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Did Last Night's Oscars Work As A TV Show? | Oscars producers made some unusual choices this year. We break down the good, the bad and the ugly. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: It was this announcement that deflated a three-hour-plus broadcast. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) JOAQUIN PHOENIX: And the Academy Award for actor goes to Anthony Hopkins, "The Father." (APPLAUSE) CORNISH: Anthony Hopkins won best actor in Sunday's 93rd Oscars, and it was a surprise victory that some critics say brought a subdued end to the show. To talk about why and how the rest of the Oscars broadcast went, we turn to our critic, NPR's Eric Deggans. Welcome back there, Eric. ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: I'm doing fine. CORNISH: So we should note, obviously, Anthony Hopkins is a big deal. He's... DEGGANS: Yeah. CORNISH: ...Been nominated for an Oscar half a dozen times. Him winning is not, like, a huge shock. DEGGANS: Well, you know, it's almost an unfair situation. And I mostly blame the producers of the Oscars telecast for setting this up by breaking with tradition and scheduling the best actor award for the last announcement of the night. Now, usually best picture closes out the night. But Chadwick Boseman, who died last year, was a sentimental favorite to win best actor for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." And I'm assuming that the Oscars producers took a chance that Boseman would win and give them this triumphant moment for diversity and his legacy at the Oscars. But instead, it unfairly made Anthony Hopkins kind of look like a spoiler for his excellent work in "The Father." And to make the situation even weirder, Hopkins wasn't there to give an acceptance speech. So the show, which didn't have a host, just kind of ended. DEGGANS: (Laughter) Well, Questlove, who was the DJ, kind of came on and said, you know, thanks a lot, and closed out the show. But... CORNISH: DJ saved our lives. Yeah. DEGGANS: It was an oddly off-balance kind of ending. DEGGANS: Well, you know, the producers changed a lot. They moved the performances of the Oscar-nominated songs to the preshow. Now, that decision freed up time in the awards broadcast, but it also kind of took out a major source of entertainment for the show. They expanded the way presenters would talk about the nominees, but it often ended up making it sound like these celebrities were just glad-handing each other, congratulating each other. The in memoriam tribute to people who died over the past year felt really rushed, and it seemed like they left out some people. And they didn't show a lot of clips from nominated films. So this program, which is supposed to celebrate film, didn't spend a lot of time celebrating the actual films. DEGGANS: OK, so they had this system of testing and quarantine that made sure that a lot of the winners and presenters could actually go there in person. So it didn't look like a glorified Zoom meeting. They allowed the winners time to talk. So we got to see Thomas Vinterberg, who directed the best international feature "Another Round," talk about his daughter who died in a car accident. We got to see Travon Free, who's co-director of the best live action short film "Two Distant Strangers" - he talked about police brutality against Black people. "Nomadland" director Chloe Zhao, who won for best picture and best director, talked about finding the good in people that she encountered. And I got to shout out my man Questlove because he did a great job as the night's DJ. He even provided the soundtrack for the night's funniest moment, which was Glenn Close dancing to EU's funky go-go hit "Da Butt." CORNISH: And even that didn't help so much because I hear there was a drop of more than 50% in terms of ratings this year. So... DEGGANS: In the ratings - yeah, 9.85 million - very low historically. CORNISH: That's NPR TV critic Eric Deggans. Thanks so much. DEGGANS: Thank you. Copyright 2021 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. | https://www.npr.org/2021/04/26/990980249/did-last-nights-oscars-work-as-a-tv-show |
Why is tonights full moon called a pink supermoon? | If the clouds are accommodating, then tonights full pink moon will be a little bit bigger in the sky, as our planets only satellite is almost as close to us as its orbit allows. But there are a few misconceptions, says Australian astrophysicist Prof Jonti Horner, about the names some people give to full moons. Right about now in parts of North America, a native herb known as creeping phlox is coming into its pink bloom. Horner says in the United States, theres a tendency towards using the names that Native Americans have for full moons. Last month it was a wolf moon, says Horner, of the University of Southern Queensland. The pink moon is named not because it will take on a particular colour, but because of the colour of the flowering phlox. Modern skywatchers term tonights phenomenon a supermoon a term coined by an American astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. Technically, we get a supermoon when a full moon occurs around the time our satellite reaches perigee its closest point to the Earth. Dont miss out on an event that happens once in a Pink Moon! Tonight, beginning at 11:32pm ET, peek outside to witness what will be the first of two supermoons for 2021. Get the details: https://t.co/sJ3ulEyWhi pic.twitter.com/YwkCq9OQ4H NASA (@NASA) April 26, 2021 Horner says tonights moon definitely wont be pink but if youre somewhere where there is pollution in the air, then it could take on a more reddish tinge. Horner says a supermoon is only about 15% bigger and brighter than a usual full moon not really enough to be noticeable to most humans. The moon always seems larger when it is closest to the horizon, but Horner says this is down to a phenomenon known as the moon illusion, rather than the satellite actually being any closer. When its low to the horizon the moon looks bigger than it does when its overhead, but thats more because we have a point of reference. Its all about perception, he says. To counteract this illusion, Horner says that if you can do it safely (and youre flexible enough), you should bend over and view the moon through your legs, although its not agreed why this trick through the legs actually reduces the effect of the moon illusion. The United States has a tendency to use names that Native Americans have for full moons, with this one named for the pink flowering phlox. Photograph: VCG/VCG via Getty Images The reason the moon can sometimes appear to glow orange as we view it closer to the horizon, is because the light has to travel through more of the Earths atmosphere than it does when the moon is overhead. The atmosphere scatters the light, filtering blues and then yellows and leaving visible oranges and reds. In Sydney, the air quality is currently low because of particles from hazard reduction burning in bushland on the citys outskirts. Sydneysiders have been viewing a reddish moon through this haze in recent nights. If you have more pollution, then the more enhanced the effect, says Horner. Its the same reason why if you have bushfires the sun can go blood red. Its the same reason why the sky is blue. When the Earth is lined up between the sun and the moon, we get a full moon. But next months full moon which will also be a supermoon will see the satellite pass through the Earths shadow for a total lunar eclipse visible in east Asia and Australia as well as across the pacific and Americas. Thats much more interesting than a super-whatever-moon, says Monash University astrophysicist Prof Michael Brown During a total lunar eclipse, when the moon is in the Earths shadow, the only light reaching the moon passes through the Earths atmosphere. That produces a red tinge, or a deeper red colour after big dirty volcanic eruptions. And if you need a soundtrack to accompany tonights lunar gazing, theres always English folk singer Nick Drakes 1972 album Pink Moon. | https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/27/why-tonight-full-super-moon-called-pink-supermoon |
Is Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields the latest black quarterback to face the NFL Draft double standard? | COLUMBUS, Ohio COLUMBUS, Ohio A quarterback with obvious natural gifts and proven college success begins to slip down the rankings prior to the NFL Draft. The quarterback is black, prompting The Undefeated to write an article wondering aloud if criticism of that player is rooted in racism. The above could describe the perceived downward drift of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Once considered the No. 2 quarterback in this draft class, some analysts no longer rank him in the top four. One of the top storylines for Thursdays first round of the NFL Draft is how far Fields might wait to hear his name. That previous example, though, came in 2018, and the article in question discussed Louisvilles Lamar Jackson. The Heisman Trophy winner slipped all the way to the final pick of the first round. Baltimore took him, and one year later enjoyed his MVP season. Black quarterbacks have never had a more prominent place in the NFL. Jackson joined Cam Newton and Patrick Mahomes as black quarterbacks to win the MVP in the past six years. The four biggest contracts for the 2021 season belong to quarterbacks who are either black or biracial. There may be no connection between the way draft prospects are discussed in the media and the public and how they are talked about in the offices of NFL teams. Some insiders, though, see a problem that still needs attention. In the draft rooms I was in Id be nave to think that there werent some racial influences on how maybe people would have viewed quarterbacks, said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, previously a college scout with the Ravens, Browns and Eagles. I just cant recall in my eight years it ever being spoken or questioned in that regard. It was equal. Youd have a White quarterback that had an issue, a Black quarterback had the issue. I never noticed it in my time there, but I guarantee you that it exists and Im sure it still exists with teams today. How Justin Fields created an Ohio State legacy, and why it will follow him into the NFL Three games into the 2020 season, a real debate began as to whether Fields or Clemsons Trevor Lawrence would be the first quarterback selected in this years draft. Some projections now have Fields as the fifth quarterback off the board, possibly falling outside the top 10 or farther. That perceived slide had already begun before ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky gave an interview on the Pat McAfee show. Asked why Fields might be dropping on draft board, Orlovsky said Ive heard that there are issues with Justin Fields work ethic, and said someone had asked Where is his desire to go be a great quarterback? I honestly take that personally, Fields told ESPN analyst and former OSU quarterback Kirk Herbstreit for his QB21 draft preview. Thats kind of a bigger insult to me than saying that I dont have a strong arm or saying Im not accurate. Ohio State coach Ryan Day a former NFL quarterbacks coach who presumably has offered teams his candid opinion about Fields emphatically pushed back against those anonymous critiques. Day said he believed some guys get a pass and some guys dont ahead of the draft. He made no insinuation that race was a factor. Regardless of the motivation or nature of the critiques, Day believes Fields is equipped to handle unfair or excessive criticism. When I think about being the quarterback at Ohio State when I talk to families and their recruits I say its like being the shortstop for the New York Yankees, Day said. With that comes great scrutiny. Theres pluses and theres minuses to everything. Youre gonna get different scrutiny along the way. And thats part of, I guess, America they build you up and they try to rip you down. And theres vulnerability, and theres exposure there. But the one thing about Justin, he never gets rattled at all. I mean, it just actually fuels his fire a little bit, which I think is a good thing. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields throws during an NFL Pro Day at Ohio State University Tuesday, March 30, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)AP Those who bristled at the Fields critiques heard new examples of the same coded language used to analyze black quarterbacks for years. Studies suggest those concerns are not merely anecdotal. A Penn State study analyzed 175 official NFL draft profiles between 2008 and 2016. It found a correlation between race and which words were used to describe quarterbacks. Whites were more often described based on intangibles, blacks more often described by their physical characteristics. For instance, one of the widely accepted dings against Fields is that he does not progress through his reads, or does so too slowly. That scouting report gained traction even though multiple film breakdowns have disputed its accuracy. Additionally, white quarterbacks such as Lawrence and Alabamas Mac Jones have not faced the same criticisms despite playing in much more quarterback-friendly offenses. Last year, Fields took part in a Black Quarterback Summit organized by Quincy Avery, a trainer and mentor to both Fields and former OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Avery told The Ringer last year that he created the event in part to address what he saw as a prevalent double standard for black quarterbacks. What I wanted to do is create an event where, if younger guys who are going through something maybe their high school coach doesnt believe in them they can see the people at the top and they can get their advice on how to go through it and learn they are good enough, Avery said in the article. Orlovsky eventually backpedaled in his analysis sort of. He released a video in which he said he reached out to sources who had worked with Fields, including at Ohio State, who countered what those unnamed NFL sources had told him. In the court of public opinion, though, some damage had already been done. And its possible that was the motivation of the leak in the first place. Misinformation is one of the eternal staples of the pre-draft run-up. It is possible those out-of-nowhere work ethic critiques originated with a team that hopes Fields falls farther in the draft either all the way to them, or to where a trade up would be more manageable. Jeremiah said he seeks a wide variety of feedback about players before putting it through the sifter and considering the source. As a general practice he said he does not pass along those negative opinions without clarity on what informed them. Those who believe a conspiracy is afoot as it pertains to Fields draft standing likely saw further evidence last week. NFL Network reported Fields told NFL teams he was using medication to manage epilepsy a condition he had not previously disclosed publicly. Forget that this was a voluntary admission, and one he had made to Ohio State and presumably his first program, Georgia, and possibly others. Some saw that information leaking out this close to the draft as another example of the effort to pull him down. Some version of this happens every year. Overt critiques mingle with whispers, some legitimate and some floated as smokescreens. Whether this years version victimized Fields draft slot remains to be seen. The trend that cannot be debated or ignored is the increasing NFL success of black quarterbacks. Fields opportunity to join them comes Thursday, regardless of the whispers. Get Ohio State Sugar Bowl champs & CFP gear: Check out shirts, hats and more merchandise commemorating Ohio States Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, as well as gear on the Buckeyes advancing to the College Football Playoff national championship game. Buckeye Talk Emergency Podcast What Dasan McCulloughs decommitment means for Ohio State football: Buckeyes Recruiting | https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2021/04/is-ohio-state-quarterback-justin-fields-the-latest-black-quarterback-to-face-the-nfl-draft-double-standard.html |
What Next for Amazon Workers? | Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Get The Nations Weekly Newsletter Fridays. The best of the week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Fridays. The best of the week. Thank you for signing up for The Nations weekly newsletter. Join the Books & the Arts Newsletter Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! 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. Sign up for our Wine Club today. A defeat is a defeat, but the failure of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union to win a certification election at Amazons Bessemer, Ala., warehouse last month seems far more a confirmation of that giant corporations overweening power than a referendum on the willingness of its employees to organize for collective action. In the aftermath of the National Labor Relations Board vote, even Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says his company needs to do a better job for our employees. In a country where a recent Gallup poll shows union favorability at 65 percent, a 207-year high, the fact that only 10.3 percent of all workers are enrolled in a union demonstrates that something is gravely amiss. Fixing Americas utterly dysfunctional labor laws would help, but that seems out of sight in a closely divided Congress. Though a working-class upheaval along the lines of Occupy Wall Street or Black Lives Matter would be transformative, even the most skilled organizers struggle to achieve that at a single worksite, let alone across the entire country. But unionists and liberals do have another weapon. Today we are in the midst of a radical recasting of antitrust law, sentiment, and administration. On one thing, both Trump partisans and their opponents can agree: Silicon Valley has too much power. It is not just that these companies are old-fashioned monopolies, like John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil, capable of eliminating competition and jacking up the price of the services or goods they sell. Companies like Amazon and Appleand Walmart tooare monopsonies, buyers who are so large and powerful that they have a vast influence over both the wages paid in an entire industry and the vendors from whom they purchase goods and services in their globe-spanning supply chains. And then there is the vast cultural and political influence they command. Their website portals edit contemporary and historical reality, not exactly the 21st century equivalent of Orwells Ministry of Truth, but close enough to send a chill down the spine. Nearly half a century ago, Robert Bork and a generation of Chicago School economists captured the ideological and legal high ground when it came to the meaning of antitrust and the propagation of business regulations. When companies merge, or just grow to gargantuan size, their very scale creates new efficiencies, thereby enabling them to pass lower operating costs on to consumers as lower prices. The Reagan administration turned Borks theory into official Department of Justice policy, largely unaltered by subsequent Democratic presidencies. In 1985, there were about 2,300 corporate mergers in the United States. By 2017 there were more than 15,300. Silicon Valley firms have become notorious for buying fledging competitors to snuff out any real competition. And Wall Street takes notice. When Amazon purchased Whole Foods, its market cap rose by $15.6 billion$2 billion more than it paid for the chain. Meanwhile, the rest of the grocery industry immediately lost $37 billion in market value. Today, a new generation of antitrust advocates are reviving the radically democratic impulse that gave rise to trust-busting and government regulation during the Progressive and New Deal eras. Thirty-two-year-old Lina Khan, whom President Biden has just nominated to a seat on the Federal Trade Commission, could easily have taken a similar post in an Elizabeth Warren administration; likewise, Tim Wu, nominated for a seat on the National Economic Council, has been a fierce advocate of net neutrality, fighting Silicon Valley efforts to monopolize new communication technologies. Meanwhile, Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown and other Democrats are asking the Biden Justice Department why the feds have not challenged a major bank merger in 35 years. Current Issue View our current issue In her celebrated Yale Law Review essay Amazons Antitrust Paradox, Khan argued that focusing antitrust exclusively on consumer welfare is a mistake. Instead she offered a spirited critique of corporate power, wielded against both business rivals and workers alike, with Amazon as a prime example of a Big Business autocracy that the original antitrust impulse was designed to counter. When Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, its author, Senator John Sherman, declared, If we will not endure a king as political power, we should not endure a king over the production, transportation, and sale of any of the necessities of life. Forty-five years later President Franklin Roosevelt would echo Sherman when, in his speech accepting renomination at the 1936 Democratic National Convention, FDR denounced economic royalists who had created a new despotism. Decrying the pervasive influence of the corporations and banks, FDR saw concentrated industrial and financial power as a threat to democracy itself. Just breaking up big companies, forcing Amazon to spin off Amazon Web Services for example, is not going to help unionization or improve working conditions. Even at half their current size, Amazon and the other corporate behemoths will still be powerful, multibillion-dollar corporations. But the threat of antitrust action could prove just as potent as the actuality. If there is one thing that executives like Bezos, Googles Sundar Pichai, and Ubers Dara Khosrowshahi hate more than unionism, it is regulatory disruption of a successful business model. This is what happened back in the 1930s when congressional efforts to curb the growth of chain stores like A&P induced retail executives to cut a deal with the unions seeking to organize grocery workers. Likewise, at the start of World War II, it was not mere patriotism that persuaded many corporations to make peace with the unions and facilitate their further growth. Companies like Ford and Montgomery Ward feared that if they continued their hard line against the unions, even more government regulation, or an actual takeover, might be in the offing. And in the early postwar era, liberals and unionists favored aggressive enforcement of the antitrust laws in order to curb corporate power. For example, General Motors, always fearful of antitrust action, maintained a price umbrella high enough to allow Ford and Chrysler to flourish, thereby enabling the United Automobile Workers to negotiate wage increases of a high and uniform standard. Like the great automobile, shipbuilding, and aviation companies in World War II, Amazons sensational growth during the Covid shutdown is a product of a government-led recasting of the entire economy. Just as the auto industry converted to production of planes, tanks, and artillery, so too has the pandemic channeled retail dollars toward Amazon, in the process swelling the company workforce by nearly half a million employees. And this brings us to another element of the new anti-trust impulse. In the Progressive era, the courts ruled that a wide variety of corporations and industries affected with a public interest might be subject to the kind of governmental regulationcovering prices, products, and even labor standardsthat in recent decades have been restricted largely to electrical utilities and transport companies. Facebook, Google, and Amazon have effectively become utilities, essential to commerce and civic life, and should therefore be subject to the same kind of regulation imposed in the railroad, telephone, and electrical industries more than a century ago. During World War I, the government seized a dysfunctional railroad network that had failed to deliver vital war supplies, in the process facilitating unionism and better working conditions for more than a million workers. On its own even a progressive antitrust regime cannot create a new union movement. Energy and activism among millions of ordinary workers is essential. But an aggressive Biden administration effort to curtain corporate power would open a new front in the campaign to democratize the world of workand ensure workers a fair share of the wealth they create. It might even convince Americas new captains of industry that their decades-long war on their own employees only furnishes more ammunition to those seeking a radical deconstruction of their digital empires. | https://www.thenation.com/article/society/amazon-workers-union-antitrust/ |
Will the Biden Administration Get Bolder on Improving Abortion Access? | Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Get The Nations Weekly Newsletter Fridays. The best of the week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Fridays. The best of the week. Thank you for signing up for The Nations weekly newsletter. Join the Books & the Arts Newsletter Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! 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. Sign up for our Wine Club today. The Biden administrations announcement this month that it would allow mifepristone to be sent by mail revolutionized access to abortionin about half the country. Elsewhere, state laws requiring patients to meet with a provider in person preempt the new policy, underscoring just how much a persons options depend on where they live. I think its great for states that it will impact, Laurie Bertram Roberts, who cofounded the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund and now leads the Yellowhammer Fund in Alabama, said with a wry laugh. Neither of the states that I work in are one of those. For years, researchers have been assembling evidence that it is safe for patients to undergo a remote medical consultation and then end their pregnancy at home using a two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol. But since mifepristone first came on the market in 2000, the Food and Drug Administration has heavily restricted its distribution, even though advocates note that it has a safer record than Tylenol. Until this month, the FDA said mifepristone could only be dispensed to patients in a clinic or medical office, a rule that was generally interpreted to require patients to go in person to get the drug. On April 12, in response to a request from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the FDA said that during the pandemic it would no longer enforce the in-person rule. The decision allows patients in many states to have an abortion in the early weeks of pregnancy without leaving home. (In some cases, providers may ask a patient to undergo an ultrasound or blood draw, something that can be done in a gynecologists office or lab.) These patients can take advantage of a growing number of digital abortion startups that offer the service for a fraction of a clinics price tag: Hey Jane in New York and Washington, Choix in California, Just the Pill in Minnesota and Montana, and Abortion on Demand in at least 20 states. Such digital clinics proliferated during a six-month pause in the FDA rule ordered by a federal court in July, before the Supreme Court reinstated the rule in January. Related Article As the Pandemic Raged, Abortion Access Nearly Flickered Out Amy Littlefield In many states, however, patients will still need to traveleither to go to a clinic or to drive to a neighboring state that offers telemedicine abortion. Eighteen states ban telemedicine abortion outright, while others require an in-person ultrasound. Ohio became the latest state to pass a telemedicine abortion ban, even as the pandemic raged. Such barriers to abortion are often hardest to surmount for those with low incomes and people of color, who have been disproportionately killed and sickened by Covid. Weve always had inequity in abortion access, but its even more stark that in some states in this country you can go online, you can use a modern platform to have an interaction with a medical professional and have your pills mailed to you within a matter of days, said Elisa Wells, cofounder of the medication abortion advocacy group Plan C. In other states, you have to search out the closest abortion provider, which might be hundreds of miles from where you live, you have to find transportation, childcare, take time off from work, raise the money that is needed to pay the clinical cost of care, and jump through all those hoops just in order to get the same service that other people are accessing entirely from their homes for $150 or $200. This inequality could deepen if the Supreme Court, with its three Trump-appointed justices, further undermines or overturns Roe v. Wade. Its unclear how and when that might happen. For months, the court has been sitting on the decision of whether to hear a case concerning Mississippis 15-week abortion ban, which is currently enjoined. The case presents a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, which prevents states from banning abortion until viabilitywhich happens long after 15 weeks. The delay is unusual, even for controversial cases, according to Mary Ziegler, author of Abortion and the Law in America. Current Issue View our current issue I think its just a head-scratcher. A lot of court-watchers just dont know what to make of it anymore, Ziegler said. But that case is not the only one that could result in an overhaul of abortion access as early as next year. If its not this case there is going to be a steady stream of cases that move through the pipeline, Ziegler said. That includes an Ohio law banning abortions motivated by a fetal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, which was upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 13. Another proposal being considered in the Texas state legislature offers a new avenue of attack on access that could spread to other states. The bill would allow private citizens to sue anyone who aids and abets in an abortion, including helping to pay for it. That could be [a patients] best friend, that could be their sibling, their partner for driving them to the abortion clinic, it could be a pharmacist for giving them medication, Kamyon Conner, executive director of the Texas Equal Access Fund, said. Conner worries that if it passes, the measure could be used to target not only abortion funds like hers that help people afford abortions but also anyone who donates to them. States like Texas could also seek to impose criminal penalties on patients who manage their own abortions using pills obtained from overseas or out of state. Under current law, five states criminalize self-managed abortion, according to the group If/When/How. Even in states without such laws, women have been jailed on a range of charges when authorities accused them of ending their own pregnancies or helping other people to do so. Despite these risks, countless people have found ways to get remote access to abortion medication, either by ordering the pills from overseas or traveling to states where the service is available. The TelAbortion Study, which launched under a research exemption to the FDAs rules, mailed 1390 medication abortion packages from 2016 to 2020. In March, the study published results that found 99 percent of respondents were satisfied with the service and that serious adverse events like transfusions happened only 10 times. The study operates only in certain states that allow telemedicine abortion, and 30 people reported traveling to such a state for their remote consultation and then retrieving the pills from an out-of-state address. Tara Shochet, director of the TelAbortion Study, said she was encouraged to see the project cited by the FDA in its April 12 decision. She and other advocates hope that the agency will use such data to permanently ease access to medication abortion even after the pandemic. My own personal inclination is that just this move on its own directly from the FDA is indicative of a willingness to really examine the issue in an evidence-based fashion, Shochet said. That makes me hopeful that we may see a long-term change. Overall, reproductive justice advocates have been encouraged by Bidens appointment of Xavier Becerra, an outspoken supporter of abortion rights, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration has also moved to reverse the Trump-era policy of withholding Title X family planning dollars from organizations that offer information about abortion, and repealed the global version of that policy. But advocates like Destiny Lopez, codirector of All* Above All, had hoped to see a more full-throated denunciation of the Hyde Amendment, the 45-year-old ban on federal funding of abortion that withholds coverage for the procedure for many low-income patients. Biden supported the funding ban for years before caving to pressure from reproductive justice advocates and denouncing it on the campaign trail. While repealing Hyde requires action by Congress, Lopez wants Biden to send lawmakers a budget free of abortion coverage bans and use the bully pulpit to speak out against the ban. I think that where we need more work from the administration is lifting up this issue and talking about it, Lopez said. Weve got policy asks, but that bully pulpit piece is super important. Lopez is not the only one who has noticed reticence from the administration when it comes to abortion. Renee Bracey Sherman, a leading reproductive justice advocate, has been scanning the administrations public comments for mentions of the word abortion. On April 14, White House press secretary Jen Psaki used it in a press conference, but only to insist, in response to a reporters question, that Title X funding would not be used to pay for it. Those of us who have had abortions have a low bar: Could you say the word abortion, Biden? Bracey Sherman said. Its a very low bar. And yet, hes not meeting it. | https://www.thenation.com/article/society/fda-abortion-biden/ |
Are U.S. Supreme Court conservatives aiming to expand gun rights? | Article content WASHINGTON The United States, a nation with high levels of gun violence, could witness an increase in firearms carried in public if the Supreme Court rules as expected in a major new case that could recognize wider gun rights under the U.S. Constitution. The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority believed to hold a broad view of the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Constitutions Second Amendment, on Monday agreed to hear a case that could lead to the most impactful gun rights ruling in more than a decade. It took up the case in the aftermath of a spree of mass shootings and vows by Democratic President Joe Biden to pursue new gun control measures. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Back to video The National Rifle Association-backed lawsuit challenges New York states restrictions on people carrying concealed handguns in public. Lower courts rejected arguments by two gun owners and the NRAs New York affiliate that the restrictions violate the Second Amendment. The justices are due to hear the case in their term that begins in October. If the court rules as expected, that New York state law infringes the right to carry a gun in public, were likely to see a vast increase in the number of guns carried on the streets of Americas major cities, said University of California, Los Angeles law professor Adam Winkler. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The court issued major Second Amendment rulings in 2008 and 2010 that established an individuals right to keep a gun at home for self-defense in cases involving gun control laws in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Those cases were dealing with the only two city-wide handgun bans in country, so if you take that off the books it doesnt really change the state of play for most people, said Joseph Blocher of Duke University School of Laws Center for Firearms Law. The kind of law being challenged here affects tens of millions more people. To carry a concealed handgun without restrictions under New Yorks law, applicants must convince a firearms licensing officer that they have an actual rather than speculative need for self-defense. Striking down New Yorks restrictions would endanger similar laws in seven other states including California, the most populous one. But the Supreme Court potentially could go further by fashioning a test for lower courts to assess the legality of gun control measures such as whether any analogous regulation existed during the countrys early history. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Gun control advocates have said this could endanger measures that states already have implemented and many lower courts have upheld including expanded criminal background checks for gun buyers and red flag laws targeting the firearms of people deemed dangerous by the courts. Blocher said it is unlikely that most present-day gun laws would be struck down even under such a test because the tradition of gun regulation in the United States is rich. Gun control advocates and their Democratic allies have argued that comprehensive gun control measures are needed to combat firearms violence. NRA leader Wayne LaPierre famously said in 2012: The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Gun rights advocates and their Republican allies in the past decade have wanted the Supreme Court to further expand gun rights. With the court moving rightward with the addition of three conservative justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump, they hope now is the time. Barrett last year replaced the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who dissented in the 2008 and 2010 gun rulings. Chief Justice John Roberts often takes a cautious approach in major cases but with six conservatives on the court now, the conservative bloc could prevail even without him. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In her previous role as a judge on a Chicago-based federal appeals court, Barrett wrote a 2019 dissenting opinion that could preview how she would approach the New York case. Barrett analyzed early U.S. history on gun laws, concluding that a measure that bars people convicted of felonies from owning firearms could be unconstitutional when applied to people who show no sign of being a danger to society. History is consistent with common sense: it demonstrates that legislatures have the power to prohibit dangerous people from possessing guns, Barrett wrote. But that power extends only to people who are dangerous. (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York and Lawrence Hurley in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) Share this article in your social network Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Shopping essentials Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Posted Newsletter Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. 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What Is Chainlink and Why Is It Important in the World of Cryptocurrency? | gopixa / iStock.com Blockchain has seen a staggering rise in popularity since Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, launched in 2010. Blockchain has a number of advantages, including decentralization and security. The demand for a decentralized currency has catapulted Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to worldwide popularity. But blockchain has its limitations. These systems are inherently closed off from the rest of the world, which is good for security and integrity but also limits the input data they can accept. Thus, there is a need for a sort of bridge that can help these systems see what is happening in the outside world. But in order for the system to work, the input cannot come from a single source. Because it would then rely on a centralized source of data, which goes against the very nature of blockchain. See: India Proposes Ban on Bitcoin and the US Could Be Next That is the very problem Chainlink can help solve, as we will find out. Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that is poised to play an important role in the real-world implementation of blockchain technologies. The purpose of this network is to provide input on a variety of external sources of data. Although blockchain is great at what it does providing a decentralized, secure ledger for digital transactions it isnt so great at taking input for things happening outside the blockchain. There are many off-chain forces that influence markets, including fiat currencies, credit cards and even the weather and sports scores. As a decentralized oracle, Chainlink can provide input to whats known as smart contracts. Find Out: Why Some Money Experts Believe In Bitcoin and Others Dont These smart contracts help the system respond to a wide range of input (if X, do Y). As the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin and its corresponding blockchain can only process a small range of this input. But newer blockchains, such as Ethereum, have a wider range. That includes support for programmable smart contracts. Story continues On that note, Chainlink was launched on the Ethereum blockchain in 2019, but it is meant to be agnostic. Thus, it can work with other blockchains, too. LINK is Chainlinks native token. The token is meant to help finance the growth of the project and is similar to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Both of these cryptocurrencies work on their respective blockchains. Just like BTC and ETH act as an incentive for users to mine, LINK does the same. The LINK token launched in 2017 with a price under 20 cents and remained under $1 until 2019. In 2020, the price began to rise precipitously. In fact, the price increased from under $2 in early 2020 to a high of $36 on Feb. 20, 2021. Despite LINKs meteoric rise, though, it has since dropped from its high of $36 and hasnt yet reached that level again. In fact, the price dropped nearly $10 by March 1, 2021. As you may have gathered from the above, the value of LINK remains volatile despite its huge gains since early 2020. Therefore, it may be best to invest in LINK only as a way to support the underlying technology. Otherwise, the high degree of volatility may be too much to bear for most investors. Nevertheless, Chainlink looks to be an important technology as cryptocurrencies continue to evolve. Having an oracle such as Chainlink in place will be key to the long-term stability and viability of cryptocurrency in general. Thus, LINK may be a sound investment if you believe Chainlink will become the industry standard as the most widely-used, decentralized oracle network. This article is part of GOBankingRates Economy Explained series to help readers navigate the complexities of our financial system. | https://news.yahoo.com/chainlink-why-important-world-cryptocurrency-110020487.html |
When will Texas get around to rebuilding Interstate 35W in south Fort Worth, Burleson? | Good news for commuters in south Fort Worth sort of. The good news is, the Texas Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to rebuild a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 35W, from just north of I-20 in Fort Worth to just south of Texas 174 in Burleson. Its a massive reconstruction that involves rebuilding existing lanes including major interchanges at I-35W and I-20, as well as I-35W and Texas 174 and modernizing ramps and frontage roads. Also, the freeway, which currently has three main lanes in each direction, would be widened to five or six lanes. But, it looks like the construction wont begin until 2027 at the earliest, according to information on file at the Texas Department of Transportation. And, the work could continue until 2036. Residents who want to know more about the project may attend a virtual public meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Information about how to attend the virtual meeting is available at www.txdot.gov. A recorded, narrated video will be played to explain the project to attendees, and information such as design schematics and maps will be available, Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Val Lopez said in an email. The existing I-35W interstate highway consists of three 12-foot general purpose lanes and two 12-foot frontage road lanes in each direction, according to a transportation department fact sheet. TxDOT evaluated the section of I-35W from I-20 to East Renfro Street and is proposing to reconstruct and widen the main lanes with five to six 12-foot main lanes in each direction. Proposed frontage roads would be reconstructed to include two to three 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shared-use paths in each direction. | https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article250955119.html |
Where might Timberwolves draft odds fall as season enters final weeks? | The Timberwolves won two straight games for the first time since their first two games of the season with a 105-104 victory over Utah. It was also the Wolves' second straight win over the team with the best record in the league. For those that like to look at draft odds and endlessly wonder about percentage points of landing the top pick, these last two games likely threw a wrench in the calculations for how many losses the Wolves will have. Diving down the rabbit hole of this topic is apropos given the Rockets, the team with the worst record in the league, are the Wolves' opponents on Tuesday night and will likely be without point guard John Wall for the rest of the season because of a hamstring strain. Here are the records of the worst six teams in the league after Monday night with the Wolves having 10 games left on their schedule: Houston 15-46 Minnesota 18-44 Orlando 18-43 Detroit 19-43 Oklahoma City 20-41 Cleveland 21-40 This, of course, is an atypical year for the Wolves in the lottery, since Golden State would get their pick if it is No. 4 or lower as part of the D'Angelo Russell-Andrew Wiggins trade. The NBA recently flattened the odds for the three worst teams in the league to have the same odds of getting the No. 1 pick (14%). The odds of the Wolves getting a top three pick if they finish with one of the three worst records is 40.1%, per Tankathon (13.4% for the second pick, 12.7 for the third). If the Wolves were to fail up to the fourth-worst record, they would have a 36.6% chance of getting a top three pick. If they fell to fifth, it would be 31.6%. Sixth would be 27.6%. So there aren't too many Wolves ping-pong balls taken out for finishing with the fourth-worst record, but it starts to get a little steeper in the odds after that. The next 10 days will have a lot to say about where the Wolves end up. Not only do they play Houston on Tuesday, but they also play Orlando and Detroit on the road next week. Orlando and Detroit also have one game remaining against each other. Tanking is not something the Wolves want to do. There's been too much losing by a lot thisyear, and given the injuries to D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns (along with Towns' battle with COVID), the Wolves haven't seen what this team looks like when the two of them are healthy. Since Russell returned to the lineup under coach Chris Finch, the Wolves are 6-4 when both he and Towns play together. The Wolves would rather go out on a high note this season and develop some positive momentum throughout the organization than have a few more ping-pong balls in the June 22 lottery. Phoenix won eight straight games in last summer's bubble while missing the playoffs, decreasing their lottery odds. But after making some offseason moves, like acquiring Chris Paul, the Suns are now battling for the top seed in the West and built on that momentum from a year ago. Sometimes winning meaningless games can count for something. | https://www.startribune.com/where-might-timberwolves-draft-odds-fall-as-season-enters-final-weeks/600050630/ |
Can serial killers prosecutor end losing streak for GOP, independents in California elections? | California is in chaos, Anne Marie Schubert says, and she wants to be the person to fix it. Surrounded by families of crime victims, Sacramento Countys district attorney on Monday launched her candidacy for California attorney general while slamming Democratic leaders progressive policies on law and order. The newly appointed attorney general has voted for and supported policies and laws that are not only destroying the rights of crime victims, but are destroying public safety in this state, Schubert said referencing Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was sworn in Friday. Here is the truth: Californias criminal justice system is in chaos. Schubert, known for prosecuting one of the states most notorious serial killers, is trying something no candidate has accomplished in recent memory: She wants to win statewide office in California as an independent rather than as a Democrat or as a Republican. For years a Republican, Schubert recently switched her voter registration to NPP, or no party preference. She wanted to be authentic, she told The Sacramento Bee, but independent candidates have had little luck winning elections in California. The last time a non-Democrat won statewide office was Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Since then, its been hard for any candidate without a D next to his or her name to be elected in California. But Rob Stutzman, a GOP political consultant, said if theres any statewide office where an independent may have a chance, its attorney general. I think people are going to vote for AG based on if theres a contrast between the candidates on criminal justice matters, Stutzman said. And a real prosecutor versus someone who is a politician. Safety and security dont just happen Schubert won election as district attorney in 2014 and has used her position to advocate for law enforcement and to support for victims rights groups. She is perhaps best known for prosecuting Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo, who last year pleaded guilty to murdering 13 people and admitted to 62 rapes and other crimes. As a tough prosecutor who is also a working mom with a same sex partner, Stutzman called her a quintessential Californian. Shes a spectacular candidate, he said. Shes challenging one of the most progressive Democrats ever to take statewide office in California. Bonta has campaigned to end the cash bail system, curtail the use of private prisons and limit the influence of law enforcement unions. Schubert, by contrast, has opposed popular criminal justice reform propositions backed by former Gov. Jerry Brown and campaigned to expedite the death penalty. She also declined to bring charges against the Sacramento police officers who shot and killed a young Black man, Stephon Clark, in his grandparents backyard three years ago. Schubert on Monday defended her decision not to prosecute in Clarks case, saying although it was a tragic outcome, she followed the facts. We always want to improve the outcomes, but my job as the DA and as the attorney general is to follow the facts of the law, she said. Schubert argues that citizens are fed up with the lack of safety they see in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco even after theyve passed statewide ballot initiatives to lighten criminal sentences and make it easier for prison inmates to be released on parole. Each and every Californian is being impacted. In the words of Nelson Mandela, safety and security dont just happen, they are the result of a collective consensus and a public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear, she said. Schuberts real challenge will be getting past primary elections, political consultants said. Competitive Republican candidates are bound to enter the race, and could push Schubert to the side in the states open primary. While she could be a formidable candidate to challenge Bonta, its unclear if shell even get the chance. There havent been many nonpartisan people who won in statewide office or even been competitive in statewide office, Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta said. In 2018, former Republican Steve Poizner ran for statewide office as an independent for insurance commissioner. He cleared the primary and lost to Democrat Ricardo Lara in the general election. Dan Schnur, a former adviser to Republican Gov. Pete Wilson who unsuccessfully ran for statewide office as independent in 2014, said Schubert could fare better at the ballot box. Her chances are excellent, particularly given the nature of this office, he said. Most California voters dont subscribe to the types of more extremist views on public safety issues. Someone who can carve out a reasonable center in between lock them up and defund the police, is very well-positioned, he said. Democrats supporting Bonta have been swift to rebuke Schubert, pointing out an audit from January which found the California District Attorneys Association, where she sits on the board of directors, misspent millions allocated for environmental cases. Bonta adviser Dana Williams called Schubert tremendously flawed. She has refused to bring excessive force cases and serves as treasurer of an organization that misspent millions meant to prosecute polluters, Williams said in a statement. Now she wants to lead the Department of Justice the same entity that is investigating her organizations misdeeds. Both Schnur and Stutzman said there is an appetite for a middle-of-the-road candidate to take over Californias justice department, and it could be Schubert. Her running has really been the hope for a lot of center-right observers who want to see the attorney generals office regain some stature and credibility and not be so politicized, Stutzman said. | https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article250940494.html |
What Could Day 3 of Draft Look Like for Eagles? | Seven of Philly's 11 picks are on Saturday, and five are in the last two rounds, so be ready for anything. Here is a mock draft of rounds 4-7, knowing trades are very much in play PHILADELPHIA He could trade up. He could trade down. He could stay pat. Or he could put his left foot in, his right foot out, and shake it all about. Exactly what Eagles GM Howie Roseman will do in the first round of the draft, with the 12th overall pick, has been speculated on enough to fill all 1,138 pages in Stephen Kings novel, It. It will all be over soon. The speculation that is. Then the fun will begin again as the pick is dissected from every different angle. Of course, the Eagles are scheduled to have 10 more picks to make, and those picks will have opinions rendered repeatedly by the organization's fans and media. Lost in the shuffle is that seven of their 11 picks come on Saturday, Day 3 of the annual selection palooza, and five of them are in the final two rounds. READ MORE: Mining Gold Late in the Draft will be Even More Challenging ... Here is a shot at something different an Eagles mock draft that covers just rounds four through seven. Two ground rules: No trades, even though the expectation is Roseman wont make all seven of those third-day selections and it could be a wild, trade-filled Day 3. Assume that on the first two days of the draft the Eagles will take a wide receiver, edge rusher, and two cornerbacks. OK, its not safe to assume, but for the purposes of this exercise, assume it to be true, and whatever the names of the first four picks they are inconsequential for this drill. Lets begin: FOURTH ROUND (No. 123) DT Bobby Brown, Texas A&M. Its not supposed to be a very good draft for DTs, but there are some worth taking, and Brown is certainly one, and the Eagles could stand to add some depth at this position. The last time they drafted a DT was Elijah Qualls four years ago and that was the sixth round. Needs to work on his pass rush but at 6-4, 321, he is a run stuffer. In the mix: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Oklahoma), Edge Janarius Robinson (Fla. State), TE John Bates (Boise State) FIFTH ROUND (No. 150) RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State. The Canadian import would be a great addition to a backfield with Miles Sanders. He has the size at 6-0, 210, but had a heavy college workload that could hinder his long-term effectiveness. He also struggled with injuries last year, so the Eagles may have to take a flyer on him not fully knowing the medical background. In the mix: Safeties Andre Cisco, (Syracuse), Talanoa Hufanga (USC), and Caden Stearns (Texas), TE Matt Bushman (BYU), WR Cornell Powell (Clemson) SIXTH ROUND (No. 189) S Darrick Forrest, Cincinnati. The Eagles have had a lot of good fortune drafting players from the Bearcats program, and here comes an underrated three-year starter who is versatile enough to play in a cover two as well as in the box and slot. In the mix: Edge Jordan Smith (UAB) (No. 224) QB Ian Book, Notre Dame. A developmental project who may never be more than a career backup, but he won a lot of games for the Irish and is considered a very good leader. In the mix: QB Sam Ehlinger, (Texas) (No. 225) OT Landon Young, Kentucky. Played tackle for the Wildcats, but many think the 6-6, 310-pound lineman has a better future at guard because hes good with his hands in close quarters. In the mix: OG David Moore, (Grambling), C Michal Menet (Penn State) SEVENTH ROUND (No. 234) TE Zach Davidson, Central Missouri. A long lanky tight end who can catch and can punt. Itll prove to be too good of a combination for the Eagles to pass up here, though many consider him more of a candidate to be an undrafted free agent. (No. 240) LB Amen Ogbongbemiga. Just because we will now have to learn how to pronounce and say his name. Seriously, though, Ogbongbemiga was named the Cowboys Most Outstanding Special Teams player as a freshman and is a solid tackler who can blitz. NFL.com compared him to Duke Riley. Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.coms EagleMaven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze. | https://www.si.com/nfl/eagles/news/what-could-day-3-of-draft-look-like-for-eagles |
Can Man City really re-sign Kelechi Iheanacho for 50M from Leicester City this summer? | As Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho goes from strength to strength in the blue of Leicester City, over in the North-West, Manchester City fans are beginning to increase their calls for their club to re-sign the 24 year-old striker following his remarkable run of form in front of goal. As Kelechi Iheanacho goes from strength to strength in the blue of Leicester City, over in the North-West, Manchester City fans are beginning to increase their calls for their club to re-sign the 24 year-old striker following his remarkable run of form in front of goal. The Nigerian forward was once a part of the Manchester City youth academy, and after breaking through into the first team and providing fans with several memorable moments in front of goal, he left for the King Power in 2017 for a reported 25 million fee. With a last-minute winner at Selhurst Park, and a hat-trick in the FA Cup away at Aston Villa, City fans have unsurprisingly maintained their close bond with their former player, and as talk surfaced of a 50 million buy-back clause available for Manchester City to activate, those talks intensified this week. READ MORE: Man City star asked Guardiola if he really wanted him READ MORE: Leaked Man City 2021/2022 kit details However, the dreams of some fans regarding the possibility of re-signing Iheanacho in the coming months via such a buy-back clause have now come to an end. According to the information of the Mail, Manchester City's option to buy-back Kelechi Iheanacho for 50 million expired last summer. Should the Etihad club now wish to pursue the player at the end of this season, they would have to negotiate at Leicester City's demands, which are likely to increase with each passing week following his run of form. READ MORE: Man United legend labels Guardiola greatest of all time READ MORE: John Stones in 'advanced talks' over 39M contract Manchester City's hierarchy will almost certainly be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, with Sergio Aguero set to leave the club upon the expiry of his current deal, after spending a decade in the Sky Blue shirt. As for the more likely candidates to replace the Argentine, the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have been mooted in several corners, with the latter potentially being a greater possibility given the frustrations on a silverware front at Tottenham Hotspur. Kane was once again on the losing side in a cup final for Spurs at the weekend, as Ryan Mason's side fell to a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City - who won their fourth consecutive Carabao Cup trophy under Pep Guardiola. You can follow us for live updates here: @City_Xtra | https://www.si.com/soccer/manchestercity/transfer-rumours/can-man-city-really-re-sign-kelechi-iheanacho-for-50m-from-leicester-city-this-summer |
Will Californias Kevin McCarthy ever have the courage to break up with Donald Trump? | In this Jan. 14, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, speaks to members of the media as they arrive for a dinner at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. AP Someone, please give Kevin McCarthy a backbone. Hes either lost his or he never had one in the first place. The storming of the Capitol wasnt that long ago, and those of use who may not remember every last detail of one of the worst days in American history have easy access to photos, videos, moment-by-moment timelines and eyewitness accounts. Yet there was McCarthy on Fox News Sunday, attempting to rewrite history. And its a shame, really, because for a minute, the House Republican leader from Bakersfield seemed to finally be putting his country over his political party by distancing himself ever so slightly from Trump. Exhibit A: During the impeachment trial, he acknowledged that Trump bears responsibility for the attack. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding, McCarthy said then. He didnt go so far as to vote for impeachment, though he did suggest censure. He even took some heat from GOP stalwarts in his home district in the Central Valley for not being supportive enough of the beleaguered president. But since then, McCarthy, 56, has been walking that back way, way back presumably because he believes he needs Trumps blessing if hes to become speaker of the house in the event Republicans retake the chamber in 2022. His efforts to ingratiate himself have been an embarrassment, not unlike watching the frantic hand-waving of a teachers pet, trying to be called on in class. He earned this headline on Monday from Vanity Fair: Kevin McCarthy is now lying about the Capitol riot to make Trump like him. Among other falsehoods that came out of his mouth in the Fox News interview, McCarthy implied that Trump did make a timely effort to call off the Jan. 6 attack. The congressman said he spoke to the president by phone that day and urged him put out a statement aimed at stopping the riot. And thats what he did, he put a video out later, McCarthy said. Never mind that it took roughly two hours for Trump to finally get around to Tweeting out that video. Or that the president used that message to continue to spew lies about a stolen, fraudulent election, and told the traitors defacing the Capitol, We love you. Youre very special. Many of these very special people are now charged with federal crimes. Its disappointing, but we shouldnt be surprised McCarthy is now defending Trumps actions. Nor is it surprising that hes now pushing to have a bipartisan commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection also investigate Black Lives Matter protests. I think if youre going to have a commission, you should look at the whole broad spectrum, he told HuffPost. We just went through a whole summer of riots throughout the city. No, congressman, there was not a whole broad spectrum. There was only one insurrection that attempted to overturn the outcome of a free and fair election. Again, we shouldnt be surprised. After all, this is the same man who Trump often referred to as my Kevin. The same man the New York Times recently described as an alpha lap-dog inside Mr. Trumps kennel of acolytes. The same man who voted against certifying 2020 election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. The same man who has still not discovered how to be his own man. For his sake and more importantly, the sake of his nation we can only hope that its not too late for Rep. Kevin Owen McCarthy to finally figure out who he is. | https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article250955294.html |
How do I make a meat sauce good enough for MasterChef? | Id drink the thick, glossy ones on MasterChef through a straw. Dominique, Bermondsey, London The bottom line is that those silky, spoon-coating sauces and jus that Dominique craves require stock. The way chefs do it is by reducing the stock, passing it through muslin, then whisking in butter, says Richard Turner, former executive chef of the Hawksmoor restaurant group, and the man behind the annual Meatopia festival and butchers Turner & George. Thats what makes it glossy. If juices, and therefore gravy-style sauces, arent in play, however, Dominique is going to have to look elsewhere. Try a hollandaise-based number, says meat Yoda Turner. Im simplifying the recipe here, but basically, whisk egg yolks with a little reduction of white-wine vinegar and shallots [over a pan of gently simmering water] and some water, then [off the heat] whisk in warm, clarified butter. Then you can fold all sorts of stuff into it. Turner, who has just launched Dickies, delivering the likes of kimcheeseburgers and steak sandos to south London (its set to expand soon), has been known to add stilton (plus a few drops of Tabasco) or anchovies. (Speaking of which, in his cookbook, Hog, Turner pairs anchoade a Provenal dip made with anchovies, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, herbs and red-wine vinegar with slow-roast pork shoulder.) Alternatively, try a boat of butter sauce, such as a beurre blanc. They dont go so well with roast red meat, says chef Tom Kerridge, whose restaurants include Michelin-starred The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, but an emulsified white butter sauce with cider works really nicely with chicken or pork, say. For a sidekick that welcomes all, meanwhile, youll need fresh tomatoes. They work with both red and white meat, says Kerridge, whose latest book, Outdoor Cooking, is out in May. He chops garlic, onion and tomatoes (cherry toms are fine) and whizzes with a hand blender, adding a squeeze of tomato puree and, if youve got one to hand, a crumbled stock cube. Stick that in a pan, bring it up to a boil and reduce it a little, then throw in a load of chopped herbs; harder ones such as thyme and rosemary work really well with red meat, and use lighter parsley, basil or coriander for chicken or pork. This sauce could accompany fish, too, but if you take that route, Kerridge recommends stirring through a load of capers as well. Do you know what else is really good with meat? Turner says. Onions. Youll need a lot of them, mind (about a dozen), as well as a fair bit of time. Cook them down in a little butter with some salt for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring often, then puree. The sugars in the onions will intensify and youll be left with a deliciously smooth sauce to which you can then add thyme, rosemary or, Turners favourite, bone marrow. That goes amazingly with almost any grilled meat. A straw is, of course, optional. | https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/apr/27/how-do-i-make-a-meat-sauce-good-enough-for-masterchef |
Will the Rangers Pass on Potential Ace For Prep Player? | The 2021 MLB Draft is just under three months away. Based on last season's performance, the Texas Rangers currently hold the second pick in this year's draft. The general consensus in the industry is that their are three players in this draft who will all go within the first three picks. However, the order in which they get drafted is anybody's guess. READ MORE: Growing Pains: Rangers' High Strikeout Totals A Concern Those players include Vanderbilt pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, as well as Dallas area prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar. Many of the top experts have changed their tune on who could wind up going to Texas with MLB and The Athletic predicting that Lawlar will remain in Texas with the Rangers. Leiter has proven he is the best pitcher in college this season and has been dominate to the tune of a 1.49 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 60.1 innings. However, he does not have as long of a track record as his teammate. Yet, it seems almost certain at this point, just under three months from the draft, that the Pittsburgh Pirates will draft Leiter. That means that as of today, Lawlar and Rocker seem the likely two options remaining with the second pick. Lawlar has been incredible this season, but his previous was shortened by COVID-19 which meant scouts have had less time to get eyes on him. He is generally regarded as the best raw prospect in this draft, but the question remains of his fit with the club. READ MORE: Rangers History Today: 'Fireman' Pulls Double Duty The Rangers have been heavily linked to shortstop Trevor Story and there have been reports that Texas will make a run at the superstar this winter. Additionally, the club already is deep with shortstops in the system. Generally speaking a team should draft the best player available, but if the Rangers' window of contention will be wide open in 2023 or 2024 then a top pick this season, especially a college player, could make and impact in those seasons. For the reason above it would make sense for Texas to draft Rocker. Much like his teammate Leiter, Rocker's ERA sits down at 1.55 but his strikeouts, while still impressive, are less so than Leiter's with 89 punch outs over 64 innings. Some of that can be contributed to his dip in velocity over the middle part of this season which saw his usually upper 90s fastball dip down to around 92 MPH. Generally, this would be cause for concern, but Rocker is an exceptional talent who was able to use his command and secondary pitches to still be one of the most effective pitchers in college this season. However, the dip in velocity and subsequent decline in performances has seen him slip from first on most draft boards to second or third. READ MORE: South Side Sweep: Rangers, Arihara Trampled By White Sox An explanation for Rocker's temporary dip in velocity could be as simple fatigue as this season has been much longer than last season due to COVID-19. It would make sense for fatigue to begin to set in around this portion of the season. Luckily, he has seen his velocity increase and in his last two starts he has looked just as lethal as he did to start the season. Rocker represents a player with a higher ceiling than Leiter, is polished, and projects to be a top of the rotation starter for any team. If he progressed on time, like Leiter, then he would arrive in Arlington just in time to help the team when the window for contention is wide open. Who the Rangers draft will determine their philosophy heading forward. Drafting Lawlar likely signals the "best prospect available" approach and the development process will take longer. If Texas decides to go the Rocker, or even Leiter route, depending on how their seasons finish, then the Rangers are signaling their intent to have a top pitching prospect arrive in Arlington in time for contention. As of now, prior to the draft, there is no "wrong" answer for Texas. It won't be for years down the road that we will learn what the "right" answer was. Like 'Inside The Rangers' on Facebook | https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/prospects/texas-rangers-mlb-draft-leiter-lawlar-rocker |
Could Texans Trade For Eagles TE Zach Ertz? | The Houston Texans will be looking to improve their roster using the 2021 NFL Draft. HOUSTON - The Houston Texans have a roster that clearly needs help in a wide variety of different positions. The tight end position is arguably among them, especially if the plan is to keep franchise-quarterback Deshaun Watson despite his legal matters. The top options in NFL free agency went off the board fast and the talent that remains is underwhelming. If the Texans seek to address this spot, either a trade for a proven veteran or using a selection in the 2021 NFL Draft appears to be their best options. READ MORE: Texans 7-Round Dynamite Draft In this particular scenario by Bleacher Report's Chris Roling, the Texans would send a fourth-round selection (No. 109) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Zach Ertz. "Surrendering one of their eight picks this year to get a veteran offensive weapon like Zach Ertz could take pressure off whomever lines up under center in 2021,'' writes B/R. "Zach Ertz has been an obvious trade candidate all offseason, and Philadelphia likely won't get much for him. If nothing else, the Texans would get an instant starter at tight end as a short-term solution to help their quarterback." There are some tough questions that need to be asked about the Texans' current roster makeup. It's clear that Houston needs to undergo a rebuild and trading for a tight end who will be 31 in mid-November doesn't appear to be the answer. Especially when factoring in there is already declined production to take into account. Zach Ertz missed five games last season and his lack of production was troubling to see. He started in all 11 of his appearances and recorded 36 receptions on 72 targets for 335 yards and 1 touchdown. He has wanted out of Philly for quite some time, and the Eagles likely regret the contract that counts $12 million this year. All of that makes this an unlikely match for the Texans. | https://www.si.com/nfl/texans/news/could-houston-texans-trade-for-eagles-te-zach-ertz |
Whats the Time, Mr. Wolf? | And in the houses warmth he could feel no comfort at all, not in the quiche he had made so carefully and chilled in the fridge, thinking he could feed her for once, not in the shower that he stood under until the hot water was gone, not in the bed with the good Belgian linen sheets and coverlet hed ordered from one of Slims catalogues, not in the night, which he passed sleepless and shaking with rage. He rose before dawn, and paced in the cottage until it felt too tight all around him, the air too stale to breathe. And then he was back in the car, on the highway, driving to nowhere in particular, just driving. He dipped down into Massachusetts, but the state depressed him with its gloomy skies and dead-looking trees and the sad snow-battered houses along the side of the highway, and he could never drive back to Boston and show himself so thoroughly diminished, so he drove for hours along the gray back roads until he found another highway and came back into New Hampshire through Manchester. He found himself in the center of this city he didnt know or really ever care to know; he got out of his jeep and sat in a cold, denuded park. There were still ducks on the pond, silly creatures that could have flown somewhere warmer and kinder, to some retention pond in Louisiana or Florida full of rich weeds and delicious fish and a sun that came out as promised every day. But, no, they chose to stay for the crusts of moldy bread humans threw them, lazy beasts, and snow would fall on their suffering heads and they would die one night when the temperature dipped below freezing, in a huddle with the other dummy ducks, their hearts stopping one after the other until they were dead. He was shuddering with cold when he got it in his mind to leave; the nights fell soon and fast so deep in winter now, and the twilight was already upon him. He hadnt eaten anything in a very long time. Chip walked into the center of the town, and the scent of food drew him into an empty restaurant where he lingered over a plate of Thai noodles. Across the street, there was a jewellers with its window decorated for Christmas, a splendid winter-wonderland town scene with laughing pink-cheeked statuettes and diamonds everywhere, earrings glinting off the eaves of the houses like icicles, a glimmering star brooch atop a Christmas tree, diamonds embedded in the tinfoil pond where more pink-cheeked statuettes were skating. He threw down his napkin and some cash and was across the street at the door of the jewelry store as if drawn there beyond his will. The jeweller was closing up, but brightened when Chip came in. He was a small and vigorous man, something like an elf, and, when Chip lingered over a vitrine full of rings, he swiftly modelled the larger rings on his own small pale hands, citrine to turquoise to ruby to emerald. But Chip was not such a fool, he would not buy Pearl a ring, he knew that would scare her off for good. He moved on to the bracelets. Some were far too delicate for Pearls large wrist bones, others too gaudy for her tastes, but at last he saw a gold band with three perfect sapphire chips set off center, as though they made an ellipsis. He smiled, thinking of the symbolism. At the smile the little jeweller leapt, and nestled the bracelet in a froth of cotton, in a pretty pink box, and tied it with a silken bow and took Chips credit card and charged him a full month of mortgage payments for his condo, without Chips ever having fully agreed to buy the bracelet. Chip was uneasy, but, when the jeweller handed the box solemnly to him, he felt that the man was putting hope itself into his hands. The gray cloud that had descended upon him lifted, and everything gleamed and shone all around him, the street itself made beautiful with this new feeling. Outside, the light from a liquor store dazzled his eyes, and he watched as if from far outside himself as he entered and bought a handle of bourbon, and would not let himself think of his sisters disappointment, or of his own disappointment, only of the spicy burn and the warmth inside his stomach. He did not wait until he was in his jeep to open the bottle, but stopped on a quiet street and held the box with the bracelet between his legs and drank a few great gulps, and his head was pleasantly muffled when he turned the engine on. Chip drove singing loudly through the dark, drinking from time to time, far too fast, feeling the thrill of the gift that sat like a tiny person in the passenger seat beside him. He thought of waiting until Christmas to give the bracelet to Pearl, but Christmas was still two weeks off, and his family was coming the week before, and, with them around, he would not see Pearl, and, well, since he had the courage, he might as well give the gift to Pearl now, get back in her graces. He checked the time. She would still be at the restaurant, he realized, so he drove up to her house, and parked at the town forest, and walked down to her house with the bourbon in one hand and the present in the other. He knew she kept her spare key under a rock in the shade garden by the mudroom door, and he let himself in. The dog barked, at first scared, then seeing it was him came out to meet him. He let the dog do its business in the yard, then fed both animals, taking off his boots and stowing them under the mudroom bench, and keeping the lights off. How strange the house was in the night, he thought, looking around. It smelled the same, of dried herbs and Pearl, it was warm as ever, but, without the woman in it, the house was just a house. He went into her bathroom and sniffed her shampoos and conditioners, then came out and lay down on Pearls bed. But, just as he was drifting off to sleep, he startled himself awake; she would be seriously displeased to come home and find him already in her bed. He drank deeply, considering. The bottle felt light and he looked at it, marvelling how it was already so empty. At last, with a laugh, he understood what he needed to do, and he went into her closet and shut the door on himself, pushing aside her shoes. He would wait until she had showered and was nearly asleep to come out; this was when she was at her kindest, gentlest, most malleable, and he would climb in bed with her, kiss her, and shed smile in her sleep and curl close to him. The closet smelled like Pearls skin and lotion and shoe leather. It was stuffy but nice. Through the crack he could see a slice of light on the bedroom wall as her headlights came closer, then her engine shut off and her footsteps neared, and the kitchen door opened. She greeted the dog and now there was a flood of light that fell from the kitchen area into the bedroom, but Pearl was still talking; she was, it seemed, offering the dog wine. How strange. No, something was not quite right here, this wasnt the voice she normally used with the dog, and at last he understood with a sick lurch that she wasnt alone. A deep male voice answered. Yes, it said, it would love some wine. Chip could barely hear a thing then. His whole body was shaking, and his grip on the bottle was so tight he could hardly let it go when the glass began to rattle against the door. He breathed into his hands, suddenly sick with terror. The man he had seen with her was far larger than Chip was, and Chip was drunk, horribly drunk, oh, my God, how had he got here, how did he think this was a good idea. He was about to be murdered by that enormous man. He listened to Pearl feeding the dog, pouring the wine, saying she needed a shower, he heard the shower starting, Pearl singing to herself as she showered, and the warm damp steam reached him even where he was in the depths of her closet. When she came out, she was naked. He saw her rosy flesh as she stood in the doorway of her bedroom saying, Put that down and come here. The man gave a laugh. Now Chip had to hear the wet and dreadful sounds they were making, the slip and grunt of people not himself having sex. He craned his neck but could see nothing but a hairy shoulder. Pearl came, the man came. There were whispers. Then Pearl began to breathe as she always breathed with a little snoring hitch in her nose, and Chip counted to himself, slowly. At a thousand, he opened the closet door silently and moved through the lightless bedroom, through the kitchen, to the mudroom where he had forgotten the pink box on the bench when he took off his boots, it had been there all along, shining, perfect, fully visible if Pearl had been able to see it. Small mercies. He gathered the box and the boots up in his hands and carefully opened the mudroom door and closed it and ran in his wet cold socks into the forest far enough so that he could not be heard; then he put on his boots and went shaking back to the jeep. There was a wetness at his crotch, growing cold. He had pissed himself. He clutched the box in his arms until he was calm enough to start up the car and drive with headlights off past Pearls house. It wasnt until he was home that he understood at last that he had left the bottle of bourbon and probably a stink of piss in Pearls closet. He sat at his kitchen table, petrified in fear. When morning came, and he knew the general store would be opening for the old men who went to get their coffees and cider doughnuts and newspapers, he showered hurriedly and dressed and went down the mountain, and stood calling Elizabeths home number over and over until his sister was roused out of her deep sleep and angrily answered. When he heard her voice, Chip started crying. He turned his back on the clerk, on the store with its buzzing lights and groaning refrigerators, the headlines grim about the snowstorm on the horizon. she said. What the hell. But he couldnt tell her. To tell her would be to see the last of his sisters good opinion vanish forever. So he struggled to stop sobbing, to breathe. By the time he controlled himself, his sister had controlled herself, too. Whatever it is, its really bad, huh, his sister said, coolly. Yes, he said. O.K., she said. Heres the plan. Ill be there as soon as I can. Ive got a deal I absolutely have to finish this morning, its like years and years of setting up, it absolutely must be nailed down today, but as soon as Im done Ill have them drive me a hundred miles an hour out to you. Dont worry, Chippy. Ill be there, I promise. Whatever this is, I can take care of it. O.K., he said. He knew she could not. Dont do anything stupid, she said. And then take another hot shower. Take a hot shower every two hours. Youll be fine. Right, sure, he said, and hung up, desolate. He bought an egg sandwich and a coffee and came slowly up the mountain, but, when he saw the estate on its hill, his cottage shining in the blue morning against the forest, he knew he needed the mass of his family behind him, otherwise he would be too small against what he felt was coming. He drove the jeep into Bears garage, and went through the huge gloomy rooms of the big house until he was in Bears office, where, in the smell of pipe tobacco and cedar and dust, he felt safer. Then he sat with a book in Bears wing chair. The drapes were pulled, but through the gap he could see down the dirt road for a good mile. He tried to read but could only imagine Pearls morning, her quick waking, washing, letting the dog out, making coffee, making breakfast for the man asleep in her bed. He thought he could feel her shock in his body when she opened the closet door and saw the bottle, the crumpled nest of shoes. When the smell of piss rose to her. He stood in agitation and rifled through his grandfathers desk drawers until he found the secret stash of Bears favorite Scotch, and he drank it slowly to make his hands stop shaking. It was almost midday when he saw the first of the caravan of trucks and cars coming up the dirt road, and he steeled himself and moved to the other side of the house, to Slims blue-gray dressing room, where through her sheer curtains he could watch his cottage. The trucks pulled in and parked around it. Dark-haired men got out, stout and thin, a half-dozen or so, and conferred in a knot. These must be Pearls family, here to threaten him, and he felt a sinking sadness that he had never got to meet them, or else they would have known he was a good guy, a gentleman, that he would never have hurt her. One of them went up to the door and knocked and, with no answer, swung the door open and went inside. Then some of the younger men entered, and Chips great-great-grandmothers books came flying out the door, their brittle leaves spilling, and the few clothes and shoes he had were dumped in a drift, and one of the older men went to the woodshed and came back with the axe, which he embedded in the door. | https://www.newyorker.com/books/novellas/whats-the-time-mr-wolf |
Who is Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said John Kerry told him of Israeli operations? | Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has sparked outrage at U.S. climate envoy John Kerry over a claim that Kerry gave him information about Israeli military strikes. But he has a history of incendiary remarks, even as he sometimes also assumes the role of a moderate negotiator. Zarif's time on the international stage go back to his days with Iran's U.N. mission in 1982, following his education at San Francisco State (he later earned a Master's degree and Ph.D. from University of Denver). Since then, he went on to be the Islamic nation's top U.N. representative from 2002 to 2007 before ultimately getting the foreign minister job. KERRY'S IRAN ALLEGATIONS COMPLICATES BIDEN'S PUSH TO REJOIN NUKE DEAL During that time, Zarif was reportedly instrumental in drafting a roadmap for a "grand bargain" with the U.S. meant to improve ties between the two countries. It never became a reality, but Zarif would later engage in negotiations with the U.S. and other nations as foreign minister, when Kerry as secretary of state in the Obama administration helped craft the Iranian nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Despite his diplomatic history, however, Zarif has not been afraid to issue threatening statements. In 2020, following the announcement of the historic Abraham Accords peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Zarif called the agreement a painful betrayal of Arab and other countries in the region. In February of that year, Zarif told NBC News that Iran and the U.S. had been "very close to a war" following the U.S. strike that killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. JOHN BOLTON: WE CONSIDER IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ZARIF AN ILLEGITIMATE SPOKESMAN FOR IRAN At the end of 2020, however, Zarif accused then-President Trump of trying to "fabricate a pretext for war." Days later, he accused "Israeli agent-provocateurs" of "plotting attacks against Americans" and warning Trump of a "trap." IRANS TOP DIPLOMAT, IN LEAKED RECORDING, OFFERS BLUNT COMMENTS ABOUT RUSSIA, SOLEIMANI Earlier this month, Zarif again made accusations against Israel, claiming they had committed "war crimes" and "nuclear terrorism" following a cyberattack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. In 2019, then-national security adviser John Bolton announced that the U.S. considered Zarif to be an "illegitimate spokesman for Iran" as the Trump administration issued sanctions against the foreign minister. Kerry's alleged leak regarding 200 Israeli military strikes in Syria to Iran was revealed in audio of Zarif obtained by The New York Times. Kerry has called the allegations "unequivocally false." An analysis of the Kerry-Zarif conversation by the Jerusalem Post's Lahav Harkov notes that the Israeli strikes in Syria had become public knowledge at roughly the same time as one of their meetings. Harkov notes, however, that Zarif did not say when Kerry supposedly gave him the information, and that it could have happened well before it had been publicly disclosed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Regardless, Harkov says, Zarif is an "unreliable narrator." That characterization was based on Zarif's claims in the audio that he has little control over his country's foreign policy and is not kept informed, even though he claims to represent the country's position in recent nuclear talks. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-foreign-minister-mohammad-javad-zarif |
Should Cowboys Use Michael Gallup As NFL Draft 'Trade Bait'? | Cowboys Blitzcast: One possible trade carrot the team can dangle is Michael Gallup. One possible trade carrot the team can dangle is Michael Gallup - and that is no insult to the Dallas wide receiver. Welcome to the Daily Blitz by DSP Media in partnership with CowboysSI.com, hosted by Indy Car Tim ... The NFL Draft is getting closer. And so are big decisions on guys like Gallup. The much-anticipated NFL Draft starts Thursday and we think the Cowboys are already on the clock in regard to coming up with creative ways to take full advantage of their existing picks, while maybe trying to finagle a few extra picks as well. To package together in order to end up with fewer picks - lower quantity, higher quality. He is talented. He is affordable. He is coveted. A recent media idea featured Amari Cooper being swapped to Miami in a way that lands the Cowboys the Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, with our add to the conversation that the money saved on Cooper can then be given to Gallup. READ MORE: Dallas Cowboys Trade Idea: Draft Kyle Pitts By Sending Out Amari But, Indy Car Tim theorizes, maybe the possible trade carrot the team can dangle is Michael Gallup. Lets discuss! Please join us daily for the Daily Blitz or each Thursday night starting at 7pm for sports talk LIVE on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter, or listen to the recorded podcast the next day at CowboysSI.com and TheBlitzcast.com! To be featured in our BlitzBox segment please reach out to us on Twitter with the hashtag #Blitzbox or send your questions to [email protected] and well read your question and answer it on the air on our next show. READ MORE: Sean Lee Jokes With Fish About Job Future | https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/podcasts/should-dallas-cowboys-use-michael-gallup-as-nfl-draft-trade-bait |
Does Trade Change Washington Thoughts On Darrisaw In NFL Draft? | Passing the eye test is important for any player looking to make their mark at the NFL level. So is proving it with production. Christian Darrisaw has done both at Virginia Tech. Since entering college after having been an under-recruited prep player in the D.C. area, the 6-foot-5 offensive tackle has shown what his future role could for an NFL franchise. His overall build consistently keeps him winning battles while his footwork is top-notch. In most classes, one could consider Darrisaw a potential No. 1 tackle prospect. His numbers, size and production back up the sentiment for the role. The only problem is, so does Oregon's Penei Sewell and Northwestern's Rashawn Slater. READ MORE: Does This 'Mauler' Fit Washington At No. That might be good news for the Washington Football Team when selecting at No. 19. If WFT truly is going to move forward with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter, they have to build around him. Coach Ron Rivera and staff have done a great job addressing positions of need. Names like Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries solidify the passing game. Despite being a monumental bust for the New York Giants, trading back for Ereck Flowers, who revitalized his career while in Miami, addresses the need for interior offensive line. But while that softens the "must-have'' ideas in the O-line ... it doesn't change one need. Cornelius Lucas and Geron Christian equally have shown up and down moments in replacement of Trent Williams. Both are also entering contract years, meaning the process of finding a left tackle could start all over again in 2021. READ MORE: Washington Exercises Option On First-Round Starter However, it's that keyword: protection. Last season, WFT allowed 47 sacks, eight of which came from the left side. If that is the monumental move Rivera wants to correct, Darrisaw is a fitting pick should he be on the clock. In over 1,100 snaps at tackle, he's allowed just three total sacks. Only 19. Darrisaw has shown he's a fine combination of run blocker and pass-protector. According to PFF, he graded out with over a 90.0 in both frames, grading actually higher in setting up the run at 94.5. WFT could be looking to run the ball more with Antonio Gibson after a breakout season in Year 1. Since entering the college football realm, Darisaw has thrived at the left tackle position. In the best case scenario, he wins the job before Week 1 and stabilizes the role for for over the next decade. Christian or Lucas wins it for a season before they walk in free agency, allowing Darrisaw to learn how to play better in one-on-one pass-blocking sets. Washington has the best option should they stay at No. 19. At that point, it's best player available approach. And while cover linebacker certainly is a priority, so is protecting the quarterback of the now and in the future. Darrisaw is a consensus first-round option. For WFT, he checks every box as the long-term answer at protecting the games most essential position - QB. Scouting measurables: 6-5, 314 pounds, 34.25-inch arms, 9.25-inch hands, 4.89 40-time, 124-inch broad jump, 30 bench-press reps. 2020 stats: 10 game played, six quarterback pressures, zero sacks allowed, zero quarterback hits allowed Scout Says: "Working with left guard Lecitus Smith, Darrisaw exceled on combo blocks, routinely gaining leverage and working up to the second level. There is a nasty streak to him, putting a lot of opposing defenders on the ground. In pass protection, Darrisaw is an easy setter, getting to the top of the track without oversetting. He exhibits outstanding patience to stay balanced and firm in pass protection. Despite just average height for the position, Darrisaw has long arms that he is able to gain extension in both the run and pass game." - SI Draft Bible Quote: Taking my game to the next level, you just have to be confident at the end of the day. Theyre going to draft you for a reason, and you have to have the ability to go out there to perform. You cant worry about things. Every time you step on that practice field, just go out there with that mindset that you just want to be the best player you can be." - Christian Darrisaw on NFL mindset NFL Comparison: Green Bay Packers OT David Bakhtiari CONTINUE READING: Ereck Flowers Traded Back To Washington, Source Confirms | https://www.si.com/nfl/washingtonfootball/news/does-trade-change-washington-thoughts-on-darrisaw-in-nfl-draft |
Should the Saints trade up for Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley? | Per @CharlesRobinson on Caleb Farley, says he's hearing Saints might move up to get him. And that Saints feel they may need to move ahead of Titans to get it done. Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) April 27, 2021 Stop here if youve heard this before, but the Saints might be eyeing a trade up the board for a player with an injury history in this years NFL draft. Both factors fit their established trends, and Yahoo Sports Charles Robinson reports New Orleans could have a similar plan in the works for 2021, targeting Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley. Farley, of course, had a follow-up surgery in March after injuring his back in a 2019 weightlifting accident. And thats after a 2017 ACL tear, on top of his decision to opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farley just started playing defense in 2018 but turned in phenomenal tape as a cover corner, and hed likely be a top ten pick if not for the injuries. Hes got the speed to run with anyone, and the ball skills (25 passes defensed in 24 games played) to frustrate any receiver. I think hes gonna be fine, I think hes a good player, hed be a good value for the Titans at 22, Robinson told the Athletics Joe Rexrode on ESPNs Nashville radio affiliate. if Farley had a clean bill of help, Robinson added, his draft stock would be phenomenal: Probably off the board in top six or seven picks. Farley is one of 13 prospects attending this years draft from the green room, and hes the only other cornerback besides Alabamas Patrick Surtain II, so he clearly expects to be picked highly. Its possible other teams are comfortable enough with his medicals to pick him above a range the Saints are comfortable moving into. But Sean Payton did identify cornerback as the teams lone must position they have to address to field a competitive lineup, so a bold move shouldnt shock anyone. Story continues And the Saints do have the resources to leap up the board leapfrogging rivals also looking for corners like the Titans. They own two picks at the end of the third round that can be traded to facilitate a move, and maybe a team like the Colts (picking one slot ahead of their AFC South opponent at No. 21) would like to move down and pick up more picks. You just have to ask if Farley is the right prospect to move up for. Between the durability concerns and his inexperience, theres reason to think he could struggle to even get on the field and be consistently effective when available. There will be other players with more college reps and cleaner bills of health available later in the draft, but the list of cornerbacks with his combination of instincts and athleticism is, well, brief. Well find out what happens in just a few days. Related Saints draft profiles: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech Report: Saints draft target Caleb Farley expected to be ready for training camp List | https://sports.yahoo.com/saints-trade-virginia-tech-corner-154130296.html?src=rss |
How much longer will the Cleveland Indians stick with Jake Bauers at 1B? | Register for Indians Subtext to hear your Tribe questions answered exclusively on the show. Send a text to 216-208-4346 to subscribe for $3.99/mo. CLEVELAND, Ohio Roster moves are coming for the Cleveland Indians by the time they wrap this current homestand. Before the club sets out for a seven-game swing through Chicago and Kansas City, they will likely option lefty Sam Hentges back to the alternate site. Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga look at the Indians current roster setup on Tuesdays Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. Listen below for details. Click here. We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe to it here. You can also subscribe on Google Play and listen on Spotify. Search Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast or download the audio here. - New Indians face masks for sale: Heres where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity. Week in baseball | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/04/how-much-longer-will-the-cleveland-indians-stick-with-jake-bauers-at-1b.html |
Why might Boris Johnson be in trouble? | The Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be in trouble for redecorating his flat in Downing Street. Mr Johnson receives a yearly public grant - money provided for specific purposes, 30,000 of that money can be spent on redecorating the flat. However, reports from newspapers suggested that he could have spent up to 200,000 on redecorating the flat using money from donors, something which isn't allowed if not declared. Boris Johnson has denied the accusations. Last week, the government said that the prime minister had paid for additional redecorating himself: "Costs of wider refurbishment in this year have been met by the prime minister personally". There have been calls from the opposition Labour party for the issue to be investigated in full. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56906667 |
Will the U.S. economy slip into recession in 2016? | Hip hip, hooray for the U.S. economic recovery! Unemployment is down, consumer confidence is up and the "animal spirits" that keep America Inc. hopping are finally reawakening. The Federal Reserve feels optimistic enough to have turned the page on the Great Recession earlier this month by raising interest rates for the first time since 2008. Phew, glad that's over. Although most professional forecasters expect the U.S. economy next year to continue its slow trudge back to respectability, some experts see danger on the horizon. In a December report, Citi Research analysts put the probability of the U.S. entering a new recession -- two consecutive quarters of shrinking economic growth -- at 65 percent. That prediction is partly rooted in history. Looking at previous recessions in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan between 1970 and 2014, the bank found that the odds of a downturn cross 50 percent roughly five years into a recovery (see graph below). Notably, the U.S. is in year seven of its post-recession rebound. But it's not only the past that augurs another economic slump. In the ever-uncertain present, a number of headwinds threaten next year to batter the fragile U.S. recovery into submission. And by far the most powerful of these storms is the ongoing economic turbulence in China, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging markets. Economist David Levy, chairman of The Jerome Levy Forecasting Center LLC, bluntly predicts that worsening global economic conditions in 2016 will pull the U.S. into a recession by the third quarter. "We're really seeing emerging markets slowing a lot, with a few countries already in recession," he said, likening financial markets' general apathy about the air whooshing out of these economies to the blinkered bullishness that prevailed in 2007 shortly before the U.S. housing bubble burst. The main reason emerging economies are struggling, in a word: overcapacity. After decades of investing in roads, factories, high-speed trains, housing and other hallmarks of a modern economy, these countries have too much industrial firepower and too little demand to sustain the hot-house growth required to justify all that spending. For the U.S., a recession triggered by economic deterioration abroad would be a first. Typically, bouts of declining domestic growth are caused by a downdraft in domestic demand, often as a result of high interest rates that stifle borrowing and investment, decreasing wages, weak spending, eroding consumer confidence, rising prices and other factors that combine to short-circuit economic activity. This time around, the next road to recession is likely to pass through Beijing. China's efforts to "rebalance" the world's second-largest economy away from manufacturing and investment toward consumption, like the U.S., have led to a dramatic slowdown that's unlikely to reverse in 2016, Levy said. "China will continue to try to push buttons to make its economy better," he said. "Unfortunately there's no button that can solve its fundamental problems of extreme overinvestment and overcapacity." Citi Research expects China's currency, the renminbi, to weaken next year, which would almost certainly spread deflation to other parts of the world. The U.S. is already feeling the impact of a global slowdown. Manufacturers are hurting as a result of ebbing demand overseas, while corporate profits have been falling for a year, hampering companies' ability to grow. If the Fed is confident about the future, Americans are more fearful. People are less optimistic about how the U.S. economy will fare next year than they were in January, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. Three-quarters of those polled rate economic conditions as fair or poor. With a storm whipping up across the Pacific, Levy thinks it's a mistake to fixate on the Fed's move last week to hike U.S. interest rates by 0.25 percent, a move some critics said could harm the economy. "The global downturn does not have to be caused by rising interest rates or any other new development, because it is already developing and will continue to do so, barring some extraordinary new positive influence," he wrote in a recent report. Under this view, the U.S. economy may look stable as measured by conventional measures of growth, such as job creation and GDP. But beneath the surface, the cracks left by the recession, from high household debt to tepid corporate profits, have left American consumers and businesses vulnerable to large external shocks -- of the kind now starting to ripple through emerging markets. Worse, central banks around the world have already pared rates to the bone, leaving little monetary ammunition to train on the next recession. Proceed with care. "What people can do, realistically, is bring an extra dose of skepticism to whatever kind of investing they're doing," Levy said, expressing a preference for cash or Treasurys. "You're better off holding stocks of good-size, solid companies but that aren't too exposed to the rest of the world," he said. "History goes through phases. It's not advice you should take forever, but conditions are dangerous. We're in a cycle where you have to be careful." | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-the-u-s-economy-slip-into-recession-in-2016/ |
Will convenience outweigh hesitation in relaunch of J&J vaccine in Ohio? | After Ohio and Washington reapproved the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, providers are slowly beginning to offer it as an option again. Despite the pause, people looking to get a COVID-19 vaccine from Columbus Public Health are already seeking out the Johnson & Johnson shot, said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner. >>Read More:Hesitancy may be to blame for low COVID-19 vaccination rate in parts of Ohio "I'm pleasantly surprised," Roberts said. "What that tells me is: 1. That people like the one-dose option and 2. That people have really looked at the science and the benefits far outweigh the risks." The J&J vaccine was paused April 13 after six initial cases of rare yet serious blood clots were discovered in recipients of the shot. It was allowed to resume Friday after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control concluded it was safe and the clots were exceedingly uncommon. When federal health officials recommended the pause, concerns mounted that the temporary suspension could scare people away from getting the J&J vaccine or that people would become more selective about which shot they wanted. While that's still a possibility, Roberts said the convenience of a one-and-done vaccine may trump hesitation. Johnson & Johnson is also a better-known brand name than Pfizer or Moderna, which may result in people trusting the shot more despite the brief intermission in its use, Roberts said. The J&J vaccine pause lasted 11 days. In total, 15 cases of the rare blood clot were discovered out of nearly 8 million doses administered and three women died, according to the CDC. On Friday, a CDC panel of doctors recommended use of the vaccine continue. Soon after, Gov. Mike DeWine's office encouraged vaccine distributors to resume using the shot in accordance with federal guidelines and warnings about the potential for clots. Our countrys vaccine safety system has worked as designed," DeWine said in a prepared statement Friday. >>Read More:Wealthier Ohio counties more likely to have higher COVID vaccination rates Upon relaunching the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Franklin County Public Health plans to advise patients of the potential blood clot risk, said Alex Jones, assistant health commissioner. Other area clinics plan to do the same, leaders told The Dispatch. Franklin County Public Health has around 445 doses of the J&J vaccine that it will restart in the coming days, spokeswoman Mitzi Kline said via email. As more become available, Jones said the department plans to deploy the shots in the community with help from EMS workers. >>Read More:No Ohioans monitored for Ebola after returning from Africa caught virus Ohio State Wexner Medical Center started using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again Monday. But, as supply allows, the medical center plans to give patients a choice between the J&J shot and the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer said via email. Mount Carmel Health will also resume using the J&J vaccine, though it has no clinics for the shot scheduled at this time, said spokeswoman Samantha Irons. OhioHealth did not have any J&J vaccines as of Tuesday, spokesman Colin Yoder said. [email protected] @MaxFilby | https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/04/27/providers-slowly-beginning-offer-j-j-vaccine-again-ohio-after-pause/4857214001/ |
Is a Number Change Coming for Tee Higgins? | The second-year wide receiver wore 85 during his rookie season with the Bengals CINCINNATI The NFL is expected to loosen restrictions on jersey numbers later this month. The new proposal needs 24 owners [out of 32] to be in favor of the change. League officials expect the proposal to pass according to Peter King of NBC Sports. If passed, the new rule would allow defensive backs and linebackers to wear any number from 1 to 49. Running backs, fullbacks, tight ends and wide receivers could all wear 1 to 49 and 80 to 89. This wouldn't change for quarterbacks, punters and kickers. They would still be required to wear numbers 1 to 19. Linemen would still wear 50 to 79, and defensive linemen and linebackers could also wear 90 to 99. The potential rule change has Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins thinking about switching numbers. The 22-year-old sent a tweet on Thursday about potentially going back to the number 5, which is what he wore during his three seasons at Clemson. If Higgins does change numbers, that means the iconic "85" will be available once again. Some of the greatest wide receivers in Bengals' history have worn 85, including Isaac Curtis and Chad Johnson. Higgins has a tough decision to make, but he's one of many players that could switch numbers if the proposal passes. For the latest free agency news and NFL Draft coverage, bookmark AllBengals and check out some of our other articles below. Designer Creates Awesome Bengals Jersey Mockups Chad Johnson is Spreading the Love in Cincinnati Former NFL General Manager Believes Bengals Have Easy Decision With No. 5 Pick Bengals Open to Potential Geno Atkins Return Duke Tobin Sheds Light on O-Line and Wide Receiver Depth in 2021 NFL Draft How Involved is Joe Burrow in the Bengals' Pre-Draft Process Here's How the Sam Darnold Trade Impacts the Bengals A Message to Bengals Fans: Thank You Bengals Legend Has Eyes on BIG Lineman to Protect Joe Burrow NFL Teams Expect Bengals to Pick Penei Sewell Former NFL Head Coach Weighs in on Great Debate Between Chase and Sewell "A Lot of Teams" Believe Bengals Should Take Penei Sewell at No. 5 Watch: Penei Sewell Goes Through Four Stage Workout Longtime Bengals Assistant Endorses Ja'Marr Chase Analysts Simplify Ja'Marr Chase Vs Penei Sewell Debate William Jackson III Takes Shot at Bengals Organization and Fan Base Scouts Rave About Ja'Marr Chase Following Pro Day Workout Another Big Board Has Sizable Gap Between Penei Sewell and Ja'Marr Chase This is a Great Film Breakdown of Penei Sewell Bengals Pass on Ja'Marr Chase in Latest Mock Draft NFL Draft Big Board: Big Gap Between Sewell and Chase This is a great film breakdown of Penei Sewell Penei Sewell vs Ja'Marr Chase: Team May Have Tipped Their Hand One NFL Team Believes Bengals Will Take Ja'Marr Chase at No. ----- Be sure to keep it locked on AllBengals all the time! Subscribe to the AllBengals YouTube channel Follow AllBengals on Twitter: @AllBengals Like and follow AllBengals on Facebook | https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/will-tee-higgins-change-his-number |
Will Grayscale Plan To Convert GBTC To A Bitcoin ETF Work? | the abbreviation word etf - Exchange Traded Fund - laid with silver letters on raw rusted steel ... [+] sheet surface in slanted diagonal perspective. getty After a month of headlines about its flagship product, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), trading with a negative premium, the worlds largest crypto exchange-traded product (ETP) provider is fighting back. In a post earlier this week, the global market leader with a little more than 75% of all $61 billion in ETP crypto assets under management announced that it will convert the GBTC in an exchange-traded fund when permissible, meaning when the SEC is ready to approve its first bitcoin ETF. Although Grayscale has been thinking along these lines for a while now, the timing of the announcement could be seen as an acknowledgement that it is feeling competitive pressure from a cacophony of new bitcoin ETF applications, including one from industry heavyweight Fidelity. GBTC's premium fell further since the public unveiling of its ETF plan yCharts Furthermore, there appear to be some signs of investor unrest, with at least onethe activist group Marlton LLCrequesting that Grayscale conduct a modified dutch auction tender offer to help compensate shareholders. I spoke with James Elbaor, managing partner at Marlton LLC, and he made it clear that he holds Grayscale responsible for the negative premium. That said, Grayscale strongly pushed back on the supposition that it executes direct control over the premium and noted that they have no intention of offering such a tender offer. This is a perspective shared by at least one prominent securities lawyer who worked on the very first bitcoin ETF application in the US, Gregory Xethalis, Partner at Chapman and Cutler LLC. He told Forbes in an interview that under the [GBTC] trust agreement and Delaware law a sponsor [Grayscale] has limited fiduciary duties and maintaining a secondary market share price premium is not one of them. It is also worth noting that Grayscales filing documents state the potential for both positive and negative premiums. Grayscales Roadmap to a Bitcoin ETF Grayscales announcement provides a systematic, four-stage approach to an ETF, albeit without timelines: Launching of a private placement. A fund whose shares are only available to wealthier investors, where initial purchases are controlled by the issuing party. A fund whose shares are only available to wealthier investors, where initial purchases are controlled by the issuing party. Obtaining a secondary market quotation. Once purchased shares complete their lockup periods (often 6-12 months), they can then be listed on exchanges for public trading. Through this step initial purchasers cash out of the private placement shares by selling them to a wider base of investors. Currently GBTC, as well as its products offering exposure to ether (ETHE), litecoin (LTCN), ethereum classic (ETCG) and Graysclaes composite large scale fund (GDLC), trade on OTCQX. Once purchased shares complete their lockup periods (often 6-12 months), they can then be listed on exchanges for public trading. Through this step initial purchasers cash out of the private placement shares by selling them to a wider base of investors. Currently GBTC, as well as its products offering exposure to ether (ETHE), litecoin (LTCN), ethereum classic (ETCG) and Graysclaes composite large scale fund (GDLC), trade on OTCQX. Starting SEC-reporting stage. A fund issuer decision to adopt SEC oversight and reporting requirements to make the private placement more transparent than typical private placements. This also helps reduce the lockup period for private placement shares from 12 months to six. Currently only GBTC and ETHE are reporting companies. A fund issuer decision to adopt SEC oversight and reporting requirements to make the private placement more transparent than typical private placements. This also helps reduce the lockup period for private placement shares from 12 months to six. Currently only GBTC and ETHE are reporting companies. Converting SEC-reporting funds into crypto ETFs. The process by which the issuing entity issued ETF shares in exchange for the original private placement shares. This is a regimented process that cannot be taken for granted. The second of these steps, floating enough shares in a secondary market such as the OTC Markets OTCQX exchange cant quite be assumed that it will happen automatically, and a funds liquidity can help illustrate this point. Grayscale states that GBTC, which has $38.1 billion AUM, is one of the most liquid bitcoin investment products in the world. That said, 98% of GBTC shares have never been sold, meaning its trading volume is actually much lower than its AUM. Exchanges require healthy trading volumes to list assets, so this can be a challenge for crypto assets with smaller market capitalizations. How Grayscale Is Trying To Cope In The Interim Grayscale has taken some small measures to address the problem, such as authorizing parent company Digital Currency Group to purchase up to $250 million worth of GBTC shares along with announcing its ETF roadmap. It is also worth noting that its GBTC product is closed to new investors, which will prevent the issuance of new shares. That said, the closed period began in December, when the premium was still positive. Additionally, it laid the groundwork for one of the largest ever expansions of its product lineup. It has filed to register dozens of new trusts in Delaware that expand its remit to emerging fields in crypto such as DeFi and privacy coins. Two weeks ago it also launched five new assets that offer exposure: basic attention token (BAT), LINK, MANA, filecoin and livepeer. Clearly, Grayscale hopes that it can leverage its credibility and regulators and institutional investors to build sizable positions in some of these new assets where there are far less ETP competitors. It is unclear how the GBTC premium issue will play out, and there is no guarantee that transitioning it into an ETF will solve the issue (though ETFs tend to track towards their net asset values due to higher trading liquidity). Plus, the industry is still waiting for its first. Second, this issue could come up again with other Grayscale products with ETF horizons much further off in the future. For instance, Ethereum is by far the second biggest blockchain and product offered by GBTC, and its premium turned negative two weeks ago to less fanfare (it is currently -8.70%). This drop is in some ways more curious since ETHE does not have the same litany of competitors as GBTC. An Ether ETF is much less likely to come to the rescue for this product, let alone the others offered if and when they start to become publicly traded. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierpaz/2021/04/08/will-grayscale-plan-to-convert-gbtc-to-a-bitcoin-etf-work/ |
Could Jaelen House reunite with best friend Jovan Blacksher Jr. at Grand Canyon? | Former Arizona State guard Jaelen House on social media narrowed his choice of colleges to Grand Canyon and New Mexico since entering the NCAA Division I transfer portal. It appears GCU would be the favorite, considering his ties to the team's top returner for next basketball season. "I don't know what I'm gonna do yet," House told The Republic on Thursday. Jovan Blacksher Jr., the Most Valuable Player of the WAC Tournament, and House were best friends as AAU and high school basketball teammates growing up. They were part of the Phoenix Shadow Mountain dynasty that strung together four consecutive state championships under Mike Bibby. They comprised the state's most dynamic high school backcourt their last two seasons at Shadow Mountain. House was an emotional leader, always flying around the court, making plays at both ends. Blacksher was calm and cool and making big plays on offense and defense. More:ASU defensive whiz Jaelen House enters the transfer portal Blacksher and House are best friends. They met each other on the court for the first time as college opponents this past season when ASU traveled to GCU and won on a late basket by Remy Martin. Blacksher's last-second shot to try to win just missed. They both made The Arizona Republic's All-Arizona team their junior and senior seasons. Both will be juniors. The NCAA is allowing for immediate eligibility if it is a first-time transfer. GCU is losing senior guard Mikey Dixon. If House chooses GCU, he would be the second former ASU player to commit to the Antelopes since the season ended. Junior forward Taeshon Cherry committed to GCU. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/gcu/2021/04/08/grand-canyon-could-jaelen-house-reunite-jovan-blacksher-jr/7144358002/ |
Will there be a record number of female MSPs in 2021? | By Philip Sim BBC Scotland News Published 20 minutes ago image copyright PA Media image caption The Scottish Parliament election will take place on 6 May, with votes counted over the following two days Scottish voters go to the polls to elect a new crop of MSPs on 6 May, with parties under more pressure than ever to correct the imbalances in the gender and diversity of their representatives. The three largest parties were all led by women in the last election in 2016, but the result was not a more balanced parliament. There were 45 female MSPs after that election - the same number as there was before it. That's 35% of the total of 129 MSPs. Indeed, there were actually more female MSPs in the first parliament in 1999 (48) than there were elected in 2011 or 2016 - suggesting the cause of gender equality at Holyrood might actually have gone backwards. Analysis by campaign group Women 50:50 suggests that 39% of candidates for the upcoming election are female. The Greens are the closest to gender balance, at 49% female, with the SNP on 47% and Labour on 43%. The Lib Dems - who did not have a single female MSP in 2016, although they have since gained one in a by-election - are on 40%. Meanwhile, the Conservatives - a party which does not use quotas but has produced the UK's only two female prime ministers - are sitting on 30%. They say they are "aiming to elect more women than ever before". This is not just about raw numbers of candidates, though. Since the last election, a range of different measures has been adopted by parties in a bid to improve things. Some have tried "zipping" their regional lists - alternating male and female candidates - while others have instituted all-women shortlists for constituency contests. To test out how the latest efforts at improving diversity could work out, we ran a sort of mock election. We took the exact results of the 2016 election, and applied it to the 2021 candidate lists, for both regions and constituencies. A record number of female MSPs. Instead of 45 women at Holyrood, there would be 57. That would see women make up 44% of the parliament - the closest to an actual gender balance since 2003. Of the 12 additional female MSPs in this admittedly imaginary parliament, only four come via the regional lists. Of those four, two would be Green and one a Lib Dem - products of those parties putting women at the top of their lists. The gender balance of the Tory group would be unchanged, while Labour would gain one female MSP via the lists. The biggest change is in the constituencies, where the SNP alone would return seven additional female MSPs. This is driven by the party's move to replace retiring male MSPs with women in many (but not all) seats. In our mock election, this made more difference than every other policy effort put together - which suggests that the most effective way of getting more women into parliament is simply to put them forward for winnable seats. On 6 May, people across Scotland will vote to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The party that wins the most seats will form the Scottish government. Find out more here. MSPs pass laws on most aspects of day-to-day life in Scotland, such as health, education and transport. They also have control over some taxes and welfare benefits. Defence, foreign policy and immigration are decided by the UK Parliament. Anyone who lives in Scotland and is registered to vote is eligible, so long as they are aged 16 or over on the day of the election. You can register to vote online. There have only been four MSPs from minority ethnic backgrounds since 1999 - all of them men of Scots-Pakistani heritage. This matches the number of MSPs produced by a single white family, the Ewings. Using the same method as above, applying the 2016 results to the 2021 candidate lists, suggests the number of MSPs from minority ethic backgrounds could double in the coming election - albeit from a low base, from two to four. Holyrood could have its first woman of colour MSP - again via an all-women shortlist for a constituency contest - and the SNP, Labour and Tories would all have minority ethic representation. Some parties are also making efforts to increase the number of disabled candidates they have, with the SNP saying 20% of its candidates are disabled. However, this can be much more difficult to quantify than some other metrics, and some parties say they do not want to proactively collect such information. There is a simple point that the parliament should reflect the country that it represents - and there are actually estimated to be slightly more women than men in Scotland. Talat Yaqoob, from Women 50:50, told BBC Scotland's Podlitical podcast that a fairer gender balance could promote different policies at Holyrood. She said: "I don't think an issue like period poverty would have been taken as seriously or had as much progress if not for feminist women MSPs leading the charge with campaigners on the ground. "We see that across the board - I think if we had equal numbers of women involved in decision-making, childcare would be seen as an economic priority rather than a side-issue. "I think our budgeting and our decision-making would be entirely different if there was a fair number of women involved, and I'm hoping that's where we'll get to." Ms Yaqoob said she was "hopeful" that 2021 would see the election of more women and a more diverse parliament, although she warned that "progress is not linear" and that standards can slip back - as they did after 2003. While a lack of proper representation can be a vicious cycle - if people don't see themselves reflected in parliament, they may be less likely to go into politics themselves - this can also work the other way and create a more virtuous cycle. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56661902 |
Will Carnival Say Bon Voyage to the US If Its Not Allowed To Sail? | Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com Cruise operator Carnival Corp. might not keep its ships in American ports much longer if the United States government doesnt lift its ban on sailing. See All Our Coverage: COVIDs Financial Impact After 1 Year Learn More: How To Budget and Plan for a Vacation in 2021 In a statement Wednesday, Carnival President and CEO Arnold Donald said the company would consider shifting its home parts to other parts of the world, Reuters reported. However, Carnival stressed that it has not made definite plans to move its ships out of U.S. ports. For now, Carnival still operates out of 14 U.S. ports, making it heavily dependent on American customers. Cruise ships in the U.S. are still under a no-sail order following reports of major COVID-19 outbreaks last year on some excursions. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control provided updated guidelines on its 74-point plan to let cruise lines return to business from U.S. ports. But as The Tampa Bay Times reported on Wednesday, the CDC did not provide details on when cruise lines could perform simulated voyages with volunteer passengers a required step before ships are allowed to sail with paying customers. The CDC also has not issued any definite guidelines requiring vaccinations for cruise ship passengers, although Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings earlier this week said it would require them for all of its brands. Carnival CEO Donald has not said whether his company will mandate vaccinations. In the meantime, his company is working with the CDC to develop practical solutions that will allow ships to resume voyages. Carnival posted a first-quarter loss of nearly $2 billion, although its Q1 bookings were up about 90% higher from the previous quarter. Check Out: The Items That You Should Continue To Stock Up On Read Next: Supply Shortages That May Happen Again Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Group said they will resume sailing directly from the Caribbean later this year with vaccinated passengers. | https://news.yahoo.com/carnival-bon-voyage-us-not-215311142.html |
What Are The True Fundamentals Behind The Treasury Bond Rout? | The biggest macro-finance story so far this year is the surge in Treasury bond yields. (It is described as a rout when speaking about Treasury bond prices A rise in yield means a fall in price, a loss for bond-holders.) Since January 1, the yield on the 10-year bond has almost doubled. Treasury Yields Jan 2021-April 2021 Chart by author The 1st quarter was the worst in decades for holders of long-dated Treasurys. Prices were down about 13%. Treasury Bond Prices Jan 1 2021-April 5 2021 Chart by author Safe haven assets like long-dated Treasury bonds are not supposed to lose such a large chunk of the principal so quickly. However, the significance of this surge/rout goes beyond the question of losses to investors holding this particular asset class. The Wall Street Journal has called the 10-year Treasury yield the most important price in the global economy. It is the benchmark for the cost of quality-credit everywhere. Long-dated German yields rise to highest in a year, tracking U.S. Treasuries Reuters Headline Reuters Headline The global government bond sell-off deepened with the 10-year US Treasury yield jumping above 1.4 per cent European government bonds were caught-up in the selling, sending yields on British, French, German and Italian bonds rising . - The Financial Times . - The Financial Times Germanys 10-year Bund yield has risen from minus 0.62 per cent in mid-December to 0.29 per cent Australias 10-year bond yield has already surpassed its pre-pandemic level to hit 1.61 per cent, while Japans this week poked above 0.1 per cent for the first time since 2018. Even in China, our bonds played havoc In March, with mainland equities continued to tumble, wiping out all gains made since late last year. A prominent Chinese economist argued that the underlying trigger was a jump in American bond yields that had sparked risk aversion globally and hit China hard. Foreign investors, who had helped fuel Chinas equity rally last year, retreated. The popular explanations are fundamental. That is, they assume that Price reflects Value. Bond prices must have fallen because the values of bonds have declined. For some, the decline in the value of Treasury bonds is absolute: bonds are simply worth a lot less than they were in December. Because Inflation is about to explode! Yes, after all these years And we all know (or think we know its in the textbooks) that inflation hits bonds especially hard. It erodes the value of the interest payments, as well as the value of the principal that is returned to us when the bonds mature. The impact is worst for long-term bonds that ripen only in a more distant and uncertain future, which gives inflation more time to devalue the coupon. The sell-off has affected the 10-year bonds much more than the 2-year bonds. (As described in my previous column.) Because loose monetary policy (for the last 12 years) and now an enormous fiscal stimulus (in the last 12 months) are threatening to drown us in debt, deficits and devaluation of the currency, so we are told, and this will awaken the dragon that has been asleep for decades. Experts say so. Larry Summers [Harvard economics professor, former Treasury secretary, advisor to Presidents and general know-it-all] warns of the highest inflation in more than half a century. It worries some. The higher yields are starting to spook other markets. Stocks are squishy, and corporate bonds are squishy . . . Its causing people to freak out a little. a prominent fixed-income fund manager It terrifies others. a rise in inflation-adjusted yields will suffocate the real economy. - a prominent Swiss banker The fear is heightened because bond prices have been driven so high, and yields so low, as a result of massive bond-buying programs orchestrated by central banks (like the Federal reserve and the European Central Bank). With yields artificially suppressed, there may be nowhere to go but up (for yields) and way down (for prices) when the coiled spring uncoils. If inflation does return, even the safest bonds would be devastated and smart investors, anticipating this, are getting out now. That is the theory. Other observers while still fundamentalist disagree completely as to the fundamentals. They think the decline in bond prices (rise in yields) is the result of a drop in bonds relative value the value of bonds compared to equities. It is driven by (1) a reduction in the perceived need for safety (which bonds offer), and (2) a greater interest in higher returns (which bonds do not offer). Investing in safe haven assets (like Treasury bonds) always involves a calculated trade-off, accepting lower returns as the price of capital preservation during periods of economic or financial market stress. In times of trouble, if enough people seek shelter, they drive the price of haven assets up and the yields down. If the Central Banks join in, buying Treasury bonds to effect a monetary stimulus in response to hard times, the yields go even lower. Those trillions of dollars of central bank buying which have the inflation party so panicked have indeed pushed yields down to extraordinarily low levels. Nominal bond yields in many parts of the world are now negative. Indeed, even in the United States real bond yields the inflation adjusted yields that worry the Swiss gentleman cited above are actually negative. Real (Inflation-Adjusted) 10-Year Treasury Bond Yields Chart by author When investors regain their composure, they may look around and remember that below-zero returns are not what they are being paid to achieve. The S&P 500 index was up 7% in the first quarter a good 500+ basis points of real, positive inflation-adjusted return. And if its fixed-income-type yield you want regular cash payments rather than more speculative capital gains the equities world offers dividends. Exxon is paying 6%. Prudential PBIP is paying 5%. Pfizer PFE and Verizon VZ , more than 4%. Once investors decide that they no longer need to accept dismal returns on Treasurys as the price to pay for safety, they will begin to sell those bonds and move their money to the stock market. When interest rates are so low, other assets look relatively attractive. Compared with the real yield on five-year Treasuries, shares are cheaper than before the crash of 2000. Other haven assets are running the same way. Investment-grade corporate bonds, issued in torrents last year by blue-chip firms, at super-low rates, have also seen reduced investor interest and falling prices. The bond-market rout is dealing a particular blow to investors bets on the safest U.S. companies, dragging returns on investment-grade corporate debt to their second-worst start on record. Bonds from highly rated companies have lost 5.3% this year [as of March 19]. Flows into the asset class [corporate fixed income] hit their lowest level last week in about five months. Gold another classical safe haven had its worst quarter in 5 years. Gold prices have fallen by 12% in the last three months despite all the inflation talk. (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) [The folks at BusinessWeek seem conflicted as to whether gold is an inflation hedge or not. One recent article lamented that Golds ability to hedge against inflation has been somewhat exaggerated. But the correlation of the price of gold with inflation since 1968 is negative 45% so it may never have been a true inflation hedge.] The flight from safe haven assets that yield very little (Treasurys) or nothing at all (gold) supports the idea that the rout is not a rout, but a celebration. It is about yield-seeking i.e, a renewed preference for equities rather than fear of damage to bond values caused by inflation per se. The yield on the 10-year Treasury nearly doubled during the quarter as the broader economy showed signs of recovery a huge boost for financial stocks, which gained 17%. The near doubling of the 10-year yield was overall good for the stock market, [said a prominent asset manager]. Its an unusual combo, but investors saw [the jump in yields] as moving away from deflation, instead of moving toward inflation. Choosing the Fundamental Story The trend over the past year supports the optimistic view. The return of animal spirits in anticipation of a strong recovery is the better fundamental explanation. Treasury Yields Jan 2020-April 2021 Chart by author Investment Grade Corporate Bond Yields Chart by author In fact, the most recent yield data shows that in the past month the situation has stabilized. The End of the Surge - Bond Yields March 12-April 6 2021 Chart by author It looks more like a reset to the pre-pandemic norm than a meltdown or capitulation. One more indication hi-yield corporate bond yields have not risen. In fact, the yields of the riskiest bonds the have decreased. Which means their value has increased. 10-Year Treasurys vs Hi-Yield Bonds Chart by author Now if the inflation-panic explanation were correct, the yields on corporate bonds should have also surged. Inflation would hurt their coupons just as severely. Yields for all three indexes have traditionally shown nearly identical positive correlations with the the Consumer Price Index (excl Food and Energy) since 1997. (German bond yields and inflation show a similar correlation.) Correlation of Bond Yields with the CPI (excl Food & Energy) Chart by author In other words, bond yields do typically tend to rise bond prices tend to fall, and bonds lose value when inflation is heating up. In other words, true inflation impairs the value of fixed income instruments, equally across all categories. But that is not what is happening now. They are diverging, which is significant. Only Treasury prices are falling (yields are rising). If inflation-panic were the driver, hi-yield bonds should also be suffering. They are not. This supports the view that this Treasurys rout is motivated by strong positive sentiment about the economic recovery and a desire to reposition portfolios into the equities market and other risk-assets (such as hi-yield bonds), rather than a fear-driven flight from Treasury bonds based on negative sentiment about inflation. Sometimes, It Really Is Good News Until recently, the inflation-panic narrative was preferred by the majority of the financial press. But despite the intense negative skew in the media (as demonstrated by research cited in my previous article), the general economic outlook is quite positive. As the pandemic comes under control and the economy recovers, a rise in Treasury yields is a typical and a natural consequence, as investors redeploy their portfolios into higher-yielding asset classes. It signals a return to a prosperous normalcy. The sharp rise in long-term rates has been a major market feature of 2021, reflecting brighter prospects for the U.S. economy. Even the Fed sees 2021 gross-domestic-product growth of 6.5%, and private economists forecasts are for 7% or more, which would be the highest rate of growth since 1984 Such boom-like numbers dont jibe with negative real rates; the 10-year Treasury inflation-protected security is trading at minus 0.65%. The economic pendulum is swinging back after the shock of the pandemic. Of course, the market may not track the economic news perfectly. Much of the good news may be priced in already. Still, this is a moment when the low-yield desert of fixed income looks particularly uninviting. Investors are shifting from defense to offense which means pulling money out of Treasurys and other haven assets. That Said There are other explanatory factors besides the fundamental ones. Bond prices are also driven by certain mechanical or technical forces. This is especially true of Treasurys, and most especially true of 10-year Treasurys because of the many roles they play in the global financial system, not all of which have to do with considerations of their true value, absolute or relative. In the next installment, I will consider some of these more esoteric aspects of the story behind the movements in the Treasury prices. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgecalhoun/2021/04/08/what-are-the-true-fundamentals-behind-the-treasury-bond-rout/ |
Who are Robyn and Mark Jones, the Westlake couple who landed on Forbes annual billionaires list? | Robyn and Mark Jones founded Westlake-based Goosehead Insurance in 2003 with a novel idea. Some 18 years later, their radical approach to insurance is paying dividends. The wife and husband have made Forbes annual list of billionaires for the first time. The Joneses come in at No. 1249 in the world, with an estimated worth of $2.5 billion. To keep up with the Joneses, we know: It was Robyns idea to start Goosehead. According to Forbes, the business began when Robyn actually became a licensed insurance agent following a stint flipping homes, where she encountered mediocre insurance agents who couldnt answer her questions. Robyn realized she could excel in the field by outpacing and outsmarting the competition, she told Forbes. Their friends thought they were nuts for starting their own business. Mark, who had a high-paying job as senior partner at Bain & Co., left his position to launch the business with Robyn. Mark and I have made many decisions people didnt agree with, Robyn said to Forbes. Their business now has 1,100 franchise locations, according to the Goosehead website. According to Gooseheads website, The strategy was simple: Put our clients at the center of our universe and build the business around those clients, providing the power of choice coupled with delivering the best service in the world. Forbes explains it this way: Insurance brokerages typically used to lump the sales and service together. The Joneses decided to separate it. At their Westlake headquarters, salespeople work in a different office. It didnt take us long to realize sales and service people are two different animals, Robyn told the publication. In January, the couple, originally from Lethridge, Alberta, Canada, purchased nearly 126,000 contiguous acres in Montana, according to the Daily Inter Lake. Mark Jones told the publication that they purchased it as a legacy property for their family, which includes six children and 16 grandchildren. We want our great grandkids to enjoy it, Mark told the paper. This was a family investment really and when we discovered that property was an option, we knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/04/08/who-are-robyn-and-mark-jones-the-westlake-couple-who-landed-on-forbes-annual-billionaires-list/ |
Could a Washington wide receiver be on the trade market? | The Washington Football Team entered the 2021 offseason intending to upgrade the wide receiver position. In the first wave of free agency, the Football Team signed both Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries. After the addition of Samuel and Humphries, WFT now has a solid trio of receivers. Washingtons No. 1 wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, is on the verge of superstardom despite lackluster quarterback play and a true threat opposite of him through the first two years of his career. Washingtons No. 2 receiver in 2020 was running back J.D. McKissic. Tight end Logan Thomas came in third on the team in receptions. Cam Sims, who caught 32 passes, was the teams second-best wide receiver in 2020. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports recently speculated that Sims could be a sleeper to be dealt with so many teams in desperate need of wide receivers. Cam Sims is just 25, making just $2.2M this season on a team that just invested in a veteran slot guy in Adam Humphries and a young do-everything-from-every position receiver in Curtis Samuel. Oh, and Washington has two of the better pass-catching running backs in the NFL on its roster, and this regime did not bring Sims in as an undrafted free agent; they inherited him. He averaged 15 yards per catch and a sparkling 7.8 yards after the catch/reception, second among all NFL receivers. He also caught five balls or more in four of his last six games and seven for 104 yards in a playoff loss (yeah, he had a big drop, too, but did catch a solid 68 percent of his targets in 2020 from less-than-sterling QBs). Sims is under a one-year contract in 2021 after signing his restricted free-agent tender in March. The fourth-year wideout is under a reasonable contract for the upcoming season, which gives Washington no incentive to move him. However, Washington does return Kelvin Harmon next season after he missed 2020 with a knee injury. Of course, if a team offers real value for Sims in the 2021 NFL draft, it could prove too enticing to keep him. | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-washington-wide-receiver-trade-231021375.html?src=rss |
Are Virginia Democrats Running Progressive Challengers Out of the 2021 Primary? | Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Get The Nations Weekly Newsletter Fridays. The best of the week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Fridays. The best of the week. Thank you for signing up for The Nations weekly newsletter. Join the Books & the Arts Newsletter Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Mondays. The best of The Nations Books & the Arts, in your inbox biweekly. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! 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. Sign up for our Wine Club today. The Democratic Partys post-Trump revival began in Virginia in 2017. Thats when a state, local and national backlash against the racist demagogue helped the party win the top three racesgovernor, lieutenant governor, and attorney generaland 15 House of Delegate seats, missing taking the majority by a tie in one district, which got settled by selecting the name of the winner, a Republican, from a ceramic bowl. Democrats then took the majority of Virginias House of Representatives delegation in 2018, and won control of the state General Assembly, both the House of Delegates and the state Senate, in 2019. But to paraphrase the old rap song: more incumbents, more problems. Now some Virginia Democrats are in a circular firing squad, with progressive party insurgents blasting the establishment. Last week the state Board of Elections, chaired by a Democrat, disqualified three House of Delegates candidates who were challenging Democratic incumbents, for various problems with filing campaign paperwork. All three happen to be Black. The state NAACP quickly spoke out against the appearance of disparate treatment of candidates of colorwho sought to challenge incumbent legislators. The three challengersRichmond City Council member Dr. Michael Jones, Arlington legislative aide and activist Matt Rogers, and Dumfries Town Council member Cydny Neville, from Prince William Countycome from different corners of the Commonwealth and different backgrounds. Their paperwork problems are different, tooand tedious, as such problems always are. But the state board has routinely granted candidates extensions to solve such problemsat least eight got them in 2020, including GOP congressional candidates Delegate Nick Freitas (who lost) and Bob Good (who won). State law provides for a 10-day grace period at the boards discretion. While exercising that discretion last year, chair Bob Brink called disqualifying candidates over paperwork errors a draconian move. Doing that would run counter to my personal belief that, as much as possible, we ought to permit access to the ballot and let the voters decide, Brink told The Roanoke Times. The board is between a rock and the hard place. We dont want to be in the position of picking and choosing winners and losers. Thats the voters job. To be fair, Brink also complained that by granting the extensions the board was giving a pass to the scofflaws at the expense of the candidates who followed the rules. Related Article Yes, Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Justin Fairfax Just Compared Himself to Emmett Till Joan Walsh But this year, the first time in ages that state Democrats are defending majorities in the General Assembly, the board suddenly made candidates paperwork troubles a capital offense, with no grace period to fix them. Im not gonna lie, Jones told me; if flawed paperwork normally doomed candidates, hed go back to his life as a Richmond pastor and City Council member and take the L. But granting extensions was their practice. They change the rules in the middle of a pandemic? The NAACP has asked the board to proceed with extensions in the same manner it has consistently done in the past, but theres no evidence the decision will be reconsidered. With five years on the City Council and 20 as a Richmond pastor, Jones perhaps posed the greatest political threat, challenging longtime incumbent Delegate Betsy Carr, who is white. Jones compares Virginia Democratic Party politics to the bloody HBO series Game of Thrones, and jokes hed be cast as Slayer of Monuments for his work getting Confederate statues removed in Richmond and around the state. He has also been a strong voice for criminal justice and police reform. Two hours north of Richmond, in heavily Democratic Arlington, if my dog got the Democratic nomination, he would win, says Matt Rogers. Former chief of staff to moderate state Senator David Marsden, Rogers is well to the left of his old boss, as well as the incumbent he seeks to replace, Delegate Patrick Hope. Over the last few cycles, hes worked alongside 90for90.org, the group committed to recruiting Democrats in every Virginia legislative district (which is less popular with the Democratic establishment than you might expect). Current Issue View our current issue Rogers backs Medicare for All and cannabis legalization, and hes long opposed the death penalty (Governor Ralph Northam recently signed legislation abolishing it). He knew he was facing headwinds in his districtMarsden made clear he would back Hope, a centrist allybut says his team has already knocked 90 percent of the doors of Democratic voters in his district. The state boards decision not to give the three Black challengers time to address paperwork complaints routinely granted to others utterly threw him. The fix was in, he says, with some bitterness. One painful irony: Two years ago, the board granted his intended opponent, incumbent Hope, a grace period to fix his own filing problems. Brink, himself a former Virginia delegate, sent a letter in January to the states Republican and Democratic party leaders saying that there would be no assurance of deadline extensions in 2021, and urged the parties to make sure candidates filed proper papers. In his two years as chair, we were getting repeated requests for extensions, and we felt it put us in a very unfair position, Brink told me. Jones and Rogers say they never heard about problems from party higher-ups (Neville did not respond for this piece). But some candidates did hear from the party, Im told, and were able to take that into account when preparing their paperwork. While Brink shared his letter with the House caucuses for both parties, the caucuses by definition only work with their membersand that means incumbents. Rogers says the job of informing candidates should never have been offloaded to party leaders, anyway, since they generally work to protect incumbents. How can partisan actors be neutral arbiters here? he asks. Not many Virginia activists, apart from the NAACP, have spoken out about the disqualifications. One exception is Valerie Slater, executive director of Richmonds RISE for Youth, who called it strange indeed that the candidates have been given the chance to cure such problems in past years. I would like to see fairness for all candidates, she told me. Virginians deserve the right to decide what candidates to support. That opportunity should not be subverted by the Board of Elections. That points to what has long been a tension in Virginia Democratic politics and beyond. When I was first writing about the crop of first-time candidates, most of them women, running for the House of Delegates in 2017, I heard fierce complaints that challengers werent getting the help from party leaders they had expected. But party caucuses and other establishment groups tend to be incumbent-protection organizations, focused on shoring up Democrats who were already in the House and Senate and paying less attention to challengers, especially those perceived unlikely to win. What happened in Virginia in 2017 was that progressive outside groupsso-called pop-up organizations from all over the country, fired up by Donald Trumps electionthrew money and volunteers at the candidates whose success was less assured. In the end, 11 of the 15 Democrats who flipped GOP seats were women. But those women werent challenging Democratic incumbentsmany were sacrificial candidates running to try to plant a blue flag in a red district where no Democrat had run for eons; others were in districts where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump, where they had a better shot (and where the party ultimately racked up most of its 2017 wins). Now that the party has control of both the Senate and the House of Delegates, protecting incumbents is an even higher priority for the House Democratic Caucus. Helping primary challengers qualify for the ballot isnt part of the job description. This is a dynamic that plays out elsewhere. As weve seen in Congress, where progressive women of color like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Cori Bush won seats in liberal districts by primarying more centrist Democratic incumbents, for women and people of color to make gains, their best shot will tend to be in liberal districts. They can either wait for an open seat or primary an incumbent. As in Virginia, party leaders dont tend to like that approach, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee prohibiting its candidates from hiring consultants or vendors who work with challengers in the last cycle. (The rule was changed in March.) How democratic are we really if were just about protecting Democratic incumbents? Jones asks. Younger, progressive candidates of color, he notes, are not typically invited to the smoke-filled, whiskey-filled rooms where historically a lot of these decisions got made. Liberal Arlington, Rogers notes, hasnt sent a Black to the General Assembly since Reconstruction. The three have the option of challenging the boards move in court, but theyll have to do it fast, as officials say they will move quickly to print absentee ballots for the June 8 primaries. Andrew Whitely, executive director of the Virginia Democratic Party, recognizes that the disqualified challengers feel slighted, given the ease with which filing extensions were granted in prior years, and the confusion over who should have let them know they had paperwork problems. We have to make sure we dont have a replication of this again, Whitely said. | https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/virginia-democrats-incumbents/ |
Did Pac-12 NCAA Success Lessen the Pain of the UW Slide Any? | The University of Washington mens basketball team failed to meet expectations this season, finishing 5-21 and next to last in the conference standings. However, the Pac-12 Conference put on quite a performance in the recently completed NCAA tournament, with its five entries in UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State and Colorado finishing 13-5 and the Bruins advancing to the Final Four and heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to Gonzaga. Does this showing help the Huskies in any way. Husky Maven's Kaila Olin and Mike Martin think it does and it doesn't. While COVID-19 season, random cancellations and unplanned bye weeks disrupted play for everyone, Olin credited Gonzaga with fighting through it until the national championship game against Baylor. She said there were no excuses for the Huskies, who lost badly to Baylor to begin the season. Martin took another tact, thinking maybe the overall strength of the Pac-12 gave the Huskies a little leeway for having a down year. He played the strength of schedule game with Washington and Gonzaga. Im saying maybe the situation wasnt as dire as it once was thought when we were looking at the Huskies at the bottom of a conference, Martin said. I would rather be the worst house in the best neighborhood than the best house in the worst neighborhood. No one is happy with the Huskies' showing this past season, which led to the second-worst record in school history and brought a six-player exodus out of the program and into the transfer portal. Yet it always worth debating all sides to every issue. For the full conversation, check out the video above. | https://www.si.com/college/washington/basketball/did-pac-12-ncaa-success-lessen-the-pain-of-the-uw-slide-any |
What will self-driving trucks mean for truck drivers? | You can't be a trucker unless you enjoy it, says Craig Hoodless "Last week, I put 73 hours in. You're not getting home through the week," Craig Hoodless says of his job behind the wheel of a truck. "After a full day's driving you're mentally knackered but physically fine. Being a long-distance driver has to be a job you love. You can't do this job if you don't like it." Mr Hoodless, based in Cumbria in north-west England, is one of the more than 300,000 people employed driving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the UK, and one of millions who do so around the globe. The job, he says, can be long and exhausting - but rewarding at the same time. "One day is never the same as the next, every day is different," he says of more than two decades behind the wheel of a truck. "It's good money for what you do, but you're away from home all week." The industry, however, may be on the cusp of a seismic change. Nearly a dozen companies around the world are working on developing autonomous trucking - in which a variety of sensors feed data to a computer that controls the vehicle. Many have reported significant progress. California-based self-driving truck firm TuSimple, for example, is already conducting tests in Arizona and New Mexico that include depot-to-depot delivery runs - completely automated but supervised by a human. Autonomous trucks are supervised by humans for now According to data from Acumen Research and Consulting, the semi and fully autonomous truck market is expected to reach approximately $88bn (64bn; 74bn) by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1% between 2020 and 2027. The technology, experts say, has the potential to revolutionise the $700bn (500bn; 590bn) a year trucking industry that touches every corner of the global economy - creating new business opportunities and saving companies millions. "It's a huge opportunity. The biggest impact ATs (autonomous trucks) will have is cost savings and efficiency," says Patrick Penfield, a professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University in the US. Story continues "The nice thing about ATs is that they'll be able to operate 24 hours a day and drive a consistent mileage rate, making trucks safer and more fuel efficient. "Freight will arrive at a destination faster. A human truck driver usually takes five days to go from New York to Los Angeles. It'll take an AT 48 hours." An autonomous truck could potentially drive from New York to Los Angeles in two days However, the potential benefits of autonomous trucks have led to concerns about job displacement among millions of truck drivers. In the US alone, the American Trucking Association estimates there are more than 3.5 million truck drivers on the roads, with nearly 8 million people employed across the wider industry. Census Bureau statistics show that trucking is the most common job in 29 US states, ahead of farming, teaching and secretarial positions. Among the companies working to make autonomous trucking a reality is California-based Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet. More Technology of Business The company - which is already testing autonomous technology in the American Southwest - has also announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz parent firm Daimler to deploy fully driverless trucks. John Verdon, Waymo's business development and partnerships lead, acknowledges that while changes to the industry and jobs could take place "over time", the technology will also help address some of the industry's current shortcomings. "One of the strains in the industry is a driver shortage. The technology can help narrow the 60,000 shortfall of drivers we have in the US - a gap that's projected to widen to 160,000 within the decade," he says. "We're optimistic that this technology will spawn many new jobs and businesses, some that have yet to be imagined." Waymo has a partnership with Mercedes to develop driverless trucks Raj Venkatesan, a professor of business administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, says that the potential for job displacement in the trucking industry is largely misunderstood. For the foreseeable future, he explains, even autonomous trucks will still have "drivers" in the cab as a safety measure, to be on hand in case of mechanical problems or even speak to police in the event of an incident on the highway. "It's not clear at all now whether there will even be displacement," he says. "You need the back-up driver. Within the next five or 10 years, it seems reasonable to expect some movement towards autonomy, but with a co-pilot. In my view, it's like a long-haul flight. The plane can be put on autopilot, but you still have the pilot." For most trucking and logistics businesses, many of which have operated for decades, a more pressing concern may be rethinking their operations to meet the demands of an increasingly high-tech sector. "The industry is challenged with a complete redefinition," says Christian Tang-Jesperson, a partner at venture capital firm ACME Capital, which has made a number of investments in autonomous vehicle technology-focused firms. When autonomous trucks come into use, more investment will be needed to track those trucks and map and optimise their routes, he says. Syracuse University's Prof Penfield says the potential of the autonomous trucking segment is likely to attract the attention of large corporations, which in turn will lead to greater adoption. "How this technology will get adopted faster is when big companies like Amazon, Walmart and Costco start to use it in their operations," he says. "That's when things will start to break loose and you'll start to see the growth." Industry experts warn that these changes won't happen overnight. "It won't be a flip of a switch," Waymo's John Verdon says. "It will be a gradual introduction driven by safety and tech readiness, versus an arbitrary, specific point in time. From our standpoint, it's really about getting to a place where we can repeat that safe, capable, consistent performance at scale." Many drivers, however, remain unconvinced - including Craig Hoodless in the UK, who says that the country's roads mean that a human will always be needed. "I'm not concerned. No, not at all," he says. "I can understand driverless trucks on highways that are long-distance, straight lines. But we don't have that here." "I just delivered to a builder," he adds. "There's no way a driverless truck could be able to manoeuvre in and around pallets, bricks and piles of stuff. I don't see it working." | https://news.yahoo.com/self-driving-trucks-mean-truck-232700005.html |
What does Australias new advice on the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine mean and what is the risk? | Australias vaccine rollout is facing a major shake-up after the federal government heeded the advice of its independent health expert advisory body to avoid giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to under-50s amid fears of a potential link to unusual blood clots. The advice will have serious repercussions for Australias vaccine rollout strategy, given the only current alternative vaccine, Pfizer, is in low supply, and a third option, known as the Novavax vaccine, is still being considered by Australias drugs regulator. If approved, the federal government doesnt see this vaccine becoming available until mid-year. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, which provides independent expert advice to the health minister, recommended adults aged under 50 receive the Pfizer vaccine as a preferred choice over the AstraZeneca vaccine. This advice was based on a small but potentially increased risk of developing a rare and severe clotting disorder following the AstraZeneca vaccine being administered in those under 50 years. The benefits of the vaccine still far outweigh the risk for people age 50 and above, given the serious effects including clotting and death Covid-19 presents to older adults especially. The European Medicines Agency said on Wednesday night that unusual blood clots associated with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Most of the cases of these rare clots were in women under 60 years of age and occurred within two weeks of vaccination, though there have not been enough cases to confirm age and sex as risk factors. Meanwhile the UKs Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recommended people under 30 be offered a different vaccine to AstraZenecas, due to a very low risk of these rare clots. Most cases of these clots occurred in veins in the brain (a condition called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST) though some occurred in veins to the abdomen (splanchnic vein thrombosis). As of 4 April, 169 cases of CVST and 53 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis were reported to Europes adverse events monitoring system. In the UK as of 31 March, 79 people had suffered CVST or splanchnic vein thrombosis, and 19 of these people died. More than 30 million people had been vaccinated in the European Union and UK by April. It is estimated that around four people in every one million people vaccinated will experience this rare clotting, though data is still being collected and analysed, and estimates vary. Dr Jose Perdomo, a senior research officer in the haematology research unit at the UNSW St George and Sutherland clinical school, said it appeared that the AstraZeneca vaccine triggers an immune reaction characterised by a low platelet count, and blood clotting. Platelets are cells that usually help to stop bleeding by clumping together to form a clot. While you might think less platelets would lead to less clotting, Perdomo said in these rare clotting events a unique immune system reaction occurs involving the remaining platelets and white blood cells, and it is this reaction that makes the blood more clumpy. This is similar to another relatively rare but serious clotting condition caused by the use of a blood thinner called heparin. In both heparin use and administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, clotting appears within two weeks, Perdomo said. Clotting is seen in arteries and veins at unusual sites in the brain and abdomen and mortality is high, he said. Mortality estimates following the clotting disorder after the vaccine have been put at between 25% and 50%. It can also lead to disability. The risk-versus-benefit assessment for the use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be different for Australia compared to other countries, such as those with widespread Covid-19 transmission. This includes countries in the region such as those currently experiencing very serious outbreaks of Covid-19, such as Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and others. Associate professor Paul Griffin, the director of infectious diseases at Mater Health Services in Queensland said Australia could afford to be extra cautious given the low threat posed by Covid there. The difference between the benefits and risks from the vaccine was also different for younger people, he said, who are at lower risk of more significant consequences of Covid-19 such as death but may be at slightly higher but still very low risk of experiencing CVST and splanchnic vein thrombosis from the vaccine. Unfortunately no medical intervention is free of risk, and the risk of these clotting issues remains exceedingly rare, Griffin said. For comparison, the oral contraceptive pill carries a risk of clotting issues [different from the rare clotting associated with the vaccine] in the order of four out of every 10,000 people taking this pill, he said. When assessing the risks and benefits we also have to keep in mind the risks of not vaccinating. But that doesnt mean Australia shouldnt be extra cautious given the unique position it is in with virtually no Covid circulating in the community, Griffin, who is also on the AstraZeneca advisory board, said. It is important to note that it is not certain there is a higher risk of clotting in those under 50. A small number of cases have also been reported in older adults. While there have been more reports of the severe clotting in younger women, this may be because more vaccine doses have been given to this group because they often work in healthcare and other high-risk positions. ATAGI says in one country they examined, the rate of rare clotting was similar in men and women. So the ATAGI advice is an extra cautious approach while it waits for more evidence. So far no specific biological risk factors or pre-existing medical conditions have been found to increase the risk of severe clotting, including CVST, occurring after the AstraZeneca vaccine. But we know underlying medical conditions increase the risk of severe disease and death in those who are infected with Covid-19. This affects their individual benefit-to-risk balance. ATAGI said it respects a persons choice to make an informed decision on whether to accept the risk of Covid-19 vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine. ATAGI recognise that it is difficult for people to assess their personal risk where there is uncertainty about the short and long-term risk of severe Covid-19 in different age groups, and the evidence around benefit and risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine is changing quickly. Basically, it will come down to asking questions of your doctor and deciding if the AstraZeneca vaccine is right for you, or whether you would prefer to wait for an alternative to become available. It is unlikely people will be offered Pfizer vaccine as an alternative, since there is so little of that vaccine available. Rather, those who choose not to go ahead with the AstraZeneca vaccine will need to delay their vaccine until an alternative becomes available, or until advice changes. People who have had the first dose of AstraZeneca without any serious adverse effects can be given the second dose, including adults under 50 years. The rare clotting disorder has occurred only in the first two weeks after the first vaccine dose. Experts including nurses, doctors and researchers are overwhelmingly saying the vaccine remains effective and safe. An associate professor of haematology and transfusion medicine at the University of Western Australia, Matthew Linden, said: While serious, it is important to note that the risk is rare and for more than 99.999% of people it will not be a concern. Prof Jonathan Carapetis, the president of the Australian Association of Medical Research Institutes and an infectious disease expert, said: Everything we do in life every medication we take, every vaccine we give has a risk. It is a very safe vaccine but that doesnt mean that occasionally some very rare side effects wont occur and thats what were seeing, he said. People just need to be aware that every day we balance risk versus benefit, usually without thinking about it. In Australia there is a one in a million chance of dying from a car crash every time you drive 400km. Based on the current data from the UK this is the same level of risk as dying from a severe blood clot from the AstraZeneca vaccine. Symptoms occur between four and 20 days after vaccination. Key symptoms of concern include severe headaches or severe abdominal pains that dont settle with painkillers. In some cases, there may also be vomiting, confusion, neurological deficits or seizures. Anyone with these symptoms should go to the emergency department. Perdomo said the two main treatments are anticoagulants, and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment to prevent additional clotting. People should receive prompt specialist medical treatment. By recognising the signs of bloods clots and low blood platelets and treating them early, complications can be avoided. The hospital will also order blood tests and scans. The Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand have produced guidelines on detection and management of clots after vaccination, which will further improve safety. ATAGI said: We do not yet know to what extent earlier recognition of this syndrome and improved treatments will improve patient outcomes. For the Pfizer vaccine up to and including 28 March, there have been 33 reports of anaphylaxis [a severe allergic reaction], seven reports of bleeding disorders, six reports of facial weakness, six reports of seizure, two reports of cardiac events and two reports of loss of taste and smell. The Pfizer vaccine does not appear to carry a risk of CVST or splanchnic vein thrombosis. For the AstraZeneca vaccine, there have been 22 reports of anaphylaxis, six reports of seizures, five reports of loss of sense of taste or smell, two reports of bleeding disorders, one report of facial weakness and one report of joint infection. All of these are considered adverse events of special interest which means the TGA believes they require ongoing investigation and monitoring. It is important to remember these adverse events may not have been caused by the vaccine. More than 855,000 doses of the vaccines have been administered in Australia as of 8 April. | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/apr/09/astrazeneca-vaccine-australia-covid-new-advice-side-effects-how-high-is-risk-blood-clots |
Who is Biden's ATF nominee, David Chipman? | President Biden is nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the commander-in-chief announced Thursday. Chipman would replace ATF acting director Regina Lombardo. During his time as a senior policy adviser with Giffords, he spent considerable effort pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, changes to the background check system and measures to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms. Chipman spent 25 years as an agent at the ATF. During his career, he worked on stopping a trafficking ring that sent illegal firearms from Virginia to New York, and served on the ATFs SWAT team. Chipman is a gun owner, according to The Associated Press. BIDEN ATF PICK DAVID CHIPMAN ALARMS GUN RIGHTS GROUPS He is an explosives expert and was part of the team involved in the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing and the first World Trade Center bombing. He also was engaged in the probe of a series of church bombings in Alabama in the 1990s. He retired from the ATF in 2012. Chipman, who lives in Washington, D.C., hails from Detroit and attended college at American University according to his Giffords biography. He received a masters degree from Johns Hopkins University in management. BIDEN TO TARGET 'GHOST GUNS,' STABILIZING BRACES IN NEW GUN CONTROL ACTIONS Gun-control advocates have emphasized the significance of the role of ATF director in enforcing gun laws, and Chipman is certain to win praise from this group. Biden announced Chipmans nomination on the same day he unveiled a half-dozen executive actions aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an "epidemic and an international embarrassment." "The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation," Biden said during remarks at the White House. He announced he is tightening regulations for buyers of "ghost guns" homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts and often lack serial numbers used to trace them. Also, a proposed rule, expected within 60 days, will tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces like the one used in Boulder, Colorado, in a shooting last month that left 10 dead. Gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety tweeted that it was "thrilled" about Chipmans nomination. "David will be an invaluable point person as this administration looks to fight illegal gun trafficking and end the special treatment of the gun industry," the Everytown tweet states. Brady, a gun violence prevention group, also lauded Chipmans nomination. The organization's president, Kris Brown, said in a statement that Chipman "understands that preventing gun violence requires an ATF that can fully execute its mission." The long-time gun control advocate added that "Chipmans background at the ATF and his expertise in preventing gun violence make him an unparalleled choice for this nomination." Her organization is unquestioned in its support of Chipman with Brown noting, "Brady urges the United States Senate to confirm him without delay." Meanwhile, Tim Schmidt, president and founder of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), called it "deeply troubling" that Biden nominated someone who opposes the views of "record numbers of Americans [who] embraced their right to self-protection." "Its our hope that the Senate will carefully review this nomination and consider how confirming a lobbyist and advisor for one of the countrys most fervent anti-gun groups to now run the ATF will make America a safer place," Schmidt continued in an emailed statement to Fox News. "We dont believe it will." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP And Mark Oliva, director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said Chipmans nomination was "overt politicization of the bureau that regulates the firearm industry." "Mr. Chipman was a registered lobbyist for the gun control group Everytown, before joining Giffords gun control in 2019," Oliva told Fox News. "The idea of a gun control front man leading the agency to regulate firearms is unacceptable." Oliva said that gun control groups "would have howled if President Trump nominated someone from the firearm industry to run the ATF during his term in office." "This is a troubling reversal of years of proactive safety cooperation between ATF and the firearm community," he continued. "The men and women of ATF have a difficult enough mission, they deserve a leader without a political agenda." The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/us/who-is-bidens-atf-nominee-david-chipman |
Why cant I buy that new Ark ETF? | Visit our ETF Hub for investor news and education, market updates and analysis and easy-to-use tools to help you select the right ETFs. You can read as much as you like about the meteoric returns that have been enjoyed by investors in the Ark suite of exchange traded funds, but if you live outside the US you will find it difficult to buy them. However, the Ark ETFs scarcity on sales channels outside the US is not unusual. Although part of the attraction of ETFs is the fact that they are listed and can be traded whenever the market is open, just like any stock, they are also regulated investment products. This means they can be difficult to acquire if you do not live in the same country or region as the one where the ETF is listed. Europeans, for example, have had a wide choice of ETFs that invest according to environmental, social and governance principles due to favourable regulatory incentives, but their US counterparts have had to wait longer for providers to start rolling out a decent range of ESG funds. How to search for an ETF Bella Caridade-Ferreira, chief executive of Fundscape, said she would first advise an investor to ensure they were using a suitable brokerage or platform. Fundscape has created a tool called comparetheplatform.com to help to compare fees and other costs on platforms aimed at UK-based investors. There are a growing number of apps that offer similar services in the UK. Globally, intermediaries include banks, brokerages and investment advisers, as well as dedicated platforms and apps. Caridade-Ferreira advises checking for hidden costs such as on bid-offer spreads. After you have selected your shop, the next step is to see if it will provide your ETF. Try searching for the name or ticker of the ETF and the name of your chosen brokerage, platform or app. Reasons why an ETF might not be available If you cannot find an ETF on your usual investment platform there could be a good reason for that. While there might be strong demand it could be that the provider has decided not to go through the time and expense that would be required to satisfy local regulatory requirements, even though it would be possible to do so. Alternatively, the ETF provider might have taken the view that the ETF would fail to meet regulatory requirements in the new jurisdiction. Finally, it could be that the ETF is available in your jurisdiction, but the distribution platform you are using does not to list it because that platform has decided it is not suitable for retail investors. This last possibility is why you are often asked to declare if you are a retail or institutional investor before you can access some investment sites. We firmly believe in protecting investors and helping them reach good outcomes, and so higher risk ETFs, such as those with a recommended holding period of only one day or that are more than two times leveraged, are assessed on a case-by-case basis, said Alex Lambert, external relations manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the longest established UK investment platforms. If an ETF in this group is added, it is marked as a complex product and clients would need to complete a complex products questionnaire before buying, Lambert said. In addition, Hargreaves Lansdown only looks at products that satisfy EU legislation on packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (Priips) by publishing what is known as a key information document (KID). Matt Brennan, head of passive portfolios at AJ Bell, another UK platform, said it lists more than 1,000 ETFs on its site but also curates from that number about 30-40 ETFs, which it considers to be best in class and most suitable for retail investors. Its about being very conservative in what you do, said Brennan, adding that for European-domiciled investors if it hasnt got Ucits in the name, dont buy it. The Ucits name indicates it has satisfied EU regulations for retail investment funds. The first and most obvious risk is currency risk. If the ETF is listed in another currency you are exposed to exchange rate risk and the cost of FX transactions. A basic thumb rule could be derived from Brennans advice for UK-based investors, when he said they should ask themselves: If its not in sterling, why is it not? In addition, the buyer might lose tax advantages on gains or dividends. Locally domiciled funds have different tax treatments to offshore funds. Regulatory risks abound. Non-US buyers of US domiciled funds could find themselves subject to onerous US reporting requirements such as those imposed by the Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act (Fatca) in 2010. There are many additional risks, and some that are country specific. But, broadly, with providers keen to expand markets, industry figures say it is usually possible to find a locally domiciled version of most popular broad-based ETFs. If the ETF you seek has a narrow investment objective, there are many other reasons why it might be wise to steer clear, even if the ETF seems wildly popular. | https://www.ft.com/content/ea4a4115-14a8-4235-9274-217af9ecdd13 |
Is Ohio State football building the nations deepest offensive line this spring? | A 6-8, 360-pound left tackle athletic enough to take snaps at guard. A center, a tackle and a guard who all ranked in the national top 125 in their signing classes. A 6-6, 315-pound guard who, two years after arriving as a three-star prospect, took first-string snaps this spring. Some Big Ten teams will take less talented starting offensive lines to bowl games this fall. Right now, those are the credentials of Ohio States likely second-string group. Finding a solid starting five has not been a recent issue. Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa admitted, however, that only a few years ago the lack of depth behind them wrenched his brain a bit. For his sixth season in 2021, he has compiled what may be his deepest room. A lot of attention rightly focuses on the three starting-caliber tackles Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere returning from All-Big Ten seasons and Paris Johnson Jr. moonlighting as a guard for 2021. Behind those headliners, a layer of versatile depth continues to build this spring. The idea is to find our best five offensive linemen thats it, OSU coach Ryan Day said early this spring. If we can do that, and get those guys on the field, thats the ideal situation for us. Thats what it comes down to in terms of figuring that out over the spring. But the more that guys can do, the more roles, the more value that they have. The coronavirus pandemic inadvertently helped fortify the offensive line. The daily threat of a new positive test for anyone prompted a roster-wide call to be ready at multiple positions. Then the live-fire drill three offensive line starters tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the Michigan State game. Dawand Jones, Matthew Jones and Max Wray became sudden starters. Ohio State won 52-12 that day and ran all over the Spartans behind that line. All of those players return to their backup roles for 2021. Studrawa, who said he stayed up at night over the offensive lines lack of depth during his first two seasons, noticed a change in his position group after that day. They knew through the whole COVID thing at any minute somebody was gonna have to jump in there, but it wasnt tested and proven until that point, Studrawa said. And now thats in that room. So all the other guys now, when you go to practice, you better be at your best. Spring workouts pushed some new contenders into the conversation. Injury limited Harry Miller to non-contact participation, opening more reps for redshirt freshman Luke Wypler at center. Some of those center snaps also went to Matthew Jones, which allowed Josh Fryar some first-string work at guard. Studrawa said he assumes Miller ends up as one of the five best offensive linemen. Jones extensive backup experience in 2021 should give him an edge on another starting spot. Yet the departure of Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis for the NFL Draft opened two spots, and regardless of seniority, spring brings at least the illusion of competition. Our tackles set a great example of what its like to be an impact player and be great at your craft, Wypler said. Theyre a prime example of what everyone in the room is striving to be. So far having them as the pillars, inside, the competition is going great. I think all of us came here to compete. Third-year sophomore Enokk Vimahi also stepped into some first-string duty at Michigan State. Redshirt freshman Jakob James name keeps coming up this spring due to his work at center. One of the most intriguing options will not take a spring rep. Five-star guard Donovan Jackson will not enroll and join the roster until summer. When he does, he should immediately contend for a two-deep spot. A lot of college coaches talk about endeavoring to find eight offensive linemen they trust. Ohio State may end the spring with a dozen. Day and Studrawa prefers not to need that depth this fall, but those future supporting players could help make the whole group better this spring. Get Ohio State Sugar Bowl champs & CFP gear: Check out shirts, hats and more merchandise commemorating Ohio States Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, as well as gear on the Buckeyes advancing to the College Football Playoff national championship game. Buckeye Bits | https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2021/04/is-ohio-state-football-building-the-nations-deepest-offensive-line-this-spring.html |
What About the Cops Who Watched George Floyd Die? | Officers Thao, Lane and Kueng offer a perfect example of what psychologists call the bystander effect. They were paralyzed by the powerful social forces that too often operate to prevent even decent people from taking action to halt abuses. This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota shows J. Alexander Kueng, from left, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. | Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP Although Officer Thao was a nine-year police department veteran with several prior misconduct complaints of his own, Lane and Kueng were unjaded rookies, each less than a week out of field training, and they were perceived by their peers as caring, idealistic young officers. Kueng, one of just 80 Black officers in a department of 900, had joined the Minneapolis police because he hoped an increasingly diverse force would reduce police racism and aggression toward people of color. Lane, who tutored Somali children in his spare time, was known for his calmness and his ability to defuse tense situations. In far too many police abuse cases, other officers could have intervened to prevent harm, but instead remained passive. The bystander effect, which social psychologists have puzzled over for decades, is hardly limited to police officers. Think of the millions of ordinary Germans who watched Nazi abuses with dismay but didnt speak out as their Jewish neighbors were rounded up. Or Kitty Genoveses neighbors, who neither intervened nor called 911 as she was stabbed to death on a Queens street in 1964. On a more mundane level, think of all the people who look away and pretend not to notice when a school or workplace bully taunts some unlucky victim. Scores of studies have documented the bystander effect, and we now have a fairly clear understanding of the factors that can lead ordinary people to do nothing even when morality seems to demand intervention. People are less likely to intervene when faced with ambiguous rather than clear situations, for instance. Theyre less likely to intervene when surrounded by peers who are also doing nothing, or when intervention would require challenging those they perceive as having authority. Theyre also less likely to intervene when they believe someone else will, or should, take action, or to help those whom they view as culturally different from themselves. All of these factors appear to have been at play in the moments leading to Floyds death. Chauvin was the most experienced officer on the scene, and the less experienced officers deferred to his judgment; Chauvin was insistent about keeping Floyd on the ground and indicated that he was taking steps to keep Floyd alive, creating, for the other officers, a degree of ambiguity about whether Chauvins actions were inappropriate. Each of the three officers could see that none of his colleagues was intervening to stop Chauvin, thus diffusing responsibility for any bad outcomes. Finally, differences of class, race and culture might have allowed the officers to view Floyd as other, rather than as someone they felt obligated to help. Humans are social animals. Were biologically hardwired to form groups. But our social nature has a dark side: We find it easy to disregard the suffering of those outside our own groups, especially when our peers or leaders seem to be doing the same. These phenomena can be especially strong in cohesive groups such as the military, sports teams, fraternities and, of course, police forces. As a former reserve police officer in Washington, D.C., I saw this firsthand. From their first moments at the academy, police recruits have loyalty and obedience drummed into them, and are acculturated to see their identity as police officers as trumping other identities. (I dont care what color you are, one of our police academy instructors bawled at new recruits. From now on, youre all gonna bleed blue!). For cops, backing up fellow officers is akin to a sacrament, and apparent group disloyalty is a quick route to ostracism. But there is nothing inevitable about police passivity in the face of abuses committed by other officers. On the contrary, strong evidence from psychology and social science research suggests that effective intervention is a skill like any other: It can be taught, and it can be learned. Its not enough for officials to just tell cops to intervene if they see inappropriate or dangerous behavior, however. Creating a culture in which individuals intervene to stop misconduct and mistakes takes determined, sustained effort, both individual and organizational. It also takes practice. One of the first steps is redefining loyalty. Campaigns to reduce drunk driving offer a model. Initially, they were met with little success; few people wanted to seem like killjoys by taking car keys away from a friend who was just having fun. Only when the message shifted to Friends Dont Let Friends Drive Drunk did the culture begin to shift. Instead of defining loyalty as letting your friends do whatever they want, loyalty was redefined as helping your friends avoid potentially fatal mistakes. And groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving offered simple, practical advice: Pick a designated driver before going out; accept that a drunk person probably wont appreciate it when you take away the car keys, but do it anyway. Drunk driving fatalities have dropped dramatically in the decades since the Friends Dont Let Friends Drive Drunk campaign began. Similar bystander intervention programs have been successful in settings as disparate as the airplane cockpit and the surgical operating theater places where hierarchy, obedience, conformity and group loyalty are prized, but where, as with policing, the cost of mistakes and misconduct can be catastrophic. Police officers, too, can learn how to avoid being passive bystanders in the face of mistakes, misconduct and abuse. Programs such as the Ethical Policing is Courageous (EPIC) program in New Orleans or the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project at Georgetown, where I co-direct the Innovative Policing Program, draw directly on the insights of psychologists such as Erwin Staub, who conducted some of the most pathbreaking research on bystander intervention. Georgetowns ABLE Project, which launched in the months following Floyds killing, has already provided active bystander training for more than 100 police departments around the United States, helping officers to gain the concrete skills needed to intervene effectively. So far, the evidence suggests such programs can make a real difference. For instance, although direct causation is difficult to establish, citizen complaints about police went down in New Orleans after all officers received active bystander training through EPIC, as did incidents of unnecessary force. Police organizations that are committed to creating a culture of active bystandership tell officers that loyalty doesnt mean standing idly by as colleagues behave abusively; loyalty means keeping fellow officers from taking actions that could hurt them or others. (Friends dont let friends act in ways that will get them fired or prosecuted.) And active bystandership isnt solely about preventing egregious abuses. Police officers need the skills to intervene as well if a colleague inadvertently overlooks a safety issue, or if a fellow officer shows signs of severe untreated PTSD. High-quality active bystandership training also isnt just a matter of lectures and PowerPoint slides; it requires extensive use of case studies and role-play exercises. One key lesson officers learn in this kind of training is that initial attempts to intervene often are brushed aside or angrily dismissed, and effective intervention requires persistence including, ultimately, a willingness to physically move a fellow officer aside and take over if there is no other way to stop dangerous or abusive behavior. Consider Lane, the rookie Minneapolis officer who, along with Thao and Kueng, now faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. (The three are awaiting trial in August, though their lawyers recently called for their charges to be dismissed.) Video footage of Floyds death suggests Lane was uneasy about Chauvins actions. At one point, he suggested rolling Floyd onto his side. When Chauvin refused, Lane offered a vague expression of concern for Floyds health, but when Chauvin snapped, [Thats] why we got the ambulance coming, Lane backed down. A little later, Lane noted that Floyd appeared to be passing out and asked once more if Floyd should be rolled over but again, he didnt persist when Chauvin ignored him. While Lane and his fellow officers legally were required to intervene if needed to prevent abuses, the Minneapolis Police Department did not offer any specific training in how to do so. If they had been through an active bystandership training program, perhaps they would have felt more empowered to speak out. And perhaps Lane would have understood that would-be interveners are almost always rebuffed at first, but that increasingly forceful persistence and, ultimately, action can prevent abuses. Perhaps one of the officers simply would have pulled Chauvin off Floyd, saying, I cant let you do this. Hes going to get hurt, or worse, and youre going to get fired, or worse. Let me handle this. And perhaps George Floyd would still be alive today. | https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/09/derek-chauvin-cops-george-floyd-480460 |
Should Social-Media Companies Be Considered Common Carriers? | Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomass concurrence in Joseph Biden v. Knight First Amendment at Columbia University recommends regulating social-media platforms as if they were common carriers or public accommodations, so that their First Amendment rights to exclude speech would be curtailed. While the U.S. does have a history of employing such regulations, the wisdom of those precedents and the extent to which they are appropriate for social-media companies is less certain. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act is the current controlling federal law. It provides broad immunity for information service providers against being held liable for the content of third-party speech on their platforms and for the removal or minimizing of that content. Individuals on both sides of the political spectrum are unhappy with Section 230s often imperfect content-moderation results. Many on the left want more content taken down that they view as harmful, while many on the right claim that too much of their content is removed for politically biased reasons. But even if current congressional efforts to repeal Section 230 are successful, online platforms would still have their First Amendment rights intact to remove speech they didnt want to carry. Thats precisely why Thomas takes aim at lessening Facebook, Twitter, and similar platforms claims to such protections. In his concurrence, Justice Thomas lays out how to regulate social-media platforms as common carriers or public accommodations in order to restrict the platforms rights of exclusion. The new regime would be something akin to digital forced access; social-media companies First Amendment right to regulate or remove speech on their private platforms would be eliminated or curtailed. From a legal perspective, however, the precedents for imposing speech restrictions on private entities may not easily translate to the way that social-media companies operate, or the markets that they serve. Story continues In Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, the Supreme Court held that a shopping mall could be forced to allow distribution of leaflets and gathering of signatures within the building. The case does suggest some parallels for preventing social-media platforms from restricting speech. But defenders of private property correctly dislike this ruling and those on the right could easily object, on similar bedrock property-rights arguments, to private platforms being forced to host speech against their will. Turner Broadcasting, Inc. v. FCC is precedent for common-carrier status triggering obligations to carry speech. That was in the form of obligating cable companies to carry local broadcast stations and, interestingly, Justice Thomas would go on to join the dissent when the questions were revisited in 1997. But unlike cable franchises, social-media platforms have made no secret of reserving their right to deny service to any user under their terms of service. Exclusion is central to their business model, which is an important distinction from former common carriers. On the flip side, in Miami Herald v. Tornillo, the Supreme Court ruled against compelled speech, holding that the newspaper could not be forced to publish replies to criticism of candidates (regardless of its local market share). Similarly, in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Group of Boston, Inc., the Court protected parade organizers right to exclude participants. These last two examples seem to align more with the speech and curation aspects that are fundamental to social-media platforms. To justify government regulation, Thomas mistakenly claims that there is insufficient competition in the social-media space. He writes, That these companies have no comparable competitors highlights that the industries may have substantial barriers to entry. In reality, these platforms are constantly having to compete with new market entries. Examples include Snapchat, Clubhouse, TikTok, and many more. The next generation of social media, much of which has yet to be invented, will likely be decentralized and even less akin to entities that have been regulated as common carriers in the past. Beyond comparable social-media-platform alternatives to Twitter and Facebook (both of which have banned former President Trump) there still exists television, radio, and the rest of the Internet. The practical reality of forcing social-media companies to carry speech to which they object might not be the panacea that conservative critics imagine. Much of what is culled from these platforms is spam, extreme hate speech, and disturbing (but constitutionally protected) content. An Internet with no moderation would quickly become a place that very few people would want to visit. Facebook would more aptly be called Pornbook in short time. While there are legitimate frustrations and complaints about content moderation online, Thomass heavy-handed regulatory prescription is not the answer. The unintended consequences of common-carrier regulation warn against the idea, and the marketplace is already at work decentralizing control. Most fundamentally, despite the opinion of one Supreme Court justice, case law does not suggest that laws restricting the First Amendment rights of social-media platforms would survive judicial review. More from National Review | https://news.yahoo.com/social-media-companies-considered-common-103026659.html |
How worried should we be about links of blood clots to AstraZeneca's vaccine? | By John Miller and Ludwig Burger ZURICH (Reuters) - Europe's drug regulator on Wednesday said it had found a possible link between AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and very rare blood clots in adults who received the shot. Britain recommended people under 30 get an alternative COVID-19 vaccine if possible. The EMA said its vaccine side effects monitoring system, as of April 4, had received 169 reports of cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), or clots in blood vessels exiting the brain, and 53 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), or clotting in veins in the abdomen. That's out of some 34 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses administered in Britain and the European Economic Area since vaccinations started almost three months ago. Its safety committee carried out a review of 62 cases of CVST and 24 cases of SVT, of which 18 were fatal. Most of the cases reported have occurred in women under 60, though that could be misleading. Germany and Britain say many more women received AstraZeneca's shot than men. Most cases occurred within 2 weeks of the person receiving their first dose. German vaccination officials who recorded 29 cases of CVST in women aged 20 to 59 who got the AstraZeneca vaccine said the occurrence rate in that group was 20 times higher within 16 days of vaccination than what would have typically been expected. Germany's health ministry has said 1 to 1.4 cases of CVST would have been expected during that time. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reviewed 79 cases of rare clotting coupled with low platelets, with 19 fatalities - 13 women and 6 men. Eleven of the deaths in people under the age of 50 and three under 30. All 79 cases occurred after a first dose of the vaccine. British officials drew on statistics from the University of Cambridge's Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication to explain their recommendations that young people get an alternative shot while older people still get AstraZeneca's. Story continues According to the Centre, vaccination with the AstraZeneca shot would reduce admissions to intensive care units by nearly seven in 100,000 people in the group aged 20-29 years old with high risk of exposure to the virus, while 1.1 people per 100,000 people in the same group were estimated as likely to suffer serious vaccine-related harms. The risk of serious harm due to vaccination falls further the older people get, and ICU admissions prevented by vaccination rise sharply, boosting the AstraZeneca shot's benefit-to-risk ratio. The Centre concluded only 0.4 people for every 100,000 in the 50-59 age group would suffer vaccine-linked harm, while 95.6 ICU admissions per 100,000 people would be prevented. EMA investigators checked if the frequency of events was higher in the vaccinated population than normal background rates drawn from public health statistics or insurance records. This would be combined with a medical analysis of each case and insight from scientific literature. In its findings, the EMA said on March 18 that, on average, just 1.35 cases of CVST might normally have been expected among people under 50 within 14 days of receiving AstraZeneca's vaccine, whereas by the same cut-off date 12 cases had been recorded. By comparison, four women out of 10,000 would get a blood clot from taking oral contraception. Key to the EMA's assessment that benefits continue to outweigh risks are its conclusions about likelihood of an increased risk from clotting, compared with the benefits of preventing COVID-19 and reducing hospitalizations and deaths. The EMA said that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects and countries should decide on how to proceed with their national COVID-19 immunisation campaigns. These may vary from nation to nation, the EMA said, depending on factors like how quickly infections are spreading and whether vaccines are available. Its safety committee requested new studies, and changes to ongoing ones, to provide more information about the mechanism behind the rare clots. AstraZeneca and European regulators have said concerns about blood disorders did not emerge during clinical trials. Among possible causes for these rare cerebral sinous vein clots being investigated are that the vaccine triggers an unusual antibody in rare cases. The EMA said the vaccine may trigger an immune response leading to the unusual clotting, though it acknowledged that scientists have yet to identify any risk factors that might predispose somebody to clotting combined with low platelets. German scientists at Greifswald University concluded the vaccine is linked to the side effects, though their work still requires peer review. Andreas Greinacher, an expert on drug-induced immune responses, said specimens he has examined exhibited unusual antibodies that activate blood platelets, prompting the clots. Greinacher is still seeking clues about why some people had clots and others did not. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt, Matthias Blamont in Paris and John Miller in Zurich; Additional reporting by Kate Kelland and Alistair Smout in London and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Josephine Mason and Angus MacSwan) | https://news.yahoo.com/worried-links-blood-clots-astrazenecas-100734047.html |
Who Are The Non-HNWI Luxury Consumers? | HENRYs - Highly Educated, Not Rich Yet - are the consumer group that luxury brands should be turning ... [+] their attention to. getty Douglas Mandel, Partner at Hydra Advisory, contributed to this story. The High Net Worth Individual, commonly referred to as HNWI, has long been a focus for many companies, whether private banking firms or luxury brands. The main desire is to attract and retain these customers given the value of their investable funds. To start, its worth defining what high net worth actually means. According to Investopedia, HNWIs can be characterized by having liquid financial assets in the $1 million range. An investor with less than $1 million but more than $100,000 is considered to be affluent or perhaps sub-HNWI. The upper end of HNWI is around $5 million, at which point the client is then referred to as very HNWI. More than $30 million in wealth classifies a person as ultra HNWI. Capgemini Research Institute adds even finer nuances to how a wealth management firm may classify these individuals. Capgemini divides the HNWI population into three subsections: millionaires next door ($1 million to $5 million in investable assets), mid-tier millionaires ($5 million to $30 million) and ultra-HNWIs (more than $30 million). Globally, 183,400 people were considered ultra-HNWI in 2019. Mid-tier millionaires numbered 1.75 million, while millionaires next door was the largest group at 17.6 million people. Millionaires next door are quite a sizeable target market at the low end of the HNWI spectrum. With assets well invested and managed by private bankers, these individuals have the ability to spend their interest and dividend payments to live a highly coveted lifestyle. Enter the HENRYs: Highly Educated, Not Rich Yet. Its not a new term. Shawn Tully coined the acronym in a 2003 Fortune magazine article as he lamented the introduction of the AMT Alternative Minimum Tax in the USA, but it now characterizes a group of six-figure earners who are mostly millennials. This affluent luxury consumer group has been identified as being around 43 years of age on average, with an income of more than US$100,000 and investable assets of less than US$1m. The HENRYs were pegged as a new group of powerful luxury customers in Deloittes recent Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019 report. Brands, eager to tap into this promising market, are now trying to create positive relationships with these potential luxury consumers. With HENRYs likely to become some of the wealthiest members of society, the potential benefits of onboarding this demographic to luxury brands product and service portfolio are twofold: securing valuable present customers and building client relationships and business with those most likely to be among the most affluent customers in future, the Deloitte report says. Interestingly, Investopedia called HENRYs the working rich if they stop working, they won't be wealthy. More of their earnings go into costs than go into wealth building investments, leaving them feeling like they are more like regular people slaving for a paycheck than the wealthy 1% in America, Investopedia said, adding these high earners are expected to have much the same lifestyle as wealthier compatriots but they do so by sacrificing their ability to amass wealth. Since the HENRYs spend, in many cases, a similar amount to HNWIs, they cant be ignored and it is important to know who they are and what makes them tick. As a brand manager, I would argue yes, due to their spending habits and lifetime spend potential. Exclusive access to a brands CEO and Creative Director, as well as private viewings of collections, are a few of the perks that HNWI have been used to. A fine balance of attention and services will have to be meticulously developed and managed to take care of both the HENRY and the HNWI. Specific characteristics of a HENRY is that they consume for prestige and social status. They wont sacrifice an expensive lifestyle, staying in luxury hotels and eating in the best restaurants, but they will budget at home by shopping at Costco or TJ Maxx, for instance, to afford to shop for social status publicly. Saddled with home loans, student debt, private schooling, and expensive holidays, this group continues to spend like HNWIs but may not attain full HNWI status. They are digital savvy, love online shopping, and are big spenders. According to Deloittes report, a typically millennial HENRY household will spend some US$86,000 per year on luxury goods. The NRY part of the acronym is not to be forgotten. Not Rich Yet means they have aspirations to be so in the future but at the same time live as though they are already rich. Status and social currency can be a big driver of their spending patterns. According to Haven Financial Group their top purchases are related to: diet, weight loss, exercise memberships; boating and sailing; entertainment; online shopping; automobiles; vacations. Jing Dailys article entitled The 6 Big China Luxury Trends From 2020 sheds interesting insight on young Chinese luxury consumer behaviour specifically, stating: Todays consumers do not wait to become wealthy before they make high-end purchases. Over 75.6 percent of the young consumers surveyed said they get support from parents to buy luxury goods, and plenty of them are also willing to take out loans to buy products that they cannot afford yet. As the luxury market in China becomes ever more powerful this is a key trend to be aware of. Ultimately, to attract these customers, brands should treat the HENRYs as if they were HNWIs, given that they spend in the manner of the latter group. To reap the rewards that this demographic can bring, creating a segmented and tailored approach is vital. Offer best-in-class service and expect to provide experiences as part of the relationship building process. Authentic relationships will sustain and bring long-term value to both the brand and this special consumer. The millennial HENRY, and soon Gen Z HENRY, has the potential of becoming a HNWI, will be around for a while, and is therefore worth focusing on. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2021/04/09/who-are-the-non-hnwi-luxury-consumers/ |
How would a global minimum tax work and why is it needed? | Tax systems around the world have been increasingly left behind in recent years by the rise of globalisation and digital media companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook. They are firms operating across international borders that can shift profits around to exploit the most attractive low-tax locations. Tax abuse by multinationals and avoidance by rich individuals costs countries around the world $427bn a year in lost revenues, according to research by the Tax Justice Network campaign group. The UK is estimated to lose 25bn of tax income due to profit-shifting. Clamour for reform has grown as government finances have come under severe pressure during the Covid pandemic, and amid public anger over the relatively low tax rates paid by major corporations. Proposals for a minimum global tax rate and allocating taxing rights based on where companies make their money rather than whichever low-tax zone a firm chooses to book its profits would help to end the race to the bottom where one nation slashes tax to attract business only to be outdone by another country. Such a plan would give governments greater certainty on revenue raising. Multinationals exploit gaps and mismatches in the international tax system through a technique known as profit-shifting. This involves artificially allocating sales derived in one country to a lower-tax country. One of the ways this is achieved is by companies setting up a subsidiary in a tax haven and registering their intellectual property there. That entity then charges the companys subsidiaries in other, higher-tax jurisdictions large royalty fees. By charging that cost to the market where the majority of revenues are made, profits can be reduced or eliminated, meaning no tax is paid. The royalty fees extracted in this way are booked as profit in the low-tax location. Profits are often shifted to countries such as the British Virgin Islands or Bermuda, which charge no corporation tax. For US multinationals, corporate profit-shifting into tax havens has risen from an estimated 5-10% of gross profits in the 1990s to about 25-30% today, according to the OECD. The economist Gabriel Zucman has found the global effective corporate income tax rate of Amazon is as low as 11.8% and 12.2% for Facebook, substantially lower than the headline tax rates in many of the countries they operate in. There are two key strands of the plan, broadly following the work of the OECDs pillar one and pillar two blueprints for global tax reforms set out in October. Under pillar one, taxing rights would be granted to a portion of a multinationals profits based on where its customers reside, irrespective of the companys physical presence in that location. The Biden plan includes a threshold that would mean this captures the worlds 100 biggest multinationals but not smaller companies. Under pillar two, governments would still be able to set whatever local corporate tax rate they wanted. But as part of a global minimum rule, if companies paid lower rates in a particular country their home governments could claim top-ups to the agreed tax floor, eliminating the advantage of shifting profits to a tax haven. In the months ahead negotiations will centre on the threshold for company profits, and the tax rate that would be applied. Washington has proposed a rate of 21%. However, several nations have much lower rates, while an agreement among EU nations might not be easy with rates varying from as low as 9% in Hungary and 12.5% in Ireland to 32% in France and 31.5% in Portugal. Sealing a deal between 139 countries negotiating tax reforms at the OECD will not be easy. However, tax campaigners say the US intervention brings the prospect of a deal much closer. France and Germany have expressed support, while the UK has indicated that updating global tax rules is a priority. While work remains to agree key details, the OECD is aiming for an agreement by mid-2021, with hopes a deal could be struck in time for a meeting of G20 finance ministers in July. | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/global-minimum-tax-biden-administration-profit-shifting-big-tech-firm-multinationals |
Can the Indians Offense Do Enough to Surprise in the American League? | First of all, let us start that it is way too early to make any conclusions about any major league baseball teams after five games. However, if you thought coming into the 2021 season that the offense would be a problem for the Cleveland Indians, they have done nothing to make you feel differently. Remember, the Indians ranked tied for 13th in the American League in runs scored last year and dealt one of their best hitters in the off-season. So, its not like there isnt a reason for concern. In the seasons first five games, the Tribe scored two runs or less in three of them, and let us remind you that even with Clevelands usually excellent pitching, winning when the team scores two runs is very, very difficult. The average American League team scored 4.58 runs per game on average last season, and the Indians were best in the Junior Circuit in run prevention, allowing 3.48 runs per contest. So, scoring two runs usually means adding one to the L column. Thank goodness for Jose Ramirez. The AL MVP runner up belted a pair of two run homers Wednesday, accounting for the only runs in the Tribes second victory of the season. There are some good things to take note of thus far, although you can look at them in different ways. Cleveland is last in the AL in striking out, and even in todays game where hitters fan a lot, thats a good thing. The counter to that is they havent faced any of the games big strikeout pitchers. Detroit and Kansas City ranked in the lower half of the league in that category last season. In fact, the Tigers pitching staff was last. And theyve been drawing four walks per game, which has to be a staple of their offense. They probably wont see a premier pitcher until they visit Chicago next week to take on the White Sox. They have also hit some home runs. Ramirez two yesterday give the team seven on the season, and partially because of that, they rank 8th in slugging percentage. However, some of the things we were concerned about have reinforced those feelings. Terry Francona has for some reason decided the bat the centerfielder in the leadoff spot, and while Jordan Luplow has had tremendous success against lefties in his career, so it makes sense with him, hitting Ben Gamel first raises some eyebrows. The veteran has a .331 on base percentage for his career (his best mark was .358 with Seattle in 2018), so its tough to find a reason for him to bat first. Luplows has a lifetime .379 OBP vs. southpaws as a contrast. To be fair, we know Cesar Hernandez is a better hitter than he has shown so far (2 for 18 with four walks). But the offense cant be solely dependent on Hernandez, Ramirez, Eddie Rosario and Franmil Reyes either. Another problem for the attack has been the inability to get runners on base early in innings. Too often, the Tribe gets a couple of hits with two outs, making it tough to score. And theyve also banged into five double plays, third in the league to date, so they arent putting a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers. Theyve also scored only two runs before the sixth inning. So, starting pitchers havent been able to protect any leads thus far. Again, its early, so it is way too early for concern. But the Indians could have eased the minds of many supporters with a good start at the plate. If they can score, then they can surprise in the AL Central. | https://www.si.com/mlb/indians/opinion/can-the-indians-offense-do-enough-to-surprise-in-the-american-league |
Should Jamin Davis Be Draft Priority for Lions? | Read more on whether Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis should be a draft priority of the Detroit Lions If the Detroit Lions have any real hope of turning things around in 2021, they must get better at linebacker. The Lions need more physicality, and they need more attitude out of the group. They need linebackers who evoke fear into ball-carriers. One such player who could really give the linebacking corps a boost would be LB Jamin Davis from the University of Kentucky. This guy is impressive, and he has one of the better names for a linebacker. Davis burst onto the scene in 2019, and put up 32 total tackles -- 12 solo and 20 assists. And, he really came into his own in 2020, posting 89 total tackles -- 43 solo and 46 assists. When I went back and watched film of Davis in 2020 vs. N.C. State, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, he grew on me. I found myself feeling excited watching him play, and that does not happen all that often. Davis brings a brand of youth, physicality and energy the Lions currently do not have in any of their linebackers. Davis plays football like it is important to him, and he looks like he cares about winning the game. This is exactly what management needs to infuse into its defense in Detroit. Brad McClenny, The Gainesville Sun, Imagn Content Services, LLC ILB Jamin Davis - 6-foot-4, 234 pounds (unofficial 4.37-4.49 40-yard dash time, per 247Sports.com) Grade: B (Good player, but not elite; he's good enough to win with, however) Kelly's draft board: Late second-third round Scouting Report Lean-cut and physical, rigid linebacker, with an above-average motor. A very solid tackling machine. Has a little Lawrence Taylor in him the way he is built and the way he plays the game. Looks active and alert once the ball is snapped. Best when left clean or can fight through trash to make high-impact, strong wrapping and jarring tackles. Punishing, brute-force tackler. Very dependable tackler. Great tackling technique. High-impact hitter. Inconsistent hand usage at the point of attack to shed blocks, and tends to not be able to come off blocks of offensive linemen. Struggled to even get off blocks of some tight ends. Once got shoved out of the way. Sometimes hits in with a shoulder. Struggles to always come off block in time to make the tackle, despite best efforts. Lacks explosiveness at the point of attack, due to rigid hips. Struggles against big men. At times, gets handled by blockers. Needs work and better technique with his hands to shed. Decent compete. Works and fights to get to the ball-carrier. Decent football playing speed. However, tightness in hips really shows up on film in space. Really looks rigid in his movements in space. Can whiff and miss in space, if he does not have it lined up right. Able to drop into zone coverage, and excels at covering backs and providing support on screens. Dependable coverage on running back screens. Had a couple of interceptions during his college career. Lacks burst or second gear, but does have some redeeming value as a blitzing linebacker. Wants to get to the quarterback (check out N.C. State film). Reminds me of Alec Ogletree, who has played for the Giants, Jets and Rams. Davis brings a real strong presence to a defense, and he will be a force to be reckoned with. Has a dominant personality on film. If Davis is sitting on the board in the third round, he would be the perfect selection for Detroit, as the franchise attempts to become a much more physical and dominant team in the NFC North. More from SI All Lions: Campbell: 'You Build a Winner, People Will Want To Be Here' Lions Sign Ex-Bills Safety Dean Marlowe Odds Lions Trade Up to No. | https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-jamin-davis-2021-nfl-draft |
When COVID-19 recedes, what will become of all the plexiglass in Quebec? | Quebec does not have a company capable of recycling the transparent acrylic panels. Article content Quebec is thinking about what to do with the thousands of tonnes of plexiglass that owners of public spaces will be getting rid of when theyre no longer needed. Asked about the issue at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, Environment Minister Benoit Charette said hes looking at all these quantities with a worried eye, since Quebec and Canada, for that matter does not have a company capable of recycling the transparent acrylic panels used as makeshift barriers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. And no measure has been implemented to prepare for its recuperation or storage while the government waits for a solution to dispose of them. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Back to video Its a major environmental challenge, Charette said. The perfect solution, though were evaluating different scenarios right now, does not exist. We dont have any demonstrated technology where the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. | https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/when-covid-19-recedes-what-will-become-of-all-the-plexiglass-in-quebec |
Is it time to pull the plug and replace freeze-damaged sago palms and citrus trees? | It has been roughly eight weeks since we experienced the near-record low temperatures for a week around Valentines Day. Consistent with our advice to area gardeners, we have been patiently waiting and watching the plant response. It is time to discuss the latest developments. Unfortunately, there has not been as much action from the Sago Palms as we expected. There has been some sprouting from the central shoot but not the 50 percent we predicted. Some gardeners have removed the dead fronds. Such action may reduce the visibility of the dead plants but it wont increase the chances of new growth. My recommendation is to give the dead-looking plants another four weeks, and if theres no big change, then replace them. Sago palms have been one of the most in-demand plants at nurseries this spring because of the folks looking for replacement specimens. Two other plants that have not responded to our patience are viburnum and xylosma. Of all the xylosma that lost their leaves and stems, only one example of sprouting was reported. I was not able to examine it to verify the recovery, but it seems reasonable that at least a few would recover. In the case of viburnums, I did not record any reports of Sweet or Sandankwa viburnum showing any recovery. If you become convinced that the xylosma and viburnum are dead, consider hollies as replacement plants. Nellie Stephens holly will grow to 15 feet tall. Standard burford holly grows to about 12 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Dwarf burford holly will eventually grow to about 6 feet tall. The hollies were not damaged by the cold spell, and they are recognized for their drought tolerance, disciplined growth and pest resistance. Most hollies are eaten by deer, so to replace viburnum and xylosma plantings in deer-heavy areas, you may have to consider Texas mountain laurel or primrose jasmine as replacement plants. The dwarf and standard yaupon hollies are also not eaten by deer. In an earlier article I joined other gardeners in expressing worries that milkweed and mistflower, two perennials that serve as primary butterfly nectar sources, were not going to recover from the freeze. The recommendation was to replace them with zinnia transplants. It turns out that the demand for zinnia transplants has been unquenchable. The good news is that milkweed and mistflower in area landscapes are sprouting from the roots despite the severity of the freeze. Gardeners are also planting zinnia seeds to meet the gap for transplants, and retail nurseries have located milkweed transplants to help meet the needs for nectar sources. Milkweed plants are especially desirable because they are the only plant on which monarch butterflies will lay their eggs. The picture is still not clear, there are reports that some ssperanza and pride of Barbados have begun to sprout. It is good news that we are seeing some subtropical bloomers sprout from the roots, but it is still unclear what the percentage of recovery will be. This week in the garden Bedstraw, also called "sticky willy," is a weed that can be killed in the lawn with a product such as Weed Free Zone. There are several dilutions and container sizes to select from. Another option is just to rake it up. The sticky consistency makes it relatively easy to rake up large bundles of the weed to place in the compost pile. Fertilize the lawn with a slow-release lawn fertilizer such as 19-05-09 after you have mowed real grass (not winter weeds) twice. It is important that monarch butterflies have access to native or tropical milkweed on which to lay their eggs. Wildflowers such as coreopsis, blue curl, bluebonnets and larkspur are blooming now. They will soon replace the flowers with seed pods. To have the wildflowers bloom next year, the seed pods must be allowed to mature and drop their seed. They can not be mowed before the seeds mature. See More Collapse The same situation exists with the citrus. Every week, a few more are sprouting and may recover. Based on the demand for replacement trees at area nurseries, however, area gardeners are not optimistic. The damaged trees have been slow to show any life, and freeze-damaged citrus plants are notorious for sprouting in the interior of the plant only to die when faced with 90-plus-degree days. The best advice is to give both the subtropical blooming plants and citrus trees some more time to express its response to the Valentine Week Freeze. Calvin Finch is a retired Texas A&M horticulturist. [email protected] | https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/home-garden/article/Is-it-time-to-pull-the-plug-and-replace-16073597.php |
When will we know if palm trees survived the February freeze in Texas? | Q: Ive been listening to you on the radio and reading you here. Weve cleaned up most of the other shrubs and groundcovers that were killed by the February cold. The real answer is hidden down in the crowns of each plant. Thats where the new growth originates. If the crown is lost, the plant is lost. Palms dont really grow until it gets warm, but these look like its going to take more than just warm weather to get them to grow again; its going to take a miracle. Wait another four to six weeks if you can. Q: I wrote to you earlier about my lost xylosmas. I suspected they were gone, but I still hated to read your confirmation. You suggested two hollies, but they appear to be more formal than what I had wanted. We only pruned the xylosmas when they began to get too tall. A: I dont think that Nellie R. Stevens hollies would disappoint you if you let them grow basically unpruned. However, if you wanted something even less structured, you might try rusty blackhaw viburnum. Its native to much of the eastern half of the state. It thrives in the shade, growing to 12 to 18 feet tall, but it can be trimmed to shorter heights without making it look formally pruned. I have one at the corner of our living room (15 feet away from the house), and its been a great servant to our landscape for 25 years. Lovely plant that is well suited to shade. Courtesy photo Q: We had eight Japanese blueberry plants that did not fare well during the cold. A: All of a sudden Im getting lots of questions about Japanese blueberry plants (not related to edible blueberries). They are sensitive to cold temperatures that most of Texas experienced this past February, and yes, if youre looking for a great shrub in the 8- to 9-foot range, willowleaf hollies would be great choices. There are others as well. Take photos to a Texas Certified Nursery Professional and let them advise you as to the ones that best meet your needs. Q: My crape myrtle trunks have black moldy growth. A: Thats sooty mold, a fungus that grows in the honeydew excretion of either aphids or scale insects. To control it, you must actually control the insects. Use a systemic insecticide (Imidacloprid) applied mid-May as a soil drench. General insecticidal sprays and horticultural oils are not nearly as effective. For the record, neither of the insects or the sooty mold causes any serious damage to the crape myrtles. Courtesy photo Q: My wife insisted that I help her cover some of our azaleas, camelias and fringeflowers back in February with frost cloth. I told her that it would be just as cold beneath that thin cloth as outside it, but the plants that were protected look great and those that were not covered look pretty rough. Please help me understand how that happens. A: Frost cloth blocks the cold winds. It also helps the warmth of the soil stay around the plants canopies much as a bed cover will keep body heat around us when its cold. I was not a believer the first time I used frost cloth 25 years ago, either, but the proof has been dramatic every year since, and most of all this year! White frost cloth also does not heat up quickly on sunny, cold mornings like green materials do. People who used green types reported just as much damage as people who covered their plants with plastic film (also not good). Q: I had 18 Sasanqua camellias I had sculpted for 25 years. The cold killed all of them, and I am just sick. A: If you had them for 25 years successfully, they might be good investments again in your part of Texas. We shouldnt panic into planting only for 100-year cold spells. On the other hand, we shouldnt plant shrubs, trees and groundcovers that are likely to be lost in just a couple of years. Im especially timid about recommending larger plants such as shade trees that I know come with a risk of freeze loss. But next time, as you can see in the question above, protect your plants with frost cloth. Courtesy photo Q: Ive decided to replace my dead wax myrtles with Nellie R. Stevens hollies as a screen across my back fence. A: Whatever the plant that youre growing, nitrogen promotes leaf and stem growth. Use a high-quality, all-nitrogen lawn fertilizer every eight to 10 weeks starting now and running into early October to keep them growing actively. Even more importantly, water them by hand with a water wand and water breaker. Sprinkler irrigation alone will not be sufficient. The better the job of watering, the more quickly they will grow. Mail questions to Neil Sperry, c/o Features Department, San Antonio Express-News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171, or email him at [email protected]. | https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/home-garden/article/When-will-we-know-if-palm-trees-survived-the-16077832.php |
How far will Justin Fields drop in the NFL draft? | Thats not a good thing because sometimes when youre talented, you just think your talent can carry you, a longtime NFL scout and personnel executive told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Im hoping thats not what his approach it. When that stuff starts leaking out, that means somebody is talking. Sometimes its a former coach and/or an agent of former teammates. All it takes is a couple of teammates to say to their agent, man, hes talented, but he doesnt study the game like he should, the executive said. Thats all that needs to be said, and then it will catch fire like a California mountain fire. Spread like you dont know what. Normally, teams will keep the information they have under their hats, but sometimes theres a leak. Teams will want to know why he didnt beat out Jake Fromm at Georgia and why he transferred. Im hoping thats not the case, the executive said. It (ticks) me off when people want to beat up on some of the (Black) quarterbacks and play that, Hes not a student of the game card. Like him, and the North Dakota State kid (Trey Lance), to me, both of those kids are talented athletically and arm-wise. Day said Fields progressed to his fifth read twice in the 49-28 playoff win over Clemson. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns. His passing yards were an Ohio State postseason record and the touchdowns tied him with Iowas Chuck Long for a postseason record by a Big Ten quarterback. What I have to say to that is to be honest with you (Im throwing to) some of the best receivers in the country so if my first or second read is there, Im not going to pass up that first or second read to get to the three, four, fifth read to prove that I can read past my first or second read, Fields said. Im going to put my team in the best position to win. Fields is not used to receiving any criticism. Of course theres always going to be a chip on my shoulder, but I think my drive, my wanting to be great, my willingness to be great just comes from inside, Fields said. Clemsons Trevor Lawrence, BYUs Zach Wilson and Alabamas Mac Jones are expected to go one-two-and-three in the draft to Jacksonville, the New York Jets and San Francisco. Under that scenario, Fields would be on the board with the Falcons are set to pick, but they could have a deal worked out to move back with Denver or New England. Lance played only one season and will need some NFL seasoning. Both of those guys have a shot, the executive said. They are going to have to put in work. If I was a GM and Im sitting in that chair, and Im hearing all of this study-habit stuff, Im going to research it to the cows come home. Im going to know all about it even before its hitting the fan. See, I would have known all about it all ready. Lawrence is a near-consensus No. 1 overall pick. Wilson, who lost a game to Coastal Carolina last season, did not have a better run than Fields. Ive seen other quarterbacks picked higher than him that I was not nearly as high on as I am on Zach Wilson, the executive said. I like Zach Wilson better than when Mitch Trubisky got picked or where he got picked. Zach Wilson is better than that. Jones, a one-year starter, was considered a possible first-round pick at the beginning of the draft process. Alabama coach Nick Saban even called him a game manager. But reportedly San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan wants Jones, and the 49ers traded three No. 1 picks to move from 12th overall to three to make sure they get him. To put Mac Jones in the same class as the Clemson quarterback and the BYU quarterback, that is totally wrong, the executive said. If they are saying those guys are 1,2,3 ... come on man. Thats just not right. Saban tried to explain that being a game manager is a good thing. I know that when you say a guy does that, everybody thinks hes not a very good player, Saban said. Hes not capable of anything else, but managing. But to me to be a good quarterback youve got to be a good manager, and then your ability to make plays sort of goes from there. Saban believes Jones will be fine in the NFL, especially in Shanahans system, which is close to what former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian ran at Alabama. Mac has the ability to make plays because hes smart, Saban said. He accurate. Hes going to throw the ball in the right place, and hes going to always help the offensive team be in the right situation, whether its a run or a pass or whatever. Jones waited his turn at Alabama and may have to do the same behind Jimmy Garoppolo with the 49ers. This quarterback class is a really good class, Jones said. Im just blessed to be a part of it. Honestly, you can watch on tape and see that we all have great tape. What separates me is preparation and take what Ive learned from the coaches meetings and my own meetings and apply it to the field. After the top five quarterbacks, there is a group that includes Floridas Kyle Trask, Stanfords Davis Mills (Greater Atlanta Christian), Texas A&Ms Kellen Mond and Wake Forests Jamie Newman. Trask is going to be a good quarterback, the executive said. The Stanford quarterback is a good quarterback. A few of those guys are good little players. They are going to be in the league for a long time. They are going to be backups until they have to start and produce. Newman transferred to Georgia, but opted out of the season before it began. Thats a red flag for some teams. He had an opportunity to prove his worth, but now some think he was losing the battle to be the starter and left. Hes more developmental, but hes got some talent, though, the executive said. I like his arm. Hes big-time mobile. Hes just got to fix a lot of things. Hes going to have a chance because hes going to get drafted right there in the middle. Teams want to know why he opted out. I dont know the guy, the person, but it bothers me when a guy transfers and hes supposed to be the guy, then he opts out, the executive said. He quit. To me, he had a chance to step up and be the guy. Show the nation that everybody is talking about Fields, this and that, (but) Im going to be that guy. It bothered me I dont know. There are different type of bailouts. ... Im wondering if he was just trying to fight to keep the job at Georgia. Maybe he was going to be on the bench, and he was like let me opt out before I get beat out. Thats what Im wondering. Falcons 2021 draft position: Here are the top 10 picks in D. Leds Mock Draft 4.0: 1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson) 2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, (QB, BYU) 3. San Francisco 49ers: Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State) 4. Atlanta Falcons: Penei Sewell (OT, Oregon) 5. Cincinnati Bengals: JaMarr Chase (WR, LSU) 6. Miami Dolphins: Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida) 7. Detroit Lions: DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama) 8. Carolina Panthers: Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama) 9. Denver Broncos: Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State) 10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain (CB, Alabama) The Bow Tie Chronicles Podcasts: For more content about the Atlanta Falcons Follow me on Twitter @DorlandoAJC On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now | https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/how-far-will-justin-fields-drop-in-the-nfl-draft/VWL5X3JQF5AUNMKN3437OG5DGE/ |
What do Saints pre-draft meetings say about the type of player they're looking for? | The college film has been studied, the prospect showcase games are long done, the pro days are mostly in the books, so that leaves one last bit of pre-draft work for the New Orleans Saints: The face-to-face meeting. Face-to-face isnt meant literally this year, of course. NFL teams are conducting their official pre-draft meetings with prospective draftees virtually, which has both benefits and drawbacks. But with eight picks in this years NFL draft, the Saints have been busy getting to know the players off the field. Using the trusty visit trackers at Walter Football and DraftAce.com as well as various reports from around the web, here are the players the Saints have met with or were reportedly scheduled to meet with in the lead up to the draft. Offense Alabama QB Mac Jones Northwestern QB Peyton Ramsey Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman Louisville RB Javian Hawkins Kansas RB Pooka Williams Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz Purdue WR Rondale Moore Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette Illinois WR Josh Imatorbhebhe Notre Dame TE Tommy Tremble Miami TE Brevin Jordan Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins Wisconsin-Whitewater OL Quinn Meinherz Defense Iowa DE Chauncey Golston Tulane DE Cam Sample NC State DT Alim McNeil Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike USC DT Jay Tufele LSU DT Tyler Shelvin Virginia EDGE Charles Snowden Notre Dame EDGE Ade Ogundeji Auburn LB K.J. Britt Tulsa LB Zaven Collins Boston College LB Isaiah McDuffie Alabama LB Dylan Moses Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr. Michigan CB Ambry Thomas San Diego State CB Darren Hall Oregon CB Thomas Graham Jr. California CB Cam Bynum Syracuse CB Trill Williams Missouri S Josh Bledsoe It is important to note this list is surely not complete, nor is it a strong indication that the Saints are going to draft any of these players. This is simply an important part of the pre-draft process, allowing New Orleans to get a feel for a player outside of what the game film and measurements say about them. But this can provide a glimpse into what the team may be looking to address when the draft rolls around at the end of the month. Fortify the back end The Saints roster has a couple pretty easy-to-identify soft spots, and this list of players shows the team is doing its homework on this years crop of cornerback and linebacker prospects. After releasing veteran Janoris Jenkins this offseason in a cap-saving move, New Orleans will almost certainly address their cornerback group with one (or more) of their four picks in the first three rounds, making it unsurprising to see players such as Northwesterns Greg Newome II, Florida States Asante Samuel Jr. and Syracuses Trill Williams on here all three players who should be taken in those first three rounds. The Saints currently only have three cornerbacks on their roster with legitimate NFL experience, and unless they can free up some cap space with an extension for Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk or Marcus Williams, they dont have the wiggle room to make a splash in free agency. This could be a position they address multiple times. After releasing Kwon Alexander and letting Alex Anzalone sign in Detroit, the Saints could also stand to add some depth at linebacker even if they believe Zack Baun can fill a starting spot next to Demario Davis. Saints news in your inbox If you're a Saints fan you won't want to miss this newsletter. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up College scouting guru Jeff Ireland and linebackers coach Michael Hodges were present at Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins pro day. Collins figures to be selected some time in the first 45 picks. Speed to burn That the Saints have met with a handful of receivers is not a surprise; the team is bringing back much of its receiver corps from last year, but No. 2 wideout Emmanuel Sanders is not in that group. The more intriguing thing is the type of receiver theyve met with so far. Downfield ability. Schwartz never got the opportunity to show it at Auburn, where he averaged 12.2 yards per catch for his career, but the former track star is the fastest player in the draft. He ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash at Auburns pro day. Smith-Marsette and Imatorbhebhe are similar players: A bit limited overall but with outstanding long speed and a proven track record as a deep threat. Imatorbhebhe averaged better than 19 yards per catch as a junior before injury ended his 2019 season, and Smith-Marsette was an All-Big 10 returner who topped 15 yards per catch both as a sophomore and junior. The Saints offense the last several years has largely been one built on precision, taking advantage of quarterback Drew Brees strengths. With a new quarterback under center in 2021, this could be a sign the Saints are looking to get back to a more vertical offense. Stay beefy The Saints will return their top six offensive linemen from last years team, and despite losing Trey Hendrickson, Malcom Brown and Sheldon Rankins to free agency and trade, they still bring back much of a deep defensive line rotation. New Orleans has used its top pick on an offensive or defensive lineman in five of the last six drafts, and the lone outlier came in 2017, when they used the second of their two first-round picks on offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. Thats six straight drafts using either a first- or second-rounder on a lineman. And its hard to argue against the logic. The Saints investment in the trenches has paid considerable dividends in the last couple years specifically. Theyve built both sides of the ball around strong lines and theyve been one of the best teams in football. Not really, especially considering both the teams starting tackles are entering the final year of their contracts. And while it may be a stretch to say the defensive line is a dire need at this point, New Orleans did lose a considerable amount of experience and depth this offseason, particularly at defensive tackle. | https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_3bb60602-98a3-11eb-9cd2-2b6c089b5e9a.html |
Is India Running Out Of Vaccine Doses? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI About 100 vaccination centers abruptly shut down Friday in India's financial capital Mumbai amid a shortage of doses, as the country confirmed its highest daily jump in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. People who had appointments to get their shots arrived to find printouts taped to hospital gates warning them that vaccines had run out. They vented anger and posted pleas for help on social media. At least half a dozen Indian states are reporting similar shortages. The eastern state of Odisha closed 700 of its vaccination centers earlier this week, and said it only had supplies left for two days' worth of shots in its remaining facilities. Meanwhile, coronavirus infections are surging in India. On Friday, India's Health Ministry confirmed nearly 132,000 new cases more than on any other day since the pandemic began. The death toll 780 was the highest in five months. The Indian government denies any shortages. In a tweet late Thursday, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan called on the public to "put an end to the fear-mongering." He said 19 million more vaccine doses were "in pipeline." India is home to the world's largest vaccine producer, the Serum Institute of India, and the country has administered nearly 95 million vaccine doses so far. But that's still less than 6% of India's population of nearly 1.4 billion people. Experts say protecting everyone through vaccination will take years. With this latest surge in infections, India has in recent weeks diverted some of the Serum Institute's exports for use domestically. Other countries have complained that their vaccine orders from India have been delayed. Earlier this week, Serum said its production was "very stressed" and that it needs more funding from the Indian government to meet demand. Shortly before midnight Thursday, a municipal official in Mumbai tweeted a list of the city's vaccination centers with 99 of them marked in red indicating those would be closed the next day. Even those slated to open Friday might exhaust their stocks early, he warned. India's COVID-19 caseload plummeted to a record low in February, but has skyrocketed since. Epidemiologists have attributed the recent spike in infections to lax social distancing, lagging compliance with mask mandates and possibly, new variants. Authorities have imposed night curfews in Mumbai, New Delhi and several other large cities. Large gatherings are banned. But most restaurants, shops even cinemas remain open in much of the country. Migrant laborers are reportedly packing into trains and buses to try to leave big cities for their native villages ahead of possible local lockdowns. Officials have held off declaring a strict nationwide lockdown, in part because of what happened last spring: India's economy shrank nearly 24% under nationwide restrictions, and there were cases of starvation among the poor. NPR producer Sushmita Pathak contributed to this report. | https://www.npr.org/2021/04/09/985670468/is-india-running-out-of-vaccine-doses |
How Can Aerospace Companies Prevail Amid Disruption? | Aerospace industry veteran, founder and managing director of OXPERA. I write about aerospace, aviation and the future of air travel. getty In the past decade or so, a number of well-known businesses failed. Think Nokia, Kodak, Blockbuster and many others. This tells us that companies large and small must remain competitive in their core business while also continuing to win in new innovative domains. In the 1950s, the average life span of a company in the S&P 500 was 60 years; today, it is under 20 years. This reflects the rate at which disruptive change is occurring. The question I think many aerospace and aviation executives should ask themselves is, "How can our companies prevail in the face of disruption?" The aerospace industry is a mature, heavily regulated industry with an extremely high barrier to entry. During the past three decades, the industry enjoyed a level of stability and was much dominated by the duopoly between Airbus, where I used to work, and Boeing. Moreover, despite the advancement of technology, materials and the level of safety in modern aircraft, aircraft design has not changed since the Boeing 707 was developed in the 1950s it's still to great extent drawn from the original Boeing 707. As someone with a background in aerospace engineering, I think that to deliver a step-change in performance and efficiency, the industry needs a step-change in technology accompanied by a new aircraft configuration, as the conventional configuration has reached the limit in terms of aerodynamic performance. The industry that has always inspired engineers and entrepreneurs is now seeing the return of a new golden era similar to those of the early years of commercial aviation. From what I've learned through my own research and observations, electric aircraft with short takeoff and landing times will open new domestic routes traditionally considered uneconomical to fly. They will also use many airfields and small domestic airports, taking a chunk of domestic transports and logistics to the air. Urban air mobility (UAM) is a possible solution to congested city commutes. Startups like Lilium, Joby Aviation, AirCar, Faradair, Vertical Aerospace, Boom Supersonic and many others around the globe are on the mission to disrupt the industry and revolutionize the way we travel by air. Despite the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the industry, these startups continue to attract investors and entrepreneurs alike. Consider how SpaceX disrupted the space industry by offering an innovative solution for reusable launchers. Following a simplified process and aligning the design, engineering and manufacturing processes, the company brought down the development and manufacturing cost of space launchers versus its competitors. In 2018, NASA reported that the average launch cost between 1970 and 2000 was cut by a factor of seven with SpaceX's Falcon 9. According to France's national auditor, Arianespace lost its position as the world's leading commercial launch provider when SpaceX sent more commercial satellites into orbit in 2017. In a similar way, the aircraft manufacturing industry is slowly finding its own disruptor that will shake up the industry's duopoly. There are lessons to be learned from SpaceX. It is time to rethink the enormous cost of designing and manufacturing aircraft. A 10-year development cycle and development cost of $15 billion doesn't cut it anymore. It is becoming extremely expensive and extremely risky to launch a new aircraft program. Primes and original equipment manufacturers need to take advantage of modern technology and bring efficiency to an industry that is still behind to great extent. The process of designing and manufacturing planes remains some 20 years behind those of the automotive industry, for example. One might argue that, unlike the automotive industry, the aerospace industry is not a volumetric industry. But perhaps the volume can be created if costs were lowered and new destination routes become accessible. After all, aviation is the quickest and safest way to travel. I have no doubt that Airbus and Boeing will continue to dominate the large aircraft market, despite the fact that new markets are being created, particularly in domestic routes, intercity transport and UAM. The technology that is being developed will likely soon find its application on larger aircraft. The industry will probably be completely overhauled in the decades to come and will look completely alien to what we're used to. Those who consider the aerospace industry as strategic to the economy and are able to create an ecosystem that allows entrepreneurs, investors and regulators to work together will likely take quicker and larger strides ahead of the skeptical, more conservative group. Change is already here. As I've seen in my own interactions, many startups and founders are finding the U.S. more attractive with a more welcoming ecosystem that provides access to both talent and capital. The mindset in Europe, to large extent, is to regulate before you can innovate. If we draw parallels to another regulated industry, like the financial industry, the U.K. had a great success story in fintech, where it was able to take the lead when the government and regulators adopted an innovative policy that combined a proactive regulatory system encouraging new entrants coupled with government support programs and taxation policy. This government policy attracted talent and capital investments into new startups. This is a strategy that I wish it also adopted for the aerospace industry. It feels like the U.K. is falling behind and jeopardizing its long-held leading position in the aerospace industry. I believe that businesses across the industry need to think about their roles in the future. From what I've seen, the majority of aerospace manufacturers still lag behind the digital transformation curve. Consider infusing growth through digital transformation strategy and streamlining your processes using new methods and modern technology. Disruption is already happening, and many great organizations stumble in the face of change. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/04/09/how-can-aerospace-companies-prevail-amid-disruption/ |
How concerned should Panthers fans be with Sam Darnolds production on the Jets? | Context is everything in football, especially when it comes to evaluating the quarterback position. Whether its fair or not, every teams starting QB tends to get more praise than he deserves for wins as well as a disproportionate blame for the losses. Separating the quarterbacks performance from everything else the playcalling, pass protection, separation for receivers, and so on is one of the most difficult things analysts can do. Sam Darnold is a fascinating case in this regard. The newest Panthers QB1 spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Jets, where he posted a dismal 13-25 win/loss record, a troubling 45/39 touchdown to interception ratio and a highly unimpressive 78.6 passer rating. Since the trade that brought Darnold to Carolina several days ago, many fans and analysts have focused on his lack of a supporting cast in New York to excuse his numbers. This is an entirely fair argument. The Jets were one of the most poorly coached and managed teams in the league during Darnolds run as their starter. He had little help at wide receiver, bad offensive lines and one of the worst playcallers at this level. Its true Darnold didnt have any help in New York and there are reasons to believe that hell be a step-up over Teddy Bridgewater for the Panthers. For one thing, Darnold is still developing. At 23 years old, hes significantly younger than Bridgewater and only slightly older than some of the top quarterback prospects in this class. Darnold is also a far superior athlete compared to Bridgewater. While hes not considered a dual-threat QB, he can make plays with his legs. As a rusher, Darnold has totaled 417 yards and five touchdowns. Here is a popular clip making the rounds showcasing Darnolds wheels. Sam Darnold turned on the jets A 46-yard run for the TD and the Jets are up 7-0. NFL Networkpic.twitter.com/Si9DBrppLy The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) October 2, 2020 Perhaps the most common highlight youll see on social media is this one against the 49ers, featuring a Patrick Mahomes-ish sidearm throw on the run. Story continues People quick to salivate when Justin Fields and Zack Wilson run one direction and throw an accurate bomb in the other direction with no defense on a Pro Day But quickly dismiss Sam Darnold even though he does it in a real game for a TD while running for his life pic.twitter.com/wYmVKWo8NY Edgar Salmingo, Jr. (@PanthersAnalyst) April 5, 2021 Theres no question that Carolina is getting a more dynamic and athletic starter than Bridgewater. There are certainly plenty of other wow-type throws that Darnold has made since entering the NFL. The problem is that every other starter in the league will occasionally make those plays, as well. Only a handful of quarterbacks can actually make those high-level throws consistently and at this point Darnold is definitely not one of them. A couple of times a game, Jared Goff might toss a 25-yard dart that raises eyebrows. Every once in a while, Jimmy Garoppolo drops a 30-yard dime that makes you think he could be something special. Then again, Goff and Garoppolo might throw a gruesome interception on the next snap, or panic under pressure, completely lose their composure in the pocket and walk themselves right into a sack. Darnold has his moments as well, but if hed had enough of them over the last three years the Jets wouldnt have traded him to the Panthers in the first place and wouldnt be making Zach Wilson jerseys right now. The unfortunate fact is when you separate Darnolds game from the handicap that is the Jets, theres really not a ton to be excited about. All of the hype is based on potential and upside and what could be as opposed to what Darnold is capable of doing right now. Time will tell whether Darnold can take the next step and enjoy a Ryan Tannehill-like rennaissance now that hes free from Adam Gase. Carolina fans should prepare themselves for the distinct possibility that he may only be the mildest upgrade imaginable over Bridgewater and that this trade did very little to improve their long-term prospects. Related | https://sports.yahoo.com/concerned-panthers-fans-sam-darnold-130024327.html?src=rss |
How Big is the Gap Between Harris, Etienne and Rest of RB Class? | Jim Mora explains whether the Pittsburgh Steelers should hold off on picking a running back after the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely target a running back during the 2021 NFL Draft after letting most of the big-name free agent runners head somewhere else on the open market. Right now, many believe Alabama's Najee Harris and Clemson's Travis Etienne will be the only two running backs taken in the opening round of the NFL Draft. For the Steelers, they'll wait to see if either fall to pick No. 24, where former NFL and NCAA head coach Jim Mora believes they can add a star to their backfield. "I'm not going to back off my belief that if the Pittsburgh Steelers draft Najee Harris that we should all be doing backflips because it's a great pick," Mora said. AllSteelers spoke with Mora about the difference between Harris, Etienne and the rest of the running back class in 2021, which he believes has a decent-sized gap in talent after the first round. "It's rather significant," Mora explained. "There are only two running backs in my opinion that are first-round values, and that's Najee [Harris] and Travis [Etienne]." The former coach highlighted Harris and Etienne's personality as high-level traits the Steelers will want to add to their locker room. "First of all, an amazing person," Mora said on Harris. "I know that that organization values that. "Travis is the exact same type of character kid," he continued. "Different on the field. Travis has a little bit more breakaway speed. Travis may be a little bit better coming out of the backfield as a receiver, although we know Najee can do that." After the two projected first-rounders, though, Mora sees distance in talent in the rest of the draft class. "When you get away from those two guys, all of a sudden, you're finding players that absolutely have traits, have redeeming qualities, but they also have some things that you go, 'I don't know,'" Mora said. "Whether it's the size, the breakaway speed, the ability to stand and protect - Ben [Roethlisberger] needs his protection. I think you can probably drop into the third round and get some guys that you can get in the second round." The Steelers have been named as a potential landing spot for North Carolina's Javonte Williams and other mid-round runners, but Mora believes their best bet is to use their first pick on a running back. "I'm hoping they end up with Najee Harris. That would be a great pick." Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers. | https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/gm-report/pittsburgh-steelers-gap-running-back-class |
Who is the oldest living Minnesotan and what is their story? | Curious Minnesota Listen and subscribe to our podcast: Via Apple Podcasts |Spotify | Stitcher Erna Zahn was 26 years old in 1934 when she glanced up at the historical landmark in the making. There before her was George Washington's face then the only completed presidential bust at Mount Rushmore. The singular stone face illustrates the vast span of Zahn's life, which stretches back to days of pulling water from a well and relying on a horse and buggy to get around. On Wednesday, the supercentenarian who is Minnesota's oldest resident and one of the oldest living people in the United States, will celebrate her 113th birthday. "Birthdays come and go," Zahn said in a recent interview from the Oak Hills Living Center in New Ulm, where she lives. "I'm too old to celebrate." Nonetheless, the Oak Hills staff will take her to nearby Sleepy Eye for a birthday treat apple pie and coffee. "I just love it," said Jacki Lewis, 45, of Wayzata, when she learned about the birthday festivities. "I just think that someone who lives to 112 has a story to tell, especially with her generation going through so much the Depression, wars and all the things that were different than it is now. I think there's so much to learn from someone like her." Erna Zahn as a child in 1915, riding in a horse and buggy near Pickett, Wisconsin with her siblings and parents. They were traveling to a family member's house on a Sunday afternoon. Lewis had asked Curious Minnesota, the Star Tribune's community-driven reporting project fueled by questions from readers, to find Minnesota's oldest living resident. Based on census data, Minnesota has 1,200 to 1,300 residents who are at least 100 years old, said Susan Brower, the state's demographer. But there is no data identifying who these people are or who might be the oldest. Zahn not only is the oldest known living Minnesotan, she is among the 10 oldest living people in the United States, said Robert Young, director of the Supercentenarian Research and Database division at the Gerontology Research Group. On her coming birthday, she will join a select group of no more than 35 people alive in the world who are verified to be at least 113 years old, he said. Unlike the United States, some countries know who their oldest residents are and celebrate them. In Japan, the prime minister sends a silver cup to those who reach their 100th birthday. In Great Britain, centenarians received a birthday card from the Queen. In the United States, Young said researchers rely on families and media reports to help identify the oldest people. Researchers then comb through records to verify the claims. 'I always eat my breakfast' Zahn was born Erna Miller on April 14, 1908, in Winnebago County, Wis. to Henry and Olga Miller. She grew up at a time when young girls wore long stockings and petticoats, her father delivered the mail in a horse and buggy, and children went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. "A deep thinker we know her to be. Her favorite study is 'Stenography,' " was how the 1926 Ripon High School yearbook described the young Erna. For most of her childhood, Zahn lived with her family above the general store they owned in Pickett, Wis. It was a perch that gave her spectacular sunset views and a not-so-fond memory of hauling water up a hill and then 19 steps to the family's apartment. "Oh, I hated that job," she recounted to family later in life. But time and progress changed life's daily rhythms, such as electricity that replaced kerosene lamps and a car that replaced the horse and buggy. Over her lifetime, wars were fought, men went to the moon, rockets landed on Mars, and computer technology something she cares little to know about dominated daily lives. "I wish I had kept a diary," the supercentenarian said when asked about some of the most notable changes she has witnessed. Instead, the details of her past unfold in conversations with family and in the old black-and-white photographs such as the snapshot of her and a friend in front of Mount Rushmore. In 1935, the 27-year-old secretary married a Lutheran schoolteacher, Meilahn Zahn, and became a stay-at-home mom who raised six children. In 1962, they moved to New Ulm, where Zahn's husband took a job teaching music at what's now known as Martin Luther College. He died in 1982. Zahn is a practical woman by nature. She baked bread, sewed her children's clothes, refinished the woodwork in the New Ulm family home and reveled in staying active for much of her life from walking a couple miles every day to shoveling snow-covered sidewalks along her two-story home on a corner lot. She moved into an apartment when she was 96 and then an assisted living facility when she was 109. With short, white hair framing her face and a pearl necklace draped over her sweatshirt, Zahn strained a bit to hear the questions that were posed to her during a recent video interview. She patiently answered and shrugged when reminded she's the state's oldest living resident. "I'm just thankful for good health, and I think I have good health because I always eat my breakfast," said the woman who has been unscathed by two pandemics the 1918 flu that killed at least 50 million around the world and the recent coronavirus pandemic that has already killed more than 2.8 million people. Every morning, Zahn lingers over a bowl of oatmeal and several cups of coffee. She is a woman of few indulgences and always in moderation, which seems to be her key to a long life. For her, it's a glass of red wine every now and then, one piece of dark chocolate each day and an afternoon nap. And when she turns 113, she'll enjoy a piece of apple pie. If you'd like to submit a Curious Minnesota question, fill out the form below: This form requires JavaScript to complete. | https://www.startribune.com/who-is-the-oldest-minnesotan-erna-zahn-new-ulm-history/600020577/ |
Is England's caf culture set for a boost? | Natalie Haywood's fondest memory of 2020 is sitting outside in the blazing evening sunshine, eating pizza with her little girl on Liverpool's Castle Street: "We really felt like we were in Italy." Natalie co-owns the Leaf Group of venues in Merseyside, including the Oh Me Oh My and One Fine Day cafs. And for her businesses, being able to serve people outside was "an absolute lifeline". "It got our staff back to work. It gave customers options when they didn't feel confident going indoors and it gave city streets a new energy," she enthused. "It's made us feel like we were on holiday when we couldn't go anywhere." Reopening on 12 April may not guarantee pleasant outdoor temperatures, but it does have the potential to herald a surge in European-style caf culture. This spring, hundreds of English bars, pubs and restaurants are successfully applying for outside drinking and dining licences. The BBC contacted 10 councils in the largest metropolitan areas in England, where collectively more than 840 pavement licensing applications have been approved ahead of restrictions easing next week. The councils managed the relaxed licensing laws differently. In most cases, a business applied to use the pavement or space outside their premises. But in heavily built-up Westminster, 60 designated "zones" were approved, so that venues can put tables out in parking bays or pavements. A similar project exists in nearby Camden called Streateries, while in Bristol, entire stretches of road have been pedestrianised. Liverpool has been one of the most active councils, approving almost 200 temporary licences for business, as well as running a grant scheme last year to help hospitality providers buy outdoor seating, heaters and shelters. On Bold Street, Natalie's business was able to use a series of council-built "parklets" - outdoor seating to be shared by other hospitality spaces. Story continues "It meant we could serve 30 to 40 more covers outside, and over a day, turned those over five or six times," she said. "We pay phenomenal rates, so without outdoor seating, we'd have been in a real pickle." Garden space But these city centre schemes only tell part of the story. The figures do not take into account the thousands more businesses with private land that did not need to make an application to their council. Their existing licensing agreements covered them for refinements such as pop-up gazebos, as well as seating in car parks and loading bays, or even fields and woodlands. The garden at the Chequers Inn twists and winds up to limestone cliff tops. Nine white parasols are dotted among the daffodils, allowing punters to enjoy a pint while gazing across Hope Valley in the Peak District. Last year, the area was largely overgrown. Owners Joanne and Jonathan Tindall have uncovered about three-quarters of an acre of extra outdoor space. But they have invested heavily, giving up both time and money. "In lockdown at home, people have been doing jobs they didn't have time to do," says Jonathan. "This is exactly the same for us. Except we did it for the business." Weeds and rampant rhododendrons have been razed. Paths and platforms have been created around the natural stream. Their son even built a handsome 12-seat bench in between his online-only university lectures. Jonathan and Joanne feel the pandemic has given them the gift of time in what is normally a hectic business. Their investment is for much more than Covid compliance. "We wanted to do something that was not just for the five weeks, we wanted to improve the offering on a permanent basis," Jonathan explains. Sunshine hopes There is now space for 20 more people to eat outside, using new furniture, umbrellas, awnings, heating and lighting. "You'll find people perched on corners of stones, sat on the walls, or using the deckchairs we can put out," Jonathan says. "Kids can go off into the woods to play now." Joanne adds: "But we are a business. We are not playing at this and we need to get some money in the bank. We just need one thing - sunshine." The hospitality industry estimates that as many as two-thirds of businesses will just wait until 17 May to open up indoor space. Going "al fresco" is neither easy nor cheap and depends a lot on location. And England's pavement licensing and planning relaxation is only temporary, running up to September 2021. The Great British Summer will hold a lot of sway. But it will be down to government, councils, businesses and consumers to decide if England keeps its caf culture for good. The 10 councils contacted Westminster - more than 60 dining zones on streets in Soho for hundreds of restaurants Camden - 144 pavement licences approved so far, plus Streateries scheme Manchester - had 200 licences in 2020. Then 90 more approved in 2021, with another 16 under review Liverpool - 189 applications for pavement drinking and dining approved so far Newcastle - granted 104 pavement licences in the last year, including Grey Street Leeds - 29 licences granted in the city centre, five in suburban districts Sheffield - granted 60 licences in 2020 with no need to reapply. New applications in process Nottingham - granted 105 licences in total, 45 are new extensions to business Bristol - processing more than 60 applications. Pedestrianised Old City, King St, Cotham Hill and Portwall Lane Birmingham - has been supporting local businesses, but could not provide figures on licences | https://news.yahoo.com/englands-caf-culture-set-boost-131536533.html |
Whos going to win the best actress Oscar? | Its opening day at Dodger Stadium. Raise the flag and pass me one of those michelada sausages. Or that brisket thats been smoked for 12 hours. (Though that habanero sauce better have some kick.) And if you need to get in the proper state of mind for the opener, may I suggest Times columnist Gustavo Arellanos look back at the religious experience that was Fernandomania, 40 years after its birth. Newsletter From the Emmys to the Oscars. Get our revamped Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes insights and columnist Glenn Whipps commentary. Enter email address Sign Me Up You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Oh, and the Oscars are just a couple of weeks away. If the academy wants to boost ratings, it should invite Fernando to throw out the first Oscar. Im Glenn Whipp, awards columnist for the Los Angeles Times, host of the Envelopes Friday newsletter. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack and lets get to it. The Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out Sunday night. Well, to be precise, they were actually awarded via Zoom last week, and those prerecorded segments were then broadcast in a brief, one-hour telecast Sunday. Inevitably, the news of who won had already spread around town. While that didnt leave much room for suspense, the leaks did free up everyones Easter Sunday a cause for celebration even for those not fortunate enough to win. And those winners were historic: For the first time, all four individual movie honors went to actors of color. One of those winners was Viola Davis. She and her Ma Raineys Black Bottom costar, the late Chadwick Boseman, swept the lead categories. (Yuh-Jung Youn from Minari and Judas and the Black Messiah standout Daniel Kaluuya prevailed in the supporting categories.) I mention Davis because her win throws the lead actress Oscar race into a delightful sense of disarray, as I wrote following the SAG Awards ceremony. Im leaning toward Davis. But check back, because Im open to persuasion. Or perhaps you just come here for the stadium food recommendations. I dont know. But to gauge your level of enthusiasm for this years ceremony, I put together a little quiz. Kafka (10) Magic Mike (7) Contagion (0) You get the idea. Though you should probably get bonus points if you think I should have included Schizopolis among the answers. (Actually, you get bonus points if youve heard of Schizopolis.) With nominees like these, you should be at least a little excited about this years Oscars. Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. Chlo Zhaos Empire Strikes Back drive-in story Chlo Zhao has been holed up at a Burbank Airbnb guesthouse for more than a month now, working seven days a week on Eternals, the upcoming cosmic-gods Marvel movie she directed and cowrote. The cottage is a five-minute drive from Walt Disney Studios. Zhao probably could have stayed in a bigger place or a four-star hotel but she likes the coziness. She also appreciates the way its modesty contrasts with the work shes doing and relishing. When youre making a film and everything feels so big and expensive, its really nice to come home to a cave at night, Zhao says. Were talking via Zoom early on a recent Saturday morning, sipping coffee, shaking off the sleep. Shes telling me about the few personal touches she brought from her Ojai home: the warm, wool blanket she purchased in England while shooting Eternals, the rice cooker and the kitchen utensils needed to fully employ and enjoy that beloved steaming appliance. We also talked about Nomadland, of course, the film that earned her four Oscar nominations. One story I hadnt heard revolved around the Rose Bowl pop-up drive-in screening of the film last year, which coincided with the Bobcat fire in the San Gabriel Mountains. It didnt start out as an ideal evening but eventually turned into one. And a small part of that had to do with the movie playing next door. Advertisement You didnt see the lightsaber reflecting on our screen? Zhao asks me. Nope. You must be very focused. I appreciate that. If you moved your rearview mirror, you could have watched Empire Strikes Back in your car with the sound of Nomadland. Nomadland filmmaker Chlo Zhao is nominated for four Oscars. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/newsletter/2021-04-09/sag-awards-chloe-zhao-nomadland-oscars-the-envelope-glenns-edition |
Does 'Them' on Amazon go too far showing racist violence? | This story contains detailed spoilers from the later episodes of Them: Covenant. The sun shines brightly on the handsome homes and pristine lawns lining Palmer Drive in Compton, but a closer look reveals that its anything but a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Strung up in front of the home, newly occupied by the Emory family, are pickaninny dolls the dominant historical caricature of Black children. The N-word has been burned into the front lawn. The symbols come courtesy of local white residents, a message to the newcomers the only Black family on the block that they are not welcome. The plight of the Emory family is at the center of Amazons new anthology series Them, partly inspired by the Great Migration, when millions of Black families oppressed by the racism of the Jim Crow South relocated to the West, Northwest and Midwest. Set in 1953, the series follows the fictional Emorys, who have journeyed from North Carolina to settle in Compton, which at the time was dominated by whites, a sharp contrast with the citys predominantly Black population today. Advertisement Henry Emory (Ashley Thomas), his wife, Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde), and their two young daughters have more to fear than hostile neighbors. They are locked in a deadly battle with supernatural forces, putting a sinister twist on the familiar refrain, Theres no place like home. The 10-episode first season, subtitled Covenant, follows other high-profile mash-ups of the countrys troubled history of race relations and genre elements. Like last years Emmy winner, Watchmen, its HBO counterpart, Lovecraft Country, and Netflixs Antebellum, Them features horrific scenarios of Black people being attacked, images that remain highly resonant with the national furor surrounding police brutality against Black people and the resurgence of white supremacist groups. While much of the menace in Them comes from things that go bump in the night, the most shocking horror lies in its more realistic scenes of racist violence, which are arguably more disturbing than the vivid images in its recent predecessors. The mayhem gains momentum in the fifth episode, which depicts the murder of a Black infant while his mother is raped and continues in a later episode with the blinding of a Black couple with hot pokers, and a white mob then burning them to death. Advertisement In an effort to warn viewers, Amazon has included advisories, along with commentaries from the cast and filmmakers. Still, the viciousness of the sequences, in particular the death of a child on screen, raises questions about whether the depiction of white supremacist savagery goes too far. A bucolic homestead in North Carolina becomes the site of racist violence in in Amazons Them: Covenant. (Amazon Prime Video) Them creator and executive producer Little Marvin acknowledged that the violence is upsetting but said it was necessary to illustrate the devastating effects of racism. Yes, there is a concern, but at the end of the day, I as an artist have to sit with myself and grapple with the authenticity of the show, he said. How can we be provocative or hot button? We asked ourselves two things: what terrified us the most and what felt most true. Typically, those two things were the same. Tracing the traumas of racism in America from the past to the present was the creative spark for first-time showrunner Little Marvin, who started developing Them about three years ago. (Executive producers on the show, for which Amazon has already ordered a second season, include Emmy winner Lena Waithe.) My inspiration was waking up every day and seeing cellphone videos of Black people being terrorized in some ways, either by threats from police, surveillance or something else, he said. That history goes all the way back to the founding of our country. I was also thinking about the American Dream. Theres nothing more emblematic of that than owning ones home. Theres great pride in that, particularly for Black people. But as you know, its been anything but a dream. Its been a nightmare for Black folks. Advertisement A self-proclaimed horror aficionado who lists The Exorcist among his favorite films, Little Marvin decided to tell his tale through this genre lens because he felt it would be effective not only as a storytelling device but also as a true reflection of Americas racial unrest. Were incredibly fractured and split down the middle, he said. There are people who want to take the country back to a time they consider great, and there are folks who are fighting for progress. Thats a scary place to be in 2021. He was further intrigued when he learned through his research about the racial history of Compton. I didnt know what Black people had experienced moving to Compton during the 50s, particularly East Compton, he said. Compton is an iconic Black place known all over the world, but 60 or 70 years ago, that was not true. Folks in East Compton were very protective of the whiteness of the area. That lit a lightbulb for me. Advertisement The terror begins. A woman, played by Dale Dickey, enters the Emorys yard. (Amazon Prime Video) Them evolved into a story that would portray how Black families migrated from the South to stake their rightful claim, only to be greeted with much of the same terror they sought to escape, he said. The trauma the Emorys faced in the South is hinted at in the series first moments, when Lucky and her infant son, Chester, are home alone in their remote rural residence. A strange woman (Dale Dickey) appears in the front yard and after initially pleasant small talk starts singing an ominous rendition of Stephen Fosters parlor song Old Black Joe. When the woman hears Chester crying, she asks Lucky, Can I have him? The frightened Lucky rushes inside as the woman starts toward the door. Three men in the distance are seen approaching the house. The scene abruptly flashes forward to the Emorys in their car, on the road to California. The baby is not with them. Advertisement What happened inside the house is revealed in the fifth episode, titled Covenant I, written by Little Marvin and Dominic Orlando and directed by Janicza Bravo (Zola). Lucky hides Chester in a closet as the woman and her accomplices break into the house. The men eventually find Lucky and sexually assault her. The woman finds Chester, and after playing with him a bit, stuffs him in a pillowcase. Alongside a Johann Strauss waltz on the soundtrack, Lucky watches helplessly as the invaders toss the trapped child around before the woman starts whirling the case over her head, chanting cat in the bag, finally dropping it to the floor. There is no movement as blood seeps through the pillowcase. The seed for the scene came to Little Marvin in a nightmare he couldnt shake. It was so vivid and intense that I did what I usually do, he said. I wake up in the middle of the night and go to my phone so I can write down touch points quickly so I dont forget it. So I was about to do that this time when I felt physically ill in a way that Ive never felt when contemplating anything Ive ever wanted to write. I told myself, Youre not going to entertain that thought, and went back to bed. Advertisement I was still haunted by it the next day. For the next 48 hours, I couldnt get the scene out of my head. I can feel when something has an integrity about it that doesnt mean I agree with it. My hands were shaking. Ive never felt so viscerally raw or open than I did contemplating that scene. As an artist, its my duty to interrogate theres something going on here that Ive never felt. So I wrote it. Actor Deborah Ayorinde calls one harrowing scene in Them: Covenant the toughest of her career. (Amazon Prime Video) Little Marvin acknowledges that that the scene is not based on an actual historical incident. But, he said, it anchors the racial horror he wanted to spotlight. What Ive come to realize is that I wanted a scene that would rip through the screen, grab the viewer by the jugular and force them to contend with a history of violence against Black bodies in this country, he said. If I did that in a way that youve seen before like an act of police brutality or a slave narrative that in some way creates a distance or a salve for a viewer. Ive seen it before. But this is so abominable it defies you to see it that way. Advertisement In a commentary that accompanies the episode, Ayorinde said the scene was the hardest shes had to perform in her career, adding, It was very important that particular scene was as raw, as honest, as tragic as possible. I wanted anyone who had remotely experienced anything close to that to feel seen, to feel heard, to feel believed. In a later episode titled Covenant II, set in the 19th century, a Black couple who happen upon a religious community are falsely accused of thievery. Their eyes are put out with hot pokers and they are burned to death. The soundtrack for the cruelty is the classic I Only Have Eyes for You. Vernon Sanders, Amazons co-head of television, said Little Marvin detailed the upsetting incidents during his pitch to executives as he outlined the entire arc of the season. By the end, we were teary-eyed. We had chills. We were profoundly moved and shaken. Its vivid in my mind because you dont experience those kinds of reactions. Asked whether he was concerned that viewers might be upset by the violence despite the advisories, Sanders said, I suspect there will be a variety of reactions. We thought about it carefully, gave it great weight. Part of the perspective we all came to is that this is a painful truth of our country. We felt it was important not to hide from it, but to confront it, to address what it has been like for people to live in fear of their lives for something they have no control or power over. Advertisement Coincidentally, Them: Covenant, which premieres Friday on Amazon, arrives during the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder for his role in the death of George Floyd last year, an incident that sparked massive Black Lives Matter protests around the world. Several witnesses in the trial have discussed the trauma they felt while watching Chauvin hold his knee to Floyds neck for almost nine minutes and 30 seconds. Said Little Marvin: The timing will be what it will be. My hope is that this series speaks to enough folks and that the authenticity and the integrity of it stands. I started this to honor those families, and that has to take precedent over any sense of fear over timing. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-04-09/amazon-them-covenant-little-marvin-lena-waithe-violence |
What's a vaccine passport and are they required in Ohio? | Cincinnati Enquirer As more people are vaccinated, both here and around the world, it could become more necessary to provide proof of vaccination to get on a plane or a cruise ship, hold certain jobs or even enjoy a night out in some places. Some countries and states are requiring vaccine passports while others are moving to ban the requirement. It is documentation that shows a traveler has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus that causes the disease. The information can be stored on a phone or other mobile device that the user shows to airline employees and border officers. The Biden administration and others want a paper version available, too. The trade group for global airlines, the International Air Transport Association, is testing a version it calls Travel Pass. IBM is developing another, called a Digital Health Pass. There are several other private-sector initiatives. Vaccine passports would be most common on international flights. Some countries already require proof of vaccination for diseases such as yellow fever, and the United States now requires a negative coronavirus test to enter the country. There are no plans for Ohio to create a vaccine passport, Gov. Mike DeWine said April 1. Businesses can make their own decisions and people can make their own decisions about these things, DeWine said. DeWine has said several times there are no plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine. Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, plans to introduce a bill that would prevent state and local agencies from mandating any use of vaccine passports. "How an individual chooses to run a business is up to them. I'm not looking to overregulate or try to reign these guys in," Cutrona said. "At the end of the day, all this does is prevent the government from issuing health orders requiring businesses to use this." Additionally, House Bill 248, would allow Ohioans to decline a COVID-19 shot or any other vaccine because of religious reasons, medical reasons or natural immunity. The proposal would prevent anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated from facing discrimination, being denied services or forced to follow a requirement that they wear masks or other penalties financial or social from businesses, schools or government. As the first vaccine passport in the nation, New Yorkers can already pull up a code on their cellphone or a printout to prove they've been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus that causes it. Hawaii is also considering vaccine passports for inter-island travel. The Biden Administration is working on a set of national standards for vaccine passports, the Washington Post recently reported. Airlines, hotels and other travel companies have urged the president to have them ready before the summer vacation season starts. The significance of this to re-starting international aviation cannot be overstated, Alexandre de Juniac, the former CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said during the launch of its own digital health certificate in March. Requiring shots for international travel is not new. Many countries already use the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (yellow cards stuck in your passport) that show proof of inoculation against illnesses like tuberculosis, yellow fever, Polio and hepatitis. Those are physical records, but these vaccine passports are being developed as digital documents. But the federal government shouldn't be involved in verifying that people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House says. "It's not the role of the government to hold that data and to do that," Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response, said in a recent briefing. "There's no vaccine passport in the United States," says Peter Vlitas, senior vice president of airline relations for Internova Travel Group. But we're close. The most promising one is the IATA Travel Pass. It's being tested among 22 airlines, and the airline trade organization expects to release it this month. It will be limited to air travel and border crossings. TripActions' app-based health passport, a private initiative that launches early next month, will allow travelers to upload and store all necessary documentation required for domestic and international travel within a centralized hub. The only vaccine passport in widespread use is Israel's Green Pass. The certificate, available as either a smartphone app or paper ID using a QR code for authentication, allows users to prove their vaccine status in Israel. Passholders use their credentials to visit the gym, pool, restaurant or participate in any other activity previously restricted because of COVID-19. The European Union is developing a Digital Green Certificate to prove people have had their shots and "facilitate safe free movement" inside the EU during the pandemic. The vaccine ID, which is likely to be available by June, will be available in digital or paper format. The United Kingdom's government also plans to test out a vaccine passport system. - Chris Elliott, Anna Staver and Jessie Balmert contributed to this report | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/04/09/whats-covid-vaccine-passport-they-required-ohio/7124547002/ |
Are Equity Investors More Keynesian Or Supply Side Oriented? | John Maynard Keynes / Robert Mundell reddit / forbes This issue has become relevant as the Biden administration embarks on the biggest expansion in the federal government since LBJs Great Society. Bidens agenda to Build Back Better offers a stark contrast with Donald Trumps plan to Make America Great Again. The policy shift that is occurring is as an opportunity to test the precepts of Keynesian economics that embrace the governments role in the economy versus supply side policies that favor tax cuts and deregulation. Following Trumps surprise victory in November of 2016, the stock market went on a tear as the S&P 500 index posted a 28% annualized return through the end of January 2018. Commentators at the time claimed that Trumps victory had unleashed animal spirts. The rally subsequently stalled over the next 18 months, however, when investors became concerned about a looming U.S.-China trade war and business capital spending faded. By comparison, the S&P 500 index is up by about 17% following Bidens election last November. This pace is even faster than the comparable period (150 days) following Trumps election (see chart). The rally can be viewed as a continuation of a trend that began when the $2.2 trillion CARES Act was enacted in March of 2020, and it suggests investors are happy with massive stimulus when the economy is trouble. The Stock Markets Initial Response to Trumps and Bidens Elections (first 150 days) S&P500 Biden vs Trump FWIA Going forward, the key test is whether the stock market will continue its ascent as Bidens agenda to undertake structural economic reform comes into focus with tax hikes looming on the horizon. The unveiling began last week with the announcement of a federal spending plan of $2.3 trillion to build out public infrastructure, green energy and other projects this decade. Next on the horizon is a program to improve human infrastructure that will boost the combined tally of these two proposals to $3 trillion to $4 trillion over this decade. With the federal budget deficit already at a post-war record of 14% of GDP, Bidens proposal to finance the public infrastructure program would raise the marginal corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, mandate a 15% minimum tax on book income, and impose additional taxes on overseas earnings of U.S. multinationals. If enacted, it would reverse a good part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was the signature legislation of the Trump Administration. Investors responded favorably to the announcement with the S&P 500 index topping the 4,000 threshold last week. The stock markets resilience mainly reflects growing optimism about the economy. In late 2020, for example, most forecasts envisioned real GDP growth would be in the vicinity of 4% this year. Now the consensus is growth will be between 6%-7%, which would be one of the highest rates in the post-war era. Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts are updating their estimates of EPS growth in 2021 and 2022 as details of Bidens infrastructure plan are released. Goldman Sachs GS top down estimate for 2021 calls for S&P 500 EPS growth to be 27% after it declined by 17% last year (see Quarterly Outlook, April 5). Goldman estimates that, if fully implemented, Bidens corporate tax proposal could lower its 2022 EPS forecast by 10% from $197 per share to $185 per share. This would leave it only marginally higher than this years estimate of $181. Investors will also weigh the impact of Bidens program on bond yields as they discount future earnings. Ten year Treasury yields already have risen about 80 basis points this year to 1.7%, reflecting both an improved economic outlook and the prospect of higher inflation. And a test of the 2% level seems likely later this year, with further increases to come in 2022. At some point, a further significant rise could impact equity valuations, which are high now. Thus far, the increase in bond yields has not halted the stock markets rise mainly because the Federal Reserve has been steadfast that it will leave short term interest rates unchanged for the next few years. The reason: With nearly 8.5 million people having lost their jobs since the pandemic struck in February of 2020, Fed officials believes any rise in inflation above its 2% target will be temporary. Nonetheless, while most investors appear sanguine about the prospects for the economy this year, there is greater uncertainty about what will follow next year and beyond. It is too early to be confident of the outcome, because the legislation that is ultimately enacted may differ considerably from what the Biden administration is proposing. In the end, my take is that most equity investors are pragmatic and results oriented. As the last twelve months attest, they are comfortable with demand-oriented policies that boost economic activity and corporate profits materially without rekindling inflation. The big unknown is whether Bidens plans to reform the American economy will increase the economys productive potential sufficiently to counter the effect of higher taxes. Meanwhile, the fate of the stock market hangs in the balance. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksargen/2021/04/09/are-equity-investors-more-keynesian-or-supply-side-oriented/ |
Can a gaming mouse filled with holes really be water resistant? | Like a lot of people, I often eat lunch at my desk. I also drink copious amounts of water. So yes, I have spilled liquid and dropped crumbs on my keyboard, and its pretty damn disgusting. Companies have responded to people like me with various models of water resistant keyboards that can supposedly shake spilled beverages off like a duck. But they havent exactly done the same for mice. Mice are generally sealed pieces of equipment unless its an ultra-light mouse full of holes like the $50 HyperX Pulsefire Haste, then things get a little dicey. SteelSeries thinks it might have the solution with its $100 Aerox 3 Wireless, a lightweight model that claims to be the first gaming mouse to ever get an IP54 rating. Now, that doesnt mean this thing can take a bath. The 5 means its protected from dust, and the 4 means it can take some splashes. So, dont go pouring a glass of water directly onto this thing, or drop it into a full vacuum bag. But so far, plopping it down in my tub and turning on the shower seems to have no effect; I simply wiped it off with a washcloth, and Ill have to wait for any tiny bits of liquid trapped inside to dry on their own. The mouse continues to work just fine in the meantime. Aerox 3 Wireless on black food coloring Some of the waterproofing is obvious. Unlike HyperX's Pulsefire Haste, the Aerox 3 has a translucent plastic plate on its bottom, which should prevent spills from creeping up into the chassis. This, plus the wireless radio inside, makes the Aerox 3 slightly heavier, but otherwise youd easily mistake one ultra-light mouse for the other. Theyre both matte black with two thumb buttons on the left side and a textured scroll wheel between their top buttons. Theres a small button in the middle of the mouse for changing DPI; the one on the Aerox is clicker. The Aerox 3 also comes in a wired version, while the Haste has no wireless equivalent. The SteelSeries model charges via USB-C, which means I can plug it into pretty much any charger I have lying around the house. Another pleasant surprise is that this is the first 2.4GHz receiver Ive encountered that uses a USB-C connection. So I was able to directly plug it into my MacBook once I moved some cords around. Sadly, plugging it into a hub didn't seem to work, so if you're short on ports it might be a bit of a struggle. Story continues SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless on black and orange food coloring It also connects via Bluetooth, so if you lose the dongle or just dont want to carry that fiddly bit around, you can still use the Aerox 3. SteelSeries claims a battery life of 80 hours on the receiver, and 200 hours on Bluetooth. I cant speak to these estimates as Ive already had to recharge the mouse at least once in the week Ive used it, without even a low battery warning. You can still use the device while its charging, and itll also turn itself off automatically when youre not using it. To wake it back up you need to click the buttons a bit, but otherwise its quick to reconnect. Whether an ultra-light mouse is the way to go, however, is a question of personal preference. The Aerox 3 is notable in a world where so many gaming mice come with weights to make them heavier; this goes into the opposite direction entirely by eliminating as much plastic as possible. It feels like holding a piece of styrofoam, and even comparing it against a minimalist wireless gaming model like Logitechs $40 G305 feels oddly lopsided. SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless on orange food coloring It really depends on how dirty your desk gets. I have a very dusty apartment (despite owning a Dyson vacuum and an air purifier), and the Pulsefire Haste is already pretty cruddy. But maybe crud doesnt matter so much as how the exposed electronics handle it, and so far both the Haste and the Aerox 3 are doing OK in my office. | https://finance.yahoo.com/news/steelseries-aerox-3-wireless-water-resistant-hands-on-130010412.html |
What are the plans for Prince Philips funeral? | The Duke of Edinburgh has died at Windsor Castle at the age of 99. Plans for his funeral will be affected by Covid regulations in England, with organisers said to be desperately anxious not to stage anything that attracts mass gatherings. Here is what we know so far. A date is yet to be announced but it is expected in the coming days. Under pre-pandemic plans, it had been due to take place within about 10 days of his death. It will not be a state funeral, in line with the dukes wishes. In a statement announcing the death on Friday morning, the palace said further announcements would be made in due course. The dukes funeral is expected to beheld at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, as planned. However, there will be no lying in state something that would have involved thousands of members of the public queuing to view his coffin. It is not yet known whether his coffin will be transported to the Chapel Royal at St Jamess Palace, London, as originally planned. Arrangements will most likely be put in place for members of the public and others to sign a digital book of condolences. Under what is codenamed Operation Forth Bridge, thousands of people would have been expected to flock to London and Windsor to pay tribute. Some people would probably have camped out overnight to get the best vantage points for a military procession of Philips coffin on the day of his funeral. Hundreds of members of the armed forces would have been called on to line the streets in honour of the duke, along with thousands of police officers to keep control of crowds and protect the members of the royal family taking part. The funeral will still have a significant military component but armed forces numbers are likely to be much fewer. Preparations are expected to centre on Windsor Castle, without a military procession in London or any processions through Windsor. Under national lockdown restrictions in England, which are gradually easing, funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people. Those present must also socially distance if they do not live together or share a support bubble. However, these rules are under review and the government has said they may be updated in line with the changing [coronavirus] situation. The biggest change to the plans will be the lack of crowds. Officials will want to avoid anything that carries a risk of spreading coronavirus, including mourners using public transport. But police will want to avoid the appearance of heavyhandedness in dispersing those who do turn up at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace to pay tribute, especially on the back of controversies over policing at the vigil for Sarah Everard and recent protests in Bristol and London. The public will be able to tune into extensive programming by broadcasters including the BBC. A memorial service could be held at a later date after Britain has dealt with the worst public health crisis for a generation. | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/09/what-are-plans-prince-philip-funeral-duke-of-edinburgh |
Will some teams pass on players who opted out? | The week began with Ohio State coach Ryan Day questioning whether players who opted out of the 2020 college season love football. The week is ending with chatter regarding whether one or more NFL teams will hold an opt-out decision against a player. Per a league source, at least one owner of a team picking in the top 10 is hesitant to draft a player who opted out. Others may feel the same way. And it will be interesting to track the expected and actual draft position of top prospects. It shouldnt be that way. Players not getting paid should not have been expected to assume the risk of catching the virus or spreading it to family members, based on the information available at the time. Moreover, with the NCAA largely if not entirely AWOL when it came to creating and enforcing standards for masks, testing, and/or distancing in facilities and weight rooms, players had to trust that their head coaches would take the situation seriously and implement reasonable safeguards. Players like former Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley werent willing to assume that risk, and good for him. However, Farley recently told Chris Simms that Farley has been asked about his decision to opt out. Ive got it from teams, Farley said. But at the end of the day, its just my personal situation. . . . I mean, it was something that I couldnt ignore it, you know, I didnt have peace about the situation. . . . It didnt matter if I was the only one. I had to play it cautious. Thats just what I felt in my heart. And I dont want to look back and regret because to this day Im, COVID free. My father was COVID free and you know, I, I just gotta thank God. Farleys mother passed away while he was in high school, and Farley didnt want to give the virus to his father. Its a reasonable and understandable position, and its unfair to question anyones love of the game based on the decisions they had to make during a rare set of circumstances. But some (if not most) NFL teams still want players who wont think, wont question, wont resist. They basically wants robots who will submit to the authority of the team. Still, it seems foolish and unfair to hold such an intensely personal and difficult decision against any player. originally appeared on Pro Football Talk | https://sports.yahoo.com/teams-pass-players-opted-144006938.html?src=rss |
Will DeVonta Smith be a #1 wide receiver at the NFL level? | The Telegraph Bryson DeChambeau was as surprised as most golf observers when Rory McIlroy revealed he had tinkered with his technique to keep up with the big-hitting US Open Champion. "I knew there would be people there to be influenced, I didnt think it would be Rory," said DeChambeau. Well, quite. By his own admission, the search for additional distance has thrown McIlroy's swing out of sequence and left him fighting a two-way miss, manifested in a four-over opening round of 76 at the Masters on Thursday. Expectations were low for McIlroy, given he is trying to compete just a few weeks after officially partnering with coach Pete Cowen and all the new swing thoughts and mental baggage that entails. Cowen's counsel is highly-regarded and the relationship should prove a fruitful one. McIlroy certainly looks in need of guidance, because someone in his corner should have questioned the wisdom of searching for even more clubhead speed. In the last five seasons, McIlroy's PGA Tour ranking for driving distance has been: fourth, second, first, first and ninth. If anyone should suffer from a case of distance envy, it is not McIlroy. The competitive advantage on offer for gaining an extra few yards is surely minuscule. McIlroy's swing is the most envied in golf. There is a poise and flourish to his long game that is worth the price of admission alone. When the putter is working and McIlroy's mind is in the right place, he is incredibly difficult to beat and every player on Tour knows it. The quality of his ball-striking has, until the last few months, been taken as read. "I added some speed and I am hitting the ball longer, but what that did to my swing as a whole probably wasn't a good thing, so I'm sort of fighting to get back out of that," McIlroy said in March. By jeopardising his biggest asset, the first half of McIlroy's season could become a write off. | https://sports.yahoo.com/devonta-smith-1-wide-receiver-130000981.html?src=rss |
Should Lions Trade Up for Kyle Pitts? | Read more on whether the Detroit Lions should trade up for Florida tight end Kyle Pitts One of the hottest prospects from the 2021 NFL Draft class is Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. He's a surefire bet to land in the top 10, and where he ends up going has been one of the most highly discussed topics around the proverbial water cooler for weeks now. If the Detroit Lions want to draft him, they're likely going to have to trade up from the No. 7 overall pick to get him. Let's take a closer look. For starters, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Pitts possesses a tremendous skill set. The unanimous first-team All-American selection in 2020 profiles as a wide receiver playing the tight end position, and can line up all over the formation and beat defenders, including on the outside and in the slot. He recorded 100 receptions for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Gators. Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports The Draft Network's Jordan Reid views Pitts as being best suited to be "cross-trained" as both a wide receiver and tight end. As Reid writes, "At 6-foot-6, he plays just as big as his size indicates. More in the role of a big receiver, Pitts can align outside, in the slot, or place his hand in the dirt in-line. As an F tight end, his combination of size, athleticism, and hands makes him a multi-level threat for creative offensive coordinators. As a run blocker, hes sustainable and willing as a one-on-one blocker, but also isnt afraid to get his face dirty in the box, either." He'd be a dynamic option for new Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in the passing game, and he'd form an electric one-two punch with 2020 Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson at tight end. Adding Pitts would also help make up for the losses of fellow pass-catchers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. However, if I were Holmes & Co., I'd resist the urge of trading up for the Florida product. As much as he would add a much-needed explosive, play-making presence to Detroit's air attack, the Lions, as a rebuilding franchise, should be looking to accumulate as many draft picks as possible, instead of trading them away. The organization has a variety of needs on both sides of the ball, so no matter how good Pitts may be at the next level -- and he may be really good -- he isn't going to be able to fix all of them. The more likely scenario is that the Lions' front-office brass will trade down from No. 7 to garner further draft capital later in the draft and in future amateur player selections. So, while it might be tempting, my advice for Detroit is to pass on the opportunity to trade up for the highly talented tight end. Campbell: 'You Build a Winner, People Will Want To Be Here' Lions Sign Ex-Bills Safety Dean Marlowe Odds Lions Trade Up to No. 4 Overall Chiefs WR Demarcus Robinson Turned Down Lions Offer 4 Keys to Success for Julian Okwara in 2021 | https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-kyle-pitts-trade-possibility |
Will former Prior Lake 'Bachelorette' return to Bachelor Nation? | A source has told E! News that the Prior Lake native is being courted for the seventh season of "Bachelor in Paradise." Kufrin became a fan favorite in the 2018 season after she was accepted and then rejected by "Bachelor" Arie Luyendyk Jr. She later went on to be "The Bachelorette" and selected Garrett Yrigoyen. US Magazine has reported that the couple broke up last year. Kufrin didn't seem too excited about returning as a contestant when the subject came up in January on the "Behind the Rose" podcast: "I don't want another broken engagement that happened on TV where there's all this pressure, and I want the next one to be 'the one.' And I don't know if this show is personally conducive for me for that at this point." | https://www.startribune.com/will-former-prior-lake-bachelorette-return-to-bachelor-nation/600044045/ |
Is Oregon ready to open the floodgates for COVID-19 vaccinations April 19? | Seventy-three days. Thats how much earlier every Oregonian 16 and older will qualify for a COVID-19 vaccination than originally planned, the result of President Bidens pronouncement that every state should fully open eligibility by April 19. The accelerated timeline may be a boon to some Oregonians eager to be vaccinated. But it likely will present new challenges not only for shot-seekers but also state administrators who promised equity in administering doses to racial minorities and vulnerable populations whose vaccination rates lag behind. Although its not entirely clear, it appears Oregon is not expecting a significant increase in vaccine supplies in the weeks ahead, meaning only the most agile and best-connected may be able to immediately score coveted appointments. Come April 19, the state estimates itll have received only about 2 million first doses even though nearly 3.5 million people will be eligible. That leaves Gov. Kate Brown once again in a tricky situation, with Oregon frequently a national outlier and under pressure to open vaccine eligibility. Officials are trying to find some middle ground by increasing the pace of inoculations amid concerns over vaccine hesitancy, all without leaving the most vulnerable behind. Brown originally planned to offer inoculations to everyone 16 and older by July 1, but bumped up the date to May 1 in response to Bidens first deadline. This week Brown moved the date up again, to April 19, in conjunction with Bidens latest direction making Oregon the second-to-last in the nation to announce it would start universal vaccinations by that date. Oregon State University Professor Courtney Campbell, who is studying the equity of vaccine distribution, wonders if there has been some real pressure on politicians to get the vaccine out to the general population. That, coupled with the perception that Oregon is already behind many other states in the vaccine rollout, could possibly be a motivator, he said. I really hope the decisions are not being based on public image, Campbell said. Campbell is most concerned that communities struck hard by the coronavirus will continue to struggle. State statistics show two groups far behind: Latinos comprise 13% of Oregons population but account for only 6% of people vaccinated with at least one dose. Black Oregonians comprise 2.2% of the population but only 1.5% of those vaccinated. Opening vaccinations to everyone 16 and older is a pretty remarkable achievement, Campbell said in an email. But, he added, we dont want to give up on equity for communities whove been at a disadvantage during the entire pandemic. Some observers worry, too, that generally lower-income people who have no internet access or who work frontline jobs and cant go online at the precise times appointments are released will lose out. We still have people in some areas who have a flip phone, said Carlos Crespo, a professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. When asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive if the state was bowing to political pressure to follow other states, Charles Boyle, a spokesman for the governor, didnt directly answer in an emailed response. Rather, Boyle said Brown moved up the general population eligibility date because of concern over the spread of more dangerous variants of the coronavirus. But Boyle also acknowledged that under the governors accelerated timeline the necessary doses wont yet be available . (T)here is no doubt that not everyone who is eligible on April 19 will be able to immediately get an appointment with the vaccine supplies we will have on hand, he said in the email. The Oregon Health Authority estimates itll be almost six weeks after April 19 until theres enough vaccine in the state so that 70% of people 16 and older will have had a chance to receive a first dose. Boyle, the governors spokesman, acknowledged the coming days are important. Thats why its critical over the next two weeks and beyond that we increase our targeted efforts with community partners to reach the communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19: Oregons Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and communities of color, Boyle wrote. The sheer demand for vaccines has been obvious this week, since the governor opened vaccinations statewide to a vast number of Oregonians on Monday. That includes about 1.2 million who are overweight, an unknown number of past smokers, nearly 500,000 current smokers and 1.9 million residents with other underlying conditions ranging from heart disease to asthma. The latest wave also includes hundreds of thousands of others in frontline jobs and their household members. The Oregon Health Authority cant say exactly how many people that is because some people in one group also are a member of another group, such as someone who is overweight, has asthma and works as a K-12 teacher, a profession that became eligible for vaccinations in January. Even if Oregon officials are unsure of the precise numbers of those currently eligible, there are clear signs the system is overwhelmed. Oregon pharmacies within 100 miles of the Portland area Thursday afternoon had booked out all their available vaccination appointments, according to various scheduling websites. Enormous demand also prompted Oregon Health & Science Universitys vaccination scheduling website to freeze up, slow down or boot out users for four days straight this week. The system has a capacity to handle 4,800 visitors at once but found itself instantly overloaded after releasing new appointments for booking at 9 a.m. each day. OHSU is expecting to release a total of 23,300 appointments at its drive-thru sites at Portland International Airport and Hillsboro Stadium this week. Operators of the Oregon Convention Centers mass vaccination site said theyre sending enough electronic invitations out to Portland-area residents this week to fill between 18,000 and 22,000 appointments. But that leaves another 140,000 currently eligible Portland-area residents still waiting in the queue for an invitation to schedule at the convention center having registered at getvaccinated.oregon.gov, which the state uses as a pool to randomly select names of people who will be offered appointments each week. At this rate, it could several weeks before everyone who wants an appointment gets one. And at least nationally, the crunch might even get worse April 19. Whitehouse press secretary Jen Psaki this week warned vulnerable populations -- seniors, in particular -- that they should take advantage of their current eligibility status by getting vaccinated now before the next wave of eligible people hit because the lines are going to become longer. But Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen told a state legislative subcommittee its possible the competition for appointments might not intensify as much as expected April 19, because Oregon granted eligibility to so many more people this week. So we may not have as big a wave of eligibility beginning on the 19th as we did with this wave thats currently open, Allen said. Droves of Portland area residents took to social media this week to grumble about their failed appointment-booking efforts. Some likened it to taking on another full-time job or said they can now sympathize first-hand with the seniors, who faced the same struggles when hundreds of thousands of them overloaded the system when they became eligible week after week in February and early March. Oregon City resident Pam Degler, 62, said shed gone online every day this week at midnight, just when it appears some pharmacies release their appointments. Two cellphones in hand, shed tried to book an appointment for a fourth family member, her 23-year-old son, whos eligible because of his job as a wastewater worker. In previous weeks Degler managed to get appointments for her 85-year-old mother, her 67-year-old husband and herself as her mothers caregiver, but this week is the worst Ive ever seen. You can never get one, Degler said Wednesday, of her efforts to click on and secure an online time slot. It will spin and it will spin and then all of a sudden, it will say, Nope, its gone. Degler said she repeated the process over and over until about 1 a.m., when all the appointments disappeared and she finally went to bed. Degler said her family wants to go on a trip with her sisters and their families in May, precious time to spend with her older sister, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer and will soon after start chemotherapy. Their plan only will happen if everyones fully vaccinated, she said. She was giving up all hope, that is, until Thursday when she achieved success while trying to book in the early evening. Now, the plan to see her sisters depends on other extended family securing appointments, too. Nonetheless, after a series of late nights, she said, she is looking forward to going to bed at a normal time. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter -- Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee | https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/04/is-oregon-ready-to-open-the-floodgates-for-covid-19-vaccinations-april-19.html |
Why Do We Believe in Photographs? | One of the more speculative tales surrounding the Shroud of Turin, which supposedly depicts the face of Jesus Christ, purports that the cloth was actually made by Leonardo da Vinci. The story goes that Leonardo passed off his own image as Christs, possibly as an act of hubris or to trick the Catholic Church. The theory has merits. According to traditional belief, Jesus imparted his image to his burial cloth when he was wrapped in it, but radiocarbon testing has dated the fabric to the Middle Ages. Yet dating the images genesis even to the 14th century is mystifying. BOOKS IN REVIEW Photography and Belief By David Levi Strauss Buy this book We know that Leonardo, who made his masterpieces in the late 15th century, experimented with aged cloth. We know that he encoded his own face within the Mona Lisa and Salvator Mundi. We know he was fascinated by the anatomical effects of crucifixion. We also know that the optical science underlying photography was more or less understood in Renaissance Europe and during the Arabic Golden AgeIbn al-Haythams Book of Optics had been translated into Latin by the early 13th centuryand that alchemists knew its basic chemistry. Most art historians and critics attribute the first fixed photograph either to Nicphore Nipce or Louis-Jacques-Mand Daguerre, but in his book Photography and Belief, David Levi Strauss writes that if you believe the mysterious face on the cloth is really the work of Leonardo, then the Shroud of Turin is actually the worlds oldest photographic image. Interestingly, Strauss doesnt say whether he believes the theory, but then his book isnt a revisionist history of photography. Strausss unorthodox understanding of photographs has informed incisive essays on topics from Joseph Bueyss precognition of 9/11 to torture scenes at Abu Ghraib to the feminist-Marxist Kurdish revolution in Rojava. In Photography and Belief, he sets out to develop a coherent philosophy of why we believe in photographs. Strauss proposes the Leonardo theory as a reason: Shroud literature is every bit as conspiratorially arcane as JFK-assassination literature, which is also centered on photographic evidence, he writes. But both of these groups of literaturethe sacred and the secular (religious faith and political power)reveal much about the nature of image and belief. Photography, Strauss argues, may be a relatively new form of technology, but photographs are an ancient form of images. His theory hinges on the fact that photographs overlap with objects the Byzantines called acheiropoieta, medieval Greek for icons made without hands. If Leonardo did in fact impart his image onto ancient cloth and substitute his likeness for Christs, his proto-photograph would have been considered in Renaissance Italy a totally magical act. It would have involved an instance of belief. When photography was officially invented in the 19th century, this preexisting system of belief was transferred onto it. Photographs may be a technical form of image-making, but Strauss proposes that our thinking about them is akin to the mental process by which cultures believe in magic. By the time daguerreotypes were introduced in 1839, he writes, belief in photography had already been around for millennia. Its worth stopping to ask why, in 2021, we need another theory of photography, particularly one that finds its answers in the Middle Ages. Strauss recounts the debates broad strokes through writings by Walter Benjamin, John Berger, Roland Barthes, Susan Sontag, Julia Kristeva, and others. Perhaps the most significant shift occurred when Sontag, who had previously argued that images of violence were desensitizing, revised her views in 2004. To speak of reality becoming a spectacle is a breathtaking provincialism, she wrote in Regarding the Pain of Others. It universalizes the viewing habits of a small, educated population living in the rich part of the world, where news has been converted into entertainment. It assumes that everyone is a spectator. It suggests, perversely, unseriously, that there is no real suffering in the world. Still, critics and photographers disagree today about whether we feel real empathy when looking at terrible images or if they make us apathetic toward misery. Strausss argument offers a way around these debates by stressing the question of belief. Individual images simply have less power than the systems that generate them, he maintains, and these systems have adapted themselves to take advantage of our inclination to put our trust in photographs. Strauss has long argued that the answer to our crisis of belief in images is, surprisingly, more images. The experience of 9/11 jolted his belief. The architects of the attacks, Strauss wrote in 2003, tried to turn our extreme attraction to images of violence and catastrophe against us, but they underestimated the extent to which these images have actually supplanted reality for us. The attacks, which were meant to be proliferated through images, are the most photographed event in history. A decade after they occurred, when Wired interviewed Strauss about the Obama administrations decision to withhold photographs of torture at Abu Ghraib, he said, I want more images. In that way, I guess you could say I have gotten what I want, since todays communications environment makes more and more images available to us all the time. Since the start of the 21st century, in Strausss telling, global culture has been shifting from an essentially linguistic culture to a predominantly imagistic onea trend exacerbated in recent years by social media. Strauss believes this move toward an image-based culture is as revolutionary as the transition away from the oral-poetic tradition to a written one that terrified Socrates. When Socrates railed against writing, he was really railing against a new mode of thinking; such a shift, after all, changes everything. Socrates was, in this way at least, a reactionary. Writing won out over the Homeric tradition of oral poetry only one generation later, when Socrates student Plato transcribed his dialogues. And while oral cultures remain throughout the world, most are at risk of disappearing if their offerings are not written down. Strauss doesnt see us retreating from an imagistic society, and because he loves images (hes an art critic, after all), he wouldnt want us to try. Still, hes cautious about the power photographs have over us, and their ability to bond us to their world, so he argues its time to increase our general literacy in images. When Strauss says he wants more images, he means that he wants more kinds of images. He wants artists and photographers to open new pathways and expand our symbolic order, in part because our belief in photographs leaves us vulnerable to abuse, from political propaganda to corporate advertising. After a literacy of images, Strauss wants a literature of images. Before we can get there, though, we have to go back to the origins of our belief. A variant of the phrase seeing is believing first appeared in 1609, but already it was phrased as a proverb, as received wisdom. Its inspiration was probably the biblical story of doubting Thomas, the Apostle who refused to believe in Christs resurrection until he saw the wounds for himself. Strauss writes that the parable asserts that believing should not be dependent on sightthat believing based on sight is an inferior belief. When S. Harward wrote, in the 17th century, that Seeing is leeving (which means loving and comes from the Anglo-Saxon lief), he inverted Jesus counsel and stood behind Thomass skeptical belief. The history that allowed for this inversion is a long one. In the fourth century, the word image referred to Christ as the image of God. But Neoplatonist theologians had to reconcile Christian creed with Plato, who argued that images are inferior to original formsand the church couldnt devalue a third of its Holy Trinity. A solution came from Saint Augustine, who believed that Gods image resided in the human mind rather than Jesus mortal body. The reconciliation of these two antipodal convictions permitted belief in acheiropoieta: seemingly miraculous images, whether manifested from nothing or purely imaginary, became proof of the divine presence of a Christian God. Images were understood to be emanations rather than representations. The idea took hold and is more or less how the Catholic Church reconciled devotional icons with the Ten Commandments prohibition of idolatry. Comparatively, Islam quickly distinguished between images in general and images of God, and consequently it continues to proscribe depictions of Allah and Muhammad, which is similar to taboos in the Jewish faith. But the root of this belief explains centuries of varied iconoclasts, from the Protestant Reformation to ISIS: Destroy the image of ones deity, its emanations, and you destroy ones ability to believe. Acheiropoieta were the preferred targets for Byzantine iconoclasts. Strauss spends the last half of his book triangulating three contemporary sources who bolster his theory: Vilm Flusser, a Czech-born philosopher of media who fled the Nazis for Brazil in 1939; Ioan Couliano, a scholar of Renaissance magic who was likely assassinated by Romanian secret police in 1991 after a lecture at the University of Chicago; and Hans Belting, a German art historian known for his studies in Bildwissenschaft, or image-science. The three are united by their understanding of belief as a science of the imaginary. Strauss draws from Flusser his conviction that the invention of photography was as influential as the invention of writing because both had the potential to fundamentally change the way we think. In Eros and Magic in the Renaissance, Couliano wrote that the Protestant Reformation was not actually the beginning of modern scientific thought but rather an assault on the imagination; using Giordano Brunos writing, he argued that Protestants destroyed Catholic icons because they feared worshipers were being bonded inappropriately to earthly images. Belting pushed this forward, arguing in Likeness and Presence that the entire idea of art was conceived basically via a dislocation of religious belief among a small entrepreneurial cadre of introspective painters who suddenly found themselves without the Catholic Church for a patron. The invention of photography provided a useful cover story for this kind of magical thinking. Seeing is believing became the mantra of a new medium that claimed its roots in the scientific method. Some, like Benjamin, troubled the premise, noting that photography was associated with devilry from the start. The human is created in the image of God and Gods image cannot be captured by any man-made machine, he wrote in 1931. This is how the philistine notion of art enters the stage. And just like that, a slippage occurred. Photography inherited the magical system of belief that surrounded icons and acheiropoieta. A camera, so its said, can only record the reality in front of it, and with this claim toward objectivity, a photograph came to equate total belief in the world a photograph depicts. Since photographys earliest days, innumerable writers and photographers have demonstrated that photographs can lie as easily as words. If you place the invention of photography in the 19th century, then one of the very first photographs, Hippolyte Bayards 1840 Self Portrait as a Drowned Man, was a lie and a hoax. Strauss revisits this history to show that the long-running debate around photographys verisimilitude sidesteps a more pertinent point. Under cover of the debates on whether we should believe what photographs show, a kind of optical consciousness, to borrow a phrase from Benjamin, has settled inand we arent going to return to an earlier mode of thinking. Strauss wants us to see that we dont choose to believe in photographs. Rather, we believe in images when they emanate or come out of a world that we already believe in. Belief does not arise from the object of the photograph, he concludes. It comes from the subject, from us. In the end weve reached a second proverbial inversion: If belief comes before seeing, then the phrase could be rewritten, Believing is seeing. The consequences of this reversal cant be overstated. Last year, Strauss published a book titled Co-Illusion: Dispatches From the End of Communication, in which he argues that Donald Trumps 2016 victory came, in part, from his ability to weaponize images in mass media. Strauss calls this new age of electioneering iconopolitics and illustrates that its predicated entirely on which side can get more people to believe in its images. The right has proven particularly savvy at this game, as theyve tapped into an exceptionally conspiratorial subset of the US population and fed them dangerous but compelling images. The GOP traffics in conspiraciesbe it voter fraud or promoting QAnonnot necessarily because it believes them but because, for its supporters, they constitute an aesthetic and an identity. Technical images do the most damage on social media, where they circulate widely, quickly, and without sufficient context. When, in 2014, Strauss said that he wanted access to more images, he probably didnt envision his wish coming true to this degree. Theres a way to interpret Photography and Belief as a call to slow images down. Even as we produce more and more images every dayand our methods of communication increasingly rely on themStrausss book, like all good criticism, attempts to carve out space for freedom. His method allows us to look carefully and consider the impact of the status changes on societyan ever more important task given the breakneck pace of todays media. Belief in images has become the test case for the social, he writes. If we are to believe in the world, we must have images of it. That includes images of the world as it truly is, but also images of the world as we would like it to be. Or else, if theres nothing to see here, theres nothing to believe. | https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/photography-belief-david-strauss-review/ |
What are the new Covid rules in England from 12 April? | Lockdown restrictions will be eased further from 12 April in England, with some changes across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here is a roundup of what will be allowed: Shops, hairdressers and zoos All non-essential shops can reopen from 12 April but shoppers will be urged to shop alone or within households. Retailers will stay open until 10pm to ensure compliance with coronavirus guidelines. The communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, said the extended opening hours on Monday to Saturday would help shoppers to return to high streets safely. Shoppers in England will be able to try on clothes when several high street chains reopen changing rooms for the first time in a year. Hairdressers and nail salons will also be allowed to reopen but have been told to avoid lengthy treatments to reduce contact time. Outdoor hospitality venues such as zoos and theme parks will also reopen. Scotland remains in lockdown, but the aim is to open all retail premises, including libraries, museums, and tourist accommodation on 26 April. In Northern Ireland, 10 people from two households will be able to meet outdoors from 12 April. Only essential retail is permitted to remain open and contactless click and collect services is permitted for shops selling baby equipment, clothing, , electrical goods, garden centres and plant nurseries. Pubs Pubs and restaurants are allowed to open and serve customers with outdoor service only. Everyone who visits will have to check in on the NHSs Test-and-trace app and groups are limited to six people or two households. Drinkers have been urged to take cash to the pub with them, as poor broadband and mobile signal means card machines may not work in pub gardens. There are no rules in place requiring pubs to serve a meal alongside alcohol, and there will be no curfew. Travel From Monday, self-catering holidays in England will be allowed for one household, and campsites will be open. Hotels and B&Bs will remain closed. Travel into and out of Wales from the rest of the United Kingdom will be allowed. For Scots, travel within Scotland will be allowed and self-catering accommodation can reopen from 26 April. Gyms Gyms will be able to reopen on Monday but people must exercise alone or with their household and group exercise classes will not be allowed. Saunas and steam rooms in gyms will remain closed, but indoor swimming pools and other indoor exercise venues will reopen. Weddings and funerals Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies may take place, as well as receptions. The limit on the maximum number of attenders will rise from six to 15. Funerals will continue with the current number of guests limited to 30. Weather The Met Offices early outlook for next week suggests much of the country is in for mixed weather, with temperatures remaining chilly. They added that mid-April weather can be difficult to predict but that as the week goes on there are likely to be further spells of unsettled weather with some showers or longer spells of rain crossing all parts of the UK. By the end of the week, temperatures should be close to the average for this time of year, which is about 12C. | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/what-new-covid-rules-england-12-april-shops-hair-salons |
Is Kyrie Irving the most skilled player weve ever seen in the NBA? | Ive said before that no player makes the game look more impossible than Kyrie. It seems like every few games he pulls off something that we have to rewind a couple of times simply to understand what has happened in front of us. He can pull up from deep on a dime, is cash from mid-range, has an unmatched handle, and when it comes to finishing at the rim, he has the deepest bags we seen full of infinite moves. Im not saying hes the best scorer. Hes not even the best scorer on his team. That designation belongs to Kevin Durant. But KDs a 7-footer with a jumper and handle. And almost every player who is a better scorer than Kyrie has a genetic make-up closer to a Monstar than an actual human. Kyrie is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and half the time I forget he can even dunk. We always talk about how different he is, and thank god for that. The way he sees things is what sets him apart, its what makes him special. His mind is the reason there is nothing anybody has ever done before him with a basketball that he cant do. Hes the Shang Tsung of the hoop world. He can do everything hes ever seen before him and more. More from Yahoo Sports: | https://sports.yahoo.com/is-kyrie-irving-the-most-skilled-player-weve-ever-seen-in-the-nba-162557840.html?src=rss |
Why was CBS golf analyst Gary McCord banned from covering the Masters golf tournament? | The answer is (now former) CBS golf analyst Gary McCord, who worked as a golf commentator for CBS for 33 years. Known for his outspoken demeanor and curly handlebar mustache, McCord was barred from covering the yearly event at Augusta National over comments he made on a broadcast way back in 1994. Heres the tale of the tape, as told by a 2013 article by USA TODAY Sports: In case you missed his offending remarks at the 1994 Masters, they went like this: Augustas 17th green was so fast it could have been bikini-waxed, while things were even worse for players whose approach shots went behind that green then theyd be stuck out with the body bags. Though it hasnt explicitly been confirmed that those off-color comments are the reason McCord wasnt welcomed back, it didnt appear as though the broadcast veteran had any hard feelings about the decision. McCord has never definitively heard how the ban came about or even if it was really based on the bikini and bag comments. I dont know, I really dont, he says. And Augusta really doesnt have to explain. It could be, We dont like him, hes out. Its their tournament. And I agree with everything theyve done. According to an archived article from The Denver Post, the rationale was that McCord got banned from announcing the Masters because the Augusta National hierarchy still hasnt quite warmed up to his irreverent humor. And while McCord didnt disagree with Augustas decision to ban him, he was somewhat puzzled by a separate but related decision, per USA TODAY Sports piece: I still cant believe David Feherty is still there, McCord said with a laugh. Feherty, another controversial (now former) CBS golf analyst known for his humor, sarcasm and outspokenness, worked the Masters tournament for 19 years. He parted ways with CBS back in 2015. Story continues CBS golf commentator David Feherty during the third round of the 2015 Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports. Though Feherty was permitted to cover the event at Augusta National, unlike McCord, he spoke candidly about the fit between his personality and the tournament, per a 2018 piece from the Desert Sun. | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-cbs-golf-analyst-gary-160111156.html?src=rss |
How Will Bill O'Brien Stack Up Against Past Alabama Coordinators In His First Season? | Alabama doesn't keep offensive coordinators for too long under Nick Saban, but they all tend to be successful in that short span Alabama just keeps reloading. Year after year the Crimson Tide pulls in the top recruits from around the country and molds them into a championship-caliber team. Heck, every recruiting class that signed to play at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban has a national championship ring to show off. Those championships are due to Saban, obviously. Hes changed the culture at Alabama and collecting shiny hardware is just expected now. Particularly the offensive coordinators, since Alabama replaces them like batteries. There have been seven offensive coordinators in Sabans 14-year tenure in Tuscaloosa. That number moves to eight as Saban enters his 15th season. Bill OBrien is the latest offensive coordinator at Alabama. He takes over for Steve Sarkisian, who departed after two seasons to take the head coaching job at Texas. The offensive coordinator and his philosophy play a big part of Alabamas success. It has to or else the Tide wouldnt have five national titles under Saban. Think about this those five titles were won with four different offensive coordinators. So, does it really doesnt matter who is calling the plays so much as who is executing the plays. A quick look at the individual accolades Alabama players have garnered the past 15 years will verify that. OBrien will have some talented personnel to run his plays this year, too, and the former Houston Texans head coach with 20-plus years of coaching experience will surely have some challenges in 2021. But if history is any indication, he should fare well in his first year. Heres a look at how past offensive coordinators under Saban fared in their first season. Major Applewhite Year: 2007 Record: 7-6 With Applewhite in control of the offense in Sabans first year, the Crimson Tide saw progress from the previous season from a statistical standpoint. That looked good on paper, but the product on the field, particularly the second half of the season, was tough to watch. After a 6-2 start, the Crimson Tide offense lost its way, scoring just three touchdowns in four straight losses. Included in that stretch was a loss to Louisiana-Monroe at Bryant-Denny Stadium. A multitude of excuses could be made, but one that sticks out was Applewhites experience. He was a graduate assistant with Texas from 2003-05 and was the offensive coordinator at Rice in 2006 before coming to Tuscaloosa. Whatever the primary reason, it didnt work out and Applewhite left for his alma mater, Texas, to coach running backs the following year. Jim McElwain Year: 2008 Record: 12-2 Everything changed in 2008, and not just the addition of McElwain as the coordinator. The Crimson Tide added the No. 1 receiver recruit in the country in Julio Jones. But while Jones made an immediate impact with the passing game, Alabamas run game turned the offense around. Under McElwain, the Crimson Tide ripped off 2,598 rushing yards with 32 touchdowns. The key component was a strong and physical offensive line. The offense didnt light up the scoreboard or appear near the top of the rankings in offensive categories in 2008, but the tough, physical style of play that matched the defense was just what Alabama needed. McElwain, who had 20-plus years of coaching experience, was a change of pace from Applewhite, and the Tide won 10 straight games. Of course, the rest of the story is that Alabama didnt finish against Florida in a loss in the SEC title game, and then fell flat in the Sugar Bowl against Utah to end the season on a sour note. Doug Nussmeier Year: 2012 Record: 13-1 Alabama was coming off a national championship season when Nussmeier arrived. He was tasked with opening up the Crimson Tide passing game, which was his offensive philosophy at Washington the previous year. The Huskies Keith Price was No. 10 in the nation in passing in 2011. Alabamas AJ McCarron was No. 24 that same year. A year later under Nussmeier, McCarron moved to No. 1 in the nation with a 175.3 passer rating and No. 4 in yards per attempt (9.3). To top it all off, McCarron set a then-school record for touchdowns in a season (26) and led the Tide with four touchdowns against Notre Dame to deliver another national title. The major impact Nussmeier had on UAs offense was scoring. McCarron had 16 passing touchdowns in 2011 but threw 30 in 2012 under Nussmeiers direction. Also, the Tide moved from 31st in the nation in total offense to 12th. The run game wasnt neglected by Nussmeier. It improved, too. He used Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon efficiently to average 227 yards per game (16th nationally). That was a slight increase from 2011s number of 214. Alabama running backs also scored 37 touchdowns in Nussmeiers first year. Lane Kiffin was offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2014-16. SI.com Lane Kiffin Year: 2014 Record: 11-2 There are so many stories, incidents and quotes attributed to Kiffin in his three-year tenure at Alabama that you could write a book. We will stick to Year One and Kiffins success and failures on the field. No one can question Kiffins abilities to coach an offense, and when he arrived in Tuscaloosa the Crimson Tides offense was better for it. Blake Sims, in his only season as the starting quarterback, threw for a then single-season UA record 3,487 yards with 28 touchdowns. Like all Alabama offenses, balance was the main objective. Kiffin accomplished that with a beefed-up run game led Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon - both just missed having 1,000-yard seasons and with playmaker Amari Cooper at receiver. He set then single-season records with 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014. Alabama had all the tools to win the national title. The offense basically laid an egg in the playoff semifinals against Ohio State. Leading 21-6 midway through the second quarter, the Crimson Tide produced just 54 yards on three straight drives while Ohio State scored on three straight drives. It also didnt help that Sims threw a pick-6 in the process to put the Crimson Tide down by two touchdowns. Kiffin took the brunt of the blame for the playoff loss. There were questions as to why Henry, who had the hot hand running the ball in the first quarter, wasnt utilized more. He went nearly two quarters without a touch and still finished with 95 yards and a touchdown. Brian Daboll Year: 2017 Record: 13-1 We all know what happened here. The Crimson Tide won the national championship and a great deal of credit for that goes to Daboll. It was Nick Sabans halftime decision to bench starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for true freshman Tua Tagovailoa that led to second-and-26 and history. Alabama didnt exactly set the world on fire with its offensive system in Dabolls only season as coordinator. It was good enough to win with Hurts, and what he lacked in passing efficiency he made up for with his legs. The dual-threat QB passed for just over 2,000 yards with 17 touchdowns and was Alabamas second-leading rusher with 855 yards and eight scores. Alabama did score in bunches, seven times exceeding the 40-point plateau while hitting 50 points or more three times. But twice in 2014 the Crimson Tide offense just didnt have it, and in one of those instances lost the game to Auburn. The other instance was in the first half against Georgia. Hurts was never comfortable in the pocket and couldnt find his rhythm. The offense clicked with the insertion of Tagovailoa at QB in the second half with the freshman making big play after big play, including the walk-off touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. Michael Locksley Year: 2018 Record: 14-1 It was Tua time in 2018. Locksley had one of the top quarterbacks in the country to work with and he got everything out of Tua Tagovailoa and more. Alabama led the nation in total points (684) and was third in points per game (45.6). It was all Tua for Alabama during this record-setting season. As a sophomore he set a school record for single-season passing yards (3,966) and tossed a school-record 43 touchdowns. The offense was a machine with Tagovailoa under center and the Crimson Tide steamrolled every opponent in its path in the regular season. Alabama struggled twice late in the season, against Georgia in the SEC title game and vs. Clemson in the national title game. Alabama was bailed out by Jalen Hurts against Georgia, but nothing saved the Crimson Tide from Clemson. Alabamas offense looked pedestrian against the Tigers and nothing worked in a 44-16 rout. Steve Sarkisian was Alabama's offensive coordinator the past two seasons and helped the Crimson Tide win the 2020 national title in a record-breaking season. Alabama Athletics Steve Sarkisian Year: 2019 Record: 11-2 Sarkisian was offensive coordinator in the 2016 season. However, were examining at a full season of work and not just one game a loss to Clemson in the national title game. When Sarkisian returned to Tuscaloosa following a two-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons, he had all the weapons an offensive coach could ask for. Tagovailoa was back at quarterback with the three-headed monster at receiver Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith. Throw in Jaylen Waddle and it was a defensive coachs nightmare. This was a season of what if for Sarkisian and the Tide. Tagovailoa, coming off injures from the previous season and not exactly 100 percent, sustained a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State. While backup Mac Jones filled in nicely, there was always the sense that the season would have played out differently with a healthy Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa and Jones combined for nearly 4,500 passing yards and 47 touchdowns, while Smith and Jeudy topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark. It was a near miss for Alabama in 2019, but that just set the stage for the following year and a record-breaking season unlike any other in Crimson Tide history. | https://www.si.com/college/alabama/bamacentral/how-will-bill-obrien-stack-up-against-past-alabama-coordinators-in-his-first-season |
How Bad is Luka Doncic's Technical Foul Trouble? | Against the Bucks, Luka Doncic recorded his 12th technical foul of the season. DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is leading the team in points and assists as the Mavs make their push for the 6th seed in the Western Conference during the final stretch of the 2020-21 regular NBA season. Heating up, the Mavs are 6-1 in their last seven games, defeating their opponents by an average of 14 points with Doncic averaging 27.7 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting in that span. Most recently, Doncic wow'd in Dallas' victory over the reigning Eastern Conference champions Milwaukee Bucks with a near triple-double; 27 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. The point guard's emotion and effort are ever-present. As the franchise leader in triple-doubles (34), Doncic is also leading the team in a not-so-good stat: technical fouls. Against the Bucks, Doncic recorded his 12th technical foul of the season, edging closer to 16, which is an automatic one-game suspension. Only one player in the league has more - Philadelphia 76ers Dwight Howard (13). The Mavs have 21 regular-season games left and Doncic has four technical fouls left before his sits. Hes aware. My level of concern is there but hes an emotional competitor," Coach Rick Carlisle said. "It all comes from the right place. Hes smart. He knows where the count is. If hes going to get his 16th, hell get it in a situation where its time for a night of rest anyway. Im not really that worried about it." [READ MORE: Luka Doncic Young Star Rankings - How High Can He Rise?] Lakers Center Changes Decision] If Doncic is to reach 16, every two technicals warrant another one-game suspension from there on out. Dallas hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 7 p.m. CT and then the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at 6:30 p.m. CT. | https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/how-bad-is-luka-doncics-technical-foul-trouble |
Why wasn't Prince Philip called king? | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died on Friday at age 99. The prince married Queen Elizabeth II five years before she became queen but when she was crowned, he wasn't given the title of king. That's because Prince Philip, who is actually a former prince of Denmark and Greece, was never in line to the British throne. Prince Philip married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 and she became queen in 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI. She later gave her husband the title of prince. This title wasn't a slight to Prince Philip he wasn't supposed to be called king or prince. His title was Duke of Edinburgh until February 22, 1957 when the palace released a statement: "The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm bearing date 22nd February, 1957, to give and grant unto His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T., G.B.E., the style and titular dignity of a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Whitehall." A woman who marries the king can be called a queen, but for men who marry the monarch, there are different rules. They can't use the king title because it is only given to males who inherit the throne, according to BBC News. Therefore, the couple's eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, will receive the king title when he assumes the position. Their other children: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward will keep these titles. Prince William, Prince Charles' son and the queen's grandson, is next in line for the king title, followed by his eldest son, Prince George. Giving Prince Philip his title isn't the only unique naming decision made by the queen. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip decided to distinguish themselves from past royals, who did not use last names. They started using a hyphenated surname: Mountbatten-Windsor, Mountbatten coming from Prince Phillip's maternal grandparents. According to BBC News, Prince Phillip asked for this last name change. "I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children," he said when Queen Elizabeth II was persuaded to keep Windsor, BBC News reports. "I'm nothing but a bloody amoeba!" So, the queen's children and grandchildren can use Mountbatten-Windsor as a surname when they need to. However, royals don't really have much use for last names; they already have long enough titles, like Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Prince Philip might not have been king, but he was constantly by his wife's side, and was the Queen's consort, with a primary role of supporting her. He is the longest-serving consort of any British monarch, and he completed more than 22,000 solo engagements by the time he retired from his royal duties in 2017, according to BBC News. | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-philip-not-king/ |
Which Falcons could return to their college numbers? | In the coming days, the NFL is expected to relax its restrictive numbering policy, per Peter King. Until now, the numbers that players wore on the field had to be in accordance with the position they play. Here is the new number allotment set to be established in 2021. Quarterback, Punter/Kicker: 1-19 (unchanged) Running back, wide receivers, tight ends: 1-49, 80-89 Offensive linemen: 50-79 Defensive linemen: 50-79, 90-99 Linebacker: 1-59, 90-99 Defensive backs: 1-49 There are a number of Falcons players who wore a number in college that was prohibited from being worn in the NFL when they first entered the league. The economic side of this is obviously beneficial for the team as many fans would likely flock to buy a No. 8 Julio Jones or a No. 23 Foye Oluokun jersey. Here are seven Falcons players that some fans could see return to their former number. Calvin Ridley - No. 3 Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports The last time we saw Calvin Ridley sporting the No. 3 he was defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the national championship. Considering Ridley has been in the NFL just a few years, he shouldn't be attached too much to the No. 18 he currently wears for the Falcons. Mykal Walker - No. 3 (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Walker also sported the No. 3 jersey while playing at Fresno State. However, even with the new rule change, teams won't be allowed to have duplicate numbers like they can in college. So a switch to No. 3 only seems likely if Ridley chooses to stay with his current number the Falcons gave him after being drafted. Dante Fowler - No. 6 Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dante Fowler has had a very forgettable time with the Falcons, but a switch to his college No. 6 could give the notion "if you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good" some new life. Fowler's 2022 season has been voided, per his recent contract restructuring. So a good showing for the Falcons this year could benefit him for next year's free agency. Story continues Julio Jones - No. 8 Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Probably the least likely Falcons player to switch, but if he were, I find it hard not to assume his jersey would fly off the shelves. Jones has been a staple figure in the Atlanta sports world since he first stepped on the field for the Falcons. Jones has been sporting the No. 11 jersey since being drafted in 2011 but a switch now just doesn't seem likely. Not to mention, his future with the Falcons is much in doubt. A.J. Terrell - No. 8 Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Terrell got his current No. 24 after the Falcons parted ways with Devonta Freeman last season. But since he came into the league in 2020, he has no ties to No. 24. So a switch back to No. 8 wouldn't be a surprise for the second year cornerback. Foye Oluokun - No. 23 (AP Photo/Gregory Payan) Next to Mykal Walker, Foye going back to his No. 23 he wore while at Yale is my favorite of the bunch. Naturally, the No. 23 is such an iconic number and would look super clean with Oluokun stitched on the back. Foye started off his career on defense at Yale not as a linebacker, where he plays now, but as safety. Oluokun had a successful 2020 campaign and is slated to become a free agent in 2022. A good showing early on could bring an extension his way. Grady Jarrett - No. 50 :Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Next to Julio, Jarrett going back to the No. 50 he wore while at Clemson also seems unlikely. Numbers really aren't a huge concern to non-skill players, so I imagine he's just fine staying put at No. 97. However, considering that his father, Jessie Tuggle, wore No. 58, Jarrett could opt for a number closer to his. 1 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/falcons-could-return-college-numbers-154522673.html?src=rss |
What Is A Vaccine Passport And Will We Need One? | As more people become fully vaccinated and start traveling again, different groups are looking to enhance travel safety and reduce the potential coronavirus spread. One concept that's gaining traction across the world is the travel vaccine passport. Here are some key points to better understand what might be involved. BRAZIL - 2021/04/05: In this photo illustration a symbolic COVID-19 health passport seen displayed ... [+] on a smartphone screen in front of the United States of America (USA) flag. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images How Vaccine Passports Work Here is a quick step-by-step look at how vaccine passports function: Download passport app to your mobile phone Create an account with biometric data (thumbprint or face id) Upload negative test results and vaccination dates Scan passport QR code at travel checkpoints or public venues Until a person receives their vaccine, it's possible to upload negative COVID-19 test results. These results can be used to waive the mandatory quarantines when entering another state or country, for instance. Vaccine passports are not a new invention, but countries and businesses are restarting the idea because of the coronavirus pandemic. United States officials required proof of vaccination for smallpox in the early 1900s. According to a Time Magazine article, proof could be one of three methods: A paper document after receiving a smallpox vaccine A properly scarred arm from the vaccine injection site Pitted face (i.e., recovered from smallpox) This proof was necessary to enter the United States at an international border crossing or one of the immigration processing facilities. Over the 20th century and 21st century, international travelers may have needed to present proof of vaccination to enter certain countries. For instance, Yellow Fever is a common travel vaccine that some countries require. The COVID-19 vaccine may be another mandatory travel vaccine. What makes the coronavirus vaccine passport different from previous versions is that it will be digital. For other shots, travelers may only have to show a paper record that can be relatively easy to forget or forge. International travelers may need to carry their existing travel passports and a vaccine passport. To travel, the final COVID-19 vaccine dose must be administered at least 14 days before departure. There are currently several versions of a vaccine passport to record receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The passport is compatible with mobile phones, but the app may only work for a specific country. People will need to bring their paper proof of vaccination form in places where there isn't a nationwide digital passport available. Yes and no. Some countries already have digital passports to record when people receive their coronavirus vaccines. Citizens must use the passport to travel or access certain public places. In other instances, private business groups are collaborating with biometrics companies like CLEAR to upload diagnostic test results and digital vaccination proof. Here's a look at the current stance of the United States plus a few other destinations. United States There currently isn't a national vaccine passport for the United States. The Biden Administration has repeatedly stated they will not require Americans to carry proof of vaccination or keep a national vaccination database. However, the White House has said they will let the private sector and regional governments like states and cities enact stricter policies. Employers might require vaccination as a condition of employment. Stores, theme parks and travel providers may require customers to be adequately vaccinated to enter. There is also contention between states whether vaccine passports should be mandatory. The Florida, Texas and Idaho governors have passed executive orders discouraging state agencies and private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination to gain entry. Other states are receptive to vaccination passports, including New York, Hawaii and Illinois. New York Excelsior Pass New York is one of the first states to roll out a statewide vaccine passport. The Excelsior Pass can produce stores negative COVID-19 test results and digital proof of vaccination. Government and private vendors can scan the QR code on the pass holder's phone or a printed paper receipt to retrieve their vaccination details. Using this pass is voluntary at the moment. But a growing number of New York State public venues are requiring proof of vaccination or a negative diagnostic test to gain entry. The Excelsior Pass can expedite the entry process. Some places currently accepting the pass include: Barclays Center Madison Square Garden Yankee Stadium Citi Field Arts and entertainment venues Sports events, concerts and broadway shows can eventually require the passport to gain entry. Wedding receptions exceeding the social distancing guidelines in New York already require proof of a negative COVID-19 test for guests to enter. This pass can be used as well to obey the law. Travel Pass A joint international effort among domestic airlines and international airlines is working together to produce a universal passport app. Approximately 23 airlines are testing the Travel Pass to upload vital health credentials necessary for travel between two countries. European Union The European Union may launch a "green pass" to resume travel within the Schengen Zone. Before the pandemic, travelers could journey restriction-free between nations without going through customs or getting a passport stamp. There are also reports that adjacent nations, like Sweden and Denmark, collaborating to permit leisure travel between countries. United Kingdom The United Kingdom will be testing a pilot vaccine passport program at these events in the spring months: World Snooker Championship (Sheffield) FA Cup (London) Luna Cinema (Liverpool) Hot Water Comedy Club (Liverpool) Britons and international tourists may eventually expect to need a digital or paper passport to enter soccer, theater and other sports matches. China China is the largest nation to launch a vaccine passport. It can be downloaded in WeChat. A paper version is available, but the passport isn't mandatory yet. Several tout this initiative as "the world's first vaccine passport." It's possible this passport may be used for multiple nations in the Asian region. So far, the app is only available to Chinese citizens. Bahrain Bahrain is also one of the first nations to launch a passport. The BeAware app shows a green shield next to the person's personal information to prove they are fully vaccinated. Israel Israel has perhaps made the most progress in rolling out a vaccine passport for its citizens. The Green Pass is necessary for Israelis to travel, enter select public places like theaters and gyms and dine inside restaurants. Summary A nationwide vaccine passport currently isn't available in the United States but might be in the coming months. For now, several small nations are implementing their programs that can serve as a model for what Americans can expect once the vaccine becomes widely available, along with a rebound of public events and international travel. Related Articles: | https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffwhitmore/2021/04/09/what-is-a-vaccine-passport-and-will-we-need-one/ |
Whats Behind Patreons $4B Valuation? | ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 12: CEO of Patreon Jack Conte attends VidCon 2019 at Anaheim Convention ... [+] Center on July 12, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images) Getty Images Patreon has been a keystone in the creative economy since 2013, helping over 200,000 independent artists, musicians, writers and others build broad subscription-based support from users for their projects and lifestyles. The company has reportedly distributed over $2 billion to creators over the past seven years and has accelerated in 2020 to $1 billion a year, relying on a 5-12% cut of revenues raised through a network of 6 million subscribers. Some creators generate enough from member support to practice their art full time; others supplement their day jobs or free up enough time in their lives to engage in their creative pursuits without painful economic sacrifices. No doubt Patreon has built an interesting and useful business with a sterling brand identity, but you have to squint awfully hard at those numbers to see a unicorn in the making. Thats why the company raised eyebrows this week when a $155 million investment led by new investor Tiger Global Management, with participation from Woodline Partners and previous investors Wellington Management, Lone Pine Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Glade Brook Capital, and DFJ Growth, rocketed Patreons overall valuation to $4 billion, up from the $1.2 billion level after its previous $90 million round. One reason for optimism is that the pandemic created a surge in individual creative enterprise, with people working from home or laid off from their jobs, and a corresponding appetite for new art and entertainment from an audience unable to participate in the usual public activities. Thats helped Patreon scale its growth considerably, with the potential to capitalize on permanent changes in consumer behavior in terms of their willingness to directly support creators they like. I think whats happened over the last year makes it very clear that the next 10 years will be the decade of the creator, said Patreon CEO Jack Conte in a recent interview. Im excited for what this means for the leverage that creative people are about to have, the control that creative people are about to have. Another trend working in Patreons favor is the decline in revenues from online advertising, the suspension of in-person events, and changes in payment terms from platforms like YouTube. That has made it challenging for creators to generate stable and predictable income by selling ads on their site or scaling up their online audience on third-party platforms. Patreon enables creators to solicit support from fans in the form of small monthly payments, which entitle them to rewards such as exclusive content, online chat sessions and other forms of special attention. Patreon aggregates the payments to create an economy of scale, and charges its members a 5-12% fee depending on which of the three levels of membership and service they opt for. Basic level provides access to the sites online services, while top level members get personalized Patreon resources to help them build and nurture their audience. Conte said that while the category of individual creators has grown massively in the past decade, few businesses truly support the creators themselves rather than the advertiser community. Patreon allows creators to scale their income independent of factors outside the artists control such as ad rates or platform reimbursement models. Consequently, he said, many Patreon creators double their revenues in a year and triple their revenues in two years by appealing directly to their fans for support. Patreon has grown on both the creator and subscriber side, and sees further potential by taking its business model global. In the past year, the company has added support for popular international currencies and languages. Conte said Patreon will use the $155 million capital infusion to support the creator community by developing new experiences and modes of engagement, as well as fueling continued international expansion. The company also plans to expand its workforce. Amid hints that Patreon may take advantage of the SPAC boom to go public, Conte said he is fielding a lot of inquiries based on the heightened attention on the creator-driven economy, but there is no timeline for such an announcement. Were not focused on that as a company, he said. We are hyper-focused on building value for creators, helping them make money and build their businesses. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2021/04/09/whats-behind-patreons-4b-valuation/ |
Should the Cleveland Indians and MLB require players to take the COVID-19 vaccine? | Register for Indians Subtext to hear your Tribe questions answered exclusively on the show. Send a text to 216-208-4346 to subscribe for $3.99/mo. CLEVELAND, Ohio James Karinchak made headlines earlier this week when he shared a post to his Instagram story that took an anti-vaccination stance just as Indians players were getting ready to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Fridays podcast, Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga look at what this means for Cleveland and discuss whether or not making player vaccinations mandatory is a good idea. Click here. We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe to it here. You can also subscribe on Google Play and listen on Spotify. Search Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast or download the audio here. - New Indians face masks for sale: Heres where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity. Podcast Santanas tip of the cap and three other things Rally pays off in victory over KC, two home runs for Ramrez Attendance not expected to show impact of Gov. Podcast | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/04/should-the-clevleand-indians-and-mlb-require-players-to-take-the-covid-19-vaccine.html |
What should Falcons do with No. 4 overall pick in draft? | The Telegraph Bryson DeChambeau was as surprised as most golf observers when Rory McIlroy revealed he had tinkered with his technique to keep up with the big-hitting US Open Champion. "I knew there would be people there to be influenced, I didnt think it would be Rory," said DeChambeau. Well, quite. By his own admission, the search for additional distance has thrown McIlroy's swing out of sequence and left him fighting a two-way miss, manifested in a four-over opening round of 76 at the Masters on Thursday. Expectations were low for McIlroy, given he is trying to compete just a few weeks after officially partnering with coach Pete Cowen and all the new swing thoughts and mental baggage that entails. Cowen's counsel is highly-regarded and the relationship should prove a fruitful one. McIlroy certainly looks in need of guidance, because someone in his corner should have questioned the wisdom of searching for even more clubhead speed. In the last five seasons, McIlroy's PGA Tour ranking for driving distance has been: fourth, second, first, first and ninth. If anyone should suffer from a case of distance envy, it is not McIlroy. The competitive advantage on offer for gaining an extra few yards is surely minuscule. McIlroy's swing is the most envied in golf. There is a poise and flourish to his long game that is worth the price of admission alone. When the putter is working and McIlroy's mind is in the right place, he is incredibly difficult to beat and every player on Tour knows it. The quality of his ball-striking has, until the last few months, been taken as read. "I added some speed and I am hitting the ball longer, but what that did to my swing as a whole probably wasn't a good thing, so I'm sort of fighting to get back out of that," McIlroy said in March. By jeopardising his biggest asset, the first half of McIlroy's season could become a write off. | https://sports.yahoo.com/falcons-no-4-overall-pick-171526815.html?src=rss |
Could Kawhi Leonard leave Clippers for Heat as free agent? | Kawhi Leonard will probably re-sign with the Clippers. But Leonard is the type of superstar who can singlehandedly transform the NBA landscape. So, even if the odds strongly favor him staying in L.A., speculation still swirls around his free agency. The significance of him changing teams would be that significant. Beyond the Clippers, much of the chatter has focused on the Heat. Evan Massey of NBA Analysis Network: One NBA agent spoke to NBA Analysis Network about Leonards future and the possibility that he could leave the Clippers. He stated that the Heat would intrigue Leonard on the open market. Kawhi (Leonard) could very well listen to pitches from other teams. That is something that he is considering. If that does end up being the case, he would be intrigued at the possibility of joining the Miami Heat. Joining forces with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo is something that he would absolutely have interest in. ESPNs Brian Windhorst and Rachel Nichols also brought up Leonard to Miami on The Jump (though while expressing doubt): So much of today was about what's going to happen this summer teams making decisions on whether to move or keep players with upcoming free agency demands. @WindhorstESPN on the mechanics there, including the Heat leaving themselves cap room in case Kawhi starts looking around: pic.twitter.com/5PIrtFcZ68 Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 25, 2021 Leonards Clippers experience hasnt gone as hoped so far. They were mired in chemistry problems then suffered a historic playoff collapse last season. Leonard has expressed more dissatisfaction this year. Paul George can sound insufferable. Sometimes, players find playing at home isnt what they expected. Story continues Leonard can (and intends to) opt out and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Even if he structured his contract that way planning to re-sign with the Clippers and maximize his salary once he reaches 10 years of experience, the player option gives him an opening to leave. The Heat just made such an impressive showing as a winning franchise with their run to the 2020 NBA Finals. Before L.A. traded for George, Leonard reportedly wanted to team with Butler. Miami, like Leonards native Southern California, has warm weather. But even if they trimmed their roster to just Butler and Adebayo, the Heat wouldnt project to have max cap space for Leonard (a consequence of giving Adebayo a contract extension last offseason rather than waiting to re-sign him as a restricted free agent to a new deal with the same max terms this summer). Miami could engineer a sign-and-trade by exercising Goran Dragics and Andre Igudoalas team options and using them as matching salary. But the Clippers would obviously have to agree. Especially if the Clippers are Leonards second choice, they could try forcing his hand. Of course, Leonard could try convincing the Clippers hed sign with a cap-space team if they dont accommodate a sign-and-trade. The Heat would have to entice L.A. beyond Dragics and Iguodalas contracts with players like Tyler Herro and Precious Achiuwa and/or picks. Duncan Robinson and/or Nunn could get involved in a dual sign-and-trade. There is a path for Leonard to Miami. But this all goes back to Leonard and what he wants. He has been famously private throughout his career. He has even more reason to keep his cards close to the vest now. Even if people have a read into his current offseason plan, the situation can change significantly. How the Clippers fare in the playoffs will leave a major impression ahead of free agency. Heres what we know: Leonard chose the Clippers just two years ago. More than any hints or whispers emerging now, that is the strongest prior when assessing what Leonard will do this summer. originally appeared on NBCSports.com | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-kawhi-leonard-leave-clippers-173733936.html?src=rss |
Should I do more kissing with my hot friend? | He likes to take things very slow, which is fine, but then he has a tendency to randomly flip a switch on girls hes dating and only wants to be friends again. Ive noticed a pattern. Q. I guess Im wondering what you do when youre walking the fine line between friendship and something more. I have this great guy friend who Ive been close to for a few years now. Hes seen me go through boyfriends and helped me get through some hard times. He had a girlfriend when we met, but I never met her because they broke up soon after. Advertisement Another thing is that sometimes he will start talking to a girl again, flipping that same switch. Before the commenters rip him/me apart, he isnt sleeping around. He makes it pretty clear to these women that he wants to wait until marriage (and I know he is straight). Anyway, over the last few months, the tone of our conversations has shifted a little, and he started throwing out really sweet compliments about me. I returned his energy because hes definitely an attractive guy, and it was interesting, I guess. Then, we were watching a movie at my place recently, and we shared a drunken kiss. We never really talked about it because it was just one kiss, but he did say I wasnt a bad kisser on the phone a few days later. Im not stupid and I dont want to jeopardize a friendship I value a lot by changing the dynamic. I also dont want to be another girl he drops suddenly, but the guy managed to get in my head and now Im thinking about him. I really do love this guy (in a best-friendship way) and Id be lying if I said that over the years I didnt think about him as more a few times. I dont know if I should pursue a potential relationship or if I should keep the friendship. Advertisement WONDERING IF I SHOULD CHASE THE HOT GUY A. They never show you the scene that comes after the screen fades to black in those movies. I imagine thats because some of those friends-to-enemies-to-lovers relationships burn out in the long run. You know this man flips a switch on women. Hes in it ... until he isnt. It doesnt seem like hes looking for the person hes going to marry. But you might not be either. I dont get the sense youre ready for a forever kind of commitment. In fact, the only thing youve made clear is that you like the friendship and think this person is hot. Maybe youd be OK with some ambiguity and more kissing. Think about how youd feel about something casual. Im not a huge supporter of friends-with-benefits relationships because ... well, the letters about them sound kind of painful. But I imagine there are a zillion people who make them work and never write to advice columns because theyre having so much fun. Advertisement My last thought is that the line has been crossed; hes already more than a friend. At the very least, the two of you should talk about whats changed and what youre willing to try. You also want to make sure you have a few platonic friends in your circle. Im not sure this person was ever 100 percent friend, but hes not your person for stability right now. Thats OK, by the way. Relationships change. I guess Im giving you a big maybe. Think about what you want, what youre willing to try. Ask him if hes thinking about it too. If you can drop the happily ever afters and focus on today, there might be something there. MEREDITH READERS RESPOND: The thing is, eventually you will lose this guys friendship if it doesnt become something more. The fade-to-black will be him going off with some other girl and his focus staying on her after they marry and you never hear from him again. Might as well take your shot at being that girl, letter writer. That in itself is quite odd. At least one of you shouldve taken it further, attempted to show interest. It seems really awkward. Im not on board with waiting until marriage either. This guy seems lukewarm at best about having hot and heavy ANYTHING. Proceed with caution. Advertisement LUPELOVE I wouldnt get overly excited about one drunken kiss, especially when his reaction a few days later was only to say that you werent a bad kisser, not something more romantic or telling you that his feelings had changed. If you want to give it a shot, you can ask him if he can see you as more than a friend. You should have a good idea if hes looking for a relationship or not if youre really close friends. If hes not, its probably a waste of time and you will end up not being friends. LEGALLYLIZ2017 The solution is to communicate with him. You dont have to chase him. Its easy. Just make him talk about it. And you have to talk about it too. In person. OUTOFORDER Send your own relationship and dating questions to [email protected]. Catch new episodes of Meredith Goldsteins Love Letters podcast at loveletters.show or wherever you listen to podcasts. Column and comments are edited and reprinted from boston.com/loveletters. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/09/lifestyle/should-i-do-more-kissing-with-my-hot-friend/ |
Why cant the US mens soccer team get into the Olympics? | When the United States mens soccer team lost to Honduras with a Tokyo ticket at stake it marked the fourth time out of the last five that the Americans have failed to qualify for the Olympic Games. Until something changes it probably wont be the last time. Unless US Soccer can persuade European clubs to free up players or MLS starts its season earlier, the US will be putting an underprepared B team on the field for Olympic qualifying. Advertisement No doubt the Yanks would have made it if they had even half a dozen of their top under-24 overseas pros such as Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), and Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund). But since clubs arent required to release players for youth tournaments such as the Olympics, they didnt. So Kreis went with MLSers who were in preseason form and played that way. I dont know if I have ever seen a game where weve had players lose control of the ball so much balls rolling under peoples feet, passing out of bounds, said Kreis. North Korea, which says it is skipping the Tokyo Games because of COVID-19 concerns, hasnt missed a summer Olympics since 1988, when it boycotted the Seoul edition because of friction with its southern neighbor. The decision, not yet formalized, came just as North and South announced a joint bid for the 2032 edition, which likely will be awarded to Brisbane. Stone going for three, again Gevvie Stone, the Olympic silver medalist who just missed making her third squad in the womens single in February, gets a second chance in the double at this weeks rowing trials in West Windsor, N.J. The Newton native, wholl team with Westons Kristina Wagner, will be up against Rio finalists Meghan OLeary and Ellen Tomek and Westons Cicely Madden (Stones partner at the last world regatta) and Maggie Fellows of Warwick, Mass. Stone also is listed as one of the 25 camp candidates for the eight and four, whose number includes Rio gold medalists Meghan Musnicki and Emily Regan, Harvard grad Caryn Davies (gold in 2008 and 2012) and nine other members of the 2019 world team. The eight will be gunning for a record fourth straight gold medal in Tokyo. Advertisement Well be there Except for Jden Cox, who didnt make weight at 97 kilograms, all of the titlists from the last world championships made the US Olympic wrestling team at the recent Fort Worth trials. Kyle Dake, the global freestyle champ at 79 kilograms, dropped to 74 and bested London victor (and four-time world champion) Jordan Burroughs. Jacarra Winchester (53 kg), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg), and Adeline Gray (76 kg) all breezed on the womens side. Theyll join Helen Maroulis (57 kg), who won the historic gold medal in 2016 but had to go three bouts to earn her return ticket. Scioscia the skipper Mike Scioscia, the former Angels manager and Dodgers star, will direct the US baseball squad in its second shot at a Tokyo berth at the hemispheric qualifying tournament in Florida in June. He takes over from Scott Brosius, who took over for Joe Girardi in 2019 after Girardi accepted the Phillies managerial job. If the Americans get to the Games, Scioscia will be the third straight skipper with a Dodgers connection. Tommy Lasorda managed the 2000 squad to the gold medal and Davey Johnson oversaw the 2008 team that earned bronze. Advertisement Track palace at Oregon Hayward Field, the University of Oregons legendary track stadium that will host the Olympic trials and next years world championships, has become the sports modern palace after a two-year, $200 million renovation. The facility has a nine-lane running surface, 12,650 seats (expandable to 25,000), a curved roof undergirded by Douglas fir supports from local forests, an underground museum, and a 10-story tower shaped like an Olympic torch. The effect is a theater-like experience for spectators and what Oregon coach Robert Johnson calls a five-star resort for athletes wholl have access to a sports medicine center with a hydrotherapy room, plunge pools, a nutrition area, and a barber shop and salon. I would never leave, said Galen Rupp, a former Duck and two-time Olympic medalist. I would live there. Lets try this again Omaha, which had sold 90 percent of the seats for the two sets of Olympic swimming trials in June, is doing a complete refund and resale now that capacity at CHI Health Center has been reduced to 50 percent. Existing ticket-holders will get first dibs. Reese decides to retire Eddie Reese, who retired recently at 79 after directing Texas to a record 15th NCAA mens swimming title (at least one in each of the last five decades), has an extraordinary Olympic rsum. He was US head coach at the 1992, 2004, and 2008 Games, and assistant at three others. He supervised 22 gold medalists including a number of Longhorns, among them Gary Hall, Jr., Aaron Peirsol, and Rick Carey. Advertisement Daly enshrined in FIBA Hall Chuck Daly, who coached the Dream Team at the 1992 Games, recently was enshrined posthumously in the FIBA Hall of Fame four years after the entire squad was inducted. Hes joined by, among others, Tom Maher, the Australian who coached four different countries at the Olympics; former NBA star Detlef Schrempf, who played in two tournaments for Germany; and Sergei Tarakanov, a member of the Soviet team that beat the US in 1988. John Powers can be reached at [email protected]. Material from Olympic committees, sports federations, interviews, and wire services was used in this report. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/09/sports/why-cant-us-mens-soccer-team-get-into-olympics/ |
Should cities and towns adopt the future net zero stretch energy code? | Cammy Peterson Marilyn Humphries The new net zero stretch code the state must now develop as an option for cities and towns will pave the way for highly efficient buildings that are predominantly electric and fueled by renewables. The states newly enacted climate law directs the Department of Energy Resources to write this new stretch code, which would set net zero standards for new construction and possibly major renovations exceeding those in the state building code or the existing stretch code. In municipalities adopting the new code, that could mean, for example, requiring highly efficient electric heating and cooling systems and renewable energy, with the goal that residential, commercial, and municipal buildings use no more energy than they generate. Communities should seize this opportunity to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance comfort, and bolster resilience to extreme weather. Municipal leaders have called for the new code to support their climate goals. Twenty-seven percent of Massachusetts greenhouse gas emissions result from building heating and hot-water systems. Add electricity from lighting, appliances, and other systems, and buildings constitute over 70 percent of emissions in some municipalities. State data shows that while most building construction between now and 2050 will likely occur by 2030, a net zero code by 2023 could reduce emissions 87 percent from new construction. Advertisement Affordable housing advocates have rejected the claim that the new code will increase production costs or slow housing construction. More efficient affordable units can actually improve the long-term financial viability for low-income residents. Throughout Massachusetts, we are already seeing new net zero affordable buildings being constructed. One report estimates construction is ongoing or complete on over 7 million square feet of these buildings, including schools, homes, and laboratories. They feature robust building envelopes, and heat pumps that provide heating and cooling by exchanging air between the inside and outside and reduce operating costs. Advertisement Net zero buildings will greatly diminish the need for fossil fuels. These highly efficient buildings generally have lower peak electric demand so wont overload the grid, and renewable costs are now often as low as fossil sources. Communities adopting the code will avoid locking in fossil fuels while retaining the option to rescind the code later. Its a no-regrets strategy that advances both better buildings and climate goals. NO Robert L. Brennan, Jr. President of the CapeBuilt Companies; chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Massachusetts; Amesbury resident Robert Brennan Municipalities should not adopt a net zero building code nor should they be asked by lawmakers or others to do so without first being informed of the costs of compliance, without understanding the impacts that increased building costs will have on housing production, and without the Commonwealth standing ready with new programs to offset the higher costs and support housing production. Any objective consideration of a net zero building code must acknowledge the additional costs of construction including for multi-family rental housing and starter homes. These costs will be further increased by the absence of a mature and competitive market for qualifying products and providers. Increased construction costs will impact housing production because they will be passed on to buyers or tenants. Some projects will simply fail to pencil out as financially viable in areas of the state where increased rents cannot be supported or higher purchase prices exceed what new buyers can afford. Advertisement Increased construction costs are not standing alone reason to reject a net zero code. However, municipalities and families should not be forced to choose between housing attainability and climate action. This conflict can be easily avoided. Now that the Legislature has put in motion an opt-in net zero code for municipalities, the Commonwealth has an opportunity and obligation to: (1) objectively calculate the cost implications of every new requirement that the administration considers as it drafts the code; (2) assess the cumulative impact of those additional costs on housing production; and (3) put in place climate and housing programs to mitigate those costs and avoid negative impacts on housing production. These simple steps would allow the Commonwealth to move thoughtfully and effectively toward reducing fossil fuel emissions and continue to support housing production for families. Cost offsetting programs successfully fueled the Commonwealths last major climate initiative by boosting energy production from 3 MW in 2007 to over 2,000 MW in 2018. Similar net zero programs could include tax credits, robust product rebates, and low-interest loans for net zero home improvements. The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts supports the advancement of both climate policy and housing production. Massachusetts can lead in both! As told to Globe correspondent John Laidler. To suggest a topic, please contact [email protected]. Advertisement This is not a scientific survey. Please only vote once. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/09/metro/should-cities-towns-adopt-future-net-zero-stretch-energy-code/ |
Why did the Red Sox demote Tanner Houck despite his success? | The Sox couldnt have asked or even hoped for more. Yet with the return of Eduardo Rodriguez to the rotation, the 24-year-old righthander was redirected to Polar Park on Tuesday night. On the surface, the turn of events seems baffling. Through his first five big league appearances, Houck is an eye-popping 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 23 innings. Through no fault of his own, Tanner Houck now resides in the borderland of the Red Sox alternate site in Worcester, biding his time while awaiting his next big league opportunity. Foremost, Houck has minor league options that allow him to be shuttled to and from Worcester while the current members of the rotation (Rodriguez, Nate Eovaldi, Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta, and Martn Prez) do not. Advertisement But the Sox also believe that Houck can benefit from additional time in the minors, just as his time at the alternate site last summer allowed him to make a sizable leap with his four-seam fastball command, playing a significant role in his big league success. Hes obviously performed very, very well. Theres no doubt about that, said Sox pitching coach Dave Bush. [But] there are a lot of factors [involved in sending him to Worcester] his own development, our roster depth, making sure we treat him the right way. In the case of Houck, as dominant as hes been in the big leagues, debate continues about whether his arsenal will allow him to stay in the rotation and particularly whether he can improve upon his pitch mix in a way to increase the long-term chances of consistent success. Advertisement Hes clearly ready to compete in the big leagues, but young pitchers often enjoy initial success before shortcomings get exposed. For instance, Clay Buchholz looked like a ready-made ace when he threw a no-hitter in his second career start in 2007. The next year, he was over-reliant on his fastball and curveball and got hit hard. The Sox demoted him multiple times in 2008 and 09 before he established himself in the rotation. You can be successful here, observed Sox manager Alex Cora, but it doesnt mean that you have checked all your boxes from our end. You can keep getting better. To this point in his big league career, Houck has relied almost exclusively on fastballs (both a four-seamer and nasty sinker) as well as a slider. While he worked to develop a splitter in 2020, hes barely used it, throwing it just 3 percent of the time. We talked a lot about trying to develop a splitter and having it function as a third pitch. For the time being, its not a good enough pitch to force it, said Bush. The fastball and breaking ball are just significantly better at this point in time, so hes still going to overload those pitches. Thats not the template for a starter. Traditionally, teams have asked pitchers to develop at least three distinct offerings if theyre to go through an opposing lineup multiple times as a starter. There are, however, a small but growing number of exceptions in an era when starters are being asked to work fewer innings. Advertisement In 2019, there were 103 starters who threw at least 2,000 pitches. Of those, three (2.9 percent) featured a mix consisting at least of 89 percent fastballs as well as one secondary pitch. In the compressed 2020 campaign, there were 96 big league starters who threw at least 750 pitches (roughly the prorated equivalent of 2,000 in a full season). Of those, nine (9.4 percent) had a mix of at least 89 percent fastballs and one secondary pitch. The pitchers who used those two-pitch mixes included some standouts. Padres hurler Dinelson Lamet threw nothing but four-seam fastballs and sliders and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting. Lance Lynn has thrown roughly 90 percent sinkers, four-seamers, and cutters over the last two years with back-to-back top-six Cy Young finishes. Tyler Glasnow of the Rays threw almost exclusively four-seamers and curveballs last year, yet often dominated. (Its worth noting, however, that Glasnow has reached another level in his first two starts of 2021 after adding a slider.) Rich Hill has thrown 90-95 percent four-seamers and curveballs over the last several years with significant success. Clearly, there is room for a two-pitch starter, especially if teams are content to ask their starters to call it a day after two times through the order. If those two pitches are good enough, then there are certain pitchers that can make them work, said Bush. Its not easy. You have to have good command and really high-quality pitches. If its just fastball/breaking ball, they both have to be high quality and they both have to be commanded well. Its a tough way to survive because the hitter only has so many things to think about, but there are guys who have high enough pitch quality to do it that way. Advertisement Hill noted that there are ways to expand the potential of pitches so that a seemingly limited arsenal can become far more diverse. He changes speeds, locations, delivery tempos, and arm slots in order to disrupt the timing of hitters. If youre a two-pitch pitcher, you can argue that its six different breaking balls with the same idea its a curveball, said Hill. A lot of those things go into it with two pitches and can make a pitcher successful as a starter at this level. Its really about being more creative and having freedom to be creative. Houck needs a consistent delivery in order to command his mix, so he likely wouldnt experiment with the same variables as Hill. Houck does, however, possess a four-seamer and sinker that are very different, with distinct grips, shapes, and locations (up and glove side with the four-seamer, down and arm side with the two-seamer). Even so, because those two fastballs are roughly the same velocity, hitters can slightly narrow the number of variables they consider. Houck has nonetheless baffled hitters largely because of his unusually low release point and the movement he generates with his slider, a pitch that dives from one batters box to the other. Advertisement If Houck can further develop an additional pitch perhaps the splitter, perhaps something else such as a cutter to the point where hes comfortable using it 10 or 15 times a start, then he could elevate his ceiling as someone capable of working a third time through the order and with a chance for an even better long-term outlook. With his current mix, his slider and two fastballs are good enough that he may be an outlier who can stick in the rotation, but hed need standout command to do so. Houck, who struggled to throw strikes in stretches in the minors, particularly against lefties, has made huge strides in locating his pitches to the point of forcing the conversation about whether he has a big league starters arsenal. Further command improvements or pitch development would cement his future. Were still trying to develop what pitch qualities he has and what he ends up being. I dont know what its going to look like right now, said Bush. Hes not a finished product. Nonetheless, Houck already represents the organizations most successful homegrown starter in years and a trusted source of big league-ready depth. Of the 96 major league starters in 2020 who threw at least 750 pitches, nine (9.4 percent) threw almost exclusively fastballs and one additional pitch. * - Houck threw 265 pitches in 2020. Pitcher Fastball(s) and primary off-speed or breaking ball Usage (%) Other pitch(es) Usage (%) Performance Dinelson Lamet Four-seam fastball, slider 100.0 None 0.0 3-1, 2.09 ERA, 12.1 K/9 Brad Keller Four-seam fastball, sinker, slider 98.0 Changeup 2.0 5-3, 2.47 ERA, 5.8 K/9 Tyler Glasnow Four-seam, curveball 95.4 Changeup 4.7 5-1, 4.08 ERA, 14.3 K/9 Brady Singer Sinker, slider 94.5 Changeup 4.7 4-5, 4.06 ERA, 8.5 K/9 Garrett Richards Four-seam, sinker, slider 92.5 Curveball 7.5 2-2, 4.03 ERA, 8.1 K/9 Patrick Corbin Four-seam, sinker, slider 92.3 Changeup 7.7 2-7, 4.66 ERA, 8.2 K/9 Lance Lynn Four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter 90.5 Curveball 9.5 6-3, 3.32 ERA, 9.5 K/9 Framber Valdez Four-seam, sinker, curveball 90.3 Changeup 9.7 5-3, 3.57 ERA, 9.7 K/9 Chris Paddack Four-seam, changeup 89.2 Curveball 10.8 4-5, 4.73 ERA, 8.8 K/9 Tanner Houck* Four-seam fastball, sinker, slider 97.0 Splitter 3.0 3-0, 0.53 ERA, 11.0 K/9 SOURCE : MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter at @alexspeier. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/09/sports/why-did-red-sox-demote-tanner-houck-despite-his-success/ |
What Position do the 49ers Need to Target in the Draft After Quarterback? | Even though the 49ers are taking care of the most important position with the No. 3 pick, they still have some needs to address. The 49ers taking a quarterback third is a guarantee. What isn't a guarantee is what other position the 49ers will look to draft next. Even though the 49ers are taking care of the most important position with the No. 3 pick, they still have some needs to address. The second round will be when the 49ers look to answer one of those needs, or they could even trade back into the first round. You never know with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan should the opportunity arise to get back in. They have done it twice during their tenure, so do not rule it out. There is only one answer: cornerback. It is time for the 49ers to finally invest some heavy draft capital into the cornerback position. The 49ers have not drafted a cornerback in the first three rounds since Lynch and Shanahan took over. Usually, they look to free agency to answer that need, which has actually worked sufficiently. But the 49ers cannot continue to neglect it. They need a player to solidify the position for the next four years. And I am not saying that one player is the answer, but they do need a player under contract for the foreseeable future. If Jason Verrett has himself another top-notch year, then he could very well go to another team to get cashed out. He did leave a multi-year deal on the table this past free agency, so I am sure whoever that team was will poke his shoulder again. The 49ers just need someone they can finally develop and keep around to be that cornerstone. They already have one player on each level of the defense who is a cornerstone with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Now is the time to get one in the secondary by drafting a cornerback so the 49ers can continue maintaining the culture of the defense and the overall team. Drafting a cornerback such as Flordia State's Asante Samuel Jr. should he fall to the 49ers at No. 43 is the ideal scenario for the 49ers, but by no means should they force it. Just take the best player available. Drafting by needs isn't always the best course of action, and picking in the second round should just be about taking who is best. So if that means it is a wide receiver or a linebacker, the 49ers should absolutely take him. Because the NFL draft is a crapshoot after the first few picks. Samuel Jr. falling to 43 would be stellar, but if not the 49ers need to take the next most impactful player. | https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/what-position-do-the-49ers-need-to-target-in-the-draft |
Could Cornerback Be a Luxury Pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 32? | Tampa Bay intends to utilize the best player available strategy in the upcoming NFL Draft. One way or another, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to address their cornerback position in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. Tampa has four cornerbacks on its roster currently, three of which align outside and one primarily in the slot. The starters appear set with Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean playing the boundaries while Sean Murphy-Bunting mans the slot, but depth and perhaps some competition remains a must. Herb Miller, a second-year, former undrafted free agent, is the only backup at the position. They could have the option to do so, and they might benefit from such a selection. Tampa Bay's coverage schemes favor lengthy, fast outside cornerbacks who handle man coverage well. As the Bucs' defense plays more aggressively, coordinator Todd Bowles likes to infuse press concepts. This will tend to favor a certain breed of cornerback prospects over others, at least when it comes to playing the boundary. Acknowledging the Bucs' type at corner, Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley, Northwestern's Greg Newsome II, and Georgia's Eric Stokes, among others, are considered first-to-early-second-round prospects that would make sense for Tampa Bay at No. 32. Barring a massive slip, it's unlikely that Alabama's Patrick Surtain and South Carolina's Jaycee Horn won't be available when the Bucs are on the clock. Farley is generally considered a mid-to-high first-round pick but could fall after opting out of the 2020 college football season and a recent back surgery. We've written at length about Tampa's ability to address their long-term needs on the defensive and offensive lines before, but the cornerback position provides a similar argument. Davis enjoyed a breakout, four-interceptions season in 2020 and could look to cash in next year as an imminent free agent. Dean and Murphy-Bunting's contracts are set to expire next offseason as well. Not to mention, Tampa Bay's secondary was far from perfect throughout the Super Bowl run of a 2020 season. The unit gained momentum near the end of the season and performed lights-out throughout the playoffs, but it has to be hard for the Bucs to feel totally comfortable on the backend after some down individual performances throughout the year. At times, Dean struggled against more agile receivers and was exposed on shorter, in-breaking routes. He thrives in deeper coverage as one of the NFL's fastest corners, but isn't as strong in press coverage nor as fluid as necessary to mirror routes that break off of the vertical stem. Dean is a solid starter and far from a legitimate issue for Tampa Bay's secondary, but it wouldn't hurt to add some competition at CB No. 2 while targeting depth in general. As Arians indicated in March, the Buccaneers feel as though they do not have a drastic need. The team can draft solely based on their board of prospects and make strong positions even stronger. "This year, going into this draft is probably going to be the best player available, I mean every round, you know?" Arians said. "So it's going to be fun because there's going to be so many guys available. So it's just, you know, the beauty pageant part of it, throwing, who, we like this corner better than that back or this defensive end ... and how much can they help us on special teams right away?" If the best player available at No. 32 is a cornerback, the Bucs might benefit from selecting that player. No matter what, the room needs bodies in case of an injury or if one or more of the starters is to depart in free agency next year. Competition is also always a plus, even at positions of strength, and the cornerback could use competition arguably more than most positions on the roster. | https://www.si.com/nfl/buccaneers/front-office/tampa-bay-buccaneers-nfl-draft-2021-cornerback-round-one |
How Much Does Private School Really Cost & Is It Worth It? | An image of a private school classroom. Getty Images. Art: Jillian Sellers. Last year, when the pandemic shuttered schools nationwide and terrified parents everywhere were faced with Zoom school or bust, plenty of parents turned to alternative optionsfrom homeschooling pod schools to co-op private schoolsin hopes of smaller-group education that still felt like it counted as, you know, group education. And certainly some parents who got their first taste of the private school model mid-pandemic have become motivated to continue. The U.S. annual national average cost of tuition for K-12 education is $11,173, according to the organization Private School Review. The word "average" here is key, because private school costs vary widely between elementary and high school rates, and also state-by-state and even within large urban areas, depending on school type. On the lower end of the scale, private school tuition could run you about $5,279 in Iowa, while private education in Vermont is on the higher end, averaging $22,067 per year. In New York state, private school tuition averages $18,793 per year, but the elite Dalton School in New York City will set you back $55,210 (a fee that does not include After School programs, school trips, or activities). If you're looking for a school that addresses learning differences such as Aspergers, ADHD, or anxiety, private tuition can cost as much as $119,720 a year, the rate at the Glenholme School in Connecticut. The differences in resources available to private school students is stark, and these differences trickle all the way up into admission into the country's most prestigious universities. Data collected from Princeton from 2015-2018 found that, of the top 25 feeder schools to the university, only three are public schools where 15% or more of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (and even those schools were "highly selective" admission-based public schools, like Stuyvesant High School in New York City). Story continues Most recently, COVID-19 highlighted clear racial inequalities in the U.S. school system: recent data published by the Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences found significant racial disparities in school reopenings, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian students in public schools more likely to receive remote learning and to fall further behind academically than their white counterparts. A Guide for Parents and Students Black, Hispanic, and Asian students in public schools [were] more likely to receive remote learning and to fall further behind academically than their white counterparts. Sadly, no. In fact, data indicates that American schools may be more segregated now than they were at the time of Brown v. Board of Education. According to the Economic Policy Institute, only "one in eight white students (12.9%) attends a school where the majority of students are black, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian in contrast, nearly seven in 10 black children do (69.2%)." Resource discrepancies are also huge, with seven in 10 black children (72.4%) attending a high-poverty school, compared to less than one in three white students (31.3%). The deepening of racially segregated schools around the country is harmful to kids of all racial identities. According to the National Coalition on School Diversity, "racially diverse learning environments have positive impacts on academic achievement for students of all races." While all students benefit from desegregation, some are more negatively affected by the current state of affairs. Children who attend under-resourced schools are subject to numerous negative consequences, including adverse health effects from environmentally unsound buildings. In Philadelphia, the chronic underfunding of the city's school system has led to crisis: an investigation by reporters at the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2019 found that many of the buildings in the city's school district had shockingly high levels of lead, asbestos, and other environmental hazards that are linked to illness. RELATED: Teens Turn to Social Media to Share Experiences of Racism at Private Schools And the disparities continue. Department of Education data consistently shows that Black children and children with disabilities not only are disciplined at much higher rates, but are "disproportionately referred to and arrested by police in schools," in what is known as the "school to prison pipeline." Schools are also unsafe spaces for LGBTQ studentsGLSEN's national climate survey of LGBTQ youth found that the vast majority of LGBTQ students - 86.3%experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including "sexual orientation [and/or] gender expression" as well as race, ethnicity, and disability. Needless to say, a combination of all of these identitieswhether actual or perceivedmake school a perilous place for many students. These factors have made some Black parents choose to enroll their children in predominantly Black schools. Though sometimes less resource-rich, majority Black schools have the ability to provide a positive space for Black children to be affirmed in their identities. Nationwide, white public school teachers made up the overwhelming majority (80%) in 2015-2016, while Black teachers composed only 7%. The likelihood of having a more racially diverse student body, however, increases with the school's student body racial diversity, with great benefit to students of color. According to the Center for Black Educator Development, "having at least one Black teacher early on reduces a Black student's likelihood of dropping out by up to 39%." RELATED: How to Tell Your Kids That They're the Ones Who Will Be Paying for College Reflecting this, journalist Jamilah Lemieux recently described her decision to enroll her child in a primarily Black school: "I am convinced that my child...is safest in the hands of people who know that she is a human being, who did not have to learn later in life that she is a human being, who were raised by people who look like her to love and understand people who look like her." Similarly, parents of transgender or gender non-conforming children, or parents who are members of the LGBTQ community themselves, might choose to enroll their children in progressive independent schools in areas where local or state laws are hostile to LGBTQ people. GLSEN found that nearly one-fifth of LGBTQ students reported having changed schools due to feeling unsafe or uncomfortable at school. This is a very real concern in states like South Dakota, Alabama, Texas, and 17 other states that have recently passed or are attempting to pass laws restricting the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming children by preventing them from receiving healthcare and playing sports. Given the data above, you might still be asking: "But if private school will give my child an edge up, isn't that worth it?" Well, if you're white and gender-conforming, not really. Data indicates not only that white children's academic achievement does not suffer in racially diverse schools, but that they actually benefit: Their willingness to stereotype others declines, while their ability to adapt in diverse settings increases. Writer Courtney E. Martin, whose book Learning in Public, is out later this year, describes the dilemma in a recent piece in The Nation: "Private schools do a prodigious job of marketing just how much they will train your kid to be an anti-racist systems thinker, soothing the progressive conscience. All the while, your family drains the public school system, and its predominantly Black and brown students, of much-needed resources." In other words: affluent white kids will be just fine in public schools, but not having them there puts the larger community at risk and contributes to a more polarized society. Private schools do a prodigious job of marketing just how much they will train your kid to be an anti-racist systems thinker, soothing the progressive conscience. All the while, your family drains the public school system, and its predominantly Black and brown students, of much-needed resources. While there are no easy answers to the question "is private school worth it," it is clear that making choices that only benefit our individual families will not solve the bigger problemschool inequityor the myriad societal problems that result from it. Learn more about school equity: Nice White Parents is a podcast produced by This American Life that examines issues of school equity at one school in Brooklyn, New York. Integrated Schools is a grassroots network of families around the country who are actively working to integrate schools. Center for Black Educator Development is an organization focused on increasing teacher diversity. GLSEN is an organization dedicated to creating affirming learning environments for LGBTQ youth. | https://news.yahoo.com/much-does-private-school-really-202803361.html |
Will Zalatoris is likely in the final group of the Masters on Saturday. Who is he? | Will Zalatoris hits to the 13th green during the second round of the Masters golf tournament on Friday, April 9, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) AP Less than two years ago, former Wake Forest golfer Will Zalatoris was ranked outside the top 1,000 in the world, trying to make ends meet and trying to live out his dream of playing professional golf. On Saturday, he will be in the final group during the third round of the 2021 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Closing with three straight birdies and a blistering 5-under 31 on the back nine, Zalatoris forced his way into Saturdays final group alongside leader Justin Rose with a second-round 68 to go with his opening 70 on Thursday. Rose is at 7-under, Zalatoris is one back, tied with Brian Harman at 6-under. Jordan Spieth, Marc Leishman and Hideki Matsuyama are at 5-under, two back. But the story of the second round was Zalatoris, who finished the 2019 season 60th in regular-season points despite starting the year with no official tour status. He finished 45th that year in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Later in 2020, still with no official PGA Tour status, he won his first professional title on the Korn Ferry Tour, which qualified him for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. He finished tied for sixth there and has posted four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour since, leading to gaining late entry to the Masters with his top-50 world ranking. This is his first competitive start at Augusta National, and his third appearance in a major. His round Friday was benign on the front, with a bogey on the ninth hole the only non-par of his outward nine. But the magic started to happen on the back. Back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 pushed him to 1-under for the day, setting up a rare birdie-birdie-birdie finish. He got that rolling by stuffing his tee shot on the par-3 16th and making a mid-range breaker. On 17, he had nearly the identical putt for another birdie. Seventeen, was a very similar putt, just about a half cup out left and hit a pretty good stroke again, Zalatoris told the ESPN broadcast team after the round. I think I one-putted every green on the back, he said. A little of that, too, was putting myself in the right spots. On 18, Zalatoris ripped a drive down the middle of the fairway. And long. I caught that tee shot pretty good, Zalatoris said. I knew right when I hit it it was going to be a perfect number. Obviously, great to give myself a chance to be in the final group. His approach landed just past the flag and spun back to about five feet, and he made that one, too, closing with a 31 on the back nine. I think just enjoy it, Zalatoris said. Ive said a lot, its a lot of gratitude. You know, 17 months ago I didnt have status anywhere, so obviously to be here, its a childhood dream, and to be hopefully in the final group on Saturday is pretty cool. Zalatoris, from Plano, Texas, also had a successful amateur career, winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2014 and playing on the 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team. | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/other-sports/pga-championship/article250564779.html |
Can Louis retire now, maintain his desired lifestyle and still leave a substantial estate? | Open this photo in gallery Maureen and Louis. Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail After years of working to provide a comfortable lifestyle for his wife and two children, Louis is feeling the strain of his high-pressure, $275,000-a-year managerial job. He wants to retire this coming December, but he worries it might mean he cant meet two goals that seem equally important to him and Maureen: to maintain their high standard of living throughout their retirement years and leave a substantial estate for their children, including their lakefront recreational property. The children, both in their early 20s, are living at home. By year end, his target retirement date, Louis will be 59. His wife Maureen, who has stayed home for the past 20 years to raise the children and manage the household, will be 53. They hope to keep their Toronto-area house for another few years and then sell it and perhaps rent a place in town or even move full-time to their lakefront second home. The wild card is the anticipated $2-million inheritance Louis stands to eventually receive from his parents. Can we afford to carry $12,000 a month in expenditures in retirement given our situation? Louis asks in an e-mail. Their retirement spending goal is $144,000 a year after tax. Story continues below advertisement We asked Warren MacKenzie, head of financial planning at Optimize Wealth Management in Toronto, to look at Louis and Maureens situation. What the expert says Estate planning is first and foremost about clarifying goals, Mr. MacKenzie says. So Louis and Maureen have to decide which is most important to them: leaving a large estate for their children or living comfortably now and in their old age, he says. Once that decision is made, the question about retiring at the end of the year is easy. The plan is to leave the two children the lakefront property, valued at $1.8-million, and $200,000 each in cash with todays purchasing power. It is possible that they might be able to spend at this level and also leave a large estate, but this would require uninterrupted high investment returns (at least 6 per cent, or 4 per cent plus the rate of inflation), Louis receiving the full amount of an anticipated inheritance from his parents of $2-million and no unexpected expenses or investment losses, Mr. MacKenzie says. With about $4.8-million of assets, retiring and spending at the desired level is not an issue, the planner says. But if leaving a large estate is a very important goal, Louis will need to work until age 65, he adds. They need to make a choice: retire and enjoy life or continue to work so they can leave their children a larger estate. Most of the couples net worth is tied up in real estate, so if Louis chooses to retire now, their retirement plan will have to include selling either their cottage or their home at some point. Their registered retirement savings plans can sustain them for about 10 years, but then they will have to sell one or both properties, or refinance the properties using the reverse mortgage option, Mr. MacKenzie says. If their No. 1 goal is to leave the largest possible estate, then the appropriate course of action is for them to cut back on their personal spending and for Louis to continue working for as long as possible. Story continues below advertisement They might want to consider tax-exempt, joint and last to die whole life insurance, which in many cases is the way to maximize the amount the beneficiaries will receive upon the death of the insured, the planner says. However, if helping their children financially is their most important goal, they could also consider giving them part of their inheritance in advance so they get to enjoy seeing the good they can do while providing financial assistance when the children likely need it the most. The main long-term impact of all their spending decisions is simply that theyll leave a slightly larger or a slightly small estate. They should also realize that with the exception of the possible need for health care, the level of spending usually declines as people age, Mr. MacKenzie says. Another thing for Louis to consider is what he plans to do after he leaves the working world. Before handing in his resignation, Louis should remember that individuals who have enjoyed success and who have been in leadership roles often get bored in retirement. Louis might want to consider working as a part-time consultant, either for money or as a volunteer for a charity. With regard to Louiss investment portfolio, even though the stock markets are near record highs, he says he is still comfortable with 70 per cent of his portfolio being in stocks and is not worried about ups and downs in the markets. However, Louis should bear in mind that an individuals tolerance for risk changes when they are retired. Given that he can retire now with an average return of 4 per cent, Louis should consider moving to a 50/50 stocks and bonds asset mix. He could further reduce volatility by having some exposure to private equity and private debt, which are less volatile than publicly traded markets, the planner says. Even if Louis decides to work longer so he can leave the cottage plus a sum of money to each of their children, they need to realize that when their children get married, sharing a cottage is frequently a source of conflict between siblings, Mr. MacKenzie says. Story continues below advertisement With regard to Louiss anticipated $2-million inheritance, it may be less after taxes are paid on the estate. The parents investments are largely in registered retirement income funds. After they both have died, the balance of the RRIFs will likely attract tax of close to 50 per cent, Mr. MacKenzie says. Louiss parents also have a cottage on which the estate will have to pay capital gains tax. It is also possible that they may live to age 100 and require expensive nursing home care, he says. From an income tax point of view, there are a few things Louis and Maureen should consider, the planner says. For tax purposes they should plan to split their Canada Pension Plan benefits. Assuming they eventually decide to sell their house or cottage, theyll have more than enough money to use up the unused contribution room in their tax-free savings accounts. By maximizing their contribution to their TFSAs this will allow them to shelter from tax the future investment income that will be earned on this portion of their capital. As well, if Louis retires this year and they convert their RRSPs to RRIFs, they will both be able to get the benefit of the pension income deduction when Maureen is 55. They would also be paying tax at a lower rate than would be the case if the funds were withdrawn later when they are receiving CPP and Old Age Security benefits, as well as RRIF income, Mr. MacKenzie says. Client situation The people: Louis, 58; Maureen, 52; and their two children. Story continues below advertisement The plan: Choose between an early retirement and leaving a large estate. If leaving a large estate is the most important thing, plan to work five more years. Since the market is near record highs, consider moving to a lower-risk asset mix. The payoff: Success in achieving the most important goal, whatever it is. Monthly net income: $14,900 Assets: Bank accounts $100,000; his RRSPs $700,000, her RRSP $600,000; residence $1.59-million; cottage $1.8-million. Total: $4.8-million Monthly outlays: Mortgage $3,575; property taxes $875, home insurance $300, utilities, heating and maintenance $650; car lease payments $1,300; car insurance $600; car fuel and maintenance $625; groceries $1,200; clothing $200; gifting $100; vacations and travel $500; alcohol and tobacco $500; personal care, dining out, entertainment $600; health care $300; TV, phones, internet $700. E-mail [email protected]. Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the persons profiled. Be smart with your money. Get the latest investing insights delivered right to your inbox three times a week, with the Globe Investor newsletter. Sign up today. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/retirement/article-can-louis-retire-now-maintain-his-desired-lifestyle-and-still-leave-a/ |
Does Damarious Randall Signing Slam Door on Potential Richard Sherman, Seahawks Reunion? | On the surface, bringing Randall back and emphasizing a change back to his original position would suggest the Seahawks have plans for him. But it remains unclear whether his return takes the team out of the running for Sherman's services. Several days after the veteran defensive back hinted he would be re-signing with the team, the Seahawks officially brought back Damarious Randall on a one-year deal on Wednesday, explicitly listing him as a cornerback instead of a safety. This development may or may not be a significant one, as Seattle lost both of its 2020 projected starters at the position, Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, to the Jacksonville and Detroit in free agency. With both players departing, the team only has three players in D.J. Reed, Tre Flowers, and recently-signed Ahkello Witherspoon with 10 or more career NFL starts under their belts. None of those players are under contract beyond 2021. Behind those three, the Seahawks have a major dearth in talent and experience. Jordan Miller, who signed to a reserve/future contract, played sparingly in 11 games for the Falcons in 2019 and 2020, while Gavin Heslop dressed for a single game as a practice squad promotion last season. With these depth concerns evident, it's not surprising Seattle has made it clear the team intends to move Randall back to his natural position for the 2021 season. Coming out of Arizona State, he was selected by the Packers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and started 30 games at cornerback over three seasons, giving him a major experience advantage. From a size perspective, Randall doesn't fit what Seattle has typically looked for on the outside. He's only 5-foot-11, weighing 196 pounds with 30 1/4-inch arms, which falls well below the team's threshold of 32 inches. This has typically been a deal-breaker playing on the outside in the team's scheme. In contrast, Randall passed all of the Seahawks athletic testing criterion with flying colors at the 2015 NFL combine, including posting a 38-inch vertical jump and running the 3-cone drill in 6.83 seconds. In addition, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and produced 14 bench press reps. Between the lines, Randall flashed at times in Green Bay, showing off the ball skills that made him a star for the Sun Devils in the Pac 12. He amassed 10 interceptions and 32 passes defensed in three seasons, proving himself to be a playmaker in the secondary. He also had a pair of picks in five playoff games. However, Randall's aggressive nature left him susceptible to big plays, as he allowed at least 13 yards per reception each of those seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, he also allowed 18 touchdown receptions in coverage, including surrendering 10 touchdowns in 2016 alone. While Randall is still only 28 years old, such shaky production over an extended period suggests he is not an NFL-starter caliber player. But coach Pete Carroll also loves reclamation projects and he's widely viewed as the Godfather when it comes to coaching defensive backs, so he clearly sees something he believes he can work with. As for Sherman, the four-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback is still a free agent and indicated on the Chris Collinsworth Podcast he doesn't expect to sign with a team until after the draft concludes later this month. Well, apparently we got to wait til the draft happens before anything else shakes out, because everybody has their hopes and dreams in the draft, which is understandable," Sherman remarked. You turn 33, and then its like, Well wait until we get a young pup; and if we cant get a young pup, well take an old fool. So thats where were sitting. Sherman, who turned 33 in March, recently finished up a three-year, $31 million contract with the 49ers. Due to the lowered salary cap, the team was up front with the veteran defender that he likely wouldn't be back due to cost and instead re-signed Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley, who are expected to be the starters next year. Coming off a season in which he only played in five games due to a calf injury, like many aging veterans who haven't signed the dotted line yet, Sherman may need to settle for far less money on a one-year deal. Waiting until after the draft commences may help generate better offers in his favor from teams that fail to address the cornerback position. While it is a possibility until he signs elsewhere, though Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Sherman would be "open" to returning and the organization had mutual interest, nothing has happened to this point. In the short-term, Seattle could certainly use an upgrade at the position and when healthy, Sherman is still arguably a top-15 cornerback. He's only two years removed from a Second-Team All-Pro selection in San Francisco and earned the highest grade from Pro Football Focus (88.9) that season. After helping guide the team to its first Super Bowl title, he's a true franchise pillar who most fans would be more than happy to welcome back with open arms. But in an offseason that has already been dominated by talk about Russell Wilson's discontent with the organization, there would be risk bringing a vocal character like Sherman. There's plenty of evidence the two stars didn't get along, including Sherman reportedly yelling "you f***** suck!" at Wilson after intercepting a pass in practice back in June 2014. He also maintained animosity towards the signal caller after his decisive game-ending interception in Super Bowl XLIX among other things. Though Sherman's Achilles tear and high-priced contract played a role in the decision to cut him after the 2017 season, reports surfaced indicating the team made the move in an effort to help clean up the locker room. Defensive end Michael Bennett was also traded to the Eagles around the same time as part of a substantial roster purging after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. When asked about his thoughts on the potential of Sherman returning to the Seahawks, former NFL head coach Jim Mora Jr. stated that without knowing all the facts about the relationship between Wilson and Sherman, it's tough to tell if it's plausible or not. From his perspective, that dynamic should be the biggest factor in such a decision. "If there is any sense that there's a divide there between those two, that they are not in concert, then you don't want to go down that road," Mora said. "But if it's something that's a little better over blown and made up and maybe in the background they are close friends, then you can do that." While he holds Sherman in the highest regard and already has cemented his status as a Hall of Famer in his book, Mora believes the risks outweigh the rewards in this instance. Considering the drama around Wilson seems to be "simmering down," he thinks the Seahawks would be wise to steer clear of a reunion with four-alarm fire potential. "I would say that sometimes when you go and get re-married, it's not always the happiest of outcomes," Mora stated. "I think they should move on and I don't say that out of disrespect for Richard Sherman because he's one of my favorite corners of all-time. I love him watching him play, his mindset, I love everything about him." If there's any chance there could be an issue in the locker room, you really need to avoid that." For now, due to limited cap room, Seattle looks poised to roll into a new season with Reed, Flowers, Witherspoon, and Randall as the team's top four corners, leaving plenty of question marks at a critical position in Carroll's scheme. Despite limited draft capital, another player could be added to the mix in the draft as well. But these situations are always fluid and without knowing where things stand relationship-wise between Sherman and the Seahawks, the chances of a reunion can't be completely ruled out. If his price keeps plunging and the organization feels confident about his locker room fit, it could be the best move for both parties later in the offseason. | https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/gm-report/does-damarious-randall-signing-slam-door-on-potential-richard-sherman-seahawks-reunion |
What If Nobody Voted? | La Russell, Mo., has reached a sort of nirvana in terms of low-turnout elections: The town held an election and literally nobody voted: Local elections in April generally attract few voters but a small southwest Missouri town hit a new low this week when not one of its 70 residents cast a ballot. Deborah Burton, La Russell city clerk and wife of Mayor Rick Burton, said her husband was in the hospital until Wednesday after he became ill last week. I was there with him, so I guess we didnt throw up the flag and let everyone know there was an | https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/what-if-nobody-voted/ |
What are ghost guns, and can Joe Biden stop their spread? | DURING HIS presidential campaign Joe Biden promised that ending Americas gun violence epidemic was within our grasp. It may be slipping away. Last year the country experienced a surge in murders. On April 8th President Biden laid out his first steps to bring the problem under control. He made much of a promise to stop the proliferation of ghost guns, which are produced without serial numbers and so are untraceable. The number of such weapons is hard to assess but, according to Americas Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), police recovered around 10,000 of them in 2019 during searches, arrests and investigations. By comparison, they recovered 269,000 firearms with serial numbers. Even if ghost guns make up a small number of the almost 400m firearms in America, their use in a number of high-profile shootings (in 2017 a man in northern California used one to kill four people and injure ten more) has brought them to public attention. The Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968 requires manufacturers or importers of firearms to mark the weapons with unique serial numbers. But ghost guns are generally sold as kits, commonly known as 80% receivers because the receiver (or frame) of the gun is only partly constructed. Some cost as little as $400. Once buyers have the kits, they can turn them into working guns in as little as half an hour; some liken the process to assembling IKEA furniture. (Other types of ghost guns can be 3D printed.) Until 2006 the ATF, which is responsible for enforcing the GCA, considered 80% receivers as firearms, requiring serial numbers. But 15 years ago the ATF changed the way it interpreted the GCA, declassifying the kits as firearms. Since then sellers of 80% receivers have proliferated on the internet. Some states have tried to regulate ghost guns. In 2016 California passed a law requiring anyone assembling one to apply to the states Department of Justice to obtain a serial number, which must be engraved on the gun. But this has not curbed their spread. Last year in Pasadena, a city in California, around 10% of the 288 guns that police seized off the street were ghost guns. A number of states and cities including California, Chicago and San Jose are suing the ATF over its interpretation of the GCA. At a national level, last year 15 Democratic Senators co-sponsored the Untraceable Firearms Act, and representatives in the House introduced the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act. Both seek to change the GCA to define ghost guns as firearms. With a narrow majority in Congress, President Biden is not yet pursuing his gun control agenda through legislation. On April 8th he gave the Department of Justice 30 days to issue a new rule to stop the distribution of ghost guns. This may involve changing how the ATF classifies them. He has also nominated David Chipman, a former ATF agent who supports stricter gun controls, to lead the bureau. If the ATF changes its stance on 80% receivers again, opponents of regulation could bring their own lawsuits objecting to the move. Even if the weapons are successfully regulated, it is unlikely to significantly reduce gun crime in America. | https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/04/09/what-are-ghost-guns-and-can-joe-biden-stop-their-spread |
Is Coinbase the Next Netflix, or a Blockbuster Video-in-Waiting? | Its an irony not lost on anyone: the biggest company in the Bitcoin business is a trusted middleman. The leading U.S. crypto exchange, Coinbase, is on the brink of a direct listing for shares in the company on NASDAQ, opening it up to scrutiny in the public equity market and demonstrating the extraordinary demand for cryptocurrency. Its staggering first-quarter results have all but guaranteed this stock-market debut will be one for the history books, with analysts estimating the companys value in the tens to hundreds of billions. Related: Signal Founder May Have Been More Than a Tech Adviser to MobileCoin Such scenarios may sound fanciful at the moment, even to believers in the technology. But they are not out of the question. That bridging process is going to take decades, Augur founder and co-investment lead at Pantera Capital, Joey Krug, told CoinDesk in a phone call. And even when the process is complete, he still sees a role for intermediaries. You can still do a lot and make a lot of money once everyone is in this new financial system. Opinions ranged widely about Coinbases long-term prospects as more internet users go native in a world of internet-native money. In what follows, we explore an array of views about how the company would fare in a far-off future of increasingly digitized value. The current favorite example for a company that the world passed by is Blockbuster Video. Once a great chain of VHS tape and then DVD rental stores, its fall came quickly as Netflix made watching movies on the internet easy (one store remains). Related: What To Expect Ahead of Coinbase's Public Listing Next Week Story continues Its not like video didnt exist online before. BitTorrent was alive and well and widely used by young people and internet hardcores, but it made most normies nervous. Meanwhile, Netflix already had a relationship with millions of movie fans via its mail-order DVD rentals. When its executives were confident it could make streaming video easy for anyone, it launched a service without any piracy and one-click ease of play in 2007. When Coinbase filed its prospectus to become a publicly traded company, it disclosed that it saw decentralized finance (DeFi) as a potential threat. Not everyone believes that the company really meant it (risk factors disclosures are often kitchen-sink, cover-your-behind affairs). But imagine a future in which people get paid in crypto and can pay bills like rent and utilities on a peer-to-peer basis. DeFi Coinbase is at its core an exchange. Its a place to buy and trade different cryptocurrencies. It wont happen soon enough to prevent this listing from being a blowout, thats for sure. Decentralized exchanges will definitely grow massively but I believe they will co-exist with centralized exchanges as each has their benefits, Linda Xie, managing director of Scalar Capital and Coinbase alum told CoinDesk by email. Not everyone can or wants to store their own private keys and many like that there is an entity that can be available and/or held legally accountable should any issues occur. Anderson Kill attorney Stephen Palley agreed. Its more likely that Coinbase will provide integrations that will use DeFi products, or things like DeFi, he said. But Do Kwon, one of the founders of the stablecoin protocol, Terra, looks further down the road. He told CoinDesk via email: Coinbase prevails today on [user experience] and easy onramps for US retail. Both will be commoditized in DeFi over time open systems inspire and mobilize developers to tackle both problems aggressively in a way that a closed monopoly like Coinbase never can. Old ways Coinbase is, right now, very much a Web 2.0 approach to the decentralized internet of value. Its mobile-first and centralizes custody of assets in a way its users trust. This is not how Bitcoin and subsequent cryptocurrencies are intended to work, but as Krug pointed out, it takes a long time to make a change so massive. Coinbase is an initial compromise. Joseph Kelly, co-founder of crypto lender and custody company Unchained Capital, drew a different, even older comparison than Blockbuster and Netflx. Its a little like the Yahoo vs. Google dichotomy, he told CoinDesk in a phone call. This is ancient history to most, but the initial idea of Yahoo!, in the far gone days of the late 1990s, was to create a directory of the internet that looked much more like the yellow pages of a phone book, where every site would exist in some nested category. Like: Entertainment/Movies/Action movies/80s movies/Terminator FanFic. It made sense at the time and it worked well enough that Yahoo became a big company, but it turned out that the internet was a much too fuzzy place. Google came along with a whole different framework to organize an expanding web and Yahoo Searchs relevance was not long for the digital world. The company, Yahoo!, became a pile of cash that no one could figure out how to spend well. It was sold for parts in 2017. It doesnt have that in its core DNA, Kelly contended. He pointed out that Coinbases willingness to empower its users has been a longstanding question in the company. Weve been helping customers on an almost weekly basis who have coin on Coinbase adopt a more self-custody approach, Kelly said. (Coinbase has resisted the agencys subpoenas in the past, but theres no guarantee it will always do so.) Krug sees the same issue differently. The DeFi protocols are going to remain decentralized but youre going to have businesses build totally centralized services on top of them, he said. If Coinbase launches some portal to use certain DeFi apps, that instantly credentializes it. Just as any coin listed on Coinbase shoots up in value, any dApp Coinbase finds trustworthy is likely to spike in usage. RIP: transaction fees. Avalanche founder and Cornell University computer science professor Emin Gn Sirer agreed. Coinbase makes crypto feel like investing the way people already understand it. You cannot discount how important this function is to putting crypto into the wallets of the next hundred million users and beyond, he wrote in an email. That said, DeFi is maturing rapidly, and will continue to offer complementary solutions that give users maximum control. If Coinbase does become a big gateway to DeFi, it will be interesting to see how the teams behind these protocols react. Weve already seen one wave of user regret from relying on custodied solutions in DeFi. People who used user-friendly DeFi app Dharma to access Uniswap missed out on the UNI airdrop (over $1,000 worth of free tokens) for example. If crypto is money native to the internet, using it with a nice user interface while borrowing a strangers identity (the exchanges) will always be tourism. Anyone who visits blockchains often enough will want full citizenship eventually. Ramps Another question is whether the online world of value and the analog world of fiat will remain distinct realms. That hasnt been true of the internet broadly. The distinction between meatspace and cyberspace has broken down very nearly completely. Except in extreme cases, online life is just life. That said, most people spend most of their time on platforms (such as YouTube and Facebook) that present a unified structure atop the chaos of the world wide web. Michael Egorov of Swiss Stake, the creator of the DEX for stablecoins, Curve, told CoinDesk in an email that he sees the centralized players shrinking merely to a place that people come in and out. I actually subscribe to the view that centralized exchanges (especially when Ethereum scales) will slowly convert to the role of [mere] on/offramps, he wrote. Coming in and out of fiat is the right point, in Egorovs opinion, for regulators to watch users, and Coinbase has done well with securities and commodities regulators. Coinbase is the most ubiquitous crypto on-ramp in the market today, Eva Beylin, of the decentralized web analytics firm Graph Protocol and eGirl Capital, told CoinDesk via direct message. I think its more likely that Coinbase will continue to dominate the on/off-ramp sector and begin competing with payment processors like Stripe or fiat clearinghouses, rather than Defi. But being a fiat onramp is not an unfair advantage over time when regulation becomes clear and more friendly, Primitive Ventures Dovey Wan told CoinDesk over email. And Kelley noted that theres more competition for that business all the time, anyway. That said, it could be enough that Coinbase just remains at the top of that particular game. Centralized finance (CeFi) still has the lead over DeFi in some areas. CeFi is still generally better at capital efficiency, transaction speeds and guarantees, and typically, pricing, said Andy Bromberg, CEO of Eco, a crypto startup aiming to marry saving and spending. Banks Coinbase has not moved fast and broken things. It has played by Washingtons rules. My hot take is that Coinbases future depends on the outcome of the various ongoing regulatory battles, said Joel Monegro, a VC at Placeholder. More top-down regulatory controls will benefit Coinbase, fewer controls will benefit DeFi. Palley agreed that access to state-sanctioned payment rails is a powerful asset and will be for a long time. I would say the biggest threat to Coinbase is from banks not from DEXs, thats my view, Palley said. If banks start letting customers buy crypto from within their checking accounts, there wont even be a need for users to connect Coinbase to their bank. Banks and bank charters may be the biggest threats to Coinbase, Palley said. Yet he was also willing to admit that it may just be that DeFi hasnt evolved quite far enough yet. All bets are off if something mind-bending emerges. It could be that were waiting for a killer app, but I dont think Sushi or Uniswap as cool as they are are going to be able to break into a broader financial market, Palley said. But to Krugs way of thinking, Coinbase may or may not be a Blockbuster Video, but hes sure the big banks are. You cant take an old school company and switch it to a Silicon Valley style company, Krug said. I dont think thats a real risk. As big as Coinbase has gotten, its still nimbler than a bank, Krug said. Its clear to me that crypto eats the banking world entirely, but its not clear what portion of crypto will be decentralized versus custodial. I expect a healthy mix, the founder of another crypto exchange, Shapeshift, Erik Voorhees, told CoinDesk over email. Custody In fact one of the most vocal proponents of DeFi expects Coinbase will be here for a long time. Coinbase has done a fantastic job of expanding their lines of business, Variant Funds Spencer Noon told CoinDesk. Its a real testament to that team not resting on its laurels. In particular, he pointed to the crypto custody business, which hardly existed when Coinbase started working on it. Many people said that this is key. Its the top and bottom of the market Coinbase will serve forever: the nervous newbies of retail and the financial giants who dont want to worry about technical details of crypto custody. Still, Wan sees even that business getting chipped away. She noted that there was a withdrawal movement from centralized exchanges in China last year that was little noted in the West. She expects more of that to come. I highly doubt how much bitcoin will be left in [Coinbases] reserve in a few years timeframe (like in the next halving). So if that reserve is drained, people will notice the importance of having their own bitcoin in [their] control, Wan wrote. Nevertheless, Uncorrelated Ventures partner and Bain Capital Ventures alum Salil Deshpande sees in Coinbase a company that will continue to profit on the footprint it established in this industry, even if the way it profits changes. Coinbase wont go the way of Blockbuster Video; theyll go the way of Schwab. Schwab used to charge $44 per trade in the 1980s. Now trades are free, and Schwab has successfully made a living as an asset gatherer, he wrote. Many institutions will find it comforting to deal with an old-school middleman like Coinbase to take care of complicated details. Coinbase may remain but DeFi will almost certainly always be there and that means Coinbase customers will have a place to go. The fact that they can may be a more important check on cryptos publicly listed behemoth than regulators will ever be. Related Stories | https://news.yahoo.com/coinbase-next-netflix-blockbuster-video-215011966.html |
Will LJ Figueroa return to Oregon mens basketball in 2021-22? | EUGENE The door is still open for LJ Figueroa to possibly return to Oregon in 2021-22. The Ducks No. 3 scorer and leading rebounder this season, Figueroa transferred to UO from St. Johns last offseason. He had 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while playing in 26 games this season as a senior. Oregon coach Dana Altman said Figueroa has been taking classes during the spring quarter and hasnt decided whether hell return to use his additional year of eligibility granted to all players by the NCAA or begin a professional career. He hasnt made any decisions and well give him plenty of time, Altman said. It is very encouraging that hes doing a very good job in school here the first two weeks of classes. Should he return, Figueroa would be a massive weapon the wing for the Ducks next season. He was a critical contributor on both ends of the floor and led the Ducks in scoring for the five-game stretch leading up to their loss to USC in the Sweet 16, when Figueroa had arguably the worst game of his career. Altman is expecting Figueroa as well as juniors Will Richardson and Eric Williams Jr. to test the NBA Draft waters and get feedback during that process. Eugene Omoruyi and Chris Duarte have already announced theyll be pursuing professional careers and Altman said fellow senior Amauri Hardy will be moving on as well. Combined with the transfers of Chandler Lawson and Jalen Terry, Oregon could have as many as seven returning players with Nathan Bittle and Isaac Johnson signed to join them, leaving at least four open scholarships for additional signees and transfers. Altman said the coaching staff has been in contact with several players in the transfer portal. Our job is to put a team together that wants to be here at Oregon and fortunately theres a lot of young men calling us about possibilities, Altman said. Were talking to a lot of young men. Its got to be the right fit. I think our coaching staff has done a pretty good job of matching what our needs are with the talent thats available. Guys have come in here and really shown a willingness to be part of a team. Our objectives wont change; well look for the best fit and guys that want to be here. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2021/04/will-lj-figueroa-return-to-oregon-mens-basketball-in-2021-22.html |
What should the Raptors make of Pascal Siakams late-season renaissance? | As a lost Raptors season continues to circle the drain, you can see it as a silver lining or fools gold: Pascal Siakam, at least, is looking a little more like himself again. There are those who will tell you Siakams late-season renaissance amounts to a heartening bit of consolation in a forgettable Tampa residency. And maybe, when you stack it alongside Chris Bouchers continued rise and Gary Trent Jr.s promising arrival, Siakams apparent rediscovery of his game does amount to a bright side in dark times. And maybe, with the NBAs reigning coach of the year sporting a 20-32 record, it can be spun as the product of a Nick Nurses harsh message being undeniably absorbed. It was most of three weeks ago in Cleveland, after all, that Siakam and Nurse engaged in a heated exchange after Siakam was left out of the game for the entirety of the fourth quarter in a loss to the Cavaliers. Sources will tell you the verbal interaction escalated into something uglier than the typical back-and-forth between a coach and a benched 2019 all-star. To which a fiery team president like Masai Ujiri might say: Thank god somebody got upset. Ujiri, of course, has been known to partake in the occasional heated post-game exchange with a coach himself; hes the guy who tore a strip off Dwane Casey after LeBron James made that game-winning bank shot that effectively signed Caseys pink slip in Toronto in the spring of 2018. And when you consider the high-stress nature of the confrontation between Nurse and Siakam it came amid the eighth loss of a nine-game losing streak well, the idea that tempers flared wasnt exactly unwelcome among the uber-competitive alpha types who run pro-sports franchises. After all, the message to benched players hasnt changed since Naismith: If you want to play more, play better. And to Siakams credit, over the 10 games since his Cleveland disenchantment, hes done precisely that. His numbers over that span 24 points and 7.7 rebounds a game on 48 per cent shooting from the field look a lot like the stats that earned him a spot on the all-NBA second team a season ago, an honour that, during the less-flattering moments of Siakams season, has seemed like a distant and possibly erroneous memory. Considering the sulking depths to which Siakam had fallen during the worst of his pandemic slump considering his subpar work in the playoff bubble last year and his maddeningly slow move out of the gates in Tampa it was fair enough to wonder if hed ever refind such a groove. So maybe its a silver lining. Or maybe its fools gold. Over those most recent 10 games, after all, the Raptors win-loss record is 3-7. When Ujiri signed Siakam to a max contract, the idea wasnt to pay him to put up big numbers for a post-Kawhi Leonard loser. And sure, you can make the case some of the recent results have gone beyond even the greatest players control, what with the laundry list of headaches that have continued to plague this team. In Thursdays 122-113 loss to the Bulls, wherein Siakam racked up an impressive 27 points on 17 field-goal attempts, the Raptors were reduced to the minimum-allowable eight players thanks to suspensions and injuries. Hard to lay that defeat at anyones feet. Still, this is Siakams first season as the highest-paid Raptor, as the only max-contract player on Torontos books. And as much as the most recent 10 games have been statistically solid, heres the truth of this seasons grand scheme. At a moment when the Raptors were hoping Siakam would be continuing his late-blooming ascent toward superstardom at age 27, all in all, hes regressed. Though his overall numbers this season are better than his beyond-dismal performance in the playoff bubble, hes been undeniably worse than he was a season ago Sure, Siakam was cut some slack for his lifeless performance in the Orlando playoffs; everybody has been cut some slack during these unprecedented times. But eyebrows were raised at Siakams obvious lack of preparation in the lead-up to that event. On the day his $130-million contract extension was announced, after all, Siakam was telling the world that, money aside, he was committed to being that same person who is going to be in the gym before anyone else and stay later, the dogged pursuer of excellence who will continue to work and improve and get to that level. That didnt exactly jibe with the out-of-practice sloppiness we saw in the bubble. It didnt exactly jibe with the player who shot 20 per cent from three-point range in the month of January and whos shooting a lamentable 29 per cent from deep for the season. On the upside, Siakam has improved his free-throw shooting, not to mention his willingness to get to the line. On the downside, his go-to move often entails a wild spin into the teeth of the coverage. Even Nurse, who has long professed his love of improvisational jazz, would surely prefer Siakam develop something a little more systematic and at least a little less spastic. Maybe well see more progress in the remaining 20 games. Maybe there are forgiving souls out there wholl toss out the whole season as the product of an impossible situation, extracting the slim positives from the grim whole. But make no mistake: When the Raptors signed Siakam to a max contract, they assumed hed be miles better than this, and tougher than this, by now. And, whether its silver lining or fools gold, theyll need to see more than a late-season upswing to be precisely sure whether their foundational player is the franchises bedrock or its millstone. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... 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What Are Cruises Going To Look Like in the Future? | The Daily Beast GettyImagine that perfect tropical beach vacationthe kind with tranquil, turquoise waters and white sandy beaches shaded by palm trees. Youve got a few days of drinking and relaxing in your sights, and some shops and local adventures that you want to hit later in the day, before drinking and relaxing near the water some more in the evening.South of its partying cousin, Cancun, Playa del Carmen is a lazier, low-pressure getaway that could be such a place. But as Diana Schmidt recently discovered, vacation plans for those who test positive for COVID-19 can turn a chill vacation into a complicated mess.We were excited to come down here, Schmidt tells The Daily Beast. Ive never stayed at an all-inclusive in Mexico. She is a neonatal nurse practitioner at Childrens Hospital in Minnesota and she was joining her daughter for a spring break trip at the Panama Jack Resort.Originally, the trip was going to be three girls and their mothers.One mom ended up testing positive. She was smart. She pre-tested, said Schmidt, which I would highly recommend people traveling, to pre-test, especially if you have to do a test before you return. You want to know that youre negative before you can leave.Originally, she was considering a trip to Florida, but was seeing how crowded it was and, since she was already vaccinated and her daughter already had COVID in October, Mexico seemed safer.We flew in on a Saturday, March 27, and by Monday, kind of had a little bit of a sore throat, she said. She had attributed it to sleeping in air-conditioning and going in and out of the heat. That then turned into a cough, body aches, and fever. She had her required COVID test screening that Thursday morning in preparation for her flight home. By the time she walked back to the pool from testing, the hotel was already confirming she was positive.While vaccines protect the vaccinated and minimize the effects if you catch COVID-19, they do not prevent someone from spreading it to others.She was told to head back to her room and a guard was waiting for her. The next day they moved her to their quarantine quarters, where she was the lone guest. She says the resort hadnt yet had a case of quarantine.Like Schmidt, other travelers are boldly venturing out on vacations, especially post-vaccine, to find a breath of fresh air outside of their homes. With many countries lifting travel restrictions, people are running to the light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. The U.S. recently lifted many of its travel requirements for those traveling domestically and those leaving the country. But the catch is that if you test positive in a country while youre there, you still have to quarantine. The U.S. will also not allow you to return without a negative test within three days of your flight.Stories of those who found themselves stuck quarantining in another country due to positive tests are not skyrocketing, but they are becoming more common as more people take the risk. With Mexico being a popular pandemic destination, many of the quarantine stories are coming from there. Take for instance, a Boise, Idaho, man who tested positive only two days into his trip. He, along with his partner, both had to quarantine. In cases where travelers have not made their own arrangements, quarantining may be subject to government facilities and predetermined costs.Quarantine quarters, as you might guess, are not as nice as the other rooms.You know, youre looking at this beautiful resort, and you dont get the sunshine. I had a sliver every morning, so I made sure I was up early. I have a little bit of a balcony, and I could step outside, which I was grateful for. So, its just super over-the-top depressing. View from quarantine room at Panama Jack Resort. Diane Schmidt She felt isolated, but she was able to Zoom with friends and with family on Easter Sundayshe originally planned to be back by then. She found herself going into panic mode. Boy, this has been just so incredibly stressful, she said, many tears every day.Some foresight, however, did help lessen the blow.Shes happy that she bought the COVID insurance package the resort offered, which was $30 per person and it covered the entire stay for 14 days and meals. The rest of her group tested negative and returned home, otherwise theyd have had to pay to stay longer.She was on her own, but has nothing but positive things to say about the staff.They were so good to me, she said. They gave her a QR code for the restaurants, and she was able to order anything she needed from the menus. The staff of Panama Jack Resort tried to make her stay as painless as possible.People ask me, Werent you bored? She says she slept for the first three days. I was so sick I couldnt get out of bed. And then, once you start to feel good, youre like, wow, like, I really need to work on my exit plan and how Im going to get home. Two doctors visited her, requiring cash out-of-pocket, and both gave her different answers as to how to be cleared for leaving. Doctor visit costs were unpredictable. One doctor charged her $30 and another $100.A woman in Cancun who heard about her situation reached out. She was there with her teenage daughter who tested positive. She sent me a message on Facebook, said Schmidt, and as it turns out I actually went to high school with her.On Thursday, Schmidt was finally cleared for a flight home, with her new-old friend and her daughter joining her. So she ended up booking a return flight with me today. So, were all there together, at least, trying to support each other.When asked if shed do it again, she says no, but she definitely needs a vacation redo.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. | https://news.yahoo.com/cruises-going-look-future-230037308.html |
Could J.J. Redick Make His Mavs Debut This Weekend? | Dallas Mavericks newcomer J.J. Redick revealed on Friday that he is close to making his much-anticipated Dallas debut. Dallas Mavericks fans have been not-so-patiently waiting for newcomer J.J. Redick to make his Mavs debut since the team brought him over from the New Orleans Pelicans at this year's trade deadline. After not hearing anything publicly from Redick multiple days after the trade went down, fans were starting to worry that the Mavs had gotten into another 2012 Derek Fisher situation. Those fears were soon alleviated though when Redick, on his The Old Man and the Three podcast, endearingly told Mavs Twitter that they could finally "calm the f---" down and that he was excited to play for the Mavs. READ MORE: Mavs Talk: "Playoff-Type Atmosphere" in Mavs Win Over Bucks On Friday, Redick hinted that he could be making his much-anticipated debut for the Mavs very soon... possibly even this weekend when the Dallas takes on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. Ive been able to ramp up some of my on-court activities," said Redick on his podcast. "Today (Friday), is an off day for the team and for me. I am planning on practicing tomorrow (Saturday). Well see how it goes. I am expecting tomorrow to be able to do some stuff 5-on-5 and some stuff live. It will be my first time doing that. Over the last 15 games, the Mavs have been playing excellent basketball. In that span, Dallas has the 6th best offense and the 5th best defense in the league. Although the team has had a lot of recent success, the addition of Redick's sharp-shooting and swift off-ball movement will enhance Rick Carlisle's rotations even further. READ MORE: Mavs Beat Bucks 116-101 Behind Porzingis' Hot Fourth Quarter According to Synergy Basketball, Redick has an 82-percent effective field goal percentage this season when shooting unguarded catch-and-shoot jump shots. Redick was also shooting 46 percent from deep in his last 15 games for the Pelicans before having to sit out with his heel injury. These kind of shooting numbers are why so many are salivating at the idea of Redick playing alongside superstar Luka Doncic, who can create wide-open shot attempts for his teammates in his sleep. Hopefully, in the next couple games, Ill be available to play," said Redick. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com this weekend for updates on Redick's status leading into Sunday night's game against the Spurs. | https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/could-j-j-redick-make-his-mavs-debut-this-weekend |
How do I know what tires are right for my vehicle? | Perhaps the question is, what makes one tire better than the other for your driving needs. While price can be a good indicator when it comes to tire quality, buying the right tire for your needs is more important than finding the most expensive (or least expensive) tire out there. Theres a reason maximum-performance sportscar tires cost three or four times as much as an all-season tire for a regular family hauler (vastly increased grip and cornering ability is the reason), but those tires will be absolutely useless on a four-seasons sedan and last half as long or less. The first thing to consider is the size. In many cases that will set the range for price and performance attributes. Common tire sizes range from 14 to 22 inch, with those numbers referring to the diameter of the rim. You can tell a tires size by looking at the indicator on the sidewall. The Goodyear website notes that a standard passenger vehicle tire with a sidewall number reading P215/60R16, for example, would mean the 16 at the end indicates it fits on a 16-inch rim. You will also need to consider the type and capability of the tire, including such things as its speed rating, width and aspect ratio. Information on the proper tire you should use can be found in a few locations, including your owners manual, drivers side door jamb, inside the glove box door or the gas tank hatch depending on the vehicle. A number of tire manufacturers also have tools on their websites to help you decide the option based on your vehicles specific information, including make, model, year and option. It is advised you should always replace you tire with one featuring equivalent specs. If you plan to do otherwise, speak to an expert first. Last, you will also need to select winter, summer or all-season tires according to where you live, or which type you want to purchase. From there, you can pay as much as you would like, being aware that more money usually translates into longer tread life, better overall traction and better cornering ability. | https://www.thestar.com/autos/advice/2021/04/10/how-do-i-know-what-tires-are-right-for-my-vehicle.html |
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