worse. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that with about $1 trillion or more per year added to the debt over the next decade, it could be more than $30 trillion by 2030. Well, it depends on how you look at it. Viewing the national debt through a different lens As the economy grows, so does the countrys ability to support a higher debt load. So, a good way to analyze the debt is as a proportion of the economy as a whole. Here, there has been a significant rise in recent decades, with the largest increase coming in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the great recession. But even as the debt rose in the 1990s and 2000s, the debt-to-economy ratio did not. Economic growthas the economy grew, often faster than the debt, the ability to pay actually stabilized or improved. We could borrow as much as we wanted as long as the economy grew faster than the debt. The economy certainly did not grow faster than debt during the crisis. But in recent years, as growth improved, we saw the debt-to-economy ratio stabilizing at around 1.1. This is still well above the levels of the 1990s and 2000s, but at least it hasnt gotten much worse. If the economy continues to grow at a higher rate than the deficit, we can run the projected deficits indefinitely. Another way to look at the situation is to consider interest rates. For example, if rates are low, you can afford a bigger mortgage, as the payment will be lower. The same rationale applies to government debt. Rates have been declining since the early 1980s. Even as the debt has risen, it has become more affordable; however, rates have risen recently, which suggests that trend may be played out. In other words, even as the total debt level has risen dramatically, the actual payments have been declining as a percentage of the economy, due to a perfect mix of lower interest rates and economic growth over the past couple of decades. Even as we borrowed more, it actually became more affordable. This scenario is at the core of the laissez-faire attitude toward the deficit and the debt in recent years by much of the investment and economics community. Although debt was high, it had stabilized as a percentage of the economy and, in any case, was relatively affordable. This supports the argument that there is no problem. The problem with no problem The real problem is that the no problem conclusion relies on a continuation of two things: economic growth and low interest rates. As noted earlier, rates have recently ticked up. Even if they dont move up much more, there simply is not much room for a further decline. This tailwind has likely faded and may well turn into a headwind. The other assumption, of continued economic growth, is also likely to fail at some point. A recession is not likely this year but is certainly possible. If not this year, though, we will almost certainly see one in the next couple of years. At that point, with interest rates stabilizing or even higher and the economy not growing, we may well see another spike in the debt-to-economy ratio, as well as a meaningful increase in the debt service expense. Then, the economic risks will start to rise materially. Things could get scary We are not at that danger point yet, but the trend is in the wrong direction. The larger the deficit and the higher the accrued debt, the greater the chance of an economic accident. This is a big problem, but not an immediate one. It is, but the solution will be painful. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradmcmillan/2019/02/27/national-debt-as-scary-as-it-seems/ |
Does Roman Reigns deserve a shot at the WWE Universal Championship title? | Former WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has returned to the company after his leukemia went into remission. Reigns was one of the biggest WWE stars before he left to treat his illness and many are expecting him to get a shot at the title he was fighting for. Still, he has been away from the sport for a while and rushing him back to such a high level would be a mistake. Roman Reigns laid the smackdown on cancer and now he has his sights set on Wrestlemania. The Big Dog was so close to dethroning Lesnar and it's only appropriate that he gets the chance to depose the Beast Incarnate on the company's biggest stage. Yes, Lesnar has a match against Seth Rollins scheduled for Wrestlemania but making this a triple threat match should be no problem for the WWE. If anyone has earned the right to wrestle for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, its Reigns. I knew I made the right call to go to Mania now put Roman in the Universal Title match skuba steve (@JakesBadTweets) February 21, 2019 Everyone is happy Reigns is healthy and able to wrestle. Still, throwing him into a rushed title shot at Wrestlemania would be a mistake. Cancer is no joke. It destroys your body in ways you can't imagine and the treatment does some damage as well. Pushing the Big Dog too quickly will only have disastrous results if he takes himself to the limit and his body breaks down. He might have been one of the top wrestlers before he took his break, but fans werent exactly in love with the WWE pushing him in into that top tier anyway. Reigns and company need to build his return slowly; an immediate title shot at Wrestlemania would not be the right choice. I'm very happy for Roman. However, him coming back so soon makes me personally feel a tad unsettled. After seeing a close friend suffer through the same illness with so many ups and downs I'd rather the guy just take care of himself than rush back for freaking Wrestlemania plans Joe Numbas (@JoeNumbas) February 26, 2019 | https://www.nola.com/tylt/2019/02/does-roman-reigns-deserve-a-shot-at-the-wwe-universal-championship-title.html |
Who has a better or worse quarterback situation in the Big Ten than Justin Fields, Ohio State? | Ohio States quarterback room Whos out the door: Dwayne Haskins, Tate Martell Whos in the mix: Matthew Baldwin, Chris Chugunov, Justin Fields Why it can work: Fields should be the guy this fall. And depending on which recruiting service you look at, he was either ranked just above or just below Clemsons Trevor Lawrence, who looks like a special player. Fields certainly has that ability, albeit with a different skillset than Lawrence. He is a dual-threat at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds. And his ability to run the zone read and RPO should fit in very well with the uptempo offense that Ryan Day wants to run. Matthew Baldwin should be the backup after redshirting as a freshman to rehab a knee injury he suffered in high school. Why it might not: Its almost impossible to replace a player like Haskins, who could be the first quarterback taken in the 2019 NFL Draft. And its not just because of the record-setting numbers he put up last season for the Buckeyes. Its also worth mentioning that Day has said Haskins was not ready in his second year. Fields will be in his first year in the system. He will have to be strong as a passer in addition to his running ability. And we didnt get to see much of Fields as a freshman at Georgia. So there is a lot of projection going on. Ohio State also doesnt have much quarterback depth. Baldwin redshirted in 2018, and Chugunov came in as a grad transfer. An injury to Fields could derail Ohio States passing game. | https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/7ef46234bd910/who-has-a-better-or-worse-quarterback-situation-in-the-big-ten-than-justin-fields-ohio-state.html |
Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez right to ask if the climate means we should have fewer children? | On Instagram, the congresswoman said millennials are choosing to be childless because of the climate crisis. During a recent Q&A live-streamed on Instagram, apparently shot while she was pottering in her kitchen, the rising star of the Democratic party and one of the few frontline politicians to get the scale of the environmental emergency pulled no punches in telling viewers that unless we take urgent, radical action on emissions, there is no hope for the future. It is basically a scientific consensus that the lives of our children are going to be very different, and it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: is it OK to still have children? With this one question put to her 2.5 million Instagram followers, Ocasio-Cortez has stumbled into a highly contentious area. Population has long been a controversial factor in the climate change debate; one recent study said the most effective thing individuals can do to address the crisis was to have one less child. However, critics insist we should focus instead on overconsumption, and that putting the onus on individuals to address climate change obscures the systematic nature of the crisis. Crucially, they say, it lets the real culprits fossil fuel corporations and successive global governments inaction off the hook. And even if you accept the premise that having fewer children will tackle climate change, there is also the thorny question of exactly who should be having fewer kids: an American is responsible for 40 times the emissions produced by a Bangladeshi, but often those who advocate population reduction focus on women in the developing world. Ocasio-Cortez is not encouraging people stop having children. And as the leading advocate of the Green New Deal plan which aims to radically transform the US economy by 2030 she is one of the few politicians to be working on a plan that might just offer a way to avoid the worst impacts of this crisis. But perhaps she is raising a more profound issue. The answer is one we must all grapple with. But it is worth remembering that throughout history even in the most horrific circumstances people have continued to have children. It is a profoundly human act. And the thousands of young people who took to the streets to voice their concern around the climate crisis in recent months are a reminder that often far from being the problem children embody a profound hope for the future. | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2019/feb/27/is-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-right-to-ask-if-the-climate-means-we-should-have-fewer-children |
Do Compassionate Leaders Have To Present As Compassionate? | One of the most common misunderstandings about compassionate leadership is that it looks like being nice or soft or loving everyone. It turns out that most leaders arent sure what compassion actually looks like in action. In a survey of over 1,000 leaders, 91% said that compassion was very important for their leadership, but 80% of them did not know how to apply compassion (source). In interviews, leaders often say that its difficult to know how to be nice when things need to get done or someone needs to be held accountable. Compassionate leadership is understanding where you and others are coming from, feeling for yourself and others in a genuine way, and helping you and others to be successful. This means that compassion can look fierce or gentle as long as theres a genuine understanding of and caring for whats needed, an intention to be of benefit, and it results in better outcomes. This isnt easy. Lets say you want to provide honest feedback to a coworker who isnt pulling her or his weight on the team. Being brutally honest can be direct and clear, but your coworker may not be able to receive that feedback without being defensive or hurt. Skirting around the issue with vague questions (How do you feel about your performance lately?) or piling on praise while sneaking in some criticism can be confusing and unhelpful. The compassionate response requires having a sense of what your coworker needs to hear, what youre able to give in that moment, and what he or she is able to receive. This becomes easier with training. Research shows that cultivating compassion in addition to competencies such as mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help you better understand whats happening in your own mind and generate a sense of genuine caring and concern for others. When you combine these with communication skills, you can deliver the feedback in a way that is true and kind, as well as more effective. And this works both ways. When you are given the gift of caring and honest feedback, it may not feel good in the moment -- but if it results in you being more effective, this may be an example of compassionate leadership. While compassionate leadership may now be easier to recognize when you apply it or receive it, it can be more difficult to assess when it involves other people. For example, compassionate leadership does not necessarily have to look empathetic. Empathy is defined as sharing what others are feeling, while compassion involves feeling for what others are feeling. In other words, acting with compassion does not require having to share the same suffering. This isnt just a semantic difference -- recent neuroscience research shows that compassion lights up a specific part of the brain (the medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum) that is distinct from the neural circuit for empathy (source). In the study conducted by Tania Singer at the Max Planck Institute, empathy training led to self-reported distress or negative affect, while compassion training resulted in decreased distress and increased positive affect (source). To be sure, if someone is acting extremely harshly then the likelihood that they are being compassionate is probably low. Yet compassionate leadership can sometimes require a firm stance, such as when standing up for injustice or holding someone accountable. Even the Dalai Lama, one of the worlds most powerful advocates of compassion, states that Nothing in the principle of compassion involves surrendering to the misdeeds of others. Far from promoting weakness or passivity, compassion requires great fortitude and strength of character (source). Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, speaks frequently about managing compassionately and often recounts that one of the toughest and most compassionate decisions you can make as a leader is to let someone go. Keeping someone in their role while they are struggling hurts them and others. He says, True compassion requires superhuman strength. (source) Thankfully, were seeing more demand for compassionate leadership. Compassion has the power not only to create safety so that the truth can be told but also gives us the ability to act with strength when its needed. Raising awareness about what compassionate leadership can look like in your organization can help break the being nice myth and lead to more authentic and effective ways of working together. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/laureldonnellan/2019/02/27/do-compassionate-leaders-have-to-present-as-compassionate/ |
Will The Galaxy S10 Lineup Move The Needle For Samsung? | Samsung Electronics unveiled multiple premium handsets at an event held last week, including its flagship Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus, as well as a slightly cheaper device called the S10e alongside a variant of the S10 that works with upcoming 5G networks. While the devices offer an impressive design, upgraded software, and cutting-edge specifications, they come at a time when the global smartphone market has saturated, with mobile phones sales expected to remain flat over the year. In this note, we take a look at what the S10 launch could mean for Samsung. Our interactive dashboard analysis outlines our expectations for Samsung in 2019. You can modify any of our key drivers or forecasts to gauge the impact of changes on Samsungs revenues and earnings, and see all of our data for Technology Companies here. Impressive Hardware, Much-Needed Software Refresh Samsung is offering a lot of choice with this years flagship handsets. The S10 and S10 Plus (starting at $900 and $1000, respectively) are positioned as the mainstream flagship devices, offering ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensors, three rear cameras and a relatively novel hole-punch display cutout for the front cameras. The Galaxy S10e, priced at $750, is a more affordable version of the S10 that has a smaller display and misses a few of the more advanced features of the flagships. Samsung is also looking to capture early demand from the launch of 5G networks, unveiling a 5G version of the S10 that it expects to go on sale in the first half of this year. That said, its unlikely that this device will drive meaningful volumes, as the first mobile 5G deployments in North America are only expected by the end of this year and ubiquitous coverage is still multiple years away. Samsung appears to have made some progress on the software side, with its new One UI software, built on top of Android 9 Pie, which has been well-received by reviewers who have called it a big improvement from the TouchWiz interface built on top of its earlier devices. This is an important step for the company, as the basis of product differentiation in the premium end of the market has been shifting away from hardware to software and services, which have traditionally been a weak link for Samsung. While we still believe that rival devices such as Apples iPhone and Googles Pixel may be better positioned to capitalize on this shift in the long run due to their vast experience, the new software is a positive step forward for Samsung. Many Challenges Remain The broader smartphone market is slowing down, with global shipments posting a 4% year-over-year decline in 2018, falling to 1,498 million units, per Counterpoint Research. This is being driven by increasing smartphone penetration, coupled with lengthening upgrade cycles for existing smartphone users (U.S. users are replacing their phones every 32 months on average, up from 25 months previously, per NPD). Samsung saw the biggest decline of the major vendors last year, with shipments falling 8% as it faced pressure from Chinese players such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who have been gaining market share by offering compelling products at low price points. While these value devices are also based on Googles Android software, much like Samsungs offerings, players such as Huawei have also taken significant strides in terms of hardware which has traditionally been Samsungs forte. To mitigate this impact, Samsung has had to spruce up its low- and mid-range devices. For instance, the company launched a new line of entry-level devices called the Galaxy M in India earlier this month, offering premium design and features such as edge-to-edge displays, wide-angle cameras, and large batteries, at price points starting at just about $130. While its unlikely that these handsets will cannibalize sales of devices like the S10, which brings in much of Samsung mobile margins, the trend of well-specced low- and mid-range devices could eventually hurt Samsung. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/will-the-galaxy-s10-lineup-move-the-needle-for-samsung/ |
Are these the checks Donald Trump gave Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payment? | Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. 1 / 40 Back to Gallery Among the many bombshells presented by Michael Cohen in his Wednesday testimony to Congress, there is an exhibit that points directly to possible criminal conduct by President Donald Trump. Trump's former personal lawyer presented to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform a copy of two checks addressed to him for $35,000. It appears to be signed by Trump; Cohen said the check came directly from the president's personal bank account and was a partial reimbursement for hush-money payments to "cover up" an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. "I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on August 1, 2017 when he was President of the United States pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me the word used by Mr. Trump's TV lawyer for the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf," Cohen testified. "This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year while he was President. "The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme, directed by Mr. Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York." Cohen also presented a similar check dated March 17, 2017. MORE: Michael Cohen's testimony includes three remarkable allegations against Trump Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 while Trump was married to current wife and First Lady Melania Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen says he was instructed by candidate Trump to pay Daniels for her silence. Cohen says he subsequently paid Daniels $130,000; a copy of the wire transfer was also included among Cohen's exhibits Wednesday. Both Daniels and Cohen signed non-disclosure agreements, but the story broke in Jan. 2018 with a Wall Street Journal expos. "Cohen's public testimony directly implicates Trump in serious campaign finance violations," former FEC general counsel Lawrence Noble told the Washington Post. "Assuming Cohen is telling the truth about the purpose of the checks, the checks are documentary evidence supporting the allegation that Trump had Cohen pay Daniels $135,000 in hush money and then reimbursed Cohen." "Cohen's advance of the hush money was an illegal excessive campaign contribution and should have been reported by the campaign," Noble added. "Trump's reimbursement of Cohen was a campaign expenditure which should have also been reported." Both of those actions would constitute a violation of campaign finance law by the president. The president's story regarding the payment has changed over time. He initially denied the affair and the existence of the $130,000 payment. In May 2018, Trump's new personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said on Fox News that the president was aware of the payment and had repaid Cohen. "Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed ... This was not a big crime," Giuliani told The Daily Beast in Dec. 2018. Cohen worked as Trump's fixer for a decade. He was sentenced to three years in prison last year after pleading guilty to bank fraud, tax fraud, campaign finance law violations and lying to Congress. | https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/cohen-testimony-campaign-finance-violation-check-13649011.php |
Whats Sherrod Brown thinking about as he decides whether to run for president? | WASHINGTON, D. C. - Potential 2020 presidential candidate Sherrod Brown told reporters on Wednesday that he still hasnt decided whether he will run for president, but would reveal his decision by the end of March. He said people shouldnt mistake his deliberativeness and reflectiveness on the issue with a lack of passion for my country. Brown said hes taking longer than other candidates to reach a decision because many of those already in the race have planned to run for president for as long as theyve been in the U.S. Senate, and some have planned to do it even before that. Reasons he might not want to run include the the year and a half he would have to campaign around the country, and all the time hed have to spend away from home. It is disruptive, said Brown. It is an earthquake to a family. That is the biggest drawback. | https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/02/whats-sherrod-brown-thinking-about-as-he-decides-whether-to-run-for-president.html |
Will QB Derek Carr be the Oakland Raiders franchise player? | Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is a believer in Derek Carr. Mayock, who was named the Raiders general manager in late December, gave an endorsement to the former Fresno State star who has been with the franchise five seasons. Weve got a young quarterback who we think is a franchise quarterback thats going to be 28 in March, Mayock told reporters Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Were pretty happy with where we are, especially with our backup quarterback who we signed last year in (A.J.) McCarron. We feel like were pretty good at the quarterback position. Carr surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career (and becoming the third QB to do it in Raiders history). His 4,049 ranked 12th in the league. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee He set a career season-best in completions with 381 and broke Peyton Mannings record for most completions through a players first five seasons with 1,750. Carr has started 78 games over his career, completing 1,759 of 2,800 passes for 18,739 yards, second on the all-time franchise list behind Ken Stabler. Carr set a franchise record during the season with 332 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback, Mayock said. I truly believe that. Sure, but I think its really difficult to try to improve over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building right now. What does it mean to be a Raiders star? Mayock described what a Raiders star is. When we talk about a Raiders star, were not talking about a star in a sense of a star in the NFL, he said. Were talking about somebody we think fits what were looking for ideally as an Oakland Raider. Every team has it. Every team has the same philosophy and simply what were looking for is big, fast guys that can run and love the freaking game of football. Theyre professional and love to show up everyday and they give you a full day of work and cant wait to compete on Sunday. Thats what for us a Raiders star is. Importance of draft Mayock said its important for the team to hit on draft picks after going 4-12 in 2018. The Raiders head into the NFL draft with three first-round draft picks two acquired in trades with the Chicago Bears for Khalil Mack and the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper. Those two seventh-round picks are just as important as the three first-round picks, he said.. And the college free agents we sign after that are just as important. Were trying to build a culture and accountability and talent and were trying to do all these different things. We have 10 picks that could be more or less at the end of the day, but we have 10 picks and we value all of them. We need to hit on a high percentage and we have more needs than I can even tell you about right now, which means we have to hit everywhere: free agency, draft and college free agency. | https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article226866549.html |
Will New York Giants pick QB in 2019 NFL Draft or wait for Oregons Justin Herbert, others in 2020? | INDIANAPOLIS The New York Giants were among several teams to scout Justin Herbert multiple times during the 2018 season only to watch the Oregon quarterback return to school for his senior season. The Giants, who have the No. 6 pick in this years NFL Draft, are weighing their long-term plans at the quarterback position. Eli Manning, 38, is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $23.2 million cap number, and the expectation is the club will drafting its next franchise quarterback either this year or next year. Asked how he goes about weighing whether to draft a quarterback this year or wait until next year, when Herbert will be in the draft along with several other highly-touted players, Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who personally attended Oregons game at Utah last season, said you cant worry about the future in making such a draft decision. Its an interesting question I think at the end of the day you cant say to yourself Im going to get him next year, Gettleman said at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. "You have to take you evaluate the Qs and you take the guy when the time is when you believe hes the guy and its at the right spot. Its like I say to myself, I look a the NBA, OK, and everybody says you got to tank, were going to tank, were going to get this great player. What NBA team has tanked and its worked because they think theyre going to get when (the Philadelphia 76ers) win a championship we can have a discussion, but until that happens it hasnt worked OK. So at the end of the day if the right guy is there at the right time, who we think is the right guy, well put the plug. Gettleman has been supportive of Manning and stated the plan remains for the two-time Super Bowl MVP to remain with the franchise, which could bring in more competition at the position via free agency or the draft, or both. He said the narrative has been negative and unfair to Manning, who has spent his entire career with the franchise. Ironically, Herbert said he spoke with Peyton Manning before choosing to return to Oregon for his senior season. Gettleman said he is still in the early stages of evaluating the quarterbacks in this years draft, which most analysts have as thin behind Oklahomas Kyler Murray and Ohio States Dwayne Haskins, and he speaks with former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who traded for Eli Manning during the 2004 draft. What Ernie did for the Giants, Gettleman said, it would be a dream for me to do the same thing. Well know on April 25 whether Gettleman plans to begin his dream scenario this year or wait for Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm. | https://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/2019/02/will-new-york-giants-pick-qb-in-2019-nfl-draft-or-wait-for-oregons-justin-herbert-others-in-2020.html |
How Did AMD Fare In 2018, And How Much Can Its Earnings Grow In 2019? | AMDs (NYSE:AMD) revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. This can be attributed to strong demand for the companys Ryzen processors, which led to a double-digit pricing and volume growth for the Computing & Graphics segment. Enterprise, Embedded & Semi Conductor segment saw low single-digit revenue growth, primarily led by higher EPYC processor sales. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $803 million, led by margin expansion of over 500 basis points. Better pricing, low expense growth, and higher revenues fueled the surge in EBITDA. Looking forward, the company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019, led by continued growth in Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products, along with its new 7nm chips. You can adjust various drivers to see the impact on the companys adjusted earnings and share price estimate. In addition, here is more Information Technology data. Revenues Will Likely Grow In High Single-Digits In 2019 AMDs revenue growth in 2019 will likely be led by a continued ramp up in Ryzen, Radeon, and EPYC products sales. The company of late has seen strong market share gains in desktops, notebooks, and server markets. This can be attributed to the performance of these products at a relatively cheaper price point, when compared to Intels offerings. In terms of features, Ryzen offers 8 cores with 16 threads, while Intels Core i7 9700K does not offer thread doubling. Several reviews, including that for gaming, have placed AMDs Ryzen over Intel, primarily for cost-effectiveness. In GPUs Intel has performed better in the recent quarters. However, the overall GPU market is also impacted by a decline in crypto mining, and the foreign tariffs. In server market, AMDs market share gains have been strong. In fact, it grew from less than 1% toward the end of 2017 to over 3% in 2018. The company expects to gain further market share with its EPYC processors. AMDs EPYC processors are single socket design processors, which can deliver better performance than many dual processor servers, and it costs less when compared to the offerings from Intel. Note that performance and reviews vary from individual product to product. AMD will also ramp up its 7nm chips in 2019, and it will bolster the overall sales growth. However, the contribution from 7nm chips is expected to be much higher in 2020. 7nm chips are AMDs next generation chips, and the company last month unveiled its first 7nm Radeon GPU. It will further expand the 7nm offerings to Ryzen and EPYC products as well. Looking at margins, gross margins improved 440 basis points, while adjusted EBITDA margins were up over 500 basis points in 2018. This can be attributed to better pricing, and controlled expenses. The company expects its adjusted gross margins to improve by another 200 basis points in 2019, led by the mix of its Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products. We currently forecast a 250 basis points improvement in adjusted EBITDA margins, which will translate into EBITDA of a little over $1 billion. The bottom line will likely grow in high forties percent to $0.65 per share on an adjusted basis. Our price estimate of $22 for AMD is based on a 33x forward price to earnings multiple. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/how-did-amd-fare-in-2018-and-how-much-can-its-earnings-grow-in-2019/ |
Is BP Boss Bob Dudley Right About U.S. Shale Market? | Few would disagree there is distress in U.S. shale oil sector, many would vouch for the tenacity of the independents, and almost everyone would agree that the uptick in crude production stateside courtesy shale has visibly altered the market dynamic at least over the short term. But exaggerated rhetoric often awards shale players the status of swing producers, something they do not merit. For in a classic sense, the world's only swing producer is Saudi Arabia, and it remains so, given that its state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco can alter conventional production levels almost at will. On the other hand, U.S. shale exploration is driven by the spirit of private enterprise and ingenuity, which means production cannot be altered at will, not just operationally but also due to its unconventional exploration dynamic. Given that context, BP (LON:BP) Chief Executive Bob Dudley ruffled a few industry feathers by describing the U.S. shale oil sector as a "market without a brain" that quite unlike Saudi Arabia, responds only to market sentiment. Speaking at the International Petroleum Week (IPWeek) in London, Dudley said: "The U.S. is the only country that completely responds to market signals, like a market without a brain. It just responds to price signals. "Unlike Saudi Arabia and Russia, which adjust their output in response to gluts or shortages in oil supplies, the U.S. shale market responds purely to oil prices." The comments came as U.S. production surged to a record high of 12 million barrels per day (bpd), according to latest Energy Information Administration data, and less than a year after Dudley's own company bought shale assets stateside from BHP (LON:BHP) in a mammoth $10.5 billion deal. While BP's deep pockets protect that investment and the oil and gas major is expected to make a better fist of it than BHP by many commentators, problems in the wider U.S. shale industry cannot be masked. According to Rystad Energy's examination of the 33 largest public shale exploration and production (E&P) companies in the U.S. representing 39% of US shale production, most are struggling to please equity investors and reduce debt simultaneously. The Oslo, Norway-headquartered research firm's senior analyst Alisa Lukash says pleasing equity investors and reducing leverage ratios simultaneously is a delicate task. "Despite a significant deleverage last year, estimated 2019 free cash flow barely covers operator obligations, putting E&Ps on thin ice as future dividend payments remain in question." In fact, indebted shale E&Ps spent the second half of 2018 reducing their leverage ratios rather than focusing on dividends. While investor returns are lacking, increases in the Permian and Bakken shale plays have kept crude prices in check, and forced OPEC to tie-up with Russia in its bid to support prices and avert a glut. So in other words Dudley is right in implying that U.S. shale operators are price sensitive buffer producers of the global supply pool. Furthermore, the BP boss added that a $50-70 oil price range can work for consumers and producers alike, and that an oil supply gap is not imminent. That's because investor returns or not, high distress or low level pain, $35-plus crude prices can keep many, especially those with viable U.S. shale acreages, in the game. That game is likely to continue till natural rates of decline pegged in a 5 to 7 year-range kick-in. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2019/02/27/is-bp-boss-bob-dudley-right-about-u-s-shale-market/ |
Is Today's Work Culture Contributing To Our Mental Health Issues? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Sarah Knight, NYT bestselling author of Calm The F**k Down, on Quora: I think the technological advancements that have allowed us to be connected to one another 24/7 across continentsand in more ways than onehave also contributed hugely to the stress levels of the average employee. All day you have people calling and emailing you; but now theres also inter-office Slack channels and DMs and youre checking your personal cell phone in meetings because someone might be texting you info you need, etc. etc. Its crazy-making! So Im sure there are a million other ways in which work culture contributes to anxiety (and other mental illnesses), but for me that was a huge one, and I had to become very focused on extricating myself from it. I did that by taking my phone off the hook for a couple hours a day for respite, by refusing to join conference calls and meetings that didnt have anything to do with my projects, by consciously not looking at emails that came in after dinner, and other ways which eventually led to me quitting the corporate world altogether to work for myself. Self-employment poses its own challenges to mental health, of course, but thats for another post. 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/2019/02/27/is-todays-work-culture-contributing-to-our-mental-health-issues/ |
What Does It Take To Run A Cyber-Security Startup? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Joshua Motta, CEO + Co-founder of Coalition, Inc., on Quora: Running a cyber security startup isnt all that different from running any startup: you need customers, and in order to get them you need to understand and solve their problems. This is far easier said than done, but one device that has helped me greatly is to think about the job to be done, a concept propagated by Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, which posits that people hire products to do things for them. That is to say that when someone buys your product, they are essentially hiring it to get a job done. If your product does the job well, when someone is confronted with the same job, they will hire that same product again. And if your product does a bad job, they will fire it and look around for something else they might hire to solve the problem. If you understand the job to be done, how to build and improve upon your product should become obvious. This is very different than asking customers what they want. Overwhelmingly, they will answer based on how a market exists today. As Henry Ford reputedly said of the automobile industry, If I asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. Said differently, you cant figure out how to solve a problem by looking at how people currently solve that problem. Correlation does not reveal the one thing that matters most in innovationthe causality behind why someone might make a particular decision or purchase a particular solution. That path to causality is to understand the job to be done. And yet you see entrepreneurs that fall into this trap all the time: we make these products and we sell them to these customers with these attributes. They end up completely losing connection with what causes customers to buy their products in the first place! This tells you what you need to integrate and how you have to integrate it in order to provide experiences to get the job done. Delivering experiences is done by having a process that delivers those results. You have to organize your company around processes that get the job done, that provide customers the experiences they need. 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/2019/02/27/what-does-it-take-to-run-a-cyber-security-startup/ |
Is BritBox Doomed Unless It Goes Content Nuclear? | The content wars have well and truly begun as two content heavyweights announce they are close to putting together a "Netflix challenger". The BBC and ITV have announced 'BritBox', featuring original content and old content from both players. A formidable feat but not impossible when you consider multiple content partners are about to whip away a lot of their content from Netflix. It's already a success. The service has been available in the US and Canada for some time, and although no numbers have been made available, it's unlikely either party would move forward if no-one were watching. The move to open it up in the UK may be welcome to some, but ultimately the new content the providers put out will be what makes BritBox sink or swim. BBC Director-General, Tony Hall, said: "I am delighted that the BBC and ITV are working together on something truly special - BritBox. A new streaming service delivering the best home-grown content to the public who love it best. The service will have everything from old favourites to recent shows and brand new commissions. Its an exciting time for the viewing public." More like a confusing and annoying time sifting between products and having content appear and disappear without warning. BritBox only adds more complexity to a messy ecosystem but who knows maybe the pull of Fawlty Towers and Love Island will be enough to lure in consumers. Netflix, Disney+ (launching soon), Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and others are all competition for BritBox. Losing content from two major networks after losing a glut of Disney content this year would be troublesome for Netflix. However, unless the BBC and ITV go nuclear and pull their content from other platforms, it's unlikely to make Netflix and pals sit up and take much note. In essence, this move is just another option for consumers that smells like a more extensive play to control the data that comes with streaming platforms and content distribution. Piracy is seeing an increase, so there's an argument to say we're already there. Despite both being popular brands, BritBox will cause the BBC and ITV to spend large sums of cash and inventory headaches to get people to understand what it is, why they should sign up and use it unless they make it mandatory and simple use it for a big data play. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2019/02/27/is-britbox-doomed-unless-it-goes-content-nuclear/ |
Is it too late to reconsider Ontarios new health care super agency? | In the last few days, we have learned a lot about what the new government has in store for our health system. Having heard the minister of healths remarks on Tuesday, followed by technical briefings provided by the ministry, I am increasingly confused and concerned about the proposed changes. This is the most massive change proposed for health care since medicare was introduced 50 years ago. Given the extent of the change, one would expect the purpose behind the transformation, as well as the desired future state, would be worked out well in advance. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, chats with patients at Bridgepoint Active Healthcare before announcing health care reforms in Toronto on Tuesday. ( Tijana Martin / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) Instead, the change seems to rely on a well figure it out as we go along attitude, which is out of keeping with the extent of this transformation. Lets consider the governments campaign promises for health during the election. Three commitments were made: to solve hallway medicine, to open 15,000 long-term care beds and to increase mental illness services. None of these commitments to enhance capacity required destroying the current system organized around Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). However, the new government insisted that LHINs had failed their role of integrating care around the patient. The LHINs therefore would be eliminated and replaced by two new structures. This is when the concept of radical overhaul of the structure of the system first became apparent, accelerated by leaked draft legislation. Article Continued Below In legislation tabled Tuesday, the government will create a super agency called Health Ontario, which will become the single point of accountability for all health services in the province. Unfortunately, Health Ontario will terminate two outstanding independent agencies, Cancer Care Ontario and Trillium Gift of Life. They will be unlikely to deliver world-leading cancer and transplant care when they become one of many health verticals within the massive super agency. But we have learned from technical briefings that the LHINs will not actually disappear. Because the LHINs co-ordinate home-care services for 750,000 vulnerable Ontarians, the LHINs will stay for at least three years after Health Ontario begins. And the new Health Ontario will actually keep five Legacy LHINs in the super agency forever. So rather than eliminating LHIN administrative costs, the super agency will keep all LHINs intact for several years and then morph our current 14 LHINs into five regional agencies. The super agency will be a net new bureaucratic cost, without any savings from closing LHINs. The super agency is likely to damage cancer care and transplant care, and it is now revealed as a new bureaucratic cost that will require five Legacy LHINs in perpetuity. And then we learn about the low rules environment that will give rise to Ontario Health Teams: 30 to 50 teams will be selected through an iterative process with guidance not from the super agency, but from the ministry. We learned on Tuesday that these teams would be voluntary groupings of hospitals and community providers, who would integrate care locally mainly it seems by improving IT systems and providing navigators to patients transferring across the health system. Again, improving information systems and providing navigation does not require radical change in the system. Article Continued Below Also worrisome is that the ministry also says this transformation will not be completed for several years. In other provinces, the record of super agencies is that they stall all health progress for five or more years while everyone focuses on achieving the structural changes the transformation demands. It seems our ministry is forecasting several years of turgid inertia while Ontario Health and Ontario Health Teams organize their new structures. This feels like the worst of all worlds. Massive new bureaucracy, maintenance of old bureaucracy and a low rules environment where we will design the future of Ontario health systems on the fly. Meanwhile some of the best parts of our system are left to wither on the new transformation vine. Bob Bell worked in Ontario health care for more than 40 years as a GP, surgeon, hospital CEO and Deputy Minister of Health. Follow him on Twitter: @drbobbell | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/02/27/is-it-too-late-to-reconsider-ontarios-new-health-care-super-agency.html |
Is Michael Cohen Channeling John Dean? | That is a question that is bandied about newsrooms and workplaces as viewers tuned in to watch Michael Cohen testify before the House Oversight Committee. Before I answer, let me provide some context. John Dean, who viewers of CNN will know as the slightly gnomish figure with a twinkling smile who appears periodically to comment on the Trump presidency. The reason is that once upon a time, he was the boyish-looking White House counsel to President Richard Nixon. In that role, which is designed not as a personal attorney for the President, but for the White House, he went along with the coverup of the Watergate burglary and other misdeeds. When details of the Watergate coverup became more publicly known in early 1973, led by reporting in the Washington Post and the New York Times, Nixon fired Dean, along with his top aides, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Dean, who had been cooperating with Senate investigators before leaving the White House, was called to testify in public to the Senate Select Committee, chaired by the courtly and witty Senator Sam Irvin of North Carolina. Deans written testimony was 60,000 words, which he was asked to read aloud. (Dean said recently that had he known he would have to read aloud he would have kept it shorter.) His memory for detail was photographic and framed as he was by his wife Maureen, a radiant blonde, seated behind him his testimony was riveting. A true made for television moment. Later that summer, when it was revealed that Nixon had recorded himself and the tapes were released in the summer of 1974, Dean was proven to be telling the truth. Dean did face trial and was sentenced to prison where he served a four-month sentence. Michael Cohen, by contrast, has a New York brashness about him, which served him well in the decade he served as Donald Trumps private attorney and self-described fixer, doing in that role whatever needed doing, legal or otherwise. Cohen never served in the White House. Tough and pugnacious, Cohen thrived in his role as Donald Trumps protector, once saying he would take a bullet for the man. No longer. A much-chastened Cohen has pled guilty to six felonies and is a cooperating witness for investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and separately, the Southern District of New York. Yes, in a way. John Dean testified about actions Richard Nixon and the White House took to protect himself from prosecution for crimes committed as president. Michael Cohen is a cooperating witness is investigations into the Trump Organization and the Trump Presidency. The most courageous act, Coco Chanel quipped, is still to think for yourself. Aloud. And that is something both Dean and Cohen have done. But no, in a bigger way. The greatest difference between then and now is our political climate. Before Deans testimony, most voters were willing to give Nixon the benefit of the doubt about Watergate. In fact, until the Watergate hearings, it was not a major issue outside of Washington. Remember Nixon had been re-elected in a landslide in November 1972, a mere five months after the burglary. Deans testimony was devastating to Nixons credibility, but it was not until the following summer that he resigned because the tapes proved he had been lying. Today with 24/7 cable news and torrents of online media coverage, people already know a great deal about Cohen as well as President Trump. Trumps supporters know that he is a flawed man, but they like what he represents and so whatever Cohen is not likely to alter their opinion of him. It will fall to the Justice Department and Congress to determine the Presidents immediate fate. In 2020 voters will have the opportunity to decide on Trumps re-election, but by then Michael Cohen will be in prison and in all likelihood his testimony will not be a factor in the presidents chances for reelection. There may be one additional parallel. Deans book about his role in Watergate, Blind Ambition, was turned into a TV mini-series. Martin Sheen played him. Let the guessing game begin. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2019/02/27/is-michael-cohen-channeling-john-dean/ |
What Would Be The Downside To 3M's Share Price If Industrial Revenues Remain Flat Till FY 2021? | 3M (NYSE: MMM) declared its results on January 29, 2018 and beat consensus estimates. The company posted revenue of $32.77 billion, up 3.5% year on year and GAAP EPS was at $8.89, up 12.1% YOY. Out of the 3.5% revenue growth, 3.2% was due to organic growth, 0.1% was attributed to acquisitions (net of divestitures), and 0.2% was attributed to foreign currency translation. We expect the company to continue this growth momentum for the Fiscal Year 2019 with revenue to increase by approximately 3.6% YOY and EPS by approximately 18.5% YOY. We maintain our $204 price estimate for the company. In our interactive dashboard How Will 3Ms Revenue And Valuation Change If Industrial Revenues Remain Flat Till FY 2021, we provide a scenario in which we estimate 3Ms price in a situation where due to a global slowdown the industrial revenues remain at 2018 levels till the year 2021. In addition, here is more Industrials data. The Industrials segment of the company serves markets like automotive original equipment manufacturer, automotive aftermarket, electronics and automotive electrification, food and beverage, appliance, paper and printing, packaging, and construction. The company has several products in the segment like tapes abrasives, adhesives, advanced ceramics, sealants, specialty materials, purification, closure systems for personal hygiene products, acoustic systems products, and components and products that are used in the manufacture, repair, and maintenance of automotive, marine, aircraft, and specialty vehicles. The industrial segment is spread out globally. Currently the global situation is a bit sensitive with the continued trade war between US and China, upcoming Brexit, tensions between India and Pakistan, which will also include China. All these political factors can contribute to a near term slowdown in the global economy. As 3M is a very diversified company, a slowdown in a specific geographic area would not affect the company substantially, but a global slowdown might. So, in this scenario we will ascertain the effect on 3Ms revenue and valuation if the revenues from the industrial segment remains flat till the year 2021 due to a global slowdown. In the case if the revenue continues to remain at $11.36 billion till FY 2021, we estimate a 3% downside in the share price at the same P/E multiple and Net Income margin. The total revenue for FY 2021 would decrease from the estimated $35.92 billion to $34.85 billion. The Industrial segment is the highest revenue contributing segment for 3M, but it is expected to have moderate growth in the near term, and thus the growth remaining flat is not substantially affecting the share price. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/what-would-be-the-downside-to-3ms-share-price-if-industrial-revenues-remain-flat-till-fy-2021/ |
What legal risks does Cohen's testimony pose to Trump? | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Testimony by Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former lawyer and fixer, to a U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday highlighted several legal risks Trump may face. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a healthcare roundtable in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Among his claims, Cohen said the Republican president reimbursed him for making hush money payments to two women ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and that Trump knew in advance that the Wikileaks website planned to release hacked emails damaging to his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. The U.S. Justice Department for decades has held the position that a sitting president cannot face criminal charges, though some lawyers disagree with that conclusion. Under the U.S. Constitution, a president can be impeached by Congress for high crimes and misdemeanors and removed from office. Trump also could face criminal charges after leaving office. Trump and his supporters have called Cohen a liar trying to reduce his prison time after pleading guilty to a series of federal criminal charges. Here is a look at some of Cohens statements and whether they may implicate Trump in criminal conduct. HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS Cohens testimony and a check he provided to the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform that he said was personally signed by Trump potentially could be used by prosecutors to build a campaign finance law violation case against the president, legal experts said. Cohen said Trump directed him to make a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the election to cover up what she has called a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied the relationship and said the payment was made to stop her false and extortionist accusations. Cohen gave the committee a copy of two $35,000 checks issued in 2017, one that Cohen said was signed by Trump and the other signed by his son Donald Trump Jr. to reimburse Cohen for paying off Daniels. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance law violations for his role in orchestrating the secret hush money payments to Daniels and a second woman who also said she had a sexual relationship with Trump. Under federal law, individual campaign contributions cannot exceed $2,700 per election and must be disclosed. Contributions are defined as payments intended to influence the election. Trumps lawyers have said the payment was not a campaign contribution because it was made to protect Trumps reputation, not to influence the election. MOSCOW TRUMP TOWER David Sklansky, a former federal prosecutor, said prosecutors potentially could use Cohens testimony to build a criminal conspiracy case against Trump regarding false testimony to Congress concerning a Moscow real estate deal that was long discussed but never actually materialized. Cohen testified that, during the 2016 campaign, Trump made clear to him that Cohen should lie and say negotiations to build a Trump tower in Moscow ended before the state-by-state Republican primaries began when actually the talks continued for months after that. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to lying to Congress in a 2017 statement in which he had said the talks ended in January 2016 instead of June 2016. Cohen said Trump did not explicitly direct him to lie but looked him in the eye and relayed the false version of events. In his way, he was telling me to lie, Cohen said, adding that Trumps personal lawyers reviewed and edited my statement to Congress. It is a federal crime to knowingly and willfully give false statements to Congress. It is also illegal to conspire with someone to provide false testimony. He is saying Trump made clear you should lie, and this is the story you should tell - not in as many words, but in a manner that was clear to both of them, Sklansky said. HACKED DEMOCRATIC EMAILS If Trump knew about and endorsed Russian efforts to hack Democratic National Committee emails embarrassing to Clinton that later were released by the Wikileaks website, this could be used by prosecutors to build a conspiracy case against the president, legal experts said. Trump could also face liability under election laws if he solicited help from a foreign power, they said. Cohen said Trump knew from his longtime adviser Roger Stone there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clintons campaign ahead of the election. U.S. intelligence agencies have said the emails were stolen as part of Russias campaign of hacking and propaganda aimed at sowing discord in the United States and boosting Trumps candidacy. Russia has denied it. Trump has denied collusion. Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that Stone lied to Congress about his knowledge of plans by Wikileaks to release the hacked emails. TRUMP TOWER MEETING Prosecutors could look at whether Trump violated federal election laws by soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national in relation to a June 2016 meeting between senior members of his campaign including his son Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer. Cohen said he witnessed Trumps son tell his father in a low voice, The meeting is all set. Cohen said he suspected this was in reference to the meeting with a group of Russians who had offered dirt about Clinton. Trump has denied knowing about the meeting in advance but has defended it as a totally legal effort to gain a campaign edge. Under U.S. election law, presidential campaigns cannot accept or even solicit campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Opposition research on Clinton would qualify as a contribution, said Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. If he said, Take that meeting, I want dirt on Hillary, I think that could give rise to a federal election law violation, Levinson said of the president. WEALTH AND TAX CLAIMS Trump potentially could face tax fraud charges related to deflating assets to lower his taxes - depending on the steps taken, legal experts said. Cohen testified Trump inflated his assets when it served him, including to the magazine Forbes, which tracks the wealth of the richest people in the United States and the world, and deflated his assets to lower his real estate taxes. It is not a crime to lie to Forbes or the general public. Cohen said Trump inflated his assets to obtain a loan from Deutsche Bank. If true, this could violate federal law that bars lying on loan applications. THE TRUMP FOUNDATION Prosecutors could look into whether Trumps charitable foundation committed fraud related to the auctioning of a portrait of him. Slideshow (2 Images) Cohen accused Trump of directing the Donald J. Trump Foundation to reimburse $60,000 paid by a straw bidder to acquire the portrait. Trump kept it for himself, Cohen said. The New York Attorney Generals office has said the foundations use of funds for non-charitable purposes violates a number of state laws. The office sued Trump and his adult children last June alleging mismanagement of the foundation and misuse of its funds for political and personal purposes. The foundation agreed in December to dissolve in a partial settlement of the state lawsuit. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has left the door open to eventual criminal charges. | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cohen-explainer/what-legal-risks-does-cohens-testimony-pose-to-trump-idUSKCN1QG2V6?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews |
Will terrorism continue to decline in 2019? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Gary LaFree, University of Maryland (THE CONVERSATION) Lost in the headlines, rapidly accelerating news cycles and the pervasive fear generated by terrorist threats is the fact that terrorist attacks worldwide have actually been declining in some areas substantially. Terrorism researchers like me have long noted that the number of terrorist attacks rises andfalls in waves generally lasting several decades. Im the founding director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, and one of the original creators of the Global Terrorism Database. My colleagues Laura Dugan, Erin Miller and I define terrorism as the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by non-state actors to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion or intimidation. The database shows that the world has been gripped by a wave of terrorist attacks that began shortly after the 9/11 attacks. My research using the START database shows the extent of this spike. From 2002 through 2014, worldwide terrorist attacks increased by 12 times and terrorist fatalities increased by more than eight times. Especially hard hit were Iraq and Afghanistan in the Middle East, India and Pakistan in South Asia, and Nigeria in sub-Saharan Africa. The most active terrorist organizations driving this worldwide boom were the Taliban, Al-Shabaab, the Islamic State Group (also known as IS), the Communist Party of IndiaMaoist and Boko Haram. But since 2014, the picture has changed dramatically a development that has gone largely unreported in the media. Lets examine that change. A downward trend In 2015 total terrorist attacks decreased by 11.5 percent and total terrorism-related deaths by 12.7 percent. In 2016, we saw a further 9.2 percent decrease in attacks and 10.2 percent decline in total terrorism-related deaths. The downward trend continued in 2017, the most recent data available, with a 19.8 percent drop in attacks and a 24.2 percent decline in fatalities. Taken together, these 36 months have witnessed the single largest three-year decline in attacks and fatalities since the Global Terrorism Database began in 1970 nearly a half century ago. The recent declines are geographically dispersed. In the peak year of 2014, five countries Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Somalia accounted for 57.2 percent of the worlds total terrorist attacks and more than half of the worldwide terrorism-related fatalities. By the end of 2017, all five of these countries had experienced sizable declines in attacks. Three of these countries also experienced a dramatic decline in fatalities: a 53.6 percent drop in Iraq, a 55.4 percent drop in Pakistan, and a 97.1 percent drop in Ukraine. The violence in Ukraine was concentrated in 2014 and 2015 and associated with the rapid rise of the Euromaidan revolution and culminated in the overthrow of the Russian-backed Ukrainian president. During the same period, fatalities increased by 12.5 percent in Afghanistan and 203 percent in Somalia, but these increases werent big enough to offset the declines in Iraq, Pakistan and Ukraine. Major groups less active Attacks and fatalities claimed by the worlds most active and dangerous terrorist organizations have also declined during the last three years. In 2014, the five most active terrorist organizations in the world were the Islamic State Group, or IS, the Taliban, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and the Donetsk Peoples Republic a separatist organization operating in Ukraine and receiving military backing from Russia. By the end of 2017, attacks by the Taliban, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and the Donetsk Peoples Republic had all declined. Total attacks by IS decreased by 2.2 percent from 2014 to 2015 but then increased by 7.7 percent from 2015 to 2017. In Western Europe and the United States, total terrorist attacks are down sharply from the 1970s. In 2017, Western Europe accounted for only 2.7 percent of worldwide attacks and the United States for less than 1 percent of attacks. That may seem surprising given the amount of media attention generated by a small number of high profile attacks. In 2015, attacks in Paris took the lives of 130 and injured another 400. In 2016, Western Europe experienced a series of mass casualty attacks carried out by IS and its affiliates in Nice, Brussels and Berlin. While the total number of attacks in the United States remains extremely low, the public was shocked in 2015 by the 14 victims of the attack by Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik in San Bernardino, California, and the nine people killed by Dylann Roofs attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2016, Americans witnessed the 49 deaths linked to the assault carried out by Omar Mateen in Orlando, Florida. And in 2017, Americans learned of the eight deaths in New York City linked to Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov who claimed an affiliation with IS. Some hotspots remain Terrorist attacks and fatalities are not declining everywhere and every year. The START database shows that in 2017, attacks and fatalities increased in India, the Philippines and Nepal. In 2016, attacks and fatalities increased in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Turkey. And in 2015 attacks and fatalities increased in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. Also, while worldwide attacks have declined, a large number of countries are still being targeted. Thus, while terrorist attacks took place in a total of 100 countries in 2014, total countries experiencing attacks was 99 in 2015, 108 in 2016 and 100 in 2017. Countries only experiencing attacks in 2016 included Kazkhstan, Panama and Switzerland. This effect was especially apparent with IS and its affiliates, which claimed fewer attacks and deaths in 2017 but at the same time carried out attacks in a larger number of different countries. Not all reasons for declines in terrorist attacks are positive. For example, an argument can be made that terrorist attacks have declined in Afghanistan in part because the Taliban in recent years has been so successful in taking back control of the country. A similar outcome but with the regime rather than the terrorist perpetrators gaining control of the situation no doubt explains declining terrorist attacks and fatalities in Syria. While we have observed major declines in terrorist attacks and fatalities from 2015 to 2017, both attacks and fatalities remain at historically high levels. The number of attacks in 2017 is 27.9 percent higher than in 2012, and deaths 70.6 percent higher. Even more strikingly, attacks were more than twice as common in 2017 as they were during 1992 the peak year for an earlier wave. One thing is certain: The number of terrorist attacks in a particular region of the world as a whole will eventually peak and then decline. It seems logical to conclude that the chaos and disorder that follow in the wake of terrorist attacks provide strong incentives for societies to adopt strategies for countering them. Few individuals or communities prefer living endlessly in chaos and violence. We can only hope that we have reached that tipping point in 2019. At the same time, we must humbly admit that prediction is the most precarious task of the social sciences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/will-terrorism-continue-to-decline-in-2019-104466. | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Will-terrorism-continue-to-decline-worldwide-in-13648395.php |
Why is it so hard to guard James Harden? | CLOSE What I'm Hearing: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt has been talking with people across the league to see if the NBA will reduce its age limit. USA TODAY Sports The opponent: Houston. The defensive assignment for the game: James Harden. The outcome: Usually the same. Limiting Harden's prodigious offensive output is the biggest defensive challenge in the NBA today. He is a gifted scorer, outstanding passer, creative shot-maker and playmaker, master of the stepback 3-pointer and a great finisher at the rim. He also is unorthodox with his moves and adept at maximizing the rules to his benefit, especially drawing fouls. Well, its not very fun, Golden States Klay Thompson said of the challenge. Youre in a lose, lose, lose situation with him, Washingtons Bradley Beal said. Houston Rockets guard James Harden. (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports) At 36.3 points per game in 2018-19, Harden has the seventh-best single-season scoring average in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more. Hes doing things Jordan and Kobe Bryant never did and rivaling what Chamberlain did. Hardens streak of 32 consecutive games with at least 30 points, which ended Monday, is second to Chamberlain. He leads the league with 42 30-point games and 22 40-point games. He has a 50-point triple-double this season and three more triple-doubles with at least 40 points. For Paul George, who is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, it is a paradox. The very thing necessary to defend him is the very thing you cant do. The difficulty is guarding him without fouling. He gets a lot of foul calls," George said. "Its hard to bring physicality and be a defender in this league when hes so good at drawing those fouls. Try to be physical and guard him without fouling. Which is hard. The same reason its tough to guard him is the same reason how you have to guard him. Houston Rockets guard James Harden handles the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George defends. (Photo: Erik Williams, USA TODAY Sports) Be physical. And dont, under any circumstance, put him on the foul line. If you foul him, hes going to make his free throws, Beal said. Those are the difficult keys to defending Harden, who is physical himself and can absorb and initiate contact and shoots 11.5 free throws per game, making 87.1 percent. You have to guard him differently because of how hes officiated and how talented a player he is, Los Angeles Laker Kyle Kuzma said. Its really unorthodox defending him. In a Lakers-Rockets game earlier this season, the Lakers used unorthodox methods to defend Harden. Josh Hart held his hands behind his back while guarding Harden to show referees he wasnt using his hands. Josh Hart putting his hands behind his back when defending James Harden pic.twitter.com/uLsgqdFEJ0 Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 20, 2019 For us, we went to the extreme, putting our hands behind our backs like they were tied, but hes a tough guard, Kuzma said. Not only is guarding Harden difficult, so is officiating him. He has a penchant for putting defenders in compromising positions and has tricks up his sleeve to draw fouls. It requires a discerning whistle to officiate Harden. Playing in the Eastern Conference, Beal has to face Harden just twice a season. As many tough shots as hes going to make, sometimes you just have to pat him on the butt and keep moving, Beal said. Be physical, but not too physical. Dont give him too much space, but dont crowd him either. Its beneficial to have strong help defense from a big man at the rim and to be able to double-team and get the ball out of his hands. You really cant get close to him because hes quick enough and strong enough to get by you, Washingtons Trevor Ariza said. You cant give him too much space because he can shoot. Theres no secret. You just have to do what you can and live (with) the results. Earlier this season, the Milwaukee Bucks tried to force Harden to his right as much as possible, sometimes giving Harden an easy drive to the basket but cutting off some of his passing lanes. You decide. Harden scored 42 points on 13-for-30 shooting, including 6-for-16 on 3-pointers, and 10-for-11 on foul shots. The Bucks won 116-109. "You have to stay disciplined from the start of the game to the end of the game, from the start of the possession to the end of the possession. Its an incredible discipline, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Its like whatever your favorite dessert is, youve just got to stay away from it. You cant have it. I think, also, just the technique of showing your hands, constantly letting the referees and everybody know that youre not reaching, youre not grabbing, youre not holding. Much harder to do than to just talk about it. Houston Rockets guard James Harden dribbles the ball as Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill defends. (Photo: Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports) Perhaps Ariza is the best player to ask. He has played with and against Harden. When they were teammates in Houston for four seasons, Ariza laughed to himself watching opponents try to defend him. They often played one-on-one before or after practice. I understand his game a little bit, Ariza said. I wouldnt call it an advantage, Ariza said. I would say that I understand whats coming. Whether I can stop him, you never know. But I do understand his game. Understanding his game is one thing. Stopping it is another. Contributing: Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/02/27/how-to-defend-houston-rockets-star-james-harden/3002687002/ |
What will cut through media noise with Cohen testimony? | NEW YORK (AP) To a nation watching on television, Michael Cohens congressional testimony on Wednesday was less about the goods he has on former client Donald Trump than it was a question of who to believe. Cohen bluntly described the president as a racist, con man and a cheat in his opening statement. Yet since it was surrounded by hours of congressional Republicans and allies in the media denigrating Cohens character, the question is whether that testimony will resonate or be lost in the noise. It was treated with importance by the nations media. Broadcast television networks broke away from regular programming to show the testimony, along with the news networks, even as Trump was in Vietnam for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Im not sure how many minds its going to change, said Fox News Chris Wallace after a break in Cohens testimony. Trump loyalists are not likely to take seriously the words of a man soon headed for three years in prison for crimes committed during his role as the presidents fixer, paying two women to keep quiet about their charges of an affair. Trump has denied the allegations. If you dont like Donald Trump, this is catnip, Wallace said. Congressional Republicans sought to undermine the hearing from its outset, with Cohen sitting silent as they fruitlessly argued for an adjournment because they didnt get a copy of his testimony far enough in advance. Then, during questioning that alternated Democratic and GOP members, the Republicans suggested he was a disgruntled job-seeker who wanted to work in the White House and that his criminal acts made him a worthless witness. They picked apart financial forms to suggest improper actions and questioned him on whether hed profit from his association with a future book deal. All the Republicans want to do is impeach and dirty up Michael Cohen, whos dirtied himself up just fine, journalist David Cay Johnston said on MSNBC. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and Trump supporter who was working as an ABC News analyst on Wednesday, suggested the presidents supporters in Congress hadnt done well in coordinating their message with the White House. In their zeal to denigrate Cohen, they were doing little to address the substance of Cohens testimony. Hes sitting in Vietnam right now fuming that no one is defending him, Christie said. In one memorable moment, Cohen himself exhibited frustration at GOP cross-examination, saying they were doing what he did for 10 years as a lawyer protect Donald Trump. People who follow Trump, as I did blindly, are going to suffer the same consequences that I suffered, he said. CNN brought John Dean in as a commentator with a unique viewpoint that viewers of an older generation could appreciate. Dean was a White House lawyer whose congressional testimony about the Watergate scandal was particularly damaging to President Richard Nixon. Dean said he felt Cohen was an effective witness who was damaging Trump. People can judge for themselves, Dean said. He regrets having lied, hes telling the truth now and the truth hurts. The cable news networks showed different judgment in their importance of the hearing in the hours leading up to it. In the five hours leading up to Cohens testimony, CNN spent three and a half of them discussing that story and 37 minutes on Trumps summit in Vietnam, according to the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America. MSNBC spent two and a half hours on Cohen. Fox News Channel devoted 56 minutes to the Cohen story and one hour, 46 minutes on the presidents meeting with North Koreas leader, Media Matters said. In the hour before Cohen appeared, Fox News anchor Bill Hammer described the former lawyers upcoming testimony as highly defamatory and wondered why the hearing was being held on the same day as an important international event. During Cohens testimony, at the time he was calling Trump a con man, a chyron on the side of Foxs screen listed the specific criminal counts to which he had plead guilty. Cohens testimony is an effort to humiliate the president at a time when he needs to be totally focused on developing a relationship with Kim and coming to some agreement on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin said on Fox. I think this is scandalous, quite frankly. ___ AP Television Writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this report. | https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/what-will-cut-through-media-noise-with-cohen-testimony/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
What Has Been Accomplished Since The First Trump-Kim Summit? | RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: So while Michael Cohen is on Capitol Hill making these extraordinary allegations against President Trump, the president himself is in Vietnam, where he's meeting with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. This is their second summit meeting. The first was last June, where the two made history by meeting face to face in Singapore. Shortly after that, President Trump tweeted, there is no nuclear threat from North Korea. His own secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, says that's not true. We're going to examine what has and has not transpired since the Singapore summit with journalist and Korea expert Jean Lee of the Wilson Center. She's in our studios in Washington. Thanks for coming in, Jean. JEAN LEE: Great to be here. MARTIN: So there was a lot of pomp, a lot of circumstance in Singapore, a lot of rhetoric about what was achieved. LEE: We had a very vague and very brief statement from Singapore - four points. And so what we absolutely need to see now is an expansion on those four points and a very detailed look or path toward denuclearization. That is what we didn't have last time in Singapore. We absolutely need to have that this time for this to be a success. - that this summit is not just starting from ground zero, that they are building on something that happened in Singapore. LEE: It's very promising that the two negotiating teams - the North Koreans and the Americans - have been on the ground for a number of days, working very hard to hash this out. I think those were very tough negotiations. The North Koreans are going to be extremely stingy about what they give up in return for - they're going to be pushing hard for U.S. concessions. We have to keep in mind that Kim Jong Un poured his country's meager resources into this nuclear program precisely to get him to this point, to this table with President Trump. He's not going to give it up easily. He's going to barter it away piece by piece, little by little, in exchange for as much as he can. MARTIN: So piece by piece - I mean, last year, Kim did partially dismantle one nuclear test site and another missile launch site. LEE: I would say those were largely cosmetic. And until we can get international inspectors in there to verify that, frankly, they shouldn't count. And so what they absolutely need to do is to get more concrete measures and inspection as part of this discussion and agreement. And I do think we should expect the North Koreans to be trying to give up as little as they can. MARTIN: Right. LEE: This is a negotiation. LEE: They've had international inspectors in North Korea in the past. It's been about a decade since we've had them there. He's going to be very resistant. We have to remember that the six-party talks, which broke up about a decade ago, broke up over this issue of verification. The North Koreans are very sensitive to having international inspections. And so that will be a sticking point. But it is something that they can do. The North - I would like to see the North Koreans do that. LEE: It's an interesting calculation on the part of Donald Trump. It is true, in my own negotiations with the North Koreans, that they respond to that top level of leadership. However, what we're doing is giving Kim Jong Un this incredible, international platform. It is giving him so much legitimacy. And with all this fanfare, we tend to forget that he is the leader of one of the most repressive countries in the world. And so we have to keep all of that in mind. It is a huge propaganda bonus for Kim at home. And we have to remember that President Trump wants a distraction from his problems at home. But we - he has to make sure he doesn't give away too much too soon just in the name of this big dramatic moment 'cause every concession is going to be chipping away at the United States' presence in the region, its authority in the region and could, perhaps, put the region in a more vulnerable position if they give away too much. MARTIN: Jean Lee, she is the director of the Korea Center at the Woodrow Wilson International Center here in D.C. Jean, thank you so much. We appreciate it. LEE: Thanks for having me. (SOUNDBITE OF HIDDEN ORCHESTRA SONG, "ALYTH (NUAGE REMIX)") Copyright 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. | https://www.npr.org/2019/02/27/698474323/what-has-been-accomplished-since-the-first-trump-kim-summit?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=analysis |
What If They Subscribed To A Cloud Service, And Nobody Used It? | One of the beauties of the cloud computing movement is that it opens up options and choices for consumers and businesses. A typical enterprise may draw resources that are most cost-effective and provide the most pertinent features -- whether they be within its own data center or provided by a cloud service. The average enterprise, in fact, now taps into five clouds, and 84 percent of companies now have a multi-cloud strategy. These are some of the takeaways from a survey of 786 technology professionals, reported in the eight annual RightScale State of the Cloud Report, released by Flexera, which acquired RightScale in September 2018. The survey finds organizations leverage almost five clouds on average: Respondents are already running applications in a combination of 3.4 public and private clouds, and experimenting with 1.5 more. In addition, companies run a majority of workloads in cloud. Respondents overall run 38 percent of workloads in public cloud and 41 percent in private cloud (which may include cloud-enabled virtual environments). Of course, all this cloud activity has a downside -- unexpected runaway costs and sticker shock. The monthly bill may seem reasonable at first, but as adoption grows, and more data moves through cloud services, the size of the monthly bill balloons. And services are underused, or people lose track of what services are being used. That's part of the reason so much money is pouring into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure -- these two companies alone are hauling in $50 billion a year. The challenge: many cloud services are being purchased, often from within the business, and then not even used. Cloud users are not doing all they can to optimize these costs, and underestimate the amount of wasted cloud spend. Respondents estimate 27 percent waste in 2019, while the survey authors measured actual waste at 35 percent. That's why cloud cost optimization has been the top initiative for the past three years, increasing to 64 percent from 58 percent in 2018. Nevertheless, the survey also shows enterprise cloud spend continues to skyrocket. Enterprises plan to spend 24 percent more on public cloud in 2019 vs. 2018. Thirteen percent spend more than $12 million a year on public clouds, while 50 percent spend more than $1.2 million annually. Managing software licenses in the public cloud is also a part of this equation, of course. Understanding the cost implications of licensed software running in the cloud is also a key challenge (52 percent). Other challenges include understanding the complexity of license rules in public cloud (42 percent), and ensuring that they are following the rules (41 percent). Astute governance needs to prevail; and there needs to be more centralized methods of tracking cloud service adoption to avoid duplication and overlap. Only a minority of companies, 35 percent, have implemented automated policies to help address this issue, such as shutting down unused workloads or rightsizing instances, the survey's authors report. In addition, cloud users are not fully leveraging the various cloud provider discounting options. Among AWS users, for instance, only 47 percent use AWS Reserved Instances, while Microsoft Azure users leverage Reserved Instances only 23 percent of the time. There are steps being taken to gain an enterprise view of what services are being used, and which are being wasted. Two-thirds of respondents, for example, report they have a central cloud team or cloud center of excellence, with another 21 percent planning one. Among small to medium-size businesses, however, only 31 percent have a central cloud team. In enterprises, the top responsibilities of central IT are managing and optimizing cloud services costs (68 percent), deciding or advising on which applications to run in which clouds (62 percent), and setting policies for cloud use (59 percent). "Most of the responsibility for governing and optimizing cloud costs is falling on the central cloud team and the infrastructure and operations team, while business units frequently own the cloud budget," the survey's authors report. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2019/02/27/what-if-they-subscribed-to-a-cloud-service-and-nobody-used-it/ |
Was 'The Favourite' Overlooked At The Oscars For Being Too Female? | The 91st Academy Awards is being praised for its diversity, and rightfully so the show had more women than ever taking home statues, and African-American women won in Oscars in two different categories (production design and costume design) for the first time in history. Still, as the Women's Media Center points out, it wasn't a completely banner year for women, who are still extremely underrepresented in both the industry and in the nominations, especially regarding non-acting categories. Aside from the gender imbalance that exist when it comes to nominated directors, editors, and cinematographers, it was hard to ignore that the female-dominated The Favourite was passed over repeatedly throughout the night. The film was up for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, but snagged just one. Women nominees are down from 2018 for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Animated Feature. No changes for Adapted Screenplay, Documentary Short, Original Score, and Original Song. #Oscars2019 https://t.co/NgBiFE3pi1 pic.twitter.com/gBhklkrTuc Women's Media Center (@womensmediacntr) February 24, 2019 While the competition was tough in every category, and The Favourite certainly didn't deserve to sweep, the snub was especially painful when Favourite writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara lost to the three-man team of Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly that wrote Green Book. The comparison between the writing of the two films seems objectively stark: The Favourite's sharp, creative, hilarious, novel, and slightly fantastical story and dialogue up against Green Book's uninspired and almost offensively instructive writing seemed unfair. And yet Green Book took the Oscar, not only for that, but for Best Picture. There are tons of theories about why Green Book fared so well on the biggest night for Hollywood, even when it wasn't celebrated either by critics or by audiences as much as some of the other choices (worthy among them, just to name two others: Roma and BlacKkKlansman). But we should also talk about why The Favourite didn't win instead, despite its merits. First and foremost: you have to reach pretty far back in history to find a Best Picture winner that's primarily also a female narrative, and even farther to find one that doesn't center on male-female romance, and even farther to find one that takes place in a female sphere. The Shape of Water from 2017 had a female lead, though it was centered on a romance (and also let's note that the main character, played by Sally Hawkins, was mute and literally didn't have a voice). Before that, we have 2004's Million Dollar Baby, which places a woman in a traditional boxing story: a world understood and respected by men. Stories that do have a female lead and, more importantly, a female narrative, sometimes get nominated, but don't ultimately get picked see Lady Bird, Hidden Figures, and Mad Max: Fury Road, just from the last three years. Well, maybe. As Lili Loofbourow writes in her excellent Virginia Quarterly Review essay, "The Male Glance," we have, for hundreds of years, been trivializing female narratives and dismissing them as fluff and junk not serious, not interesting, and not experimental. She writes: "Generations of forgetting to zoom into female experience arent easily shrugged off, however noble our intentions, and the upshot is that we still dont expect female texts to have universal things to say. We imagine them as small and careful, or petty and domestic, or vain, or sassy, or confessional. We might expect them to be sentimental or melodramatic, or evenin the days of Transparent and I Love Dick and Girlsprovocative, unflattering, and exhibitionist. But we dont expect them to be experimental, and we dont expect them to be great. We have not yet learned to see within female ugliness the possibility of transcendent art the way we do its male counterpart." It's a strong point and if you don't believe it, perhaps it's time to wonder how in 1991 Thelma and Louise was nominated for six of the biggest Oscars of the night, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, but not for Best Picture. But let's return to The Favourite. It's the story of a queer love triangle between three women who also happen to be vying for power, both personal and political. Besides being brilliantly acted, directed, and written, it's funny, sad, thoughtful, dramatic, smart, weird, and experimental. They are in the background, wearing heels and covered in makeup, at the mercy of the queen and her strategist lovers. They are, for once, almost completely removed from the mechanisms of the story and the care of the main characters (and therefore, the care of the audience). It's hard to wonder if that also removed the movie from having a fair chance at being chosen as the best film (or even original screenplay) of the year. Of course, The Favourite did win one award at the Oscars: Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her stellar portrayal of Queen Anne. It's one of two categories along with, you guessed it, Best Supporting Actress where the Academy consistently lets brilliant women and women's narratives shine. Because they're the only ones who are allowed to be nominated. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahaswell/2019/02/27/was-the-favourite-overlooked-at-the-oscars-for-being-too-female/ |
Are the early states still special? | Sign up here. The best argument for Americas odd presidential primary election system is that it forces candidates to interact with voters in a handful of states and pass the test under intense scrutiny. This advantage is tied to the other good argument for our four February contests: By starting small and then scaling up into Super Tuesday in March, dark horse or insurgent candidates have a chance to compete without the need for prohibitively large advertising and staff budgets. Part of this thinking is also about diversity. Iowa caucus goers are looking for one thing, New Hampshire voters are looking for another while South Carolinians and Nevadans want different things still. The interests, demographics and hyper-local issues dont allow candidates to retreat into gauzy platitudes the way they do in general elections or multi-state primary days. Theres something wholesome about forcing those who seek the most powerful office in the world to contend with ranch-loving Iowa college students, sleepy New Hampshireites, crusty kingmakers in South Carolina and union bosses in Nevada. We acknowledge, though, that theres another side to the argument. But we still think that while it sounds more fair to let voters all jump in the pool at once, its still better to let the campaigns evolve over time, even if it means giving outsized influence to the peculiar considerations of voters in four small-to-medium-sized states. Weve watched over the past decade as local politics is increasingly washed away by a loud, angry, vapid nationalized version. The old axiom of former House Speaker Tip ONeill that all politics is local no longer applies. In the era of social media, weak local news outlets and strong national narratives, local issues and personalities often end up getting steamrolled. Its not unreasonable to think thats whats happening in the February primary states as well. Neither partys 2016 nominees did the kind of state-specific campaigning their predecessors had done. Both were super-famous national figures and both relied on essentially the same message throughout. The Democrat ran mostly on gender and the Republican mostly ran on the pitch that he could reverse national decline. But they didnt hang out in many Iowa coffee shops or New Hampshire living rooms. They didnt sit through dozens of town halls as picky voters looked them over. Its still far too early to say whether this time around will be different. Theres no prohibitive frontrunner on the Democratic side and, other than a former vice president and the 2016 runner up, no candidates with the universal name identification that would allow for the same high-altitude bombing approach. But theres also no guarantee that the early states will revert to form and fulfill their special role in our system of taking the full measure of the candidates before they become celebrities. THE RULEBOOK: WITHOUT TRUST, THERES NOTHING The delicacy and magnitude of a trust which so deeply concerns the political reputation and existence of every man engaged in the administration of public affairs, speak for themselves. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 65 TIME OUT: DISCO FEVER NO MORE History: The first and final Grammy for Best Disco Recording was awarded on this day in 1980, to Gloria Gaynors I Will Survive. On a fundamental business level, there was growing disillusion within the record industry by early 1980 regarding discos profit potential. As popular as the music was on the radio and in the clubs, disco had failed to produce many of the kind of dependable, multi-platinum acts that the industry depended on for its biggest profits. It was also hard to ignore the obvious signs of the backlash in the popular culture of the time. At a Chicago White Sox game the previous July, tens of thousands of marauding disco-haters forced the cancellation and forfeit of a game at Comiskey Park on Disco Sucks promotion night. - Email us at [email protected] with your tips, comments or questions. SCOREBOARD Trump job performance Average approval: 41.8 percent Average disapproval: 54.4 percent Net Score: -12.6 points Change from one week ago: no change [Average includes: Fox News: 46% approve - 52% disapprove; Gallup: 44% approve - 52% unapproved; CNN: 42% approve - 54% disapproval; IBD: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 57% disapprove.] ILL TELL YOU WHAT: BIDEN HIS TIME This week Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt discuss former Vice President Joe Biden, electability, pot, scooters, The Electoral College, queso on the moon, Michael Cohen and summit based trivia. Nothing is off the table in an action packed I'll Tell You What. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE BETO KEEPS OPTIONS OPEN, RULES OUT SENATE RUN Dallas Morning News: Beto O'Rourke has decided not to run for Senate next year against Republican incumbent John Cornyn and likely will announce a campaign for president soon, people close to the former El Paso congressman told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday. Numerous people close to O'Rourke said they expect him to announce his presidential campaign within weeks. For his own part, O'Rourke on Wednesday wouldn't reveal his future political plans except to say he has made up his mind. Amy and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country, he said in an exclusive statement to The Dallas Morning News. We are excited to share it with everyone soon. Should he join the presidential race, O'Rourke would join a large Democratic Party primary field. He's behind much of the field in fundraising, developing an organization and getting in front of voters. Harris tries to captivate California donors - Politico: Donor-rich California has long been known as the ATM of the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris wants to turn it into her personal armored truck. The California senator and 2020 presidential candidate has nursed connections with the states biggest donors during three campaigns for statewide office and two more for district attorney in San Francisco. Now, Harris is working aggressively to turn those connections into commitments securing those donors before out-of-state presidential rivals have a chance. Before the presidential race even started, Harris spent hundreds of thousands of dollars through her leadership PAC to prospect the California donor scene. She has already held more California fundraisers than any other candidate for president, seeking out the bundlers who raised massive sums for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Early state Dem leaders want non-aggression pact - Politico: Democratic Party chairs in the four early presidential states are working to convince the 2020 presidential candidates to avoid waging social media disinformation warfare against each other. The effort began this week with a letter to state party chairs across the country broadly laying out the issue with an ultimate goal of establishing what amounts to a non-aggression pact We would like your support in recommending the ASDC [Association of State Democratic Committees] work towards developing a collaborative approach to battling disinformation, illicit campaign tactics, bots, trollfarms, fake accounts, altered text, audio, and video, any and all inauthentic speech in our Presidential Primary process, wrote the four chairs, including New Hampshire's Ray Buckley, Iowas Troy Price, South Carolina's Trav Robertson and Nevada's William McCurdy. SENATE GOP CHILLY TO PENCE PITCH FOR TRUMP EMERGENCY Politico: Vice President Mike Pence faced a wall of resistance from Senate Republicans on Tuesday as he tried to sell President Donald Trumps national emergency declaration on the southern border, according to multiple GOP sources. The pointed reception at the GOP lunch raised further doubts among Senate Republicans that the administration will be able to hold down defections on a crucial vote to block the president in the coming weeks. Pence told Republicans that Trumps plan to unilaterally shift billions in military funding to border wall construction was not like President Barack Obamas executive actions on immigration, according to four attendees. He argued Trump is using an existing law and money approved by Congress, unlike Obamas efforts to shield some immigrants from deportation. NORTHAMS WIFE GAVE BLACK STUDENTS COTTON WaPo: A Virginia state employee has complained that her eighth-grade daughter was upset during a tour of the historic governors residence when first lady Pam Northam handed raw cotton to her and another African American child and asked them to imagine being enslaved and having to pick the crop. The Governor and Mrs. Northam have asked the residents of the Commonwealth to forgive them for their racially insensitive past actions, Leah Dozier Walker, who oversees the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at the state Education Department, wrote Feb. 25 to lawmakers and the office of Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Northams office and one other parent of a child who was present said the first lady did not single out the African American students and simply handed out the cotton to a group. But the incident highlights the scrutiny and doubt that envelop the governor as he tries to push past racist incidents from his past and ignore continued calls for his resignation. COHEN LOBS BOMBS AT TRUMP DURING FIERY HEARING Fox News: Michael Cohen, the former fixer about to begin a three-year prison term, completed his renunciation of President Trump during an explosive congressional hearing Wednesday that left no room for reconciliation calling his former boss a racist, testifying he was aware of an adviser's talks with WikiLeaks about stolen Democratic emails during the 2016 campaign and alleging he oversaw an array of illicit schemes during the 10 years they worked together. He is a racist. He is a conman. And he is a cheat, Cohen testified, setting the tone for the hearing. Yet Cohen stopped short of saying he had evidence that Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia in 2016, asserting he had only suspicions. And Republicans on the House Oversight Committee repeatedly struck at Cohen's credibility, pointing out that he is a convicted liar and suggesting he only turned on Trump after not landing a White House job. Florida congressman may face consequences for nasty tweet - CBS News: Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, is facing some potentially serious fallout after he tweeted a message many perceived as threatening Michael Cohen, prior to Cohen's public testimony this afternoon before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Gaetz, an attorney, is now being investigated by the Florida Bar for a potential violation the organization's conduct rules, and Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) suggested that he should be referred for possible criminal prosecution for witness intimidation or tampering. The account has since deleted the tweet, and Gaetz apologized after being chastised by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I'm deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I'm sorry, he wrote. PLAY-BY-PLAY GOP operative indicted for election fraud in N.C. House race - WSOC Pergram: Politicians show their cards in Las Vegas - Fox News House Dems skip their own climate change panel - Politico 9th Circuit gets another Trump-picked judge - Fox News House Dems push forward on election law changes - Politico Ohio Democratic lawmaker introduces bill to push back state primary - The Hill AUDIBLE: OR AT LEAST GIVE AN ANSWER Oh my God, just say yes! Someone in the audience at a University of Delaware panel yelled, interrupting Joe Biden while he was answering a question about his 2020 decision. FROM THE BLEACHERS You said in reply to a correspondent questioning the new use of the word woke that, The key, Ms. Peterson, is that in this sense its a noun rather than the traditional sense of I woke the dog when I got up early for work, where it is a verb. You then use the example Dont judge so-and-so because he used offensive terms in the past because he is now woke and acting in a socially conscious way. You dont mean noun, you mean adjective. I know our two countries are said to be divided by a common language, but I trust we are still united by a common grammar. Dr. Evan Harris, London, U.K. [Ed. note: Quite so, Dr. Harris! Woke in that case would certainly be a descriptive word. Good catch!] Did I read that right, at the bottom of your February 22nd report, that, (Republicans, when) Asked if the Mueller report would make them reconsider their vote for Trump, just 22 percent said it would affect their support for Trump if the report concludes that Trump conspired with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. Please tell me I read that wrong. I can see the average Republican reserving judgment til all the facts are known, but I was hoping that conspiring with an foreign adversary to undermine our election would cause about 98% of Republicans to withdraw support for the man. I wish I'd quit reading your report a paragraph sooner and not seen that. How depressing. Brett Nichols, Bellingham, Wash. [Ed. note: I would salt liberally any such surveys. Anytime youre asking voters to imagine what they would do if, youre in difficult country as a pollster. Voters are prone to fill in the blanks according to their own biases. Thats why I tend to avoid polls on hypotheticals. This one was worth including because its a reflection more of how Republicans see matters now more than how they might really feel. Their current expectation seems pretty clearly that the president will beat the rap.] Share your color commentary: Email us at [email protected] and please make sure to include your name and hometown. CRABBY AND HANGRY AP: Alabama police say a dispute over crab legs at a dinner buffet ended in a brawl that left two people facing misdemeanor charges. Huntsville police officer Gerald Johnson says he was eating at the Meteor Buffet restaurant when a fight broke out. Johnson tells WHNT-TV that diners were using service tongs like fencing swords and plates were shattering, and a woman was beating a man. Johnson says diners had been waiting in line for crab legs for more than 10 minutes, and they lost their tempers once the food came out. The station reports Chequita Jenkins is charged with assaulting John Chapman, who suffered a cut on his head. Chapman is charged with disorderly conduct. Court records arent available to show whether either person has a lawyer. AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES For all the gnashing of teeth over the lack of comity and civility in Washington, the real problem is not etiquette but the breakdown of political norms, legislative and constitutional. Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on Nov. 28, 2013. Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Sign up here. | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/are-the-early-states-still-special?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29 |
Do we know how many children are in gangs? | Image copyright Getty Images A report by the Children's Commissioner for England has estimated that there are 27,000 children in gangs. Anne Longfield has called on professionals to "learn from the mistakes of child sexual exploitation" and treat children as victims not perpetrators. The 27,000 figure, which covers England, has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual crime survey, which asks a representative sample of households about their experience of crime. For the past three years, it has asked children aged 10 to 15 whether they considered themselves to be a member of a street gang. Last year, of a sample of about 4,000 children, 0.7% (about 30 children) said they did. This figure was scaled up to give the estimated 27,000 figure for the whole population for a single year. That is an estimate, but the report gives another much lower figure of 6,560 children actually known by youth offending teams or children's services to be involved in gangs. Ms Longfield's report concludes that the difference between the higher and lower figure is down to the fact that most gang members are not known to authorities. We do not know that for sure though - it is certainly likely that there is a group of young people involved with gangs who are not known to the authorities, but we cannot be sure that 27,000 children gang members is an accurate number. Since these figures come from a bespoke analysis, comparable individual figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available. Image copyright PA Image caption Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has pledged to "relentlessly" target gangs It is notoriously difficult to arrive at definitive figures on gang membership and related violence. That is not only because some gang activity is likely to take place under the radar of authorities - even defining what counts as a gang is not always straightforward. Gang matrix When it comes to gang violence and criminal activity, there is no national data. But in London, the Metropolitan Police holds a database known as the Gangs Matrix, containing names of between 3-4,000 "persons of interest" at any one time. The database has been criticised for disproportionately targeting young black men who might not have links to violent crime. Last year the Met said that all its officers were "highly-trained and experienced in working with, and recognising the signs of, gang affiliation and gang membership". "By identifying high-harm gang members and targeting them through intelligence-led enforcement, the number of violent offences committed by gang members has been reduced," a Met spokesman said. The Met also "tags" violent crimes as gang-related if it believes it has enough intelligence to do so. In 2017, the last time it published estimates, one in every 500 violent crimes recorded by the Met Police was tagged as gang-related. Since 2010, 15% of homicides in the capital have been linked to gangs. Knife crime While information of gang membership is difficult to capture, we do know that knife carrying among children is increasing. Knife offences resulting in caution or conviction Knife offences by age group, England and Wales, year ending September Almost 21% of 21,380 knife possession offences last year were committed by 10 to 17-year-olds. Since 2014, the number of knife possession offences committed by 10 to 17-year-olds has increased by 70%. Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object for 18-year-olds and under have also increased by 70% since the year to March 2014, reaching 813 last year. Hospital admissions for assault by sharp instrument England, year ending March This data shows the problem is increasing, but it does not tell how many children are carrying knives in total. Last year, 0.6% of 10 to 15-year-olds said they had personally carried a knife and and 5.7% knew someone who had, according to the ONS's crime survey. This does not tell us whether they are carrying weapons for gang-related reasons, though. In schools Knife carrying also appears to be increasing in schools. Data from 21 police forces in England and Wales obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed 363 sharp instruments were found on school property in 2017-18. This is an increase from 94 in 2013-14. Number of knives found at schools Number of knife or sharp instrument possession offences on school premises, England and Wales The report said children who say they are involved in street gangs were more likely to have been excluded from school. Research by centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) also suggests that children who have been excluded from school are more likely to enter the criminal justice system. The Children's Commissioner's report points out there are multiple risk factors associated with children becoming involved with gangs. The report says that children in gangs who are known to children's services are more likely than others in the system (already a vulnerable group) to have mental health problems, special educational needs and to come from homes where there is domestic violence or substance misuse. Children who have been in gangs and are now in the criminal justice system are 76% more likely than other young offenders to have not been having their basic care needs met at home, according to professional assessments. Drugs The rise of County Lines has also increased concerns of children being pulled into, and exploited by, drug gangs. County Lines involve city-based drug gangs expanding their drug dealing into smaller towns and rural areas, with violence often being involved to protect the routes. The National Crime Agency estimates that the number of dedicated phone lines dedicated to taking orders from users increased from about 720 to 2,000 between 2017 and 2018. Individuals, often vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation, will then take the drugs from the base to consumers. Two-thirds of police forces link County Lines to child exploitation by gangs. Given the illicit nature of the operations, total involvement is difficult to capture but the majority of referrals received by the National Crime Agency concern 15 to 17-year-olds. Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47388890 |
Why are more and more car companies teaming up? | Image caption The luxury car makers will work together on areas like ride-hailing When BMW and Daimler announced a 1bn (880m) partnership last week to develop a suite of "mobility services" together, it was a clear sign of how the auto industry had changed. For one thing, the German giants - who plan to work on driverless vehicles, ride-hailing, and pay-per-use cars together - are normally fierce rivals who would never dream of teaming up. For another, their pact was just the latest in a growing line of partnerships between traditional carmakers who are preparing for an uncertain future, in which next-generation technology could upend the industry and Silicon Valley could hold more sway than Detroit or Wolfsburg. Just recently Ford and Volkswagen agreed to "investigate" ways of working on electric and autonomous vehicles together, while Honda invested $2.75bn (2.1bn) in rival General Motors' driverless unit with a view to launching a fleet of unmanned taxis. There have been similar tie-ups between Tesla and Daimler, and Volvo and PSA, as well as a host of pacts between carmakers and tech firms. "Nobody knows what the future of mobility is going to be exactly, so people are getting together to lower the risk," says Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School. He expects electric cars, ride sharing and autonomous driving to radically change how we use cars, eventually prompting a fall in car ownership. So traditional carmakers are having to fight to remain relevant, particularly as tech companies like ride-hailing firm Uber and Google's driverless car business Waymo overtake them. "The research and development to develop these new technologies also costs billions, so it makes sense to share the burden rather than duplicating," he says. "The problem for the industry is that it is struggling to afford its own future." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Tesla has become the top manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars in the world Electric dreams Some of the partnerships between carmakers have included commitments to working on electric vehicle technology - although sharing in this area still proves difficult for many given the competitive nature of the industry. Electric cars still account for only a fraction of vehicles on our roads but that is expected to change over the next five years as regulators crack down on vehicle emissions levels from petrol and diesel cars. The problem, says David Leggett, editor of Just-Auto magazine, is that traditional carmakers "haven't really changed the way they make cars for 100 years" and are having to overhaul their production processes fast. "The main challenge is that the technology is costly. It's a tall order to make batteries that are cheap enough and perform well enough to compete with petrol engines," he says. The danger, he says, is new players coming in who can be radically different in how they make and sell cars or transport services. Image copyright Zipcar Image caption Car-sharing services like Zipcar could transform our relationship with cars, say analysts Perhaps the best example is US firm Tesla, led by Elon Musk, which in little over 15 years has become the world's number one manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars. The Chinese are also making huge strides in developing electrics, backed by generous subsidies from the Chinese government. Perhaps the bigger threat driving carmakers to team up is that car ownership could fall, as driverless vehicles take off and we increasingly opt to rent or borrow cars rather than buy them. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that nearly a third of the miles that Americans will rack up on roads by 2030 will be in electrified, autonomous vehicles operated by ride-sharing services. "Even now it's not that financially sensible to own a car - it's stationary 95% of the time and quickly loses its value," says Prof Wells. "But once car sharing takes off it will take the cost out of travel per mile and ownership will seem less appealing." To prepare themselves, most major carmakers have launched some form of mobility services programme while ploughing cash into driverless cars - either independently or in partnership. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Urban mobility services are increasingly branching out beyond cars For example, Daimler will merge its Car2Go car-sharing service with a range of mobility services operations at BMW - including an Uber-style ride-sharing service and a route management app that lets you plan and book entire trips using cars, public transport and even scooters. It's aimed at challenging the likes of Uber and Waymo, although many car firms have sought to partner with the tech challengers too. Toyota, for instance, invested $500m in Uber last year and chipmaker Nvidia is working with VW among others on areas such as artificial intelligence in cars. "There were lots of fears about tech firms taking over the industry, but this has receded a bit as tech firms see how difficult it is to make cars," says Prof Wells. "Look at Tesla - it's only just started to make a profit after 15 years in operation. It's not an easy industry to make money in." While more and more car firms are teaming up, their agreements are rarely exclusive or involve cross ownership. They also tend to collaborate only in certain areas, while remaining competitors in others. Mr Leggett doubts we will see any full-blown mergers between car brands in the coming years, even if there is the temptation to do so. "The car industry is littered with failed takeovers. The costs of aligning the production processes and marketing are simply too big." He instead expects to see more "rationalisation", with carmakers pulling out of unprofitable markets and forging more strategic pacts in the vein of Daimler and BMW. Car firms that fail to adapt will face an uncertain future, however. "At the end of the day, if a company is losing a lot of money it is difficult to carry on as it is," Mr Leggett says. "Traditional carmakers will get left behind if they haven't grasped the nettle of new technology." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47376677 |
Can Georgian wine win over global drinkers? | Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption Many Georgian winemakers such as Koka Achvadze still make their wine in traditional clay pots called qvevri that are buried underground The former Soviet state of Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of winemaking. I am following two men into a dark cellar that feels more like a tomb than part of a winery. Buried underground are a number of qvevri - large lemon-shaped clay pots full of grape juice slowly fermenting into wine. Each of the containers holds 2,000 litres of juice, which is added together with the grape skin and seeds, and left for six months. It is an ancient form of winemaking that historians say was first used in Georgia in at least 5,980 BC. This makes the former Soviet state, located in the Caucasus region south of Russia, the world's oldest wine producing country. The amber-coloured liquid is poured into my glass, and looks like brandy. It tastes a bit meaty, and my taste buds revolt. My head gets fuzzy, almost straight away. "It's a challenge for the newcomer, but when you get through the initial shock, it is rewarding," says Koka Archvadze, deputy director of the Tsinandali estate, some 100km (62 miles) east of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. For centuries winemaking has been been a key part of the Georgian economy, with most exports going to Russia. The relationship has, however, not always worked in Georgia's favour. While Georgia has always prided itself on its large number of indigenous grape varieties, when part of the USSR from 1922 to 1991 the Communists dug up many of the treasured old, but low-yielding red and white vines. They did this so as to replace them with high volume vines so they could make mass-produced wines. Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption The country's main wine region, Kakheti, is located in the east of the country When Georgia gained its independence there was a big effort to increase propagation of the older varieties. Then in 2006, with Russia buying 95% of Georgia's wine exports, Moscow banned their importation. Georgians believed the ban was a political attack in retaliation to the pro-Western policies of the then Georgian President Mikheil Saakaskvili. The move crippled the Georgian wine industry, and it started to look for export sales in countries other than Russia. Although Russia repealed the embargo in 2013, Georgia now exports its wine to 55 countries. And while Russia is still its largest export market, its share has fallen to 62%. It is followed by Ukraine at 12%, China 8% and Kazakhstan 4%. Overall exports last year were 18% higher than in 2017. Irakli Cholobargia, from the Georgian National Wine Agency, says they are now increasingly focusing on western Europe and North America. "In volume we are not the big country," he says. "Our maximum capacity now is 300 million bottles [or production] a year, which is the size of one big Australian winery. "We cannot compete with France, Spain, Chile and South Africa [in size], but what we offer is our uniqueness, our grape varieties, and qvevri wine, our history. "Our strategy now is to be established in the Western and Asian markets, and to diversify the whole export market." One Georgian winemaker who is increasing his exports is Gia Piradashvili, founder of Winiveria. His wines are now available in countries including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, and the US. Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption Gia Piradashvili has seen some of his wines stocked by Michelin starred restaurants in Italy and France "We do not want to mass produce commercial wines, and we don't work with large chains and supermarket," he says. "Instead we work with niche wine boutiques and high quality restaurants. "I never thought that my wine would be offered in very good restaurants in Italy or France, Michelin starred restaurants. But now we do, and we are not alone." Back at the Tsinandali estate it now exports to counties including Switzerland and Monaco. First established in the 17th Century, Tsinandali is said to be the first winery in Georgia to produce its wine in glass bottles. Global Trade More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade: With qvevri wines accounting for up to 10% of Georgian production, many of the rest are made by modern methods. But with the grape varieties being so unique, the flavours can be different to what many people in western Europe or the US expect. "The flavour profile for many people is not attractive quite frankly," says Lisa Granik, a New York-based expert on Georgian wine, who has the top Master of Wine qualification. "Or it is so unusual that they have difficulty understanding it." She adds that the Georgian names can also be hard to pronounce, and that many Americans "don't even know where Georgia is, they confuse it with the American state [of the same name]". Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption While some Georgian wines are old-fashioned, others are made in a modern way Consistency is another challenge, says Ms Granik, because many Georgian wineries do not add any sulphur dioxide to their bottles to act as a preservative. "It is difficult for them to withstand the travelling [as a result]," she says. "The hygiene and consistency has to be ramped up." However, Ms Granik concludes that as more wine drinkers in the West want to try something new and different, Georgian wines could grow in popularity. "There are a lot of millennials who don't want a Bordeaux... they are looking for something that is weird and wild. "And they like this notion of natural, anti-corporate or something wine that's old and ancient, and they are open to this." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47363702 |
Will Birmingham's boom benefit all? | Image caption Cranes dominate the skyline in Birmingham as construction booms Birmingham city centre is undergoing its biggest transformation since the 1960s, as businesses relocate from London bringing with them jobs and investment. There's a new soundtrack to life in Birmingham and it's hard to avoid. It is a cacophony of drilling, banging and crashing, caused by workmen, lorries, diggers and cranes lifting steel girders and mixing cement. Not since the city was redesigned in the 1950s and 60s has it seen so much change. As London becomes even more expensive, businesses are relocating to the UK's regional cities and thousands of workers are moving with them. According to the annual Deloitte Crane Survey, which measures new projects in the city centre, residential development in Birmingham is at an "all-time high". It says 16 new schemes have been completed in the past year and - at the same time - more than 20 have begun construction including offices, apartments and hotels. Edwin Bray, a partner at Deloitte real estate in Birmingham, said: "It's a major transformation of the city centre. A lot of people who come here and haven't visited for a while talk about it being a building site. "But if you can imagine it in two or three years' time, it will be completely transformed." The biggest and most visible development in the city centre is called Paradise Birmingham. Image caption Residential development in Birmingham is at an all-time high It has caused so much disruption to roads, public transport and walkways that it is easy to get lost, even if you are not a first-time visitor. The old Brutalist central library and the Paradise Forum shopping precinct have been demolished to make way for two huge new office blocks, one of which has already been let to professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). In Centenary Square, HSBC has begun moving in to its new HQ and behind it construction continues apace on new offices for HM Revenue & Customs. Along with Deutsche Bank and KPMG, which already have large bases in Birmingham, the financial and services sector has helped drive inward migration from the capital where the cost of living is prohibitive. Thousands of so-called millennials, aged 25 to 34, have relocated. Liesal Ackerman, who is expecting her first child in the next few months, moved to Birmingham with her husband from London. Over a coffee she told me why. "Since we've moved to Birmingham we've bought a three-bed semi in a nice area, five miles from the city centre." Image caption Liesal Ackerman says Birmingham has transformed since she was at university in the city Before she moved she commuted to London from Southampton daily because they couldn't afford a property in the capital. She hadn't visited Birmingham since she was at university a decade ago and says she was delighted by the transformation. "It feels 100% different from what it was 10 years ago. There are brilliant restaurants and bars that would rival anything in London. "But equally I think I had a prejudice about the regions generally. Before, I felt that the only place I could have my career and lifestyle was in London." The 2022 Commonwealth Games and HS2 are driving the development but the city council can claim credit too. The authority says it's made cuts of 650m since 2010 and halved its workforce, but it has also worked to make property available and encourage the developers. Not just at Paradise, but also at another major development - called Smithfield - which is under way across the city near where the new HS2 rail terminal is also being built. Brigid Jones, the council's deputy leader, says even though there are concerns it could affect other services, spending money on big projects will benefit the city and the wider West Midlands. "We went bidding for the Commonwealth Games because it is going to put Birmingham on every TV screen in the world and showcase the city for what it really is and bust the outdated stereotypes. "For every pound we put in we get 3 from the government, and we're looking at a half a billion pounds boost to the economy." However, a short walk from the bustling centre, along the canal past the ICC and Birmingham Arena, the sound of construction disappears. The ultra-modern glass and steel buildings make way for empty factories and old council houses in the Ladywood district. Image caption Ladywood is right next to the city centre Nora Higgins, who has lived here for 20 years, says she fears the boom in the city centre isn't being experienced by everyone. "We feel like we are suffocating and we're going to be pushed out as a community," she says. "I think they're concentrating too much on the city centre. They're not doing enough for us." The most tangible benefit for people living in Ladywood is that the Metro tram line will be extended to make it easier to connect with other public transport. Image caption There should be more effort put into the suburbs, says Nora Higgins There is another painfully visible problem affecting the city too. If you lower your gaze to street level from the impressive construction work overhead, you will see homeless people begging. The latest rough sleeper figures showed there were 91 people on the streets of Birmingham, compared to just nine in 2010. The death of one rough sleeper, Kane Walker, in January inspired a protest march led by student Chelsea Reynolds. "I've lived here all my life and I think the homelessness crisis in Birmingham has got visibly worse in the last couple of years," she says. "I wanted to do something about it, to show homeless people that we care about them, we value their lives and we are not accepting this any more." In attempt to improve the situation Birmingham has secured nearly 10m of government funding to pay for a new scheme called Housing First. It's based on a project of the same name which has been very successful in Finland. The money is spent on providing more permanent accommodation for rough sleepers as well as a support programme to try to tackle the issues that forced them on to the streets. There are also several outreach teams provided by different charities and agencies, and a growing band of volunteers providing medical support and sustenance to the city's rough sleepers. Image caption Chelsea Reynolds organised a protest over the death of rough sleeper Kane Walker Conscious of the disparity in wealth between the city centre and its neighbouring areas, the council also asks developers for guarantees they will recruit locally. Although these are non-binding agreements, several have made a point of recruiting staff from inner city areas like Ladywood. Matthew Hammond, senior partner at PWC Birmingham, said it was an important part of the company's ethos. "My measure of the success here in 10 years or maybe 20 years' time is are there children coming out of schools in Ladywood that understand what goes on in these glass, steel and concrete towers and do they work there?". Image caption Matthew Hammond hopes to employ staff from inner city areas at PWC I wrote four years ago that after decades of stagnation Birmingham looked set to turn a corner . The pace of transformation is surprising even to someone who has worked here for more than a decade and a half. But the contrasts are still stark, and businesses and government say they are prioritising ways to address the issue. You might also like: The city is set to change again in the next five to 10 years, almost beyond recognition. It has become more prominent as a global destination and is benefitting from massive investment, especially from China. The city still lacks one thing which would help boost its global brand - it doesn't have a powerful Premier League football team, although Wolves are doing their best for the wider West Midlands. There's the new Smithfield development, HS2, the Commonwealth Games, a Clean Air Zone, and this is where 5G will be launched. Channel 4 may not be coming to Birmingham but BBC3 already has. In a few years the first stop for visitors after they arrive at Grand Central could be Paradise. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-47310204 |
Can Nikki Haley Emerge From the Trump Administration Unscathed? | In an interview with The Atlantic, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the UN made the case for a values-driven foreign policy, and acknowledged daylight between her and the president. I get where he wants to go, and I just have my different style of getting us there, Haley told me when we met in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Over the course of our conversation, on the morning of George H. W. Bushs state funeral, she made the case for a values-driven U.S. foreign policyalbeit one that she herself has selectively appliedwith hard-nosed diplomacy at its center. She highlighted the value of Trumps bluster about attacking North Korea, even as she told me that diplomacy is always the right option, because war is never a good option. She recognized Saudi Arabia as a vital partner against Iran, but insisted that Riyadh cant be given a pass for the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pointedly noting that the Saudi crown princes government did this, and so he technically is responsible. And Haley, who has announced her resignation but wont leave her post until the end of the year, acknowledged daylight between her and the president. I think we agree on most things, she said. There are certainly things that we dont agree on. And when we talk about it, hes the president My job is to go and do what he needs me to do. But for the most part, hes been very willing to listen and very willing to come around. A 46-year-old, exceedingly popular Republican politician, Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and a former South Carolina governor who is often discussed as a potential presidential candidate. Her reflection on her tenure at the UN, and the moral calling that she felt underpinned it, was a vivid reminder that the presidents America First vision isnt necessarily the settled future of the Grand Old Party. It was also an object lesson in how Haley, perhaps more skillfully than any other top administration official, has navigated major differences with Trump while cultivating common ground. And shes done it representing him at an organization he once denounced as no friend to the United States. The most dangerous thing we can ever do is show a blind eye to any sort of human-rights violations, Haley told me, arguing that promoting American values overseas is in the core interest of the United States. Because if [the violation] threatens people, it threatens the world. Read: Why Nikki Haleys departure shocked Washington In her first public comments on the Khashoggi killing, for example, she rejected the idea that the apparent state-sponsored murder of the journalist by Saudi Arabia, a longtime ally, placed the United States in the binary position of having to choose between its interests and its valuesas the president has suggested in insisting that any U.S. response to the Khashoggi case must not disrupt an alliance that is critical to American economic and security interests. Employing remarkably forceful language for a hard-liner on Iran, she maintained that Washington could simultaneously consider Saudi Arabia its complete partner when it comes to fighting Iran and convey the message that were not going to continue to be your partners if you continue to use thuggish behavior. You have Saudi government officials that did this in a Saudi consulate in Turkey, Haley told me. We cant give them a pass, she added, because thats not who America is. Thats why the Trump administration has sanctioned 17 Saudi officials accused of involvement in the murder and is asking for accountability, she explained, and we need to continue to do it until we get it. Asked about accountability for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who, at least according to senators briefed by the CIA this week, was likely behind the hit, Haley said, I think all of that, the administration needs to decide. She did not specify the additional steps she would like the White House to take. But while Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have avoided calling out MbS, as the crown prince is known, citing a lack of clear proof of his complicity in the extrajudicial killing, Haley didnt reference the intelligence communitys findings or lack thereof. Instead, she simply noted bin Salmans status as the kingdoms de facto ruler to make the point that the buck stops with him. We cant condone [the Khashoggi murder], we cant ever say its OK, we cant ever support thuggish behavior, and we have to say that, Haley told me. At the United Nations, Haley has argued that prioritizing rights issues can avert conflict that endangers Americans and people around the world. She has sought to introduce debate on human rights into the UN Security Council, a body that is intended to focus on matters of peace and security, for this reason. You look at Syria, she observed, citing a conflict she has spent considerable time on, whether in visiting refugee camps, raising alarms about a (so far averted) Syrian government offensive against the rebel-held province of Idlib, or unsuccessfully seeking the renewal of a mechanism for holding perpetrators of chemical-weapons attacks accountable (Russia nixed it). Everybody talks about how long this war has been. That handful of teenagers was out there doing what every teenager doesspray-painted something on a wall, and even though it wasnt that bad, the government officials dont just go and say something to them; they beat them, they bloody them, they pull their nails out and return them to their parents. Their parents go out to the streets, the country rises up, the government oppresses them, conflict happens. It always happens. As Haley sees it, whenever people feel stripped of freedom and opportunity, they instinctively challenge their government in order to reclaim control over their lives. And if a government doesnt value human life, she said, then they will do something to their people that the whole world will have to pay attention to. Haley has argued that the peril extends beyond those under the dictators thumb. In 2017, after a North Korean missile test, she drew a direct connection between the nuclear threat from Pyongyang and the governments ghastly human-rights record. Depravity toward one is a sure sign of willingness to do much more harm, she warned at the time. I think those freedoms are every persons God-given right, regardless of where they were born and raised, regardless of their religion, regardless of their ethnicity or gender, said Haley, who was raised Sikh but converted to Christianity as an adult. (During her confirmation hearing, Haley traced her focus on human rights to her love of her familys and Americas immigrant heritage and to her decision as governor to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse.) It doesnt cost us anything to fight for democracy, to fight for human rights, and to fight for the dignity of people We have to understand the leverage we have: that when we call out a country or we call out a wrong, everyone takes notice. These views, she told me, have informed the tough line shes repeatedly taken at the United Nations on Russias aggression against Ukraine, support for Bashar al-Assads war crimes in Syria, and suspected nerve-agent attack against a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom. When I asked whether the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was ultimately right when Barack Obama ridiculed him in 2012 for describing Russia as the United States top geopolitical foe, Haley responded, I certainly think his instincts were right. I think the other one is China. Seth Wenig / AP / Katie Martin / The Atlantic Still, while Haley presented a rather conventional view of Americas role in the worldone of supporting allies, confronting dictators, and making the world more secureshe punctuated it with arguments for upending certain conventions of U.S. foreign policy. She maintained, for example, that the United States should approach foreign aid in a more transactional way, offering it only to countries that show the U.S. goodwill. She recalled making this point to the president by showing him a book comparing the amount of foreign assistance that the United States gives to countries with those countries voting patterns at the United Nations. He was shocked. He was furious, she said. We dont need to be giving money to those that dont want to be our partners, because theres a lot of countries that do want to be our partners. Look at Pakistan, she continued. Giving them over a billion dollars, and they continue to harbor terrorists that turn around and kill our soldiers. Thats never okay. We shouldnt even give them a dollar until they correct it. Laying into the Obama administration for taking an approach to foreign policy of what she described as dont rock the boat, she defended the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal over its failure to address issues such as Iranian missile testing and support for terrorism; the U.S. exit from the UN Human Rights Council on account of its rights-abusing members; and the decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in solidarity with Israel. Dismissing the charge that America has been weakened under this administration, she said that the United States is not afraid to stand alone if its for the right things. (Human-rights groups have denounced the Trump administrations decision to leave the Human Rights Council, and Haleys critics claim that her human-rights advocacy is conveniently selective, not extending to sensitive issues for the United States or its allies, such as the plight of the Palestinians or the humanitarian disaster in Yemen.) Haley credited Trumps fiery threats of military action against North Korea and its Little Rocket Man leader in the summer and fall of 2017 with helping her achieve arguably her greatest success at the UN: the passage of three rounds of unprecedentedly severe Security Council sanctions at a moment of acute crisis, when North Korea was testing nuclear bombs and missiles that could reach the United States. The sanctions helped cut off funding for the Norths nuclear-weapons program and pressure Kim Jong Un into (still very tentative) nuclear negotiations. To shepherd the measures through the council, she needed the support of Russia and China, both of which have served as North Koreas protectors. Before the first sanctions resolution, Haley recalled, she tried to look at the issue from Chinas perspective. Leaning forward on the couch as she relished the memory of the high-stakes negotiations, she said she knew that China didnt want war on the Korean peninsula or North Koreans streaming across its border. So she argued to the Chinese ambassador that the only way to address their shared concern about North Koreas missile testing, short of war, was through sanctions on an initially limited set of sectors of the North Korean economy. She then leveraged Chinese support to convince the Russians that it would be a bad look to stand alone in support of Pyongyang. By the time of the second resolution, Haley was leveraging the presidents trademark unpredictability in a manner reminiscent of the madman theory Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger famously employed. In light of Trumps bellicose rhetoric and former National-Security Adviser H. R. McMasters broader campaign of pressure on North Korea, Haley was telling her counterparts on the Security Council, I cant stop [Trump]. Im not gonna be able to control him. Weve gotta get this done. I would say, you know, I dont know what hes gonna do. (Haley told me her regular contact with Trump gives her sway with fellow ambassadors.) I asked whether she knew at the time what the president was actually going to do. Yeah, I knew, she responded. Haley shook her head and smiled. No, she acknowledged. Having said that, if they had launched something, if it had come near the U.S., the president totally would have. No. The North Korea sanctions packages were a clear demonstration to the Trump administration of the benefits of the United Nations. But during Haleys tenure, the United States has also stressed the international bodys drawbacks, exiting the Paris climate-change agreement and the UNs cultural organization, refusing to join the new Global Compact on Migration, and withdrawing funding for the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees (an agency Haley was sympathetic toward early on in her ambassadorship). | https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/12/nikki-haley-un-khashoggi-north-korea-diplomacy/577558/ |
Who Won The Masked Singer ? | Then, Nick Cannon revealed that the Monster had won, and we found out that the winner actually got to sit on a throne we had never noticed before while he waited for the Peacock to be unmasked as...Donny Osmond! Exactly who we thought it was, in the best way! First to be eliminated was the Bee, who turned out to be none other than the legendary Gladys Knight. No big deal, or anything, just one of the most important singers ever, it's fine. Tonight's two-hour finale finally unmasked the last of the masked singers, with everybody's favorite redemption story, the Monster, ending up with the Golden Mask Trophy in the end. Quite a trio of singers, that's who. "I didn't have a chance to come to the game with my natural voice," T-Pain said upon being unmasked. "A lot of peers did, and they get accepted. This helped me get my voice out there even more." The panel didn't even come close to guessing who it was, after they managed to guess Donny and Gladys, so their reactions were pretty damn good. Finally, it was time to reveal the true identity of the Monster, and it turned out to be...T-Pain! T-Pain, chilling in the funniest costume yet due to its barrel shape. Michael Becker/FOX; Charles Sykes/Bravo The Monster The Songs: "Don't Stop Me Now," "I Don't Want to Be," "American Woman," "I Love Rock & Roll," "Stay With Me" The Clues: He's a monster because that's what the world labeled him Here to rewrite his mixtape to prove he's more than "puff and fluff" At the top of his game, but the game turned on him Retreated into his cave to take a break from the public eye Here to set the record straight Not a professional singer "to everyone" Took a drive up from the south in his Cadillac New York and the desert in the background Back in the "swing" of things to get his mind right Has a deep wound to heal Like everyone else, I've had my share of dark days I'm a fighter I've discovered the teddy bear I am at heart Don't think about swinging your negativity his way, he'll just swing back Brought out a special headset: "I make my best calls on this headset" Nick thinks it might be someone he knows Had his own leather jacket that said "American Monster" Grew up in the south, had to stay inside Won awards, but out of nowhere people said he wasn't the real deal Couldn't let people make him a bad boy for life Came out from under the bed to step into the ring Says he was not on In Living Color and his shoe size is 12 Villified and persecuted for sounding like a ringtone Putting on a front made him angry Hiding behind faster tracks Away for over a decade "I'm a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and more than anything, I'm a person." Our Best Guess: It's probably T-Pain, but who knows?! The Reveal: T-Pain! Very Las Vegas Part of a magic act Said, "it's been a while since your mom had a poster of me on her wall" = Many versions of his career Started as a teenybop But there's more than meets the eye Cast in some dramatic roles Terrified of heights "I have performed in Las Vegas" Sad and lonely under mask It's like his entire career "disappeared into thin air" Everyone recognizes him Rainbow cape Weight 176 pounds "At night, I ride into the competition" Has to step up his game Brought out a curly wig: "Because of this wig, I was thrown in jail." Started as a showbiz prodigy, got fanmail very young Hosted award shows Performed for knights, kings, and queens "My face has been tattooed on a person's body." Hates to let his "little soldiers" down "I have dedicated my life to showbusiness. This mask transforms me into another character. It's funny because at home my partner would look at me and I'd be walking through the house [like a peacock]. And my partner would say, let it go, you're not a peacock at home....I've done this before." Our Best Guess: Donny Osmond. The Reveal: Donny Osmond! Michael Becker/FOX; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images The Bee The Songs: "Chandelier," "Locked Out of Heaven," "Wrecking Ball," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Natural Woman" The Clues: Long career, started in the 50s flown to soaring heights being a "worker bee" keeps her young call her "Queen bee" or "Empress" Wants to sing to new generation Peaches and honey references Faces lift her up Not up on what's happening in the music world today Have to be willing to flip the script Says "take me to court" Mom gave her the idea to form a group at a birthday party when she was 8 "It was always in the cards" Got a record deal and "All peaches and marmalade ever since" It's a trip singing songs other people have written "it's all in me" Never thought she'd be singing a modern power ballad Brought out bakeware: "This is my second favorite thing to do." "Going back to what I know best" "A few of us queen bees got our groove on back then, so which one am I?" Tina Turner is a close friend Has 10 Grammys Loves baking peach cobblers Santa Fe, Grammys Aretha Franklin is a good friend "I'm a people person. Behind this mask, it's difficult because I'm cut off in a way from you. I need to see you, I need to touch you, I need to feel you, and that's the way it is for me" Our Best Guess: Gladys Knight, also known as the "Empress of Soul" The Reveal: Gladys Knight! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Rabbit Songs performed: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Wake Me Up," "Poison," "Isn't She Lovely," "My Girl" The Clues: Lots of twitching Was never alone on stage "Pops" up here and there Known for synchronized singing Has performed in a mask before Said the last mask standing "is gonna be me" Said "Yes, in a band" Amusement park/Coney Island themes Food references - likes to "cook up something new" Has felt "boxed in" in a group Could not say if he had toured with Nicole (Eden's Crush and NSYNC toured together) Wanted to confuse the panel with R&B Calls himself a trickster "I bounce here, I hop there, and then I'm gone" Busted out some old school moves, hoped he didn't pass out Brought a tiny magician kit: "It's another way I like to impress an audience." Marionette strings and puppets "Hanging tough in the sunshine state" "Break my achey heart" Circus theme on stage "I have 17 tattoos on my body" Loves camping and hiking "Chicken of the sea" "Trashin' the camp" (AKA the song NSYNC sang on the Tarzan soundtrack) Has done some work in a costume before, but not singing Our Best Guess: Joey Fatone feels really right. The NSYNC member used to have a cooking show and had a Coney Island-themed hot dog stand in Orlando, and this week, the Rabbit really sounded like Joey for the first time. The Reveal: Joey Fatone! Getty Images; FOX The Lion The Songs: "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody," "Feeling Good," "California Dreamin,'" "Diamond Heart," "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" The Clues: Hollywood royalty Stepping away from her pride Lots of women in her pride Feels like she's on cloud nine Could be a "frontrunner" Mask makes her feel courageous Important to use her voice Lots of protest imagery Newspaper called "Hailey Times" Wanted to prove being onstage is her destiny Wants to be a "model of courage" Loves The Wizard of Oz Time to stop being "sugar and spice" "Tick-tock, the twister is coming." Brought out a scrunchie: "It's a family heirloom." "Down in the cabaret bars of old Chicago" "Say my name" whispers and gossip (or rumors) The bluegrass state (Kentucky) "I have a subscription to a monthly mystery game" Born into an empire "I'm an advocate, not a victim, even though I've been bullied for a lot of my life. A daughter, a sister, I have moments of insecurity but to sing in a mask, it completely changes everything that you thought you know." Our Best Guess: Rumer Willis denied that it's her, but it definitely is. She's been in Chicago on Broadway. She was born in Kentucky and grew up in Hailey, Idaho. She's Hollywood royalty. The Reveal: Rumer Willis! Getty Images; FOX The Alien Songs: "Feel It Still," "Love Fools," "Happy," "Ex's & Oh's" The Clues: Grew up in public eye Anonymity is an alien concept No one will control her again Lots of snakes Has many sisters Kids toy imagery, more snakes She's a quadruple threat Has recorded many things Has been "poked and prodded" Wanted peace and quiet Always craved the simple life "That's hot" Destined for the limelight Brought out a police badge: "I've sworn to protect and serve" Badge says Indiana Knows a thing or two about the law and fashion Malibu and the Moulin Rouge Coordinates: 52 2 North, 57 66 East 1956 "I have been on the New York Times Best Seller's List twice" Best Guess: Those Simple Life/Paris Hilton references threw everything off, but La Toya Jackson is still the best guess. She even starred in a reality show called Armed and Famous about celebrities training to be reserve police officers in Muncie, Indiana. The Reveal: It's La Toya Jackson! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Raven The Songs: "Rainbow," "Bad Romance," "Brave" The Clues: Spent her life listening to other people's stories, now wants to share hers Always been a sunny kind of person Never had trouble getting an audience No one talks more than her Recently suffered a tragic loss Honoring "her beloved" Found beauty in the darkness "Like a phoenix from the ashes, I will rise up and find a light" "Don't cry, baby, this one's for you" Says she's a lover, not a fighter Confirmed she hosted a talk show Lots of bird imagery Once a lonely bird until a man came and recognized her beauty Cried tears of love into the Hudson River The year 1968 Did this show against all instincts Made a career of talking to people Has a bird's eye view from death to love 11:11 "My greatest joy is being a mother to my flock" Sometimes you have to look back to go forward Brought out an Emmy: "I place this where my flock can admire it" Our Best Guess: Ricki Lake. She lost her ex-husband in 2017 was born in 1968. The Reveal: It's Ricki Lake! Michael Becker / FOX; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BCRF The Unicorn Songs: "Fight Song," "Oops I Did It Again," "I Love It" The Clues: Born in Beverly Hills Told she was tone-deaf Always told she wasn't good enough Wants to prove you just have to believe in yourself Said "they call me Bird" Recently lost her sheen (Sheen?) Wanted to exude model behavior Said she's feeling Victorious Said she's going for the gold Balloon imagery Only known as a gymnast "in the bedroom" Words like "Floated" "Heaven" Five little unicorns "Cartwheels" "Crafted" Brought out a typewriter: "This typewriter has created lots of magic" The Reveal: It's Tori Spelling! The typewriter was Aaron Spelling's actual typewriter! Paul Morigi/WireImage; FOX The Poodle Week 1: Performed "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar The Clues: Ever since she was a little girl she's loved to be on stage and to take on a character. She picked a poodle because it's sassy, smart, and best in show. She loves San Francisco and comes from a musical family, but she's known for a different talent. She loves exercising her right to free speech and rainbows are involved. She's returning to musical roots to show a side never seen before, and to figure her out we're all going to have to WORK. She says "I'm here for your honor." Week 4: Performed "Time After Time" The New Clues: Has to be flawless to do this role of the poodle justice, turns to best friends to practice new material, tells a joke so she's definitely a comedian, lots of legal references, heights are her biggest fear, says she's been fired multiple times. The Reveal: It's Margaret Cho! Article continues below Fox Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The Deer Week 1: Performed "Thunder" The Clues: 6'3", chose the deer because they're incredibly competitive, always considered himself a singer but not sure anyone else would agree, says it's hard for people to get past who he is and what he's known for, he's been knocked down fifty times, but in the Wild Wild West you learn how to get up and get back in the saddle, likes horses, had to wrap his antlers in medical tape. He also said "Ravens beware," and had to "take the fifth" when the panel asked if he played in the NFL. Week 3: Performed "Get Your Shine On" The new clues: Being in the bottom isn't his style, used to be able to sell "salt to a slug," now seems to sell used cars but can't get his lines right, knows how to throw, really likes throwing, does a lot of throwing, throwing! Said "I have multiple world titles, started in track and field, then it went to horses." He's done car commercials... The Reveal: Terry Bradshaw Fox Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Happiest Baby The Pineapple Week 2: Performed "I Will Survive" The Clues: Decided to be a pineapple because they're "fun, tropical, and go well with ham," been through some dark times, beat a life-threatening disease, this OG decided to take things as they come, never wipe the smile off my face, been in the public eye for decades, always dreamed of being a singer, has a bumper sticker that says "pipe dream" and is clearly into smoking weed. The Reveal: Tommy Chong Fox Alberto E. Rodriguez/VMN18/Getty Images For Nickelodeon The Hippo Week 1: Performed "My Prerogative" The Clues: Male, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because he needs his strength, he's one of the most dangerous animals in the kingdom, used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of screaming fans, has to dance whenever he wins even when it gets him in trouble, drinks orange juice, has a lot of money, and his favorite past time is bowling. The Reveal: Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown | https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1019373/who-won-the-masked-singer |
Is Twitter's Spritzer Stream Really A Nearly Perfect 1% Sample Of Its Firehose? | One of the leading factors in Twitters popularity among data scientists is its JSON APIs. Among those APIs is its Spritzer or Sample stream which is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Unlike Twitters premium data offerings, the Spritzer stream is available free of charge and has become a mainstay of macro-level social media analytics and research. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream and found it to be largely methodologically sound, though vulnerable to manipulation. However, there are unanswered questions about how closely the 1% stream hews to the complete Twitter firehose in practice and whether the two yield nearly identical results in practice. Using Crimson Hexagon to search Twitter for tweets mentioning climate change January 2012 to October 2018 yields a total of 83.6 million tweets, while a search for global warming over the same period yields around 26.1 million tweets and the IPCC garners around 2.1 million tweets. On an average day there were around 33,500 climate tweets, 10,500 global warming tweets and 850 IPCC tweets. This trio of topics, one medium, one small and one micro, offers a perfect testbed to determine how closely these results from the Twitter firehose match those of the free 1% stream over the same time period. Comparing the results from Crimson Hexagon against the free 1% Twitter stream over the same period, all three timelines were highly correlated. Climate change was correlated at r=0.96, global warming at r=0.94 and IPCC at r=0.94. In short, from a purely volumetric trend detection standpoint, you will get the same story whether searching the firehose or the 1% stream, even for topics that average just a few hundred tweets a day. Searching for a much rarer topic like carbon sequestration yields just 60,500 tweets over the entire period and averages just 24 tweets on a typical day, with nearly a third of the period having 0 to 10 tweets per day. Even this extremely low volume topic still offered a timeline that was correlated at r=0.79 between the 1% and firehose streams. Obviously the rarer a topic the more exclusion error there will be in the 1% stream simply due to the statistics of how likely one of that topics tweets are to be found in a 1% sample. Though, as the numbers above show, even topics with just a handful of tweets per day can still yield a representative signal. Looking at the 1% stream as a whole over the period January 2012 to October 2018, it has remained nearly perfectly steady within a close interval of 1% of the full firehose over all 7 years of the comparison. Prior to February 2015 the 1% stream averaged around 0.99%, but after an adjustment made by Twitter in February 2015 the volume dropped to around 0.98% overall. The daily tweet volume between the 1% stream and the firehose over those seven years was almost perfectly correlated at r=0.987. The total volume of non-retweets was correlated at r=0.996 and tweets with URLs were correlated at r=0.986. Verified tweets, being far rarer, were correlated at only r=0.877. In short, from the standpoint of daily volume counts, whether one uses the 1% stream or the firehose, the results here suggest that the results will be nearly identical. Rarer topics and less common attributes like verified users will exhibit more error due to the extreme sampling, but still yield almost identical trends. This tight alignment between the contents of the free 1% and commercial firehose Twitter streams is critically important in that it suggests that findings derived from the 1% stream are likely to validly reflect genuine Twitter trends. Given how much of published academic research on Twitter relies on the free 1% stream, it suggests that the body of literature on Twitter is not unduly skewed by relying on the 1% sample. In turn, this suggests that the kinds of advanced Twitter analyses that are not supported by realtime social media analytics platforms, like fine-grained linguistic analysis and even neural language modeling of topics, can be safely performed on the 1% data. For example, one could examine the linguistic evolution of commentary on a topic like climate change and compare that to the baseline of the totality of Twitter to understand which words are statistically significant to climate-related conversations. Putting this all together, we see that the Twitter Spritzer/Sample stream offers a fairly stable and robust 1% sample of the totality of Twitter and that this sample has remained stable over at least the past seven years. Volume timelines derived from this sample closely match those produced from the firehose at both the micro scale of a single query and the macro scale of Twitter as a whole. Even very low volume queries that generate just a handful of tweets per day still yield daily attention timelines highly correlated with their firehose results. In the end, it seems the Twitter 1% stream can be reliably and robustly used as a proxy for Twitter as a whole. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/27/is-twitters-spritzer-stream-really-a-nearly-perfect-1-sample-of-its-firehose/ |
Will Cincinnati finally get a new Western Hills Viaduct? | Buy Photo The Western Hills Viaduct in Cincinnati (Photo: The Enquirer/Cara Owsley) Maybe finally there is about to be movement on the Western Hills Viaduct. Ohio has a new governor who has made transportation infrastructure one of his top priorities. And now, Hamilton County has a new coalition dedicated to finding a way to get the project done. "It is undeniable that the Western Hills Viaduct is a top infrastructure priority for the region," states a press release from the coalition, which includes U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Westwood; Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, a Democrat from Green Township; Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, a Democrat from East Walnut Hills; and Hamilton County Engineer Ted Hubbard. Ohio's roads are falling apart: Here's how we might fix them. Officials have been talking about replacing the Western Hills Viaduct since 2009, but it shot to the top of the to-do list in 2017 after a chunk of concrete fell from the lower deck onto a truck. No one was injured, but the lower deck was closed while officials examined the damage. Still, there hasn't been much apparent progress since July, when officials announced a $5 million grant from the feds to help pay for the project. (That may seem like big money, but the overall project is expected to cost about $355 million, including the cost to repair and maintain the current viaduct until the new one is in place.) The release says the new coalition will focus on working with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the state legislature to pursue state funding. NEWSLETTERS Get the News Alerts newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Be the first to be informed of important news as it happens in Greater Cincinnati. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for News Alerts Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters There is also hope the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives coupled with President Donald Trump's focus on infrastructure projects across the country may lead to an infrastructure bill that would benefit the viaduct, with the long-term goal being to replace it completely. We may affiliate with different political parties, but we all agree that the Western Hills Viaduct requires critical repairs and renovations," states a quote in the news release, attributed to the coalition as a whole. "We owe it to the community to place politics aside and come together to restore the gateway to the West Side. CLOSE Gov. Mike DeWine calls his request for an 18-cent-per-gallon increase to the gas tax "conservative." Jessie Balmert, [email protected] Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/02/27/western-hills-viaduct-there-finally-solution-cincinnati/3006951002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/02/27/western-hills-viaduct-there-finally-solution-cincinnati/3006951002/ |
Do Patients Need to Stay the Night After Stenting? | Some elderly patients getting a heart stent can leave the hospital the same day with no extra risk of complications, suggests a new study. Researchers said that the findings only apply to people with a low risk of complications such as bleeding or heart attack and who have family or friends to support them at home. "There are probably going to be some patients who feel comfortable staying overnight and that's fine, but I'm guessing most patients would prefer to go home," said study author Dr. Sunil Rao, from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. Rao and his colleagues examined data from more than 100,000 non-emergency stenting procedures, done to open up narrowed coronary arteries, in adults age 65 and older. Just over one percent of those patients went home the same day as the procedure. The rest stayed at the hospital for the night. Rao said that patients are typically kept overnight so doctors can make sure they don't have any bleeding complications or problems with their newly-inserted stent. But as it turned out, the rates of bleeding and blood vessel related complications were each less than one percent regardless of whether or not patients stayed in the hospital, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And people who were sent home early weren't any more likely to have to return to the hospital, or to die, than those who were kept longer for observation. By 30 days after the procedure, 9.6 percent of patients who were discharged on the same day had died or been re-admitted to the hospital, compared to 9.7 percent who had an overnight stay. People who left the hospital on the same day as their procedure generally were at low risk of complications and future heart problems. For a same-day discharge to work, "you have to have a successful procedure with no complications," Rao told Reuters Health. Patients, he added, "also have to have a social support network at home. They have to have someone who, if they do get in trouble, can call for help." Rao said that when he sends patients home with a new stent, he tells them to watch out for chest pain, as well as swelling, bruising and bleeding. Those patients also have to make sure they take their medications, including anti-platelet therapy, to prevent stent-related complications. "If we're talking about a patient who is in relatively good health, who you do an angioplasty on and get a good result, you observe them for 8 hours... the ability to send them home is real," said Dr. Carl Tommaso, from North Shore University Health System in Skokie, Illinois, who was not involved in the new study. He told Reuters Health that while keeping patients overnight is still considered best practice, there's a trend toward more people getting sent home after 8 to 10 hours. Rao added that for the right hospitals, sending certain low-risk people home would save beds and nurses needed by other patients. The new study, Rao said, "should provide (heart doctors) with even more reassurance" that complications are rare after non-emergency stent procedures, and that it may be safe to send some patients home early with a plan and supportive caregivers. Tommaso said that patients should follow their doctor's advice after getting a stent. "Don't push a doctor to go home the same day if it's a complex procedure," he said. | https://www.foxnews.com/health/do-patients-need-to-stay-the-night-after-stenting |
Will India's Richest Man List Reliance Retail This Summer? | India's richest man Mukesh Ambani has the country's retail industry in a tizzy. A recent news report said his Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. And seeing how his telecom services business, Reliance Jio, dealt a massive blow to incumbents when it launched, news of a potential IPO had people wondering what that would entail for the rest of the sector. A spokesperson for Reliance said the company doesn't comment on media speculation or rumors, so it's anyone's guess as to whether there will be an IPO this summer or not. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing in the coming months. "Reliance Retail is the most successful retail company in India by far," said Arvind Singhal, chairman and managing director of retail consultancy Technopak. "In a little over 10 years to reach this level of scale, without burning tons of cash, is truly remarkable." While the company's balance sheet is stretched, the business is not financially stressed, according to Singhal. "I see no reason for Reliance to list the company by June or July or anytime this year because its e-commerce play is not yet fully visible," he added. "Thatll take another year or more, and the valuation they will get by listing then will be far more in excess than now." India's retail market is being largely driven by a young and aspiring population that is turning to modern, organized trade and e-commerce over the traditional mom-and-pop stores and street markets, although both continue to coexist even in the large cities. Retail consultancy Technopak currently estimates the market's size at $750 billion, and expects it to grow to $1,300 billion in the next five years. With huge swathes of the country still under-served, the market offers plenty of opportunity for all. Yet, it's not an easy play. There's a myriad of frequently expanding rules that govern how stores can be set up and what licenses are required to sell different products, all of which can differ from one city to another. Then there's the reality of fickle customers and their rapidly evolving tastes which is also a business challenge. Ambani's fellow billionaire Kumar Birla threw in the towel last year, when he sold his food and grocery retail chain More to private equity fund Samara Capital. Reliance Retail was set up in 2006, and has a vast footprint across product categories and store formats. It has stores selling electronics, fashion, groceries and fresh produce. It has outlets in every format: standalone neighborhood stores selling everyday groceries and produce, destination supermarkets offering discounts, large-format wholesale stores selling goods in bulk, small stores (what it calls Jio points) selling mobile phones and accessories as well as larger stores selling a range of electronic goods. Many of these categories have an online channel as well. For year ending March 2018, the company's 9,907 stores generated revenue of $10.6 billion, and reported earnings before interest and tax of $317 million. (The company shared its Ebit figures, but did not disclose whether it recorded a net profit or a loss in the same period.) In comparison, Radhakishan Damani, who won the sobriquet of India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his DMart chain of supermarkets, has 155 stores which netted earnings of $120 million on revenues of $2 billion. Similarly retailing pioneer Kishore Biyani's Future Retail had 1,035 stores in 321 cities which netted $1.7 million on revenues of $2.8 billion. Singhal says Reliance Retail's biggest advantage is that it has such a wide network, across both categories and geography as it's present in smaller towns as well as the larger markets. "That's India's sweet spot," he said. Last month, Ambani announced that group companies Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm would jointly launch a new e-commerce platform in the country, with an eye to taking on Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. As part of the strategy, its wholesale unit would reportedly sell goods to neighborhood stores and have them partner with its e-commerce platform for delivery and distribution points. As it beefs up its online presence, Reliance is not constrained by recent government policies that forbid foreign-owned e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart from selling goods through companies in which they have an ownership stake. That rule kicked in February 1 and imposes other restrictions on discounts and exclusive partnerships to sell various products. While these restrictions have already hurt its Western competitors, Reliance is free to adopt all of these practices, said Singhal. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2019/02/27/will-indias-richest-man-list-reliance-retail-this-summer/ |
Will top seed Perham change the guard atop 2A wrestling? | Its been believed all season that the winner of Section 1 in Class 2A either 2018 state champ Kasson-Mantorville or perennial juggernaut Simley would be the odds-on favorite to take the Class 2A team title. After all, the 2A championship has bounced between those two schools for 11 consecutive seasons. While Simley ended Kasson-Mantorvilles three-year championship streak by defeating the KoMets in the section final, another team has emerged as a serious challenger. Perham has moved into the favorites role, thanks to a 29-1 record that includes a 38-23 victory over Simley on Feb. 2. As the brackets top seed, the Yellowjackets are far from unknown. They are making their seventh tournament appearance in the past eight years and 12th appearance overall. Their only loss this season was to Waverly-Shellrock (Iowa) 35-33 at the Clash Duals in January. Perham qualified eight wrestlers for the individual tournament, led by 195-pound senior Ty Moser, who finished third at that weight in 2018. Simley has 10 individual qualifiers. Individuals Toughest bracket: The finals at 113 pounds could feature a matchup of two 2018 champions at 106 pounds. Totino-Graces Joey Thompson won at 106 pounds while wrestling for Maple Grove in Class 3A last season. Byrons Maxwell Petersen is the defending champion in Class 2A at the lightest weight class. There are also two defending champs at 160 pounds: Waconias Cade Mueller, who won at 160 last year, and Kasson-Mantorvilles Bennett Berge, last years 138-pound champ. Undefeated: Mason Gehloff, Waseca, 27-0 (106); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 29-0 (113); Ashton Clark, Park Rapids, 19-0 (119); Jake Svihel, Totino-Grace, 50-0 (126); Ryan Sokol, Simley, 44-0 (132); Kellen Schauer, Grand Rapids, 51-0 (145); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 42-0 (182); Ty Moser, Perham, 39-0 (195); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, 17-0; Chase Liestman, Litchfield, 39-0 (heavyweight); and Brandon Swanson, North Branch, 32-0 (heavyweight). Returning champions: Joey Thompson, Totino-Grace, 113 (won Class 3A at 106 pounds); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 113 (106); Jaxson Rohman, Fairmont/Martin Co. West, 120 (113); Mitchel Petersen, Byron, 126 (120); Bennett Berge, Kasson-Mantorville, 160 (138); Cade Mueller, Waconia, 160 (160); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 182 (182); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, heavyweight (220). Worth watching: At 126 pounds, undefeated and No. 1-ranked Jake Svihel will be tested by Bryon junior Mitchel Petersen, who defeated Svihel in the 120 pounds finals a year ago. And dont overlook Scott West senior Justin Stauffacher, fifth at 120 last year. | http://www.startribune.com/will-top-seed-perham-change-the-guard-atop-2a-wrestling/506472392/ |
Is Nashville spending too much on outsourcing? | CLOSE A top engineering contractor for Metro government entertained city officials inside a company suite at Bridgestone Arena and in several cases, the employees did not appear to pay for the tickets. Ayrika L Whitney, The Tennessean Story Highlights Nashville has nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks. But there are fewer Public Works employees than before the 2009 recession. Contracting can be advantageous, advocates say, because the jobs are often temporary and the city isnt paying for benefits. Critics say the development boom in Nashville should have compelled the city to hire more employees for less than it is paying its contractors. One company charges the city $78 per hour for administrative assistants. Another charges $148 for engineers. A third bills the government for project managers at $195 an hour. The charges are far more than what Nashville city employees cost to do similar work. During the recession, the city outsourced an array of jobs to save taxpayer money. But as the economy roared back, the Public Works department continued outsourcing work to contractors instead of hiring its own employees. While Nashville nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks, the city has fewer Public Works employees than before the 2008 recession. Now that a top contractor, Collier Engineering, is under scrutiny for ethical and billing practices, critics question if outsourcing at this level is still efficient. Since 2008, Public Works has pushed millions of dollars into just a handful of engineering firms rather than hire its own people to handle functions such as inspections, permitting and constituent services. Buy Photo Nashville has nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks. Two firms have repeatedly won contracts for overseeing that work: Collier Engineering and Civic Engineering & IT. (Photo: Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean) For instance, Metro pays $78 per hour for administrative assistants at Ragan-Smith Associates, while city staffers cost $35, including benefits. Collier, which oversees the city's road paving program, bills Metro $50 per hour for administrative specialists. In some cases, contractors' administrative employees are based in the Public Works office, filing permits and doing other tasks. Government accountability experts say the practice of outsourcing is common, but officials should scrutinize such decisions to ensure the city isn't wasting money. Contracting can be advantageous, advocates say, because the jobs are often temporary and the city isnt paying for health care, retirement savings or other benefits. Critics say the development boom in Nashville for the last several years should have compelled the city to hire more employees for less than it is paying its contractors. I think its just a business question: How much more expensive is it to contract out? At-large Metro Councilman John Cooper said. "I would love it if somebody would have actually analyzed that. "Who has ever sat down and said, Was this outsourcing good for the city?' " Metro Public Works, which is led by Mark Sturtevant, has not evaluated the effectiveness of outsourcing. A department spokeswoman said, "We have not received a request from an appropriate Metro authority to initiate such an analysis." PAYMENT SCRUTINY: Metro payments to engineering firm for two 'liaisons' draw scrutiny Budget chair calls for audit of engineering firms How much engineering firms charge the city is in the spotlight after The Tennessean reported Collier Engineering hosted Public Works officials in a suite at Bridgestone Arena during a daylong college basketball tournament. City records showed Collier executives billed Metro for work that day, although they spent much of it entertaining city officials. Collier also has faced criticism for billing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars for work done by executives for "liaison services," which included attending community meetings and coordinating with other Metro departments for Public Works projects. Metro Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher, who chairs the councils Budget and Finance Committee, ordered an audit of costs from architecture and engineering firms. Although Vercher asked for eight firms initially to be audited, the citys audit committee voted to expand the scope. Metro Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher ordered an audit of costs from architecture and engineering firms. (Photo: Submitted) The scrutiny on Collier Engineering highlighted the issue of architecture and engineering contracts, but Vercher said her concern is the citys bottom line, especially for sidewalk construction. Im concerned with all of it the fees, the rates, the percentage of the overall project going to engineering, Vercher said. I have questions if we are spending too much and if were getting enough sidewalks out of it. Public Works staff by the numbers Public Works says the decision to handle projects in-house or to hire contractors is based on staffing limitations. While the city is increasing its investment in paving sidewalks, roads and bike lanes, Metro Public Works has not added staff to keep up with the demand. With 434 employees budgeted for this year, the department has fewer workers than before the 2008 recession. In 2005, the department had 481 employees. In fiscal year 2008, as the recession hit, then-Mayor Karl Dean laid off workers and froze open positions. By 2011, the number of employees budgeted for Public Works dropped to 362. Public Works spokeswoman Cortnye Stone said staffing has been a regular discussion during the budget process in recent years. Public Works has requested a significant amount of additional full-time employees in prior budget years in an effort to reduce reliance on third-party vendors and consultants, Stone said. What jobs the government should outsource is a philosophical question for policymakers. Cities want tight control over their public safety, for instance, so outsourcing the police force is rare. There are some functions that are so core to the mission to the government that they tend to not be candidates for outsourcing, said David Yarkin, president of Government Sourcing Solutions, a Washington, D.C.-based company specializing in government outsourcing. But sidewalk construction is up for debate. While the city probably wouldn't run its own concrete plant, it might choose to hire staff for some jobs common to Public Works projects: permitting, organizing community meetings, inspecting, basic engineering. In Nashville, officials contract out many of those roles. Sidewalks should be a core competency," Cooper said. "If were not up to building sidewalks, how could we run a massive transit system? I think its just a business question: How much more expensive is it to contract out? At-large Metro Councilman John Cooper said. "I would love it if somebody would have actually analyzed that. (Photo: Dipti Vaidya) In street paving, the city has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for companies to coordinate the work. Contractors have acted as coordinators between council members, police, the mayor's office, residents and businesses. Outsourcing that type of job is unusual for local governments, said Jocelyn Johnston, professor of public administration and policy at American University. How does the government want to handle its communication with its citizens? Public Works officials say they prefer to outsource sidewalk and paving-related roles because it allows them to quickly scale up and scale down, based on the availability of funds. When we have peaks that have significant (project) demands, we, like most other government agencies, will supplement our staff in times of need to provide support services," Stone said. It doesnt always make good financial sense to keep enough people on your staff to handle the high case demand time because once you get out of that time period, you have excess staff." Others say much of this work is predictable. The city's 2017 sidewalk and bike lane plan found there were 1,900 miles of streets without sidewalks enough work to last more than 400 years. Cooper calls sidewalks a "generational need." Everybody likes to be nimble, but the reality is they are going to have to have basic services they need to provide all the time, said Johnston, the public administration professor. The most sophisticated local governments attempt to measure the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing, experts say. Nashville, however, has not done that. Governments are typically bad at evaluating the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing, Johnston said. An analysis would measure how much it costs to issue bids, perform the work and monitor contractors compared with the cost of doing the same work with city staff. Some government jobs in finance, legal and human relations overlap departments and projects, so it's a complicated analysis. For many of the jobs associated with architecture and engineering, Nashville spends less for employees to do the work than it does to contract it out. Joe Griffin, the executive vice president at Ragan-Smith Associates, said his firm's $78 per hour administrative assistants are doing advanced work and that they billed for less than 44 hours in fiscal 2018. "Our administrative staff is highly experienced and typically responsible for accounting and contracting functions ... that require years of experience and training," Griffin said in a statement. One way to be sure companies are giving cities the best deal on their services is to encourage competition. In Nashville, two firms have repeatedly won contracts for overseeing street paving and sidewalks: Collier and Civic Engineering & IT. The firm that has the contract should be constantly cognizant of the fact that if it doesnt perform its going to lose it, Johnston said. Way too often the contractors dont feel that pressure. Jennifer Ogden, president of Civic, said Metro's decision to use contractors ensures the city is implementing the industries' best practices and proven methods. "The programs being implemented by MPW require a highly competent core staff to be in place which we feel they have," she said. "But by using consultants to help implement the projects, Metro is able to access a broad range of specialized expertise to aid in finding the best solutions." Chad Collier said his firm has to compete for contracts just like everyone else. I don't have any control over all of that, he said. We turn in our proposal just like everyone. I know how to run a paving program. If somebody else has never done that before, then I dont think theyd have as good of a proposal as somebody who has done it before. "I feel like I do a good job for Public Works. I truly do." CONTRACTING WORK: Metro approved $15M in more work for contractor during investigation into arena suite visits COMPTROLLER: Mayor Briley alerts state comptroller of 'potential illegal conduct' by Collier Engineering BILLING PRACTICES: Nashville contractor billed Metro thousands on day spent entertaining in arena suite DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news from The Tennessean straight to your phone. Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/28/nashville-outsourcing-collier-engineering-investigations/2943205002/ | https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/28/nashville-outsourcing-collier-engineering-investigations/2943205002/ |
What do Abba, Sigrid, and Zara Larsson all have in common? | To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Sigrid: 'My siblings inspired my love of music' It's been a massive few years for Sigrid, who burst onto the world stage in 2017 with "Don't Kill My Vibe". A year later the Norwegian singer and songwriter won BBC Music Sound of 2018 and this week her first album Sucker Punch comes out. But she's far from the only Scandipop artist who's been taking the UK and world by storm in recent years. Here's all you need to know about music from this particular region in the world. Getty Images It's not strictly a particular style of music, but it basically includes any artists which come from the countries making up the region of Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The UK's love for Scandipop began in 1970s when the Swedish band Abba burst onto the music scene at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974. Their debut single Waterloo topped the charts, and over the years the band got 9 No. 1 singles. Abba's music is still having an impact in the music world today, with the Mamma Mia! : Here We Go Again film soundtrack helping the band top the charts once again at the end of 2018. AFP/Getty Images Abba are probably the best known Scandipop act worldwide Last year the pop legends also announced that they'd be releasing their first new material in 35 years, having recorded two new songs together, and are planning a 'virtual' tour for 2019 using hologram technology. There have even been rumours that ABBA could headline at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. With more and more Scandi bands and artists singing in English, they're increasingly popular in the UK which has made Scandinavia one of the world's top exporters of pop music. The biggest names in Scandipop Sigrid Getty Images Age: 22 From: lesund, Norway Sigrid started her musical career at 17, starting a band with her sister called Sala Says Mhyp, which was named after their cat. But before long she decided to go solo, releasing her debut single Sun in 2013, which became her breakthrough single in Norway and landed her a record contract. She since gone from strength to strength, swapping performing at music festivals in Norway for touring with Maroon 5 and George Ezra later this year. Robyn Getty Images Age: 39 From: Stockholm, Sweden Robyn first hit the charts in the late 1990s as a teen star, scoring a global hit with the song Show Me Love, and receiving three Grammy Award nominations in 2010. After taking some time out of the limelight, she released her eighth solo album Honey in last year, and has been spending 2019 on tour across the US and Europe. Many other artists have named her as their inspiration, with Katy's Perry calling Robyn "the epitome of effortless cool". Lorde has even performed with a framed photograph of Robyn on her piano, saying that Dancing On My Own inspired the tone of her second album. Zara Larsson Getty Images Age: 21 From: Solna, Sweden After winning a TV show called Talang - the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent - when she was 10, Zara nabbed herself a record contract, released an album, and topped the singles charts in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. But she wasn't super famous in the UK or US until she signed a US record contract and began collaborating with big name artists like David Guetta on the official Euro 2016 single. Zara's star has been rising ever since, with "Symphony" helping her nail her first UK number one, her fifth number one in her home country. She's also been named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list which puts together the most influential people aged under 30 years old. Max Martin Getty/Sony/Republic Records Age: 47 From: Stenhamra, Sweden His name might not be one you recognise, but you'll definitely know his songs. The producer has written everything from 90s hits like Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time, and Katy's Perry's I Kissed a Girl, to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, and The Weekend's Can't Feel My Face. In fact Martin's tally of 22 number ones makes him the third most successful songwriter in US chart history, behind only Paul McCartney, who had 32, and John Lennon with 26. He's so good at writing hits that X Factor judge Simon Cowell has even joked: "I don't think that Max Martin is human. I think he was made in Sweden to make hit records, because nobody human can have done what he's done." Aqua Aqua Age: 45-51 From: Norway and Denmark If you've heard or sung the lyrics "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world", then you've heard Aqua's biggest hit, possibly without even realising it. The band began as a Danish-Norwegian dance group in 1989, and achieved huge success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They've cited fellow Scandi band ABBA as one of their key influences. The band's members - vocalists Lene and Ren, keyboardist Sren, and guitarist Claus - later split, and achieved chart success with their solo projects, before getting back together for a number of reunion tours. Their third album, Megalomania, was released on 3 October 2011. Lukas Graham Getty Images Age: 28-30 From: Copenhagen, Denmark The Danish band, made up of lead vocalist Lukas Forchhammer, drummer Mark Falgren, and bassist Magnus Larsson, had their biggest hit to date with the single "7 Years". The song had 10.4 million digital streams and downloads, making it into the top 10 most downloaded songs of 2016 worldwide, reaching number one in the UK, and in the US, and making the band the highest charting Danish act in 55 years. A perhaps less well know release from Lukas Graham, is "Off to See the World", which featured on the soundtrack of My Little Pony: The Movie. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47295288 |
How much election security money is enough? | With help from Eric Geller, Jordyn Hermani and Martin Matishak Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Cybersecurity is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Cybersecurity subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here. QUICK FIX Story Continued Below A key lawmaker today will spell out the case for Congress spending significantly more money on election security. His panel will also hear from election security experts who will send the same message. The Pentagon needs more people to administer a program giving it flexibility on pay and personnel structures for cyber service, a Marines leader says. Candidate demand is expected to increase dramatically. Equifax is getting more unflattering attention over its massive 2017 data breach. Its CEO found himself caught between his view of his own sensitive data and that of company lawyers toward victims. HAPPY WEDNESDAY and welcome to Morning Cybersecurity! Your regular MC host is back from a trip to Athens, Ga., where I visited with some dear longtime human friends, some new human friends and some mostly new animal friends. Send your thoughts, feedback and especially tips to [email protected], and be sure to follow @POLITICOPro and @MorningCybersec. Full team info below. Driving the Day A WHOLE LOT OF SPENDING MONEY The chairman of a House panel that exerts control over the election security cash spigot will advocate this morning for significantly more federal funds. Rep. Mike Quigley, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, will say in prepared opening remarks that the $380 million he helped secure in 2018 isnt enough. It represents only a fraction of the total need across the country to replace outdated voting equipment and implement cybersecurity and other protections at the state and local level to ensure our election system can withstand future attempts of foreign interference, Quigleys remarks read. Among those in need: 18 states use, at least in part, voting machines with no paper trail; 41 have voting machines a decade old or more; and 34 use electronic poll books vulnerable to hackers. After the 2000 election debacle, Quigley will note, Congress sent almost 10 times as much money to fix problems, because we treasured the integrity of our democracy. I hope we still do. Quigleys call comes one day after The Washington Post reported that Cyber Command attacked a Russian troll farm on Election Day during the 2018 midterms. Elsewhere Tuesday, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson said past mistakes mean Congress must include strings for any election security aid to states, and the House Administration panel approved H.R. 1, the House Democratic legislative vehicle for election security. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidates considered an anti-disinformation pact and 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton called for Congress to step up Russia probes. RSA CONFERENCE: POLITICOs Morning Cybersecurity Newsletter is heading to RSAC 2019, March 4-8 in San Francisco. From the latest trends to best practices, RSAC 2019 is the hub for cybersecurity intel. POLITICO cybersecurity reporter Tim Starks will be onsite to cover the expert-led sessions, keynote speakers and report on the latest in cybersecurity. Check in with Morning Cybersecurity each day to receive dedicated conference coverage and register here to attend RSAC. DEFENSE MORE EXCEPTED ACCEPTANCE A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday said he wants to double the full-time personnel devoted to the agencys young Cyber Excepted Service. Congress established the program as part of the 2016 defense policy bill, which gave DoD the ability to create personnel and pay structures outside of the traditional civil service system. The Pentagon devoted five staffers for the rollout of the effort, which had a ceiling of less than 500 applicants. Now that the program is entering a new phase and could see thousands more candidates, the program needs potentially 10 employees, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Dennis Crall told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Chairman Jim Langevin supported the effort. AWKWARD... Equifaxs CEO admitted Tuesday that releasing a persons Social Security number, birthday and address would constitute real harm, prompting questions about why his company continues to argue the opposite in federal court. Like every American Id be concerned about identity theft, Mark Begor told Rep. Katie Porter after she asked him to reveal that information at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on credit reporting agencies. As Equifax reels from a data breach that compromised the sensitive data of more than 145 million Americans, the companys lawyers are trying to beat back a class-action lawsuit by arguing that the plaintiffs claims of breach-related harm are merely theoretical. In asking a judge to dismiss the case, Equifax said last July that the alleged injuries are the very definition of speculative and conjectural, because the plaintiffs argument was based on what they anticipate third-party actors, including hackers, might do in the future. The company added, None of the alleged harms is cognizable. (In January, the judge disagreed and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.) Begor refused to answer when Porter asked him why Equifaxs lawyers were arguing the opposite of what hed told her. Its really hard for me to comment on what our lawyers are doing, Begor said, before Porter cut him off and reminded him that those lawyers work for him. Equifax declined to comment on the contradiction between its CEOs argument and its lawyers argument. INTRUDER ALERT Intruders appear to have taken over the website of the Bangladesh embassy in Cairo, according to research out from Trustwave this morning. While it started as a cryptomining operation, its now offering malicious documents, too, Trustwave said, and as of late Tuesday still was doing so even though the company alerted the victims. That shift is a serious escalation given they types of business and government traffic that tends to visit embassy sites, according to Trustwave. DIS-ARMING INFORMATION In the growing list of hackable objects in everyday life, not even body parts are safe. A report out Tuesday from Kaspersky Labs says biomedical prosthetic arms from Motorica Inc. could be at risk for hacking due to vulnerabilities between SIM cards embedded in the limbs and data transmitted to the companys cloud. Hackers would have access to any data within the cloud, including usernames, passwords and associated accounts. While handy to know, Kaspersky says no one has started targeting prosthetic limbs for hacking yet. RECENTLY ON PRO CYBERSECURITY DHS released a list of members of, and other details about, a supply chain task force. House Homeland Security Committee Democrats said they were concerned about TSA not exerting more surface transportation cybersecurity oversight. Hackers innovated new techniques in late 2018 but also relied on old tactics, Rapid7 said in a report. A top State Department official warned Europe that U.S. security depends on keeping Chinese telecommunications companies out of European networks. Huaweis chairman said the U.S. has a troubling surveillance record. Heres an explainer on cybertheft and its role in Chinese trade negotiations. A European official pushed for mandatory cybersecurity insurance. TWEET OF THE DAY Today in things Fort Meade would rather not acknowledge POLITICO PLAYBOOK: Washington is full of whispers listen in with Playbook. Be in the know. Sign up today here. QUICK BYTES Researchers say suspected North Korean hackers launched phishing attacks against South Korean targets ahead of President Donald Trumps meeting with Kim Jong Un. CyberScoop Russia sentenced a pair of cyber experts for treason. Reuters Tech companies are fighting an international battle over encryption. The Wall Street Journal Ukraines president accused Russia of cyberattacks on his countrys election commission. CyberScoop Cyber criminals are turning from ransomware to cryptojacking. IBM X-Force Europe is afraid of both Huawei and the U.S. over data protection. Bloomberg Third suspect in Methbot, 3ve case to plead not guilty after extradition from Malaysia. CyberScoop Google shared an update on Google Play Protect. Cloudflare is expanding its transparency reports. TechCrunch Hackers stole nearly $8 million in EOS cryptocurrency. ZDNet Former Hacking Team Members Are Now Spying on the Blockchain for Coinbase. Motherboard Thats all for today. Ahhh. Stay in touch with the whole team: Mike Farrell ([email protected], @mikebfarrell); Eric Geller ([email protected], @ericgeller); Martin Matishak ([email protected], @martinmatishak) and Tim Starks ([email protected], @timstarks). | https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-cybersecurity/2019/02/27/how-much-election-security-money-is-enough-525565 |
How can I set up a small website for a local group? | As chair of our local allotment association, Im wondering about setting up a website to provide information and news to new and existing allotmenteers. Theres a bewildering number of services offering to host websites, sell domain names, provide easy-to-use templates and so on at a range of prices. We have a Facebook group but nobody in the association is very keen to keep this active. Robin Its a pity you dont like the idea of using Facebook because this is generally the quickest and easiest way for a small group to get online. In fact, if an organisation has a physical manifestation a school, park or church, allotments, a restaurant or so on then it may already have a Facebook page. If so, you can apply to take it over. If that fails, you can start your own page and compete with it. Using Facebook has advantages: its free, you dont need to do any programming and its likely most of your users will already have accounts. Facebook pages are also easily accessible to members spouses, children and relatives who wouldnt visit a website. Facebook groups are different from Facebook pages. Facebook groups are more like chatrooms, and you can keep them private if you like. You could use a Facebook page for news and a private Facebook group to publish minutes and debate issues, among other things. Web presences When the web took off back in the 1990s, it was like the opening of Americas midwest, and millions of people went digital homesteading on sites such as GeoCities. Building websites with HTML turned out to require more effort, and more taste, than most people possessed. There were lots of good sites but most were dire. In the early 2000s, homesteading was replaced by blogging, which didnt require any programming skills. Templates removed the need for design skills, or even taste. Although the basic diary structure of a blog didnt suit every purpose, the free WordPress software made most things possible, for those who were willing to make the effort or pay someone to put their website together. After the blogging boom, we saw the rise of the drag-and-drop website builder, which is where we are today. Drag-and-drop systems let you build websites quickly and easily by plonking pre-written components onto your developing webpage, with no programming required. If youre rejecting Facebook, it comes down to a choice between WordPress and a drag-and-drop system. If you think you might be willing to give WordPress a go, read one of the dozens of online guides, such as How to Start a WordPress Blog the Right Way in 7 Easy Steps (2019). Theres a companion half-hour YouTube video. Pros and cons of drag-and-drop Facebook Twitter Pinterest Templates and drag-and-drop elements make it quick and easy to build a new site without having to do any coding. Photograph: Guardian Masterclasses There are more than a dozen drag-and-drop website builders, and they all work in pretty much the same way with modules you just drop into place. They make it reasonably easy to update your website or transform it just by switching to a different template. Many drag-and-drop website builders come with some sort of hosting arrangement and a website address, so you dont need to take out a domain name in advance. Of course, many domain name sellers and hosting providers use drag-and-drop website builders to attract people to buy domain names and sign up for web hosting packages. GoDaddy is a well-known example. Sites built with drag-and-drop website builders should now be mobile friendly, adapting to work on smartphones not just in PC web browsers. This is something to check. But there are some drawbacks. The main one is that drag-and-drop websites can be very hard to customise, and you mess with template code at your peril. Second, not every website builder will have all the options you need, so, without expensive customisation, it may be impossible to do what you want. Third, your website may look exactly like hundreds of other websites, and some people will instantly spot common templates. This might not bother you but it looks bad on a commercial website. Fourth, your website may be locked to the fortunes of the drag-and-drop software supplier or web host. Youre at their mercy if they have technical problems, if response times drop, or your traffic explodes. You might not be able to move your website to a host with a different website builder and end up having to rebuild the whole thing from scratch. Bandwidth charges Not all web hosting services come with unlimited bandwidth, and the free limit could be as low as 2GB. Find out what the limit is, and what happens if you exceed it. A local site might not expect to get more than a few hundred visits per month, and if your page is small 500,000 or less then you probably wont have to worry about bandwidth charges. However, theres always the risk of something going viral. A post with a photo of a cute kid with a puppy, or whatever, shared on social media, could get thousands or even millions of hits. Its better to have your website go offline when it reaches a bandwidth limit than be faced with a huge bill. Possible options Three independent drag-and-drop website builders currently stand out from the crowd Wix, Weebly and Squarespace and there are lots of comparison reviews online. All three allow you to create a free test site so you can find out how well they work, and both Wix and Weebly will let you publish it. The main drawbacks are that you cant use your own domain name, and that they will put their advert on your site. There may be storage and bandwidth limitations as well. Wix and Weebly are happy to host free personal sites because the failures cost nothing and the successful users will eventually move up to a paid plan. Squarespace doesnt want free users: it targets commercial users, from creative freelancers and small businesses to large organisations. Wixs paid plans start at 3 per month with 500MB of storage and 1GB of bandwidth, but the best buy offers 10GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth for 8.50 a month. The latter includes a free domain name for the first year. Weebly is cheaper. Its 3 a month deal includes 500GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth and a domain name. It also has a Starter offering with unlimited storage for personal use for 5 a month, and a Pro service for groups and organisations for 8 a month. (These prices are for payments made annually.) Squarespace is a more polished operation with offices in New York, Portland and Dublin. It also has the best designs. All its plans have unlimited storage and bandwidth plus a domain name. Personal websites cost 10 a month when billed annually (13 a month if not) and business websites cost 15 a month when billed annually (21 a month if not). It also has a cut-price deal for students. You should try all three to see which you like best, but I suspect you wont want to pay Squarespaces prices. Otherwise, a free Weebly account which has unlimited bandwidth looks like the best bet, if all your content fits into 500MB. 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/28/set-up-small-website-no-coding-experience |
Can Cash Money, The Label That Launched Drake and Nicki Minaj, Strike Platinum Again? | B ehind the main desk at Avant Gallery just north of Miami, a mustard-yellow Skyler Grey canvas depicts gems overflowing from a tin can alongside the words DIAMONDS and PEARLS. The $40,000 piece is sure to attract the attention of Cash Money Records chief Bryan Birdman Williams, who has just walked ina man who once bragged that he tries to wear $1 million worth of jewelry every day. But the rap mogul sees a value buy: a portrait of Muhammad Ali by the Argentine street artist BNS, which he scoops up for $7,000 as his older brother and cofounder, Ronald Slim Williams, 54, looks on. Its the latest addition to a collection that started with a Basquiat given to him by Lil Wayne several years ago. Art holds more value than some vehicles and jewelry, says the 49-year-old Birdman, whose rose-tinted sunglasses slightly obscure the letters RG (for Rich Gang) tattooed on his cheek. Even to me. Deal of the Art Slim and Birdman at Avant Gallery in South Florida, where Birdman has been spending cash money to build his collection. Jamel Toppin for Forbes This is the older, wiser, and slightly more understated version of Birdmannot that he cant still afford extravagant items. He and Slim founded their label in 1992, four years after Berry Gordy sold Motown Records for $61 million. Today, Cash Money is worth several times that amount. Thanks to A-list acts such as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Drake, the label has racked up 130 million album sales and gross revenue of $1.8 billion since 1998. The brothers still control it outright, pushing their combined fortune well into centimillion-dollar territory. Their ability to recognize talented artists from the earliest stages and help guide them into superstar status remains unparalleled, says Monte Lipman, who has worked with the pair for decades as chief of Universals Republic Records, which distributes Cash Money. Very rarely in our business have we seen music executives make a cultural impact of this magnitude. But now Birdman and Slim stand at the precipice of perhaps their most daunting act. Lil Wayne, whom Birdman refers to as my son, has officially left the Cash Money; Drake, the most-streamed artist on the planet, appears to be on his way out. Of the big three, only Minaj is still clearly under contract. Cash Moneys catalog, which generates double-digit millions for the label each year, offers the Williams brothers a firm financial floor. But in order to expand and remain relevant, Birdman and Slim will have to rely on what got them here: the ability to develop a roster of up-and-comers and navigate them through a rapidly changing music landscape. The industry has changed so much, says Vernon Brown, their attorney and business manager. The one thing about the Williams brothers is they have been able to adapt to this change. B irdman may have curtailed his spending slightly, or at least diversified his portfolio, but he still seems to have a weakness for automobiles. After his art purchase, he walks outside to find twin black Mercedes-Maybachs, one for each brother. The only time Ive ever been broke in life is when I was born, says Birdman. Slim, whos lanky and laconic and has a syrupy Louisiana drawl, explains how he and his brother divide the labor: I do all the business parts, Slim says. He does a lot of the studio parts. The Williamses founded Cash Money in their native New Orleans to serve as a home for hip-hop and its boisterous cousin bounce. Their mother passed away when they were young, and they spent much of their youth in boys homes. After initially following the hustler footsteps of their father, Slim says, they decided to try making a living in music. Early recruits included producer Mannie Fresh and rapper Pimp Daddy, but their best investment was an 11-year-old wordsmith who called himself Shrimp Daddylater, Lil Wayne. The diminutive rapper flashed his potential even in the 1990s, coining the term bling-bling. Its in the dictionary! Slim says proudly. Time Is Money Much like Motowns Gordy, the Williams brothers took a hands-on approach to the recording process, developing a signature sound and teaching their young phenoms how to hustle in the music world. While rivals spent a month or so perfecting a single verse, Cash Money acts would churn out an entire album in half that time. Hits followed, most notably Juveniles Back That Azz Up. Worried that mainstream audiences wouldnt understand his accent, Slim and Birdman printed and passed out hundreds of thousands of flyers with the lyrics. By the late 90s, the label was raking in millions of dollars a month and pushing the limits of its regional record distributors. Listen: Birdman on Money The Williams brothers began taking meetings with several major labels, including Universal, with the help of industry veteran Wendy Day. When Universals mid-level executives made a lowball offer to buy half their company, Slim and Birdman got up to leave. Then Doug Morris, Universals chief at the time, walked in with his colleague Mel Lewinter. I wouldnt sell my company either, Slim remembers Morris saying. They struck a deal promising an advance of $30 million. In return, Universal would receive a 7% distribution fee but no ownership. The company also got to count Cash Money as part of its empire in market share calculations (with the help of acts like Drake, Universal is now bigger than its two closest rivals combined). I was pleasantly surprised at how favorable the deal was for Cash Money, Day recalls. [Mel] explained to me that the volume of music that Cash Money would put into the Universal pipeline was what gave them tremendous value to Universal: market share. C ash Money continued to crank out music in the early 2000s, but for several years it seemed the label might not be capable of launching another mainstream star. Big Tymers, Birdmans duo with Mannie Fresh, sent Still Fly to No. 11 on Billboards singles charts, but they never quite crossed over. Juvenile couldnt match his initial success and left Cash Money after 2003, while Lil Wayne didnt equal his 1999 platinum debut until 2005. That year, Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans. Birdman told me he lost 20 houses, 50 cars, and memories. The Williams brothers relocated to Miamiwhere Young Money, their joint venture with Lil Wayne, launched a new Golden Era. They signed Drake and Minaj in 2009; the pair has since released a combined nine studio albums, all platinum or better. Along the way, the labels artists started to match their bosss earning power: Drake has pulled in $257 million since 2011; Minaj ($135 million) and Lil Wayne ($145 million) are right behind Birdman ($156 million). Cash Money in the Bank Pretax earnings of the labels three biggest acts. (Figures in millions.) Despite that kind of success, many of Cash Moneys early acts left the label after complaining theyd been cheated out of royalties. Mannie Fresh departed over such claims in 2005 (he did not reply for a request for comment), while Lil Wayne spent much of the last five years suing Cash Money over money issues amid the specter of violence. He finally left the label as a multimillion-dollar 2018 settlement cleared the way for the release of his latest album, Tha Carter V (a representative declined to make him available for an interview). Cash Moneys founders deny any nefarious activity and argue that the contractual conflicts stem from the fact that many of their artists arent familiar with the music business when they arrive. Contracts havent been done, producer agreements havent been done, samples havent been cleared, Brown says. Ninety percent of the time, its not that we owe them money. Its that other people worked to get paid that they didnt know had to get paid. To streamline future payments, Brown says Cash Money has upped the distribution fee it pays to Universal by a few points in exchange for having the record giant handle all back-office matters. A spokesperson for Cash Money also points out that artists including Mannie Fresh and Juvenile have returned for collaborations. Meanwhile, Drakes status remains something of a mystery. On his 2018 album Scorpion, he declared himself out of the deal after fulfilling his contractual obligations; Cash Moneys spokesperson says hes scheduled for one more. Neither Drake nor Universal would comment on his status. The Williams brothers say they are forever in business with Drake, but wont get more specific. Listen: Slim on Attitude Theyre likely alluding to the fact that theyve got a significant interest in his back catalog, as they do with Lil Wayne, Minaj and the other acts that have broken out with Cash Money over the years. Even if none of those performers release another album under the label, their music should add double-digit millions to its bottom line for years to comeand serve as a recruiting tool for new musicians. Rappers still clamor to sign to Cash Money, regardless of their business reputation and regardless of the fallout with many of the original artists, says Day, who says she had to sue Cash Money to get her fee two decades ago. Hell no. But their history and impact cant be denied. Theyre brilliant. A s Slims car rolls through Miami, following closely behind Birdman, a song about Maybachs blasts through the sound system. Its by Jacquees, the crown prince of Cash Money, who is waiting at the studio minutes later when they arrive. The 24-year-old Atlanta native signed with label in 2014 and, along with acts such as Caskey and Blueface, represents the future of the label. Birdman called me on the phone, Jacquees remembers. My eyes watered up. Upon arriving, Birdman starts dispensing advice to Jacquees, fresh off a big performance where he was admittedly a bit nervous going in. (Birdmans philosophy for live shows: Have no fear . . . you just gotta go out there and face it.) Just as Motown brought along the Miracles, then the Temptations, the Supremes, and then the Jackson 5, Cash Money is grooming Jacquees to be one of its next big actsa move thats giving him more confidence. The singer recently declared himself this generations King of R&B, much to the chagrin of many observers; indeed, Jacquees doesnt even have a Billboard Top 40 single. But he does possess a pair of powerful believers in the Williams brothers, who know from experience that talent often takes years to fully blossom. Royalty check Jacquees may be the crown prince of Cash Money, but he's already declared himself the King of R&B. Jamel Toppin for Forbes I classify him as the King of R&B, Birdman says defiantly. I remember Wayne said hes the best rapper alive and [people] thought he was trippin, but he stood on that ... and became that. Birdman is used to spending all his time in the studio to help fulfill such prophesies, sometimes to the detriment of his personal life, he says. But even as he rolls out Cash Moneys next generation, there are signs of a change. Earlier this year, he and singer Toni Braxton got engaged. Birdman claims to have mended his relationship with Lil Wayne. And hes even thinking of getting his galaxy of face tattoos removed. I just think at this point in my life, I don't need that, he explains. That stereotypes you. It takes away from the business and certain things. After about an hour in the studio with Jacquees, Slim is getting hungry and hops into his Maybach. Hes on a diet that requires him to eat only once a daywhatever he wantsfor two hours at dinnertime. He waits 15 minutes in the Miami dusk for his brother before directing his driver to depart. Birdman never shows up to dinner; it appears hes still holed up in the studio with Jacquees. And Slim cant blame himafter all, its part of their plan. These new young artists, Im excited, says Slim. This a chance for me and my brother to do what we did again. One more time. Reach Zack O'Malley Greenburg at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Top image by Jamel Toppin for Forbes and Forbes Video Team. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/02/28/can-cash-money-the-label-that-launched-drake-and-nicki-minaj-strike-platinum-again/ |
Could a year-old carbon credit tax credit hold one of the keys to fixing climate change? | Peter Kelemen, a geochemistry professor at Columbias Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, holds a piece of peridotite, a type of rock found in Oman that naturally absorbs carbon dioxide and mineralizes it, literally turning it into solid carbonate, similar to limestone or marble. He is studying how such rock formations could be used to store carbon for thousands of years, to help fight climate change. (Photo: Elizabeth Weise) PALISADES, NEW YORK Peter Kelemen spends time in Oman looking for ways to pull carbon out of the air and put it back underground. His colleague, David Goldberg, looks at ways to store it far below the sea floor off the Oregon coast. Chemical engineer Alissa Park is working with steel mills in China to turn slag and waste carbon dioxide into reusable material. The goal of all three Columbia University researchers and thousands of other scientists and engineers globally is to find ways to pull some of the carbon dioxide thats causing global warming out of the atmosphere and store it away. Its called carbon capture and storage, and experts increasingly say its going to be essential to saving the planet. Carbon capture and storage might sound like the plot of a crazy science fiction movie, one where an intrepid band of risk-takers swoop in to save the Earth from certain destruction with engineering, grit and (in some scenarios) good old American know-how. Except its no Hollywood film. Humanity is facing catastrophe as climate change causes the Earth to warm. Modeling by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggests to keep it from wreaking climate havoc we can add no more than 800 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2100. Were adding 37 gigatons a year now, meaning that at this rate, well have used up our entire carbon budget for the century in just under 22 years. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts like a blanket, keeping the heat in. The more of it there is, the hotter things get. Before the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, carbon dioxide levels in Earths atmosphere were about 280 parts per million. Today, theyve reached 410 ppm. People think that if the U.S. consumer just reduces her energy consumption that will solve the problem. But it wont, said Kelemen, a geochemistry professor at Columbias Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. A piece of peridotite from Oman, a rock type that naturally absorbs carbon dioxide and mineralizes it, literally turning it into solid carbonate, similar to limestone or marble. The white lines in the rock are calcium carbonate formed by the mineralization process. Peter Kelemen, a geochemistry professor at Columbias Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, is studying how such rock formations could be used to store carbon for thousands of years, to help fight climate change. Carbon capture means just that, using industrial-strength scrubbers to grab carbon dioxide pollution as its emitted from the chimneys of power plants, steel mills, cement factories, ethanol distillers and other industries so its not spewed into the atmosphere. Or in some cases simply sucking it out of the air itself. Making large-scale carbon capture and storage happen became a lot more likely a year ago in February when Congress passed potentially momentous legislation aimed at combating climate change. Close to 20 years in the making and long fought for by a remarkably diverse coalition of environmental groups, oil and gas companies, industries and unions, it turned an older tax credit for capturing and storing carbon into what could be a potent tool for fighting global warming. Called 45Q in the tax code, it creates a tax credit of $35 for each ton of carbon dioxide stored permanently underground in oil and gas fields and a higher value credit of $50 for each ton of carbon dioxide stored in other geologic formations from which no oil is produced. The government subsidy moves taking carbon dioxide out of energy and industrial processes from the nice idea but generally impractical side of the balance sheet to the we could make money if we do this side, said Brad Crabtree, policy director at the Great Plains Institute, a non-profit energy and policy organization in Bismarck, North Dakota. For the first time, it actually puts a price on carbon dioxide its the first step of a design for a carbon market, said Julio Friedmann, a senior researcher at Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy and a former official at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Obama administration. Just using carbon capture and storage at U.S. coal and natural gas power plants could remove 49 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from atmospheric release a year, an analysis by the Clean Air Task Force last month found. Thats two-thirds of the way to 2030 U.S. power sector goals from the International Energy Agency. This is a technology the United States could be a global leader on, said Kurt Waltzer of the Clean Air Task Force, a Boston-based environmental group that focuses on pragmatic climate change solutions. The U.S. is uniquely situated to capitalize on carbon capture and storage efforts because it has multiple industries that produce lots of carbon dioxide as waste, a large oil industry and, crucially, 4,000 miles of carbon dioxide pipeline to get it from one location to the other. Utah-based Bluesource works with North American companies on CO2 reduction projects such as this system of pipelines used in a Carbon Capture and Storage project in West Texas, which eliminates 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year. The 82 mile, 10-inch CO2 pipeline in West Texas is known as the Val Verde Pipeline. The pipeline enables the capture of CO2 from five natural gas processing plants, avoiding CO2 venting to the atmosphere. Once gathered, dehydrated and compressed, the CO2 is transported to an existing CO2 distribution system in the Permian Basin of West Texas for eventual delivery to Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) markets. (Photo: Bluesource) This is where oil fields come into the picture. Right now, one of the major industrial uses of carbon dioxide is to inject it into played-out oil fields to get more of the fossil fuel out of the ground. Today, 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are captured annually from natural gas processing plants, refineries, and fertilizer plants and used for this process, known as enhanced oil recovery. Browser not compatible. Critics, however, fear the carbon storage tax credit is a subsidy that will help prop up oil companies they want to need to shut down. Environmental group Greenpeace calls it a case of misplaced priorities. We need to think about whats the most important way to spend our money and our political will, which means shifting to renewables, not working on things that allow the fossil fuel industry to continue producing, said Janet Redman, the environmental groups climate director. Lets not waste time and money on a boondoggle, she said. A remarkably bipartisan effort Its no secret that since the 1990s, climate policy debates in the United States have been characterized by deep political divisions between Republicans and Democrats, between the coasts and the heartland, and between fossil fuel and renewable energy. Carbon capture has brought them together. The 45Q tax credit created some surprising bedfellows. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, supported it because he worried about his state drowning. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, wanted a future for coal. Its a coalition that frankly astounded Lee Anderson, governmental affairs director for the Utility Workers Union of America. His union wants this technology because it believes it will preserve existing jobs for working families and their communities. Youve got environmental organizations sitting right next to coal companies and labor unions when does that happen? he said. Getting this all up and running at scale wont be easy, but neither is it impossible. The two easiest methods of carbon capture and storage we already know how to do, but were not doing them enough. Carbon dioxide-filled pipes at the Kemper County energy facility near DeKalb, Miss. The CO2 byproduct from the plant will be sold for enhanced oil recovery. The CO2 injection is a method in which the gas is injected into abandoned oil wells to force oil out of the ground. (Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP) Planting forests works, because trees take carbon dioxide out of the air and turn it into wood, which can store the carbon for hundreds and even thousands of years. Relatively simple agricultural fixes also help. Planting cover crops like clover that are tilled into the soil, applying manure or compost and using planting methods that disturb the ground less than plowing all result in more carbon being deposited into the soil. Other ideas include fertilizing the oceans with iron to cause plankton and algae populations to bloom. They capture carbon and some sinks to the seafloor when they die, effectively storing it away. Or taking mine tailings or rocks that naturally absorb carbon dioxide, and grinding them up to make larger surface areas so they do it more quickly. But many believe two more technical types of capture and storage that could potentially make up the difference between land management carbon storage are whats needed. In the United States, the focus has been on removing carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust or industrial processes by using industrial scrubbers to separate it. The carbon dioxide can then be used for enhanced oil recovery, or simply pumped underground for long-term storage. Another option is direct air capture and storage. This involves constructing huge fan-like machines to suck in air, pull out carbon dioxide via chemical processes and then store it underground. Pilot projects to do this are underway in Switzerland and Iceland. The hope is that in the United States, the tax credit will make carbon capture and storage more affordable. A Core Energy CO2 capture plant in northern Michigan. At this plant, carbon dioxide is captured from an adjacent natural gas processing plant and then transported via pipeline to Core Energy oilfields where it is used for enhanced oil recovery after it is dried and compressed after capture. (Photo: Core Energy) Take the case of Core Energy, an oil and natural gas company based in Traverse City, Michigan. It uses separation equipment, scrubbers and compression to remove carbon dioxide from its wells, but it only makes sense to turn them on when the price of oil is above $50 a barrel because they take energy to run, which makes the oil more expensive to produce. In the past, when the price of oil dropped, we just shut down the compressor that captured the CO2, so it gets vented into the atmosphere. With the tax credits we wont be so quick to shut it down, said Robert Mannes, president and CEO of Core Energy. The kinds of technological advances needed will only happen when engineers start building lots of full-scale carbon capture and storage facilities, said David Hawkins, director of climate policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit environmental advocacy group based in New York City. The organization was originally on the coalition working for 45Q but ended up leaving because it didnt want to support what it sees as an indirect subsidy to oils producers. Even so, NRDC didnt oppose the rule. Thats what the 45Q subsidy is meant to do, to stimulate the learning process so we make carbon capture a run-of-the-mill thing, Hawkins said. The credit was one reason behind a recent deal between Houston-based oil and natural gas producer Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Frisco, Texas-based ethanol production company White Energy. Occidental will use carbon dioxide captured from White Energys ethanol fuel production facility in Plainview, Texas, in its enhanced oil recovery operations. Occidental sees carbon capture and storage as part of its future, so much so that last year, it launched a subsidiary, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, to advance low-carbon technologies, said Richard Jackson, senior vice president, operations support. Think both/and, not either/or Carbon capture and storage is by no means to key to stopping climate change, a point everyone working in the field makes again and again. The primary focus should be speeding up the ongoing shift to carbon-neutral energy, they say. But to keep the Earth from heating up, humanity will need to use every tool in its toolbox. We have to do lots and lots and lots of things, a whole laundry list of things. You cant just pick the ones you like and ignore the others, youve got to do them all, said Anderson of the Utility Workers Union of America. David Goldberg, a marine geology professor at Columbias Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, with a piece of porous basalt. Hes proposed a test that would pump 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide 1,000 to 2,000 feet down below the ocean floor off the Pacific Northwest coast. Iceland already has a similar pilot project up and running. (Photo: Elizabeth Weise) At Columbia, multiple researchers are working on where we might store all this carbon dioxide in the future. Goldberg, a marine geology professor, has mapped areas off the coast in the Pacific Northwest where porous basalt rocks could absorb it. Hes proposed a test that would pump 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide 1,000 to 2,000 feet down. Iceland already has a similar pilot project up and running. Kelemen, the geochemistry professor, has been going to Oman for over 25 years to study its vast formations of peridotite, a stone that naturally absorbs carbon dioxide and mineralizes it, literally turning it into solid carbonate, similar to limestone or marble. He notes that the same rock formations are also found in northern California and southern Oregon but that the will to explore storage there is politically problematic. The message from the scientists is that mankind has the knowledge to put the carbon dioxide back where it came from and stop adding more, we just lack the political will to make it happen. Starting with the technology we have today we could have an industrial carbon capture and storage solution in 50 years, Goldberg said. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/28/does-carbon-tax-credit-hold-key-fixing-climate-change/2589582002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/28/does-carbon-tax-credit-hold-key-fixing-climate-change/2589582002/ |
Which Bay Area billionaire gave away the most money last year? | 1 / 18 Back to Gallery California's wealthiest residents gave big last year. The state had the highest amount of "top donors" in the nation, the majority of whom live in the Bay Area. The Chronicle of Philanthropy creates an annual ranking of the top-50 donors in the U.S. The newly released list for 2018 determined Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the top givers in California and seventh in the country, with their donations totaling $213,598,215 last year. The Facebook CEO, whose net worth is estimated at $60.3 billion, founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative with his wife in 2015 to support the use of technology in solving global problems. Behind Zuckerberg for California donors is Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist. Long a proponent of media issues, Newmark gave $143,800,000 to various organizations in 2018. Newmark, who lives in San Francisco, donated $20 million to CUNY Journalism School last year. "In this time, when trustworthy news is under attack, somebody has to stand up," Newmark told the New York Times. "And the way you stand up these days is by putting your money where your mouth is, and that's what I've done." You can see the rest of California's top donors, and how much they gave, in the above slideshow. The full list can be viewed on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website. Of the 50 donors included in the list, 13 reside in California, seven of whom live in the Bay Area. Behind California is New York (7 donors), Texas (5) and Washington (4). California is home to the highest population of millionaires in the nation. Some studies claim San Francisco has the third-highest number of billionaires of all the world's cities, behind New York City and Hong Kong. Net worth does not always correlate with big giving, however. Newmark provides a strong case study. His estimated net worth in 2019 is $1.6 billion Zuckerberg's is about 38 times higher. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg donated only about $7 million more last year. The public might not recognize some names on the list, including Paul and Betty Woolls, a retired Napa lawyer and real estate developer who came in at No. 46 on the Philanthropy list. The couple donated $40,140,000 last year, $40 million of which went to Wabash College in Indiana. In an analysis of the "Philanthropy 50," the Chronicle noted that the biggest U.S. donors collectively donated $7.8 billion last year. In 2017, the top donors gave almost double that amount $14.7 billion. "Whether the reduced giving reflected a greater sense of caution about the state of the world is unclear," the Chronicle explained. "What is certain from the nature of those gifts, however, is their deep concern about the future." The analysis found that many of the biggest donors were tackling topics with a "futurist bent," like artificial intelligence and data privacy concerns. Methodology available here. Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at [email protected]. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/billionaire-bay-area-calif-donations-philanthropy-13646635.php |
What Are Elephant Flows And Why Are They Driving Up Mobile Network Costs? | Not anymore. Far beyond the basics, smartphones have now morphed into our primary video devices, as video represents an average of 60% of total traffic. This explosive development has made smartphones more ubiquitous, but it also has come with a cost -- both in the billions of dollars of network investment for mobile operators and the quality of experience (QoE) being provided. When marketplace competition forces network providers to offer unlimited data plans, video usage increases rapidly. Consequently, network quality is degraded, while infrastructure costs skyrocket. For network operators, this is not just a big problem; its an elephant-sized problem. And that's not an exaggeration. Network deployment engineers have dedicated years in trying to herd these elephant flows with more antennas, power/cabling, concrete bunkers for new cell sites and new Gs of speed. While thats been helpful -- and expensive -- truly getting to the heart of the matter requires to first identify the problem and then locate it. Elephant flows are data sessions that take up significant amounts of network capacity relative to other types of data sessions. For example, based on data from the FCC, a three-minute YouTube stream accounts for 20,000 times more bandwidth than three minutes consuming Twitter. Based on our own research, my company has discovered that currently 3% of data sessions account for 70% of all the traffic on mobile networks. Video is by far the most expensive and complicated form of media that is processed through mobile data sessions, and the demand grows every day. One report predicted that 50% of all video will be viewed on mobile devices by 2020. If you think that sounds like a big problem, just wait for 5G. The release of 5G will see autonomous vehicles produce real-time augmented reality applications, all processing billions upon billions of bits of data per second. The result: mega-elephants, which will challenge even the new high-speed 5G environment. What Elephant Flows Do To Networks Network operators use network performance as a veritable battle line, claiming their speeds and quality are better than the next, yet little is being done about the crushing impact video is having on network performance. Elephant flows slow down networks by consuming available network capacity. In turn, this leaves little to no capacity for the vast majority of users with less hungry data sessions, ruining the quality of experience or even stopping it altogether. Some cell sites are plagued with a dozen or more simultaneous elephant flows, making it difficult to keep up with and manage capacity issues. This is especially problematic in dense urban areas, such as New York City and London. How Network Carriers Currently Solve For Elephant Flows For years, network providers have worked to find ways to alleviate the destructive inefficiency video places on spectral resources. Short of expanding hardware or increasing infrastructure, network carriers attempted to manipulate the underlying data to reduce the data volume of a video through reduced resolution. The reality is that many of these mechanisms were made obsolete with the rapid adoption of encryption (HTTPS). As such, only blind throttling has remained as a mechanism to reduce video resolution and data volume. Throttling works by identifying videos on the network and actively preventing those videos access to high speeds. Intentionally limiting the speed of a subscribers video connection helps reduce the data volume and capacity requirements in the core of the network (network backbone). The trouble is that while throttling does provide a capacity savings in the core of the network, it does not address the capacity challenges over the radio access network. Overcoming Challenges With Elephant Flows Building cell sites is expensive and difficult, with the introduction of 5G and MIMO proving just how challenging it can be. Some network carriers are planning on spending billions in CAPEX to solve a problem that needs a dual solution, fueled by both infrastructure upgrades and the introduction of software solutions. There are now a couple of potential ways to alleviate this issue. One of them is a software-based solution that leverages the mobile core. These software-based solutions -- like our software-based RAN densification machine learning software -- recognize elephant flows immediately. There are also multiple OEMs and mobile network operators around the world -- like Cisco, Affirmed or Samsung, for example -- that are leading the way in developing technology that leverages software solutions. These solutions effectively manage elephant flows without impacting user experience for anyone. Software solutions arent a replacement for MIMO and 5G, but rather they serve as a complement. MIMO and 5G will change communications forever, but the demand for more data will perpetually increase with more augmented reality, autonomous cars, infotainment, IoT and other requirements putting a strain on these new hardware systems. MIMO and 5G seek to solve capacity issues from a hardware standpoint, but the increase wont be enough to handle the increased data demand. The new rich applications for 5G will result in the creation of mega elephants. This is why the combination of both hardware and software solutions is so critical for the future of hungry communications. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/02/28/what-are-elephant-flows-and-why-are-they-driving-up-mobile-network-costs/ |
Why Does Business Travel Make Some Of Us Strangely Productive? | For some reason, when hopping between trains, planes and automobiles, I work with a laser-focus and an intensity that simply cannot be replicated in an office environment. Although many business travelers would argue productivity takes a backseat when youre in transit, particularly when jet lag is a factor, I find that Im unusually productive. I spoke to four seasoned business travelers who experience the same thing, to find out more. Jazmine Valencia, founder of music marketing company JV Agency, is on the road with musicians for 90% of her year. She thinks traveling forces our brains to be far more resourceful than if we were sitting in the same office every day, so she makes the most of it. She explained: "I brainstorm and come up with new creative ideas that I can take back to my team. When you are constantly moving you get to see different forms of advertising, the ways other businesses operate, and that really can help spark creativity and ingenuity. I also try to read a business book in transit, to help the flow of new ideas, something I don't get to do often in the day to day when I'm at one location." Valencia believes productivity when traveling relies on forward-planning, and added: "Preparing a to-do list of things you can get done on a plane in case you can't sleep means you can use your time wisely. Always have actionable tasks that can be done when theres slow or non-existent WiFi so that when you land you'll feel a sense of accomplishment." Mark Izatt, international brand and marketing strategist and founder of Communicating Luxury has been traveling for business since 1998. Over a 10-year period, while living in New York City, he flew more than a million domestic miles. Now based in London, he does up to three business trips a month, mainly to New York, Karachi, Dubai, Moscow, Tallinn, Zurich and Geneva. Izatt believes traveling makes you more conscious of time and the need for efficiency. He told me: "We allocate specific tasks to be done within all those travel stages conference call in the airport lounge, read those papers in the cab, and schedule next week on the train. The time constraints focus you. Izatt prefers to work analog while traveling and added: "Ive never understood people who spend an entire flight smashing out emails on their laptop. It seems to me to be a hugely unproductive use of time. Shun the onboard WiFi and use the time to think, read, make lists. Its rare you get such a stretch of undisturbed time, use it wisely." Jonha Richman splits her time between Singapore and UK, traveling to speak in conferences and attend events as part of her role on the advisory boards of various Blockchain companies. She believes it is immersion in new environments that makes us more productive: "Some of the most random and often creative ideas come from being exposed to different cultures and not just by simply sitting in a vacuum of one's own ideas." She added: "Studies show that when youre forced to survive in an environment by picking up a second language, it can contribute to a spike in your IQ. Learning another language can improve brain function and form new neural connections. In essence, traveling can literally make your brain faster, stronger and more creative." But Richman acknowledges the jetsetter lifestyle is not for everyone: "Depending on people's personalities and preferred lifestyles, traveling can be either energizing or daunting." Dominic Monkhouse of Foundry Media is a business coach to fast-growth tech companies. Once a month he travels from the UK to Australia for work and occasionally to the USA as well. For him, traveling abroad means being uninterrupted for extended periods, giving him time to think and plan. Monkhouse used to spend long-haul flights going through his inbox. He recalled: "I would reread and reply to every email I had received in a three-month period in the time it took to get to the USA. I would chase up actions that had gone undone and trigger loads of work for the team. This was pre WiFi on planes so when we landed, my employees would get a tidal wave of emails as my laptop found an internet connection. They referred to it as a 'Dom Bomb'." Now, he uses his travel time to educate himself: "I always have a stack of books and e-books to read, articles I have tagged and podcasts to listen to. I tend to do research or study as I travel rather than email." | https://www.forbes.com/sites/barnabylashbrooke/2019/02/28/why-does-business-travel-make-some-of-us-strangely-productive/ |
Is Netflix's alternative ending to The Notebook really so bad? | Certain film moments are permanently etched on to our hearts. The kiss in the surf in From Here to Eternity. The hand on the window in Titanic. The end of The Notebook, where Noah and Allison die of old age holding hands, lost in the memory of each other. Except that last one isnt what British Netflix viewers got to see this week. Instead they saw a version of The Notebook where, rather than the film ending with the discovery of two corpses, some birds simply flew over a lake instead. The ensuing outrage was so huge that Netflix UK was forced to write a weirdly defensive tweet to deny editing the saddest 20 seconds out of the film. We are getting to the bottom of it asap they wrote. Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) Things you should know we did not edit the notebook an alternate version exists and was supplied to us we are getting to the bottom of it asap apparently some films have more than one ending?! As of this morning, the mistake has been corrected, and Im in two minds about how to react. On one hand, we now all know that The Notebooks original ending isnt canon, which automatically makes it far less authoritative. On the other hand, what an interesting experiment this could be. Netflix already has the technology to do this. Lets do the same with The Notebook. If youve watched a lot of films with dead people in it, go ahead and watch the original version. But if your viewing history seems in any way prudish or squeamish, you can see the edited version instead. In fact, this could work with any number of films. If youve shown a preference for happy endings, lets give you the alternative ending to Terminator 2 where Sarah Connor ends up a happy old granny. If youve demonstrated an aversion to heavy-handed Jesus allegories, you could be shown the version of I Am Legend that ends with Will Smith realising that he is essentially a monstrous serial killer and not the saviour of mankind. Or, if Netflix decides that you really wouldnt like to see any of the Rambo sequels, it could serve up the version of First Blood where Rambo kills himself at the end. There, a perfect world where everybody gets to see different versions of the same film tailored to their personal preferences. This Notebook mistake might be the beginning of something huge. We might never have to watch anything that challenges us ever again. Hooray for the bubble! | https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/28/is-netflix-alternative-ending-the-notebook-really-so-bad |
Can Jeremy Corbyn Save Britain From Brexit? | On the surface, Labours task should be easy. After two and a half years of Brexit negotiations, Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to build a consensus within her party, let alone Parliament or the country. Her raison dtre now hangs like a noose around her neck. There are reports of possible food and medicine shortages and price inflations if no deal is reached. There are weekly cabinet rifts, monthly resignations, and in January, when May finally, belatedly, put her Brexit deal before Parliament, it was voted down by 230 votesthe largest defeat for a government in history. For an opposition party, these are surely optimal conditions. And yet, faced with this farce, Labour is either level in the polls with the Conservatives or, on more and more counts, falling behind. Corbyn, whose own approval rating is well below Mays (he has the worst rating of any opposition leader since the 1980s), makes for an easy scapegoat. The Tory party is falling to pieces and with a decent Labour leader, it could have been finished off for generations, James OBrien, an influential talk show host dubbed the conscience of liberal Britain, said in one characteristic outburst. I dont think Ill ever be able to forgive Jeremy Corbyn for his incompetence and his ineffectiveness. Jeremy Corbyns agenda is as much an indictment of Tony Blairs New Labour as the Conservative Party. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images This disbelief, edging on despair, is widely shared. And its fed by more than just Corbyns alleged incompetence and ineffectiveness. Corbyn stands accused of a dizzying array of charges: a lack of charisma, a ruthless will to power, a callous indifference. Corbyn is described, by turns, as being too principled (pursuing a secret personal desire to leave the EU) and too pragmatic (playing party-politics at a time of national crisis). According to one Guardian columnist, Corbyn exaggerates his disagreements with May for theatrical effectultimately they want the same thing. Another liberal critic, playing on the popular perception that Corbyns following is a cult, has suggested that the Labour leadership, Communist Manifesto in hand, is cheering on our steady descent into the abyssa process they believe will hasten our arrival at the promised land. Corbyns supporters are accustomed to such attacks and pin the blame for them on a malevolent press and misleading polling. Most of the media, whether the BBC, the Guardian, or the Daily Mail, have been relentlessly hostile toward Corbyn from the start. A 2016 study by the London School of Economics found that nearly 75 percent of coverage misrepresented Corbyns views, and Corbyns press profile has fared little better since. Meanwhile, in the 2017 general election, when Labour was even further behind in the polls and Corbyns approval rating just as dismal, Labour defied the doubters as its share of the vote soared by the greatest margin since 1945. May had wanted a Brexit election and seemed certain of a supermajority. But Corbyn stuck to his usual agendaassailing austerity, inequality, tuition feesand May was left with a hung Parliament, forced to form a fragile coalition with the small far-right Democratic Unionist Party to remain in government. Yet all this back-and-forth fails to address the unique, paralyzing challenge that Brexit poses to Labour. Brexit, for all its Conservative roots, has opened up an elemental rift within the Labour Party that now threatens its future. This quandary, ethical and electoral, lies beneath Labours feet, far below questions of Corbyns competence and effectiveness, or his popularity in the polls. The referendum vote cut the country in two, traversing traditional party lines, and, for Labour, landed especially awkwardly. The dilemma is clear. The vast majority of Labour wants to remain in the EU: Only ten of the 230 Labour MPs in 2016 voted to leave, while between 80 to 90 percent of the membership and two-thirds of Labour voters wanted to stay. But partly because support for the EU clusters in major cities, the third of Labour voters who backed Brexit is estimated to account for almost two-thirds of Labours parliamentary seats. Whats more, 35 of the top 50 target seats for Labour at the next electionthose requiring minor swings to switch to Labourare Leave constituencies. The referendum vote cut the country in two, traversing traditional party lines, and, for Labour, landed especially awkwardly. Electoral abysses lie on either side. If Labour is seen as enabling Brexitin practice, by not backing a second referendumpolls suggest that it could lose as many as 45 seats at the next election. A small Blairite wing of eight Labour MPs has already split to form The Independent Group, joined by several Conservatives, citing the absence of a second referendum as a key reason. Labours electoral prospects thus become even bleaker, which is one reason Corbyn finally came out in tentative support of a second referendum on Monday. But on the other side, if Labour pitches itself too strongly as the anti-Brexit party, as these splitters suggest, it risks losing not only the Leave constituencies on which it relieswhich won on a manifesto that promised to uphold the referendum resultbut also the low-hanging seats it must gain at the next election if it is ever to get back into government. With Leaver and Remainer now the primary ways that people identify politically in the U.K., far above party allegiance, its unlikely that this contradiction can be reconciled. In this compromised state, many of the moral tenets of so-called Corbynism are called into question as well: that the principled path should be pursued over political expediency; that the membership should be empowered to decide party policy; that the interests of young peopleCorbyns most reliable voting base and mostly Remainerswould be at the center of his agenda; that Corbyns humanitarianism would counter ethno-nationalisms resurgence in Britain, so emboldened by Brexit and previously appeased by both Blair and Brown. Corbyns leadership also promised to re-ingratiate the party with lost heartlands in the North and in Scotland, as it did in the 2017 election, but now, with the former broadly wanting to leave and the latter to remain, they stand opposed to each other. There is no easy way out of this. There may be no way out of it at all. But with the Conservative Party still in control of Parliament, with Labour lacking the numbers to win either a second referendum or a general election as it stands, and with Brexit now the key issue on which voters identify, the idea of a Labour leader saving Britain from Brexit is as much a fantasy as the Conservative fever dream of making Britain great again. For all their differences, Corbyns Labour Party enjoys a strange synergy with the Brexit faithful. Within the space of ten months, between his election as Labour leader in 2015 and the referendum in 2016, both of these onetime fringe political forces upended a status quo that seemed set in stone. And both are now energized by similar structures of feeling: a sense that, somewhere along the way, Britain went astray, with similar turning points imaginedeither Britains neoliberal transformation under Margaret Thatcher or her decision to join the Single Market. Xenophobia aside, the Brexit campaign could have been a Labour campaign: more money to underfunded public services, overturning an elite consensus, and putting power back in peoples hands. Take Back Control, Brexits specious slogan, should have been a rallying call for Labour long ago, with its target not Brussels or national borders but social inequality and an over-powerful corporate sector. That this message was instead pushed by Conservatives and the tabloid press, with their own vested interests and rabble-rousing nationalism, only reaffirms just how duplicitous the Brexit campaign really was. But it also represents something of a missed opening for the left. The newly established Independent Group includes former members of Labour unhappy with Corbyns reluctance to call for a second referendum on Brexit. Leon Neal/Getty Images On one hand, this synergy makes Corbyn a target. In this view, Brexit and Corbyn arrived as one, representing a single, ruinous rupture. For the likes of The Independent Group and their sympathetic supporters in Parliament, the press, and the public, Corbyns initial election victory broke British politics as much as Brexit did. Such thinking is also at play in the anti-Semitism scandal that has engulfed Corbyns leadership. Anti-Semitism is a genuine problem in Labour and the broader British left (gripes with global power structures fold easily into stories of global conspiracy). But it has also elicited an implausible, totemic response from Corbyns critics. According to the resignation letter of MP Joan Ryan, as she left Labour for The Independent Group, all previous Labour leaders [stood] up to racism in all its forms, while anti-Semitism simply did not exist in the party before [Corbyns] election as leader. But both Blair and Brownnot to mention their predecessorsoften aped the policies and rhetoric of the right when it came to tolerance and diversity. Blair called Muslim veils a mark of separation and came close to banning them in schools and hospitals. Our tolerance is part of what makes Britain, Britain, Blair said in 2006. So conform to it, or dont come here. In one view, Brexit and Corbyn arrived as one, representing a single, ruinous rupture. But on the other hand, the shared resonance between Corbyn and Brexit still stands as an opportunity for the left. The quiet nostalgia of Labours new sloganRebuilding Britainmakes the connection clear, affirming that, in some important ways, things were once better, and so they can be better again. These streets were once full of spirit and hope, a recent party broadcast declared over footage of a desolate de-industrialized town. A proud community, where an honest days work could earn you a decent days pay. Years of austerity have ripped the heart out of this place, but thats just part of the story: This has been decades in the making. We lost the factories. We lost the jobs. We lost confidence in our community. We lost control. For some, such lamentations are just further evidence that Corbyn is a throwback figure, as anachronistic as Brexit itself. The founding statement of The Independent Group repeated this line of attack, suggesting that Labour under Corbyn was locked in the old politics of the 20th century. But for his supporters, Corbyn represents a break from the past, rather than a return to it. From where they stand, nostalgia for a pre-Corbyn, pre-Brexit era makes no sense. Britain was in a bad way before Brexit and it is in a bad way beyond it. Beneath the hollow Conservative boasts that more people are in work than ever before and the economy has grown every year for the past nine years, a bleak set of statistics tells a truer story: Wage growth is at its slowest since records began, some 200 years ago; childhood poverty is forecasted to reach a record high of 37 percent by 2020; household debt is at its highest ever level; homelessness has officially increased by 169 percent since 2010, though the real number is believed to be much higher, such that one person in every 200 in England and Wales is either sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation; in London the figure is 1 in 53; and life expectancy has either stalled or recededonce again, a historic failure. The Conservatives unwavering, and ongoing, commitment to austerity since 2010which has starved local councils of funding, depleted essential public services, deepened inequality and resentment, resulted in a reported extra 120,000 deaths, and, according to a recent analysis, shrunk the economy by 100 billionhas played a key part. But between 1997 and 2010, New Labour was also complicit. Its important successesreducing child poverty, introducing a minimum wage, investing in public serviceswere, in Blairs words, a spoonful of sugar to help it all go down, as Labour oversaw an unprecedented financialization of Britains economy and all but abandoned working-class voters. They have nowhere else to go, one of Blairs senior advisers said. And so nowhere they went. By 2010, when Labour achieved its lowest ever share of the vote, the party had shed 1.5 million voters from Englands three northern regions and some 5 million from the working class as a whole. So Britain has long been a deeply divided and disillusioned country, home to Western Europes richest regionGreater Londonand to nine of its ten poorest, making it one of the most unequal countries in the world. This isnt Brexit Britain. This is simply Britain. But while Brexit is not the cause of this condition nor any kind of cure, it also cannot simply be wished away. Corbyns hopes of finding unity beyond Brexit appear to be as doomed as trying to find unity through Brexit. Youre up against it, he told Leavers and Remainers in January, stressing their shared struggles, but youre not up against each other. But given how Brexit identities have hardened on tribal lines, its all too likely that they are against each other. Along with everything else, Britains chronic economic failings have been subsumed by this crisis of national identity, with no end in sight. As to what happens next, nothing is certain. Mays deal is unable to pass Parliament. Each month, she declares she has secured the best possible deal, only to set off in search of a new one. The deadlock must be broken somehow, and so a second referendum seems increasingly likelynot necessarily because Corbyn or Labours defectors have taken a stand, but by necessity: a slow exhaustion of alternatives, a stasis with no other escape. Yet there is no agreement on what the question on the referendum would bethe question of the question, as it has come to be callednor a sense of what a successful campaign to remain would look like. One thing is clear: Brexit is not going anywhere soon. For all the resemblances between Corbyns movement and Brexit, this is an unhappy coincidence of timing. At the moment when Corbyn arrived to turn the nations attention to core issues it had long neglected, Britain decided that it must talk about other things: sovereignty, immigration, the EU. Sometimes, theres a sense that Corbyn arrived too late, so that he could never really arrive at all. But Corbyns popularity rests on his politics rather than his personality. And thats not going anywhere either. The ideas he represents, far more than the man himself, have energized a new generation of voters and widened the realm of political possibility. In an interview after the 2017 general election, Corbyn, now 69 years old, was asked if he was in it for the long haul. Look at me, he smiled. Ive got youth on my side. In one sense, its a good joke; in another, he is exactly right. | https://newrepublic.com/article/153170/can-jeremy-corbyn-save-britain-brexit |
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