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Should the NBA move fans farther back from the court? | By Daniel Tran Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is advocating for a boundary to prevent fans from touching players during games. After the Malice at the Palace, and entitled fans getting bolder with every game, many feel he has a point. Others feel Westbrook is being overdramatic, and moving fans back would rob fans of what makes basketball great the interaction between players and the crowd. Being courtside at an NBA game is a privilege, but it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Fans have proven they can't be trusted with the responsibility of being that close to the players. They can't control themselves from acting like an 11-year-old, flipping the bird to players and even getting in brawls. Westbrook is right. Fans need to be moved back. "There's got to be some type of rule or some type of boundary set that you can't allow that." Russell Westbrook after a court-side fan touched him Tuesday night pic.twitter.com/T2i0jpGT5W SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 27, 2019 The thing that makes basketball so special as a fan is accessibility. A barrier separates fans from the players in the MLB, NHL and NFL. The only thing preventing you from interacting with an NBA player is air. It's that interaction that makes the Association great. Players kissing fans mid-game, diving into the crowd or high-fiving after a big play is why NBA fans are so attached to their favorite athletes. Dont take away the thing that makes the NBA so special. Keeps fans right where they are. It was during a stoppage in the game. He didnt run on the court of or affect the live game in any way. Come on, man. This is all getting a bit carried away. Slap the kid hi-five, let security do their job, and walk away. John Neal (@jdneal22) February 27, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2019/02/should-the-nba-move-fans-farther-back-from-the-court.html |
Are passengers to blame for poor airline service? | Only with airlines are shoppers badgered over their choices in this oddest form of corporate victim-shaming. Last week, I bought a half-gallon of 1 percent milk. The grocery store offered four choices, ranging from a premium brand at $3.99 to the store brand at $2.39. Since all four offered similar sell-by dates, I happily opted for the store brand. Well, I would have asked for a refund and promptly received it. You know better milk could be available, but people like you buy cheap stuff and hurt the rest of us!" If you lease an inexpensive car, you dont expect the brakes to fail. If you book the cheapest hotel room, you dont expect bedbugs. Inevitably, airline executives, financial analysts, regulators and even a few journalists will invoke the Let them eat cake defense and tell you that you got what you paid for so shut up or pay $50 for an upgraded coach seat. This applies if customers choose less expensive airlines, such as Allegiant, Frontier or Spirit, or if they choose less expensive seats such as the basic economy service currently or soon to be offered by Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue and United. In 2014, I asked, Do fliers expect bad service with lower fares? That column addressed a report from consumer organization U.S. PIRG, entitled The Unfriendly Skies, that analyzed Department of Transportation data and concluded Spirit is the most complained about U.S. airline. During a five-year period, the report found, Each year, Spirits passengers were about three times as likely to file a complaint as the second-place airline, and its complaints volume is trending upward over time. Yet Spirits fares are listed right alongside major carriers in Orbitz and other booking sites with no warnings for uninitiated shoppers. Last week, I heard from an old friend who just had a terrible experience on another ultra low-cost carrier, Allegiant. Although I wasnt surprised by her horrible tale, she acknowledged she was flying on a new route and was unfamiliar with Allegiant, but she had absolutely no expectation that her trip would turn into a debacle. Yet somehow were to conclude she chose to have a terrible experience because she selected a lower fare online. Of course, but Im not willing to pay for it ... Most flyers agree: Ill put my knees to my chin, suffer for three hours and buy dinner when I get there, is the logic. Even a consumer organization noted, And much of the traveling public shows over and over again that price is their number one factor. Its critical to understand a recent study found only one out of every three Americans flew at least once annually. And Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, points out that more than 50 percent of all airline passengers in the U.S. fly less than once a year. Airline executives, analysts and travel journalists make a living kicking around accepted economic concepts about a market that confuses most of its customers. Yes, many passengers paying for their own tickets are concerned about the cost. Especially since airlines have become the busy and complicated market of the corporate world, with so much complexity baked into pricing that its spawned a cottage industry of advice on what days and hours and minutes are best to find the lowest fares. No consumer wants to be suckered into paying too much, including infrequent flyers. Yet airline flights are the only product for which those who pay the least are routinely ridiculed. Many airline executives truly believe their own press about unhappy consumers driving down the quality of their flying experience because they are price sensitive," Mitchell says. "Nonsense. Thats nothing but gaslighting. Price-sensitive consumers are very happy and loyal, for example, to Costco, a low-price leader that competes for every customer and treats its employees well. Southwest Airlines is another example. The industrys tone-deafness is apparent. In November, headlines blared that United CEO Oscar Munoz claimed increased baggage fees make flying better for passengers, comments that generated a nationwide "Huh?" Now headlines are noting that Frontier suggests passengers tip their flight attendants. The answer is, well, you, the passenger. Flyers may have said in that survey that theyd avoid United, but they really kept choosing whichever airline offered the best price and itinerary. And often that was United. Left out of that equation is the radical consolidation that has overtaken the domestic airline industry in recent years, shrinkage that has resulted in eight major network carriers morphing into just American, Delta and United (along with Southwest and smaller airlines), and the loss of US Airways, Continental, Northwest, America West and TWA. The fact is, on many domestic routes much of the country has little choice on airlines or on price. There also is an ingrained media bias over this concept because so many journalists live in New York City or Washington, regions served by multiple airports and airlines, including many low-cost carriers. When a Manhattan-based editor once asked me to write an article about switching frequent-flyer programs, I asked if she really thought people in Atlanta could switch from Delta or book away from American in Charlotte or if folks in Houston can ignore United. In my milk analogy above, some critics might claim its unfair, because milk is a commodity. And that too is not the fault of consumers. The industry itself commoditized its own products when it initiated codesharing, which tells every consumer buying a seat from Carrier A and flying on Carrier B that airlines are no different than mass transit systems. Their offerings are interchangeable. Yet no one could argue that Star Alliance partners United Airlines and Singapore Airlines provide the same product. Its a given consumers intrinsically grasp that better products are priced more expensively. At Chevrolet.com, no shopper could possibly not realize there are a ton of differences between a Spark starting at $13,220 and a Corvette ZR1 starting at $123,000. But those differences manifest in engineering, horsepower, performance, comfort, power assists, audio gizmos and dozens of optional bells and whistles. No one would accept that a cheaper car didnt have working airbags or suffered a faulty transmission or was prone to stalling. That it would start up? Yet thats what airlines have done with basic economy by continually stripping away standard features of a product so that customers are conditioned to pay more for what once was included in the price. And make no mistake as many of us have noted, basic economy is all about upselling customers to pay for more expensive seats. The automotive equivalent of basic economy would be selling new cars without seats or tires or windshields, so that salespeople could steer consumers toward the standard vehicles. So its worth noting that just recently Southwest, which for years has generated fewer consumer complaints than the Big Three, once again told investors it would not introduce a basic economy product. How about some Basic Compassion? Two years ago, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said, There is a huge value in offering all of our customers 100% of them a great product. We like to say at Southwest, there is no second class. Clearly this isnt the case at some airlines, where there are third and fourth classes as well. Just because many passengers want to pay less doesnt mean they asked for tight seats and poor service. Sour milk is sour milk at any price. So never let the airfare determine if you should defer fighting for your passenger rights or accept being treated unfairly. Please let us know and we may use your comments in an upcoming column. Bill McGee, a contributing editor to Consumer Reports and the former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, is an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who worked in airline operations and management for several years. Tell him what you think of his latest column by sending him an email at [email protected]. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number, and he may use your feedback in a future column. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/mcgee/2019/02/28/airline-service-basic-economy/2843192002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/mcgee/2019/02/28/airline-service-basic-economy/2843192002/ |
Is Arenado's Record-Breaking Contract Reasonable By Comparison? | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value). The total is $260MM over eight years. As part of the offer, there is an opt-out potential after only three years, which is relatively early on such a longer-term deal. While Harper and Machado were in the media due to being free agents with the opportunity to sign at multiple teams, Arenado got less of the spotlight because he was not yet a free agent and the Rockies had the opportunity to lock him in, which is just what happened. Arenado is right up there with Machado and Harper offensively, and better defensively. So by comparison the AAV over $32.5MM is within reason. Prior to Arenado's signing, Miguel Cabrera had the highest AAV - $31MM - for a position player, when the Tigers extended him starting 2014 for 8 years and $248MM total. Since then he averaged 3.24 WAR offensively and detrimental negative 0.94 WAR defensively. He dropped off the charts in 2017 with a negative 1.4 overall WAR in 2017 and 0.3 in 2018, getting injured after only 38 games with a ruptured biceps tendon. It goes without saying that Arenado's AAV is more than reasonable by Cabrera's contract comparison. Contract comparison The chart below shows Arenado has the highest AAV ($32.5MM), fewest seasons in the Majors prior to contract (6), and quickest opt-out (after 3 years). Machado has the highest overall dollars ($300MM) and years (10). Cabrera had the most MLB seasons prior to contract extension (11), and was the oldest at the time (30 yrs): Offense and defense comparison Looking at all four players - Arenado, Machado, Cabrera, and Harper - Arenado ranks best for fewest plate appearances (106) to achieve 1 WAR, followed by Machado (110), Cabrera (139) and Harper (162). To be consistent, all of Cabrera's numbers were through the year prior to his contract extension, meaning what the world knew at the time of the signing. In the season prior to the contract, Cabrera had a huge 9.1 WAR offensively, followed by Machado (6.6), Arenado (5.2), and Harper (4.2). Defensively, Arenado had the best defense (0.7 dWAR) in the prior-contract season, followed by Machado (0), Cabrera (-1.4), and Harper (-3.2). Defense details When Arenado got the call to the Majors, he was only 21 years old. A few weeks later he turned 22 and by the end of the season got the Gold Glove for third-base. And again the next year. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. Six consecutive Gold Glove awards. Arenado has 13.3 dWAR through six seasons, and Machado 11.3 through seven. Cabrera was negative (-11.5 dWAR over 11 seasons) and Harper as well (-3 dWAR over 7 seasons). Splits Colorado is a unique stadium to hit in, known to be a hitters park largely from it's elevation leading to less dense air leading to balls hit father. As a result, many question the affects of splits, especially for Arenado. Below is a comparison of splits for the four players, both home/away and vs lefty/righty: Arenado leads with OPS at home (1.105) and career OPS vs LHP (1.199) - and the biggest home/away difference (.333 OPS difference). Cabrera at the time had the highest overall career OPS (.967) and away (.918) and vs RHP (.935). Machado has the lowest overall (.822). Harper has lowest at home (.932) and vs LHP (.857 - recall he bats lefty). To conclude, Arenado's offense and defense by comparison make his contract reasonable by comparing to Machado and even more compared to Cabrera. Now that Harper is likely to sign, it will be interesting to see considering his comparative offense yet lower defensive productivity. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/arikaplan/2019/02/28/is-arenados-record-breaking-contract-reasonable-by-comparison/ |
Are High-Design Hotels The New Co-Working Space? | Working nine-to-five is a thing of the past. It's the wild wild west of freelancing as more people desire flexibility, independence and the ability to globetrot whenever and wherever they have wifi. As a result of the break out from behind the cubicle, we are witnessing subtle shifts where communities gather and work. It's not only coffee shops and co-working spaces that are capitalizing on the start-up culture, but high-design hotels are becoming quite the hotspot for the freelancing force. So much in fact, that designers and top hotel management are starting to take notice and leverage this crusade away from the traditional career. "The freelance population is growing and has evolving needs...mostly made up of millennials, this demographic seeks to obtain the best of work, life and wellness environments that support this unique lifestyle," says Alison Howland, VP of Wellness at Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences. Personally speaking as an entrepreneur that isn't tied to a co-working space (yet) and travels often, hotels have become a second home for me. Hotel libraries and side-room sanctuaries have not just become a pitstop to drop my bags, but are a very welcoming and communal space for the self-employed. I work, meet friends, take client meetings and more from these lovely, lounge-worthy lobbies. I have even 'tapped' clients while unintentionally networking in these spaces. On the East Coast, take one step into the PUBLIC Hotel any day of the work week and without a doubt, the space is filled with a creative, fashion-forward (very likely freelance) crowd sipping oat milk matcha lattes and munching on overpriced spinach salads. However, this space is not only a sexy spectacle, but it truly is a pleasant space to both socialize, study, work and everything in-between. Founded by Ian Schrager, the infamous co-founder and -owner of Studio 54, the PUBLIC's intention is to indeed open its doors to... you guessed it, the public. Downstairs is home to a collection of communal tables with a convenient cafe, while up the orange-light-lined escalators is a convenient stadium seating wall with outlets, next to a bar, and a sweeping space with plush white couches and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's like working from your dream living room. We can see the hotel co-working trend hitting the West Coast as well. The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is a stunning space that leverages its sky-high setting as a co-working escape. "Our 70th floor Sky Lobby was designed to not only give the most exceptional arrival to Los Angeles, but to foster an environment that radiates creativity, innovation, and socialization," says Niles Harris, General Manager of the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. You can bet a lot of locals also hit up this hotel lobby to bring clients for a late afternoon meeting-meets-happy hour rendezvous. "We often see meetings move from the lobby lounge vodka bar to dinner at La Boucherie or a nightcap at Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere," says Harris. The hotel expanded its inclusive strategy to open their gym and rooftop pool (for a price) to the public as well just another added bonus for freelancers and another buck for the hotel. Other high-design hotels that are leveraging a more community-based design that drive local traffic are The Ace Hotel, The Freehand, 11Howard, and The Hoxton. As our culture continues to shift to adapt to digital-dominating, remote work, interior designers and architects have a clear opportunity target their contracting to contractors. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/karaladd/2019/02/28/hotels-coworking-freelance/ |
How does ASU President Michael Crow manage 90 meetings per week? | For some people, hell would be 90 meetings on your calendar. Every week. For Arizona State University President Michael Crow, it's normal. His schedule is crammed with back-to-back-to-back meetings with people like the vice-chairman of Pepsi and global Adidas executives and sometimes even his wife. But, just like Beyonc, Crow only has 24 hours in a day. (This is probably the only obvious similarity between Crow and Beyonc.) As ASU's president since 2002, Crow has worked to change the university'simage from that of a party school to a large, academically challenging, first-class institution. In some ways, Crow is just like the rest of us (he likes gas-station taquitos). But his schedule makes him seem almost superhuman. Of course, he has help. To fit it all in, he's figured out a few tools to maximize his time and make the day run smoothly. Here's how Crow gets it all done. MORE: How Michael Crow turned ASU into the nation's most innovative university Get by with a little help from your staff OK, Crow and Beyonc have one other big thing in common. They both have a staff of people who help them handle logistics that the rest of us have to deal with ourselves, like sorting through email and scheduling meetings. Four people in Crow's office primarily manage his days. One person manages the office and Crow's logistics. One is responsible for the day-of schedule. One schedules meetings for farther-out dates. One manages his relationships with other people. Several more people work in the office, but those four really keep Crow on track. CLOSE Michael Crow has been president of ASU since 2002. Since then, ASU has grown exponentially and developed a reputation for innovation and disruption. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Every gap is an opportunity If Crow has five minutes, that five minutes can be used to catch up with someone in the office or sign documents between meetings. And he doesn't really indulge in leisurely meals during the workday. I followed him for several days and never saw a meal that was just a meal. He found times to grab a meal or snacks while in other meetings. He also walks incredibly fast. I once saw someonejog to keep up with him. He doesn't need much sleep and usually gets about five hours per night, giving him more waking hours than the average person. He's known to send a late-night email. Folder system prioritizes issues Over the years, Crow and his team have figured out systems that work to get him the information he needs while maximizing efficiency. 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 For example, at the end of each day, he goes home with a bunch of color-coded folders put together by his staff. The coding system signifies what's important and needs to be handled imminently, what he needs to read but not act on, what he may find interesting. Purple plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. Red means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. Orange is of medium importance. is of medium importance. Yellow is least important, more like an FYI. is least important, more like an FYI. Gray means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. Blue signifies items from Crow's desk or printer. He may do research online and ask that an article be printed and put into this folder to be sent home with him. If he's working away from the Tempe campus, his staff puts together a binder for him with the day's events, including who he's going to meet, any speeches he has to give and any tasks in folders he needs to address. CLOSE ASU President Michael Crow talks about who is the most influential person in Arizona, from school teachers to innovators. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Technology is a friend Crow still uses handwritten notes, but he embraces technology, too. He has Amazon Alexas in multiple rooms at work and at home. He will ask Alexa to look up words or historical events for him or others in the room, if needed. If he's working at his office in Tempe, he's moving between his actual office, an attached conference room and a side room for smaller groups. He may have people waiting for him in one room while he finishes a meeting in another. In these rooms, a blue light flashes on electronic boxes whenever its time for Crow to wrap up a meeting and move on to the next task. The boxes, made by Honeywell, are intended to be portable doorbells. He notices the flashing boxes but doesn't always abide by them. It usually takes someone popping into a meeting, telling him that someone else is waiting for him, to spur a move. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ |
Will a leader emerge among Oregons returning receivers during spring? | Were taking a look at each position group as Oregon prepares to open spring practice on March 7. The third of a nine-part series looks at the wide receivers. EUGENE Oregon has to replace a ton of production from the departure of Dillon Mitchell following his program-record setting season. The Ducks return the rest of their receiving corps and while three of four freshmen and graduate transfer Juwan Johnson wont arrive until the summer, this is the time of year where veteran plays stake their claim to starting jobs. Who among the returning players emerges in the spring could lock down a job to start the season and thats big when the opening opponent features a secondary with NFL talent. Projected depth chart: X/Split end Brenden Schooler, senior, 21 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown Johnny Johnson III, junior, 17 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns Josh Delgado, freshman Flanker Jaylon Redd, junior, 38 receptions for 433 yards and five touchdowns Justin Collins, junior, one reception for 22 yards Demetri Burch, redshirt-sophomore JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Z Daewood Davis, redshirt-sophomore, one reception for 13 yards OR Bryan Addison, redshirt-freshman, one reception for 12 yards JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Departed: Dillon Mitchell Due to arrive in the fall: Mycah Pittman, JR Waters, Lance Wilhoite, Juwan Johnson Outlook: The good news is Oregon returns all but one of its wide outs. The bad news is the one departure was its only dependable target. New wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight will get to mold a mostly unproven group that struggled mightily with drops last season. Jaylon Redd had the most flashes and big plays of the returning wide outs, but he had his share of drops as well. If a veteran receiver is going to lock a starting job down its likely going to be Redd, a junior who is also vying for the punt return job. Johnny Johnson and Brenden Schooler were both inconsistent last season but will be far ahead of the rest of the group in terms of experience. Bryan Addison was highly spoken on during bowl practice and could play his way into a prominent role during spring. Early enrollee Josh Delgado will be the first of the signees to get an opportunity to vie for a spot on the two-deep. JJ Tucker and Isaah Crocker are coming off redshirt seasons and Demetri Burch and Justin Collins were non-factors last season, but will also see more reps during the spring. Thatll be particularly big for Collins, who needs to prove himself before more competition arrives. Of course things will change during fall camp, but expecting true freshmen to learn the offense and be ready to start against a quality opponent in their first game is a tall order, though not impossible. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/02/will-a-leader-emerge-among-oregons-returning-receivers-during-spring.html |
Will Women's Designer Chris Benz Be Able To Save J.Crew? | J.Crew is betting on a familiar face to revitalize the brand among shoppers. The company announced that Chris Benz will be the new head of women's design (as well as its crewcuts kid's division). This means that chief design officer Johanna Uurasjarvi, who joined J.Crew only last June, is no longer with the brand. Uurasjarvi was brought on by former CEO Jim Brett, who departed the preppy clothing retailer in November. J.Crew has yet to name his replacement, but in the meantime is being led by a committee of 4 senior executives. The announcement marks a homecoming of sorts for Benz, who worked on the women's design team from January 2005 to July 2006 under former creative director Jenna Lyons. Benz is most known for designing his own label, which he closed in 2012 after a five year run. His designs typically skewed towards colorful, eccentric pieces and playful prints. Until recently, he was the creative director of legacy American brand Bill Blass, where his carefree spirit and signature use of colors and flourishes were also evident. J.Crew is where I started my career and I have always loved the inspired mix of things color and pattern, texture and quality that defines it, Benz told the Business of Fashion. I look forward to innovating on the brands essential classics to create an eclectic American style that is both polished and unique, and revives J.Crew as a destination where everyone can find something special. There's no doubt that his design aesthetic is in line with J.Crew's classic, preppy roots. While many of the company's problems arose from poor decisions on the business and management side (they're currently $566.5 million in debt and are operating at a narrow loss according to its most recent quarter), a lingering identity crisis continues to plague them. Issues with product quality and price among customers also hurt the brand, particularly towards the beginning of 2013, which is when the downward spiral really began. As the company looks to undo many of the strategies Brett laid out, Benz will need to craft a compelling brand narrative that resonates with consumers today. While J.Crew flourished for many years thanks to Lyons' glossy fashion statements and styling cache, it failed to keep up with shifts in industry trends and more casual movements like athleisure. From a branding point of view, Benz must implement initiatives across the spectrum from stores to e-commerce and campaigns that deliver a consistent message and story-telling experience. Right now, shoppers don't have a clear idea what J.Crew stands for. The company will have to evolve and capture this generation's interest again, something Benz will have to be very clear about that from the get-go. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/marioabad/2019/02/28/j-crew-chris-benz/ |
Are Millennials About To Disrupt The Diamond Industry? | The song goes; 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' but that isn't true for Millennial women (or Millennials in general), 70% would consider buying lab-grown diamonds over mined ones. A statistic that is music to Type IIA diamond-maker ALTR ears. New diamonds can be created every 60-120 days thanks to technology that recreates the force nature exerts over a billion years, and it is that timeframe that is upsetting the $13 billion industry. There are three really; you can buy more substantial and more personalized diamonds than ones found in mines across the world and the quality can standardized, all ALTR diamonds are Type IIA, the purest form of diamond known to man. Less than 2% of the mined diamonds are Type IIA. The created diamonds are graded the same way as 'regular' diamonds, and as of July 2018, the FTC ruled that lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds. ALTR isn't the only lab-grown diamond company in the world, but it is the only vertically aligned created diamond brand allowing them to develop products of different varieties faster than other options. Millennials are big believers in climate change and saving the planet from the impacts that businesses have on it. The diamond market does not come out well when you examine its environmental impact; poor conditions, child labour, corruptions, blood diamond trading, air emissions that are 1.5 billion times higher than those of a lab-grown one and massive amounts of water that are used to mine diamonds from the ground. Not a pretty picture so there is little wonder that alternatives are looked to with interest. At Helzberg Diamonds, ALTR created diamonds' major retail partner in the USA, ALTR has a higher sell-through and better conversion ratios than most of the comparable mined diamond products. The Average Unit Retail for ALTR at its Brand affiliates for the last 12 months is 37% higher than similar Mined Diamond in the bridal category. The markets are cautious with letting in human-made diamonds. Time will tell if more retailers stock the diamonds and which the consumer prefers. The future of the diamonds industry is still healthy, demand is secure, but changes are indeed afoot. Time will tell, and consumers will have a lot to say in the outcome. If current the current research becomes a reality, diamonds may need a fresh branding job, a sentence that many people thought they would likely never read. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2019/02/28/are-millennials-about-to-disrupt-the-diamond-industry/ |
Is An Earnings Recession On The Way? | As the fourth quarter earnings season wraps up, it marks the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit earnings growth for Standard & Poor's (S&P 500) companies. When finally tallied, 2018 earnings are expected to grow over 20%. The Trump Administrations tax breaks were a significant catalyst, as were record stock buybacks. Companies are cautious, and there is a chorus of equity analysts suggesting that earnings growth could easily tip into recession this year. FactSet, an analytics service that aggregates equity analysts views, expects first quarter earnings to be down 2.5% from levels a year ago. Analysts also expect a sluggish second quarter, but see an improving second half, resulting in a 4.5% earnings increase for the full year. This is not disastrous, but it is still fairly tame. Equity analysts are sullen, but the potential for upside surprises is being ignored. Given the market outlook, we still expect equities to deliver solid returns in 2019. Trade Talks And Oil Price Jitters Abate Sectors with significant exposure to trade, such as Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples and Communication Services, are expected to take a hit. First quarter earnings for Information Technology in particular, which generates almost 60% of its revenue overseas and has turbocharged equity markets over the last several years, is forecast to be down 10%. The good news is that President Trump has extended the March 1 deadline for additional trade tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, a sign that a deal could potentially be reached. The U.S. realizes it cannot recklessly disrupt Chinas growth and expect to escape retaliation or knock on effects. And both leaders are motivated to post some wins: President Trump as he gears up for re-election, and President Xi Jinping as he hosts the 100th year anniversary celebration of the Communist Party in 2021. Both need a strong economy to help underscore their claims of reliable stewardship. Meanwhile, negative oil sentiment is dragging down the Energy sector. However, Saudi Arabia and Russia continue to cooperate and cut supply to rebalance the market after the U.S. unexpectedly pulled back from sanctioning Iranian oil exports. Saudi Arabia remains disciplined in its supply management and is cutting more than planned. Its fiscal budget requires Brent oil prices of over $80 per barrel, which means it is intent on pushing prices up and given demand expectations later in the year, those price goals looks credible. Investors Pleasantly Surprised By Fed Toward the end of last year, markets corrected as they feared the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States (Fed) rate hikes would stall growth. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is now signaling patience, indicating to investors that the Fed is close to ending its tightening cycle, which will eliminate considerable uncertainty and allow markets to focus on company fundamentals. And even though there may be near-term blips in the profit picture, U.S. companies are generally in solid shape. Some of that was evident in the markets reaction to fourth quarter earnings. Over the last five years, if companies had positive earnings surprises their stock jumped 1.0% over the following two days, while those that disappointed were down 2.6%. In contrast, this quarter saw a warmer embrace as companies with earnings surprises were up 2.1% and those that missed expectations were down only 0.7%. This confirms that investors were bracing for worse news and were relieved that conditions were more robust than initially feared. Remember, weve been here before. The last earnings recession started towards the end of 2014. Oil prices, which had hit a high in the summer of 2014, were cut in half by year-end as Saudi Arabia refused to curb supply and make room for U.S. shale production. That standoff continued in 2015 driving oil to a low by early 2016 as Saudi eventually conceded to supply cuts and prices started to recover. While this oversupply played out, S&P 500 earnings dipped and didnt turn positive until the end of 2016. However, the stock market started to recover at the beginning of 2016 as it recognized global growth was back on track and hit a new high that summer. Some of this same pattern seems to be playing out today. Markets initially worried that the Fed would derail growth are now confident it will tread softly. Investors are starting to look beyond the near term earnings noise and recognize that fundamental drivers are still strong. This material contains opinions of the author, but not necessarily those of Sun Life Financial or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/randybrown/2019/02/28/is-an-earnings-recession-on-the-way/ |
Did Cryptocurrencies Open The Door To A New Generation Of Traders? | From about the midway point of 2017, when the price of Bitcoin was starting to climb to its peak of $20,000, it was hard to go anywhere and not hear whispers of this new get-rich-quick investment. People were frantically googling Bitcoin, trying to understand blockchain, sending each other memes about the cryptocurrency; it was on everyone's lips - from the postman to the Wall Street executive. Not only were people googling and asking: what is Bitcoin, they wanted to know how they could get a piece of the pie that had turned a handful of early investors into instant millionaires. An asset which was growing at an exponential rate was exciting, and got even more so when people found out this complicated cryptographic digital currency was really quite easy to obtain. It had all the hallmarks of a money-making investment that appealed to a new generation. There was no exclusivity around Bitcoin, a stuffy Wall Street bank did not control it, it could be acquired at any time of day from a smartphone, and as little as a few dollars could buy you in. Millennials, Generation Ys and Zs, as well as fathers, grandmothers and all comers were all suddenly masters of the candlestick graph, checking Coinbase every 20 minutes to watch this asset move and shake like nothing seen before. It was exciting, it was easy, it was value for money - at the time - and it struck all the right notes with a new generation coming into an era where investing was something to take seriously; the same generation who have been fed up with the traditional financial way of things, especially after witnessing the crash in 2008. The investment bug seems to have still bitten as the new generation start to diversify, but the entire landscape of investing looks to have changed because of the cryptocurrency surge. Where we have come from Investing jargon usually conjures up images of Wall Street, high-rise banking conglomerates, suits, ties, and influential business people. These financial institutions, based on strict rules and conventions, have dictated how people can, and cannot invest. Artem Popov, the co-founder of Roobee, a blockchain-powered investment platform that incorporates cryptocurrencies, as well as the traditional commodities and assets, explains how things have changed in a short space of time. The investment ecosystem as a whole is built on tight regulation. Developed countries have large platforms where shares, bonds, commodities, and currency are traded. As a rule, only professional market participants have access to these assets, which, in turn, can re-sell or provide access to assets for retail customers, Popov explains. Over the past ten years, the investment ecosystem has changed dramatically in the emerging markets. Advanced markets anticipated emerging markets by 30-50 years in development, and over the past ten years, this gap has been significantly reduced. The change towards easier access for retail customers in emerging markets to ecosystems through brokers has allowed trading platforms to increase the number of investors and trading volumes dozens of times. More and more retail investors have gained access to the purchase of stocks, bonds and other more complex investment products." Then, over the last five years, investments have been growing more and more through ETF tools that make it possible to generate income from assets that are grouped by finance professionals. Thus, retail investors gained access to the possibility of entering with small amounts and low commissions, to tools that were previously available only to investors with large financial resources and had to pay high commissions when working with such tools. As Popov explains, there have been different moves in the direction of trading in the last five to 10 years, but what has remained constant is a bevvy of market participants who are there to run the processes of investing, while taking their cut, as a classical intermediary model. However, as cryptocurrencies came to the fore and got investors excited, so the technology underlying it also helped grease the wheels in changing the investment ecosystem. A new technology Like many different sectors, especially those that are heavy in intermediaries, blockchain is often pointed towards them for disruption. But in the case of the investment ecosystem, it was interesting to see how cryptocurrency and blockchain combined to offer what can probably still to this day be seen as blockchains killer app - digital asset investment. The emergence of blockchain technology made it possible to move away from the usual format of trading and the exchange of assets, said Popov Previously, there was a need for clearing houses and reliable asset holders, specialised contracts and many other procedures. Blockchain allowed to share assets directly, without any fear. This format makes it easier to trade because of the possibility of a distributed registry. The emergence of smart contracts allowed us to endow the transfer of assets with many specific conditions that can be specified in the code. World crises and generations have also significantly changed the investment ecosystem. But, how cryptocurrencies boomed was a considerable part of the change in the investing mindset. Many sectors have had blockchain attempt to disrupt them, but there has been no need or drive for the adoption to go ahead. With cryptocurrencies, because they were decentralised, there was a near seismic shift with new entrants avoiding the traditional system and rushing to make quick money through cryptocurrencies. This opened the door to new investors and gave them a first taste of investing that was different, and better suited to them. Sure, the cryptocurrency boom definitely attracted many new people in the sphere of investment - millennials, as well as people of older generations, and more previously excluded adults, added Popov. We have seen a huge array of people come to investing in the new modern way, a lot came from cryptocurrencies and are now looking for other options, but the diversification is astounding, we see all types in our Telegram community, where we have the opportunity to do some research to the audience. It turns out that for more experienced investors, cryptocurrency has become a new tool, in addition to others. But really, a large percentage of people who came to the world of investments are now only here because of the of cryptocurrencies; the ease of registering on cryptocurrency exchanges, and the minimum thresholds of entry. In this, I believe, is the great merit of cryptocurrencies. Now, having felt the taste of investment, people begin to pay attention to other investment tools. Thats exactly what Roobee is to realise, giving one the opportunity to maximally diverse his or her investment portfolio and invest in various investment products - like IPO, Real estate, Venture Funds, Stock Exchange, cryptocurrencies and others. A new frontier If the Cryptocurrency market will ever get back to the same levels, it did in December 2017, or if it will drum up similar excitement, is still be being discovered. But what has become clear is the face of investing has changed substantially because of cryptocurrencies. A new audience, and market, has been born of the cryptocurrency boom, and these customers may have left cryptocurrencies behind, but they are not ready to stop investing. At the same time, these customers have entered the market on smartphones, and little to no barrier, so they are not going to bend to the traditional ways of investing going forward. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynpollock/2019/02/28/did-cryptocurrencies-open-the-door-to-a-new-generation-of-traders/ |
Is Blackmail A Board Issue? | Bezos allegations of blackmail against AMI, the parent company of the Enquirer are splashed across the news. Had Jeff Bezos decided to keep the Enquirers blackmailing private, the board could have become embroiled in legal issues related to defending Jeff Bezos. After all, he is a public figure because of his role as founder/CEO of Amazon. Bezos has admitted to having an extramarital affair. Here are a few possible BOD government questions. It should always be on Jeff Bezos mind and on the boards that any action can affect Amazons image. Being the worlds richest man, founder and CEO of Amazon does not leave a lot of room for privacy and racy texts and photos. The general consensus is that Bezos was right in outing the Enquirer and that he may have a case for extortion. Extortion is defined as making a threat in order to force someone to take an action or give up something of value. The Enquirer was asking that Bezos end his investigation into how the Enquirer got ahold of his private communications. According to Jeffrey Lichtman, a New York criminal defense attorney, the threat would be the Enquirer threatening to publish potentially embarrassing photos. So even though a threat and a corresponding action appear to be present, the case isnt necessarily clear cut. I think its a close call as to whether The National Enquirers actions make out an extortion, Lichtman says. Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutor agrees, he says the Enquirer may have a number of strong defenses. Neither option is a slam dunk decision. No matter which way Jeff Bezos decided to go, keep the situation private or post the public blog on Medium as he has, he should have consulted with his board in advance. If Amazons board doesnt already have a succession plan in place, they should create an option and have a name for the envelope. On the other side of the issue is the AMI Board. AMI is already under significant scrutiny after the agreement they made with federal prosecutors that required AMI to keep its nose clean and commit no crimes whatsoever for three years. That AMI agreement was made as part of an ongoing investigation into campaign finance violations involving Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and a Playboy playmate. The federal agreement stipulated that AMI would not be prosecuted provided the organization committed no new crimes in the three years following the date of the agreement, which was signed on September 20, 2018. When the Bezos scandal was revealed, the AMI board quickly responded stating that it should promptly and thoroughly investigate the claims. Federal prosecutors are looking into the Bezos incident to determine if it impacts their prior agreement. This could be significant for the future of AMI and certainly for David Pecker as CEO. The AMI board should also be reviewing their succession plan ensuring they have a solid bench waiting to step in should David Pecker be personally prosecuted for violating his agreement. This should be moving in conjunction with their independent investigation into the Bezos incident. I would expect the AMI board is very busy these days. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/betsyatkins/2019/02/28/is-blackmail-a-board-issue/ |
Are Torontonians who clear catch basins heroes, or ruining it for the rest of us? | A community Facebook group, the salon of modern times, the middle of winter: talk of salt shortages, salt gouging, and salt sightings. (Walmart had a shipment, people. $3.97 a bag.) Discussion about snow shovelling is spirited. So is the catch-basin talk. Catch basins are the iron grates beside the curb that divert the melt and rain back into the lake or wastewater treatment centre, depending on where you live. In the group, one man noted that most of the catch basins on his street were covered by snow, at risk of flooding. Julie Malichen-Snyder stands over a catch basin in her East York neighbourhood (one that her neighbour also clears). Malichen-Snyder makes a point of clearing the basin in front of her own home to allow the water to drain and avoid flooding. ( Rick Madonik / Toronto Star ) The catch basin in front of my house is clear and flowing, Julie Malichen-Snyder replied. I consider it my responsibility to keep it open. It works to my and my neighbours benefit. Somebody asked why she did that. She pays taxes, after all. I think we have to be realistic about how far those tax dollars can spread, replied Malichen-Snyder, who lives in East York. Keeping the catch basin open is a simple thing. It leaves the citys resources open for other needs. Article Continued Below But what was the point of having a government, one person said, if citizens did all the work with no understanding or training. Training. Use a shovel to clear snow away from catch basin and to make a tunnel so melting water can drain away, Malichen-Snyder wrote back. Understanding. If melting water has some place to flow it will not puddle Also the snow piles reduce and dont refreeze into treacherous messes. Reached at home, she laughs. I probably shouldnt have been so rude, but I understand if its clear, the water flows, she says. The city has 120,000 catch basins. Throughout the last century, the townships and communities that make up modern Toronto installed the curbside iron grates to ease flooding concerns, and government and ratepayers fought over who would pay. That was the typical reason they made the news, except for that time in 1966 when city workers found $18,150 of stolen money in the muck of a west-end culvert. It had been ditched by thieves who realized the money was traceable. Read more: Article Continued Below Walk like a penguin to avoid winter wipeouts In pop culture, the catch basin has long been overshadowed by the manhole, the favoured sewer portal for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Although their enemies, a group of ninjas called the foot clan, liked to slide into the sewer through an inlet-style catch basin in the 1990 live action movie.) In civic life, theyre typically underfoot and out of mind, but people tend to notice when theyre covered up, creating lakes and icy patches. Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef is a DIY catch-basin evangelist. I dont want to be called a hero, but I just unblocked a sewer grate that was covered with leaves, he tweeted in November. The rushing gutter river that followed was very satisfying! ! Everybody who clears a catch basin today gets the Order of Canada, he tweeted again this winter. Still a little frozen down there. Gotta chop at it. Have your say A city spokesperson offered the official Toronto view. Generally, we do ask residents to help out by trying to clear catchbasins around their property only if it is safe to do so (considering conditions, traffic etc. ), he said in an email. That said, residents can file a service request with 311 for catchbasins that may be clogged with debris or are faulty. In January, there were about 420 calls for overflowing and damaged grates with at least 100 calls on Jan. 23, a melty day that followed a very frigid Tuesday. With another melt looming in late February, a photo of Councillor Brad Bradford hacking at the ice of a catch basin (Feeling motivated) is posted to the same east-end Facebook group. Its been a tough winter I appreciate your patience and know the City needs to do better ... If youre able to help out your neighbours and clear the storm drains, it will make a big difference in improving drainage, he writes. The debate resumes about the level of service under different mayors, what citizens can expect from property taxes, whether this photo of a city councillor with a spade is just a dog and pony show, if there is a generational divide. Anecdotal evidence suggests Torontonians have a historic tendency to leave the work to somebody else. In February 1939, in the midst of an icy thaw, there was a lake on Queen St. E. No one did anything about it until a policeman happened along, borrowed a shovel from a nearby store and dug a channel through solid ice to the nearby catchbasin, the Star reported. All in a days work, the officer said, hacking at the ice. In the east end, Julie Malichen-Snyder has to shovel anyway, so she makes sure she doesnt dump the snow on the catch basin. It really isnt hard, she says. My kids all went to wonderful elementary schools and high schools, and its all because we pay taxes. You know, I dont pay much for all of that, she says. I dont see the problem of saving the city the effort of cleaning my catch basin so they can spend more time and effort on something else. She has noticed that accessible transit stops for Wheel-Trans havent always been cleared this winter, even days after a snowfall. She would rather the city concentrate their resources there. She knows that people will say that as a taxpayer, she shouldnt have to do it herself. But in an ideal world, she wouldnt have to tell her children to put their dishes in the dishwasher either. What do I do, leave them on the counter for the next 18 years? Sonja Stefanovic, who lives in southwest Scarborough, says she has been especially vigilant ever since her home was one of many that flooded with sewage during the heavy rains of August 2012. Her family lives on a corner property, so there are two catch basins, and every morning, she and her husband wear their bright orange visibility hats as they clear the sidewalks and basins. Neighbours drive by and give them the thumbs-up. Were not always as joyful as I am right now talking about it, she says, but we try to be good-humoured and have a healthy attitude and do our bit. She says in her 16 years at the house, this winter has been the worst for any assistance from the city. We pay a lot in property tax, and our assumption is that part of that is to take care of those things, she says. But I live in the real world. When the plow finally does come through, it usually pushes a few feet of snow on top of the catch basins, and back they go. She knows that not everybody can physically do the work, especially when its icy. Its a grind, and each year it gets harder because each year I get older. For Stefanovic, the sound of the water draining has become the satisfying sound of victory. You start thinking, My God, what has my life come to? she asks. I used to be involved in major IT programs for a very large global IT firm downtown on Bay St., and now Ive resorted to being thrilled that Ive beat the catch basin. Katie Daubs is a reporter and feature writer based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @kdaubs | https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/02/28/are-torontonians-who-clear-catch-basins-heroes-or-ruining-it-for-the-rest-of-us.html |
Will the XFL be Johnny Manziels final stop? | CLEVELAND, Ohio In case you stopped following the Johnny Manziel saga a while ago (and we dont blame you), heres an update. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns quarterback was recently dropped from the CFL. The Montreal Alouettes terminated Manziels contract this week, saying the QB violated one of the conditions set for him being in the league. But Manziels football career may not be over. He tweeted that he plans to explore new options within the United States. One of the obvious landing spots could be the XFL, According to the New York Post. Prior to being released, Manziel mentioned he was keeping an eye on both the XFL and AAF. Its all about timing and getting into the right place, Manziel said on Barstool Sports Comeback SZN podcast. I think the best thing about the AAF is, when you want to get picked up by a team, they know its going to be a high turnover rate...But they know what the league is. Trying to develop people to get to the biggest stage, and I think its a great thing. As for the XFL, the league founded by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is set to return in 2020 with a more serious tone than before. So maybe signing a guy who couldnt make it more than eight starts in the CFL isnt a good idea. Or perhaps the team in Dallas will give Manziel a tryout. | https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2019/02/will-the-xfl-be-johnny-manziels-final-stop.html |
Could Oscar-winning Rami Malek be the next James Bond villain? | Rumours are coming in about the next Bond villain and it's someone who you might recognise - especially if you were a big fan of Bohemian Rhapsody. Oscar-winning Rami Malek is rumoured to be taking on the role of a villain in the next James Bond film. The film hasn't got an official name yet but it is often referred to as 'Bond 25' and its working title is 'Shatterhand'. Getty Images The next film will be Daniel Craig's fifth Bond film You'll probably remember Rami from the Queen inspired-film, Bohemian Rhapsody. He played the band's front man Freddie Mercury and won an Oscar for Best Actor for it. Rami had been asked earlier this year if he was going to play the villain in the next Bond film but he said he was keeping "tight lipped" about it. Reports say that he is the final stages of sealing the deal as the next bad guy for the famous franchise. Unfortunately though, there aren't many details right now about what his character would be and the deal is still yet to be confirmed. Let us know in the comments! | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47402849 |
Will genetics unlock a new treatment for Parkinson's? | Rapid developments in the field of genetics since mapping of the human genome began in the 1990s have led to huge advances in our understanding of the causes of human diseases. We now know that human DNA is about 99.5% identical from person to person. However, those small differences in the 3bn DNA bases that make up our genome are what make us unique. Genetic differences indicate whether we are more likely to have for instance perfect pitch, blue eyes, or a fear of heights. These tiny variants also influence our risk of getting a particular disease, and the sort of drugs that are likely to treat it most effectively. As a result, scientists increasingly use genetics as a basis for drug research and development. But the fact that some variants of these diseases affect comparatively small numbers of people can have an impact on how easy it is to carry out this R&D. Parkinsons disease, for instance, is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimers. There are many people around the world with Parkinsons, including about 145,000 in the UK, but few of those cases have a genetic cause. When there is a genetic cause, it is most often the G2019S mutation in the LRRK2 gene. In the US, there are about: A million people with Parkinsons disease. 135,000 LRRK2 G2019S carriers. 10,000-15,000 people with Parkinsons disease who are LRRK2 G2019S carriers. These carriers would benefit from specific treatments, but developing them has often proved challenging. According to Matt Nelson, head of genetics, GSK, understanding genetics is key to increasing our knowledge of the causes of disease and will have a key role in developing effective new medicines. Genetics provides us with a direct causal connection between particular genes, particular pathways and the diseases we are interested in treating, he says. Research indicates that drug research backed by genetic support is about twice as likely to lead to a successful medicine. There is an exponential growth in our understanding and insights as to how genes influence disease, severity and progression. All of this can be very insightful when discovering new treatments, Nelson says. Approximately 90% of drug candidates fail in clinical development, says Carolyn Buser-Doepner, GSKs head of target sciences. This high level of attrition after multiple years of research and clinical trials represents the greatest challenge and opportunity for pharmaceutical R&D. Genetic data can also inform on potential safety risks for a given drug target, she continues. Collectively, these data are expected to improve target selection to allow for safer, more effective targeted medicines to be discovered. This is why GSK has teamed up with 23andMe a consumer genetics and research company to discover new therapeutic drug targets, and consequently new treatments. GSKs $300m equity investment and four-year collaboration will also help identify patient subgroups and allow more effective identification and recruitment of patients for some clinical studies. When a customer signs up for 23andMes service, the companys state-of-the-art genotyping technologies measure more than 600,000 genetic variants in the persons DNA. Of the 5 million customers of 23andMe, more than 80% have opted in to allow their anonymised data to be used in research and to be recontacted. This consent has to be given explicitly, and can be withdrawn at any time. For the purposes of drug target discovery, at this time GSK will only have access to aggregated summary statistics from these analyses, not any personally identifiable details. To enable work to start immediately, GSK and 23andMe have agreed to collaborate on GSKs LRRK2 inhibitor programme as a potential treatment for Parkinsons disease. This programme has the potential to progress quickly by leveraging 23andMes consented customers who are aware of their LRRK2 variant as a result of the companys FDA-authorised genetic health reports. By recruiting patients with defined LRRK2 mutations, this programme has the potential to reach clinical proof of concept more effectively and efficiently. Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe, has a personal connection with Parkinsons disease; the father of her children has the LRRK2 mutation. As she said in her August Facebook Live video, 23 minutes with Anne: We have thousands of customers with this mutation, and knowing there are a number of drugs in development specifically targeting [this], I am really excited about what we will be able to do. My hope is we will be able to have an impact on drug discovery and make something happen faster than it normally could. If, later in the drug development process, there is a good candidate medicine to treat Parkinsons patients with this gene variant, 23andMe scientists will be able to recontact the relevant customers, who may then be facing Parkinsons disease, to see if they consent to be part of a clinical trial in their area. This should greatly speed up the start of clinical trials. GSKs collaboration with 23andMe is part of its new approach to R&D, which focuses on the immune system, genetics and advanced technologies. But this is not GSKs first large-scale work of this type. It is currently working with the UK Biobank sequencing the genetic data from 500,000 anonymised volunteers. GSK is also part of a collaboration called Open Targets. This is developing an open-access search engine to search and evaluate the extensive genetic data that are already available. There is certainly cause for hope about what genetics is likely to contribute to our future health and medical care. We can all be excited about the tremendous new insights genetics is providing into what causes disease in humans and how genes might modify disease risks and progression, Nelson concludes. Over the next 10 to 15 years, a new generation of therapies will be developed that are more efficacious, more effective and safer for treating disease. | https://www.theguardian.com/breakthrough-science/2019/feb/28/will-genetics-unlock-a-new-treatment-for-parkinsons |
How Large Is The Democratic World's Financial Contribution To Interpol? | In my last column, I looked at the share of Interpols budget paid by the U.S., and concluded it was likely around $19 million, or about 15.5 percent of Interpols total operating expenses. On its own, therefore, the U.S. has significant but not determining financial leverage over Interpol. This is not an easy question to answer. As I noted in my last column, Interpol derives its income from three main sources: statutory contributions from its member nations, in-kind contributions from these nations (mostly deriving from the value added by national officials seconded to Interpol), and what Interpol describes as reimbursements and recoveries. The vast majority of this line-item derives from Interpols Trust Fund and Special Accounts, which are specific agreements with external donors for the implementation of special project activities. In other words, they are contracts for projects that produce revenue. Finally, Interpol has a number of other income sources that were not relevant to the U.S. share of its budget, but are relevant to this broader question. It is relatively straightforward to assess statutory contributions. I divided all of Interpols assessed statutory contributions not all of which were actually paid into three groups: from democratic, partly democratic, and not democratic nations. These categories are, of course, arbitrary at their margins. But the overall position is clear. The 74 nations I defined as democracies account for 39% of Interpols membership, but paid 84.15% of the total assessed contributions of 54.368 million Euros. The top six contributors the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, and Italy are all democratic, and together paid 55.8% of the contributions. Of the top 25 contributors, 20 are fully democratic, and they paid 78.1% of the contributions. The only non-democracies in the top 30 contributors are China (2.03 million Euros), Russia (958 thousand Euros), Turkey (503 thousand Euros), and Saudi Arabia (437 thousand Euros). Put together, all four of these nation contributed only 785 thousand Euros more in 2017 than the United Kingdom did by itself. Any way you slice it, the democracies pay an overwhelming share of the statutory contributions. Statutory contributions are Interpols single largest source of income, but not its majority source of income. Interpol see Note 27 in its 2017 Financial Report -- made 673 thousand Euros in financial income (interest on its bank accounts), and 768 thousand Euros in other income, a category comprised partly of Other revenue and partly of income from Interpols I-Checkit system, a travel document screening solution. It lost 786 thousand Euros on exchange rate movements. Leaving these three categories aside, the rest of Interpols operating revenue came from (1) Regional Bureau financing (1.267 million Euros); (2) In-kind contributions (30.977 million Euros); (3) Voluntary contributions (3.551 million Euros), and (4) Reimbursements and recoveries (33.510 million Euros). Taking these categories in turn, the Regional Bureau financing is (page 50 of the 2017 Report) statutory contributions received by the Organization to support RB operations. A total of 68 member countries support the Organizations six RBs. As these member countries are not identified, we cannot allocate their contributions. Much the same is true, unfortunately, for In-kind contributions. Of the total of 30.977 million Euros, 19.630 was for in-kind staff costs and 11.347 went for in-kind premises running costs. It is quite likely that the overwhelming majority of this latter category was received from the government of Singapore, as Interpol states (page 20) that value of in-kind premises jumped sharply in 2015 when its Singapore center opened. Singapore is a partly democratic but Western-aligned nation. On the other hand, it is likely that a majority of the in-kind staff costs were born by fully democratic nations. Interpol notes that it employs staff from 100 different countries, making it likely that the nations not represented on Interpols staff are its poorer and generally less democratic members. Voluntary contributions are easier to assess. These funds derive partly from undisclosed Member Country contributions (551 thousand Euros), but primarily from the Interpol Foundation for a Safer World. The Foundation is a front for the United Arab Emirates, a known and frequent abuser of Interpol and a non-democracy, which in 2017 gave 3 million Euros to Interpol through voluntary contributions. Finally, there are Interpols reimbursements and recoveries. These again are not itemized in Interpols financial reports. However, the overwhelming share of Interpols receipts here were from its Trust Fund and Special Account income, or, in other words, for projects. Interpol does identify the five largest contributors to this income, which include the European Commission, Canada, the Interpol Foundation (4.14 million Euros), the U.S. Department of State, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Together, these five contributors paid 21.62 million of the 33.09 million Euros received from Trust Fund and Special Account income in 2017. While the European Commission is in no sense a democracy, the most troubling of these named contributors is the Interpol Foundation i.e. the UAE. Clearly, there are a number of mysteries about Interpols funding, including (from most to least significant) the identity of the other contributors to Interpols Trust Fund and Special Account income (who collectively paid about 11.47 million Euros to Interpol), the sources of its in-kind contributions, the sources of its Regional Bureau funding, and the sources of its unspecified Member Country contributions and its Other revenue. But the latter three sources of income are small, and there is no reason to believe the in-kind contributions conceal anything untoward. The most significant step Interpol could take to improve the clarity of its financial reports would be to identify all contributors to its Trust Fund and Special Account income. Some of this income comes from partnerships with the private sector. This is reasonable in theory, but in practice, Interpol has a terrible track record of selecting sensible private partners. For example, it has worked with FIFA, the corrupt soccer organization, purportedly to stop corruption in soccer. If its partnerships today are sensible, then they could and should be published without embarrassment. If they are not sensible, they should be terminated immediately. Going forward, it would be wiser for Interpol, as an organization controlled by its member nations, to be funded only by those nations. It would also be very wise of Interpol to immediately terminate its relationship with the Interpol Foundation: the UAE is now, through the Foundation, providing almost 6 percent of Interpols entire operating revenue. Because of the mysteries of Interpols funding, it is not possible to assess precisely how much money the democracies give to it. But it seems clear that, with the troubling exception of the Interpol Foundation (which gave 7.14 million Euros in 2017), and the much less troubling exception of the Singapore headquarters (an irrelevant expansion apparently undertaken only so that Interpol would have a major facility in Asia), the democracies provide a very large share of Interpols funding. It seems likely that, given the size of the Foundations gifts (which amount to 5.74% of Interpols total revenue in 2017), the democratic share is less than their 84.15% share of the assessed contributions. A reasonable estimate is that the democracies are responsible for between 75% and 80% of Interpols funding , and that UAE controls the single largest non-democratic share (about 3.5 times larger than Chinas contributions). Unfortunately, that is not quite the end of the story. Interpol is controlled by its General Assembly, a one-nation, one-vote body. All Interpol member nations are required to pay at least 16,310 Euros. Of the 190 nations billed in 2017, 107 were minimum-paying minnows. Collectively, these minnows (democratic, partly-democratic, and non-democratic together) paid 1.745 million Euros, or 1.97% of Interpols total assessed contributions. However, they control 56% of the votes in the Assembly. Together, the non-democratic (48 nations) and partly-democratic (30 nations) minnows on their own were in 2017 within 18 votes of having a majority (96 votes) in the Assembly. Worse, since there are 23 non-democratic major contributors nations that paid more than 16,310 Euros all the non-democracies (minnows and major contributors) pay only 11.15% of the dues, but command 71 votes. In short, the position is this: the democracies pay the bills. But the non-democracies have at least an equal share of the votes. All the 71 non-democracies have to do is to get 25 of the partly-democratic minnows on their side, and they would be in an absolute majority, even though that majority would come with the backing of about 12% of Interpols budget. The fact that the minnows skew heavily non-democratic 29 democracies versus 48 non-democracies is both unfortunate and the fundamental reason why the democracies are, at best, at level pegging with the non-democracies in the Assembly. Among major contributors, democracies (44) outnumber partial and non-democracies (39) put together. Admittedly, Interpol is not the only organization where minnows dominate the General Assembly. The same is true in the United Nations. The difference is that Interpol has no Security Council. Its General Assembly does not express opinions, in the manner of the UN General Assembly it makes the rules. And since turkeys do not vote for an early Christmas, it is unlikely that the Interpol General Assembly will vote to suspend or expel non-democratic Interpol members. It is true that approximately 15 nations are delinquent on their dues, and are therefore suspended from voting in the General Assembly, and it is likely that at least some (if not a majority) of these nations are non-democracies, which may give the democracies slightly more breathing room in the Assembly. But what is really impressive about Interpols financial record is that in 2017 it received almost 98% of its assessed contributions on time. We know very little about voting records in the Interpol General Assembly, as voting there is confidential (an indefensible practice). But what we do know confirms that the democracies are not in a commanding position in the Assembly, and that the non-democracies control a core of around 71 votes. In 2017, the Assembly voted to admit the Palestinian Authority, in spite of the Authoritys repeated statements that it planned to abuse its Interpol membership for political purposes. The vote was 75 in favor of the PA, 34 abstentions, and 24 against meaning that 57 Interpol member nations did not vote for one reason or another. A year later, the Assembly voted for Kim Jong Yang of South Korea as its new president, against Russias Alexander Prokopchuk, a known leader in Russias abuse of Interpol, by a margin of 101 to 61, with 30 (of the then-192 member entities) presumably abstaining or being prevented from voting by their delinquency. It therefore seems that Russia and the PA can command a minimum of 61 votes, and a likely maximum of 75, in the Assembly. The democracies, meanwhile, have between 24 to 101 votes on their side a much wider range. The democracies do better when the question before the Assembly is existential (electing a Russian abuser to run Interpol) and far worse when fashionable follies like believing the PA is a responsible and respectable government are up for a vote. It is therefore unclear how the Assembly would vote if the U.S., or the democratic world, pressed for a vote on a contentious issue. If the democracies plan to work through the Assembly, they will have to work hard, given that the autocracies have a minimum of 61 votes on their side, to win votes from Interpols minnows. Given that at least 30 nations are likely not to vote, the maximum numbers of votes the democracies can win is around 103. If the non-democracies pick off just 22 of those votes, they win. Realistically, the democracies need to get about two-thirds of the partially-democratic vote (or every single one of the partially-democratic minnows) to be successful. The fact thus is that while the democracies have substantial financial leverage in Interpol, it will likely prove extremely difficult to use that leverage to push changes through the General Assembly. The margins in the Assembly are narrow, and with the admission of the Palestinian Authority, they have become one vote worse. The best bet the democracies have is to use their financial leverage on Interpol and the Interpol Secretariat itself not to change Interpols rules, but to ensure that it enforces the existing rules, which in theory, though not always in practice, provide mechanisms for preventing the politicized abuse of Interpol that has become notorious. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedbromund/2019/02/28/how-large-is-the-democratic-worlds-financial-contribution-to-interpol/ |
How Large Is The U.S. Budgetary Contribution To Interpol? | Recent controversies in and around Interpol has been awash in controversies of late. It granted membership to the Palestinian Authority, elected a Chinese political policeman to be its president, and then nearly elected a Russian abuser of the Interpol system to succeed the Chinese political policeman. The U.S. has many levers it could apply. Financial contributions are just one of them. To its credit, Interpol is relatively forthcoming about its finances, and annually publishes an audited financial report. Of course, that does not mean that Interpols finances are above criticism indeed, I have myself written extensively and critically on aspects of its funding but if Interpol has dirty laundry, a good deal of it, at least, is already in the open. As I will point out in this two-part series, Interpol can and should publish even more information. But most of the critical things that can be said about Interpol can only be said on the basis of documents published by Interpol itself. The first point to make is that Interpol is, comparatively, a relatively small international organization, with a relatively small budget. In 2017, its total operating expenses (figures from Interpols 2017 Financial Statements, Note 26) were 122.236 million Euros, or about $137.70 million. This is relatively small change compared to the UNs budget of around $2.7 billion for 2018 and that is only a fraction of the amount spent across the entire UN system. Our concerns about Interpol should not center on how much money it is spending. Furthermore, while there are reasonable concerns about Interpols empire-building tendencies centering around its unnecessary Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore it is hard to indict Interpol for systematic extravagance. Undoubtedly there is waste at Interpol, as there is everywhere, but stories about failures of budgetary control at Interpol are conspicuous by their absence. The important question about U.S. contributions to Interpol is not how much the U.S. is spending, but how large a share of Interpols total budget comes from the U.S., and how much leverage this gives the U.S. Interpol derives its income from three main sources: statutory contributions from its member nations, in-kind contributions from these nations (mostly deriving from the value added by national officials seconded to Interpol), and what it describes as reimbursements and recoveries. The vast majority of this line-item derives from Interpols Trust Fund and Special Accounts, which are specific agreements with external donors for the implementation of special project activities. In other words, they are contracts for projects that produce revenue. In 2017, Interpols total operating revenue was 124.328 million Euros, of which 54.368 million Euros came from statutory contributions. So while these contributions are Interpols single largest revenue stream, they comprise only 43.7 percent of its revenue. In 2017, the U.S. made a statutory contribution of 10.569 million Euros. That was almost exactly 4 million Euros more than Japan, the next biggest contributor, and 8.5 million Euros more than China, the largest non-democratic contributor. But the U.S. does not contribute only through statutory contributions. It also makes additional contributions on a per-project basis to Interpols Trust Fund and Special Accounts. In 2017, the U.S. Department of State supported projects through Interpol with a total value of 2.66 million Euros. Thus, taken together, U.S. statutory and project contributions to Interpol total 13.229 million Euros. Furthermore, Interpol has a Memorandum of Understanding with the FBI, which results in FBI payments of unspecified amounts to Interpol. Finally, the U.S. has officials seconded to Interpol, which means the U.S. also contributes to Interpols in-kind revenue specifically, its in-kind staff costs. Again, the sums involved here are not known, but if we assume that the U.S. contributes in-kind at the same rate (19.43 percent of the total) that it makes statutory contributions, U.S. in-kind contributions may amount to around 3.8 million Euros of the total in-kind pay costs of 19 million Euros. All told, therefore, U.S. payments to Interpol likely amount annually to around 17 million Euros, or $19 million. That is around 15.5 percent of Interpols total operating expenses, which seems a reasonable estimate of the share of Interpols budget paid by the U.S. The imprecision in this estimate stems almost completely from the fact that Interpol does not break out its staff costs by national payer. It would be very desirable for Interpol to be more forthcoming about how many staff from each member nation work in the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon and in its Singapore center. What the U.S. contributions are worth in leverage is hard to calculate, and depends on how that leverage is used. But, as my next column will make clear, the U.S. is by far the largest single contributor to Interpol, and it makes a major contribution to the predominance of democratic funders in Interpol. In short, if the U.S. in particular and the worlds democracies more generally wish to bring about change in Interpol, they do have meaningful financial leverage to exert. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedbromund/2019/02/28/how-large-is-the-u-s-budgetary-contribution-to-interpol/ |
Does Romelu Lukaku Have A Long-Term Future At Manchester United? | On Wednesday night beneath the lights at Selhurst Park Manchester United secured another valuable three points in their campaign to finish in the top four this season. Despite a raft of injuries, which forced United to start without five of their recognised front six, they still had enough to defeat an impressive Crystal Palace side 3-1. It was Uniteds ninth league win in eleven games since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as the clubs caretaker manager a week before Christmas, which has seen them cut the gap to the top four from eleven points to just a single point, with ten games still remaining. It is a run that has made it increasingly likely the Norwegian will be handed the job on a permanent basis. It might seem churlish to pose the question in the wake of this performance, but the Belgian has struggled to find both his form and a role in the team for most of this season. After United signed him for 75 million in the summer of 2017, Jose Mourinho anointed Lukaku as untouchable. He started Mourinhos last game in charge of United against Liverpool in December, but since the arrival of Solskjaer he has seen his playing time severely limited and been used mostly as a substitute. Lukaku didnt start any of Solskjaers first six games in the Premier League, and overall has only started four of 11 league games. And Lukaku was only handed these starts because of injuries to other forwards. He is yet to start a game in the Premier League under Solskjaer on merit. It is hard to escape the fact Uniteds success under Solskjaer over the last two and a half months has been in some part through his decision to drop Lukaku, and remodel United's attack. Solskjaer has preferred to use Marcus Rashford in the number nine role instead of Lukaku, with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial on either side of him. This has allowed United to play with more fluidity and pace, and immediately transform this side from the slowest counter attacking team in the Premier League to one of the quickest. In just the first half of their 1-0 win against Tottenham in January, a game Lukaku started on the bench, United had more fast breaks than in the 17 league games they played under Mourinho earlier in the season. Without Lukaku, United have simply become a more formidable attacking force and been able to surge forward with greater ease. Earlier in the season, with the Belgian as the focal point of their forward line Uniteds attacks were more ponderous and disjointed. For a player with pretentions to be one of the best strikers in the world, Lukakus basic touch is simply not good enough, and he can be too lumbering. Even last night during the second half one clumsy touch quickly transformed a promising United attack in to a Crystal Palace assault on David De Geas goal. But it is a testament to Solskjaers management that he has still managed to draw an improvement in form from the Belgian. Lukaku has been moved from the centre of the attack to both the left and right wings n the last two months, and impressed in this new position, particularly in the FA Cup tie at Arsenal in January where he provided two assists. Hes done loads of running up and down the line, right wing, left wing, Solskjaer has reflected. Hes had a different role because of Marcus Rashfords form. On Wednesday night at Selhurst Park Lukaku was back in the centre because of a lingering injury to Rashford, and responded with two well-taken goals in Uniteds 3-1 win. He got a chance up front," said Solskjaer. "Two very good finishes, could have had another one as well earlier on, so Im very pleased for Rom. He is a quality finisherIts great to have him around the place. But how much longer can he remain around Old Trafford for it is difficult to see Lukaku being content to be only an occasional starter for United, and then used mostly out of position on the wing. If you want to know Solskjaers real feelings about Lukaku you need only look at how he approached his biggest game so far as United manager when he faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Unsurprisingly he left Lukaku on the bench, but then when he was forced to bring off both Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard at half-time he didnt turn to the Belgian but rather Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata. Lukaku remained on the bench until the 84th minute. And so despite Lukakus heroics in south London, a huge question still looms over his future at Old Trafford, and it would not be the greatest surprise to see him being sold this summer. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sampilger/2019/02/28/does-romelu-lukaku-have-a-long-term-future-at-manchester-united/ |
Is English Cricket Ready If Their Team Win The 2019 Cricket World Cup? | Whisper it quietly around the leafy shires and village greens, but England might be about to win the Cricket World Cup. Acknowledging that Englands cricket team might be any good at all is anathema to any fan, as it usually precedes a collapse of mammoth proportions. Of all the English national sports teams famous abilities to claim defeat from the grasp of victory, the cricket representatives are most noted for their choking abilities. At the last big international tournament, the ICC World T20 in 2016, they entered the last over of the final leading by 19, only for Carlos Braithwaite to batter four sixes in succession to deliver the trophy to the West Indies. The feeling runs very, very deep. Despite all of this, the current strength of the England team suggests that anything other than winning the tournament should be considered a major disappointment. They are the standout team in the 50-over format of the game, having beaten the next best three teams in the rankings resoundingly in the last 18 months. They havent lost a bilateral series against anyone since January 2017. Their batting lineup is potentially the greatest ever assembled. Since the last World Cup in 2015, they have posted their three highest ODI totals ever, as well as two of the three highest ever individual totals and their five fastest centuries. They broke the world record for the highest ODI innings, then broke it again. Even Adil Rashid, who comes in second to last in the batting order, has 16 first-class centuries. That so many players down the order can bat to such a level allows for those further up to bat with more freedom, as the consequences of them getting out are far lower. While the bowling attack might not match the batting, when you can regularly post totals in excess of 300, as England have done nearly two-thirds of the time when batting first, it gives the bowlers plenty of wiggle room. Add in that the tournament will be held in England - where they have won 25 of the last 30 ODIs - and where their bowlers will have the greatest knowledge of the conditions, and it is hard to see past them. England are currently listed as 9/4 favorites, ahead of India at 3/1 and Australia at 5/1, and not without reason. While the tournament will undoubtedly be a success, the ability of cricket to penetrate the public consciousness has been continually undermined by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the last 15 years, mass interest in the sport has greatly diminished. Since removing the game from free-to-air television in 2005 - right on the back of victory in the Ashes, the last time that the sport truly broke through into the mainstream - there has been a wholesale rolling back of general interest in the nations traditional summer sport. Only one male cricketer has been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in the last five years. Alistair Cook, arguably Englands greatest ever opening batsman, and James Anderson, arguably their best ever bowler, have been hidden from the majority of the sporting public for most of their careers. While cricket does have a loyal and passionate fanbase, it has long denied itself an audience by choosing Pay TV cash over wider exposure. In the meantime, sports like tennis and cycling - both of which feature on free-to-air - have caught up on cricket in terms of public interest. By rights, this England ODI team should be the toast of the nation. The style that they play is as user-friendly as possible, with huge hitters like Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes clubbing the ball to the boundary in spectacular fashion on a regular basis. They are as diverse as the nation they represent, with players of varying ethnic and social backgrounds coming together as one. And crucially, they are good. Really, really good. As London 2012 proved, the only thing Britain loves more than a valiant loser is a valiant winner. Come the final at Lords on 14 July 2019, the ECB will need to be ready to handle a sudden upsurge in interest in their sport. They need to be on hand to make superstars of Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy and Mark Wood. They need to have a contingency plan in place that can arrange for a parade, a meeting with the Queen, honors all round and appearances on talk shows. When the test team won the Ashes in 2005, all the players received MBEs, Andrew Flintoff won Sports Personality of the Year (and endeared himself to millions by drunkenly stumbling around a victory parade) and the nation rode on a wave of cricket mania. Then it ended, and nobody could watch the game anymore unless they were willing to pay Sky Sports for the privilege. This time, the schedule can assist the ECB. The Vitality T20 Blast is due to start just four days after the final, followed by a test series against the oldest of enemies, Australia, in August. If given the content, cricket fans are less concerned about the format: the T20 competition offers the potential for new fans to enjoy more of what was seen at the World Cup, with games priced competitively for spectators and an all-around matchday experience geared around newcomers, while the test matches will provide the long-form, tradition-seeped cricket experience that returning fans will recognize. As the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australias Big Bash League (BBL) have proved, there is a huge market of casual sports fans for cricket to tap into. Between December and February, the BBL is ubiquitous in Australia, nestling perfectly between the end of the Australian Rules and rugby league seasons and the start of the Australian Open tennis tournaments. The ECB are attempting to create something similar for 2020 with The Hundred, an experimental format that will see the length of the game reduced yet further. Crucially, this will appear on BBC television, which essentially guarantees an audience in the multiple millions and commensurate media coverage. It will be a once-in-a-generation summer for cricket fans in this country, said ECB chairman Tom Harrison last year. This summer will be packed, with Englands women footballers going for the World Cup, Englands male footballers in the Finals of the UEFA Nations League, a Briton defending the Tour de France, national hero Andy Murrays final appearance at Wimbledon and a Rugby Union World Cup due at the end. If England can pick up the trophy on 14 July, cricket could claim the narrative for all of it. One can only hope that the ECB are ready to take on the mantle as well. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemeehallwood/2019/02/28/is-english-cricket-ready-if-their-team-win-the-2019-cricket-world-cup/ |
Will Cohens Remarks on Trumps Racism Change Anything? | Those allegations were enough to provoke the ire of North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows. During his time for questions early on in the hearing, Meadows had a black woman, Lynne Patton, an appointed official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a former employee at the Trump Organization, stand up while he talked, and objected to Cohens characterization. You made some very demeaning comments about the president that Ms. Patton doesnt agree with, Meadows told Cohen. She says that as a daughter of a man born in Birmingham, Ala., that there is no way that she would work for an individual who was racist, he said of Patton. And then, at the end of a truly bizarre question and answer session, Meadows asked that Pattons testimony be entered into the record. Patton never spoke. But Meadowss theatrics were exactly what kept the issue of racism front and center at the hearing. In her questions to Cohen, freshman Representative Ayanna Pressley, the first black woman elected to the House from Massachusetts, referenced Meadowss stunt, asking Cohen: Would you agree that someone could deny rental units to African Americans, lead the birther movement, refer to the diaspora as shithole countries and refer to white supremacists as fine people, have a black friend and still be racist? Cohen said, Yes. A bit later, freshman Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, one of two Muslim women elected for the first time ever to Congress in 2018, entered the fray. In one of the most controversial moments of the hearing, Tlaib argued that Trumps racism itself compromised his ability to do his job on behalf of all Americans. Then, she turned her criticism toward Meadows himself. The fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman, in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself, Tlaib said. Meadows objected, calling for her words to be stricken from the record. Ranking member Elijah Cummings stepped in to moderate a tense back-and-forth between Meadows and Tlaib, in which Tlaib doubled down on calling the act of using Patton as a prop racist, but ultimately apologized and denied that shed meant to call Meadows racist himself. That standoff was indicative of a larger conversation around race and fitness for office that has followed Trump everywhere he goes. In a January 2018 meeting with lawmakers, Trump referred to a collection of mostly-black countries, asking why do we want all these people from 'shithole countries' coming here? A 2017 New York Times report indicates that he told Nigerian immigrants to go back to their huts. Hes called black Representative Maxine Waters an extraordinarily low IQ person, has attempted to block FEMA funds from Puerto Ricans, blamed both sides for violence in 2017 in Charlottesville, and regularly calls undocumented immigrants animals. He has a pattern of racism that goes deeper than his campaign and time in office. At this point, open bigotry seems to be the substance of much of his engagement with people of color. Cohens assessments speak to private motives, but the policy indications are already clear. | https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/02/michael-cohen-cited-multiple-racist-comments-trump/583807/?utm_source=feed |
Would rich will get richer under proposal to tie Texas school funding to student performance? | AUSTIN -- Texas lawmakers are considering a plan designed to improve school performance thats as simple as it is daring: Reward campuses with more money when students excel. The "outcomes-based" funding that may be part of a state plan to overhaul school finance scares some Democrats and public education advocates, but it may be the price of winning GOP state leaders' support for a big cash infusion for schools this session. Heres the carrot, Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, explained at a December commission meeting to draft recommendations overhauling the states public school funding system. He said when schools perform well, youll get more money. But if Texas embraces a system that ties funding schools to student performance, it will be treading into territory few states have gone before. And critics warn the model would simply lavish more money on the schools that need it the least, while depriving poorer students of getting more resources. Its a pretty fringe policy, said Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, calling it an upside-down way of approaching school funding. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. Dallas school superintendent Michael Hinojosa knows a lot of his colleagues have reservations about outcomes-based funding, but hes interested in how it would work. DISD went from 43 failing schools five years ago to four now. Such funding could benefit the districts like Dallas that are making progress. Im not 100 percent convinced, but maybe 75 to 80 percent, he said. I am intrigued because it gives an incentive to schools to do well with the kids most in need and help them move the ball forward. This year, lawmakers in the GOP-dominated Texas Capitol are unified around the idea that public schools need more money -- but for many conservatives, the idea of throwing dollars at the problem without strings attached is unpalatable. Nicole Conley Johnson, a member of the commission who produced the school recommendations, said she doesnt like the concept of tying funding to student outcomes, but she felt it was the only way to ensure public education got more state money. The outcomes-based funding I felt like we had to concede to because the tone from leadership at the time was if you want more money, were going to have to have higher expectations for the students, said Johnson, chief financial officer of Austin ISD. Many Republican lawmakers have long preferred offering more money in exchange for achieving goals, an education policy that is more commonly applied to teacher salaries. This year, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen are among the leadership backing merit-pay proposals to reward the best teachers with more money. But funding schools based on student outcomes takes the incentive model to the next level, by saying the best schools should get more money. Why dont we set up a system where we try to reward those districts that make great decisions and encourage those who arent making as great decisions to perhaps change their approach, said Todd Williams, CEO of the Dallas-based Commit education nonprofit who backed recommendations to the state to tie school funding to student outcomes. | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/02/28/rich-will-get-richer-proposal-tie-school-funding-student-performance |
What exactly is 'ripping' a CD? | I had an email exchange with a reader last week about replacing a small CD player. He asked me for a CD player recommendation and I had to tell him that I don't really play CDs since I've ripped all my discs and use a media server to play the music files. I sent him a recommendation for a good CD player and small stereo system, but during our exchange, the reader said, "When you start talking about "ripping" CDs and mp3s, I'm lost. I wish it were otherwise." The last thing I want to do is leave a question unanswered, so let's talk about ripping CDs. ). | https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2019/02/28/exactly-ripping-cd |
Should Johnny Manziel join the AAF or XFL? | By Daniel Tran Johnny Manziel was released by the Montreal Alouettes, all but signaling the end of his time in the Canadian Football League. Good news for the former NFL player is that there are plenty of options in the United States to ply his trade. The AAF could use his name recognition, and he could immediately jump into playing football. However, If Manziel waits a year, he could be the face of the XFL a place where his attitude will fit perfectly. The Alliance of American Football is in its infancy and needs an injection of interest in order to really challenge the NFL in terms of popularity. Johnny Football can be that spark. Manziel may not be the best quarterback, but he is still a name with a lot of value. Whether he succeeds or fails, Manziel makes headlines and puts people in the seats. His roller coaster of a career has been one of the most followed saga's in recent years and AAF would be able to capitalize on that persona to build its brand. There is no way the former NFL first-round pick waits for the XFL next year when his name won't be as hot. He will join the AAF and play now. MORE: The AAF needs to sign Manziel immediately The last iteration of the XFL prided itself on being a provocative, unabashedly irreverent brand of football. That seems like the perfect match for Johnny Football. Imagine Manziel being in a league that will actually encourage him to get in people's faces. He would flourish! Obviously, the NFL had a little too much talent for him to handle, but the XFL will have lower tier competition where he can really show off and establish himself as the best player. Vince McMahon would be foolish to not allow Manziel in the league because he has a DUI on his record. There's too much money at stake! The XFL is the best place for Johnny Football to be. Strong possibly Manziel ends up in XFL next year just for ratings purposes. Robert Littal (@BSO) February 27, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.nola.com/tylt/2019/02/should-johnny-manziel-join-the-aaf-or-xfl.html |
Is Sir John A. Macdonald to blame for the Wilson-Raybould affair? | This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Authors: Randy Boswell, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University and Jonathan Swainger, Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia In her bombshell testimony before a House of Commons committee, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Canadas former minister of justice and attorney general, described repeated attempts at political interference by top government officials. She told of veiled threats about her job and dark warnings about being headed for a collision with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the issue of helping Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin avoid a bribery trial. Less dramatically but with the potential to spark a major restructuring of her former ministry Wilson-Raybould stated that she has long believed Canada should re-examine the conjoined federal department headed by the minister of justice and attorney general and consider whether or not those two roles should be bifurcated. She added that a new structure could see an attorney general who would not sit around the cabinet table, referencing the British model that separates the justice minister and attorney general roles. In the U.K., the office of the Attorney General, a non-cabinet post, is separate from the cabinet position of Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. Splitting the two jobs in Canada is an idea that was raised recently by University of Ottawa law professor Adam Dodek, who advanced a timely and important argument about what he calls an intolerable conflict within the combined role of minister of justice and attorney general in Canada. The conjoined cabinet post, he insists, is at the heart of the Wilson-Raybould controversy. He argued its time to sever the political, partisan role of the minister of justice from that of the ideally independent attorney general the governments chief legal adviser and litigator, someone expected to put aside partisan concerns in upholding the Constitution. It seems Wilson-Raybould agrees. Dont ignore the history This is all good fodder for serious debate. But we shouldnt embark on potential reforms by ignoring the history that led to the 1868 creation of this countrys Department of Justice and the yoking of the minister of justice and attorney general jobs in a single cabinet position. Neither should we necessarily graft British appendages onto our body politic. As early as the 1840s, leading political reformers such as Robert Baldwin believed a policy-engaged, made-in-Canada version of attorney general clothed with its present political character was required in a community like ours. Furthermore, we shouldnt naively imagine that splitting these positions will somehow magically insulate government legal thinking from the sullying effects or pragmatic influences of politics. There are, in fact, deep-rooted historical reasons why Canada has a combined minister of justice and attorney general. And as with many other contentious issues in modern Canada, to better understand this ministry we must reflect on the mixed legacy of Canadas founding prime minister who was also the first minister of justice and attorney general. Yes, it could be argued that Sir John A. Macdonald, so often a target for contemporary critics, is ultimately to blame for the Wilson-Raybould affair, too. Its worth noting that the ministry was formed after Washington spy George W. Brega provided Macdonald with a blueprint of planned changes to the U.S. Attorney Generals office. These matched the kind of dual-role ministry Macdonald was already planning for Ottawa. The legislation that created Canadas justice ministry was crafted by Macdonald and his brother-in-law, Hewitt Bernard, deputy attorney general at the time. The project reflected Macdonalds understanding of 19th-century realpolitik and as head of a fragile, complicated new country his perceived need for the law of the land to be informed by, and sometimes governed by, political considerations. You can hear echoes of Macdonald when Trudeau in response to accusations of political interference in the SNC-Lavalin case refers to his governments commitment to defend jobs and to make sure that our economy is growing while simultaneously upholding the rule of law. Unspoken (but also discernible in the governments handling of the case) are concerns about Liberal election fortunes in Quebec concerns referenced by Wilson-Raybould in her testimony. While Macdonald often spoke about the sanctity of the law, he was a pragmatist. He excelled at working in the small spaces and along the edges of the law in the service of the national interest, as he saw it, but also in his partys interests. In the case of the Pacific Scandal, Macdonald wandered well past the edge of the law. He was consequently exiled from the prime ministership for five years following allegations his government accepted election funds from a shipping magnate in exchange for the contract to build the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. The realities of governing Macdonald probably spoke of the attorney general being responsible for astute legal counsel. Its not hard to imagine he likely nodded and winked at the realities of how the business of government actually worked in his day. Thus the two offices were fused then and remain so today because of Macdonalds sense of how government ought to function. Canada didnt get a joint minister of justice and attorney general just because; its the result of Macdonalds very conscious decisions, and his acceptance of the idea that, of course, legal decisions are political. The dual position has endured under 22 subsequent prime ministers, both Conservative and Liberal. But times have changed. As Prof. Dodek rightly points out, conflict-of-interest rules and other guiding principles of good governance have evolved. We may well be able to fashion a better ministerial structure in the 21st century than was envisioned 150 years ago. But even if we think Macdonald rather cynical, we may find that keeping the justice and attorney general jobs together under one minister is still the best arrangement for this country. In any case, we shouldnt approach this worthwhile debate blind to the peculiarities of Canadian history nor swayed too much by the fiction of an apolitical attorney general whether wearing one hat or two. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/is-sir-john-a-macdonald-to-blame-for-the https://theconversation.com/is | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/is-sir-john-a-macdonald-to-blame-for-the-wilson-raybould-affair |
Why Aren't More Men Studying Abroad? | Read: Colleges pledge to send more students abroad And while women account for 56 percent of the 19.3 million undergraduates enrolled at U.S. institutions, up from 42 percent in the 1970s, administrators who run study-abroad programs say the gender gap in overseas study predates the shift in overall enrollment. Part of that is historical. In the early 1900s, women in college went abroad for art and culture before they got married; parents also perceived study abroad as a safer way for their daughters to travel. Today, even in colleges that enroll a majority of men, those who study abroad are disproportionately women. Take Purdue University, for example. Men account for 57 percent of the student body but only 41 percent of undergraduates who go abroad, according to a university spokesperson. Since 2013, the number of Purdue undergraduates studying overseas annually has doubled to around 2,600 as part of a university-wide effort to increase global awareness among its students. The percentage of men going abroad, however, has remained the same. Whats puzzling to campus administrators is that the numbers arent budging even as they pitch study abroad as necessary for future employment to students who, even more so than in past years, are worried about their job prospects. Having a significant experience abroad is critical to understanding the world theyre going to work in after graduation, says Michael Brzezinski, Purdues dean of international programs. Read: Traveling Teaches Students in a Way Schools Cant That focus on employability is one reason why the composition of majors studying abroad has shifted toward STEM and businessjust not the men in those majors. As a result, study-abroad leaders have started to focus on another explanation for why men dont go abroad: complacency. Simply put, they dont want to leave their friends and comfort zone. A study of 2,800 students at two- and four-year colleges found that the more male students interacted with their peersdefined as anything from spending time with a friend or a dorm hallmatethe less likely they were to go abroad. But peer interaction did not have such an impact on women, the researchers found. Samantha Brandauer, who runs Dickinson Colleges study-abroad office, told me she has experienced this first hand. In her past job at Gettysburg College, she teamed up with a colleague to convene student focus groups on why men didnt go abroad and what the college could do about it. What she discovered was a bro mentality among men in collegea culture where male students dont want to leave their friends to study abroad and are heavily influenced by their classmates in making choices about what to do in college. Part of this is a messaging problem because the way we talk about study abroad as a transformative experience just doesnt resonate with college-age men, Brandauer says. They dont want to be transformed. | https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/02/male-students-studying-abroad/583828/?utm_source=feed |
Can we continue beyond Black History Month? | Each February, the United States recognizes black history. The celebration started as just one day, though. In 1926, it became Negro History Week. Four decades later, it turned into the month-long tribute we observe today. And it was initiated by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, one of the most important, but largely overlooked figures in American history. Woodson was the first African American of direct enslaved parentage to earn a doctorate and the second to do so from Harvard University, in the discipline of history. Going far beyond the boundaries of traditional academic writing and researching primary and secondary sources, his scholarship addressed the influence of culture, prompting the development of African American studies programs and serving as the precursor to the civil rights, black power and black arts movements. He challenged conventional wisdom, studying disparity, inequality, hegemony and racial discrimination. Put another way, he made America great again. His approach to the study of African-American history is one we can apply to Houston's history. In 1926, as Negro History Week was inaugurated, Houston was witnessing racial segregation that would soon become entrenched by redlining practices. Years earlier, in 1917, a race riot between Houston police and African-American military personnel stationed at Camp Logan inflamed tensions. Later, African Americans living in Houston would be confronted by Jim Crow laws, as Texas survived as a southern state, which is aligned, too, with the celebrations of Juneteenth, marking the postponement of freedom for African Americans after the Civil War. Texas is a political state, indeed. There are three Presidential Libraries in Texas. (There could be a fourth, as President Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, but his library is located in Kansas.) And Houston, Texas's largest city, engages in the political tradition of sharing, maintaining and utilizing power. Surveying its black history, as Woodson would have done, reveals the many elected officials, media outlets, arts and cultural centers and religious institutions that are crucial to understanding its history. Politically, Houston has had the privilege of having outstanding critical and intellectual minds, including Mayor Sylvester Turner, former Mayor Lee P. Brown, Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee and Congressman Al Green, to name just a few. And, in keeping with the national importance to the black community of the black press, Houston has published three black newspapers the Houston Defender (1930), Houston Forward Times (1960) and African American News and Issues (1996). These publications have offered information, insight and intelligence for Houston with an emphasis on black life and culture. Houston is also the proud home of museums and cultural centers such as The Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural Center, Gregory School Library, Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum, Tri-Wen Productions, the Breakfast Klub, SHAPE Community Center, Houston Museum of African American Culture and the Buffalo Soldiers Museum. Additionally, Houston's Harry S. Johnson, a lawyer and community advocate, is the President and CEO of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Monument in Washington, D.C. And there are several other outlets here that offer municipal, educational, cultural and political awareness, including the NAACP and Houston Area Urban League. It's estimated that there are more than 80 religious institutions in the Houston region that African Americans support, financially and otherwise. These sanctuaries provide space for reflection and response for spiritual uplift. Collectively, all the religious institutions in Houston have impacted black lives. Crossing denominational boundaries, most of these institutions would acknowledge Rev. William Alexander Lawson, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, as the Senior African American Theologian in Houston. As the influence of Woodson continues today, perhaps Texans can continue beyond Black History Month to learn, listen and lament about the historical and cultural fabric of black lives in Houston and this nation. James L. Conyers, Jr., Ph.D., is Director of the African American Studies Program and Professor of African American Studies at the University of Houston. Email Allyn West. Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It is not located in Kansas. | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/black-history-month-houston-texas-13652471.php |
Which Are the Best New 5G Phones This Year And Does Apple Care? | This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortunes daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here. Sure, the paella is tasty, the weather is gorgeous, and the wine is flowing here in Barcelona, the site of the huge Mobile World Congress show this week. But thats not why there are a lot of giddy telecom executives seemingly everywhere you look. At least I dont think so. When I sat down with Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon on Wednesday night, the Brazilian engineer could barely contain his energy. The night before, Amon had raised a glass of champagne with execs from some 30 phone makers and wireless carriers to celebrate the arrival of super-fast 5G service this year. And 24 hours later, he was still riding the wave, despite a schedule of wall to wall to wall meetings that didnt even leave room for a bathroom break. Im using diapers, he jokes. On a more serious note, however, Amon is taking a victory lap. Almost ten years ago, when U.S. carriers started to introduce 4G service, the first phone was the HTC Evo, dubbed a good chunk of hardware by CNET due to its thickness and weight. And that wasnt the worst problem: With heavy usage, we were running for an outlet within about 4 to 4.5 hours. Expectations were much the same for the first 5G phones. Then last week, Samsung showed off the Galaxy S10 5G. It looks just like the regular S10, sleek and thin, with a slightly larger 6.7-inch screen. When I got my hands on it here, it didnt feel particularly oversized and I dont think I would have been able to tell it apart from any other cutting edge 4G phone. Inside is one of Qualcomms (qcom) new 5G modems. But the reason Amon is so pleased is that the chip isnt just in the Samsung phone. Its in the new LG V50 ThinQ, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G, the Alcatel 7 5G, and Motorolas 5G Moto Mod that straps on the back of its Z3 phone. Sony, Oppo, and OnePlus also had Qualcomm-powered 5G prototypes on display. Even low-cost maker Xiaomi was showing off a 5G version of its Mi Mix 3 priced at 599 euros (about $680). And I can report to you, they all look and feel pretty slick. I think the LG was my favorite, with both wide angle and zoom cameras and almost boombox quality speakers. Crows Amon: This is the first transition of a generation of wireless where the hard part-the devices and the ecosystem-is ready ahead of the network. Its incredible. Of course, that still leaves the networks. Amon and the phonemakers can build all the 5G devices they want, but if Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile dont put up enough 5G cell towers, no ones going to care. On that side, were still in wait and see mode. Verizon (vz) wireless head Ronan Dunne, who was at Amons champagne toast, says hell have 5G in 30 cities at some point this year. Of the 38 phones listed for sale on Verizons web site, youll find mostly models from Apple, Samsung and a few others but its a manufacturer not on the list that Dunne called out specifically to me. Xiaomi, they made a 599 5G handset announcement, 599-thats mass market, he points out. 5G will be much more mainstream than niche much quicker than 4G was. And even that still leaves out one major player, a player that sells about half of all smartphones in the U.S. market. Apple (aapl) CEO Tim Cook never comes to Barcelona and his company remains locked in a bitter legal war with Qualcomm and thus reliant on Intels far-trailing 5G technology. The company offered a total no comment and Intels announced 5G modem is due in time for 2020 phones. Look, we have a great relationship with Tim and Im his biggest customer in the U.S., Dunne says. Im going to get people massively excited about how quickly they can get (their) device on the worlds best network-Im doing my bit. I guess iPhone fans will have to keep their 5G champagne on ice a bit longer. | http://fortune.com/2019/02/28/best-5g-phone-iphone-mwc/ |
Where are the Chronicle stars? | As the San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic, I will not be using the star rating system. Im sure other critics have very involved parameters and formulas for deciding whether a restaurant deserves two or three stars, but honestly, I dont. I dont hold myself to be an objective authority on restaurants who can accurately quantify the experience for you. When I review restaurants, Im talking about their context, how they exist in the world. I want to describe the images and feelings restaurateurs and chefs produce in me with the choices they make with their menus, architecture, marketing and music, to share the experiences Ive had in restaurants with you in fresh and interesting ways. I think my qualitative analysis of a place is much more valuable than a quantitative one. If I used a star system, a playlist featuring lots of tracks by the Police would probably merit two stars, while one heavy on the Rihanna would receive five. Makes sense to me, but its certainly not fair. Others, like my editor whod argue for 73 stars for Rihanna, would rightly disagree with my assessment. Since I plan to write reviews of everything notable that I find in the Bay Area, from disappointing tortas to avant-garde collard greens to molecular bnh m, I believe imposing a star rating system that purports to put all of those things along the same spectrum would do a disservice to all of them. Rather, I want you to actually read what I have to say about a restaurants qualities and drawbacks and judge its appeal for yourself. | https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Where-are-the-Chronicle-stars-13650414.php |
Can We Conserve Endangered Parrots By Keeping Them In Cities? | A new research project to monitor and study free roaming urban parrots that live in San Diego might provide important data for conservation of endangered parrots by allowing them to live in cities. I grew up in urban Los Angeles so all that was known to me were urban dwelling species, said Janel Ortiz, a postdoctoral fellow in biology who both teaches and conducts research at the University of San Diego (USD). I had heard about the parrots before, and when I moved to San Diego, I would see them on the USD campus from time and time. San Diego's parrots have never been scientifically studied Curious to learn what, if anything, was known about them, Dr. Ortiz combed through the scientific literature and contacted parrot researchers in the area, only to discover that almost no formal studies had been conducted on these birds. At least 13 species of free-roaming parrots have been identified as resident throughout southern California (more here), and most of these species live in San Diego county. Flocks of parrots regularly pop up in La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Oceanside, Lakeside and Point Loma, and other places. Most of these parrots are native to Mexico, or to countries in Central and South America, but they have lived freely in southern California for decades. Theyre living side-by-side with us and doing very well, Dr. Ortiz observed. Although urban-dwelling parrot populations are increasing in number and in species both in San Diego county and throughout the world, surprisingly little is known about them -- where they go, what they eat, who eats them and how long they live. Seeing this as an exceptional research opportunity, Dr. Ortiz designed a research methods class where she teaches her students how to identify free roaming parrot species in the area, and how to conduct surveys and field research. Already, Dr. Ortizs students are hard at work on their first goal: determining the best protocol for surveying urban parrots. I would like to figure out which survey methods work in an urban environment for counting parrots, Dr. Ortiz explained in email. This will help establish a monthly survey protocol we can follow to get trends in the population size over time. Dr. Ortizs students are also learning how to describe landscape characteristics as well as how to use spatial pattern software and a geographic information system (GIS) so they can use these data to determine the types of land cover found around the parrots communal winter roosts. I have been guiding my students in the direction of creating this monitoring program, Dr. Ortiz explained in email, adding that her students are actually in charge of the project. Early every morning, San Diegos urban parrots make a cacophonous departure from their communal roosts and scatter widely to search for food. Knowing this, Dr. Ortiz and her students are planning the most efficient ways for finding where the parrots forage and how to identify the types of food theyre looking for. These questions are very basic, but Dr. Ortiz and her students goal is to build on their growing knowledge so they can learn everything they can about whats going on with them as far as being here in a very urban environment thats different from where they naturally come from. The students are taking a personal interest in the urban parrots, too. I am excited that they get to experience this aspect of research -- and the parrots, of course! I see them as relevant to the community, and an interesting case of wildlife that we, humans, have introduced and are now thriving here, yet many are endangered in their native range, Dr. Ortiz explained in email. Because parrots are an increasingly endangered group of birds, living alongside them might make people appreciate them more and raise public awareness of their plight. We can share with others the story about what is happening to the parrots in their native range, why are they here, and now what can we do to coexist. Urban areas can provide safe havens for endangered wildlife Because a variety of parrot species appear to be thriving in urban areas, at least a few conservation biologists are beginning to eye cities as a potential haven for conserving endangered species. You can think of the urban parrot populations as being similar to rare and endangered species being conserved in zoos, yet these birds are in the wild, Dr. Ortiz explained in email. These animals are dwindling in their native habitat due to complete loss, poaching, land conversion, and other reasons and they really have nowhere to go. Being in an urban environment allows these birds to thrive but also be accessible to everyone, Dr. Ortiz added in email. It may be the only chance for some people to be able to witness them in the wild. Perhaps surprisingly, introduced parrots living in urban environments dont seem to harm native wildlife. The general consensus is that they dont appear to be affecting native wildlife since they rely heavily on ornamental, non-native vegetation that is common throughout urban, residential areas, Dr. Ortiz said in email. This is something I hope to explore seeing as many native wildlife can also utilize human-dominated landscapes. San Diegos parrots were introduced by humans There are several ideas for how these parrots came to be in the San Diego area. Some people think they introduced themselves by flying north across the border. This improbable scenario stems from evidence showing that at least some red-crowned parrots, Amazona viridigenalis, introduced themselves to southern Texas (more here). Although this parrot species also lives in southern California, its unlikely they (or any others) arrived here under their own power because they dont tend to fly for long distances. For this reason, most people think the Californian parrots either escaped from captivity or were intentionally released. Thus, San Diegos parrots arent truly wild, but they are only a few generations removed from their wild ancestors that were originally imported by the exotic pet trade. The San Diego Parrot Project is seeking help from citizen scientists Early springtime is an especially busy time for southern Californias parrots because the adults are re-establishing existing pair bonds and the young birds looking for mates and nest cavities. These activities make them particularly social -- and noisy -- especially at dawn and dusk. This also makes it easy for people to find them. According to parrot watchers, record number of parrots were spotted along the coast last year. This means theres more parrots than ever to keep an eye on, so Dr. Ortiz and her students are looking for help from local communities. San Diegos a big area, so [...] having extra people to help us on the ground to look for these birds is going to help us out tremendously. Dr. Ortiz and her students started a facebook site for the San Diego Parrot Project so citizen scientists living in and around San Diego can report their sightings of free-roaming parrots or the location of their roosts. This method is already providing some results: a second communal parrot roost has already been found, thanks to a tip from a citizen scientist. | @GrrlScientist | https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2019/02/28/can-we-conserve-endangered-parrots-by-keeping-them-in-cities/ |
What is gender pay gap reporting, and what does it mean? | Changes to the Equality Act, which came into force on 6 April 2017, made it compulsory for companies in Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland) with more than 250 employees to report their gender pay gap figures at the end of every financial year. Public bodies must report by 30 March and private companies must do so by 4 April. Organisations are also required to publish the breakdown of men and women in different pay quartiles and details of the proportion of men and women in the company who receive bonuses. Lack of sanctions 'makes a mockery' of gender pay gap reports Read more Last year was the first year that the rule came into force. Data submitted by the deadline showed men were paid more than women in 7,795 out of 10,016 companies and public bodies in Britain, based on the median hourly pay. The figures showed that no sector paid women better on average than men. The construction sector had the worst average median gender pay gap at 25%. Finance and insurance were next, at 22%. The accommodation and food services sector had the best pay gap, at 1%. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly earnings of a companys male and female employees. If an organisation has, for example, a 5% gender pay gap it means that women earn an average of 5% less per hour (excluding overtime) than men, or in other words the average female employee would earn 95p for every 1 earned by a male employee. A negative 5% gender pay gap would mean women earned an average of 5% more than men per hour. According to the ONSs latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), the gender pay gap for median gross hourly earnings fell to 8.6% among full-time employees in 2018, from 9.1% the year before. It was 17.4% in 1997 when the ONS first collected the data. When all workers, full and part-time, are included, the gap increases to 17.9%. This is likely to be because more women work in part-time jobs which tend to be lower paid. According to the ONS, in 2018 the gender pay gap for full-time employees between the ages of 18 and 39 years was close to zero but began to widen for people over the age of 40. When both full and part-time employees are included in the calculation, the gender pay gap widens after the age of 30. This coincides with an increase in part-time working. When talking about the gender pay gap people tend to talk about the median figure rather than the mean. The mean is calculated by adding up all of the wages of employees in a company and dividing that figure by the number of employees. This means the final figure can be skewed by a small number of highly paid individuals. The median is the number that falls in the middle of a range when everyones wages are lined up from smallest to largest and is more representative when there is a lot of variation in pay. Individual companies and public bodies are responsible for publishing their own gender pay gaps using guidance from the Government Equalities Office. However, the Guardian reported last year that a number of companies had filed mathematically impossible results, with gender pay gaps of more than 100%. As of February this year, that was still the case. With hundreds of companies gender pay gap records still including inaccurate figures. No. While some employers might be paying men and women differently for performing the same role or work of equivalent value, this is an issue of equal pay. It is illegal to pay men and women different amounts for the same work, however that is not what gender pay gap reporting is set up to measure. Rather these figures show us the overall gender pay gap, as well as the bonus pay gap and the proportion of men and women in each quartile of the pay structure of the company. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing gender pay gap reporting rules and said that, while it would approach employers informally at first if they failed to publish figures by the deadline, businesses could ultimately face unlimited fines and convictions. However, information published following a freedom of information request by the Guardian showed that no companies have been fined to date despite hundreds failing to accurately file their gender pay gap figures on time. An employer would only be fined if a case were to reach the courts. | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/28/what-is-gender-pay-gap-reporting-and-what-does-it-mean |
How will Cowboys do in 2019 now that Jason Witten is back? | Jason Witten has ended his retirement after one year to return to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2019 season. The future Hall-of-Fame tight end spent the past year in the the broadcast booth on ESPNs Monday Night Football. Witten has agreed to terms with the Cowboys. The deal is for 1 year and $5 million, sources tell the Star-Telegram. It will be his 16th season. Vote on how you think the Cowboys will do. We will post results in a week. Super Bowl champs Reach the Super Bowl Reach the NFC title game NFC East champs Playoff win Reach the playoffs Above .500 but no playoffs 8-8 record Below .500 Send any suggestions by email to [email protected] | https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article226939449.html |
What if Devin Booker gets fed up with the Suns like Anthony Davis has with the Pelicans? | Since Devin Booker was drafted by the Suns in 2015, Phoenix has a record of 80-228. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic) Alvin Gentry was all smiles the last time Phoenix saw New Orleans. The former Suns coach was laughing it up with Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis agent Rich Paul following a 20-point home victory. The win came against his dear friend and former longtime assistant, Igor Kokoskov, but he urged the Suns to have patience with the first-year NBA head coach. Its hard in this league to win with all young players, Gentry said. Theyve got some good talent on there. I think that you have to be patient enough to let that talent grow and have it grow together. That talent hasn't translated into many victories for the Suns. Going 10-40 since that loss in New Orleans back in November, the Suns (12-50) begin a four-game homestand Friday night against the Pelicans. Stay in the know. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. As bad as it's been in Phoenix, New Orleans must do something no team wants to do part ways with its franchise player. Davis has made it more than clear he wants out. The Pelicans (27-36) have posted four losing seasons since taking Davis No. 1 overall out of Kentucky in 2012 and are heading to their fifth losing season. Davis has had enough of that. Anthony Davis is a six-time NBA All-Star, has received All-NBA First Team honors three times and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018. (Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports) So, if you think hes frustrated, imagine how Devin Booker feels. Not only will Booker miss out on the playoffs for the fourth time in as many seasons, the Suns had the NBAs worst record last season, they're currently at the bottom of the NBA cellar, and finally just ended a franchise-record 17-game losing skid Monday in Miami. Booker has said Phoenix is his home and hes determined to lead the Suns back to the postseason for the first time since 2010. After all, Booker did say he's all for a players controlling their futures. I feel like its totally fine if a player determines what his future is going to be, Booker said last month. So Ive talked to guys around the NBA all the time. Its their future. Its nobody elses life. Whatever you want to do with that moving forward is up to you. Obviously, everyone has a different plans in mind for what you want to be remembered as, but for a player to do something that he wants to do, I totally respect it. This has been Booker's most frustrating season in Phoenix to date. After squandering an eight-point, fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Atlanta to mark that record 17th consecutive defeat, Booker once again said the Suns were "comfortable" with losing. "We're not on the same page," Booker said after the game. "It's the worst I've seen it since I've been here and that's saying a lot, but we have to keep fighting. We have to keep our heads up and keep building. What's in the past is behind us. Just keep trying to get better every game." Tyler Johnson embraces guard Jamal Crawford, right, after the Suns snapped a 17-game losing streak with a victory over the Heat. (Photo: Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports) Two days later, the Suns finally won again, beating the Heat, 124-121. Free at last. Free at last. "Feels like we're out," Booker said. "We were in prison." With 20 games left, the Suns need five more wins to avoid having their worst record in franchise history, and need 10 more to best their win total from last season. It's not clear if either outcome is actually obtainable, but this stretch could very well determine Kokoskov's future in Phoenix. Suns team owner Robert Sarver has had five head coaches since Gentry's final season in Phoenix in 2012-13. He fired Ryan McDonough, who hired Kokoskov, before the start of the season. Gentry gave Kokoskov his first NBA job as an assistant with Los Angeles Clippers back in 2000-01. They love and respect each other, but both might be out of jobs by mid-April. Dell Demps got fired after not dealing Davis before the Feb. 7 deadline. Knowing they're going to have to trade Davis, the Pelicans could decide to start completely fresh. Meanwhile, James Jones is still working under the interim general manager title in Phoenix. Get crucial breaking sports news alerts to your inbox. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Breaking News Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. Up next Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 7 p.m. (FSAZ) The Pelicans (27-36) are coming off a 125-119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. This is the first game of a back-to-back for the Suns (12-50) as well as the opener of four-game homestand. The Suns host the Lakers on Saturday. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2019/02/28/suns-devin-booker-could-demand-trade-like-pelicans-anthony-davis/3015378002/ |
What do Arizona's Republican lawmakers have against gay kids? | Opinion: Arizona's sex education law was passed at a time of prejudice and ignorance toward the LGBTQ community that we should be over by now. LGBTQ flag (Photo: Getty Images) Maybe we can understand how the prejudice and ignorance that existed nearly 30 years ago impacted the Arizona law that dictates how public schools educate kids about HIV/AIDS. There was an ongoing epidemic at the time the law was passed and much of the old, ugly bigotry and misconceptions about the LGBTQ community had yet to be debunked. Many people knew better, of course, even then. It was a willful ignorance, and pervasive enough to provide cover for what basically was animosity toward gay people. Old prejudices persist So when Arizonas HIV/AIDS education law was created it banned school teachers from presenting "homosexuality as a positive alternative life-style," or suggesting there are safe ways to have homosexual sex, or including information in the class that promotes a homosexual lifestyle. For several years now, Democratic state Sen. Martin Quezada has introduced legislation that would eliminate the anti-gay provisions, repealing what is known at the state Capitol as the no promo homo law. He introduced a bill again this year and is being rebuffed, again, by the Republicans who control the Legislature. "The reality is there is safe sex information they are providing to one set of students, and we're not providing it to another set of students. That doesn't make any sense," Quezada said. 'Harmful and wrong' The states newly elected superintendent of public instruction, Kathy Hoffman, agrees. This policy is not just outdated, it has always been harmful and wrong, Hoffman said, adding, A simple step we can take to help reduce discrimination and bullying for these students is to repeal the no promo homo law. Clifford Rosky, a University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Professor who has extensively researched the subject, called laws like the one in Arizona artifacts of a bygone era. "This is not about gay sex," Rosky said. "This is literally about whether it's OK to be gay and to talk about people who are gay." NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Its tough enough to be a kid. Life is already tough enough Weve all been there. Growing up and going through the school system isn't easy. And weve no doubt witnessed how much tougher it can be for an LGBTQ kid under certain circumstances. It would not be promoting a lifestyle. It would be acknowledging a reality, and offering information, support and understanding. Continuing to declare such a thing illegal in 2019 is not just ignorant and irresponsible, its cruel. Reach Montini at [email protected]. MORE BY MONTINI: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/02/28/sex-education-arizona-legislature-lgbtq/3017254002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/02/28/sex-education-arizona-legislature-lgbtq/3017254002/ |
How Much Is Amazon Web Services Worth On A Standalone Basis? | Amazon Web Services has continued to drive massive growth for Amazon, with 2018 AWS revenues increasing by nearly 50%. The business is also quite lucrative for Amazon, with AWS's reported Q4 2018 operating margin coming in at 29.3%, up nearly three percentage points over the comparable prior year period. Given the massive growth, strong - and improving - margins and favorable market conditions, we expect AWS to see continued strong growth (albeit at a moderating pace) and drive significant value for Amazon. In this note we take a brief look at what AWS could be worth on a standalone basis. Amazon breaks out its business into three segments: North America : This segment generates revenue from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions booked through North American stores. : This segment generates revenue from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions booked through North American stores. International : This segment generates revenue from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions booked through International stores (ex-North American stores). : This segment generates revenue from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions booked through International stores (ex-North American stores). Amazon Web Services: This segment houses revenue from global sales of compute, storage, database, and other service offerings. AWS is the worlds leading public cloud service. AWS revenue is more profitable than retail sales for Amazon due to the operating leverage in the business. As mentioned above, AWS's Q4 operating margin was 29.3% - this compares to a margin of 5.1% for North America, and a negative margin for the International retail business. In fact, we estimate that AWS could be worth nearly $400 billion on a standalone basis, as we show in our interactive dashboard analysis. You can modify any of the key drivers to visualize the impact of changes on the companys valuation, and see all of our Technology company data here. AWS revenue has grown at a CAGR of 53% over 2014-2018 to reach $25.6 billion in 2018 from $4.6 billion in 2014. While we expect this scorching pace of growth to cool down to sub-40% levels over the next few years (which is still impressive), the operating leverage in the business is likely to help AWS's adjusted EBITDA margin continue growing to reach 38% in 2019, from about 36% in 2018. Over the long run, we expect the segment's adjusted EBITDA margin to approach 50% as Amazon takes advantage of massive demand, its dominant market position, and operating leverage in this business. Given Amazons leadership position in the public cloud market and the favorable market dynamics, we expect the company to sustain and build upon its current strong position despite increased competition from the likes of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Embed them in your own posts using the Trefis WordPress Plugin. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/28/how-much-is-amazon-web-services-worth-on-a-standalone-basis/ |
Is Money The Next Thing To Be Eaten By Software? | Marc Andreessen first posited that software was eating the world, and indeed one industry after another has learned software mastery is essential to winning (and keeping) digital-centric consumers. Cryptocurrency, when paired with other blockchain functionality, offers the potential to inject new software-driven features into the traditional role of money as a medium of exchange. These features could form the core of new business models and drive innovative benefits to consumers and businesses alike. When money and software collide, specific terms and conditions can be bolted on to money, dictating when it is available or how it is used. Essentially, you can set up rules for the movement of money that are enforced by the money itself. A grandparent, for example, could set up a self-executing expense account for a child that releases funds according to a specific schedule or achievement of a milestone (such as achieving certain grades in school), and even puts rules around where that money is spent. This is all possible today, of course, but enforcement involves time-consuming administration and costly third parties. By attaching something called a smart contract to money, the cost of enforcement, which could include escrow agents, banks, brokers, and lawyers, is reduced to creating a few lines of code. It could be financially feasible, one day, to code conditions around the exchange of even small amounts of money. When cost plunges this dramatically, it opens up the opportunity for new business models that can disrupt industries. Entrepreneurs are already working to use blockchains and cryptocurrency to drive new features for both consumer and business to business transactions in a broad range of industries, including lending, title and escrow, rentals and real estate, insurance, philanthropy, and supply chains. One day, this functionality could enable us to tie a donation to a specific purchase by a charity, to rescind a loan or lock down an asset if a condition isnt met, and to more safely share our assets with our communityall at low cost. We could weave data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors into our rules for how money moves. Remote locks could open only once a term is met, or we could require a certain temperature or speed to be maintained before we release funds (maybe we tie payment of a wine shipment to proof its shipped at a certain temperature or tie a teens allowance to the condition he doesnt exceed the speed limit). Cryptocurrency entered our lexicon with the force and drama of a particularly pronounced hype cycle, attracting hucksters and sensational headlines. It worked its way into dinner table conversation and cocktail party banter. This brought a rapid increase in awareness, but also a reputation problem. Some businesses in the space even moved away from using the term. But consumers appear to still be open to cryptocurrency. In their recently released Future of Money Study, Logica Research reported that more than a third of consumers (from a sample of 1,000 U.S. adults) believe they are somewhat to very likely to own cryptocurrency in five years, and that most (38%) believe its a currency like cash. These results are striking, given that cryptocurrency as a payment mechanism is not only very new and mysterious, but not yet functional for the average consumer. It is possible that all the attention on the space helped open minds, not close them. The adoption of new payment mechanisms, so reliant on network effects, tends to move slowly. But the Logica Research study also found that consumers say they are more likely to pay in the future with something new that hasn't been invented yet than they are to pay with Google Pay or Apple Pay. Lilah Koski, the CEO of Logica Research, clarifies, All these newly introduced digital payment options have primed consumers to expect innovation. But their focus is not on the technology itself. They care about meaningful benefits. Were only at the starting line Consumer applications are just one aspect of this vision for new, more functional money. It is possible that we will see B2B players conduct the first at-scale experiments, bringing new features to cross-border supply chain payments, for example. But regardless, there is still an incredible amount of work to be done before this future becomes reality. Development teams wrangle a host of technical challenges and the legality of smart contracts is still in question. Even the key feature of automatic execution can be problematic, as smart contracts cannot be easily amended or terminated unless this is built into the code ahead of time. Like any new technology, it will take time to bring this functionality to market. But there is great investment and enthusiasm in the blockchain community for this future. With consumers openness to payment innovation, the entrepreneurs that figure out how to truly infuse new benefits into moneyand communicate these benefits in a way that inspirescould transform the way our world transacts. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonmccauley/2019/02/28/is-money-the-next-thing-to-be-eaten-by-software/ |
Was North Korea summit plug pulled to force Michael Cohen out of the news? | That was the question reporters scrambled to answer in Hanoi yesterday as Donald Trump's tte--tte with Kim Jong-un morphed from apparent progress to no-deal. Yesterday morning all signs pointed to an agreement of sorts being reached. Kim was answering questions from US reporters and talking up his willingness to denuclearise. Trump sounded upbeat about stationing diplomats in Pyongyang permanently. Advertisement The pair were seen trading smiles during a poolside stroll at the luxury Metropole hotel. The White House was so confident in the direction of the talks on Wednesday night that they even scheduled a signing ceremony. And then, suddenly, the deal was off. One reason for the collapse in talks was the gap over denuclearisation. Kim wanted all economic sanctions lifted without giving up his nuclear weapons, Trump explained later. He himself was not willing to sign such an agreement. But sceptics looking for clues raised another, less probable but more provocative question. Back in Washington, the explosive claims by Trump's former lawyer and "fixer" for a decade had overtaken the president's talks as the day's biggest news story. Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, becomes emotional as he finishes a day of testimony to the House of Representatives. Photo / AP Before a congressional committee, Cohen had claimed Trump was a "racist", said he had forewarning about a WikiLeaks dump of Democrat emails, and revealed a $35,000 ($50,000) cheque from the president allegedly paying back hush money. The Washington Post, New York Times and LA Times all led with Cohen's incendiary claims on their front pages yesterday. Trump was clearly riled by the coverage. On Wednesday evening, back in his hotel before meeting Kim, the president wrote on Twitter that Cohen was lying to reduce his jail time. At a press conference, he admitted to watching some of the testimony and expressed fury that the hearing was scheduled during his summit. "Having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is really a terrible thing," Trump said. The House committee in question is controlled by the Democrats. Trump has a track record of being irritated when domestic woes undercut his deal-making abroad. He once reportedly complained that a world leader questioned how long he would be in office because of the Russia probe. It seems a stretch. The distance between both sides on denuclearisation is real. Late last year, Pyongyang's frustration at the US refusal to lift sanctions until all nukes were given up contributed to a breakdown in talks. Curiously, other "wins" being discussed at the negotiations which seemed obtainable - formally ending the Korean War, for example - were left by the wayside. Exactly why Trump opted not to reach for some of them and create a face-saving compromise, remains unclear. But whatever the intention, come yesterday evening it was the summit's collapse, not Cohen's allegations, that were leading the US headlines. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12208453&ref=rss |
Is upgrading to 5G becoming a problem for wireless companies? | If you're waiting for the next generation of wireless service, you might be in for a longer wait than you thought. A number of top mobile carriers are running into a 5-G nightmare as they try upgrading to the next generation of wireless service, and this week, T-Mobile joined their ranks. There's been a lot of talk about 5-G wireless service throughout the industry, and experts say we are getting closer to making it a reality for consumers coast to coast. But we're not there yet, and wireless provider T-Mobile became the latest this week to say the wait will be a little longer for their customers. T-Mobile was hoping to unveil the country's first big-scale 5-G network at this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but the company came up short, announcing their network launch has been delayed until at least the second half of the year. 5-G wireless was the big focus at the MWC this year, with at least a half-dozen handset makers saying they'll have phones ready for the new wireless system this year. The problem is that most of those phones aren't compatible with many of the major carriers' 5-G networks, and T-Mobile says the lack of handsets that can connect to the company's low-frequency spectrum is the cause for their delay. That's important because the frequency spectrum often dictates how accessible the network will be. Higher frequency networks require a greater number of cell sites and towers, since the radio waves won't travel as far as lower-frequency signals that T-Mobile - and other carriers - plan to use for their 5-G networks. That means if the handsets can't access the lower frequencies, they can't access the 5-G networks. For now, T-Mobile is still hoping for a wide roll out in the 2nd half of 2019, but other wireless providers are focused on big population centers, building a network that will most likely find a home in dense urban areas. Of the major carriers, only AT&T has launched 5-G as a beta test in a few areas, though Verizon has a "home 5-G" option for internet service in select markets. | https://www.foxnews.com/tech/is-upgrading-to-5g-becoming-a-problem-for-wireless-companies |
How Can The Masked Singer Recreate Its Success in Season 2? | It's bigger than The Bachelor, and it takes over Twitter every single Wednesday night with trends like #Beemask and #Rabbitmask and #JoeyFatone. The show captured our love of a good mystery combined with our love of celebrity, and on top of that, it was fun. From the very beginning, it was a politics-free, worry-free party where nothing important mattered and everyone was just there to have a good time and watch a celebrity dance around in a poodle costume. In January, the network debuted The Masked Singer, a deranged fever dream of a show featuring celebrities singing in elaborate costumes. The result of EP Craig Plestis ' trip to a Thai restaurant with his family and a semi-secret shoot in June 2018, the show became a quick hit, dominating Twitter and becoming the highest-rated unscripted show launch since The X Factor in 2011. Wednesday's finale hit more than 11 million viewers, its highest all season. "We were under the radar season one. No one knew at all what we were doing. No one came over to set, we didn't invite anyone. We just tried to make a good show," Executive producer Craig Plestis tells E! News as a way of explaining the success of the show's secret-keeping. For starters, the first time around, no one knew what this was, or what it would become. People might have known about the Thai and Korean versions, even if just from Ryan Reynolds' viral performance last year, but no one could have predicted what a massive hit it would be. Fox fairly quickly renewed the show for a second season, and while that decision was a no-brainer based on the success of the first, it also brings up a whole set of new questions about how the show works, and if it can keep working in the same way. Reality TV spoilers are practically their own business these days. Reality Steve, known for spoiling every moment of every season of The Bachelor or Bachelorette, has turned it into his brand. Press screeners for RuPaul's Drag Race cut off before the results of the final lip sync due to fear of spoilers, so it feels safe to say that the biggest new reality hit in years, and a show full of secrets to reveal, won't be able to fly under the radar any longer, and the already intense security is going to have to be ramped up big time. We talked to EPs Craig Plestis and Izzie Pick Ibarra , as well as season one contestants Joey Fatone and T-Pain for their thoughts on how season two might work. Season one was filled with recognizable names, but they were mostly the same recognizable names Antonio Brown , Tommy Chong , Ricki Lake , Margaret Cho , Rumer Willis , Joey Fatone , Gladys Knight , Donny Osmond who had already appeared on Dancing with the Stars, making their participation in another celeb performance show not all that surprising. Fox The Timing The production schedule is the first thing producers have to figure out, before any casting can be done, and they've been examining the future of the show throughout all of season one to help determine what will be needed for the production in season two. "We are starting to look every week we start to look at different elements of the show, how the audience is reacting, what's working, what isn't working and these guys have been working really hard and to see what changes we can make to Season 2," Fox President of Alternative programming Rob Wade said on the TV Critics Association panel, about halfway through the season. "I think the difference between a scripted show and an unscripted show is an unscripted show, the first season, you really don't quite know what you are doing. You are playing it from your guts and your heart. Any great producer who has done an international hit format will know that you need to build season after season after season, improve, improve, improve. That's how you get longevity." And as for when that season two will air, that's what the network is likely now working on after seeing the success of the finale. "We are looking at all elements of the show, scheduling being one of them, and deciding how and when it comes back is also really crucial," Wade continued. "We do have three or four weeks left, though, and I think we want to see how the audience reacts to that. And then we'll get together as a big team internally and speak to the producers and really figure out the optimum time to bring it back, because it's obviously been a big hit and it's a very important asset to us at FOX." Fox The Casting Plestis says they've already had calls from people wanting to participate in season two, which is very different from the situation in season one. There were also some celebs who weren't interested in season one, but said to call them back if it worked and got a season two. "It's nice not to have to go, please, please be on my show," Plestis says. "People are going, I want to be on it, and I promise I won't tell anyone." They're not specifically looking to shows like Dancing with the Stars for names, but they are looking for certain kinds of celebrities. "We really try to look for people who [are] right for the brand, right for the show," Plestis says. "It's not about what they've done before. And also, we're shooting it these weeks, are you free these weeks?" It's also about whether or not they "get" the concept, which is easier now, but was the main challenge in the first season. "If you're not behind the bizarreness, it wasn't going to work," he explained. So basically, these have to be celebs with a sense of humor about themselves, who also have a month to be able to commit to production. Fox The Security Everyone behind the show seems confident that the measures taken during season one will hold in season two. "I think we had a lot of production processes in place for the kind of secrecy that still can remain in place," Ibarra said during the TCA panel. "I think so few people knew who any of the singers were on our production. It was very, very, very few people." "There's going to be a lot more security though, for the second season," Plestis added, before joking, "We have contacted the Pentagon already." Later to E! News, Plestis expanded on that. "If you're a security guard, come over to The Masked Singer. You're gonna make a lot of money," he joked when we asked if there was concern about people knowing to look for the production. "It's going to be a lot more labor intensive for us that you never had on any other show, reality or scripted. So it's going to be a lot of extra work that we have to do as producers outside of just making a good show." Article continues below Fox The Audience A major, major worry was not about who knew before the reveal, but the many people who then knew after each reveal, and had to keep it a secret for another seven or eight months. "We spent a lot of time with lawyers making NDAs...but that still doesn't stop people," he said. "Anybody who walked in with a phone, we took it away. We saw someone in the audience even texting their loved ones, we said, if you text, you can leave, or give us the phone. For me as a producer, you can say, hey, I know the Raven, the Raven is Ricki Lake, and that exists, sure. But there's a difference when you see Ricki Lake in the costume without the head, so we tried really hard to make sure that no one had a picture of that." Even with the security risk, having a live audience there was an important part of the climax of each episode, and will continue to be. "They spent so much time in character, our celebrities, that when they took off the mask, we wanted the audience to be there for that, because there's an energy that you don't get if it was an empty studio." Fox The Clue Tweaks There will be a few changes to how the clues are laid out, but the producers mostly weren't bothered by how easy people thought the clues were, but the very first episode of the show featured the heights of the contestants, and that was definitely a mistake. "There's certain things that you know we won't do again," Plestis said, specifically referencing the heights and the fact that some of the clues seemed pretty obvious. "It's gonna get harder, but I don't want it to be so hard that people go, I give up. There's a psychological moment that this show really encompasses when you feel justified that you figured something out, and then you see that result happen, you get an endorphin level, that's a release. That's what our show provides, when you get that moment of "I knew who it was!" and you feel good about yourself." Basically, the show wants it to be a mystery, but they also want you to be able to guess correctly. "If we had a show where every time, the mask came off and you didn't figure it out, we wouldn't have a hit," Plestis said. Michael Becker / FOX The Costumes The costumes and characters will change for season two, Ibirra confirmed, but there's no word yet on what the season two costumes may look like. Article continues below Fox T-Pain's Advice Speaking of costumes, for any celebs looking to participate in season two, T-Pain's got some important advice: "Bring pee bottles. Bring your own pee bottles because they don't have them." T-Pain, of course, won the whole thing as the Monster, and you could kind of tell when he took off the top part of the costume that using the restroom might have been tough for him when he was all suited up, so good to know! But T-Pain also had some thoughts on what might need to change for season two. "They definitely have to change the way they do the clues, they got to change the voices," he told us. "At first it wasn't us doing the voices, but they wanted each celebrity to have their own personality, but when all you do is pitch up the voice, all somebody has to do is rip the video and pitch it back down and then it's our voices. You can hear it plain as day. I would say go back to the original thing of having just random people do their voiceovers, dress them up and stuff like that, but it was pretty easy to figure outI guess that gives the viewers a sense of accomplishment, like I know who that is! I know who exactly who that is,' and when they're right I guess that gives them something, but, yeah, that was too easy. Fox Joey Fatone's Advice Fatone, on the other hand, thinks the show should stick to what worked the first time for now. "I hope and I pray that they keep it within the same frame, because sometimes, you have a hit show on your hands for some odd reason. When you have a hit show, there's a reason why it's a hit show. People like what you do. Keep it. Don't change it. Don't add the twist. Don't fricking start doing all these different things...People like the original and what they did. It's simple, it's singing, it's celebrities in a costume, here are the clues, let's go. Don't try to change it. Yeah, you can add a twist, but don't do it in the second season. Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it right now." Fox "Embrace It" Fatone also had some words of wisdom for the stars thinking of putting on a mask for season two: "Embrace it. Don't go over the top serious about the whole thing," he said. "I would say if you can sing your ass off, save your ballad for later. if you can sing, sing up tempo songs, because I think up tempo songs give a lot more life to the show, a lot more excitement to it. Unless you're the monster and you can sing "Stay With Me" and crush it like he did, do do that. But other than that, do a lot of up tempo ones." Article continues below | https://www.eonline.com/au/news/1019682/how-can-the-masked-singer-recreate-its-success-in-season-2 |
Can the ethics probe determine if Trudeau or his officials improperly pressured Wilson-Raybould? | OTTAWAIn the face of calls from opposition parties for a public inquiry and police investigation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sticking to his claim that a probe by the House of Commons ethics commissioner alongside hearings at the Commons justice committee is all thats needed to resolve outstanding questions of alleged political interference in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. We have confidence in the processes in place, Trudeau said Thursday, the morning after his former attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, publicly accused the prime minister and top officials in his government of putting inappropriate pressure on her to stop a criminal prosecution and let the Montreal-based construction giant admit wrongdoing and pay a fine. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 28, 2019. Scheer has called for the RCMP to investigate the SNC-Lavalin scandal. ( Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) We will also look very closely and participate fully in the ethics commissioners investigation into this, Trudeau said. Canadians need to know that we have an officer of parliament who is tasked with a specific role to make sure that, in questions where there are disagreements amongst politicians (and) amongst elected officials, there is an arbiter who is empowered to be like a judge, who is an officer of parliament, who will make a determination in this issue. That much is clear, since the commissioner agreed to investigate the matter earlier this month. Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion started the investigation after the group Democracy Watch and two NDP MPs flagged concerns about allegations of political interference first reported by the Globe and Mail Feb. 7. Dion agreed to investigate, saying in a letter to New Democrats Nathan Cullen and Charlie Angus that he has reason to believe section nine of the Conflict of Interest Act may have been violated. Article Continued Below That section says no public office holder can use their position to improperly further another persons private interests. Duff Conacher, the co-founder of Democracy Watch who alleged in his letter to Dion that section nine may have been breached, said Thursday that Dion should be able to investigate the central question in the affair whether Trudeau and his officials improperly pushed Wilson-Raybould to advance SNC-Lavalins interests by stopping the corruption and fraud prosecution against the company. The limit Dion faces, Conacher said, is that he cant investigate whether pressure on Wilson-Raybould crossed a threshold into criminal conduct such as obstruction of justice, which Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer suggested in a public letter to the RCMP Thursday calling for a police investigation. Emmett Macfarlane, an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, was less certain that Dions investigation can address the key issue of whether the pressure Wilson-Raybould described contravened the so-called Shawcross Doctrine, the principle that attorneys general alone can decide when and when not to prosecute. Macfarlane said the ethics commissioner only has the authority to determine whether the Conflict of Interest Act was breached not to weigh in on the broader ethical issue of whether there was improper political pressure on Wilson-Raybould to stop the SNC-Lavalin prosecution. Theres not really a mandate to explore broadly whether a lot of the type of behaviour were watching, in terms of the testimony, was improper, he said. The mandate is entirely about conflicts of interests. The NDP and Green party are calling for a public inquiry because of similar concerns. Matthew Dub, a Quebec MP who is the NDPs caucus chair, told the Star Thursday that his party also wants key figures in the drama to be interviewed publicly which would happen with an inquiry instead of behind closed doors by the ethics commissioner. The only requirement for transparency Dion faces is to table his conclusions in Parliament, and theres no deadline to do so before the general election this fall. Article Continued Below I dont know what planet theyre living on if they think the processes that are going on are sufficient, Dub said of the Liberals position that the justice committee hearings and ethics commissioner probe are sufficient. The ethics commissioner certainly has a mandate to do his work, but its far from enough. Theres obviously more that needs to be done, and in a public forum, he said. But, at least for now, the government doesnt appear willing to entertain an inquiry. We have all the tools in our parliament to deal with these issues, Infrastructure Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne told reporters Thursday. What I like in particular from the ethics commissioner is hes impartial, independent, hes an officer of parliament, so I think we can trust (him) on his work to bring light to this. Alex Ballingall is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @aballinga Read more about: | https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/02/28/can-the-ethics-probe-determine-if-trudeau-or-his-officials-improperly-pressured-wilson-raybould.html |
When does Philadelphia present Bryce Harper with the Liberty Bell and a Brinks truck? | CLEVELAND, Ohio Finally, baseballs long national free-agent nightmare is over. Not only has Manny Machado signed, but now Bryce Harper is in the fold as well. Harper has agreed to a 13-year $330 million deal with the Phillies. Last week Machado signed for 10 years and $300 million with San Diego. My bad. If Adam Jones, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis and the 80 or so other free agents who are still looking for work want to keep complaining, go right ahead. The deal gives agent Scott Boras bragging rights for the biggest free-agent deal in American professional sports history. Harpers deal beats Machado and Giancarlo Stantons 13-year $325 million deal with the Marlins. The only guy with a better deal than Harper, according to mlb.com, is boxer Canelo Alvarez, who is getting paid $365 million for a contract covering 11 fights. Lindor, with his right calf still on the mend, is spending his days rehabbing in the Indians training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. Meter is spending his days with a calculator and praying Lindor stays productive and healthy for three more years after which hell be eligible for free agency. Harper is an outfielder so the comparisons with Lindor may not mesh. Machado, however, played shortstop last year and will play third base this year for the Padres. The Rockies, meanwhile, just signed third baseman Nolan Arenado to an eight-year extension worth $260 million. Arenado would have been a free agent at the end of the 2019 season. When Lindor talked to reporters early in spring training, he said every contract affects other contracts down the road. It does not take much imagination to see him slotting somewhere between Machados $300 million and Arenados $260 million. Or if he continues to produce like he has through the first three plus seasons of his career, maybe he does go after Harpers record pay day. As for the Indians, the clock started ticking a little louder. Phillies owner Jim Middleton started the offseason by saying he was in the mood to spend stupid money this winter. He has 13 years to find out just how stupid this expenditure may be because Harper has complete no trade rights and he didnt want an opt out in the deal. Harper has more star power than Machado, but over the last three seasons Machado has been the better player. Harper posted a 1.3 WAR last year, while Machado had a 5.7. But Harper does have the hair and the strut, and he has never kicked Jesus Aguilar in the foot while crossing first base in the postseason. Machado and Harper are both 26. Harper, who spent his first seven seasons with the Nationals, elected to stay on the East Coast and in the same division. The decision should make for some interesting trips back to the nations capital this year and in the years to come. Last season Machado played with Baltimore and the Dodgers. He went to the World Series with the Dodgers and chose to stay in the same division, but signed with San Diego team that lost 96 games last. Over the next decade, it will be much easier for countrys baseball fans to watch Harper than Machado. But no matter who gets more air time, they will forever be linked. Time will tell. | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/02/when-does-philadelphia-present-bryce-harper-with-the-liberty-bell-and-a-brinks-truck.html |
Is Africa going backwards on democracy? | Image copyright AFP Image caption The recent election in DR Congo was widely condemned More and more elections are being held in Africa however analysts dismiss many as being "lawful but illegitimate". Although studies show that a majority of Africans still want to live in democracies, an increasing number are looking to alternative, autocratic models, reports the BBC's Dickens Olewe. In the last three years African countries have registered an overall decline in the quality of political participation and rule of law, analysts say. "Today there are almost the same number of defective democracies (15) as there are hard-line autocracies (16), among the continent's 54 states," Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy at Birmingham University, concludes from his analysis of the last three years. Nigeria, which will hold its postponed election on Saturday, is among those listed as a "defective democracy". Despite the challenges, at least 68% of Africans prefer to live in open and freer societies, according to a recent poll conducted by Afrobarometer in 34 countries. That figure, however, is down slightly from 72% in 2012. Image copyright AFP Image caption Music legend Salif Keita says democracy has failed in Africa "[Africans] just want more dividends from democracy. They want less corruption, more transparency, less impunity, more economic opportunity," Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, executive director and co-founder of Afrobarometer, says. "It is in the interest of external partners to push for and to support this quest - lest non-liberal democratic models of national development become more alluring," he adds. Malian music legend Salif Keita has, however, given up on democracy. He recently suggested that the continent needs a "benevolent dictator like China". "To have a democracy, people have to understand democracy, and how can people understand when 85% of the people in the country cannot read or write," he asks. 'I love Trump' The US, which has traditionally been a major influence in promoting democracy in Africa, has had a seemingly hands-off approach since President Donald Trump came to office in 2017. When his administration's long-delayed policy on Africa was finally unveiled at the close of 2018, many observers of the continent were quick to point out that it did not include the favoured American staples: promotion of democracy, free and fair elections, political and civil rights. These elements were key policy components of previous administrations. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Donald Trump's Africa policy does not include plans to champion democracy The policy instead focused on the war on terror, slashing spending on the United Nations missions on the continent, and lambasting the activities of Russia and China. "If [African leaders] see leaders like Trump. who seems very happy to shake hands with autocrats, it gives them the signal that they can manipulate elections and not face consequences," Mr Cheeseman says. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who plans to run for a sixth term in 2021, has been notably effusive in his praise of the American president, once declaring, "I love Trump," who he described as the best president the US has had. You may be interested in: In 1991, Benin and Zambia became the first former one-party states to hold multiparty elections in Africa - which were won by opposition parties - kicking off a decade of democratic gains on the continent after the end of the Cold War. Almost 30 years later, the West African country is rated as one of just nine "free" countries out of the 54 on the continent, while Zambia has regressed to being "partly free", according to the 2019 Freedom House report. The number of free countries remains the same as a decade ago. Eight countries - Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Mauritius - have maintained their position, with Tunisia changing places with Mali, which is now ranked as "partly free". Angola and Ethiopia, though listed as "not free", are noted to have made "surprising improvements" after new leaders came into office in the past year. Technology and elections Political transition through regular elections is among the criteria for judging whether a country is a democracy or not. Some countries have even adopted technology to make the polls credible and accountable but in most cases this has done little to dispel concerns. "Many African countries are trying to use technology to manufacture trust in elections and that's not going to work," Nanjala Nyabola, author of Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics, told the BBC. She gave the example of Kenya's 2017 elections which, despite the use of biometric technology to verify voters as way of eliminating ghost voters and ballot stuffing, and also using an electronic results transmission system, failed to win voters' confidence. "Another problem is that we have countries conducting elections that are legal but are illegitimate," Godwin Murunga from the University of Nairobi, told the BBC. "There's this notion that democracy in Africa should have different standards," he adds, pointing at the international community's acceptance of the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Image copyright AFP Image caption Several countries have been using technology in elections to make them credible Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila oversaw one of the most controversial elections on the continent. An outright fraud, some have called it. Martin Fayulu, who came second in the presidential election, still disputes Felix Tshisekedi's victory. "It was a coup d'etat," he told the BBC. He says, with the backing of the influential Catholic Church - which said it had 40,00 electoral monitors - that he won the election. Mr Fayulu has since appealed to the African Union to set up a commission to recount the votes cast on 30 December or call for a repeat election in six months. "We have to respect the will of the Congolese. Democracy has to be the same everywhere," he told the BBC. His call is backed by Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, and Alan Doss, president of the Kofi Annan Foundation, who in a joint article said that Mr Tshisekedi's election lacks genuine legitimacy and risks repeated challenges to its authority. They also accused the international community, including the US, of failing the Congolese people in the "name of stability" of the country and called on the publication of detailed results for both the presidential and parliamentary elections. This year, some 15 countries are set to hold elections at different levels, but the credibility of these polls is likely to again conjure up questions about whether democracy is working for Africa. Image copyright AFP Image caption People across Africa are prepared to queue for hours in order to cast their votes The US policy on Africa is a significant influence but it is not a major factor in the decline of democracy on the continent, Jon Temin, Director of Africa at Freedom House, told the BBC. The organisation's latest report says democracy globally has been on the decline for the last 13 years. Some African countries have contributed to the negative slide. Democracy cynics like Salif Keita propose a benevolent autocracy as an alternative. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has been used as an example of a leader who is running an effective and efficient government that is unencumbered by democratic structures, which can be slow and rigid. Image copyright AFP Image caption President Kagame has been hailed as an example of a leader who has managed to achieve economic development without being unencumbered by democracy However, extending the control of the governing party, as in Rwanda, over a country's economy is more likely to increase corruption and waste than to spur economic activity, Mr Cheeseman says. "What this means is that if other countries on the continent try to implement the Rwandan model, the chances are that they will experience all of its costs while realising few of its benefits," he adds. Ghanaian democracy activist Nansata Yakubu says that despite setbacks in countries like DR Congo, the work of defending democracy should not stop with elections. "We have to improve the voting system and continue engaging the public," she told the BBC. The focus should be on giving more and more people a say over more and more issues - instead of comparing how each country's governance structure measures against Western democracies, says Steven Friedman, Professor of Political Studies in University of Johannesburg. The good news is that support for democracy remains high, the worry is that this is not guaranteed unless Africans start enjoying the dividends of living in free and open societies, and participating in elections that are credible and accountable. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46971250 |
What should we expect from Marvel's new TV universe? | Netflix is no longer in the Marvel business. Although this looked to be the case last year when it binned Daredevil, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, this weeks cancellation of Jessica Jones and The Punisher has rubberstamped it. Netflixs expensive licensing deal with Marvel has run aground for good. Captain Marvel: why sexist attempts at sabotage will fail Read more But dont be sad. Sure, plenty of people liked those series, but the likelihood is that they arent going away forever. By the end of the year, Disneys streaming service will be up and running and since its programming slate already runs to shows about minor Avengers and obscure little subchapters of Star Wars mythology you can bet your bottom dollar that at least some of the Defenders will make their way to Disney+. The new Disney+ shows will be distinct from the slightly wobbly fare produced or co-produced by ABC Studios. And, again, this is a good thing. Over and over, with Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk and Doctor Strange (check out his pre-MCU outing for proof), its been proven that Marvel characters do better when Marvel has the highest level of direct control. So when the Defenders eventually make their way to Disney+, they should be even better than they already were. With this in mind, here are all the improvements Id like to see come to their revival. Luke Cage Fewer episodes. This, by the way is going to be a theme. Almost all the Netflix shows were bloated beyond words, with an inevitable four-episode chasm in the middle of each season where the characters all just stood around twiddling their thumbs. However, Luke Cages was one of the most pronounced; its first series almost had to regain steam from a standing start halfway through the run. Tighter and better next time, please. The Punisher Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jon Bernthal as the Punisher. Photograph: Jessica Miglio/Netflix The plus side is that Jon Bernthal is already the Punisher, and Disney+ will be hard pushed to find anyone more suited to the role. However, he plays a character called the Punisher, for crying out loud. This would be more expensive to make, because full-gore, high-velocity action scenes cost more money than directionless mumblefests, but theyre also much more entertaining. Also, the Punisher is a violent, revenge-obsessed jerk. If Disney+ could stop trying to make him so much of a relatable hero, thatd be great too. Jessica Jones Well, this ones easy. Compare season one of Jessica Jones, which was thrilling and fun and heartbreaking all at the same time, with the sluggish nothingness of season two. David Tennants Kilgrave. Kilgrave was a villain for the ages, managing to be truly monstrous and also kind of fun. He did terrible, terrible things to people, but the glee that Tennant took in the role was so evident that you could easily understand why people fell under his characters spell. Second time around, Jones was left twisting in the wind without him. Bring Kilgrave back and, while youre at it, make fewer episodes. Daredevil Facebook Twitter Pinterest Charlie Cox as Daredevil. Photograph: Nicole Rivelli/Netflix Id suggest a similar approach for Daredevil. Two of its seasons were truly great, and one of them stank like a blocked toilet. The difference, again, was Vincent DOnofrios Kingpin; not just a great villain, but arguably an even more compelling character than Daredevil himself. Id even be tempted to reframe the series as Daredevil v Kingpin and make the whole thing a sprawling cat-and-mouse two-hander, with the characters as intertwined and codependent as Batman and the Joker. Also, if Foggy got murdered somehow, thatd also be wonderful. Fewer episodes too, please. Iron Fist Fewer episodes. Many fewer episodes. Like, zero episodes. If Disney+ gains the capacity to not only not make any new episodes of Iron Fist, but also to erase the idea of Iron Fist from all of history, the world would be a much happier place. | https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/feb/22/what-should-we-expect-from-marvels-new-tv-universe |
Is the India-Pakistan World Cup match doomed? | Image copyright Reuters Image caption India and Pakistan share a special rivalry If you are reading the headlines in the Indian media, you get the impression that India might forfeit the 16 June group game against Pakistan in Manchester. This is in protest against this month's suicide attack in Kashmir in which more than 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed. A Pakistan-based militant group has taken responsibility. Other inspired leaks talk about India putting pressure on the organisers to ban Pakistan from the tournament. It is far from clear how this can happen. Why should the other eight teams participating in the 46-day-long tournament acquiesce to such a request, considering that it will jeopardise the tournament and their sporting relations with Pakistan. Officials running Indian cricket held a meeting on Friday and said they would lobby cricket playing nations to "severe ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub". No decision has been taken on 16 June match, a senior official said. Outrage and revulsion over the attack has mounted at home, putting Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government under pressure to retaliate against Pakistan. And cricketing relations between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have almost always been as turbulent as their political relations. The two sides have not played a bilateral series since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. There have been long periods in the past too when they haven't played each other: cricketing contact, for example, resumed in 1978 after a 18-year-long hiatus due to hostilities. Pakistani players have also been kept out of the Indian Premier League, the world's most lucrative cricket tournament. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption There are half a million applications for 25,000 match tickets George Orwell famously called sports "war minus the shooting". In the days of peak India-Pakistan hostilities, many would call the contest "war minus nuclear missiles". India-Pakistan games in the past have also been charged with nationalism and chauvinism. A Test match pitch was once dug up in Delhi by an extremist right-wing group. The Pakistani team fielded with helmets in a match in Ahmedabad. A game in Karachi saw the stands being set on fire. Read more from Soutik Biswas Such anger and angst have abated over time. But as Ramachandra Guha wrote in A Corner of a Foreign Field, a magisterial history of Indian cricket, "the disagreements between Hindus and Muslims before 1947, and between India and Pakistan since, have thrown a long shadow across the playing fields in the world". The June game at Old Trafford is pivotal for the prestige and finances of the tournament. Nearly half a million fans have applied for the 25,000 tickets - to put that in perspective, some 270,000 applications have been made for tickets for the finals. Tournament director Steve Elworthy calls the contest "probably one of the biggest sporting events in the world". Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Matches between the two sides are often charged with jingoism Indians who support the match boycott say forfeiting points in a group game will not hurt India in a round robin tournament. To be sure, this is not unprecedented. In the 2003 edition, for example, England lost out on four World Cup points after being told that they would not be allowed to relocate the game from Harare to South Africa because of security concerns related to travel to Zimbabwe. But cancellation of what is arguably the biggest and most-awaited match of the tournament would hugely hurt the cricket World Cup. India has never lost a World Cup game to Pakistan. In 1996, at the height of a limited war between the two countries in Kargil, the two sides played a low-scoring game in Manchester and India won by 47 runs. On the day of the match, six Pakistani soldiers and three Indian officers were killed in Kargil. As Indian MP and author Shashi Tharoor says: "To forfeit the match this year would not just cost two points: it would be worse than surrender, since it would be defeat without a fight". | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-47329504 |
How much blame does Ben Roethlisberger deserve for Steelers issues? | When it comes to some NFL quarterbacks, we tend to bend over backwards to find ways to couch their everyday behavior as some master class in leadership because its a universally accepted idea that all quarterbacks must be great leaders. Leader. Lombardi under center. While, in some ways, the position demands certain inherent traits that would require others to respect you, or at least tolerate you, sometimes those of us writing about football for a living break a sweat trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. The team-leader quarterback is nearly as trope-ish as the diva wide receiver or the young whiz-kid head coach, and its often rooted in the same organic biases that tend to grow out of control without proper maintenance and routine fact-checking. Of course, sometimes its truequarterbacks can, and often are, an invaluable extension of the coaching staff. But its interesting how certain signal callers are able to maintain that stature even if the team goes completely haywire around them. Take, for example, the Steelers this week reaffirming that Ben Roethlisberger is the unquestioned leader of the team; a guy who has 52 kids under him, quite honestly, according to their general manager (side note: How many grown men in that locker room are going to be thrilled at being called a child?). While LeVeon Bells situation was more about money and a fair market-value contract, he doesnt seem to be shedding tears over playing in a new zip code. Antonio Brown specifically mentioned the quarterbacks personality as a reason for him not wanting to be there anymore. It may be a gargantuan ask, after all. Not everyone is Tom Brady. If the Steelers believe a team without Bell or Brown is their best path back to a Super Bowl, which they havent won in the Roethlisberger era without other established leaders like Hines Ward, Alan Faneca and Troy Polamalu in tow, the team may be gambling on the idea that Roethlisberger can lead them there. Sign up for The MMQBs Morning Huddle. WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: How weird feats of strength help NFL draft prospects stand out Free agent stock watch: Landon Collins Why you cant measure Colin Kaepernicks victory in a dollar amount. PRESS COVERAGE 1. The Bengals have a defensive coordinator! 2. It may be time for the Vikings to pay Adam Thielen. 3. Pro Football Focus makes the case. 4. Packers News dives deep into the curious world of Matt LaFleurs Twitter. 5. Another perspective on Roethlisberger, from Samer Kalaf at Deadspin. Let the team know at [email protected] | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/02/22/ben-roethlisberger-steelers-unquestioned-leader-antonio-brown-leveon-bell |
What Will Win at the 2019 Oscars? | Overall, 2018 was a year in which the best films (my and my colleague David Simss list is here) were characterized more by execution than by conception. I consider several films, for instance, worthy of Best Director or Best Cinematography. But when it comes to the screenplay awards, I am relatively underwhelmed. For the past two years, I went nine for 10 with my predictionsboth times blowing it at the end with Best Picture. (This was particularly painful two years ago, when my pick, La La Land, was announced and subsequently unannounced in favor of Moonlight.) Because of this record of choking in the clutch, I am saving my Best Picture prediction for last, like the ceremony itself. Sony Pictures Best Actress Nominees: Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Glenn Close (The Wife), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) Lady Gaga appeared to be an early front-runner here, but as with every other major award for which A Star Is Born was expected to compete, her odds have been dropping steadily. Aparicio and McCarthy are worthy nominees but distant long shots. Which leaves Colman and Close, whove divvied up most of the precursor awards to date, as the primary competitors. Given that the 71-year-old Close has now been nominated for an Oscar seven times without a win yeta record among actressesshes the one to beat. Who Will Win: Glenn Close Who Ought to Win: Lady Gaga Annapurna Best Actor Nominees: Christian Bale (Vice), Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Willem Dafoe (At Eternitys Gate), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) Like his co-star Lady Gaga, Cooper seems to have been losing ground here for months. Ditto Mortensen. And Dafoe is presumably happy just to be nominated for a film that barely made $2 million domestically. Which leaves Malek and Bale. The oddsmakers are mostly going with Malek here. But Im bidding for an upset. Im not sure that the backlash against Bohemian Rhapsodys director, Bryan Singer, for alleged sexual misconductdetailed at length in a recent expos in The Atlantic, and which Singer vehemently denieshas peaked yet. Plus, the acceptance speeches in which Malek declines to cite the directors name are getting more and more awkward. On the other hand, the Academy likes Bale, and loves an actor who plays a historical figure with the help of pounds of makeup and prostheses. (See: Gary Oldman, last year.) So Im going against the grain and picking Bale. As a side note, I find it disappointing that Robert Redford never picked up any meaningful awards-season buzz for his turn in The Old Man & the Gun, a role in which he was terrific and which might be the 82-year-old actors last onscreen appearance. Who Will Win: Christian Bale Who Ought to Win: Robert Redford universal Best Supporting Actor | https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/2019-oscars-predictions-academy-awards/583144/?utm_source=feed |
Could Ken Griffin's Penthouse Purchase Cost NYC Real Estate Buyers Millions? | A 2014 bill that aims to impose an additional tax on part-time New York residentsdubbed the pied-a-terre taxhas risen from the dead, largely in thanks to the recent record-breaking Central Park penthouse purchase by billionaire Ken Griffin. Griffin, worth an estimated $11.7 billion and No. 45 on the Forbes 400, reportedly bought the $238 million-dollar apartment as a place to stay when hes in town, according to his representatives. The purchase drew widespread attention to the financial losses that part-time and foreign property owners can cause the city. Because many work out of state (or out of the country), these buyers arent subject to local income taxes. They also dont make many local purchases, so their state sales tax contributions are minimal. Under the bill, the transactionnow the most expensive residential U.S. real estate purchase on recordwould have netted the city an estimated $8.9 million per year in additional taxes. Following in Other Cities Footsteps Originally introduced by Sen. Brad Hoylman, the pied-a-terre tax (a pied-a-terre is a home kept for only occasional use) would levy an annual tax on non-primary residences valued at over $5 million. The tax would work on a sliding scale, with a 0.5% tax levied on homes between $5 and $6 million. Fees go up from there, maxing out at 4% plus a $370,000 fee for homes valued higher than $25 million. According to Scott Stringer, New York City comptroller, the tax has the potential to bring in $650 million per year for the city. If you can afford a $5 million condo as a second home, you can afford to help the city a little more, Stringer tweeted in early February. A pied-a-terre tax would bring in as much as $650 million yearly. Thats $$$ to fix our subways, repair NYCHA and build affordable housing. Vancouver enacted a similar tax last yearthe Empty Homes Taxand according to a city report, it brought in $38 million in additional funds for the city, not to mention a 15% reduction in vacant homes. Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart is said to be eyeing an increase of the tax. Other major municipalities have made like-minded moves. Paris, Hong Kong, London and Sydney have all implemented taxes on secondary homes. The taxes range widely, though. In Hong Kong, owners pay a 15% tax on the homes value, while in Paris, they pay a whopping 60%. Gaining Ground Though New York already has a mansion taxa 1% tax on homes over $1 millionsupport for the pied-a-terre bill is gaining. Followings Griffin massive purchase, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted, Enough. Its time for a pied-a-terre tax. We should tax luxury non-primary residences, like this one likely will be. Are you with me? Around the same, Hoylman weighed in, too, saying Billionaire oligarchs who own $238 million second homes can afford to pay a little more to sustain our subways, our schools and our city. We need a pied-a-terre tax in New York. Im proud to have written this bill and to lead the fight in the Senate. According to the New York Times, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is open to the tax as well. Adam Swanson, a partner at NYC law firm McCarter & English and a longtime real estate attorney, says its all a general sign of the growing wealth divide. Senator Corey Johnson states as much in his own recent tweet, writing, "There are few better examples of the burgeoning inequality in our city than $238 million-dollar homes that will most likely sit empty. The bill is currently in the Senate Cities Committee. In addition to Hoylman, its sponsored by Sens. Timothy Kennedy, Liz Krueger and Julia Salazar. More Than Just Tax Money Tax losses aside, pied-a-terre buyers can also indirectly influence the communities they buy in, according to Constantine Valhouli, director of research at real estate analytics firm NeighborhoodX. From a developers or sellers perspective, removing regulations on who can purchase and eliminating higher transaction costs can result in more demand and thus higher prices, he said. However, as we have seen, the unintended consequences of this drive up housing costs for those who wish to be residents, rather than investors, and can deaden the character of entire neighborhoods. Valhouli said its not uncommon for large swaths of these buyers to impact local businesses, culture and overall affordability. Because many of these expensive properties are effective ways for foreign buyers to park capital in a stable region, they are often viewed as fancy safe-deposit boxes rather than as residences, he said. But this turns densely-populated areas into something else entirelyand the economics of these neighborhoods can change. The pied-a-terre tax could certainly push high-wealth buyers into other markets. Swanson said it might even sever as an exit tax to incentivize moving out of state. As NYC-based Warburg Realty broker Wendy Arriz explains, An additional tax in a high/overtaxed state like New York dissuades buyers. Many pied-a-terre buyers feel like they do not use the services of the building or the city, for that matter, as much as full-time resident owners. Why should they have to pay more for something they use less of? It could hurt sellers, too, with buyers asking for additional contributions or negotiating more. Broker Bonnie Lindebaum, Arrizs colleague at Warburg, already has one seller ready to reduce her homes listing price if the tax is enacted. I have a seller who was vacillating on the price, but if the tax is implemented, she will definitely reduce it and cut her losses, Lindebaum said. Improving the Bill Regardless of where they stand on the tax, most in New Yorks real estate industry agree: there are some kinks to work out before the bill can go into effect. First, theres the question of what a pied-a-terre actually is. And according to NYC-based real estate attorney Petro Zinkovetsky, policing that definitionwhatever it may becould prove difficult. It's not a type of an apartment like a condo or a coop; it just means that the owner does not live there full-time, Zinkovetsky said. Is the city going to go door to door to check if someone lives in the apartment? According to Swanson, the final bill will need to include exemptions for some of these outlying buyers. "What gets caught in the cracks?" he asked. I suspect that any final legislation would include some kind of exemption or grace period for people trying to sell their apartment. " As Valhouli puts it, not all pied-a-terres are equal, and determining exactly what should be taxed and what shouldnt will be key in drafting any potential law. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alyyale/2019/02/22/could-ken-griffins-penthouse-purchase-cost-nyc-real-estate-buyers-millions/ |
Could IT skills shortage scupper UK ambitions for digital public services? | Low pay and a male-dominated sector must be tackled to help the NHS, police and councils bring in vital digital expertise It has been almost a decade since the government pulled the plug on what would have been the worlds largest civilian computer system. The NHS IT system was meant to create electronic patient records for use across the health service in England, but ended up becoming known as the biggest IT failure ever seen. The project, finally abandoned in 2011, cost taxpayers at least 10bn. That fiasco shows just how bad things can go and how big the bill can be when it comes to digital transformation across the public sector. But with the NHS IT system failure now a distant memory, the UK government has become a leading country in terms of digital innovation. The UK now ranks fourth in the UNs e-government development index, which measures how countries are using technology to create sustainable, resilient societies. 'I feel in control of my life': Alexa's new role in public service Read more Digital transformation is taking place right across the UK public sector. In central government, the Government Digital Service was formed in 2011; most councils are running digital projects to improve frontline services; and the NHS is to see a 487m boost in funding for technology. We have a major role to play in the governments vision for technology in healthcare, a spokesperson for NHS Digital told the Guardian, and it is important for us to have the right skills and people to deliver these plans effectively. But theres the rub. The UKs ambitious plans require bringing in skilled professionals from an industry already facing a skills gap. The situation is exacerbated in the public sector, which continues to face funding cuts and pay pressures. One report from IT providers found that 40% of public sector organisations surveyed did not have the right skills in place to adapt to a digital transformation, while a 2015 survey from the National Audit Office survey also highlighted a widespread IT skills gap across the sector. The lack of digital expertise can have serious consequences for public services. It was exposed as a systemic problem for police forces in England and Wales when a Commons select committee report in October 2018 found digital failings were letting officers down. A year-long enquiry into the sustainability of the NHS workforce in England, meanwhile, warned that as well as failing to recruit and retain healthcare staff, the NHS is failing to adopt technology in a strategic, well-planned way, with piecemeal implementation of vital digital systems. 'We're going to the pub': finding a way out of loneliness, one app at a time Read more Without an appropriate workforce to support digital change, the NHS will not be able to make best use of digital technology any time soon, says Sophie Castle-Clarke, senior fellow in health policy at the Nuffield Trust. She points out that the NHS is in direct competition with the private sector for many of the digital skills on which it increasingly relies. Recruitment and retention is an on-going challenge due to uncompetitive rates of pay and the lack of clear career progression, for a workforce already in short supply. Gender imbalance in the tech industry plays into this, according to Alison McKenzie-Folan, deputy chief executive of Wigan council. We need to do more to get young girls and females into the industry, she says. McKenzie-Folan and her council work with community projects and school programmes to encourage more girls to take an interest in Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). Were trying to get the message out there about how important it is that we encourage and embrace girls to go into the industry, she says. Having more women in senior roles would also help, she adds. Pay also often comes up as an issue for recruiting tech professionals into the public sector. In one survey of public sector employees, 63% of respondents said pay was a key reason for them looking to change jobs. But Andrew Cox, head of service transformation at Watford council, says low pay doesnt deter everyone. There will always be people who are about working for residents, he points out. Ultimately, a major attraction for working in the public sector is the tangible impact digital progress can have on peoples lives. Technology roles are best placed to support widespread change, says Rob Watts, people director at consultancy FutureGov. Youre not creating for a niche consumer market but for everyone, working alongside committed and passionate people to impact thousands of lives. Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock has been keen to emphasise the vital role of digital development in healthcare. Every major technological leap, from penicillin to vaccination to MRI, has meant more lives saved, he said in a recent speech announcing a new programme for digital healthcare fellowships. If we just made better use of todays tech, we could save more people. Sign up for Society Weekly: our newsletter for public service professionals Read more McKenzie-Folan believes the government needs to shout about how fantastic it is to work in the public sector. Youre working for communities, and residents and the public. Youre coming into a profession where you can improve peoples lives. | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/22/it-skills-shortage-scupper-uk-digital-ambitions-public-services |
Will LeBron's Lakers teammates let him down? | CLOSE SportsPulse: With another NBA All-Star Game in the books, Trysta Krick and Jeff Zillgitt turn our attention to the playoff push down the stretch. USA TODAY LOS ANGELES Maybe the All-Star break was the turning point for the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe things will only get better from here. Maybe LeBron James newfound focus his mind is now activated for the task of reaching the postseason, he says will make all the difference. Maybe beating the Houston Rockets and keeping James Harden in check on Thursday night was just the beginning. It can give us some momentum that we need, head coach Luke Walton said. Or it can do nothing. It is easy enough to find evidence to back up all those maybes, and more besides. Even through the least productive stretches of a strange campaign the Lakers have regularly found some kind of sheen to lift the gloom. However, if maybe is to become yes and an outside shot at the postseason is to become a confirmed position there, it wont be because this impending late-season journey simply started well. If the Lakers wind up completing a successful surge the top eight in the Western Conference, it will be because somewhere along the line winning becomes a habit, determination becomes a constant, and because effort is distributed evenly, all the time, no matter the status of the opponent. And it would be because James young teammates pull through for him when it matters. Im just an all-around basketball player, James said. Put me on the floor I am going to make plays offensively and defensively. I sacrifice my body, I sacrifice for my team. I am just all about doing whatever it takes. Now he needs those around him to do their part. Rising to the challenge against the best in the league has rarely been a problem for these Lakers. Well, that has been far more problematic. It that sense, returning to action after the mid-season hiatus against the Rockets was an ideal situation. Houston are one of the leagues current marquee teams and might pose the best and biggest threat to the rampant Golden State Warriors. James Harden appears to be a virtual lock for league MVP and is on an historic scoring tear. And the game was beamed for the benefit of a national audience, broadcast on TNT. LeBron James scored 29 points in the Lakers' win against Houston. (Photo11: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports) The Lakers tend to turn up the dial in such situations, and so it proved, battling back from a 19-point deficit to sink the Rockets 111-106. The franchises current crop, headed by James, offer a different kind of Showtime. If the rival on any given night comes with star power, celebrity status and has cameras following their move, Los Angeles generally puts its best food forward. When thats not the case it isnt Showtime, more like Barely-Show-Up-Time. L.A. has had some of its more woeful nights this campaign against the weakest of opposition. They have beaten each of the nine teams above them in the Western Conference standings, including the Golden State Warriors, at least once. Yet they have somehow contrived to lose to the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. Ultimately, James record of not missing the postseason since his rookie year will hinge on those kind of games, not the big-ticket occasions where any athlete with a pulse would find it easy to get fired up. The Lakers will go on the road for five straight games in mid-March, going nearly two weeks without playing a home fixture. Thats the kind of thing that will be the true test of the mettle. Thursday was a start, but nothing more. It was a start buoyed by the spark of All-Star weekend, where James team won the main game and Kyle Kuzma was MVP of the Rising Stars challenge. But it is one thing to perform on the back off a strong and stirring James pep talk, the activation announcement. That was aimed at getting his colleagues heads in the game and it worked in the short term, but that same kind of lift will need to be found again and again, even on days when the grind means the last message has worn off and been forgotten and it is time for another. The test will come on sleep-deprived red-eye flights and amid the rollercoaster of a playoff push. And when the first doubts resurface after a bad night on the court and the young core of the team remember that James was more than happy for them all to be traded so he could be partnered with Anthony Davis, a fellow Klutch Sports client and upcoming guest on his television show. Not so much on noisy nights at the Staples Center, but on hostile ones in Detroit or even Chicago or New York, where a defeat would feel doubly wasteful. James ability to pull comrades onto his shoulders and produce special outcomes should not be dismissed, but he cant do it alone, and neither can he force teammates to show fortitude unless they want it for themselves. The bumpy part of the ride (yes, another one) is approaching for the Lakers, and it will reveal a lot about their character, which in itself will determine the outcome of their playoff quest. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/02/22/lebron-james-los-angeles-lakers/2948610002/ |
Are Republicans wavering on climate change? | WASHINGTON - For years, Republicans have questioned humans contribution to climate change, casting doubt on the well-established scientific conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions from burning oil and other fossil fuels is causing the planet to warm dangerously. But following their loss of seats in the midterm elections, more and more House Republicans are calling for action on climate change - even in oil rich states like Texas - raising the prospect the party is shifting after a decade-long stalemate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The change in tone was on display at a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, when one Republican after another said climate change was a problem. The committees top Republican, Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., wrote a letter to Democrats asking that the committee work together to find bipartisan climate solutions. It was enough to catch the attention of one of the witnesses at the hearing, Rich Powell, executive director at ClearPath, a political group advocating for conservative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone was saying this is real, its human caused by industrial activity and we need to get on board finding a solution, he said. Its a pretty significant evolution of the conversation. The prospect of a Republican shift on climate comes amid increasingly dire forecasts of rising oceans and crop failures, with scientists warning governments must take action immediately to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Such a move would likely drastically slash demand for fossil fuels like oil, a centerpiece of Texass economy, inciting fierce partisan battles on Capitol Hill that have so far brought any attempt at a legislative solution to a halt. Trickle down Republican interest in climate change is not unique, just infrequent. Former Republican presidential nominee John McCain called for mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions during his 2008 campaign. Former Republican secretaries of state James Baker and George Shultz have pressed Congress to adopt a tax on greenhouse gas emissions, with proceeds going back to taxpayers through a dividend check. On HoustonChronicle.com: After Democratic victories, states up ante on clean energy Such moderate points of view appear to be trickling down into the ranks of the party. In the last Congress, a caucus on climate change counted 45 Republican House members. People focus on the most ardent deniers who just parrot the conservative line, said Frank Maisano, a Washington media consultant whose clients include fossil fuel companies. But there are plenty of Republicans saying, I dont necessarily believe what the climate groups believe, but Im not saying this isnt serious. Public skepticism on climate is becoming more difficult to maintain politically, as more Americans believe climate change needs to be addressed - 60 percent now say they are alarmed or concerned, according to a survey by Yale University. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Waco, was long among the skeptics. During his 2012 re-election campaign he described the climate change movement as petty politics based on dubious agenda-driven, scientific research. Nowadays, Flores can be found telling other members of the House Energy committee about the solar system he installed on his roof - the largest residential solar system in central Texas - and advocating for a market-driven approaches to climate change such as investing in batteries and other clean energy technology rather than regulating emissions. I have become much more knowledgeable about this particular policy issue than I was before, Flores said in an interview. Im excited about the opportunities for America to be a leader in emissions reductions. We just need to make sure we get the policy right, then let American know how and ingenuity get us there. Other Republican members of Texass congressional delegation, including Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, declined to be interviewed for this story. But Flores is hardly alone among Texas politicians speaking out on climate. Since progressive Democrats began pushing the creation of a Green New Deal, to rapidly shift the U.S. economy from fossil fuels through massive government spending on renewable energy, Republicans in Washington have been quick to denounce the method, but not the aim. In a speech on the Senate floor last week, Cornyn said, People think about Texas, they think about oil and gas, but we believe in all of the above. I actually think moving toward cleaner and renewable energy is a good thing. Baby steps But advocating for clean energy is a long way from voting for legislation, such as carbon taxes or tougher environmental laws, that would reduce demand for fossil fuels. And with President Donald Trump in the White House, who has repeatedly questioned government assessments of the national security threat posed by climate change, most in Washington expect any substantial change in the law to be years off, if not more. Its a baby step forward. Its just a baby step, Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, said of Republicans acknowledgment of climate change. This is a massive problem and we need big comprehensive solutions. But at the same time we still have [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell, a climate denier, and the most anti-environment president weve ever had. On HoustonChronicle.com: Oil companies rush to prove sustainability bona fides as investors circle Following the midterm elections last year, political pressure is increasing on Republicans to acknowledge climate change. Republican governors in states such as Wisconsin and Colorado lost re-election to Democrats campaigning on promises to shift away from fossil fuels At the same time, U.S. industry is moving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even the Texas oil giant Exxon Mobil has directed political spending to aid the creation of a carbon tax, which would penalize the biggest producers of greenhouse gases while providing incentives to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions. Potential areas for cooperation between the parties include modernizing the electric grid, directing research money to batteries and other energy storage technology, and funding reforestation, which would increase the number of carbon-consuming trees. Already, Republicans have worked with Democrats to expand tax breaks for carbon capture technology, which most experts believe to be essential to reaching the goals laid out in the international agreement on climate change reached in Paris in 2015. But finding votes necessary to pass more substantial legislation is likely to prove far harder. The last time climate change legislation came for vote was in 2009, when former Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman, of California, and now Sen. Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, introduced legislation to create a cap and trade system to control greenhouse gas emissions. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House with only eight Republican votes. After months of negotiations with Senate Republicans, the bill never got a vote on that chambers floor. Wake-up call For now, the debate over climate change is squarely focused on the Green New Deal, proposed as a massive public works program on the scale of its namesake, the New Deal launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to pull the country out of Great Depression. Flores, like most all Republicans and many Democrats, is highly critical of the Green New Deal. But he conceded it might have a positive effect, politically speaking. The good news about the Green New Deal, he said, is its a wake-up call for Americans to look at different ways to deal with climate change. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox [email protected] Twitter: @osborneja | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Are-Republicans-wavering-on-climate-change-13635463.php |
Has the 'original' distracted boyfriend been finally found? | Image copyright Leatherneck Image caption The picture appears in a military magazine from 1950 You're not alone if this image looks familiar to you. Though you've probably never seen a photo of Staff Sergeant Louis Cappazzoli or US Navy recruits Nancy Kelley and Joe Ewing, there is probably something in this picture that you do recognise. That is, of course, the striking resemblance it bears to the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme which has been ubiquitous in social media in the past couple of years. It became so popular that even country music legend Dolly Parton tweeted a meme last year, with a play on one of her most iconic songs. Meme origins "Distracted Boyfriend" is the name given to a widely-shared stock image of a man looking at another woman while out with his partner. The image is usually used to represent the feeling of coveting something you want while ignoring what you already have. Last year, the internet was abuzz with the suggestion that Charlie Chaplin was "the original distracted boyfriend" after a still from his 1922 film Pay Day was widely shared. But it later turned out that the image was doctored, meaning that the silent film great cannot lay claim to the title. You may also like: 'Look of confidence' The photo originates from the October 1950 issue of Leatherneck, a magazine published for US Marines. Although we do not know the photographer's name, it is possible that they too were in the marines, as at the time the magazine was staffed by the marines in active service. The photo has been shared widely online, amassing more than 130,000 upvotes on Reddit, and it is the photo's links to the military that have been at the centre of conversation. For those with US military knowledge the photo almost has an in-built joke - the woman is turning away from a recruit in lower ranking naval garb and looking towards an officer in smart attire. Several people have imagined that the distracted naval recruit had high standards and preferred a man with military stripes on his uniform. One person focused on the staff sergeant's "undeniable look of confidence". Others simply could not help but talk about the uniform, calling it "the best dress blues of any branch", with another joking that they were "the main reason" he enlisted. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47329122 |
What Are The Top 10 Soft Skills For The Future Of Work? | The future of work is likely to herald a wide range of new jobs, many of which we can scarcely conceive today (although that hasn't stopped consultancy firm Cognizant having a go). There has been understandable attention given to the kind of skills these jobs might require. For instance, at the tail end of last year, the University of Memphis proposed that collaborative problem solving would be the most important skill in the coming decades. "Collaborative problem solving is an essential skill in the workforce and the community because many of the problems faced in the modern world require teams to integrate group achievements with team members' idiosyncratic knowledge," the researchers explain. This emphasis on soft skills also emerged in a new analysis performed by the online learning provider Udemy. They investigated the courses that companies are requiring employees take today to try and gauge a better understanding of where skills shortages exist today. Obviously technical skills remain highly sought after, so that probably goes without saying, hence the Udemy team focused exclusively on soft skills. These are the kind of skills that previous studies have suggested are crucial as technology takes on many of the hard, technical skills. Indeed, previous studies have argued that a sufficient investment in more human, softer skills such as leadership, creativity, emotional intelligence and critical thinking would significantly reduce the number of jobs lost to automation. Indeed, if investment in training for these skills could be doubled, then the number of jobs at risk from automation would fall from 10% to 4%. Here is their top 10. Suffice to say, this list is always going to be skewed by the courses actually on offer by Udemy, so there will always be that caveat, but it nonetheless should provide some inspiration for your personal development in the coming year. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2019/02/22/what-are-the-top-10-soft-skills-for-the-future-of-work/ |
Will the Democrats Kill the Green Party by Stealing Its Best Idea? | The question is whether the public will listen. Once widely accused of spoiling a presidential election that led to two wars, the Green Party has been mostly relegated to a political punchline, thanks in part to the foibles of its former leader Jill Stein. Now, the Green New Dealwhich helped to differentiate the eco-socialists Greens from the Democratshas been coopted. The Democrats are even warming to socialist ideas. The Green Party barely registered notice in 1996 when it fielded its first presidential candidate, who only made it onto the ballot in 22 states. But four years later, nominee Ralph Nader qualified in 43 states and won about 2.7 percent of the popular vote nationwide. Because he drew 95,000 votes in Florida, the famously decisive state in that election, he was accused of handing the presidency to George W. Bush. Nader and his supportersamong othersreject the argument that he spoiled the election, but theres no denying that the 2000 election established the Greens legitimacy and influence as a third party. Nearly two decades later, the Green Party has lost some of boththough it might still have enough support to tip the results of a presidential election. The partys two-time nominee, Jill Stein, received just .4 percent of the vote in 2012, but 1.1 percent in 2016. The latter was enough votes to tip the scales for Donald Trump in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, claimed Vanity Fair. (More accurately, her vote total in the three key states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania was higher than Trumps margin of victory, but theres no evidence that Steins supporters would have voted for Clinton otherwise. They may have chosen no one at all.) Stein also potentially compromised her partys legitimacy with her connection to multiple scandals related to the Russia investigationnot to mention her curious comments on vaccines and the health affects of Wi-Fi. Stein has suggested she wont seek the partys nomination in 2020, so theres potential for a new Green voice. But its not yet clear who that will be. Aside from Hawkins and Schlakman, only 12 people have officially declared their candidacy for the Green Party nomination. Its hard to tell which are serious. Kanye Deez Nutz West most likely is not. But Dario Hunter is, and hes about as diverse as candidates come: black, gay, Iranian, and Jewish. Hes also an ordained rabbi, a former environmental attorney, and a school board member in Youngstown, Ohio. These qualities all make him an ideal new voice for the party, he said. If we want to cut through the lack of attention given [to Greens], we need someone who has a loud and clear voice and a tough skin, he said. Simple, said Hunter: This Democratic version of the Green New Deal is watered down. It pales in comparison to ours. | https://newrepublic.com/article/153127/will-democrats-kill-green-party-stealing-best-idea |
Are university campuses turning into mini smart cities? | Think of a university campus: it has its own roads, shops, residential areas, banks and transport links. It may be visited by tens of thousands of people each day. It is, in effect, a tiny city. Across the globe, these mini metropolises are increasingly opting for a smart city approach. This is a tech-driven model thats used in places such as Barcelona, where street lamps react intelligently to surroundings to save energy; Seattle, where smart traffic lights respond to the conditions on the road; and even Milton Keynes, which has a real-time data hub sharing information about the towns energy and water consumption, transport, weather and pollution. Read more Universities are taking notice. The US is leading the way, with on-campus innovations around energy (the University of Texas at Austin has a fully independent grid that provides all its energy), transport (the University of Michigan has introduced a self-driving shuttle system) and information (the University of Minnesota has installed 300 digital signage boards, updated with real-time data). UK institutions are following suit. The University of Glasgow has been working with innovation centre Future Cities Catapult on a strategy to bring smart tech to the campus as it expands. The vision includes intelligent campus AI, an on-demand bus service and a data centre powered by renewable energy. Its not yet confirmed if all of these will be implemented, but according to Gemmy Ginty, one of the designers who worked on the strategy, universities are uniquely well placed to experiment. Smart cities are kind of slow-moving, she says. Cities are so big, and there are so many players and stakeholders, it can be difficult. But universities have control over their estates. They own all the buildings, they own all the networks and they have a captive audience in terms of the students, so they can become like a living lab. Many UK universities are doing fascinating things with tech, she says, but are often operating in a siloed way, department by department, rather than in unison. Its something that Manchester Metropolitan University is attempting to address with its own smart campus plan, which unites six projects including engagement monitoring, digital wayfinding, lecture capture and cloud access. The smart campus idea was first floated in spring 2016, says Tori Brown, the universitys IT portfolio manager. As more projects and initiatives kept coming to light, it felt right to bring these together to tell a story around student engagement and how we can use technology to support this. Its a continually evolving plan, she continues. There are possibilities around smart kiosks with personalised information, true cross-campus digital and personalised wayfinding. These include wearable tech like smart watches and phones. For example: You have a lecture in 10 minutes in Room X in Building Y, heres a map and directions; Have you remembered your assignment due in this class?; As youve got time, if you leave now you can also take back that library book thats due for return tomorrow. Deakin University in Victoria, Australia has built and implemented a similar system, named Genie. Its a digital assistant, in the form of a Siri-style voice-activated smartphone app, with information on assignments, timetables, referencing and more. Because it runs on AI, it grows more useful as it is used. The university has a large distance-learning cohort, with 25% fully online and the other 75% act[ing] like they are, according to Beverley Oliver, deputy vice-chancellor for education at Deakin. As well as getting smarter, the system is producing a huge amount of that most prized modern commodity: data. Oliver says the university has a strong policy around not surveilling students, but using their data with their knowledge in order to help them. Thats also the driving force at the University of Nottingham, according to estates manager Andy Nolan, where they are using data to understand how the physical space of the campus is used and adjust planning accordingly. Its still early days, he says. We want to do more research around human behaviour in particular, so we can start to use things like the wifi network to monitor the presence of people as a proxy for footfall in different areas of the campus. Read more But any kind of monitoring does raise questions around privacy. Curtin University, in Western Australia, has joined up with Hitachi to turn the campus into a data-gathering laboratory , with 1,600 cameras linked to facial recognition and analytics software to gather information on building trends, study patterns and course attendance. According to the universitys chief operating officer, Ian Callahan, this will be used to improve student experience and enhance learning. Universities need to remember that data isnt a magic bullet, says Kathleen Armour, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the University of Birmingham. I am not convinced by the suggestion that we need to collect mountains of data on everything a student does, she says. Its easy to be carried away. Instead, we need to use anonymous data intelligently to ensure our campus, support and systems are made as effective as possible to meet students needs. Shn Wareing, chief operating officer and deputy vice-chancellor for education at London South Bank University, says its the ownership and application of such data that should be a vital concern. The data should belong to the students more than the organisations, she says. It should be made available, and students should be able to see what their attendance looks like compared to their peers, and how their attendance may relate to their overall achievement. But we should be really wary of universities owning that data, and making judgements and adjusting their provision in relation to that data. Its part of the kind of surveillance society we dont want to sleepwalk into. Its paternalistic and not a true partnership, not enabling the students as adults. Its not that the data isnt useful, but we dont know enough yet about how to use it carefully. | https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/22/are-university-campuses-turning-into-mini-smart-cities |
What does lasting romance look like for millennials? | Perhaps its my age, but I think a lot about beginnings and rarely of endings. The divorce invitation came as a surprise With every year that passes, more wedding invitations arrive. Now, summers are filled in advance, dedicated to engagements, hens, weddings and, soon, baby showers. But this month I received a different invitation: Please save the date to mark my divorce. It was from a school friend. Hers was my first white-people wedding. It was in a church in Yorkshire, I was 18, she wore a white dress and held a bouquet. I knew all the lines, absorbed from television. Cant wait for the organ bit, Id think. Such a tune. Hope this vicar does the forever hold your peace bit too. Perhaps its my age, but I think a lot about beginnings and rarely of endings. The invitation came as a surprise. This was the friend whose marriage set the example, whod be mentioned in the same breath as: Theres hope for us all. But Shelley said it was only good for seven years, average for another two and bad for the final stretch. They lasted the UK average of 11.7 years. Its hard to stay an enthusiastic wife in a room in a shared house, she said. I dont know the answer. But I imagine it involves work; proper work, and attention given to relationships like we give to our careers. I think of my younger relationships that fizzled out, left to wither because, hey, whatever happens, theres always Tinder. | https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/22/what-does-lasting-romance-look-like-for-millennials |
Is the new Bottega Veneta like the old Celine? | For some time now Bottega Veneta has been one of the weakest players in the Kering stable. It has been dwarfed by the successes of Gucci, the groups star performer, and Saint Laurent, which eclipsed Bottega some time ago to become the second-biggest revenue driver at the house. In the groups annual statement, released last week, Bottega Veneta recorded revenues of 1.109bn, down 3.4 per cent on a comparable basis year on year. But thats all set to change. After Saint Laurent, Gucci and Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta is the latest Kering brand to receive a reboot. Last June, and following the fairly unexpected departure of Tomas Maier, who served for 17 years as creative director, Kering announced their new man: a 32-year-old Englishman called Daniel Lee. Precisely. But the appointment of a relative unknown was in keeping with the current Kering habit of employing designers with long experiences of working with a brand but not leading them. Lee comes not from within the group however, but from the LVMH-owned Celine, where he worked with Phoebe Philo as the director of ready-to-wear design. A graduate of Central Saint Martin, he was tapped by Franois-Henri Pinault following Philos departure. Celine has since gone in another creative direction under the direction of Hedi Slimane. Bottega Veneta Jason Lloyd-Evans Bottega Veneta Jason Lloyd-Evans Kering made a canny appointment. With Philo, who eschewed social media marketing and abhorred e-commerce, Lee helped steer the brand to revenues of around 800m and cultivated a devout tribe of female clients. In his former role, Lee delivered an aesthetic for minimal clothing with a subversive fashionability that earned Celine a reputation for intelligent clothes. Since Philos departure, many brands have rushed to fill the vacuum, delivering their versions of a look in which Lee played no small part. Yes and no. It included menswear, to begin with, which he hasnt done before. But die-hard fans will have recognise many of his signatures the loopy knitwear with its circular cutaway panels, the heavy soled elasticated Chelsea boots, the scoop-necked tops and the play on a bourgeois sensibility corporate tailoring, minimal outerwear, blouses with more subversive elements, such as ruched tulle eveningwear and leather bra-lets, shot through. Bottega Veneta Jason Lloyd-Evans Bottega Veneta Jason Lloyd-Evans But this was a far tougher, more complicated collection than I expected. While the menswear was more minimal and straightforward, the womens was ambitious in design: a quilted skirt, in turquoise, folded at the sides and fastened with a chain; thick quilted biker trousers; tailoring that mimicked the houses famous intrecciato weave; a series of mirror-embroidered dresses and shirts. There was a lot going on. Lee has been working on the collection for more than six months he decided to skip last season and wait until he was ready to mount a show. Looking at this first collection, I wondered whether a tighter deadline might have suited him better. Some of it was lovely, a lot looked overworked. It was stylistically fussy, and surprisingly clumsy at times. Sportmax Jason Lloyd-Evans Sportmax Jason Lloyd-Evans Of the accessories, on which Bottega Veneta does the vast bulk of its business, there were several new ideas a quilted clutch and tote bag in a supersized woven leather were arresting, as was a boxy handbag in tomato red with a bold, gold clasp. But none had that snatch it out of the models hand desirability that I hoped so dearly to feel. Its also excruciatingly expensive. Lees first Bottega Veneta merchandise is in store now, part of a pre-collection that has been quietly introduced. A new look tote bag will set you back about 3,000. Tod's Jason Lloyd-Evans Tod's Jason Lloyd-Evans These are early days for Lee who must now negotiate his day job alongside the business of marketing the brand. And doing interviews. He seems quite unprepared for that. Backstage, before a throng of frenzied press journalists, he looked utterly bamboozled. Conversation was quickly cut short. Some designers are born to sell their product usually those, such as Michael Kors and Tom Ford, who are brand founders and have pitched their wares on countless stages. In the safety of the Celine studio, Lee has been protected by the culture of anonymity but we all know his name now. I dont doubt hell find his voice. For someone so timid in person, his collection was strident and surprisingly loud. Prada Jason Lloyd-Evans Loud strident design has been a major theme in Milan, where lots of shows have featured a clumpy, elasticated bovver boot and tons of attitude. You might call it punk-y, if that didnt sound deliriously dated. At Gucci models wore fetish-style collars studded with nail-long barbs, the mood at Prada was dark and angry. Even at Tods, the leather house more often associated with quiet gentility, the models wore black leather shorts and heavy patent boots. Riding boots, harnesses and leather strapping was a feature of the Sportmax show as well. Whatever it is, its looking fearsome right now. Prada Jason Lloyd-Evans Jo Ellison will be hosting the FTs Business of Luxury Summit in Madrid on May 19-21. For more information visit ftbusinessofluxury.com Follow @FTStyle on Twitter and @financialtimesfashion on Instagram to find out about our latest stories first. Subscribe to FT Life on YouTube for the latest FT Weekend videos | https://www.ft.com/content/1245d890-36aa-11e9-bd3a-8b2a211d90d5 |
Who Is Kelly Craft, Frontrunner for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations? | U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft is emerging as the frontrunner to replace U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who resigned in December. Craft as a UN contender comes after State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert withdrew her name over the weekend as Haleys successor. A Kentucky native, Craft is backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also from the Bluegrass State, and she has the support of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as national security advisor John Bolton. However, President Donald Trumpwho makes the decisionis reportedly considering Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell and former Senate candidate John James of Michigan. Ambassador to Canada since August 2017, Craft has public and private sector experience. Shes served on several boards in Kentucky, including the Center for Rural Development and the Salvation Army of Lexington, according to her State Department biography. Craft co-founded the Morehead State University Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics and founded a marketing and business advisory firm. Craft and her husband, Joe Craft, are among the biggest Republican financial donors in Kentucky. Craft was previously a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN General Assembly under President George W. Bush. She also has personal ties to McConnellshe is friends with his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. | http://fortune.com/2019/02/22/kelly-craft-us-ambassador-to-un-candidate/ |
How Can Bitcoin Be Lost Or Stolen When It's In An Immutable Encrypted Distributed Ledger? | As Ive described, Crypto-currency losses started long ago, and have kept on mounting over the years. Most recently, the largest crypto-currency exchange in Canada, QuadrigaCX, has experienced a little problem that has resulted in what appears to be a permanent loss of over $130 million for its many customers. The losses dont seem to make any sense. My account is stored in a ledger thats immutable it cant be changed because its locked down by unbreakable cryptography. It cant be lost because the ledger is distributed, so even if a few of computers are lost, there are still loads of computers with a copy of my unchangeable account balances in them. To further increase security, Bitcoin and the other crypto-currencies dont identify me by my name, but by a really loooong string of letters and numbers. And thats just the name to make any changes, someone would need access to my private key. Its impossible for anyone to break through these layers of security, that math guys everywhere calmly assert just cant be cracked. The only reason this is mysterious is because the vast majority of stuff we read about Bitcoin, blockchain, distributed ledger technology and the rest is produced by adherents to the new cult. Theyre promoters, not evaluators. Lets start with encryption. Loads of things are encrypted its hardly something that started with Bitcoin. Most sessions with websites are encrypted, as you can see by the https in the URL bar in the browser. I hope you only use encrypted WiFi. Email is encrypted. All databases run by moderately competent professionals are encrypted. And so on. You know the answer. People can wave their arms and babble with passion about the power of unbreakable encryption all day long, but bad things happen in spite of it. Nope! Its because even the biggest castle with the most unbreakable walls has to have doors that are easy to open and close, though which properly authorized people and goods go in and out. Bad guys waltz right into the castle with unbreakable walls through the same easy-to-open doors that all the residents and servants of the castle use! Using absolutely proven, tested, tried-and-true methods such as user names and passwords! And sometimes even PIN codes on top of it!! Its simple, really. Say youre an experienced break-and-entry person. You walk down a block at night. Most of the houses you see have fences, big locked doors and lights on. One of the houses is dark, and its front door is swinging free. Everyone scans for opportunities and goes for the weakest point. So no one even tries to break the cryptography it really IS secure. AHA! Weve gotten to the weak point of the system: the wallet. Wallets are just pieces of software that run on your phone, your computer or even online. There are dozens of wallets available. They all claim to store your Bitcoin securely, and maybe they do except they need to allow a normal human being to actually use them, so they need to be opened by someone a normal human being can handle, like a user name and password! The super-secret but impossible-to-remember private key is stored in the wallet, among other things. Without the private key, you have nothing. If you lose or break the phone that has the wallet, you are screwed. And of course if your phone or computer is hacked, someone else will immediately transfer your Bitcoin out of your account into theirs. There is no recourse. None. Its been going on for years, see this. A 20 year old college kid was just sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing more than $5 million by phone hacking, see this. That was a first-ever case usually no one is caught. Some people, concerned about the security of their wallets, have turned to professionally-managed exchanges, which both store crypto-currency and enable it to be converted and transferred in and out. An example of such a company is Quadriga, which was the largest such exchange in Canada last year. Now it has made various court filings, and is unable to return its customers roughly $200 million in assets, see this. Because those assets were held in a wallet on the now-deceased founders laptop computer, and no one can get into the computer its contents are encrypted and the access information was last seen somewhere in what was the founders brain. Yes, the distributed ledger is secure and immutable. Yes, the cryptography used is in fact unbreakable. Most descriptions stop there, leading you to think youre protected against loss or theft. As I hope is now clear, Bitcoin and its numerous offshoots does indeed involve some amazing technology, as Ive described here. But that doesnt mean that its any more secure or protected against loss than any other software. Because of its immaturity, it is proving to be more vulnerable to loss and theft than normal money. And the non-monetary blockchain solutions are just as vulnerable. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblack/2019/02/22/how-can-bitcoin-be-lost-or-stolen-when-its-in-an-immutable-encrypted-distributed-ledger/ |
Was there ever a time when the Oscars were good? | It is a small mercy that the 91st Academy Awards will have no host. As the Oscars imploded in the lead-up to this years broadcast flip-flopping on a new category, awards being handed out during commercial breaks and, yes, hosts the events relevancy has become more questionable than ever. No thanks.) and a general lack of awareness, and one thing becomes painfully obvious: the Oscars just arent cool. But perhaps the only thing less cool than the Academy Awards is pointing out how uncool they are. Its like beating a dead War Horse. The truth is the Oscars have always been terrible. With dashes of glitz and glamour, the Academy Awards are supposed to represent the best of Hollywood. In practice, however, this is rarely the case. As the great American director Howard Hawks once put it, Ive seen too many pictures that I thought were not good pictures nominated and win. Typically, an Oscar represents little more great marketing. Its great for making millions more at the box office and being used as leverage in contract negotiations. Its hard to say at exactly at what point we took the Oscars seriously. The founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the annual Academy Awards, was primarily created to squash unions and lend respectability to an industry perceived by many to be a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. The first 10 years of the Academy Awards, from 1927 to 1937, were plagued with scandals. There were boycotts and accusations of bribery. The ceremony, not yet open to the public, was infamously dull. If people gripe nowadays that the best films of the year are rarely nominated, it was the same back then. According to Ephraim Katzs The Film Encyclopedia, by the 1960s, the aura of the Oscar has become increasingly tainted. Outlining common complaints, many of which that are still relevant today, Katz points to a flawed voting system and accusations that the show is little more than a popularity contest. There does not seem to be any point in Oscars history when this wasnt the case. In 1969, The New York Times ran a story called Who (and What) Makes the Oscars Possible? It was about the importance of the press agent in finding Oscar success. It outlines the various ways a good agent will help a film get nominated. There are three main strategies: free exposure, advertising and private screenings. The race to the Oscars has always been about who can put on the most convincing campaign. In an interview with an executive, Mia Farrows performance in Rosemarys Baby came up. She was not nominated, and the interviewee speculated that it was because she is young, and abrasive, and very independent. Being unlikeable, by the standards of a conservative Academy, was enough to see Farrow overlooked in favour of safer choices. Two years later, George C. Scott would become the first person to turn down his Oscar for his performance in Patton. His response to the Academy Awards was that they were little more than a beauty contest and a meat market. If the first 50 years of the Academy Awards were a mess, they certainly havent improved since. When something exciting happens or a worthy film is awarded, it is the exception and not the rule. Over the past two decades, Oscar campaigns have only gotten more extensive and expensive. With Miramax, the since-disgraced Harvey Weinstein changed the Oscar game by investing millions into Academy Awards campaigns for movies like The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chocolat, The Reader and My Week with Marilyn. Weinstein, who faces five charges including rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault, almost singlehandedly ushered in a new era of buying awards by exploiting Academy loopholes. His methods set a new spending standard, further diminishing the dubious value of the award. If the Oscars have value, it is as a celebration of celebrity. If there was any doubt, the recently reversed decision to relegate the editing and cinematography awards to commercial breaks proves the show is not about artistry, its about fame and glamour. Yet, the faux-importance of the awards leans into bad jokes and stuffy seriousness that feels increasingly out of touch in the more intimate landscape of the internet and social media. In the past, stocking the show with stars was an effective way to boost ratings, but in an era where anyone can watch Cardi B eat lobster on Instagram, it is completely ineffective. While the 2019 Oscars seem to be heading for a new low, its important to remember that the Academy Awards were never a bastion of quality or entertainment. The show, from the very earliest moments of its history, has represented its industrys worst impulses. Well, not really. To engineer an Oscars ceremony that is both entertaining and relevant would mean a complete overhaul. The necessary changes would only dishonour the ceremonys long history of irrelevancy. Wishing for a time when the Academy Awards was good is wishing for a time that either never existed or occurred only when we were too ignorant to know better. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/was-there-ever-a-time-when-the-oscars-were-good |
Is automation coming for Cincinnati jobs? | Julie Heath is the director of University of Cincinnati Economics Center at the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. She also holds the Alpaugh Family Chair in Economics. (Photo11: JP Leong) The alarm has been sounding for a few years about the coming robot invasion and the jobs that will be displaced by automation. The effect of automation on labor markets is more nuanced than a robot-for-worker exchange. In some cases, automation can replace workers, but total substitution is not the norm. It is more likely that automation substitutes for specific tasks that workers do, rather than the whole worker. The tasks that remainthose that workers continue to performare therefore complemented by machines, making workers more productive and more valuable. To the extent that automation leads to a better, cheaper product, the increase in demand for that product could lead to an increase in the demand for the workers who produce it. That being said, some occupations are more vulnerable than others to having a significant share of their tasks replaced by technology. While virtually all occupations will feel the effects of automation, occupations that require routine physical labor or the collection of information are most at risk. Specifically, occupations in food preparation, production, and office administration are exposed to a significant amount of automation risk. For example, about 88 percent of the tasks in the manufacturing industry are at risk of being automated in the next decade. As discussed above, this does not mean that 88 percent of the jobs in production are at risk, but the industry will be challenged to align workers with technology. On the other hand, the tasks performed in industries such as entertainment, education, and social service are at a lower risk of being automated, although some specific jobs (such as sound engineering technicians) are vulnerable. The local labor market will reflect these changes as well. In the Cincinnati MSA, over the period 2008-2018, new employment in office administration fell by 10 percent and is expected to fall another 2 percent in the next decade. Manufacturing historically a major driver of the local economysaw a 15 percent decline in new employment over the past decade, with an additional 8 percent decline expected in the coming ten years. NEWSLETTERS Get the Business Report newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get top business headlines at the start of each day and be alerted of important business news as it happens. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Business Report Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Food service and preparation actually grew by 15 percent from 2008-2018, but is expected to grow by only 8 percent in the 2018-2028 period. Overall, in the Cincinnati metropolitan area, almost 47% of the tasks performed across all occupational groups are at risk of being automated in the near future, a high percentage relative to many another metropolitan areas. . Technological displacement is nothing new. And while its negative effects receive all the attention, it is important to remember that automations complementarity with labor is an important component of economic growth. There are many aspects to the current trends, however, that make many respond with Luddite alarm. One of the most concerning is that, unlike the past decade, the jobs feeling the greatest effect from automation in the coming decade are concentrated in low-wage occupations, potentially increasing income inequality. Thus, metros solutions to this challenge in the coming years need to be appropriately targeted to ensure robust, inclusive economic advancement. Julie Heath is the director of the Economics Center at the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati. She also holds the Alpaugh Family Chair in Economics. A worker lifts a lunch bowl off the production line in 2018 at Spyce, a restaurant which uses a robotic cooking process, in Boston. Robots aren't replacing everyone, but a quarter of U.S. jobs will be severely disrupted as artificial intelligence accelerates the automation of today's work, according to a new Brookings Institution report. (Photo11: Charles Krupa, AP) Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2019/02/22/automation-coming-cincinnati-jobs/2949393002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2019/02/22/automation-coming-cincinnati-jobs/2949393002/ |
Why Are Democrats Trying to Torpedo the Korea Peace Talks? | Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. South Koreans are learning the hard truths expressed in the protest music of Phil Ochs from the darkest days of the Cold War. When it comes to times like Korea, theres no one more red, white, and blue than the American liberal, he sang in one of his most biting verses. Ad Policy Decades later, with the two Koreas on the brink of ending a war that ripped their country apart and triggered the massive US military intervention of 1950, the liberals and Democrats who earned Ochss derision may be undermining the best chance for peace on the peninsula in a generation. As US diplomats prepare for the second summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un next week in Hanoi, senior Democrats in the House and Senate, joined by a few Republicans, have been sounding alarm bells, warning that South Korean President Moon Jae-in is moving too fast in reconciling with North Korea by seeking a premature lifting of sanctions on the nuclear-armed state. They are also expressing strong reservations about the US and South Korean negotiations with Kim and warning Trump not to budge on his maximum pressure sanctions campaign until Kim has completely dismantled North Koreas nuclear-weapons and missile program. Kim temporarily halted the program nearly 500 days ago by suspending all testing of his nuclear force. Related Article US-North Korea Talks Are Moving Decisively to the Diplomatic Phase Tim Shorrock The congressional actions have been fueled by a steady stream of pessimistic and often misleading studies from Washington think tanks, eagerly embraced by US media hostile to the peace process, alleging that Kim is playing Trump and that both Moon and Trump may stop short of demanding North Koreas immediate denuclearization by embracing a more incremental approach. In recent days, word has been circulating in Washington that Trumps team in Hanoi, led by State Department special envoy Stephen Biegun, may loosen some US sanctions in return for North Koreas closing down of its huge nuclear complex at Yongbyon, which South Koreas Hankyoreh newspaper describes as the center and symbol of North Koreas nuclear development program. Other reports claim that the two countries may set up liaison offices in their respective capitals as the bilateral talks move forward. Those attempts at a compromise, in turn, have set up an internecine battle inside the Trump administration, with hard-liners like John Bolton, who is visiting South Korea this weekend, trying to head off Bieguns diplomacy. Current Issue View our current issue But Trump is sticking to his guns. Im in no particular rush as long as the Norths test suspension remains in place, Trump told reporters at the White House on February 19. That same day, President Moon told Trump in a 35-minute phone call that South Korea was ready to use economic incentives, including connecting inter-Korean roads and railroads and other projects, to reduce the burden on the United States in forging an agreement with North Korea. Seoul is ready to reboot inter-Korean exchanges with an early resumption of joint economic projects, a presidential official at the Blue House told reporters. Top Democrats, however, oppose such moves. Last week, Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, joined Republican Ted Cruz in sending a strongly worded letter to Trump that directly attacked President Moons push for closer economic ties with North Korea. They urged the White House to rein in the US ally by committing the full weight of the U.S. government to ensuring the integrity of the sanctions regime. Senator Menendez is also the author of a resolution, now under consideration in the Senate and House, promoting the trilateral military alliance between the United States, Japan, and South Korea, which is highly unpopular among Koreans. It comes as Tokyo and Seoul are locked in a bitter dispute over Japans use of comfort women as sex slaves during World War II and its refusal to provide restitution to thousands of Koreans forced to labor in Japanese mines and factories during that time. The resolution, which was introduced in the House by Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, is widely seen in Seoul as a way to pressure President Moon to back off and settle the dispute. The most dramatic moment of congressional impatience with South Korea came last week, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with a high-level delegation of South Korean lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties. The group, which was led by Representative Moon Hee-sang, the speaker of South Koreas National Assembly, came to Washington to seek support for the inter-Korean peace process started by President Moon during the Olympic Truce of January 2018. According to Korean reporters who were briefed on the meeting, the session was uncomfortable from the start and had to be extended as the talks grew intense. Pelosi, citing her own visit to Pyongyang in 1997, reportedly told her visitors not to trust the North and asserted (apparently with prodding from Representative Na Kyung-won, the floor leader of the right-wing opposition Liberty Korea Party) that North Koreas real goal isnt its own denuclearization but South Koreas demilitarization. At one point, Pelosi insisted that last Junes summit in Singaporethe first-ever meeting between a US president and a North Korean leaderwas nothing but show. The implication was that the South Koreans, who have had extensive discussions on economic, political, and military issues with their Northern counterparts over the past year, are naive and dont understand the threat to their own country. Representative Moon, in an interview with Fox 11 in Los Angeles, said he responded to Pelosi that the second summit in Hanoi is of great importance to the Korean people and it will determine the fate of our country. Thats how important it is. The US congressional pressure on South Korea to end its dispute with Japan also contributed to the tension. The issue of Japans wartime crimes is particularly sensitive for Representative Moon, who recently suggested that the Japanese emperor apologize to his country for its war crimes against Koreans. Later, he called Japan a brazen thief for demanding that he retract his comments. After hearing Pelosi express her concern about the dispute between South Korea and Japan, Speaker Moon told Korean reporters that the House speaker was essentially lobbying for Shinzo Abes Liberal Democratic Party government in Tokyo. I think Japan told her to have a word with [us] before the meeting, or in other words, scold us, he said, according to the Joongang Daily. Pelosis press office did not return phone calls or e-mails seeking comment and clarification. Still, Pelosis comments rattled many Koreans, who are hoping for a successful summit so they can proceed with their plans to eliminate tensions with the North. Reconciliation and peace between North and South Korea is a gravely historic matter that should be for the Korean people to decide, Simone Chun, a Korean scholar and activist who has spoken to congressional staffers about the peace process, told The Nation. It cannot be allowed to be reduced to a bargaining chip in the struggle for one-upmanship between Republicans and Democrats. Chun was also critical of Representative Na of the Korean opposition party for raising fears during her visit to Washington about a North Korean nuclear attack and opposing an end-of-war declaration at the upcoming summit. What Pelosi did was to legitimize the ultra-right-wing views expressed by Na, she said. Hwang Joon-bum, the Washington correspondent for Hankyoreh, South Koreas largest progressive daily, wrote an op-ed about the House speakers remarks. Pelosi is just one person who reflects the dominant viewpoint in the American political establishment, the mainstream media and think tanks, he said. There was never any chance that the lawmakers tour would reverse the deep-rooted distrust of North Korea and the antipathy to Trump both inside and outside of the US political establishment. The US critics, he added, arent impressed by North Koreas suspension of nuclear and missile testing since Nov. 2017, its willingness to demolish its Yongbyon nuclear facility and [Kim Jong-uns] focus on an economic line. Daniel Jasper, the public education and advocacy coordinator for Asia of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), said in an interview that he hoped Democrats would start seeing the Trump-Kim talks through Korean eyes. We are urging Democratic leadership to see the peace process for what it isa Korean-led effort to end a 70-year-old war, Jasper told The Nation. Changing from the view that the current situation is a nuclear standoff to the view that this situation is the result of an un-ended war is essential to understanding what types of reciprocal actions are pragmatic and necessary, as well as why diplomacy is needed in the first place. We remain hopeful that the Democrats will rise above partisanship and political calculations to support the overall goal of peace. AFSC, which established its first operations in North Korea in 1980, works with four cooperative farms in the country to raise productivity and implement sustainable agricultural practices, Jasper said. But the Menendez letter showed little appreciation for South Koreas efforts to help the North improve its economy. Menendez and Cruz listed a series of South Korean actions they consider troublesome, including moves by Korean banks to pursue investments and operations in the North and the participation of multiple business executives in President Moons summit in Pyongyang last September to discuss reopening the Kaesong Industrial Zone just north of the DMZ and tours of Mount Kumgang, a tourist site beloved by South Koreans. They also complained about President Moons recent calls to lift sanctions on the North as soon as possible and plans by both Koreas to break ground on a new cross-border rail project within this year. They added that North Koreas opacity and its well-documented efforts of evading sanctions makes it impossible to ensure that economic engagement with the Northregardless of intent to contribute to positive diplomatic progress on denuclearizationwould not violate U.N. Security Council resolutions or be used for illicit activities prohibited by U.S. sanctions. Meanwhile, in another move that could constrain both South Korea and the United States in their negotiations with the North, Representative Tom Malinowski, a newly elected Democratic congressman from New Jersey, joined Republican Representative Mike Gallagher in introducing a bill that would restrict the US government and the Pentagon from reducing US troops in South Korea from their current level of about 28,000 to 22,000 or less unless the secretary of defense could assure Congress it would not have an adverse impact on US security. The bill, H.R. 889, states that a withdrawal or significant reduction of US forces, which could happen eventually if a peace deal is reached, may risk upsetting the military balance in the Asia region. It also uses language similar to the Menendez letter concerning the US alliance with Japan, saying that the trilateral ties between the United States, Japan, and South Korea form the bedrock of regional stability. Malinowski, a former director of Human Rights Watch, was the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor during the Obama administration. In 2017, he wrote an article for Politico titled How to Take Down Kim Jong Un that essentially called for a campaign that would lead to the end of the North Korean regime and its reason to exist as a country. The Democratic Partys current approach was established last June, one week before the Singapore summit, in a letter to Trump from Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and signed by Senators Menendez, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Sherrod Brown, Mark Warner, and Patrick Leahy. It laid out a series of demands, including North Koreas dismantlement and removal of its chemical and biological weapons, which are not currently part of the talks, and urged the White House to maintain a tough approach to China throughout the peace process. The Schumer letter also rejected any incremental steps by the US government in its dealings with Kim. Any deal that explicitly or implicitly gives North Korea sanctions relief for anything other than the verifiable performance of its obligations to dismantle its nuclear and missile arsenal is a bad deal, the Democratic senators declared. Chun, the scholar-activist, said in a recent e-mail to peace activists that the Schumer letter completely overlooked the recent progress toward peace evinced by the inter-Korean summit and the Panmunjom Declaration and discounted the overwhelming support for the peace process by Koreans. It also offers no alternative vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula and considers Korean interests only insofar as they serve the narrow political agenda of the Democratic Party. Related Article How The New York Times Deceived the Public on North Korea Tim Shorrock After the Schumer letter went out, according to activists who spend time on Capitol Hill, Representative Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders told their caucus not to speak supportively of the Singapore summit, which happened to coincide with a week of advocacy on Korea by peace groups. Many of our folks lobbying on the Hill were stunned at how hostile many Dems were, one activist told The Nation. But now, with the Trump-Kim negotiations in full swing, a few Democrats are ready to take a new approach. A group of lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus plan to announce an action next week to express support for the Korea peace process and call on the United States to finally end the Korean War through a peace agreement. That would be most welcome, said Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action and national coordinator of the Korea Peace Network. Democrats should support diplomacy, and remember the most important president in this process is Moon Jae-in, not Donald Trump, Martin said. Moons persistent leadership toward reconciliation and diplomacy with North Korea represents the fervent desire of the Korean and Korean-American people for peace. Members of Congress from both parties should understand that and support it, skepticism about Trump and Kim notwithstanding. | https://www.thenation.com/article/north-korea-democrats-peace-talks/ |
Is Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador helping Donald Trump? | Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Photo11: Nick Oza/The Republic) Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador campaigned to protect the human rights of migrants. Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, vowed not to do the "dirty work" of the United States after President Donald Trump demanded Mexico stop migrant caravans before they reach the southern U.S. border. But a series of increasingly tough actions in Mexico suggest Lopez Obrador has turned his back on those promises and is tacitly cooperating with the Trump administration to stop the flow of Central American migrants passing through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. In Tijuana, immigrant advocates have accused the Lopez Obrador administration of accommodating the Trump administration's new "Remain in Mexico" program despite publicly claiming the U.S. acted unilaterally. The program forces asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their asylum claims are pending in the United States. It has drawn legal challenges from multiple groups in the U.S. who contend the program violates the law and puts migrants in danger. In January, Mexican officials, apparently acting under pressure from the U.S., denied entry to two U.S. attorneys who provided legal advice to asylum-seekers, and also refused entry to several journalists who had photographed the large migrant caravan that arrived in Tijuana in November. Mexican federal immigration authorities recently arrested and deported several people who had been helping coordinate migrant caravans as they passed through Mexico on their way toward the U.S. On Feb. 15, videos posted on social media showed police shoving and punching migrants outside a shelter in Mexico City. In denouncing the incident, human-rights groups called the incident part of a growing "pattern of harassment" by various levels of the government against "human rights defenders" and migrants seeking to organize themselves. Most recently, when about 2,000 migrants who traveled in the latest caravan arrived in Piedras Negras, hoping to cross the border and seek asylum in Eagle Pass, Texas, Mexican authorities responded by holding them in a makeshift shelter surrounded by a fence and armed officers. Then they dispersed the migrants by bus to other parts of the border. Some say recent actions suggest Lopez Obrador is coordinating with U.S. 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 The recent actions in Piedras Negras and other parts of Mexico seem to show that the Lopez Obrador administration is working closely with the Trump administration to help the United States block migrants from asking for asylum in the U.S., despite the Mexican president's promises to stand up to Trump, said David Shirk, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of San Diego. These two governments have decided that, despite very significant policy differences and ideological orientations, they have essentially opted for an alliance of convenience in what arguably otherwise under previous presidents would clearly be a major crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border David Shirk, University of San Diego professor of political science and international relations Shirk also noted that Lopez Obrador has refrained from criticizing Trump's declaration of a national emergency to fund the construction of additional barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, which Shirk said will push migrants to take more dangerous treks. "These two governments have decided that, despite very significant policy differences and ideological orientations, they have essentially opted for an alliance of convenience in what arguably otherwise under previous presidents would clearly be a major crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border," Shirk said. "... If this were happening in the 1980s, Mexican presidents would express very public outrage." In doing the United States' bidding on immigration, Lopez Obrador, appears to be trying to avoid a confrontation with the Trump administration in order to focus on domestic issues he views as more pressing, such as battling inequality, corruption and violence, Shirk said. "It allows him to focus on his actual policy priorities without getting dragged into a prolonged and potentially very dangerous conflict with the Trump administration," Shirk said. "Unfortunately, the losers, the downside, is that thousands of (migrants) are having their lives placed in jeopardy by acquiescing to Trump administration border policies." Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Expert: Lopez Obrador not upfront about 'Remain in Mexico' cooperation Lopez Obrador has not been upfront about the ways his administration is seemingly cooperating with the Trump administration's border policies, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University and expert on U.S.-Mexico relations. The Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy has essentially turned Mexico into a dumping ground for asylum-seekers, she said. "It seems like the Mexican government has not been honest with the Mexican people" about what sort of agreement it has with the United States over the treatment of migrants, she said. It seems like the Mexican government has not been honest with the Mexican people Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, George Mason University professor But she is critical of groups such as Pueblo Sin Fronteras, which has helped coordinate migrants into caravans as they pass through Mexico bound for the U.S. Organizers say they help coordinate caravans because traveling in large groups is safer for migrants at risk of being preyed upon by criminals and corrupted officials. But Correa-Cabrera believes the groups are using migrants for political purposes, something Pueblo Sin Fronteras has denied. Nevertheless, the caravans, she said, have made it difficult for Lopez Obrador's administration to implement more welcoming policies. "The Mexican government said, 'Yes, they are going to deal with this in a different way,' but they were not expecting caravans and caravans and caravans," she said. At the same time, the caravans have played into Trump's political hands, she said, by providing justification for his border wall and other border policies aimed at deterring migrant families and unaccompanied minors mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala from making the trip north to the United States. The migrants," she said. Others say Lopez Obrador still committed to helping migrants Some human-rights advocates believe Lopez Obrador remains committed to his campaign promises to be more welcoming to migrants. In January, the Lopez Obrador administration offered to provide humanitarian visas after a new migrant caravan from Central America crossed into Mexico. The program showed a different attitude towards asylum-seekers than the previous government, said Maureen Meyer, of the Washington Office on Latin America, a human-rights advocacy group. However, Mexico was forced to shut down the program after more than 12,000 people applied. Ending the program highlighted how the Lopez Obrador administration has struggled to reconcile more welcoming policies with the challenges Mexico faces dealing with the rising number of migrant caravans entering Mexico. The caravans are made up largely of Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence. I think that is extremely concerning because no one should be denied entry into a country when they are working to promote human rights of others. Maureen Meyer, of the Washington Office on Latin America "I think there is a will from a lot of Mexican officials to do things differently, but they lack the resources to do things differently, and they are trying to enact significant changes while at the same time addressing large flows of people in caravans," said Maureen Meyer, of the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group. "It's a challenge they have not quite effectively been able to address." Those challenges, Meyer said, have been compounded by the Trump administration's unilateral policies forcing "hundreds and thousands of people to be stuck in Mexican border towns" awaiting appointments to ask for asylum or after they were sent back while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed in courts. At the same time, Meyer has been alarmed by several recent actions taken by the Mexican government seemingly under pressure by the United States, notably refusing entry to asylum lawyers and journalists. "I think that is extremely concerning because no one should be denied entry into a country when they are working to promote human rights of others," she said. Meyer said she was also concerned about reports of migrants being abused by police and caravan organizers being deported. If the Lopez Obrador administration really wants to be recognized as a government that respects migrants rights and is intolerant of abuse, she said, then it must investigate the multiple allegations of abuse that have occurred in recent months, sanction those responsible, and clarify the criteria it is using to deny entry of select lawyers, journalists and others "working to support asylum seekers and members of the caravans." Reach the reporter onTwitter orFacebookor at [email protected]. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. CLOSE Hundreds greet Mexican politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during his visit to Phoenix at Salon Tradiciones, where he spoke about immigration and President Donald Trump. Nick Oza/The Republic Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/22/mexico-president-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-president-donald-trump-migrant-caravan-border-security/2931703002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/22/mexico-president-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-president-donald-trump-migrant-caravan-border-security/2931703002/ |
Do dollar store pregnancy tests actually work? | So did All the Moms so we found about them. Finding out the answer to that life-changing question isn't something women want to gamble with. But knowing which at-home pregnancy test to use is a quandary all on its own. The answer might surprise you. First, here's what you need to know about confirming pregnancy with a home test. The following applies to all tests, from the cheap ones to the fancy digital ones that count down, flash and even spell out the word "pregnant." When women pee on or dip test sticks in urine, the test is designed to pick up traces of the pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG . This hormone enters your bloodstream and urine shortly after a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining and the placenta forms. . This hormone enters your bloodstream and urine shortly after a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining and the placenta forms. The best time to take the test is the day after a woman's first missed period . This is assuming a woman has a regular cycle. . This is assuming a woman has a regular cycle. For the most accurate results, take the test when you wake up before urine is diluted. before urine is diluted. Whether a pregnancy test has words or a plus or minus sign or two lines, there is is often a control indicator a line or symbol in a window that shows it's working . If it doesn't show up, take another test. . If it doesn't show up, take another test. Read the instructions before taking the test. The FDA regulates home pregnancy tests. (Photo11: Getty Images) The answer is yes. Yes they are. The Food and Drug Administration regulates home pregnancy tests, meaning if it's sold in the U.S, it is the real deal. "I would only caution that it needs to be sold legally," said Stephanie Caccomo, FDA spokeswoman. So, women asking the big question can rest assured that tests from both the drug store and the dollar store are a safe bet. The more expensive versions may be easier to use or more sensitive (so you'll know the answer sooner). But the bargain ones will work and are accurate. if you're still nervous, you can check the name of your home pregnancy kit on the FDA-approved home and lab tests site. Praise for dollar tests One mom wrote she actually prefers the low-tech dollar store tests. After suffering an early miscarriage, Christina Hernandez Sherwood learned the pink line should get darker every day as more of the pregnancy hormone is pumped through the body. The next time she was pregnant, she used dollar store tests. As the line got darker with each day and each test, she was reassured her pregnancy was progressing and she wasn't miscarrying. "The great thing about dollar-store pregnancy tests (yes, other than the price) is that they're so flimsy you can open them up to peer closely at the tell-tale line. And that's exactly what I did when I expected I was pregnant again," she said. Connect with us on Facebook. READ MORE: Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2019/02/22/are-dollar-store-pregnancy-tests-accurate/2939242002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2019/02/22/are-dollar-store-pregnancy-tests-accurate/2939242002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-lifetopstories |
Whats the Dallas Cowboys salary cap situation in 2019? | For the first time, possibly ever, the Dallas Cowboys will head into free agency without being salary-cap strapped. The NFL projects the 2019 salary cap to be between $187 million and $191.1 million. The true number will be determined once the leagues final revenue dollars are calculated. It is usually on the high end. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram But based on a cap at $190 million, the Cowboys are projected to have roughly $50 million in cap space, when looking at the top 51 players already signed for next season and the $11.7 million in carry over from last season. This was calculated. Former quarterback Tony Romos dead money is finally off the books. The team absorbed all of former receiver Dez Bryants dead money on last years cap. When asking a high ranking Cowboys source if they ever had that much salary cap room the response was, Probably not! Young team. Some guys (D-Law, Dak) are about to get paid Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is the top priority. He is a free agent and the Cowboys have until March 5 to negotiate a new deal or place the $20.5 million franchise tag on him for 2019 and continue to negotiate. Look for Lawrence to get a six-year deal averaging between $21-23 million annually. From there, the pecking order consists of quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver Amari Cooper, running back Ezekiel Elliott and possibly cornerback Byron Jones. Prescott, the three-year starter and two-time Pro Bowler, is the 17th highest-paid player on the team with a 2019 salary of $2.045 million, largely due to performance bonuses. He is behind the likes of Jeff Heath, Allen Hurns, Chris Jones, Taco Charlton and Maliek Collins. It is past time for him to get paid. And he will get full market value for a quarterback, starting at roughly $25 million annually. Book it. Cooper is in the final year of his deal at $13.9 million. The Cowboys would like to extend him and reduce his cap figure. But it wont come cheap, as the market value for the top receivers is $14-18 million annually. If the Cowboys take care of the others and dont take care of Elliott, its going to be a problem and result in a possible hold out. He has two years left on his deal but he wants to get paid now while he is his prime after leading the league in rushing two of his first three years. The Rams gave Todd Gurley a four-year, $60 million deal that includes $45 million in guarantees and a signing bonus of $20 million after three years. Elliott wants his money now, too. More cap space possible The Cowboys can gain even more room, possibly upping their space to $60 million with some simple addition by subtraction. The Cowboys have already declined the option on receiver Terrance Williams contract, freeing up $2.25 million in cap space. They could gain $5 million in space by doing the same with receiver Allen Hurns, who had a disappointing 20 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns last season before suffering a broken leg in the wild-card victory against the Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys have to make the decision on Hurns by March 13. A big chunk could be saved by moving on from linebacker Sean Lee as well. He missed six games in 2017 and nine games last year. He has been reduced to a backup role behind Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith and there is no guarantee he can be counted on for quality depth given his lack of availability due to injuries the past two seasons. The Cowboys could save $7 million by making Lee a salary-cap casualty. What is certain is that he will get a reduction in salary or a release. But significant savings will be had. And then there is linebacker Joe Thomas, who had 14 tackles in 10 games last season. If the Cowboys move on from Lee, he will be counted on for depth. If not, they could save $2 million by cutting him. And this does not take into account the team potentially adding more room by possibly restructuring the contracts of center Travis Frederick or guard Zack Martin. Both have built-in adjustments. Owner Jerry Jones said the safety position will be discussed in free agency. So that means that Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is back on the table after the Cowboys tried to trade a second-round pick for him last October. Thomas, a former Texas Longhorns star, has made it known he would like to continue his career with the Cowboys. And with his former secondary coach in Seattle, Kris Richard, running the Cowboys defense, the interest is mutual and its a perfect fit. The question is how much Thomas, who is coming off a broken leg, will want and whether Cowboys will get in a bidding war for the soon to be 30-year-old. When healthy, he is still one of the best safeties in the game, which could put his annual salary between $10-13 million. Another option at safety could be Landon Collins of the New York Giants. He is younger but he is more of a down-in-the-box strong safety than a ball-hawking free safety like Thomas. The Cowboys top 10 salary cap hits for 2019 LT Tyron Smith: $15.5 million RG Zack Martin: $14 million WR Amari Cooper: $13.9 million C Travis Frederick: $10.9 million DL Tyrone Crawford: $10.1 million LB Sean Lee: $10.075 million RT Lael Collins: $9.9 million RB Ezekiel Elliott: $7.9 million CB Byron Jones: $6.2 million CB Allen Hurns: $6.2 million | https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article226627589.html |
Has Theresa May finally exhausted her colleagues' patience? | Departure of three amigos is a sign that Tory MPs may defy the whip in Wednesdays Brexit vote Theresa May has emerged, battered but unbowed, from so many confrontations with one or other wing of her fractious party over the past two years that survival against the odds has become her best known political trait. But the dramatic departure of three MPs on Wednesday, to cross the floor and join eight ex-Labour colleagues on the opposition benches, sharpened the extraordinary risks she faces in the days and weeks ahead. Moderate Tory MPs have warned for some time that they are prepared to defy the whips or even resign from their party in order to ensure the risk of a no-deal Brexit is removed. The existence of the fledgling Independent Group makes those threats more credible, by creating a safe and welcoming place for these refuseniks to go, and amplifying their arguments about the risks of no deal and the rightward lurch of their party. May has repeatedly managed to survive potential crunch moments by winning a few more days or weeks grace from her exasperated colleagues. Typically, she has done so by promising a bit more Brexit process: meetings, consultations with senior parliamentarians, technical talks. That is unlikely to wash this Wednesday, with scores of her own troops, including many ministers, saying their patience has been exhausted and they are minded to defy Tory whips and vote to delay Brexit if a deal has not been reached and ratified in time for 29 March. It looks highly likely that unless she promises to request an extension of Article 50 herself which would enrage the Brexiters parliament will force her to do so. She will then face a final frantic rush to secure changes to the Brexit deal that she can put before parliament, and present her partys rightwingers with the choice laid out by Olly Robbins in an unguarded late-night chat: back me, or your precious Brexit will be delayed, giving those pesky Peoples Vote campaigners even longer to get their act together. On that basis, she may finally just drag her deal over the line. But along the way, she has exasperated just about every Tory MP. Those who know May well say that holding together the party she loves has been her guiding principle as she has navigated Brexit. Over and again, she has flatly refused to seek the cross-party consensus the EU27 had hoped to see emerge. Instead, she has focused on containing the contending forces on her own backbenches, believing the public didnt vote for the politicians Brexit that would result if she tacked towards a Norway-style deal to bring more Labour votes on board. After the general election of 2017, when her majority was wiped out and George Osborne described her as a dead woman walking, she could have succumbed to the logic of the newly hung parliament and announced a change of tack. Instead, she ploughed doggedly on. Her allies argue that she could not have trusted Jeremy Corbyn to consistently deliver the bloc of supportive votes she needed to get a deal through. But she could have given parliament some role in setting the parameters, in the way she is now promising to do for the next stage of the Brexit negotiations. Instead, she scrupulously balanced Brexiters and remainers in her cabinet, spent months on an ultimately doomed attempt to keep Boris Johnson and David Davis on board and infuriated Brussels by endlessly declining to set out what future relationship Britain actually wanted. At one point the cabinet were so divided, they were sent off into breakout groups to work on the two rival approaches to post-Brexit customs checks. Like Corbyn, May can be tantalisingly inscrutable. Just as some Labour supporters fervently hoped Corbyns repeated professions of determination to honour the referendum result masked a secret desire to stop Brexit, a few moderate Tories continued to believe May was secretly a soft Brexiter, who would eventually succumb to the parliamentary logic and pivot to a customs union. But also like Corbyn, May is deeply tribal, and perhaps ultimately somewhat inflexible. The result has been a masterclass in ducking confrontation, changing the subject and running down the clock. Colleagues say the prime minister still retains a desire to leave her mark on domestic policy beyond Brexit, by returning to those burning injustices she spoke about in Downing Street. But even if the three amigos are not joined by more colleagues, the mistrust sown by Mays handling of Brexit, and her catastrophic campaign in 2017, means shes unlikely to be given the chance. And the sad irony of her approach is that far from containing the warring factions in her party over Europe, she has overseen what is at best a splintering, but if the next few days and weeks go badly, could ultimately become a much wider split, in her party. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/22/has-may-finally-exhausted-her-colleagues-patience |
How Much Can Medtronic's Earnings Grow In Fiscal 2019? | Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) recently reported its Q3 fiscal 2019 results, which were above our estimates. The company saw steady growth in most of its business segments. However, Cardiac & Vascular Group, which includes rhythm management devices, and balloons, among other products, saw a modest decline, primarily due to a tough comparison with the prior year quarter. Looking forward, we expect the company to post low single-digit revenue growth, and a high single-digit earnings growth for full fiscal 2019. The growth will largely be led by its drug eluting stents, and MiniMed systems. We have created an interactive dashboard ~ A Quick Snapshot of Medtronics Q3 Performance And Trefis Estimates For Fiscal 2019. You can adjust various drivers to see the impact on the companys overall earnings. Below we discuss our forecast in detail. In addition, here is more Health Care data. Expect Revenues To Grow In Low Single-Digits In Fiscal 2019 Medtronics Cardiac & Vascular Group includes cardiac rhythm management devices, such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of heart rhythm disorders and heart failure. It also includes coronary balloons, drug-coated balloons, and thoracic stent graft systems, among others. The segment revenues saw a modest decline in the previous quarter, amid a tough comparison, given a large order in Q3 last year, and a discontinued product line. While this will impact the segments overall performance for the full fiscal, the company is seeing strong growth for its Evolut PRO Valve. This should aid the overall segment sales. We forecast a modest growth in revenues to $11.50 billion in fiscal 2019. Minimally Invasive Therapies Group, which includes devices and therapies for neurological problems, and imaging systems among other products, saw mid single-digit revenue growth in the previous quarter, led by strong demand for its advanced stapling products, endoscopic ultrasound products, and Bravo reflux testing systems. This trend should continue in the near term, and aid the overall segment revenue growth. The company plans to launch a robotic surgical system in fiscal 2020, which will likely aid the long-term segment revenue growth. However, currency headwinds can weigh on the segment revenues in the near term, and we forecast them to see a slight decline in the current fiscal. Note that the company could see a negative impact of $425 million to $475 million from currency headwinds on sales. Looking at the Restorative Therapies Group, the company saw double-digit growth in Brain and Pain therapies for the nine month period ending January 2019. The segment primarily includes devices and implants for conditions relating to the spine, musculoskeletal system, brain, and nerves. The growth in the recent quarters can be attributed to strong sales of its Intellis spinal cord stimulation platform, and StealthStation surgical navigation systems, among other products. Looking forward, the company should continue to benefit from the existing product line, as well as its newly launched Mazor X Stealth Edition robotics guidance platform. Medtronics Diabetes group has seen growth in high teens for the nine month period ending January, 2019, led by its MiniMed 670G system, which is the worlds first hybrid closed loop system that optimizes glycemic control for patients with type 1 diabetes. We expect the full fiscal growth to be in low teens, driven by expansion of 670G in international markets. Looking at the pipeline, the company will launch MiniMed 780G, which will also have bluetooth capability, in fiscal 2020. Overall, the company should see low single-digit revenue growth in fiscal 2019. The company has guided for slight improvement in its operating margins, which along with higher revenues, should result in adjusted earnings of $5.15 per share, reflecting a high single-digit growth over the prior fiscal. Our price estimate of $112 for Medtronic is based on a 22x price to earnings multiple. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/22/how-much-can-medtronics-earnings-grow-in-fiscal-2019/ |
What Really Is Happening To Medicare Spending? | A new report this week about future increases in Medicare spending set off wildly misleading headlines about the programs future and what is might mean for efforts to expand it, as many prominent Democrats are proposing. As you wade through all this, there may be much less to the new forecast than meets the eye. Keep in mind three points: Medicare spending is projected to rise faster than private health insurance spending. But that mostly is because the number of people enrolled in Medicare is rising so much more rapidly. Medicare spending per enrollee is projected to grow at roughly the same rate as private insurance, after several years of growing more slowly. Thus, these new estimates say little about Medicares relative efficiency as a buyer of medical care. This is 10-year projection. And long-term forecasts of health expenditures are nearly always wrong. The estimates, published in the journal Health Affairs, were produced by staffers at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is the latest report in an annual exercise aimed at projecting national health expenditures for the coming decade. Overall, the CMS analysts projected that medical care will consume 19.4 percent of total US output in 2027, up from 17.9 percent in 2017. The annual rate of medical spending growth will exceed 5 percent by 2027, while other government estimates forecast the overall economy will grow by less than 2 percent. One-fifth of GDP Combined with costs of long-term supports and services, the US will be spending more than a fifth of its Gross Domestic Product on health and supportive services. That is noteworthy and worrisome. While conservatives often warn about government taking over health care, that train already has left the station-- at least if you are talking about who is paying. In 2018, Medicare and Medicaid alone paid for more than half of all medical care. By 2027, the two programs will pay about $2.5 trillion, or 57 percent of medical spending. And that doesnt include other federal payers such as the military and the Veterans Administration. Now, about Medicare: Overall, CMS estimates program spending will grow by an eye-popping 7.6 percent by 2027, far outpacing private health insurance that CMS thinks will grow by about 5.1 percent. Aging Baby Boomers Some spending growth will be due to higher costs for hospital care and prescription drugs. But private insurance also will be paying more for those service and products. Thus, per enrollee spending growth will be only slightly higher for Medicare than for private insurance. And other evidence suggests that Medicare spending growth for some common conditions, such as heart disease, may be slowing. The main reason Medicare spending is projected to rise so much faster than private insurance is the huge gap in expected enrollment. CMS figures that private health insurance will cover fewer people this year than last, largely because of efforts by the Trump Administration to discourage enrollment in the Affordable Care Act health exchanges. Enrollment will be growing again by 2027, but slowly. By contrast, the aging Baby Boomers will drive significant growth in Medicare enrollment from about 59 million last year to more than 73 million in a decade. Little evidence To its credit, CMS looks back at the accuracy of its prior estimates. Not surprisingly, its spending projections have been fairly close to the mark for three years out. But after that, not so much. Enrollment in Medicare, driven largely by demographics, is easy to project. But a forecast also requires making assumptions about unknowable changes in technology, competition, and the law. The CMS forecast of future health spending is a valuable tool. It tells us that medical treatment will continue to absorb a growing share of our economy, which leaves fewer resources for other endeavors. And it tells us that aging Baby Boomers will drive a big increase in Medicare spending, though we knew that. But it tells us very little about whether Medicare is a more or less efficient payer of health care than private insurance. Keep that in mind when politicians try to use it as evidence for their views on the future of the program. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2019/02/22/what-really-is-happening-to-medicare-spending/ |
Are Illinois Public Retirement Systems Pension Funds Or Pyramid Schemes? | The evidence continues to mount: Illinois's new elected officials and their advisors simply don't believe that it matters that public pensions are pre-funded. They view pension funds as something that exists on paper, and pension reporting as a nuisance to be avoided where possible, and ignored otherwise. Through their actions -- and indeed their words -- they are showing that they think of public pensions as pyramid schemes, in which new participants pay the retirees' pensions. And while that's true of Social Security, it's a terrible and terribly harmful approach for state-employee pensions. First, Prizker plans to revise the funding schedule from a target of 90% funding in 2045 to 90% funding in 2052. But it's not just a matter of redoing the math for a standardized formula, like refinancing a mortgage and adding more years to the payoff period. His office reports a reduction in contributions of $878 million in the 2020 budget, relative to what existing law would require. But the office has not made available the underlying contributions, and even Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and member of Gov. Pritzker's Budget and Innovation Committee, said on the February 20, 2019 edition of Chicago Tonight (about the 18 minute mark) that he didn't publish enough material for us to weigh in on those pensions and either support or not support what he did. One major concern we have is they reamortized, changed the ramp, the payment schedule, and they didn't point out what the new payment plan looks like, so I don't see what that new ramp is and we want the state to go to a level dollar so it doesn't always have this increasing payment obligation. That's what strains the fiscal resources. Sure seems as if "change the target funding schedule" is really a rationalization for yet another pension contribution reduction to plug a budget hole. Second, an answer Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes gave to a follow-up question, on potential asset transfers into pension funds, at his City Club of Chicago speech last week has been nagging at me (about the 22 minute mark): Pension benefits must be paid with cash. We're not going to pay benefits with assets. I mean, the assets will go in, they will lift up the funding ratio of the system, but obviously we're still going to be putting billions of dollars in revenues from the income tax into the system, and those will be used, and employees will be putting millions and billions of dollars of their paycheck into the system which will be used to pay benefits. This is a very troubling mindset. This suggests that Hynes, and Gov. Pritzker, view the pension fund as a pile of money which needs to exist for arbitrary matters of accounting, but that, in the end, they believe future benefits are paid by future state revenues. It's even more troubling to view employee contributions as paying for these benefits, rather than contributing to the funding of those same employees' future retirement accruals -- but, sadly, he's not entirely wrong there. The largest Illinois public pension plan is the Teachers' Retirement System. Teachers hired under the Tier II system, as of 2011 and later, had such severe benefit cuts that the latest annual report (from 2017) shows that in making their 9% of pay contributions (though, to be fair, in many cases, their school districts pay this on their behalf) they are actual paying in more than the actuarial value of the benefits they accrue. Although, to be sure, the math would work out differently if the discount rate were lowered from its current 7%, in the report's calculations, the value of Tier II employees' benefit accruals is 7.11% of pay -- that's 1.89% less than the 9% contribution. (The story is different for the other major retirement systems which have more generous benefit structures relative to employee contributions.) What's more, the Tier II benefits for all systems cap pensionable pay. That cap rises each year at a rate that's half the inflation rate. By the time Prizker's new 90% funded status target is reached in 2052, that cap will have reduced so much in value that it will be equal to the median teacher pay. Finally, a new report was published on February 19 by three scholars at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Chicago rejects the very notion of a "pension crisis" based on funded status. Instead, they argue, a pension system is only "in crisis" when it " is insolvent and unable to make benefit payments to current retirees." Instead, they claim, what matters is not whether the state pays for the accruals it promises its employees or leaves that to future generations, but whether Illinois' spending on pensions from year to year is level and manageable, in this case, at about 1% of state GDP. But even this report acknowledges the problem with the teachers' pensions, though they do so to lament what they call the "'crisis' framework" -- that is, that legislators were in too much a rush to fix benefits that they didn't do any reasonable analysis. There is also a potentially serious and costly flaw in the Tier II plan. If the rate of inflation is high enough, Tier II benefits will be so low that they will violate federal law, which requires that they be at least equivalent to social security benefits. Consequently, Illinois could be required to increase the benefit of approximately 78 percent of the employees not currently enrolled in Social Security (State of Illinois Report of the Pension Modernization Task Force, House Joint Resolution 65, 2009). The crisis framework led lawmakers to create Tier II without much consideration of its potential pitfalls. A belief that something needed to be done in the present led to too little time and consideration of the future implications of what was being implemented. The Tier II plan passed through both state chambers in a single day. Lawmakers never saw detailed projections from pension system actuaries of the plans impact. Sara Wetmore, vice president and research director at The Civic Federation, pointed out They passed this so quickly that there really wasnt any way for anybody to know if there would be any problems in the future (Mathewson, 2016). A few short years after its creation, the problems of Tier II are widely acknowledged (Secter and Geiger, 2015). Longtime readers will recall that one of the first issues I addressed was "Why Public Pension Pre-Funding Matters." I cited the risk of legacy costs -- the examples of such places as Detroit and Puerto Rico tell us that we can't take it as a guarantee that a city or state's tax base will always increase, never decrease. I explained that once it's accepted that pensions are funded at some point in the future, it creates conditions for gaming the system, a form of borrowing from future generations in which lawmakers can hide the full extent of their promises from taxpayers, and enable a whole chain of benefit-boosting practices such as pension spiking. But let's put this in more concrete terms. The Teachers' Retirement System needs reforming; in fact, all the plans need to have the cap unwound or tied to the full inflation rate. The professors are indeed correct that no such benefit should have ever been implemented without actuarial analysis (and don't get me started on the never-implemented Tier 3). And even absent the cap and the other benefit restrictions, teachers, university employees, and a minority of state employees don't have the uniform safety-net protection that Social Security provides. If they move out of state before they have 10 years of service, they lose their benefit, receiving only a refund of their contributions (and even then, for teachers, without interest); even if they are vested, midcareer cross-state moves hurt their retirement benefits because their pensionable pay is frozen. In the first place, all new employees in these retirement systems should be moved onto Social Security, as is already the norm for teachers in 35 other states. Then, their employer-provided benefits should be provided in the form of fixed contributions, either via a benefit structure that's the equivalent to private-sector 401(k) plans or via some version of a hybrid plan which provides for pooled investments and benefits but in which participants share and smooth risks rather than the state bearing the risk. But as long as state funds are being spent paying out current benefits, it is not possible to implement this fix because it requires double-paying, first, for existing benefits, and second, for the restored future accruals of Tier II employees via fixed contributions. Complaining, as Priztker and Hynes do, that it's unfair for the state to have to repay this debt, does not fix this problem. Blaming it all on a single Republican governor, rather than a legacy of both Republicans and Democrats, who over the space of 25 years, declined to fix, and in fact made the "Edgar ramp" worse, does not fix it. Accepting the need for an amendment to the state constitution. Share your opinion at JaneTheActuary.com! | https://www.forbes.com/sites/ebauer/2019/02/22/are-illinois-public-retirement-systems-pension-funds-or-pyramid-schemes/ |
Has the shiplap trend sailed? | Shiplap is all the rage right now. After all, it's everywhere. And it's a budget-friendly trend that complements a variety of home designs. Well, first off, shiplap's a home run for the current trend toward clean lines, all-white spaces and modern farmhouse themes. Second, shiplap lends itself well to the most up-and-coming trend: organic modernism. This look incorporates natural, raw and textured elements into those clean-lined white spaces. Third, shiplap is dominating on the biggest platform of all: TV. Home makeover and design shows have given the look a significant boost in the market. And finally, shiplap offers nearly limitless potential. It can be painted or stained to fit into organic or farmhouse modern, industrial, contemporary or transitional styles and beyond. And you can install it practically anywhere in the home. Truthfully, there aren't many downsides to this material other than the dust buildup between the boards that can make it a pain to maintain. But there are a few misconceptions. Shiplap doesn't have to be white. Most shiplap you see is white, but you can paint or stain these boards any color or hue. Shiplap is more than boards on a wall. True shiplap has grooves along the top and bottom edges that allow the boards to fit tightly together. This is what creates that signature spacing in between. The possibilities There are so many ways to use shiplap in your home that you could easily go overboard. Consider these ideas, but be prudent when it comes to choosing a look for your home. Try a stain or color. If all-white shiplap is too "farmy" for your taste, paint or stain the boards to better suit the space. Add interest to walls. Use shiplap as a bedroom accent wall, on bathroom walls, in your entryway or in the living or laundry rooms. Upgrade basic backsplashes. So long as the wood is sealed against moisture and splatter, you can install shiplap as a backsplash for your kitchen or bathroom sink. Make a statement with your ceiling. Shiplap can create dimension and add a rustic appeal to the fifth wall of a room. Seize little opportunities. Install hints of shiplap on such places as the kick wall of your kitchen island, the fronts of cabinets and doors or your fireplace surround. Take it outside. With the proper treatment and in the right neighborhood, shiplap can work as a siding material. Get that rustic farmhouse look with white, or go more modern with grays and dark blue hues. With so much versatility and so few downsides, there just might be a shiplap design to fit every person or style. And its trend trajectory appears to be continuing full-speed ahead. So, with that, your decision comes down to your preferences, your home and where you want to integrate the material. Talk to an interior designer or a remodeler to get expert insights and installation, and start planning your shiplap project. If you're still on the fence, or on a super-tight budget, here's an insider tip: There are removable shiplap wallpaper products that you can easily undo instantly, should you ever feel a pang of regret. Lauren White is a reporter for HomeAdvisor, an online marketplace connecting homeowners with service professionals to complete home projects. | http://www.startribune.com/has-the-shiplap-trend-sailed/506227202/ |
Do "Woke Companies" Outperform? | Heres the best of the bunch: USA Today searched yearbooks from 120 colleges from the 1970s and 1980s and found plenty of blackface and other racist photos, plus lots of gleeful Klan and Nazi cosplay. There were 200 such images in all, but one such image, which included a photo of two men as blackfaced versions of boxer Mike Tyson and his then-wife Robin Givens, was in a yearbook edited by current USA Today editor-in-chief Nicolle Carroll. I am sorry for the hurt I caused back then and the hurt it will cause today, she wrote in a column. In a refreshing twist, Tennessee Governor Bill Lees yearbook has a photo of him wearing his own face, but in a Confederate Army uniform. I never intentionally acted in an insensitive way, but with the benefit of hindsight, I can see that participating in that was insensitive and Ive come to regret it, Lee said. | http://fortune.com/2019/02/22/do-woke-companies-outperform/ |
Are LGBT+ actors left on the cutting room floor in Hollywood? | LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Gay and bisexual actors arent getting a fair shot at playing LGBT+ roles made famous by their straight counterparts, industry insiders said ahead of Sundays Oscars ceremony. This years awards have seen both praise for the number LGBT-inclusive films short-listed and criticism over the number of heterosexual actors nominated for playing gay or bisexual characters. Some argue that filmmakers should actively look for LGBT+ actors for such roles, saying they can bring a deeper understanding of the characters. I think straight people can play gay and gay people can play straight I think thats entirely possible. I just dont find it creatively advantageous, screenwriter and filmmaker Dustin Lance Black told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Friday. This year marks a decade since he won a best original screenplay Oscar for the 2008 film Milk, a biographical account of LGBT+ politician Harvey Milk. Particularly with minority representation, you would be better served creatively if you have someone in that role who really understands the nuance of that role, perhaps from a very personal perspective, he added. They are still going to have to act, they are not playing themselves, but they are bringing a lifetime of authentic experiences to that role. This years Oscars have seen a record number of films with LGBT+ storylines short-listed for awards, according to advocacy group GLAAD. They include the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic of bisexual Queen singer Freddie Mercury and The Favorite, which shows Queen Anne in a love triangle with two female consorts vying for her favor. The nominations reflect a banner year for LGBTQ inclusion in film and show that organizers are rightfully prioritizing diverse storytelling, said GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis. They reflect a changing culture, with studios and filmmakers recognizing that young viewers want to see a wider variety of stories, said Lance Black. The new audiences, the young audiences that are so valuable to studios and networks, all know someone whos LGBT or Q, he said. So if you exclude them from your script your projects are going to feel dusty, antiquated and dishonest. British actor Ben Whishaw recently addressed the issue, saying actors could play any role, but he would like to see greater equality in casting. I would like to see more gay actors playing straight roles... It should be an even playing field for everybody, he told a reporter backstage at the Golden Globes last month. Meanwhile, Doctor Who star Matt Smith said actors backgrounds should not be a factor in choosing roles as he defended himself against criticism for playing the gay character Robert Mapplethorpe in a biopic. To me, it doesnt matter if youre gay or straight, he said, according to Vulture magazine. That has no bearing on whether you should get the part. Minority communities were keen to see themselves represented on screen both in terms of storylines and the actors playing them, said David Martinez, a producer at the independent Raindance festival. He suggested casting directors should try to find LGBT+ actors for LGBT+ characters before opening up auditions to all. If they just go to the obvious heterosexual actors to play the role, and they dont give the opportunity to actors who are LGBT, thats where the problem is, he said. | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-entertainment-lgbt/are-lgbt-actors-left-on-the-cutting-room-floor-in-hollywood-idUSKCN1QB2BM |
What To Do About Child Care? | Taking care of a child is not cheap. Food, diapers, toys, clothes, and medical bills can wreak havoc on a familys budget if not carefully managed, and many working parents also pay for child care. In San Mateo County, just outside San Francisco, annual child care costs are nearly $14,000. In less expensive metro areas such as Cincinnati, child care costs can still exceed $9,000 per year. To tackle the problem, politicians have proposed expanded tax credits and direct government funding of care centers, as in Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warrens (D-MA) recently announced plan. Currently, the primary child care assistance program in the United States is the Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC). This program provides a non-refundable, income-based tax credit to parents who pay for child care. So rather than direct child care funding, the money is transferred to parents via the tax code who then use it to help purchase care from the provider of their choice. But as with any policy, unintended consequences often arise. Who benefits most from a subsidyproducers or consumersdepends on several factors. If, for example, there arent many child care providersmeaning the industry is not very competitivethen providers can increase the price they charge and thus capture some of the subsidy. The less competitive the industry, the easier this is to do. Luke Rodgers, my colleague at Florida State University, examined the CDCC and found that over half of every tax credit dollar is captured by child care providers in the form of higher wages for workers and higher prices for care. In other words, providers respond to the credit by increasing prices, which erodes its purchasing power. This finding is not surprising considering the high barriers to entry in the child care industry. As Rodgers notes, strict occupational licensing, mandated child-to-staff ratios, and zoning and facility requirements make it difficult for child care providers to expand in response to increases in demand for their services. As additional evidence, he points to the long waiting lists for child care that are common in America. Sure, but not all families. As Rodgers notes, lower-income families often cant claim the CDCC because its a credit against taxes owed. Families without any federal tax liabilityprimarily lower-income familiesdont receive a tax credit but still must pay the higher prices the credit causes. So tax credits in their current form arent ideal. If we want the tax credit to do more to make child care more affordable, we need to increase competition in the industry so providers cant capture so much of the subsidy. Unfortunately, policy seems to be going in the opposite direction. Washington D.C., for example, recently required child care workers to have an associates degree in early childhood education or a child development associate certificate. Critics of these requirements argue that they ultimately make child care more expensive by restricting the number of providers and they have a point. Sen. Warrens plan is an alternative to tax credits. It directly funds government-sanctioned providers, thus allowing them to provide care without charging full price. In this way theyd be similar to public schools, only the tax dollars are supposed to come from her Ultra-millionaire taximposed on individuals worth more than $50 millionrather than local property taxes. While it appears Warrens plan avoids some of the CDCCs problems, it really just obscures them and creates new ones. Direct government funding would reduce competition and thus the innovation and cost savings that competition brings. After all, theres not much reason to innovate when the government is backstopping your operation (again, see public schools). Consumers would be less likely to notice the cost increases under Warrens plan since their out of pocket costs are capped and the taxes used to fund it are levied on the wealthy, but this is more reason to expect costs to rise. As long as the rich can be taxed a little more, neither consumers nor providers will have an incentive to keep costs down. Additionally, Warren claims that local communities would oversee the program but the plan gives the federal government a large say in how providers would operate (...providers would be held to high national standards). This all but assures a high degree of standardization in an industry where different parents want different things based on the needs of their children. Finally, the way the federal government often gets states and municipalities to do what it wants on a variety of issues is by threatening to withhold highway funds or some other federal funding. This should make communities wary of relying on federal money to fund their child care programs. Any plan to subsidize child care is going to have its problems, but a well-designed tax credit is better than Warrens plan . Tax credits encourage parents to shop around and dont completely obscure costs. Child care subsidies that go to parents rather than providers also give parents more flexibility to create child care arrangements that work for them. Most formal day care providers operate around the traditional Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 work schedule. This isnt useful for people in the service industry who typically work nights and weekends. Giving money directly to people allows parents to pay babysitters, friends, or family members to watch their children when they need it. Warrens plan would also cement the current system, with all its flaws, in place while there is still potential for innovation. For example, software could facilitate nanny-sharing among families in the same neighborhood, allowing parents to share the costs of a high-quality in-home childcare provider. Innovative arrangements are less likely to arise when a federal bureaucracy controls funding and must approve new ideas. Of course, to maximize the benefits of a subsidy any plan should also call for the removal of unnecessary restrictions on the supply of child care providers. It should also be refundable so that lower-income families have access. This is important since theres evidence that quality early childhood programs targeted at disadvantaged children improve outcomes as adults, such as fewer arrests, better health, and more employment. Current credits are also used to incentivize work since they are only available to working parents who pay for non-parental care. While this makes some sense, its worth considering expanding eligibility to stay-at-home parents, perhaps by providing a smaller benefit for parental care or expanding the child tax credit. Cheaper child care would make things easier for a lot of families but its not a free lunch. The size of the benefit and source of funding are important considerations, and any money spent on child care is money that cant be spent on other things. To the extent a government subsidy is needed it should be in the form of a tax credit. This gives families the freedom to choose the child care thats best for them while encouraging efficiency and innovation. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adammillsap/2019/02/22/what-to-do-about-child-care/ |
Who created Tulane baseballs new 'W' logo stickers to help celebrate wins? | Roughly six weeks before the season began, Tulane baseball coach Travis Jewett wanted to try something new with his team, so he called Curtis Akey into his office. The newly-hired director of baseball operations, the New Orleans-born Akey held the task of finding a company that could provide Jewett with more than 70 white stickers that measured 5 inches in diameter with the Green Wave slugger bird logo in the middle of it. Jewett viewed the prototype of what the sticker would look like and then offered a suggestion. Instead of the traditional T Wave logo set inside the slugger bird image, he wanted to make it into a "W" with the wave crashing over the top. The W stands for one thing: Winning. We need to do a lot more of that around here, said Jewett, whose first two Tulane teams posted losing records. Now, whenever Tulane wins this season, the third-year coach will select one player to slap a sticker onto the back of the dugout wall. Through five games this season, Tulane is 5-0 and has five stickers affixed to the green wall above the bench seats inside the teams third-base side dugout. The stickers so far have gone to three pitchers and two hitters, the most recent one going to third baseman Kody Hoese following his three home runs Wednesday against Lamar. The other position player to slap a sticker on the wall is freshman outfielder Hudson Haskin, whose grand slam Sunday broke open the Tulane win against George Washington. How Hudson Haskin became Tulane baseballs newest freshman hero What he did with a fastball in the sixth inning Sunday made the difference. The pitchers who earned sticker-placing privileges are starters Kaleb Roper and Josh Bates, who both lasted seven innings in their outings, and freshman reliever Krishna Raj for his six shutout innings Saturday for Tulane to win in 13 innings. I didnt think it was going to be this exciting, said Bates, a sophomore from Orlando, Florida. Its kind of fun. Its almost like a competition within the team; all of us kind of want to put the sticker up. When Hoese received his sticker Wednesday, he did what most other players did by laying it flat on one hand with the sticky side up as he smacked the sticker against the wall as his teammate cheered. Its like a kid hit a home run again, said Akey, whose move from the press box as a former sports information director to the dugout in his new position gives him a different perspective. Its another loud, exciting moment after the game. For as much as the sticker sounds like something inspired from the movie Major League think about how Wesley Snipes character nailed a pair of batting gloves to a wall for each base he stole Jewett said he thought of the idea on his own. Were trying to be more competitive with our training environment, Jewett said. Were doing things that basically glorify winning. I think (the stickers are) catching on with the kids a little bit. I feel like its something thats bringing us together. I think its kind of a cool little thing that we got going on. Jewett said the school purchased the maximum number of stickers needed for the Green Wave to make it through each round of the postseason and play for as long as possible this summer in Omaha, Nebraska. In the 70s," he said of the number of stickers purchased. Tulane hasnt reached a Super Regional or played in a College World Series since 2005, so the target is a lofty one. The truest test for how this Green Wave compares to upper-level competition will come Friday with the beginning of a three-game home series against Ole Miss, which has a No. 10 national ranking by D1Baseball.com. Ultimately, Tulane wants to win all three games. These arent the only stickers introduced to the team this season. On the back of several batting helmets are translucent thumbnail-sized stickers with a white outline of an angry wave logo. Those stickers are being given to hitters for doing things that dont typically appear in a box score that contribute to winning. Reaching base after facing an 0-2 count is one item on a complete list Jewett declined to share. The kids are buying into it, Jewett said. I think it kind of excites them and keeps them engaged." This all plays into the bigger mission at hand, which is winning. Were fighting like hell to slap a bunch of stickers around, Jewett said. | https://www.nola.com/tulane/2019/02/find-out-more-about-tulane-baseballs-new-w-logo-sticker-that-celebrates-wins.html |
When will the icy, arctic wind in the Bay Area stop taunting 'weak' Californians? | @omnitrigger photographed the snow covered Mt. Hamilton in San Jose. Snow graced the peaks of the San Francisco Bay Area once again on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. @omnitrigger photographed the snow covered Mt. Hamilton in San Jose. Snow graced the peaks of the San Francisco Bay Area once again on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. 1 / 28 Back to Gallery "When is this crazy icy wind going to end?" asks a San Jose Reddit user. Bone-chilling temperatures and blustery conditions have gripped the Bay Area (and actually all of California) for at least two weeks. Stepping outside lately can make you feel as if you've been hit by an arctic blast at least thats what it feels like for Californians who basked in 75 degrees last February "Usually at this time, I'm wearing summer dresses," shares one Redditor. "It's been a while since it was this cold," chimes in another. "Maybe 2013 was the last time it was as cold as hell every night." "It seems like this everyday," echoes another. "Even today it was so sunny and then I got punished for taking a lunchtime walk." Some, who have experienced winters that are actually cold, are less empathetic: "lol. Granted I grew up in the midwest, but I've been out here for five years. I'm completely comfortable in my Bay Area-approved Patagonia vest. Y'all are weak!" Spencer Tangen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, pointed to a high-pressure ridge parked miles off the coast and stretching all the way to the Gulf of Alaska as the main driver. Tangen said the ridge has been in place since early February, and describes it as a roller-coaster that the cold air rides along from the north to the south. "The air comes down from Canada and goes up and over the top of the ridge and then it comes down the east side and we're on the eastern side," he explained. High-pressure ridges often hug California's coast, blocking storms from the Pacific Ocean and keeping the state dry. But because this ridge is farther out at sea, storms are slamming into California, leaving behind more cold air and blustery conditions. Since the start of February, back-to-back cold fronts have moved across California, keeping this pattern going. "What can happen, after the cold front comes through, we get a difference in pressure and that creates strong winds when the cold front comes through," says Tangen. MORE: Photos: Bay Area stuns with snow-covered hillsides after unusually cold storm As a result, temperatures in the Bay Area have been below normal, and low-elevation snow in the hills, black ice on roads and chilling winds have all been in the mix. Coastal areas have dropped into the 40s several nights in February, while inland areas and mountain tops have sunk into the 30s, even 20s. Tangen says overnight lows and daytime highs at San Francisco International Airport have been on average three degrees below normal. The coolest temperatures usually fall when skies clear between storm,s and the warmer ones occur on cloudy days as clouds hold heat and radiate it toward the ground. Under a cloudless sky on Friday morning before the sun rose, the airport saw a low of 41 degrees and downtown San Francisco 44. Another piece that falls into this puzzle of cold misery is dry air that sends lips screaming, "Chapstick." This is because cold air can't hold as much humidity. Tangen says the cold weather could begin to diminish as early as Friday night and Saturday as the ridge weakens. An atmospheric river poised to hit Northern California on Sunday will likely be focused to the north of the Golden Gate but the tropical storm will usher some warmer air into the region with overnight lows inching up into the low-50s to high-40s. Next week, the forecast is still fuzzy as Tangen says it's still unclear what will unfold with this next storm. | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/icy-arctic-wind-cold-temperatures-Bay-Area-13637284.php |
Do Moon Phases Or Storms Affect Childbirth? | As a meteorologist and climate scientist, I am used to people asking me if groundhogs can predict the onset of spring or why I chose to study meteors (smile). These are common misperception. Over the years, people (including on the day that I am writing this) have asked me if there is any truth to moon phases affecting child birth. Most science-based studies unequivocally say "no" or are inconclusive at best. Dr. (Phillips) Heine, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, is quick to dispute any connection between the phases of the moon and the onset of labor. "People have thought a full moon is responsible for many things -- bad or good -- through time. So when babies were born in a full moon, it naturally became the reason, rather than just the normal time," says Dr. Heine. (Amy) MacDonald, director of Duke Midwifery Services, agrees, adding that the reason this myth has persisted for so long is likely because of strong cultural ties. "There are lots of belief systems and cultures around the world linking the cycle of the moon and womens fertility," she says. I see this type of cultural inertia in my field too with things like the accuracy and efficacy of almanacs or rodents for weather prediction. I have written in Forbes on common myths within the field of meteorology. However, more recent medical literature finds this claim to be inconclusive. In 2017, Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer wrote this on the UT Southwestern Medical Center blog, Your Pregnancy Matters: Among health care professionals and labor and delivery nurses, there is a strong belief that falling barometric pressure results in an increase of spontaneous rupture of membranes and increased rates of spontaneous labor. In one survey, three-quarters of L&D nurses believed there was an effect from the weather. Most professionals come to this conclusion after spending hours working on a labor and delivery unit. It just seems that L&D gets a little busier when the weather gets bad. And it seems plausible, especially given the other effects barometric pressure seems to have on our bodies. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/02/22/do-moon-phases-or-storms-affect-childbirth/ |
How are MPs deselected? | Image copyright Getty Images Deselection is the buzzword sending a shiver down the spine of MPs in both main parties as local activists, fired up over Brexit, flex their muscles. Six of the nine former Labour MPs who quit the party, unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and the party's handling of anti-Semitism, were previously facing local pressure to remove them as MPs. And the three former Conservative MPs - Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen - who quit to join the Independent Group, claim a "purple wave" of former UKIP members are joining local Tory associations purely to deselect Remain supporting MPs. Local parties select candidates for general elections (sometimes with a little help from party HQ) - and they can sack an MP once they have been elected, ensuring that they can't stand under the party banner in that area at the next general election. Local activists argue that MPs do not have the right to a job for life - and that they should be open to a challenge if they no longer reflect the views of party members or their electorate. MPs, meanwhile, insist they are entitled to express their opinions without being hounded out of Parliament. Deselection is not a straightforward process, particularly in the Labour Party, and MPs have several weapons at their disposal to fight it. There are not currently thought to be any SNP or Lib Dem MPs facing the threat of deselection. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The "gang of seven" - who quit the Labour party on Monday to form the Independent Group - said their values had been "abandoned" by Jeremy Corbyn Labour defectors Four members of the Independent Group - Joan Ryan, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith and Gavin Shuker - had lost votes of no confidence in recent months, in their constituency, before quitting the Labour Party. Such votes have no legal force in the party - they are merely a way of allowing activists to express their discontent, in effect putting the MP on notice of deselection. After her confidence vote, Joan Ryan, a former minister under Tony Blair, said: "It never occurred to me that Trots, Stalinists, communists and assorted hard left would [have] confidence in me. I have none in them." Luciana Berger had also been facing a no confidence motion but it was withdrawn amid accusations - denied by her Liverpool Wavertree party - that she was being "bullied". Chuka Umunna had also been under pressure from activists in his Streatham constituency. The nine local Labour branches that have seen their MP quit the party will now have to select a new candidate for the next election, something they will presumably want to do as soon as possible. But it is not just the Labour defectors who have been feeling the heat: some reports claim up to 100 Labour MPs could be challenged as the Labour candidate before the next election. Image copyright UK Parliament Staunch Jeremy Corbyn loyalist Chris Williamson, who last year toured the country with a "democracy roadshow" calling for the mandatory reselection of every Labour MP, has been threatened with deselection by members of his Derby North constituency party. Veteran Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey has vowed to fight deselection after losing a confidence vote in her Vauxhall constituency, over her stance on the EU and other issues. There were fears among some in the party that Labour's recent "democracy review", which recommends changes to the party's internal structure, would advocate the mandatory reselection of every MP but instead it pushed back any decision until after the proposed constituency boundary review. Conservative defectors In their resignation letter, the three Conservative defectors said their former party is being subsumed by a UKIP-inspired "purple momentum" shifting the party to the right, particularly over Brexit. Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry said she knew of certain MPs who have been "frightened", unable to vote as they wish for fear of deselection or being admonished by their local association. Before quitting, Dr Wollaston and Ms Allen, who both advocate a second referendum, were facing pressure in their local parties over their views, with crunch meetings planned in the next few weeks. Image copyright AFP Of those who remain in the Conservative Party, a process that may lead to the deselection of former minister Nick Boles, who is behind attempts to prevent a no-deal Brexit, is under way in his Grantham and Stamford constituency. Skip Twitter post by @NickBoles If at any point between now and 29 March the government were to announce that no deal Brexit had become its policy, I would immediately resign the Conservative whip and vote in any way necessary to stop it from happening. Nick Boles MP (@NickBoles) December 18, 2018 Report His constituency party chairman, Philip Sagar, has already said his local members want him out and he "must go now". But Mr Boles has vowed to fight any attempts to oust him. A petition calling for the Remain-supporting MP Dominic Grieve to be deselected by his local Beaconsfield Conservative Association has attracted more than 35,000 signatures. And Sir Alan Duncan is reported by the Telegraph to be facing a no-confidence vote organised by Eurosceptic activists, at the annual meeting of his Melton and Mowbray association. Displeasure has even spread to sections of the parliamentary party. Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has called for some of her more rebellious colleagues, such as Dominic Grieve, to be deselected. Skip Twitter post by @NadineDorries Tonight, the Tory rebels have put a spring in Labours step, given them a taste of winning, guaranteed the party a weekend of bad press, undermined the PM and devalued her impact in Brussels. They should be deselected and never allowed to stand as a Tory MP, ever again. Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) December 13, 2017 Report Previous deselections Image copyright Getty Images Deselection is not a recent phenomenon. In 1904, even the now-heralded wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill faced the ignominy of being deselected as the local Conservative candidate, by his Oldham association, in a row over his support for free trade. He continued to sit as the town's MP but joined the Liberal Party a few months later, for whom he won a Manchester seat in the 1906 election. The most recent deselections have come from the Conservative side. Despite serving more than 30 years as member for South Suffolk, in 2015 Tim Yeo was unceremoniously rejected as the Conservative candidate by local members before the general election. Days earlier, Thirsk and Malton MP Anne McIntosh, who now sits in the House of Lords, suffered a similar fate. Mr Yeo and Mrs McIntosh had both been prominent select committee chairs. In Labour, actual deselections using the trigger ballot system are rare. Former East Lothain MP Anne Moffatt was deselected in 2010, while in 2007 the MP for Liverpool West Derby, Bob Warring, blamed a "New Labour mafia" for his deselection in favour of Stephen Twigg. How to remove an MP The two main UK parties have different rules. In the run-up to a general election, sitting Labour MPs can be made to compete for selection as a candidate against all-comers. But until recently, they faced such a reselection contest only if 50% of a constituency's local branches and affiliated unions voted for it in a "trigger ballot". At its conference last September, however, the party made it easier to deselect MPs - by cutting this threshold to 33%. In the Conservative Party, the process is simpler. The sitting MP must apply in writing to be readopted as the party candidate. A specially convened meeting follows, where the executive council votes on the MP's future. Additionally, if a petition gathers signatures from 50 local members (or 10% of total membership) this can also force a meeting. If the MP loses the vote, they must take part in a new candidate selection. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47283976 |
Was Google's Ex-CFO Right To Say DeepMind Could Have Been A U.K. Tech Champion? | Google's former chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, told journalists in the UK this week (see The Telegraph and Business Insider) that AI lab DeepMind could have been a national "champion" if it had remained independent and had the right set of support. While the UK's lack of tech giants is an issue for some, his comments seem slightly misplaced. The ex-Google exec, who played a significant role in making DeepMind a US-owned company, reportedly told Business Insider: "Everybody's celebrating that DeepMind was sold to Google. But if you take a step back, ask yourself, had it had the right set of support what would DeepMind look like today as a UK champion? At the end of the day, it's not a UK company any more. They are part of an American company." At the time of the $600 million acquisition back in 2014, DeepMind had no significant revenue stream, limited computing power and a lack of data to train its algorithms on. It was a long way from being a $100 billion-plus corporation. At the time, SoftBank's enormous Vision Fund didn't exist so it would have been hard for DeepMind to raise the hundreds of millions it would have needed to remain independent and scale up. Venture capital investors and wealthy angel investors were always interested in DeepMind but the huge funding rounds that we're seeing today weren't common. Under Google, DeepMind has access to what seems like a never-ending stream of capital, arguably the most powerful computing platform on the planet, and a huge pool of data to train its algorithms on. It's also got access to thousands of incredibly smart Googlers, including Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Pichette made his comments about DeepMind as he revealed that he wants to fund startups in Europe that have the potential to grow into Google and Facebook-style companies. He believes that the main reason Europe hasn't yet produced tech firms of this magnitude is that US tech giants prey on them. "At Google, on average we bought two companies a week for the seven years I was there," Pichette reportedly told Business Insider "If I didn't take them out, Amazon would, Microsoft would. Both Canada and the UK have great early-stage ecosystems, but not a robust growth ecosystem." | https://www.forbes.com/sites/samshead/2019/02/22/was-googles-ex-cfo-right-to-say-deepmind-could-have-been-a-national-champion/ |
Is 'If Beale Street Could Talk' Based on a True Story? | The Academy Awards category of Best Adapted Screenplay can contain many layers. and BlacKkKlansman, are based on books as well as true stories. That is not the billing, though, for the film adaptation of James Baldwins novel If Beale Street Could Talk the love story of Fonny, an African-American man from Harlem who is imprisoned after being falsely accused of a rape, and Tish, his pregnant girlfriend who tries to get him out. But Beale Streets source material, while not based on a true story, gets at a different kind of truth. Some people who knew Baldwin believe the novel was likely inspired, at least in part, by the true story of one of the writers friends, William Tony Maynard, Jr., who was falsely accused of murdering a decorated white Marine and spent more than six years behind bars. One of those believers is Maynards lawyer, Lewis M. Steel. Late last year, a few days after I published a piece about the film, he emailed me to say as much. I have no doubt, he wrote, that the novel was a fictionalized version of a murder case I defended. He acknowledged that he had no evidence and only supposition, but said that his client, like Fonny, had been up against a system that cared little about guilt or innocence and that Baldwin had been well aware of the situation. Tony Maynard was freed on bail in April 1974, and the novel came out in June 1974. Maynard tells me that of course Baldwin was, in part, inspired by his real story, in the same way that any writer is inspired by what he observes. Im sort of a catalyst for everyone Ive ever met, he says, sitting in Steels midtown Manhattan office one recent afternoon. But as it turns out, the debate over whether the story is based on Maynard isnt as simple as looking for parallels and the answer to which it leads speaks to much more than one mans experiences. What happened between Maynard and Baldwin is not just an illustration of how Beale Streets subject matter can play out in real life, but also a lens onto what is expected of individuals whose personal stories teach others about the world. Director Barry Jenkins, center, works with actors Stephan James, left, and KiKi Layne on the set of If Beale Street Could Talk Tatum MangusAnnapurna Picture/Shutterstock Heres what we do know about James Baldwin and Tony Maynard: They met around 1960. Their families had lived close to one another in Harlem when Maynard and Baldwin were young, and both later lived in Manhattans Greenwich Village neighborhood. In that period, Maynard was an aspiring actor who had opened a clothing store with his wifes brother-in-law. He occasionally helped Baldwin out, as a chauffeur, secretary and body-man. Ive known the most august people in many realms of life, he says, reflecting on that time. At the end of October 1967, Maynard was arrested for allegedly having fatally shot 21-year-old white Marine Sergeant Michael Kroll, a winner of five battle stars and the Purple Heart, with a sawed-off shotgun seven months earlier, at around 4 a.m. on April 3, 1967, in Manhattan. Kroll had been killed by a suspect who was identified as black, when he intervened after an altercation, which started when a white member of the Navy claimed he had been propositioned by a different black man. Maynard says that at the time of Krolls death he had been in the borough of Queens, with his wifes side of the family. At the time of his arrest, Maynard was working with a group of jazz musicians touring Germany. Baldwin visited Maynard during his initial time in jail there, writing in the 1972 book No Name in the Street that they hadnt talked since around the time of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, when they grew apart over a philosophical disagreement; Maynard came to see the civil rights movement as elitist. But Baldwin still considered Maynard a friend, he wrote. He worked to arrange payment for legal representation for Maynard, before Maynards sister Valerie asked Steel, a white lawyer who worked for the NAACP, to represent her brother. Having refused the Manhattan district attorneys offer of a plea bargain, Maynard stood trial in New York three times between 1969 and 1970. The first trial ended in a hung jury. The second ended in a mistrial and in the third, in December of 1970, he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, and spent the next few years in and out of solitary confinement as he moved between prisons, including Attica, where he survived the famous 1971 uprising. In April 1974, in a three-minute hearing, a judge freed Maynard on bail after six and a half years in jails and prisons, because prosecutors had suppressed information about its key witnesss psychiatric history, which made his testimony unreliable. The Manhattan D.A.s office officially dismissed the case that August. Maynards case got sizable local media coverage because of Baldwin. As the New York Times noted in a front-page story about the case, An aspiring actor as well as an agent, who counted James Baldwin and William Styron, the novelists, among his friends, Mr. Maynard and the case against him drew wide public attention. In Beale Street, Fonny doesnt have such high-profile people in his network who could go to bat for him. But Steel is not the only person to notice the similarities between that story and what Maynard went through. When asked whether the novel was based on or inspired by what happened to Maynard, David Leeming, Baldwins friend for 25 years and personal assistant from 196367, told TIME via email, Yes. To some extent. In his book James Baldwin: A Biography, Leeming describes the novel as a fictionalization of Baldwins literal and metaphorical concerns about American prisons. He also identifies a character in the novel as having a real-life version in Maynards sister Valerie, who is a successful artist. Two of her sculptures were borrowed for use in the Beale Street film. (Its director and screenwriter, Barry Jenkins, did not respond to a request for comment on that set-dressing choice.) The Baldwin estate chose not to comment for this story, though a representative did casually suggest, when asked about true stories that may have inspired Baldwin as he wrote If Beale Street Could Talk, that I should go look up Maynards story. History Newsletter Stay on top of the history behind todays news. View Sample Sign Up Now Baldwin began writing Beale Street while Maynard was behind bars, and amid a significant shift in American policing. President Lyndon B. Johnsons call for a War on Crime in 1965 launched an unprecedented federal investment in local police departments. Deadly riots fueled by racial tensions in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles later that year, and in Detroit and Newark in 1967, convinced lawmakers to double down on a strategy of policing that was based on the presupposition that young black men bore responsibility for the bulk of the nations crimes. James Baldwin, right, and Bayard Rustin, deputy director of the March on Washington, discussing the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four young African-American girls in Birmingham, Ala., during a news conference in New York three days later, on Sept. 18, 1963. Rustin is holding an armband that people would be wearing at an upcoming rally organized as a day of mourning for the victims. AP The strategy of policing shifts from responding to actual crime to hunting for potential subjects, says Elizabeth Hinton, author of From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime and professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. You dont need to necessarily be doing something to raise suspicions. In Maynards case, police said the suspect would be a 58-tall black man between the ages of 18 and 22, who looked like Martin Luther King, Jr., Steel recalls in his memoir. Meanwhile, Maynard was in his 30s and just over 6 tall. Baldwin called this policing strategy political persecution in a letter he wrote in 1968 about Maynards case, now in the collection of the authors papers at the New York Public Librarys Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The black man is not a man like other men, Baldwin wrote. This means for his own sake, and for the sake of society, he must be corralled and controlled. Black men like Maynard, who defy the societal dictum which caused you to be born in the ghetto in the first place, and which states that you shall remain there are particular targets, he noted. And that Maynard had married a white woman at the time he was getting to know Baldwin, he was married to a model named Mary Quinn made him guilty of the very greatest American heresy, which police seemed to view as an attack on all that is sacred. But while Baldwin was certainly paying attention to Maynards case, its ultimately not clear what role that attention played in the conception of Beale Street. After all, the author was also trying to help in any way he could with such political persecutions of people like Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton and Angela Davis, according to Leeming. He also railed against prisons on The Dick Cavett Show in early September 1973, and had tried unsuccessfully to raise money for a chorus of singer-activists like Lena Horne and Nina Simone to tour Americas prisons. Valerie Maynard, for one, sees no link. Not only was her brother a decade older than the novels protagonist, but there is nothing unique about a black man going to prison for a crime he didnt commit, she says. And, she points out, referring to the disproportionate amount of time black people in the U.S. spend in prison compared to white people, stories like Beale Streets have been multiplied by millions. Indeed, in the year the novel If Beale Street Could Talk came out, fewer than 300,000 Americans were in prisons and jails. In 2016 despite some improvements in legal resources, police procedure and investigation technology that number was 2.2 million, according to the advocacy group the Sentencing Project. Experts say African Americans are more likely than whites to be wrongly convicted of murder, sexual assault and rape, as well as drug crimes. Its only gotten worse, says Barry Scheck, co-founder of The Innocence Project. The only thing I can say is better is the understanding that innocent people are in fact convicted. Its hard to determine exactly how many convicted defendants are innocent. You only know the ones that come to light, and theres every reason to believe that most of the worst cases dont, says Samuel Gross, co-founder and senior editor of the National Registry of Exonerations. The exonerations we know about most are ones connected to the civil-rights movement. They were most likely to get the attention, work and help that would result in ultimately clearing the defendants. The closest he has come to finding a number is through his 2014 study of people on death row between 1973 and 2004, finding that about 4.1% of them are innocent. Of those, about 1.8% have been exonerated. Of the 2,372 exonerations in the Registry as of Feb. 15, nearly half of the defendants are black and 39% are white. Exoneration isnt the end of a defendants experience. And evidence from that period of Maynards life shows that Baldwin did in fact try to tell his story just not explicitly with If Beale Street Could Talk. As soon as Maynard was released, Steel began pushing Baldwin to write a non-fiction book about what Tony had gone through. It was tentatively planned under the title Upon My Soul, inspired by an exchange recounted in No Name in the Street, in which Maynard swore Upon my soul, I didnt do it, and Baldwin responded Upon my soul, well get you out. Steel recalls the three of them meeting in a Manhattan restaurant to discuss the project. Attorney Lewis M. Steel, right, arrives at federal court in lower Manhattan on Aug. 3, 1970. Barney SteinNew York Post Archives/Getty Images That Tony was going to get a regular job was not high in the possibilities, says Steel. We had to do something to create some kind of living for him and the obvious thing was Baldwin writing a book. The book never happened, though an outline for it can be found within Baldwins papers. In those records, Baldwin describes Maynard as a landless aristocrat, a dreamer, turned hustler. Baldwin was too swamped with other projects to devote the time necessary to getting Maynard to open up. The idea of entering a contract requiring him to do so terrified him. Maynard is a very arrogant, lonely, ingrown boy also in his relationship to me, at least, a very loyal one: indifferent as a driver, wretched as a secretary, Baldwin wrote in a Mar. 7, 1975, letter to his editor Jay Acton. I need Tonys confessionthe confession of a certain private species of heart-break, isolation, pride, and despair. As his biographer Leeming later put it, If Beale Street could talk, so much could be told, so much could be learned. But in this case it would not talk. Tony Maynard had been hurt too badly; he chose withdrawal rather than liberating blues. Maynard, who now prefers to go by the name Djata Samod, acknowledges that Baldwins insights had truth to them. He does what he wants to do when he wants to do it. He has not sought a conventional life of work; I never desired one. Its not that I couldnt, its just that I wouldnt, he says. Steel describes himself as a caretaker of sorts for Maynard, giving him about $1,000 a few times a year, perhaps out of a feeling of white guilt, he writes in his memoir. Whenever cash came in, Maynard admits hed go traveling. Steel points out that he bought a sailboat that sank and a race car that he crashed. Money, Maynard says, is meant to be spent. Steel hasnt given up hope on the Baldwin novel turning into a road to stability for his client, via visibility for his story. If Beale Street Could Talk has grossed more than $14 million as of Feb. 20, according to domestic box office sales estimates. William "Tony" Maynard in Co-op City, Bronx, N.Y., on Feb. 20, sitting in the beloved Jeep that he has called home during road-trips nationwide. Wayne Lawrence for TIME And though Maynard is still reluctant to open up completely, now he wants people to know what happened to him. I think at that time I didnt even want to tell [Baldwin] my story, and now I want to, he says, sitting in his now 81-year-old lawyers office, underneath a portrait by Valerie Maynard the image of a man captioned What can I do about all this injustice. Maynard is 83 and his eyesight is getting worse by the day. After years of living out of his Jeep, he says now spends most of his time indoors, in an apartment in the Bronx with his ex-wife. For a man who was in and out of solitary confinement, the experience feeds an element of dj-vu. He attributes his shakiness when he walks to simply living inside. And yet, though those aspects of his personality are irrelevant to guilt or innocence, Leeming writes in his biography of Baldwin, Maynard was a type for whom even perhaps especially the white liberal establishment would have little sympathy because he gave none of the reassurance of the successful black. Baldwin acknowledged the issue in a letter to Acton, writing that even he himself was a slave to the system and its expectations. There is no way for me to not pay my taxes, he wrote. I am, therefore, an accomplice if only because I accept that I am part of a system which I must manage to outlast, outwit. Maynard has chosen to live outside of the system as much as possible. Baldwin had it right, that [Maynard] is an outsider, a loner, Steel says. Ironically, my bet is it helped him survive in prison, in his Jeep so you dont have to deal with the horrible racism that is ever-present in life. When he got out of prison, he wandered the world and let no one control him again. And it may have been easier for Baldwin, who died in 1987, to use a fictional character to tell a story about criminal justice, a story the protagonist of which would have to bear much weight. After all, a book doesnt have to be based on a true story to contain truths. Baldwin, who described his role in the world as public witness to the situation of black people, knew that well. [T]he world is full of beaten prisoners, and very few of them can speak, Baldwin wrote in his outline for the last section of Upon My Soul. Whoever can speak must speak for all the others. Insofar as he can speak, he is speaking for the others. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at [email protected]. | http://time.com/longform/beale-street-could-talk-true-story/ |
What could Tauranga's new university campus mean for the region? | Students on Monday will become the first to take classes at the University of Waikato's new Tauranga campus, opening nearly a year ahead of schedule. More than a building, the $55 million facility is a sign of the area's transformation, according to local leaders. Bay of Plenty Times Weekend reporter Dawn Picken explores the institution's past, present and future. About 100 people attended the blessing of the new campus. Photo / George Novak Karakia - Blessing It's 5.30 am Wednesday near Durham St as a group of people gather in front of the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus. A supermoon, about as close to Earth as it'll ever come, shines above the crowd; a work light illuminates a tall, draped shape. A kaumatua chants in te reo while two men remove black fabric to reveal a pouwhenua - a wooden carving called Te Toka a Tirikawa. More chanting and songs precede the shuffle of more than 100 pairs of feet into the building. Once inside, we see not only more art and architecture, but also evidence additional work needs done: boxes are stacked one level below, construction cones and dust remain, along with equipment to shift heavy loads. Advertisement The karakia concludes inside Te Manawaroa meeting room, where hongi and handshakes follow. Waikato University Professor and kaumtua Tom Roa addresses those encircling the space. Later, a Ngai Te Rangi spokesman would tell attendees at a Bongard Centre breakfast, "This whare is for the students of the world." Leah Owen will be one of the first students to study at the University of Waikato's new Tauranga CBD campus. Photo / Andrew Warner Study-Ready Anaru Palmer and Leah Owen, who were head boy and girl of Tauranga Boys' and Tauranga Girls' colleges last year, will both stay in the city to study at the campus. Owen has enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Sciences majoring in psychology, while Palmer will be among the first cohort of students in Te Tohu Paetahi - a one-year diploma in te reo Mori taught as a full immersion programme. "Excited is an understatement," Owen told the Bay of Plenty Times earlier this week. "I am over the moon there is actually a campus here. I can't wait to get started." Owen said she chose to study locally to save on accommodation costs and to be able to keep her part-time job. "It was a no-brainer. It made sense," she said. Initially, Palmer was considering a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law at Waikato's Hamilton campus, but changed his mind after discovering the full immersion programme was available at the Tauranga campus. University staff said 950 people had enrolled at the Tauranga campus since last Monday, up 31 per cent from the same time last year. Enrolments are expected to continue rising. If future projections pan out, Palmer and Owen could be joined by about 1800 students, or 1500 full-time equivalents, within five years. The most popular areas of study so far were degrees in teaching, business, social sciences, science and social work. About 40 Tauranga-based PhD students have enrolled in a range of subjects from Education to Marine Science. Tauranga native Candra Pullon was last year's University of Waikato student union president and served on the campus development committee. She said her peers were excited and appreciative to have a place in Tauranga. "I know co-ordinating all the pieces was a big project, but the students are really looking forward to being able to use this campus ... the Hamilton students as well are already talking about how they can come over and spend a day at the beach. I'm sure the campus will be well-utilised." Pullon said the project had taken a giant leap from when she first saw it last August. "There were steel poles in the floor, so to come and see it and all the artwork makes it really real." The new University of Waikato Campus. Photo / George Novak The Space Architects from Jasmax designed the campus with two buildings adjoined by a central atrium. It features collaborative areas, customisable teaching spaces, a 200-seat lecture theatre, multi-function space, 24-hour computer lab, cafe, commercial kitchen and noho centre with sleeping facilities. Jasmax principal Neil Martin said taking his team to Huria Marae three years ago laid the foundation for the project. "The stories and the camaraderie we heard about - we hope that's embedded in the building." Hawkins Construction started on the campus in June, 2017. Project director Roy Lehndorf told a group at the post-blessing breakfast Wednesday his team still had a massive workload. "We've got 100 guys on site, and about 10,000 hours to go, putting the final touches on the building." Greenstone Group was project manager. The building will include a Research and Innovation Centre focused on business activity. The campus will also continue hosting research stations and centres of excellence including the Coastal Marine Field Station and the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance, a gym and research space. Student Housing Struggle The Bay of Plenty Times reported Wednesday some students were struggling to find a place to live. Tauranga Rentals owner Dan Lusby said he was "drowning in applications" and had no idea how new students coming to the city would find accommodation. The University of Waikato leased two apartment blocks towards the end of last year - Durham Mews Apartments and Mayfair Court Apartments - to help accommodate the influx of students expected when the new Tauranga campus opens. The apartments were designed to accommodate 55 students the next two years. The University is also providing one, $8000 accommodation scholarship at Mayfair Court. Waikato staff report students are staying in a wide range of accommodation, from remaining at home with their families, flatting and homestays. Figures from Trade Me revealed Tauranga was the third-most expensive city in the country for rentals, with median rent at $500 per week in January. That's a 43 per cent lift in five years, from $350 in January 2014. A spokeswoman earlier this week said there was still some accommodation available in the university's apartments. University of Waikato Professor Lynda Johnston has relocated from Hamilton to Tauranga. Photo / Supplied Working on Campus Thirty-one general staff are employed at the new facility, joining 50 academic staff, 36 of whom will travel from Hamilton. Geography professor Lynda Johnston will conduct research this term and support staff in programme development. Though she enjoyed Hamilton, Johnston is happy to relocate to the Bay. "It feels like a real privilege to be part of the university over here. We're really reaching out to different communities. Students who want to stay at their family home can stay and still join the university. We're relatively small, quite nimble and able to adjust to people's learning needs." Johnston said she wants to work with colleagues to strengthen what the institution offers communities in the Bay. "It's great to see student numbers increasing. We're really committed to making a difference here in Tauranga." Partners Campus development has been supported by key funders: Tauranga City Council gifted land worth around $5 million (to be transferred to the University after successful completion of the project); Bay of Plenty Regional Council kicked in $15m and the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust contributed $15m. The University funded the remaining $25m. The University of Waikato has had a presence in the Bay since the 1990s, via a partnership with then-Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (now Toi Ohomai) and Te Whare Wnanga o Awanuirangi, which shared its facilities. Te Whare Wnanga o Awanuirangi chief executive, professor Wiremu Doherty said partnerships in tertiary education have become increasingly important in an age of change. "The facility, the betterment of it is going to be for our students, our region, all those who want to grow in their particular pathway in tertiary education." He said of University leaders, "We have whanau connections, so regardless of where the relationship goes, we're gonna be joined at the hip." Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Executive Director: Corporate Services Anthony Robertson said collaboration provides students the best opportunities to grow future careers, and the institute is proud of the relationship it had developed with the university. "We're continuing with our pathway programmes and looking at potential development of joint programmes that we can offer together. "We're looking at research initiatives together and we've got a couple of staff teaching on University of Waikato programmes." In December, University of Waikato staff who had been based at Toi Ohomai's Windermere Campus swapped places with Toi Ohomai employees who worked at the Bongard Centre in the CBD. The move allowed Toi Ohomai to consolidate all students and staff at Windermere, where the University had shared Toi Ohomai's facilities. Robertson said though classrooms would move from the CBD, the polytechnic was still connected to the city. "We will continue to support local events and partner with iwi and industry to deliver innovative education for the region. "As members of the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, Toi Ohomai, the University of Waikato and Te Whare Wnanga o Awanuirangi work together to ensure the ongoing delivery of quality learning programmes to all students and provide greater study options in the region." NZME graphic Economic Impact The downtown campus will be a robust and "attractive investment opportunity" with low risk and the potential to impact positively on many key areas of the Bay of Plenty economy, according to a 2014 analysis. The report, prepared by Professor Frank Scrimgeour from the University of Waikato Management School, showed the campus would generate benefits of $188 million over the next 20 years and provide a rate of return of more than 30 per cent on the initial investment. It would impact positively on attracting researchers and teachers, postgraduate students, international students, and retaining undergraduate students in Tauranga, along with allowing new programme development. The report said one of the biggest gains comes from having students remain within the Bay of Plenty, undertaking higher education that ultimately benefits their own whanau, hap, iwi and communities. Priority One chief executive Greg Simmonds said the new campus development is a "game changer" for Tauranga's economy. "Achieving higher levels of regional prosperity depends heavily on the educational opportunities available to local people and having the research capability to underpin innovation across our community. Tertiary education is a critical component in regional innovation and sustainable economic development." He said the business community would continue supporting students and staff so tertiary education could provide graduates able to fulfill industry demands. "This collaborative approach will help ensure the University's success in the Bay by meeting the region's skill needs, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation and ensuring qualifications are industry relevant." Councillor John Cronin. Photo / File History The university worked with the polytechnic since at least 1995, allowing students to complete diplomas at (then) Bay of Plenty Polytechnic before transferring into University of Waikato degree programmes. Still, early backers of a physical Tauranga campus said they believed students and staff needed their own space. Bay of Plenty Regional councillor John Cronin said his involvement with the project spans about 15 years, and he remained on council four terms to see it through. "Everything to do with this university is very dear to me, as it's possibly the biggest economic development in Tauranga's history." Cronin said the campus will turn a region once known for housing the elderly into a place for young people, who won't have to leave home to get a tertiary education. "Each time that happens, we lose our students from all over the region to other parts of the country and they never come back. This has the opportunity to change the demographics of our city for the better and take our rightful place as the fifth largest centre in New Zealand." The former regional council chairman said at the outset, he had to convince fellow councillors not to insist the university guarantee student numbers. "I kept telling them they had to keep the faith. Build it and they will come." Paul Adams, a member of the Waikato University council and a key driver behind the project, calls the campus a milestone for the city's development and a jump-start for downtown rejuvenation. "We'll become a student city over the next few years, and that will ensure the city council will get on with the revitalisation of the CBD." Adams believes the campus will change not only Tauranga's demographics, but its wage and salary structure, too. "You've got people doing whatever they're gonna do here. They'll have the opportunity to learn, grow and become professionals based in our CBD." Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless said university development is part of downtown development. "While council will do its bit with streetscapes and the waterfront, it's not council alone that will ever revitalise the CBD. It's a combination of building owners, tenants including retailers and office space, hospitality businesses, the university, Council and attitude." Brownless said attitude refers to overall experience in the CBD as a destination and place to access services. Future Growth University leaders say the new building will be open to the community for tours and functions as additional parts of the campus are completed throughout the year. The second stage, planned for completion in 2040, will provide capacity for an additional 500 equivalent full-time students, (around 717 actual students) per year. Professor Jones said initially, he heard concerns the institution would take the tens of millions of dollars contributed by local entities 'back over the hill,' to Hamilton. "We're not here for three years. We're not here for five years, or 10 years. We're here for hundreds of years. And that's our commitment to this region and I think this is only the first step in that process." An 18 metre-high poutokomanawa panel is illuminated from the first level to the fourth level in the central atrium. Photo/ George Novak Artwork Vital for Tauranga Campus Art a team effort Artist Whare Thompson led a 10-strong team to create artworks for the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus. To support the artists' work, the university established an advisory group, comprised of representatives from Tauranga moana, Waikato, and the University three years ago to ensure the campus reflected the identities and cultural heritage of Tauranga Moana. Art was part of the initial design stage, rather than an afterthought. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Alister Jones said members of local iwi and hap contributed to the overarching narrative which gave the new building identity. He said the first sketches of the proposed artwork and narrative nearly moved him to tears. "To see that come to life is absolutely fantastic." One of several significant pieces stands just outside the entrance, a tall wooden carved pouwhenua Te Toka a Tirikawa. Inside, another piece, an 18 metre-high poutokomanawa panel in the central atrium, reflects Tane's and Tawhaki's ascent into the heavens to receive the baskets of knowledge. The poutokomanawa is illuminated, from level one to the fourth floor. University project manager Sally Davies said the artworks reflect the diversity of students, staff and community who will come to enjoy the campus, whether they're from the Bay, other parts of the country, or other parts of the world. "The works are all connected, and the story is inclusive." Artist-led tours are proposed for later this year as more of the facility is opened and available to the public. Changing Numbers, Changing System Overall tertiary student numbers have been trending down the past few years, and are predicted to fall further or plateau through 2022. Experts say a booming economy and low unemployment the past six years have steered students from learning to earning, despite the government's new fees-free scheme. Numbers from the Tertiary Education Commission released last November show equivalent full-time university and polytechnic student enrolment nationally was flat when comparing August 2018 to August 2017, while actual numbers decreased by 0.4 per cent, or 1174 fewer students - mostly from wannga. The enrolment decline has hit government-funded polytechnics, which face competition from private training establishments. Central government earlier this month announced it will put all New Zealand's polytechnics, including private training establishments and apprenticeships under the direction of a central body, to be called the NZ Institute of Skills & Technology. Education Counts, a website which analyses data from Statistics New Zealand for the Ministry of Education produced a report last year showing 116,170 equivalent full-time students (EFTS) attended universities in 2013, compared with 114,230 in 2017, a decline of 1.6 per cent. Enrolments dropped about 10 per cent at the nation's polytechnics: 56,850 students were enrolled in polytechs in 2013, compared with 51,120 in 2017 (see graphic). Tauranga EFTS at Toi Ohomai sat at 2707 for 2014 (2013 data was unavailable due to the merger with Waiariki Institute of Technology) and enrolment was 2712 for 2018. The University of Waikato reported 9892 EFTS in 2017, compared with 12,344 students in formal programmes in 2013 . Tertiary Education Union leaders said it's time to end competition in the higher education sector. National TEU secretary Sharn Riggs said, "Competition has led to course closures, communities losing access to learning opportunities, and huge job losses. We do not want to see these impacts reoccurring." Riggs said proposed government reforms for vocational education will ensure greater collaboration across the sector. "We hope that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waikato is talking with local institutions to make sure the new campus does not have any adverse effects on students or staff. Whatever changes are made, universities and the vocational education sector need to collaborate so that our sector can continue delivering huge benefits to all New Zealanders." University of Waikato Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Alister Jones said the institution has collaborated with local tertiary partners for decades. He told stakeholders gathered at a breakfast after Wednesday's blessing the university is only here for students. "Some people think we're here for other things, but essentially, universities are about students and knowledge generation. Without students, we're nothing." | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12205925 |
Can Vanity Fairs Radhika Jones keep the party going? | Carter had been earning $2 million as editor of Vanity Fair; reports at the time of Jones hiring in November 2017 put her salary at $500,000. A Cond Nast insider, however, insisted this week that that figure was absurdly low and that Jones total compensation is in the seven figures. And while neither Cond Nast, a privately held company, nor Jones will confirm reports that Vanity Fairs editorial budget was cut by $14 million upon her arrival, Carters high-level (and highly paid) masthead editors were an immediate casualty of the changeover. Jones let go of about 20 people on Feb. 14 and 15, 2018, in what was promptly dubbed the Valentines Day Massacre within the Cond Nast offices at 1 World Trade Center in New York. Among those ousted: managing editor Chris Garrett, deputy editor Aimee Bell, and editor-at-large Cullen Murphy, as well as Beth Kseniak, the fearsome longtime gatekeeper to the Vanity Fair Oscar party. More departures, through firings and resignations, came a few months later. Longtime contributors such as Michael Lewis, the bestselling author of Moneyball and The Big Short, also departed, as did the creative director for fashion, Jessica Diehl, who had styled the Caitlyn Jenner cover, and the masthead was shed of aging socialites like Reinaldo Herrera and Louise Grunwald. | https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-vanity-fair-radhika-jones-oscars-20190220-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fentertainment+%28Entertainment+News%29 |
Is Silicon Valley's quest for immortality a fate worse than death? | Funded by elites, researchers believe theyre closer than ever to tweaking the human body so we can live forever (or quite a bit longer) Chinas first emperor ordered his subjects to search for the elixir of life in a quest for immortality. In 16th century France, nobles would drink gold in a bid to extend their lifespans. Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king at the heart of humanitys earliest epic poem, found a magic herb, but a snake ate it. In 2015 a woman on the MTV series Im obsessed with staying young bathed in pig blood. In 2019, the quest for everlasting life is, largely, though not always, more scientific. Funded by Silicon Valley elites, researchers believe they are closer than ever to tweaking the human body so that we can finally live forever (or quite a bit longer), even as some worry about pseudoscience in the sector. Scientists and entrepreneurs are working on a range of techniques, from attempting to stop cells aging, to the practice of injecting young blood into old people a process denounced as quackery by the Federal Drug Administration this week. Infusions of young blood not proven 'safe or effective', US government warns Read more Theres millions of people now who wont see death if they choose, said James Strole, the director of the Coalition of Radical Life Extension, an organization which brings together scientists and enthusiasts interested in physical immortality. At present our bodies are built to last if you took perfect care of your body 125 years, according to Strole. The problem is that if someone did live to be 125, they are unlikely to remain spry into their final decades. Who wants to live in some decrepit state? Strole said. Weve increased lifespans a lot, but we havent improved quality of lifespan. Thats where what enthusiasts called super longevity comes in. A number of billionaires have pumped money into research that aims to keep people fighting fit as they age. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have pumped millions into Calico, a secretive health venture which aims to solve death. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the billionaire Peter Thiel are backers of Unity Biotechnology, which hopes to combat the effects of aging. The idea of never dying might sound like something from science fiction, but the experimental techniques are far removed from a brain in a jar, a body in a freezer, or a heart wired up to a car battery. Sierra Sciences is another company racing to cheat death. Its focus is on treatments that can lengthen telomeres the caps at the end of each strand of DNA. Telomeres get shorter each time a cell copies itself. Because our cells copy themselves throughout our lives, the telomeres eventually get very short, and our cells cannot regenerate: we get old. If you can get the telomeres back to the normal state they were at when you were born, that could reduce your biological age back to 25, Strole said. You wouldnt be reversed back to a baby. You stop where maturity begins and ends. Among Sierra Sciences competitors is BioViva, whose CEO, Elizabeth Parrish, is so committed to the cause that she became one of the first humans to undergo telomere therapy in 2015. Writing in 2018, she claimed a measurement of her telomeres showed they had grown younger by roughly 30 years since she received the treatment her body was reverse-aging. Others claim they can already prevent aging in animals. George Church, a Harvard professor and the founder of Rejuvenate Bio, uses gene therapy to add anti-aging instructions to DNA. Church says he has succeeded in making mice live twice as long, and the secretive company is said to be planning imminent testing on dogs. The discovery by Calico scientists in 2018 that naked mole rats which look exactly how they sound, except with bigger teeth essentially do not age fueled further excitement in the quest for immortality. According to Science Magazine the defiance is due to very active DNA repair and high levels of chaperones, proteins that help other proteins fold correctly, and the hope is that some of the discoveries could be applied to humans. Living to be 500 years old would be wonderful but only for the rich | Ann Leckie Read more If and when these technologies became available, they are likely to be fantastically expensive. Strole said demand could eventually lower the price, but plenty of non-billionaires could die in the meantime. Besides that, everyone living much, much longer would cause many other problems. Until workable life-preserving technology is available, immortality enthusiasts are also obsessed with staying healthy some fast on certain days, others watch calories, most exercise so they are around long enough to benefit from emerging anti-aging science. The aim, as many in the physical immortality community put it, is to: Live long enough to live forever. | https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/22/silicon-valley-immortality-blood-infusion-gene-therapy |
Will MMA ever be an Olympic sport? | Global popularity and an ancient pedigree make MMA a sensible fit for todays Olympics. are less clear Gatekeepers charged with determining which sports can qualify for the Olympic programme say they carefully considered mixed martial arts before concluding this month that it isnt the appropriate time to recognize a worldwide governing body for amateur MMA. The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), the umbrella organization for all established sports, informed the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation and the World Mixed Martial Arts Association that one of the oldest sports known to man, popular with spectators as far back as the Ancient Olympic Games (as pankration) and modern audiences alike, would not be granted a two-year provisional term supporting and guiding international federations on the path towards full GAISF membership, a prerequisite for consideration by the International Olympic Committee. Read more The denial of observer status on 4 February, baffled IMMAF chief executive Densign White, who claimed that he and his constituents have been blocked, theres no two ways about that. While international federations that govern dodgeball, footgolf, kettlebell lifting, match poker, pole sports, foosball, rugby, padel, competitive jump rope and landsailing have been nominated for observer status, the decision against including MMA in that group told White and the stakeholders he represents that GAISF are not even going to take the risk that were going to get to the starting line. The whole thing is anti-democratic. Its not transparent. Theyre not accountable to anybody. Philippe Gueisbuhler, the GAISF director, declined to publicly comment on reasons for any decision involving membership applications, nor would he address Whites criticisms through the media. Gueisbuhler, however, pledged to continue a constructive dialogue between GAISF and the nascent MMA federation. White suggested that delaying the timetable for establishing a world governing body empowered with the authority to regulate amateur MMA only exposes an inherently dangerous sport to negative outcomes at the grassroots level. Were getting all these walls put up in front of us stopping us from gaining any recognition that will allow us to actually regulate the sport properly, White said. We are a long way from getting IOC recognition, but GAISF recognition would actually give the sport credibility. The IMMAF launched in 2012 with the support of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sports largest promotion, in a partnership that continues to this day. That same year a Russian group created by the nations most successful professional MMA promoter, Vadim Finkelstein, who boasts heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko as a figurehead at the behest of a supportive Vladimir Putin, declared its intention to gain international recognition for MMA. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko and Russian president Vladimir Putin have both campaigned. for international recognition for MMA. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images World championships for MMA began in 2014. Last year the IMMAF-WMMAA held its first junior championships for competitors aged 18 to 20. And in 2019, they introduced cadet competitions for competitors ranging from 12 to 17. Like any international sports federation recognized by GAISF, IMMAF-WMMAA aims to standardize rules and regulations, ensuring structures are in place to monitor the health and safety of participants as a signatory to World Anti-Doping Agency code (which IMMAF-WMMAA is litigating in a Swiss court), improving the quality of licensed referees and judges, developing qualifications for coaches, creating competitor rankings, and, eventually, producing world champions and Olympians whose pedigree would be valuable in the professional ranks. Nationwide bans on MMA in France and Norway, and discussions of something similar in Ireland following the death of a fighter last year, are evidence of why GAISFs recognition is crucial, otherwise White said global regulation of MMA at the amateur level will continue to be administered by a lion without teeth. Read more MMA cannot afford to have headlines that talk about people dying, White said. Whatever happens in the world will have a knock-on effect on everyone else around the world. Its not just isolated to where it happens. It can reverberate. Thats why the work were doing is so important. Its important to the professional promotions as well. Theyre not immune. The consequences of a ban will impact their business. Often the highest hurdle for federations seeking to join GAISF is recognition at the local level from either a National Olympic Committee or a countrys chief sports authority. IMMAF-WMMAA claims 35 of its 85 member federations are recognized this way (they would need at least 40 to be eligible to apply for full membership). The threshold for receiving observer status is statutorily less stringent. GAISF observer applicants must show examples of good governance (e.g. audited accounts, minutes of general assemblies, information on elections, directors gender balance, youth development) and justify why they are not a rival in conflict with member federations. Six of the GAISF-recognized combat sports are scheduled to appear at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and will be eligible to receive pieces of the lucrative Olympic revenue pie. The IOC distributed $540m to the international federations whose sports were active during the 2016 Games in Rio. Thus far none of GAISFs martial arts and combat sports federations aikido, boxing, fencing, judo, ju-jitsu, karate, kendo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Pankration, sambo, savate, sumo, taekwondo, wrestling and wushu have made a formal rivalry claim against MMAs bid, according to the IMMAF-WMMAA, however behind the scenes White said several members have mentioned the possibility. The only rivalry that GAISF has ever brought to our attention was between ourselves and the WMMAA, White said. We were told without resolving this we could not become a member. The affiliated groups now operate under one calendar and will host a joint world championship in Bahrain this November, at which time the federations quadrennial ordinary general assembly is set to take place. Behind closed doors, objections to MMA have also postured a core element of the sport striking on the floor as contra to the spirit of Olympic movement. White said critics inside GAISF told him that the violence produced by MMA contests can be addressed by eliminating its ground-and-pound component a true differentiator relative to other combat sports and could clear the road to recognition. But considering that MMA effectively morphed into a unique martial arts style that is rooted in the techniques of an assortment of combat sports, White called the request a trap, suggesting of that if IMMAF-WMMAA complies existing GAISF members will have a rivalry argument, never mind that the sport simply wont function like MMA anymore. Over the past three years as IMMAF-WMMAA participated in the application process, including numerous workshops and discussions, White also heard about the supposed risk MMA might pose of siphoning off athletes from other sports. There is a fear, I believe, that MMA is growing too quickly and I think theyre concerned about the commercial impact its going to have on them, White said. They may even be concerned that it may hinder their entry into the Olympic Games programme. Some of these sports have been waiting for years. Their perception may be that MMA has gotten too popular and there is a risk here that MMA gets recognized and jumps ahead of us to the Olympic Games. This would be ironic considering that as professional MMA was endangered by political forces in the mid-to-late 1990s, proponents, especially in the US, often likened MMAs action to what it would look like if the IOC-approved combat sports were combined. The idea was to assuage detractors that there was nothing indecent or morally suspect about a sport that despite its troubles continued to generate interest across the globe. | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/23/mixed-martial-arts-olympics-sport |
Can the Oscars reverse a five-year ratings slide? | CLEVELAND, Ohio The Academy Awards ceremony is in a world of hurt, at least as far as ratings go. Little Oscars once-golden reputation as a heavyweight television event has been badly tarnished over the last five years, which have seen a steady and alarming defection among viewers. And just when things hit an acknowledged crisis point, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences decided to do everything it could to reflect an atmosphere of uncertainty, chaos and panic. So theres a reason those gleaming Tinseltown smiles look a trifle more forced than usual as we approach ABCs coverage of the 91st Oscars bash, which will air live at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, on WEWS Channel 5. Comedian Kevin Hart was going to be the host for this years orgy of self-congratulation, until the controversy over his homophobic tweets from 2010 and 2011. Then he wasnt. Then he apologized and, well, maybe he was going to do it, after all. Then there were accusations that his apologies werent sincere. Then he definitely wasnt. Then there was going to be a popular film award, a response to criticism that many movie fans no longer related to or cared about the nominees for best picture. Then this new category was widely lambasted and ridiculed. Then there wasnt going to be a popular film award. Then, earlier this month, it was announced that four awards for cinematography, editing, live action short, and makeup and hair styling would be handed out during commercial breaks during the ABC telecast. This ignited yet another firestorm of criticism, and, you guessed it, the Academy buckled and reversed the decision a few days later. You almost expect the kudofest at Hollywoods Dolby Theatre to establish the proper mood for this year by opening with circus calliope music or one of the Three Stooges familiar theme songs. Even before all of these embarrassing headlines, things were looking grim for Oscar. The numbers told an extremely sad story. The viewership for the 2014 telecast, with Ellen DeGeneres as host, was a healthy 43.7 million. In 2015, with Neil Patrick Harris as host, it dropped to 37.3 million. In 2016, with Chris Rock as host, it was down to 34.3 million. A loss of 9.4 million viewers in three years could not be dismissed as a mere aberration. They did. In 2017, with Jimmy Kimmel as host, viewership sagged again, down to 32.9 million (down 4 percent in total viewership and 13 percent with adults 18-49). Then, last year, with Kimmel back as host, it dropped to an all-time low of 26.5 million (a whopping 19 percent drop from the previous year). It had become a full-fledged trend, and an ugly one, at that. You can argue for hours about whether Glenn Close (The Wife), Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) or Oliva Colman (The Favourite) is the favorite to take home the statuette for best actress. But you cant argue with the numbers. And the Oscar audience last year was less than half of the all-time high viewership of 57 million posted in 1998. All right, sure, few shows get the same kind of ratings they would have 21 years ago. But this isnt a drop. Its a freefall. And, yet, theres hope, slim as it might be. Although rescue will require nothing less than the help of a superhero, there just happens to be one hanging around the Dolby Theatre this year. His name is Black Panther. Black Panther was phenomenally successful at the box office, and its eight Oscar nominations might give the Academy Awards a badly needed ratings boost this year. And with what has been happening since 2014, any increase will be pounced upon as an encouraging sign. Not only a tremendously popular film, Black Panther is the first superhero movie to win a best-picture nomination. And while most Oscar pundits believe Roma or Green Book will take home the big prize, some contend that Black Panther has a chance of pulling off the victory. Black Panther received seven nominations overall, which means youll be hearing its name a lot during the Oscar ceremony. In addition to being in the best-picture field, it received nods for original music score, original song, sound mixing, sound editing, costume design and production design. Its certainly the X-factor this year. It was no coincidence that Titanic, also a box-office phenomenon, was contending for best picture and several other awards. For those planning the whole Oscar experience, red carpet and backstage coverage begins at 5 p.m. on E! and 6:30 p.m. on Channel 5 (the live streaming option is at Oscar.com). Among the announced presenters are Barbra Streisand, Serena Williams, Trevor Noah, Queen Latifah, Dana Carvey, Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Helen Mirren, Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, Laura Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lopez, Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman. If viewership goes down again, however, then Titanic will be more than just a fond memory of past ratings glory. It will become a metaphor for what has happened to a gradually sinking Oscar telecast over the last five years. | https://www.cleveland.com/tv/2019/02/can-the-oscars-reverse-a-five-year-ratings-slide.html |
Are Democrats Ready To 'Feel The Bern' Or Is Sanders The 'MySpace' Of 2020? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Sandy Huffaker/AP Sandy Huffaker/AP Bernie Sanders has again proved he should not be underestimated in a presidential contest. Despite talk of his coalition potentially fracturing with such a big Democratic primary field, the Sanders faithful showed they've still got his back. In the 24 hours following the Vermont independent's announcement Tuesday that he was again running for president, he raised a whopping $6 million. He took in $600,000 from people who signed up to make recurring monthly payments to his campaign. That will give him a guaranteed source of revenue that could help him last for a very long time in a protracted primary fight. It's a model that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who like Sanders identifies as a democratic socialist, also touted. NPR Politics Podcast 2020 Update: Bernie Sanders Launches Presidential Campaign 2020 Update: Bernie Sanders Launches Presidential Campaign Listen 20:34 20:34 "It's like Netflix," she tweeted, "but for unbought members of Congress." Others see Sanders and his 2020 run as less Netflix and more something else. "Bernie Sanders is the MySpace or the Friendster of the Democratic left," said Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist, who worked as an adviser to the Democratic National Committee during Barack Obama's presidential run in 2008. Sanders, Simmons noted, is like the startup that had the great idea, but doesn't become the one to fully capitalize on it. Whichever you agree with, Sanders is undoubtedly going to have a major impact on the 2020 race, a far more crowded affair than 2016. He has several advantages in this campaign for the Democratic nomination: A proven ability to raise lots of money Support with a strong activist base A clear sense of what he's running for But Sanders also has several disadvantages: In 2016, he had the advantage of a challenger. Now, Sanders will face front-runner scrutiny. Zac Petkanas, the former director of rapid response for Hillary Clinton wrote Wednesday: "[I]n truth, the 2016 Clinton campaign never named him in a single negative television or digital ad. And the media never truly educated the primary voting public with the intensity reserved for candidates seen as viable." He has to contend with the Democratic instinct to want someone new. Before Hillary Clinton in 2016, the party hadn't given the nomination to someone in a contested primary who was either a previous nominee or runner-up since Adlai Stevenson in 1956. (Stevenson went on to lose Dwight Eisenhower and by a wider margin than the first time). Republicans, on the other hand, have often nominated the runner-up from a previous primary. That also leads to Sanders' age. Many in the restive, younger activist base would rather not vote for someone turning 78 later this year before voting even takes place in the early states. (That will be a problem former Vice President Joe Biden would have to contend with, too, if he decides to jump in. Biden turns 77 in November.) Sanders is not a Democrat. Though he caucuses with Democrats and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders has declined to officially become one, which has rankled some in the base who are proud to wear the label. (The DNC, in fact, will meet with the campaigns at a briefing and present them with an "affirmation form" that states that candidates will run and serve as Democrats. "Candidates who have officially announced their candidacy will have a week to return a signed copy of the affirmation form to the DNC," according to a party official. The requirement is part of the party's rules this cycle.) He's less popular with non-whites, who are so key in Democratic primaries. In 2016, Sanders only won 21 percent of the black vote compared to 49 percent of the white vote, including 54 percent of whites without a college degree. (Sanders did do better with younger nonwhite voters.) He'll need to explain his "socialist" label. Trump is using "socialism" as a cudgel against Democrats, and Sanders' explanation of what it means to him is going to be especially key since Democrats are saying their top issue in 2020 is nominating someone who can beat Trump. People close to Sanders acknowledge his challenges and the differences with 2016. On the socialism label, for example, Larry Cohen, chairman of Our Revolution, an outside group which grew out of Sanders' 2016 campaign, stressed that Sanders is about "innovation and supporting entrepreneurs." Cohen noted, for example, Sanders' support for the Vermont ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's, whose founder Ben Cohen (no relation to Larry) was named one of Sanders' campaign co-chairmen. "Organizing other businesses with social consciousness, that's been a big part of his life," Larry Cohen said. Sanders has also changed the business of how the Democratic Party goes about choosing its candidates. The role of superdelegates, for example, has been scaled back because of Sanders and his objection that they skewed too heavily in favor of Clinton in 2016. The DNC will also allow candidates who meet a grassroots fundraising threshold to participate in debates, regardless of how they're doing in the polls. And he is a main reason the Democratic candidates this year are advocating for progressive positions like Medicare-for-all and a $15 minimum wage. Ironically, Sanders' success in transforming the party may be part of what does him in, because there are now more options for the progressive left to choose from than in 2016. "Does it have to be him?" Arnie Arnesen, a New Hampshire radio show host and Sanders supporter in 2016, told NPR's Asma Khalid last month. "I don't think it does, and I admire him. I admire him to pieces." Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images Sanders was known for having a cult-like following and huge crowds in 2016. But many of the Democratic candidates this year are also drawing packed crowds early in this campaign. Sen. Kamala Harris, for example, drew 20,000 people for her kickoff rally in Oakland, Calif. The big crowds are a likely sign of overall Democratic enthusiasm, with the base itching to take on Trump and try to stop him from reelection. Sanders has to fight the idea that the enthusiasm behind him can be replicated by others. He's also having to fight for the head and heart of his candidacy. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for example, could potentially peel off from the intellectual, ideological part of Sanders' coalition (the head). And if former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke gets in, he threatens to pull from the emotional, grassroots piece of his base that wants to root for someone (the heart). Cohen said Sanders welcomes Warren as an "ally," who is helping to rebuild the progressive base, and his team believes it can draw distinctions with O'Rourke to paint him as not as progressive, especially on trade. O'Rourke was one of just 28 House Democrats to support giving President Obama fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Whether he can hold onto it all and expand to win a majority of delegates is an open question and major challenge. "That's why we have 18 months until the convention to test that out," Cohen said. "For people like me, it's about what kind of political world we build, not just the White House. It's about governing; it's the nature of the support base that will remain active, that you have an activist base, not just a candidate addiction." As far as competing with those other candidates, Cohen noted, "The facts are quite clear $6 million, 300,000 individual donors. Add up all the others, you don't get to that number." Sanders' path to victory or defeat Sanders is one of the big fishes people were eagerly watching as he deliberated whether to run. And his entry is already giving some shape to how the contest could play out. The early states, for example, are likely going to take on even more significance now in winnowing the field. It's easy, for example, to see Sanders' winning path and how he loses. Sanders nearly won Iowa, a caucus state, in 2016, and he won the New Hampshire primary handily, by 20 points. And those two early states take on extra significance for Sanders, who is not expected to be a major player in South Carolina, a state where 61 percent of Democratic voters in the 2016 primary were black. Hillary Clinton beat him there by almost 50 points. This year it's likely to be a battle between the two leading African-American candidates, Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and possibly Biden, if he decides to run. If Sanders sweeps Iowa and New Hamsphire this time, he might be hard to stop. If he loses one (especially New Hamsphire) or both, Sanders might have the money to continue, but winning a majority of delegates before the convention would be much more difficult. What's more, it's easy to see how New Hampshire will be the filter in a potential fight between Sanders and Warren, who are both from neighboring states. It will also mean higher stakes in Iowa for candidates like Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is from bordering Minnesota, and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, another Midwesterner, to defeat Sanders. | https://www.npr.org/2019/02/23/697027833/are-democrats-ready-to-feel-the-bern-or-is-sanders-the-myspace-of-2020?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news |
Does a pair of theatres in Kitchener-Waterloo hold the key to Sundays Oscar Best Picture winner? | With their usual attention to polling and analytics, the oddsmakers have picked their leading contender for Best Picture at Sundays 91st Academy Awards (8 p.m. on CTV and ABC): the searing Netflix drama Roma. If Roma takes it, it indicates a real changing of the guard in terms of academy members. If you go by the success of the Princess as a bellwether for Oscar winners, then I would say Green Book, he says when I point out the past Princess/Oscar correlation. Tutt, the proprietor of Waterloos joint Princess Cinemas, has a foolproof method for determining Oscar winners in the Best Picture category: he counts his box office receipts. It has a big-time Mexican director and fantastic reviews. And all of them said, Go see this in a cinema! I was expecting Roma to do much better, agrees Tutt, who piggybacked on the films Netflix release. Even for a discerning art house crowd that skews older, female, university educated and welcomes challenging material, this is a stretch. Its also a 135-minute black-and-white foreign-language flick available free on Netflix anathema to Hollywoods bottom line with a story about domestic strife and social hierarchy in 1970s Mexico not easily summarized in a bumper sticker movie ad. Sure, Roma is a highly touted, brilliantly crafted masterpiece that has critics raving. Green Book, on the other hand, follows a long line of feel good social justice dramas in which white people ride to the rescue of their African-American brethren in the historic, racially charged Deep South. It didnt pan out with the fickle Princess audience, who have intuitively embraced the magic alchemy that defines Oscar winners for years: ambitious but accessible, edgy but orchestrated, hokey but heartfelt. Its a period piece with a romantic view of history and pathos, humour and music, says Tutt. Read more: Creator of Oscar-nominated animation short born and bred in Ontario If Princess viewers and Oscar voters have one thing in common its that, historically speaking, they eat this stuff up. What were hearing is people coming back for a second time and bringing a friend, says Tutt. a discomfiting, darkly satiric character study about a struggling author who plagiarizes the letters of dead celebrities to turn a quick buck. It took a few minutes before I realized there was literally no lineup for this film, while a crowd stretching down King St. clamoured for Green Book as an earlier screening let out with the kind of breathless excitement you might expect at a Justin Bieber concert. This, it should be pointed out, was despite controversies about its misrepresentation of the films central relationship criticized by insiders as a symphony of lies the white lens through which its clichd insights about racism are filtered and objectionable behaviour by its white director, star and writer. Nothing is sticking, marvels Tutt, who says that three months after he opened the film its still packing them in. Its Teflon. Audiences keep coming. Its a small story with a nice balance of humour and drama. It was the same with last years Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water, a dreamy homage to vintage monster movies about a mousy janitor who falls in love with a seductive fish-man, set in the sepia-toned early 60s. And it happened with 12 Years a Slave in 2013 and Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, both of which went on to win Oscar gold. I let films percolate and build an audience, says Tutt, who sounds like hes describing a fine bottle of wine. Im an indie operator. I dont get big box office hits. But quality Oscar films need to slow burn for an audience to build. Its word of mouth; people just want to tell someone about the great movie theyve seen. Not that this method of gauging success is infallible. When Moonlight triumphed over La La Land as Best Picture two years ago, Tutt was as surprised as anyone. It was Fences a sobering family drama that won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Viola Davis that had been the years huge hit. And when the journalism drama Spotlight took the top prize the year before, Tutt was again thrown off, since the thrice-nominated Brooklyn shut out of the winners circle was the biggest hit in Princess history. Then again, the Oscars arent what they used to be. Anyone paying attention to this years pre-show hype will be aware of an almost visceral desperation as the academy flirts with irrelevance for the first time in its almost century-long history. It started a few years ago with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, which pointed out that the academy disproportionately represented by genteel old white men was oblivious to changing social mores, nominating the same nostalgia-tinged art house flicks over and over, without regard to inclusion or diversity. This, of course, coincided with the stark realization that in a fast changing digital world, where entertainment options are as plentiful as smartphone emoticons, younger generations were not gravitating to this almost four-hour-long dinosaur, or any other awards show. After last years ratings plunged 20 per cent with a 40 per cent decline over the last five years its been one panicky miscalculation after another, with controversies over a proposed and quickly junked Best Popular Film category; a reversed attempt to jettison Best Song performances; forgoing a host; and another decision, since dispensed with, to hand out really boring awards off camera. The outrage was immediate and running time be damned the awards for cinematography, editing, live-action short and makeup and hairstyling will all be handed out in real time on live TV. Praise be. The end result of all this tinkering, in keeping with Oscar tradition, is the Titanic hitting an iceberg while its pursers vainly rearrange the deck chairs. Certainly, this is what happened the last time the ceremony went hostless in 89, when a smirking Rob Lowe danced with a squeaky Snow White to a bastardized version of CCRs Proud Mary in an 11-minute spectacle that sparked lawsuits and an outraged letter calling the show an embarrassment to both the academy and the entire motion picture industry. And that was just the opening number. That years big winner, on an intriguing side note, was the populist crowd-pleaser Rain Man, a feel-good story about a beleaguered genius (Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant) paired with a tone-deaf guardian who gradually comes to love and respect him. Green Book, which mimics that films buddy bonding arc beat for beat, is a worthy 2019 companion. And proof that even if Roma ekes out a narrow victory when it comes to the Oscars, nothing ever really changes. Joel Rubinoff writes for the Waterloo Region Record. Email him at [email protected]; follow him on Twitter @JoelRubinoff | https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/oscars/2019/02/23/does-a-pair-of-theatres-in-kitchener-waterloo-hold-the-key-to-sundays-oscar-best-picture-winner.html |
What is the new James Bond film called? | Getty Images Calling all 007 fans, the title for the much anticipated 25th James Bond film may well have just been revealed. Its working title is 'Shatterhand". 'Working title' means that it could change as the film develops. Daniel Craig and co are due to start filming the movie on the April 6. The name "Bond 25 w/t Shatterhand" was revealed on an film industry weekly newsletter earlier this week. The name "Shatterhand" comes from an code-name used by series supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Ian Fleming's 1964 Bond novel You Only Live Twice. Originally, Danny Boyle was meant to be in charge of directing the film but he dropped out last year because of 'creative differences'. The film is scheduled to come out in April 2020 and it will be Daniel Craig's last film as James Bond. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47342242 |
What does it take to become a morning person? | Open this photo in gallery Unsplash Before I tell you about coming to the light, let me first explain why I wanted to become a morning person. My favourite hours have always been just before midnight, when I get a surge of energy, and three or four in the morning. I read, I write. I enjoy the quiet stillness of having the world all to myself. But you cant keep those hours when you have kids and a day job. So I stay up later than I should and drag myself groggily out of bed at the last minute into the rushing demands of getting my kids fed, dressed and off to school, of answering e-mails and racing to work. Story continues below advertisement If advocates are to be believed, becoming a morning person could completely change your life for the better. In fact, its the key to getting everything you want out of life, according to the more hyperbolic proponents. You can get up early. And doing so is a necessity in your awesome pursuit toward [being] legendary, leadership expert Robin Sharma writes in his new book, The 5 A.M. Club. Ive always envied the qualities morning people seem to possess. Studies have shown that early risers do better in school, are more persistent and conscientious than night owls (who tend to be more intelligent and creative). Ive tried becoming a morning person before to no avail. I would set my alarm for a few hours earlier than usual and put it across my bedroom to force me to get up. On the days when it worked, I felt exhausted. More often than not, I would turn off the alarm and crawl back into bed. Sleep researchers do say it is possible to become an early riser but it is not easy, says Julie Carrier, a researcher at the Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine in Montreal. There is a biological reason for when each of us gets sleepy and feels rested enough to wake up. Its essentially programmed into us. The more of a night owl you are, the harder you have to fight your programming. The sleep schedule you maintain can also add to the difficulty, among other lifestyle choices. Most people are neither night owls or larks, the term sleep researchers use for morning people. Everyone is born with a chronotype that determines their circadian rhythm, the bodys clock that determines when you are asleep and when you are alert. Everyones chronotype is encoded in their DNA (I no doubt inherited my preference for late nights from my mother, who is also a night owl). Lifestyle also plays a role. If your sleep schedule is erratic, it will be harder to become a lark, Carrier says. The duration of exposure to sunlight can also affect sleep, although there are no large-scale studies that have examined the chronotypes of people who live near the equator compared to people who live in northern countries that go through long periods of sustained darkness, she says. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement To become a morning person, you must start by getting enough sleep, which so few of us are doing, says Helen Driver, manager of the sleep disorders lab at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre. We are chronically cutting back on our sleep time, she says. Were just trying to fit in more and more things. A 2017 study of more than 10,000 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 79 released by Statistics Canada found that one-third of people sleep less than seven hours a night. Women on average slept 7.24 hours a night, while men got seven hours of shuteye. Both figures are near the low end of the seven to nine hours a night recommended by experts. (Only 3.3 per cent of people slept longer than nine hours a night). Those numbers show we are getting even less sleep than in 2005, when Statscan conducted its previous General Social Survey. Back then, men were getting 8.1 hours of sleep a night compared with womens 8.3. A similar trend south of the border prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare insufficient sleep a public-health epidemic in 2016. Lack of sleep has been linked to a number of troubling health outcomes, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. If you want to get up early, you need to go to bed that much earlier. Of course, it should be a gradual adjustment to change your circadian rhythm, says Carrier, who suggests I start by going to bed and waking up 15 minutes earlier than usual every day or so, depending on how well Im adapting. Nature is gradual, she says, advising me that it could take weeks, if not months, to truly become a morning person. It took Michael Ricafort, a 46-year-old who works in investment management in Toronto, a couple of months to become a morning person. Ten years ago, wanting to get work done early before my day gets away from me, he started going to bed earlier, he put his alarm clock on the far side of his bedroom and signed up for an early-morning fitness boot camp with friends to pressure him to get out of bed and get going. He now wakes up at 4:30 a.m., often before his alarm even goes off. Its kind of just wired now that I wake up, Ricafort says. Similarly, Abby Koning decided to try to become a morning person when she entered university three years ago. I was thinking, I dont want to be starting so late in the day, says the 20-year-old from her home in Victoria. It took her about eight months of going to sleep early and maintaining her sleep schedule on weekends to fully make the adjustment. Story continues below advertisement The more of a night owl you are, the harder it is to change, Carrier says. Which brings me to the light. She advises me to, each morning, expose my face to light for at least 30 minutes. When light hits your eyes retina, it signals the brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that makes you drowsy, and instead begin making cortisol, a hormone that helps wake us up. It is the best way to re-set your circadian rhythm. I bought an alarm clock that looks like a white disc. About the size of a Frisbee, it wakes me up by emitting light, starting low and within seconds brightening to the intensity of an interrogation room. For the first few days, I didnt have the will to stare at it, so I unplugged it. Carrier also suggests taking melatonin. I tried it one night, and was so knocked out I wandered the house like a zombie for an hour before going to bed. If I ever need to fall asleep very early, Ill take it again. But it was not necessary to help me get to sleep 15 minutes earlier than normal. The other trick Carrier recommends is getting up and moving around as soon as you open your eyes. Physical activity helps fight sleep inertia, that groggy feeling most people are familiar with from jet lag, she says. For the past few weeks, I have been following her advice: I wake up, force myself to stare at my interrogation light, get up and turn my bedroom light on, do a few pushups or swing my arms around and then stare at the light again until I feel fully awake and alert, which is usually no more than five minutes. Story continues below advertisement I am a long way from not having to rely on this routine to wake up early. But it is slowly getting easier. Some mornings recently, Ive even woken up without much struggle. I read a book or go swimming at a community centre near my house, or simply enjoy the quiet stillness I once thought I could only ever get from the night. Dont hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, sleep experts say. and will make you feel foggy. These alarms are guaranteed to make a lot harder to fall back to sleep. Alarmy Dubbed "the world's most annoying alarm," this app requires you to complete a certain task, such as solving a math problem or snapping a photo of a room in your house, in order to make it stop ringing. Snap Me Up This app puts a smart spin on our love of taking selfies. To silence the alarm you have to take a picture of yourself. That means you'll have to move in to enough light to get the pic, stimulating the brain to let it know it's wake up time. Walk Me Up If you want to turn this alarm off youll have to get up and move around. Specifically, youre required to walk 15 steps. Dont try to fool it by shaking your phone. If it detects shaking, it will reset your step count. Story continues below advertisement Philips Wake-up Light The circular clock face gets brighter and brighter while also emitting the sounds of birds chirping. It makes for a much less harsh awakening than most alarm sounds. Plus, the light helps to adjust your internal clock. Sonic Bomb With its flashing lights and screaming loud buzzer, the Sonic Bomb could probably wake up the heaviest sleeper. Add in the bed shaker it comes with a vibrating unit about the size of a hockey puck that you put under your pillow and it is guaranteed to wake anyone up. Live your best. We have a daily Life & Arts newsletter, providing you with our latest stories on health, travel, food and culture. Sign up today. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-what-does-it-take-to-become-a-morning-person/ |
Where on Cal Expo property could a homeless shelter go? | Sacramento city officials are proposing that a Cal Expo parking lot at the southeast end of Ethan Way near the RV park as a potential site for a 100-bed Sprung tent homeless shelter. The city is offering to pay $1,625 per month or $19,500 a year to the California Exposition & State Fair, which owns the lot, according to a Jan. 25 letter from Assistant City Manager Chris Conlin to Cal Expo CEO Rick Pickering. On Thursday, city officials presented the idea to the Cal Expo Board of Directors Long Range Planning Committee. The Cal Expo board of directors directed its staff to continue to work with city staff on the project but with some requests, said Margaret Mohr, Cal Expos deputy general manager of business development and marketing. The board directed its staff to make sure that if the shelter opened, Cal Expo and the state would not be responsible in the future for sheltering people if the citys program is eliminated or reduced, Mohr said. The board also directed staff to talk with the county, business partners, vendors, local businesses and allied state agencies. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee The state has recently allowed shelters on selected state lands, including Caltrans land, but Cal Expo officials are unsure if Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration is agreeable, to shelter on the property, a Cal Expo staff report said. Such a use ... would be entering new and perhaps precedent setting territory for the State, the report said about Cal Expo, which hosts more than 2 million visitors and more than 100 events each year. The roughly 1-acre site, known as Lot P, is across Ethan Way from the Cal Expo RV Park. The RV Park generates about $1 million annually, and hosts many families during the Sacramento County Fair and State Fair, the report said. Lot P is one of the first lots used for vehicles and trailers to load and unload equipment and supplies during shows, the report said. Cal Expo staff is looking at other options for that use if Lot P becomes a shelter site. The fenced-in shelter would also include bathroom trailers, showers and a pet area, similar to the citys triage shelter on Railroad Drive in North Sacramento, Conlins letter said. There would be increased police patrols in the area, and staff would be on site 24/7, the letter said. Like at Railroad Drive, the shelter would not screen guests for drugs and alcohol, and would let them bring their pets, partners and possessions. Guests would also receive mental health and medical care, as well as help removing the barriers they encounter in finding permanent housing, such as obtaining state identification cards. Mayor Darrell Steinberg in December asked all eight council members to find sites for homeless shelters in their districts. Councilman Jeff Harris, who represents the area, last month told the Sacramento Bee he was proposing a site at Cal Expo property for a shelter, but did not say where. If Expo officials OK the plan, the shelter would still require approval from the City Council. | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article226590929.html |
Is homeschooling better for kids? | By Jessie Blaeser Roughly 1.69 million kids are homeschooled in the United States. For parents dissatisfied with public education options in their area, homeschooling is a great way to take control of their child's education. Others argue that homeschooling is risky and can even stunt kids' emotional growth due to a lack of socialization. There are a number of different ways parents can go about homeschooling their kids. No matter which they choose, they must follow each state's individual regulations. Some parents choose to follow a traditional program where they purchase a curriculum. These programs tend to follow the structure of a traditional schoollearning in units, quizzes and tests to mark progress, even field trips. The learning just takes place in the home. Parents can also choose to follow a concept called "unschooling," where they allow children to learn based on their own interests. Home School Academy explains this approach: Many parents desire for their child to enjoy learning and believe that the more personal the learning is, the more their child will retain the knowledge and desire to learn in the future. No matter which method a family chooses, homeschooling allows for flexibility and creativity when it comes to learning styles. But homeschooling isn't for everyone. ThoughtCo. warns that if you haven't taken every single factor into consideration, it's best to wait before homeschooling your child. According to Kathy Danvers, homeschooling takes great personal conviction and sacrifice. If you aren't ready to dive 100 percent into your child's education, you'll only be hurting them in the long-run: If your current idea of home educating is choosing curriculum that your children can do by themselves while you monitor their progress from a distance, you may want to consider not homeschooling. Some teachers warn that homeschooling stunts emotional growth in students. Even if parents are taking kids on field trips, to social events, or to volunteer, nothing can make up for the interaction typically found in a classroom. Laurel Niedospial explains on Pop Sugar: Socialization requires that children consistently work with people they're not used to working with. It's about discussing things with people who have a different opinion and challenging preconceived notions. It's about having to do a group project with people who don't necessarily work the same way as you do, to collaborate on ideas and grow as a thinker. According to Niedospial, this type of interaction needs to happen day in and day out. Kids who are homeschooled grow up at a huge disadvantage. On the flip side, homeschooled kids don't have to deal with in-school bullying or toxic school environments. Business Insider's Chris Weller goes so far as to call homeschooling a "harmonious" learning environment. Plus, by offering a personalized approach to learning, homeschooling enables kids to go deeper into the subjects they enjoy, laying the groundwork for passions as they get older. These experiences have the effect of maturing kids much more quickly and cultivating "a trait of open-mindedness," as Harvard junior and former homeschooler Claire Dickson told Business Insider. Homeschooled kids tend to perform better on standardized tests too. With all this in mind, its hard to deny that homeschooling your kids might be better for them in the long-run. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/02/is-homeschooling-better-for-kids.html |
Can An Xbox Driving Game Actually Make A Teen More Cautious On The Road? | When they first get their licenses, American teens' knowledge of driving in unpredictable environments is mostly limited to video games. They "practice driving" by gunning their engines through scintillating races, hairpin turns and spectacular crashes. Now a California-based company hopes to teach teens everywhere to avoid rather than chase danger by meeting them where they are -- on Xbox. Virtual Driver Interactive offers simulation-based driver training for a range of vehicles and watercraft, for multiple industries. Clients include the United States Postal Services, utility companies, law enforcement agencies and the American Automobile Association. Founder and chief executive Bob Davis founded the company in 2004 after his own near-accident. Years later, he observed a gap in the teen driver education market. His own kids got to use his company's advanced simulators for every extreme condition, but their driving school canceled lessons on rainy days, he recalled in a phone interview. "How do you practice things that are inherently dangerous without being in danger as you're practicing?" Davis said of the question behind the creation of his product. He started researching how to manufacture and scale a system to be affordable for families and usable with an ordinary teen's skills. Only some states offer driver education in public high schools. His son suggested Xbox one day when Davis was thinking aloud about how to get it into people's homes rather than schools or other public destinations. The younger Davis explained that having only a handheld control - no pedals and no steering wheel - does not change the player's ability to command a steering wheel turn, a speed change, or any of the other actions that are needed to drive. So a player wouldn't develop all the same motor skills through practice, but could develop safe habits through repetition and rewards in the form of game points. At a stoplight for example, rather than floor the accelerator the moment the light turns green as one might in another driving game, driving students must do a standard left-right-left look across the intersection to proceed. They don't physically turn their heads, but they issue the command on the controller and register the habit. After two years of development, Driving Essentials XE arrives in the Microsoft Store next month. It is a single title offering 10 lessons in avoiding distraction and responding safely in hazardous conditions. We should all hope so. The numbers are stunning. According to the Centers for Disease Control, motor vehicle crashes ar the leading cause of U.S. teen deaths. In 2016, the last year that comprehensive driving data was tabulated by age group, 2433 people aged 16 to 19 were killed and 292,742 were treated in emergency rooms for crash-related injuries. When the game becomes available for download next month, it will be just one safe option in a marketplace packed with countless visceral games that reward absurd risk. But other numbers are on the company's side. Its own market research shows there are about 2.5 million newly licensed drivers on U.S. roads each year 32 million new generation Xboxes currently in U.S. homes. That adds up to over 5 million nervous parents deciding whether to hand over the keys. Those parents will be asked to pay a suggested price of $59 in the Microsoft Store, about market standard for Xbox and less than online driving courses priced around $30. Davis called those "crib sheets" for their information, which mostly previews exam content. He said the market needs to shift toward safety rather than convenience: [They show students] 'Here is the easiest way to pass your drivers test.' That's all that course is. Those aren't safety courses. Right now the tech industry, all its resources are designed to make it easier and faster, with less involvement, to get your license. I think it should be the opposite. Reading something online is nowhere near as effective as living through it." The company will continue using social media to spread the word through its launch. In its networks, it has found positive early feedback, particularly from mothers. In coming years, Driving Essentials XE will target marketing partnerships with organizations with a vested interest in reducing crash rates: insurance companies, Level-I trauma hospitals and governments. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewalmsley/2019/02/23/can-an-xbox-driving-game-actually-make-a-teen-cautious-on-the-road/ |
What If The Nintendo Switch Just Starts Using Xbox Live Going Forward? | While Nintendo and Microsoft have always been pretty chummy, with that relationship leading to crossplay across a number of games on the Switch and Xbox One, things are being taken to an entirely new level. There are now constant rumors that the Nintendo Switch is going to be getting access to the Xbox Game Pass, meaning you can play those games on Switch, and that the Switch also may run Microsofts upcoming cloud game-streaming service as well. Big moves, and a more or less unprecedented partnership between two would-be rivals that has the potential to reshape the entire dynamic of the console race and continue to ice Sony out, who does not seem as prone to want to play with others. All of this talk about Xbox stuff coming to Switch has me thinking about one particular thing, however. That sentence would have sounded like complete nonsense even a few months ago, but things are changing quickly, and yes, if the Switch is about to be running both Xbox Game Pass and Microsofts streaming service, I do not think it is the most ridiculous idea in the world to say that maybe Nintendo could just adopt all of Xbox Live as well as its online infrastructure. Nintendo has never, ever been able to properly figure out online play. The current system could be their best stab at it yet, but its still rife with problems (voice chat via a phone app, a phone app!) and its miles behind PSN and Xbox Live. The lower cost of the service doesnt make up for the fact that the service is terrible, and for whatever reason, Nintendo simply cannot get a handle on online gaming the way its rivals have. So, just partner up with the rival who has managed to do online play better than anyone. Im sure this would be somewhat of an engineering challenge, but if anyone could figure out how to make the Switch properly use Xbox Live as its primary online service, its Microsoft. Its a win-win-win for all sides: Nintendo gets an online service that actually works consistently for a change and has all the features youd expect Microsoft gets to dramatically expand their playerbase to all Switch users for additional revenue (split with Nintendo, Id guess) and gets another selling point over PlayStation Players essentially get access to crossplay on every single title released going forward, if its on Switch, since both Switch and Xbox are using XBL. Xbox players can play with friends on Switch, Switch players can play with Xbox players and also finally have an online service that is not awful I have to believe this is at least being considered, if not outright planned. In this era of cooperation, it just makes too much sense, and short of Microsoft just flat-out buying Nintendo (Im not gonna rule it out), this would take their newly cooperative spirit to a level never thought possible before. This may be more complicated than I am imagining, but it makes sense given the path were currently on. I would not be surprised to see this happen or at least be announced in 2019, as theoretically unthinkable as it might be. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi thriller novel Herokiller, available now in print and online. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2019/02/23/what-if-the-nintendo-switch-just-starts-using-xbox-live-going-forward/ |
What Does It Mean to Be a Canadian Citizen? | Some of the evacuees expressed anger at the discomforts of the trip: long queues at the Beirut waterfront; crowded ships that lacked air-conditioning. A Toronto TV station quoted one man: Its a humiliation. The government said trust us and this is the trust I put in them? It soon became public knowledgealthough this, too, was never officially confirmedthat nearly half of the evacuees returned home to Lebanon within the month. Comments like that did not sit well with many people back in Canada. Some politicians and commentators began to speak of Canadians of convenience: people who lived permanently abroad, did not pay Canadian taxes, and remembered their Canadian citizenship only when they needed rescue. As a partial step to addressing these complaints, the government took steps to tighten rules about expatriate citizenship. It began for the first time to seriously enforce the ban on voting by long-term expatriates, people who had lived outside Canada for five years or longer. As Canada headed into a federal election in 2011 under the new rules, two expatriate Canadians filed a lawsuit to demand restoration of their voting rights. That litigation wended its way through the judicial system. In January 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada pronounced an answer: All Canadian citizens may vote in Canadian elections, no matter how long they have lived outside the country. The text of the decision would seem to apply even to those Canadian citizens who have never lived in Canada at all, or who have acquired nationality in another country. Even before the decision, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau had moved ahead with legislation. I number among those supposedly benefited by the new legislation. In November 2018, I testified to the Canadian Senate against it. My advice went unheeded, obviously. Perhaps you think of Canada as an immigration magnet, but Canada also exports people in large numbers: perhaps 2.8 million people, or about 9 percent of the countrys population. (In contrast, only about 9 million nonmilitary Americans live abroad, or less than 3 percent of the U.S. population.) Naturalized Canadians are three times as likely to live outside Canada as native-born Canadians, according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. About 24 percent of immigrants from Hong Kong return to the territory after acquiring Canadian citizenship, as do 30 percent of immigrants from Taiwan. You can see the appeal. Hong Kongs economy is growing much faster than Canadas. Its income-tax rates top out at 17 percent. Canada does not tax the foreign-source income of nonresident citizens, in effect creating a geopolitical arbitrage opportunity too attractive to miss: the protections of Canadian nationality at low Hong Kong prices. | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/should-expats-always-be-able-vote-home-country/583318/?utm_source=feed |
Are Stocks Worth Their Price? | In his annual letter to shareholders, published on Saturday, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway said his quest for a large acquisition has continued to come up short. Prices are sky-high for businesses possessing decent long-term prospects, he complained. Mr. Buffett is hamstrung in part because he has more than $100 billion in cash to put to work. Unable to find what he called an elephant-sized acquisition, he said Berkshire would likely be expanding its portfolio of stocks instead. Considering where valuations are, even that hunt for smaller game could be trying. Start with how stocks stack up against expected earnings. A year ago, the S&P 500 traded at 17.1 times what analysts thought its underlying companies would earn over the next 12 months, according to FactSet. Now, that forward price/earnings ratio is about 16.2. That is right around the average of 16 for the 23 years for which FactSet has data. But 23 years doesnt count as a lot of history. And since it is for is a period that includes both the nose-bleed valuations of the dot-com bubble and the deep discounts that came after the financial crisis, it is hard to say what the right forward P/E should be. Investors also can look backwards using trailing P/Eswhat stocks fetch relative to earnings already in the books rather than what analysts were projecting. One popular way of doing that is the cyclically adjusted price-earnings, or CAPE ratio, that economists Robert Shiller and John Campbell came up with in the late 1990s. This looks at stock prices versus the past 10 years of earnings, smoothing out the effects of economic booms and busts and adjusting for inflation. Article Continued Below Today the CAPE is at around 30, which compares to with an average of about 20 over the past half centuryin other words, quite expensive. But the CAPE may overstate how pricey stocks are. First, it still reflects (but soon wont) large write-downs from the financial crisis a decade ago. Second, it reflects a different tax regime. Through the first three quarters of last year, the corporate tax cut boosted the earnings measure the CAPE relies on by about 11%, according to Zion Research Group. If last years tax cut had prevailed over the past decade, the CAPE would be about three points lower. To avoid the impact of the tax cut, and also the question of whether tax laws will be changed again, investors could look at a valuation measure Mr. Buffett has pointed to: The market capitalization of U.S. stocks as a percentage of gross national product. Right now, that measure stands at about 159% which isnt far from the 171% it hit during the dot-com bubble. Of course no single measure can really capture how under or overvalued the stock market might bethere are too many moving parts. But looking across a variety of them suggests the market is hardly a bargain. Some individual stocks almost certainly are, but for both Mr. Buffett and regular investors, identifying them is no easy task. | https://www.thestar.com/wsj/markets/2019/02/23/are-stocks-worth-their-price.html |
How much bank exposure is too much? | Yes, 20 per cent sounds reasonable. Canadian banks enjoy an oligopoly and their long-term returns have been excellent. To take one example, Royal Bank of Canada has posted an annualized total return of about 12.5 per cent over the past 20 years, assuming all dividends had been reinvested. Banks also have some of the strongest dividend growth records in Canada. Royal Bank which hiked its dividend by 4 per cent when it announced first-quarter earnings on Friday is now paying more than twice as much as it did in 2010. I only wish my salary had grown that much. As we saw during the financial crisis, however, banks which are leveraged by nature can also get hammered when the environment turns sour. Fortunately, our banks bounced back although they went a few years without raising their dividends at all but I would not want to have excessive exposure to banks lest the next credit crisis, or some other unforeseen financial calamity, turns out to be even worse. Story continues below advertisement In Canada, its easy to get carried away with banks. Some exchange-traded funds, for example, have 40 per cent or more of their assets in the sector. I have even heard from readers who have their entire portfolio in banks, which is just reckless. As always, diversification is the key. If you have 20 per cent of your portfolio in banks which, incidentally, is a few percentage points below the bank weighting of the S&P/TSX Composite Index youll control your risk while still having plenty of exposure should the banks continue to deliver outstanding results. In a recent column, you mentioned a couple of different ways to compare ones performance against the total return of the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Just as you could use the S&P/TSX Composite Total Return Index as a benchmark for your Canadian returns, you could use the S&P 500 Total Return Index to see how the performance of your U.S. stock portfolio stacks up against the broader U.S. market. Unlike the regular S&P 500, which is based on price changes alone, the S&P 500 Total Return Index includes dividends and assumes they were reinvested. You can find this index on many financial websites, including Investing.com (use the ticker SPXTR). An alternative is to compare your U.S. stock portfolio with the total return of a low-cost U.S index ETF such as the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) or, if you want an even broader benchmark, the iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT). ETF provider websites publish total returns of their funds for various periods. Just be sure that, if youre comparing the performance of your U.S. stocks in U.S. currency, you use a U.S. dollar ETF as the benchmark and not a Canadian-dollar version. Otherwise, you will be comparing apples and oranges. Last week, you discussed ways to find Canadian stocks with a track record of raising their dividends. Google U.S. dividend aristocrats for a list of U.S. stocks that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Another option which will also include stocks with shorter dividend growth records is to check out the list of constituents in an ETF such as the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) or iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO). I hold DGRO in my model Yield Hog Dividend Growth Portfolio (tgam.ca/dividendportfolio). Another useful website is dividendhistory.org, where you can look up the dividend growth records of individual Canadian and U.S. companies. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/investment-ideas/article-how-much-bank-exposure-is-too-much/ |
What is an alpine coaster? | Imagine soaring through a mountain landscape, wildflowers alongside, vistas of towering peaks at every turn, while the crisp alpine air rushes through your hair. No, youre not on a zip line, a gondola or even a mountain bike--youve hopped aboard an alpine coaster, a unique brand of roller coaster featuring an elevated track that sends you soaring down an incline. Alpine coasters-- also known as mountain coasters-- were invented in the mid 1990s in Europe. Each sled usually accommodates just one or two passengers in gravity-propelled individually-controlled cars so riders can ideally control the speed at which they zoom-- a far cry from the high-tech coasters dominating theme parks today. Here are the top alpine coasters around the U.S., from the mountains of Utah to Vermont: 1. Glenwood Caverns, Colorado The first mountain coaster in the U.S., Glenwood Caverns alpine coaster (which opened in 2005) celebrated its one-millionth rider in 2015 and has been named one of the 10 best roller coaster rides of your life by Park World magazine. Paving the way for all future alpine coasters, Glenwood Caverns coaster zips through a pinon and juniper forest down Iron Mountain, turning and twisting around tons of trees. Last winter, the ride was upgraded with new cars and a braking system. The views are second to none with mountains on all sides, including the twin peaks of Mt. Sopris, the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, as well as the City of Glenwood Springs. Take a nighttime ride when the coaster is lighted. 2. Vail, Colorado New to the coaster scene is Forest Flyer, Vail Resorts first foray into mountain coasters and part of the resorts Epic Discovery program. Launched in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service, this program provides a variety of on-mountain activities like zip-lining, summer tubing and wildlife trails with the goal of allowing visitors to better understand their natural surroundin The coaster winds its way down the mountain, providing views of the town below and plenty of aspen whizzing by. If youve got a child who isnt 54 inches-- the requirement to ride alone-- but is at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall, he or she can hop a ride with a parent. 3. Lake Tahoe, California Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe has its own Epic Discovery program that features the Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster, which opened in June. With spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and surrounded by boulders, the coaster shoots riders down 300 vertical feet, reaching speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. The coaster winds around 3400 feet of track, much of it a straight shot, but it's broken up by two lateral loops. Other adventures at Heavenlys Epic Discovery include a Skyway Canopy tour, ropes course, zip line and climbing wall. 4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming The Cowboy Coaster is known for its incredible vistas of the Tetons. Open both summer and winter, the coaster takes riders more than 400 feet up the mountain and then travels down a series of 360-degrees corkscrew twists and turns at more than four stories above the ground at some points. Visitors can also take a go on the resorts Alpine Slide, where riders navigate down a luge-like chute. 5. Snowbird, Utah Snowbird Ski and Summer Resorts Mountain Coaster operates at a high altitude of 8500 feet above sea level. Two people can ride each cart, which barrel through a forest of pine trees and aspens, along with a meadow, landing at the base of the mountain. Located less than 30 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport, in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains, the resort offers a variety of warm-weather activities including an alpine slide, an aerial tram to the 11,000-foot summit of Hidden Peak, the Mountain Flyer ride and the Vertical Drop with a 9-foot freefall. 6. Mt Washington Valley, New Hampshire Enjoy two mountain coasters in Mount Washington Valley, home to 13 ski resorts with views of Mount Washington and surrounded by more than 600,000 acres of White Mountain Natural Forest. At Cranmore Adventure Park, board the curvy half-mile Mountain Coaster, which operates in winter (bring your coat, hat and gloves! ), summer and fall with fantastic autumn foliage scenery all around. The parks most popular year-round adventure, the coaster soars through the woods with views of Mount Washington. At Attitash Mountain Resort, hop on a two-person cart on the Attitash NorEaster Mountain Coaster. Start with a 1400-foot scenic trip uphill followed by a thrilling nearly 3000-foot dash through the forest past curves and plenty of dips. The coaster is open in summer and fall and weather-dependent in winter. 7. Built along a retired mountain bike trail, riders soar through a tree canopy using a rider-controlled braking system. The backup smart brake system prevents collisions on the track in case you get too close to the rider ahead. While on the mountain, visit other Adventure Center activities including the 100-foot high Skyeride, 5000-square-foot Terra-Maze and gem mining. 8. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee A beautiful autumn is in store at one of two alpine coasters in Pigeon Forge, close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Americas most visited national park. Fly through the brightly-colored fall foliage for a thrilling ride and scenic landscapes. Choose from the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster or the Coaster at Goats on the Roof, both around one-mile, that each descend down the same ridge. 9. Breckenridge, Colorado If it's warm or cold, you can race down Breckenridge Resorts Gold Runner Coaster all by your lonesome or with a friend. The 2500-foot elevated track is located within the resorts Summer Fun Park and accessible via a free gondola ride from the Town of Breckenridge. When riding the coaster in winter, keep your eyes open for top-notch skiers-- on the way up, you'll have a great view of the resorts famous Freeway Terrain Park where professional athletes train throughout the ski season. 10. Park City, Utah Youll find Utahs largest alpine coaster in Park City, the single largest ski and snowboard resort in the U.S. The coaster winds for a mile through a forest filled with aspens and provides magnificent ski resort views, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Hold on tight through hairpin turns and steep descents as you reach the end. 11. Spirit, Minnesota At more than three stories high, the Timber Twister entertains guests along Lake Superior at Spirit Mountain in Minnesota. With vast vistas of the lake, the St. Louis River and the City of Duluth, the coaster speeds down the mountain through a forest. The coaster is part of Spirits Adventure Park with a zip line, jumping pillow, mini golf and disc golf. | https://www.foxnews.com/travel/what-is-an-alpine-coaster |
What's next for NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter? | CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA's newest planet-hunting powerhouse, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), leaped into orbit Wednesday evening (April 18) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. TESS lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT), then separated from its rocket ride 49 minutes later. "When you come off the top of the rocket, all the fun for us spacecraft folks begins," Robert Lockwood, TESS spacecraft program manager for Orbital ATK, the company that built the satellite for NASA, said during a prelaunch news conference here on Sunday (April 15). Well, TESS' solar arrays will soon deploy, and the refrigerator-size satellite will perform a series of system checks over the next five days to ensure everything is in working order. And "first light" will come soon: TESS' science instrument, which consists of four CCD cameras, will be switched on about eight days after launch, mission team members have said. And then there's all the maneuvering. TESS is headed for an orbit around Earth that no spacecraft has ever occupied a highly elliptical path in which the satellite will circle the planet twice for every orbit the moon completes. This orbit is very stable, letting the spacecraft remain relatively unaffected by orbital debris and space radiation, as well as allowing for easy communications with mission team members on the ground during the close passes to Earth. Moreover, TESS shouldn't have to perform too many attitude corrections in this orbit, mission team members have said. If the spacecraft veers off course too much, the moon's gravity will pull it back in line. However, this type of orbit presents challenges as well. For example, the timing has to be just right to sync up with the moon. If all goes according to plan, TESS will perform a beautifully choreographed orbital ballet of sorts, completing a series of maneuvers in order to fly by the moon on May 17. (TESS' cameras won't be on during this flyby, so don't expect any photos.) Approximately two months after launch, in mid-June, the spacecraft will finally reach its operating orbit. Then, TESS' science work will begin. The satellite may be small, but it packs a major science punch. TESS is following in the footsteps of NASA's famed Kepler space telescope and is expected to surpass its predecessor in the number of exoplanets detected. Over the course of its two-year mission, TESS will monitor the brightness of more than 200,000 stars, waiting to observe tiny dips in starlight known as transits. When a planet orbits in front of its host star, it temporarily blocks a tiny portion of starlight, and these dips will be recorded by TESS' four ultrasensitive cameras. Kepler has used this same strategy to find more than 2,600 confirmed alien worlds to date. Some of the first images TESS' cameras collect may resemble television static rather than discernable cosmic objects, but the photos will be jam-packed with data. The mission will rely on observations by other telescopes, both on the ground and in space, to confirm which of its detected "candidates" are bona fide planets. In addition, some confirmed TESS planets should be close enough to Earth to be studied in detail by other instruments, including NASA's $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in 2020. TESS will observe 85 percent of the sky over its two-year prime mission and is expected to discover thousands of new worlds, as well as other astronomical objects like galaxies. We could see the first of those worlds later this year, NASA officials have said. Originally published on Space.com. | https://www.foxnews.com/science/whats-next-for-nasas-tess-exoplanet-hunter |
Can Manny Machado, Padres $300M man, bring life to San Diego? | PEORIA, Ariz. Jonathan Sanchez hit an improbable triple off Mat Latos in the final regular-season game in 2010, and the Giants and Padres began immediate journeys down opposite paths. The Giants clinched a division title that day, finishing two games ahead of San Diego, and went on to win their first of three World Series. The Padres quickly sunk into oblivion and irrelevance, and we havent heard from them since. At least on the field. The Giants won their last World Series in 2014, but it was the Padres who supposedly won the offseason afterward by trading for Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel and signing James Shields. Well, not quite. They finished fourth in 2015, and all those guys were gone within a year. The Padres are making noise again, but this time theyre anticipating far different results. Their $300 million investment in Manny Machado, a record deal that was announced Thursday, makes them a team on the rise, a team destined for better days. By adding Machado (without losing prospects), the Padres did more to upgrade with a single move than did any other NL West team over the entire offseason. Machado is 26 and joining the club with baseballs best farm system. The Padres still might not jump far from the cellar this year, if at all, but figure to be scary in 2020 or, at the latest, 2021. Good for the Padres. San Diego deserves a winner. No major sports team has won a championship in this town, and fans are desperate for an organization with a pulse. Its suddenly a one-sport town after the Chargers fled to Los Angeles because a misguided owner, Dean Spanos, failed to make it work in San Diego. Nothing new. I was a sportswriter in San Diego when the Clippers bolted for L.A., and an even more pathetic owner, Donald Sterling, loused that up. These were the Clippers of Terry Cummings, Tom Chambers, World B. Free, Bill Walton and Norm Nixon, and Sterling did zilch to succeed. In the same era, the Chargers featured Dan Fouts, Charlie Joyner, Kellen Winslow and one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history. The Padres, meanwhile, were slowly building a World Series team and found Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles and Rich Gossage to complement the great Tony Gwynn. Thats all a distant memory, and the only game left is baseball, but the Padres havent posted a winning record since the year the Giants eliminated them on the final day. Machado, wholl play third base, wont turn around the franchise overnight, but hell combine with first baseman Eric Hosmer as bookends to what promises to be a must-see double-play combination. Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., perhaps the top prospect in the land, will be called up during the season and complement Luis Urias at second. Francisco Mejia might be the games top catching prospect. A lot more prized prospects are on the horizon, and it wont hurt the Padres to have the sixth-overall pick in the June draft. Absolutely. The success rate of nine-digit contracts is awful, and Machado didnt exactly show he was a good teammate in the postseason with his dirty antics and lack of hustle, but he did say at Fridays news conference, Im a winner. Im a gamer. Well see. Not only will Machado be asked to ignite the Padres, hell also be asked to lead them, especially the young guys, and he has never been a leader. But the Padres and the town are due for something special, and before a championship is possible, hope is necessary. For now, there is some. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicles national baseball writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @JohnSheaHey | https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/shea/article/Can-Manny-Machado-Padres-300M-man-bring-13639405.php |
Can Hemp Boost Ohio's Farm Economy? | This week, Senate Bill 57, sponsored by Republican legislators Brian Hill and Stephen A. Huffman, was introduced in the Ohio Senate. The bill aims to legalize hemp cultivation and processing in Ohio as well as legalize the sale of hemp-derived products like CBD oil. The state-level legislation follows on the heels of Decembers signing of the 2018 federal farm bill, or the U.S. Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which removed hemp from its illegal classification under the Controlled Substances Act. This an exciting opportunity for farmers to expand the crops they plant, said Representative Hill in a statement announcing Senate Bill 57. Farmers can rotate hemp to improve soil health while earning more profit than many traditional cover crops. Im eager to see all the ways that Ohio will benefit from this legislation. With the passage of the 2018 farm bill, hemp now falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is afforded a range of farm safety net programs that commodity crops like corn and soybeans have historically benefited from. However, if an individual state has deemed hemp an illegal substance, the crop is still off limits to growers and processors in that state. Such is the case in Ohio where hemp has been illegal to grow for decades. Hemp is a new topic in Ohio, says Greg May, co-founder of CannaRev Solutions, a cannabis industry consulting company located in Columbus, Ohio. May is a licensed attorney in the state of Ohio. There are a lot of unknowns and questions around hemp, probably more than there are answers at this point, he says. May calls the December signing of the 2018 farm bill a Christmas gift for the budding cannabis industry in the state, where medical marijuana was recently legalized. Hemp is one of the earliest domesticated crops and is prized for its nutritious seed, its resilient fiber and its extracted cannabinoids, the most well-known of which is CBD. A botanical powerhouse, hemp has been used for centuries in the food, wellness, textile, paper, construction and manufacturing industries. However, in recent American history the crop has suffered immensely under a case of mistaken identity with its botanical cousin, marijuana. Both plants are members of the Cannabis sativa family. However, they differ greatly in their chemical composition due to the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, contained in each plant. THC causes marijuanas mind-altering high. The amount of THC in marijuana can reach up to 30% while hemp, by federal law, must contain less than 0.3%. This negligible amount makes it virtually impossible to get high on hemp. The 2014 farm bill, or the Agricultural Act of 2014, allowed the development of state-level pilot programs to study the crop. Since then, numerous states, including all those touching Ohios borders, have enacted hemp-friendly legislation. Many, such as Indiana and Pennsylvania, are in the process of revising their legislation to enable the development of robust hemp industries in their states. In Kentucky, where the crop once grew plentifully, lawmakers have spent the last several years cultivating a robust hemp program. Overseen by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, there were 210 licensed growers in the state in 2018 and more than 16,000 acres in 73 counties approved for planting. For 2019, the states Department of Agriculture has approved 42,000 acres for planting. Agriculture is the largest industry in Ohio and contributes more than $105 billion to the economy. There are more than 75,000 farms in operation in the state. With continued dwindling crop values in 2018, exacerbated by the ongoing trade war with China, many of these farmers are looking to diversify and hemp could prove a viable option. According to the Hemp Business Journal, the U.S. is currently the largest importer of hemps various components for use in the food, wellness, textile and manufacturing industries. In 2017, the U.S. hemp industry generated $820 million in sales. With policy change and growing consumer awareness, the publication projects that by 2022 the American hemp market will reach $1.9 billion. Whether or not that market moves to support primarily American growers is to be determined. I can tell you theres significant interest from farmers in hemp, says May, who has fielded a number of inquiries from growers in the state. You dont really have to look too much further than Kentucky to see why. Kentucky is using hemp to replace the tobacco industry in the state. We dont really need to reinvent the wheel here. We just need to look at Kentucky to see how to do this in Ohio, he says. Two powerhouse Ohio agricultural organizations have voiced their support for the development of an Ohio hemp industry. In a recent news release, Adam Sharp, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, said: We applaud Senators Hill and Huffman for introducing legislation to help bring industrial hemp to Ohio and to allow farmers to explore the potential of this quickly growing market opportunity. Additionally, in a statement issued last week by the Ohio Farmers Union regarding the groups policy priorities for 2019, Joe Logan, president of the organization, noted: The ball is in the state of Ohios court and I know that officials at the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture are aware that theres a growing number of farmers who may wish to diversify by adding hemp to their crop rotation. As reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer, in its current form, Senate Bill 57 will likely face heavy debate as, to start, the language in the draft legislation is void of the federal classification of hemp as containing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Additionally, the proposed cost for growers to pursue and maintain a license to grow the crop is currently absent in Senator Hill and Huffmans document. However, just starting the conversation is a promising step in the right direction as most states are advanced in the fast and furious hemp program race. Hopefully, Ohio and the state's farmers can catch up and prosper. This is a big step forward, May says. The reality is that weve probably lost any opportunity to have a crop in the state in 2019. Some of the urgency is gone but my hope is that they get this resolved and passed, he says in regards to Ohios legislature. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolerasul/2019/02/23/can-hemp-boost-ohios-farm-economy/ |
Is Bryce Harper bidding now two-team race between Giants, Phillies? | Scroll to continue with content Ad In recent days, Giants officials have grown confident about the possibility that the Washington Nationals, the only team Harper has ever known, no longer were a factor. That's the case, NBC Sports Washington reported Friday. "We've moved on," Nationals owner Mark Lerner told NBC Sports Washington. "As I said back then and we had to. There was no way we could wait around. Bryce, I'm sure will make his decision hopefully in the next few days, but we've filled out our roster and like I said, we wish him nothing but the best." Throughout this lengthy process, many in the Giants organization have viewed the Nationals as the ultimate landing spot, assuming agent Scott Boras would take the best offer back to them at the end and ask them to top it. It now appears Harper's only shot to get more than Manny Machado's $300 million will be to sign with the Phillies. Philadelphia still is the favorite, and in recent days, there have been reports that the sides have increased their dialogue. The Giants view the Phillies as the favorites, too, and they don't intend to do dollar-to-dollar with them. But ... what if Harper just really does not want to play in Philadelphia, or land with an NL East rival. That's something the Giants have held on to, and they appear to be the last team standing if that's the case. Story continues The Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers bowed out early, although you can never assume that Boras won't find a way to get one of them involved again. To that end, a Giants person pointed out this week that they had a good shot at Giancarlo Stanton before he made it known there were just four teams he wanted to play for, and he found his way to New York. After missing out on Machado, the White Sox reportedly won't bid on Harper. It's just about impossible to see how the Padres could, given the fact they've had a $100 million payroll only once and have paid Machado and Eric Hosmer the past two offseasons. The Giants do not believe there's a Mystery Team out there. The Giants met with Harper earlier this month and have been working to try and find a match. They have no intention of going over the $300 million mark, and that's still a significant hurdle. But so was the presence of the Nationals, and that hurdle has been removed. [RELATED: Giants 'trying hard' for Bryce Harper, but not optimistic] Well, probably. As always in this Harper chase, there's a bit of of confusion. "But there's always that, the door's cracked a little bit," Lerner told NBC Sports Washington. "I have no clue at this point what (Harper and Boras are) up to. We really haven't heard from them in a couple months." | https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-harper-bidding-now-two-161119059.html?src=rss |
Will Ryan Donato become next young Bruins player traded away too soon? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The Boston Bruins sure are hoping Ryan Donato doesn't join the lengthy list of talented young players the team traded away too soon. The B's traded the 22-year-old forward and a fifth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Charlie Coyle on Wednesday. Scroll to continue with content Ad Donato has a lot of potential but didn't make a strong enough impact to earn a consistent role at the NHL level this season. The B's used him to acquire a player in Coyle who will contribute more to Boston's cause right now. Five years from now could be a different story, however. 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/ryan-donato-become-next-young-232955137.html?src=rss |
Could blowing a 28-point lead deliver a first-round pick to Boston? | Scroll to continue with content Ad The Los Angeles Clippers, who roared back from a 28-point deficit to stun the Celtics here earlier this month, are set to send their 2019 first-round pick to Boston if it lands outside the lottery. That means Los Angeles would have to make the playoffs, which seemed unlikely after the Clippers dealt Tobias Harris to Philadelphia before the trade deadline. But as the race for the final Western Conference playoff spots begins to take shape, the Clippers find themselves with pole position next to fellow hopefuls Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers. What's more, the Athletic reported Friday that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer prefers the team make a playoff push this season. On the surface, it sounds counterproductive for the Clippers considering a lottery pick could be beneficial to the team's rebuilding process, even as they prepare to chase max-contract free agents this summer. But let the Celtics stand as a model of how even a small taste of the postseason can help a young core, especially right before the team adds top-end talent. The Isaiah Thomas-led Celtics got a couple small bites of the playoffs a few years back and, as soon as the team added Al Horford in the summer of 2016, it rocketed the team to the conference finals. The Clippers won on the road over the Grizzlies on Friday night to improve to 33-27 on the season and now sit 2 games ahead of the Kings and 3 ahead of the Lakers. MORE CELTICS Story continues Entering Friday's action, projections heavily favored the Clippers making the postseason. ESPN's Basketball Power Index gave the team a whopping 80.6 percent chance to make the playoffs based on the team's performance throughout the season, with the Lakers (9.2 percent) and Kings (8.6 percent) lagging well behind. Even FiveThirtyEight's NBA projections, which factor in roster and lineup changes, important considering the Clippers' trade, had the team at 62 percent to make the playoffs, a comfortable distance ahead of the Lakers (28 percent) and Kings (9 percent). The Celtics would benefit from both the Clippers making the playoffs and the Kings missing out. Boston will collect Sacramento's first-round pick, so long as it doesn't vault to No. 1 in the lottery. Entering Friday's action, draft-tracking website Tankathon had Boston set to collect picks No. 14 (via Kings), 18 (via Clippers), and 23 (its own). Ranking teams by total pick value, the Celtics projected to have more 2019 draft capital than, say, the Knicks if they landed the No. 2 pick. That's important given the Anthony Davis pursuit that could loom this summer. The team that emerges with the No. 1 pick could dangle that selection - more commonly referred to as "the chance to draft Zion Williamson" - and put themselves in the running for Davis' services. But the Celtics can make a very intriguing package with both picks and proven young talent. MORE CELTICS Even though the Celtics can't formally deal for Davis until July 1, the parameters of a deal could be in place with the Pelicans and Boston would simply draft for them with any 2019 picks that are set to be swapped. The Clippers' pick is lottery protected again next season before morphing into a 2022 second-round pick if not conveyed by 2020. Given the Clippers' hopes of adding max-contract talent this summer, there's a strong chance that pick might simply deliver next June in the event the Clippers fade this season. But if the Clippers pick delivers, and especially if it ultimately is flipped as part of a deal to acquire a talent like Davis, then maybe just maybe the Celtics coughing up a 28-point lead won't be as bad as it seemed in the moment. 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/could-blowing-28-point-lead-035046694.html?src=rss |
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