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Why are vaccinated seniors in nursing homes deprived of a meaningful life? | In face of a new enemy, Ford orders new lockdown, Apr. My mom is 89 years old and lives in a private seniors home and has endured countless two-week quarantines in her suite and has not been able to get her haircut since October. A recent article in The New York Times on Canadian nursing homes titled Elderly, Vaccinated and Still Lonely and Locked Inside really sums it up: it states that our seniors living in congregate settings arent living; they are just existing. The Ontario government, Public Health Ontario, and the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, need to allow activities in homes where residents and staff are fully vaccinated. | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2021/04/10/why-are-vaccinated-seniors-in-nursing-homes-deprived-of-a-meaningful-life.html |
Why did the Start button on my monitor screen stop working? | Q: I have a Dell Optiplex 990 desktop computer running Windows 10 with two monitors and a wired mouse and keyboard. Although our house has wireless and we run another laptop and two HP printers via wireless, the Dell tower is connected with an Ethernet cable, as it sits on my desk and the wireless router is right below the desk. The Start button in the bottom left-hand corner of each monitor screen stopped functioning last week. Left-clicking no longer pops up the menu screen with tiles of functions and the left-hand column of programs and other functions. (This does still work on the laptop downstairs.) I have searched on the internet for solutions to this dead Windows button issue but the suggested fixes run the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime. Rebooting does not help, and Windows Update has been run several times without help. Troubleshooters also have not helped. We have Kaspersky virus protection and a full scan turned up no issues. Kirk Lamb A: The first thing Id try is to restart Windows Explorer, which actually controls the Start button. To do that, right-click in the System Tray at the bottom of the screen and launch Task Manager. Click on the Processes tab and then scroll down until you see Windows Explorer. Highlight it and then click on the Restart button at the bottom of the window. If that doesnt solve the problem, I suggest using Windows System File Checker to scan for problems. First, open the Windows Command Prompt. If you cant access it through the Start button you can search in File Explorer for command prompt. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator. Advertising When the prompt appears, type sfc /scannow then hit Enter. System File Checker will scan for problems and replace any corrupt or missing files. The scan may take a while. If System File Checker makes any changes youll want to reboot your computer. I am running Windows 10, and my computer frequently makes an alert sound. (Sometimes it sounds 5-10 times in a row over a few seconds.) It is the same noise it makes when something is plugged into or (much less frequently) removed from a USB slot. It is also slowing the machine down, freezing it for a second or so every time. This started a couple of months ago and is getting more frequent. I have sequentially unplugged everything connected to the machine one at a time to try to isolate this, and it continues no matter what is plugged in. I have updated Windows and every app on the machine. I have up-to-date malware protection running. Dave Lundry, Kirkland A: No pun intended but it sounds like you need to take a look at the Event Viewer. Youll find it by clicking on the Start button and then scrolling down to Windows Administrative Tools. The Event Viewer keeps running logs of many kinds of events that take place under your computers hood from programs accessing your USB ports to domain name server (DNS) errors over the internet. The problem for most users, including me, is that it can be difficult to make sense of just what the Event Viewer is reporting. But since the logs are time-stamped, if you check for the exact time you heard those sounds you might find a clue as to whats going on. And if you cant make heads or tails of what you see, a technician probably can. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/why-did-the-start-button-on-my-monitor-screen-stop-working/ |
Will a US/UK travel corridor be a reality this summer? | (CNN) Maybe it's falling asleep on the red-eye flight, dreaming of gleaming skyscrapers before waking up to views of Long Island, ready to live out all your NYC fantasies. Or perhaps it's finally breezing down Route 66, the California wind in your hair, and the open road boundless in front of you. For many British travelers, a vacation in America is a dream come true, a culmination of years of consuming US cinema and culture. But it's been a dream that's been essentially off the table for over a year. In March 2020, as Covid-19 spread across the world and borders closed, the US banned all non-essential travelers from the UK. This rule remains in place, and while there's no reverse ban on US travelers entering the UK, ongoing British quarantine and lockdown restrictions mean few Americans are vacationing in Britain right now. Both the US and the UK have suffered greatly over the course of the pandemic, with grimly high death rates. But recently there's been a glimmer of hope: both nations are enjoying speedy and largely smooth vaccine roll-outs. While much of mainland Europe is entangled in vaccine delays, as of April 9 the UK had fully vaccinated 9.16% of its population and the US had vaccinated 18.74%. President Joe Biden has promised vaccines for all US adults by the end of May, recently upping that to mid-April. Meanwhile, Britain is on track to meet its goal of offering the first jab to all adults by the end of July. The CDC recently amended guidance to confirm fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves. In March, CNBC reported that Biden's administration is considering lifting the long-standing UK travel ban, and the similar bans that currently block EU and Brazilian arrivals. And while non-essential international travel in the UK is off the table until at least May 17 -- and potentially illegal until June 30 -- the UK government's recent reveal of a "traffic light" system for international travel, in which destinations would be grouped into "red," "amber" or "green" categories depending on their vaccination roll-out and infection rate, suggests the US could be one of the more viable options for UK travelers this summer. Popular airline route British Airways aircraft parked at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport in February 2021. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images Pre-pandemic, the transatlantic travel corridor was one of the most popular in the world. Unsurprisingly, the major UK aviation players are keen for the route to be reopened. British Airways' CEO and Chairman Sean Doyle calls transatlantic travel "crucial," highlighting that in 2019, 22 million passengers flew between the UK and US. Doyle points to the impact of the travel ban not only on vacationers and business travelers, but also on families. Covid-19 travel rules across the world have forcibly separated some binational couples , many of whom have rallied under the Love is Not Tourism banner and have been campaigning for a lifting of -- or exception to -- stringent travel restrictions since they were first instituted. "I hear heartbreaking stories of Britons separated from loved ones and companies unable to restart global business operations for more than a year now," Doyle says. He says he is "optimistic" about the UK's May 17 target date for the recommencement of international travel, but stresses that for overseas vacations to realistically start up this summer, advance notice is needed for both travelers and airlines. "Our focus is on working hard to bring our operations back up to speed, but what we do is highly complex so it's vital that we hear more as soon as possible in order to safely restart, with time to plan effectively," he says. Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss also points to the successful vaccine roll-outs in the US and the UK as offering "a clear opportunity to safely introduce a transatlantic corridor from 17 May." Related content Travel to the UK during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go UK traffic light system Last summer, as lockdown lifted and Covid's first wave subsided in Europe, the UK established several travel corridors with European countries -- including tourism big-hitters Greece and Spain. But one by one, the corridors collapsed. Destinations were placed on the UK's "red list" as cases rose, leading to sudden compulsory quarantines and canceled vacations. "A priority for the industry is a more stable system which avoids the situation of last summer where travel to many destinations was quickly turned on and off," said a spokesperson for ABTA, a UK travel trade association. On April 9, the UK government gave further details on how the traffic light system will work. Guidance suggests destinations will be categorized based on the percentage of the population who've been vaccinated, the rate of infection, the "prevalence of variants of concern" and the country's "access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing." Travelers arriving or departing from a "green" destination will still need to take a pre-departure test, plus a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival back in the UK. They won't need to quarantine. Those who've vacationed in "amber" destinations will need to quarantine for 10 days, take a pre-departure test and also get a PCR test on day two and day eight of their quarantine. The test to release system will remain an option. As for "red" destinations, arrivals will still be sent to the UK's quarantine hotels and be subject to the same testing requirements as "amber" arrivals. To try to avoid chaos caused by destinations changing colors while travelers are mid-trip, the UK government has said a "green watchlist" will be introduced, identifying destinations at risk of moving from "green" to "amber." "It is too early to predict which countries will be on which list over the summer, and the government continues to consider a range of factors to inform the restrictions placed on them," reads a April 9 government statement. "We will set out by early May which countries will fall into which category, as well as confirming whether international travel can resume from 17 May 2021." Passengers arriving from a "red list" destination in Terminal 5 of Heathrow airport in February 2021. Leon Neal/Getty Images Some travel industry stakeholders are championing further removal of quarantine and testing requirements. Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, an industry body representing UK airlines, said in a statement that "the insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing -- even for low-risk countries -- will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people." Weiss, from Virgin Atlantic, said that the traffic light framework "doesn't go far enough" and added that travel to and from "green" and "amber" destinations should not include testing or quarantine requirements. "We need certainty that the framework will allow for a phased removal of testing and quarantine." Meanwhile, ABTA suggests that the UK should allow free NHS lateral flow tests for international travel to "green" countries. "At present the costs of testing may be a deterrent to many UK travelers, so the Government must ensure that testing is required only where the public health risk justifies it, and that a cost-effective and efficient testing regime is in place," said an ABTA representative. There are also plans for the UK to implement digital travel certification -- AKA vaccine passports -- to unlock the international travel stalemate. The UK government says it's considering "the role certification could play in facilitating outbound travel, for those countries which have systems in place." "Work also continues to develop a system that would facilitate travel certification for inbound international travel," the statement adds. British Airways' Doyle says his airline is trialing using an app called Verifly, as well as working on BA-specific concepts and working with IATA on its Travel Pass app. Expert advice on what to consider US uncertainty Covid-19 testing signage at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in January 2021. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Realistically, an effective US/UK travel corridor can only be established if both countries are on board. The UK's proximity to and links with mainland Europe mean there are still fears Britain could follow in the footsteps of countries like Italy and France, currently experiencing third waves of Covid. And it was in the UK that one of the new contagious variants was first detected. A spokesperson for the CDC said they had no updates to share on when the US will lift the current UK travel ban. CNN Travel reached out to the White House for comment, but did not receive a response. Tony Johnston, head of the department of hospitality, tourism and leisure studies at Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, suggests that the US has less immediate need to reestablish inbound international tourism than other destinations. "America's accelerated delivery of vaccines is aimed primarily at a wider reopening of their domestic society and economy," says Johnston. "Many millions of Americans depend on tourism and hospitality jobs but the strength of the domestic tourism market in the USA insulated many of these jobs to some extent from the border restrictions and closures." That said, Johnston suggests other factors could motivate the US to allow international vacationers and business travelers to return. "While the domestic tourism market dwarfs the international inbound market in the USA, there will be strong political and industry pressure to reopen borders to welcome back international visitors," says Johnston. Related content Traveling to Disney Parks during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go 'I'm dead set on going to the US' Visitors at the Grand Canyon, a popular tourist destination, in August 2020. DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images Amid the continued uncertainty surrounding international vacations, many British people are planning to holiday within the UK this summer. But some are still hoping for an American adventure. Saurav Dutt, an author and corporate consultant based in the UK, says he's "desperate" to vacation in the US this summer. "To celebrate my 40th this year I'm dead set on going to the US, particularly LA, Vegas, Nashville, Memphis (big Elvis fan) and round it off with Mississippi," Dutt tells CNN Travel. Dutt's not booked his flights yet -- he's holding off until that May 17 date is confirmed -- but as soon as he's got the go-ahead, he'll confirm his booking. If the UK/US travel corridor does reopen, exactly which transatlantic flights will be available -- and what these flights will cost -- is currently uncertain. "Before the pandemic British Airways connected Britain directly with 25+ US cities. For more than a year we have been only flying to a handful, with a dramatically reduced frequency," says British Airways' Sean Doyle. Doyle said BA was "working hard to bring our operations back up to speed, but what we do is highly complex so it's vital that we hear more as soon as possible in order to safely re-start, with time to plan effectively." His words were echoed by Shai Weiss, who says Virgin Atlantic is also running fewer flights right now, but plans to recommence currently-out-of-action routes from London Heathrow to Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington DC, Orlando and San Francisco "later this year." As he's hoping to travel to the US to celebrate a landmark birthday, Dutt's not too concerned about costly flights, but he knows prices could be steep. "The amounts could be astronomical, especially as the US is never considered a budget-friendly holiday," he says. Still, Dutt reckons that -- despite the current uncertainty and potential cost -- his US vacation is a more achievable goal than a summer 2021 trip to mainland Europe. He's also had both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, and he acknowledges this is a "significant factor" in his vacation ambitions. "The US has, like the UK, been on top of vaccinations per hundred residents, and is as aggressive on this front as we are," Dutt says. Sabilah Eboo Alwani, British traveler hoping to visit the US We haven't booked yet, as we're nervous about having to cancel plans if we aren't able to travel. Sabilah Eboo Alwani, a doctoral researcher in education and early childhood at the University of Cambridge, is also hoping to travel to the US from the UK this summer. "We're hoping to visit my sister and her husband, who we won't have seen in a year and a half by then. We have small children, so we'd like to go for a few weeks to make it worth all of the jet lag they'll have to suffer!" she tells CNN Travel. Eboo Alwani and her partner have also had the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and they should have had the second by the time they plan to travel. Meanwhile, her sister and brother-in-law in San Francisco are fully vaccinated. Like Dutt, this makes her more confident the trip might happen. But Eboo Alwani's still holding off on purchasing the plane tickets. "We haven't booked yet, as we're nervous about having to cancel plans if we aren't able to travel." For Eboo Alwani and her family, it's not just a case of getting the go-ahead from the UK government -- the family will also take into consideration the conditions of the travel corridor reopening. "I don't know if we would be able to consider traveling if there were a hotel-based quarantine requirement," she says, pointing to the steep expense, and the difficulties associated with quarantining with two young children. Eboo Alwani is hoping the trip will happen, but unlike Dutt, she's not convinced traveling to the US will be easier than visiting European destinations. "I imagine it would be easier to visit Europe if one could show a vaccination card or certificate," she says. "The US has been strict on Covid-related border control." Related content How to fly safely a year into the pandemic American perspective Elizabeth Prairie vacationed in London during the November 2020 lockdown. Courtesy Elizabeth Prairie Throughout the pandemic, it's been easier for Americans to visit the UK than vice versa, but the prospect of quarantine and the UK's ongoing lockdown restrictions is enough to put off most. Marketing entrepreneur Elizabeth Prairie vacationed in London during England's November lockdown. Before she departed New York, she knew there would be restrictions in place, but the country moved to full lockdown during her visit. While Prairie made the most of the experience -- abandoning plans for al fresco dining and trips on the London Eye in favor of autumnal walks and takeout -- she recently postponed an upcoming spring trip until June 2021, the date when England's scheduled to fully reopen. "Even though I am now fully vaccinated, with the restrictions of multiple Covid tests needed and a quarantine, it wasn't worth taking the trip now with only outdoor dining open," Prairie tells CNN Travel. Travel agency Skyscanner said the top destinations booked by US travelers since April 1 were all in North America, but interest in international destinations was returning. "Popular international destinations searched by US travelers on Skyscanner in the last month include Singapore, Tokyo, London and Madrid, suggesting that Americans are eager to get back to long-haul travel and experiencing the diversity the world has to offer once again," said Mark Crossey, US travel expert at Skyscanner, in a statement. Related content What it's like to be on vacation in a country on lockdown Managing expectations For now, would-be-transatlantic-travelers and industry stakeholders are playing a waiting game. Maggi Smit, managing director of UK-based US tour operator America as You Like It, says her company has seen "definite interest" from British people hoping to vacation in the US this summer and that those with existing bookings were "holding out hope." "But people [are] wary of committing until they know they will definitely be able to travel," Smit adds. Virgin Atlantic's Shai Weiss says there's been an "uptick in recent weeks" in UK-US summer bookings, but that most travelers are opting for dates later in the year. "Favorite destinations like Florida and iconic cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco are performing well, particularly in the latter part of the year and into 2022," he says. Related content The destinations open to travelers vaccinated against Covid-19 Meanwhile, Alan Wilson, who runs US travel company Bon Voyage, says the majority of his recent bookings have been for 2022 or 2023. "There has been a marked uptick in inquiries and bookings over the past several weeks, but it is hardly surprising that most would rather be sure of a holiday going ahead in 2022 and beyond rather than wondering if their 2021 arrangements will actually happen," he says. "The feedback we are getting from our customers is that they are very keen to travel as soon as possible however they don't want to commit to booking anything for 2021 until there is an announcement about when the borders will be reopened," says North American Travel Service's Ruby Briggs. | https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-uk-travel-corridor-vacations-2021/index.html |
Why are so many nurses leaving Montreal's east-end hospitals? | WEEKEND READ | Its a vicious cycle. Nurses lured away by better working conditions. Those left behind stuck with forced OT and the threat of burnout. Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images Article content Quebecs nursing crisis has been developing for decades, but the pandemic has exposed a widening disparity among hospitals that has some administrators taking desperate measures. Administrators of Montreals eastern health region, for example, are trying to sell a controversial pilot project to replace experienced OR nurses with hastily trained high school graduates. The plan was met with outrage and even tears when it was announced last week at a morning staff meeting of OR nurses at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Back to video And though administrators have tried to calm fears by postponing the job postings and promising to consult employees in coming weeks, there are no signs the pilot project has been abandoned. Since the plan was announced, almost 50 OR staff have signed a letter to the hospitals chief of surgery vowing to resign the day that one of these technical assistants shows up in an operating room. A similar protest is reportedly underway at Santa Cabrini Hospital. It is the only other hospital in the CIUSSS de lEst de lle de Montral, a regional health centre that serves more than 535,600 people roughly equivalent to Quebec Citys population, which is served by half a dozen hospitals. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The hospitals cannot afford to lose any more staff, Dr. Franois Marquis, critical care chief at the MRH, has been saying publicly for months. Marquis said he is constantly warning his staff about areas of vulnerability in his intensive care unit that are bound to lead to bad results for patients. There will be an error, he said. There will be patients (at risk). During the worst periods of the pandemic, the hospital has been forced to transport critically ill patients from its ICU to other hospitals solely because of a lack of nurses and respiratory therapists (RTs). It is risky to transport these patients, Marquis said. It is one thing to have to transfer patients because we dont have the technology to treat them, but when we are transferring them because there are not enough beds, because weve lost staff to other hospitals, there is something wrong with the system. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette The MRH is not the only hospital in a staffing crisis, but it is representative of what happens when efforts to retain and recruit nurses fall short. One issue is that the MRH is old and dilapidated, and a $1.8-billion plan to refurbish it is 10 to 15 years away from completion. We are the worst hit and one of the reasons is that many of our staff have moved to the CHUM or the MUHC because those hospitals are new and beautiful. Here, they are working in an ICU that is very sombre, its old, not practical. The rooms are too small, there is very little room to work, there are not enough computers. At the CHUM, for example, each nurse has a computer, each patient has a room that is larger than two of our rooms combined, they receive their lab work on their cell phone, everything is computerized. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Marquis said he would like to see quotas brought in for nurses and RTs, so that some hospitals and health centres cant hire more than their fair share. Im not saying the CHUM and the MUHC dont do good work. But they have too big a piece of the pie. Pierre-David Gagn has been a nurse for 18 years, most of them at the MRH, where he is now assistant chief nurse of night surgery. Over the years, he has watched colleagues leave for greener pastures, but never at the rate they have in the past year. A big issue has been private placement agencies luring away hundreds of nurses from the public system, offering better pay for nurses just starting out, promising no mandatory overtime and no weekends or night shifts. The strapped hospitals then have to hire nurses from these private agencies to fill shortages. This has meant hospital nurses sometimes find themselves working side by side with former colleagues who are now being paid more and for more reasonable hours. So more nurses leave, which means remaining staff members are increasingly required to do mandatory overtime, a problem unions have been denouncing for years. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content This is really what is destroying the health system right now, said Gagn. More and more people who leave are heading to the private placement agencies or for other facilities that are less affected by this issue. Mandatory overtime is like a gangrene on the health system. People are becoming really fed up with that situation. Many quit, and by quitting they create a need for more mandatory overtime, and that brings more departures. So its a vicious cycle that means things are endlessly worsening. He says the solution is not hiring quotas at hospitals, which he sees as just another coercive measure. He advocates for a system of incentives for nurses and RTs to stay at hospitals that are experiencing severe staff shortages. He suggests the province colour code its hospitals red for those in the most difficulty, just as it has for regions during the pandemic and pay staff higher overtime rates if they work in red facilities. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette More than 4,000 nurses resigned from their jobs in the public system between March and December of 2020, including retirements from the profession, according to data obtained by La Presse earlier this year. About 2,800 had left during the same period a year before. Add to those departures the more than 7,668 members of the FIQ the largest union representing nurses and respiratory technologists who were on sick leave at the end of last year, and you start to get a sense of the magnitude of the problem. That is fully 10 per cent of the FIQs membership of 76,000. Denyse Joseph, vice-president of the FIQ, says the union made the government very aware of the situation during the last round of contract negotiations five years ago. Nurses, along with other public sector workers, have been without a contract for more than a year. An agreement in principle was reached in December on working conditions and holidays, but other issues, such as salaries, retirement and regional disparity, remain on the table. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The past three governments have made major cuts in the health-care system, she notes. The result today is that we need to invest a lot of money and we need to hire a lot of staff. In order to recruit and retain staff, we need to look at their workload because if we continue like this, more people will be leaving. We have people resigning, taking early retirement, and others who say, Ive had it. It was my dream to be a health-care professional, but I am finding no satisfaction in that field anymore because of the working conditions and non-recognition of my work. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette The fact that Premier Franois Legault has thanked nurses and called them guardian angels at his pandemic news conferences has rung false for many, she said. They have seen their holidays cancelled by government decree. Mandatory overtime has increased. And the reassigning of nurses to different facilities or hospital departments against their will has been a particular bone of contention. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content We went to school, most of us have a degree not to mention the work we do to specialize. For example, if you are doctor who specializes in oncology, tomorrow morning you are not going to be asked to become a gynecologist. Your specialty is oncology. Well, its the same thing for nurses, licensed practical nurses or respiratory therapists working in a specific field for 20 years. You become an expert in that field. You are effective with your patients because you see the signs and symptoms and you know whats going on and you can prevent things. She said nurses understand that certain transfers had to be made during the pandemic, from hospitals to seniors homes for example, but this moving around of nurses as if we are pieces of furniture has been going on since well before the pandemic, she said. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Part of the problem is a lack of respect, or an outdated idea that because those in the so-called caring professions are mostly women, they can be underpaid and taken for granted. As if, like the nuns who once ran Quebecs hospitals and schools, they are practising a vocation, rather than a skilled profession. They think because we are health-care professionals, that we are like the nuns: no life, no kids, no husband, no family. But we have kids and families and our own lives. A lot of us have older parents or grandparents at home. No consideration. They came with ministerial decrees and it was like a punishment. You have to work full-time hours, some places 12-hour shifts, no more time off, no more vacation, not allowed to request a day off to be with family or children, or for medical appointments. Everything was refused, she said. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content These conditions led to more illness and burnout. Sick leaves jumped by almost 30 per cent in 2020 over 2019, according to numbers provided to the union last summer, she said, and the numbers for this year are likely to be worse. The government recently tackled, at least temporarily, the problem of private agencies with a decree issued March 30. The agencies must now wait 90 days before hiring a worker who has left the public system. Hospitals will no longer be allowed to move their own employees to night and weekend shifts to replace them with these independent workers. A spokesperson for Health Minister Christian Dub said the government is well aware of the labour shortage, noting the recent budget included $23 million over three years to train more nurses. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content It is clear that nurses are essential partners in providing safe and quality care to Quebecers and we will continue to promote them through the network, said Marjaurie Ct-Boileau. But Joseph said hiring more nurses is not enough. The government must increase pay and improve conditions. The unions have been asking for a 12.4-per-cent pay increase over three years, to bring nurses salaries in line with those of other provinces and with increases granted to male-dominated professions. The most recent government offer was five per cent. I dont think we are close to having a contract. We will never accept an offer of five or six per cent, Joseph said. Its totally ridiculous, especially with what the pandemic has shown to the population and to the government. This is a total insult to health-care professionals. The government really has to look at our particular situation and do something. [email protected] More On This Topic Montreal's critical care chiefs anticipating third wave of COVID-19 after March break East end hospitals to use unskilled labour in operating rooms to ease nursing crisis Hospital administrators will consult staff on plan to use unskilled workers to ease nursing shortage Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Montreal Gazette Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. 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What determines fairness in vocational school admissions? | But Fighting for fairness in vocational-ed admissions (Editorial, March 28) perpetuates an old stereotype, that vocational education is for students who dont plan to go to college. Vocational education is not an alternativ e to college; rather, for many students, it is an alternative pathway to college, one that combines academic and hands-on learning, exposes them to the world of work, and positions them to make informed choices about their future. Given that virtually all good jobs now require some education beyond high school, it should be no surprise these schools are in high demand, since many have higher college-going rates than the surrounding high schools . Advertisement Over time, the goal should be that the demographics of vocational schools reflect the demographics of the communities they serve. But students should understand they need to compete for entrance in schools where demand exceeds supply, and schools should have the right to set minimum criteria for entrance into the pool from which a lottery will determine admission. The criteria might include such things as student letters of interest, grades, attendance, and teacher recommendations. The last thing we want to do is go back to a world in which vocational schools are viewed as second-class, only for students perceived as not capable of doing rigorous academic work. Bob Schwartz Newton Centre The writer is professor emeritus of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and coauthor of Learning for Careers. Give the people what they want In Fighting for fairness in vocational-ed admissions, the Globe editorial board advances the idea of a lottery to put more fairness into these schools admissions. Here is another idea along the same lines: Give the people what they want. If there is a long line to get into vocational schools, that is a clue that the demand is there. School districts and school committees can either respond to that, or they can say, We know whats best for your kids, and it isnt these schools youre lining up for. Advertisement If school committees asked, they might find that there is a demand among parents and students for a small high school (versus the mega high school that is typically the one and only choice) or for a school with a wider range of course choices than the narrow college-track curriculum. Their wider range may be part of the reason for the demand for vocational schools. The job of a school committee should be simple: Just two steps: (1) Find out what people want. (2) Give it to them. Eric Reenstierna Newton Lets invest in upskilling an adult labor force We applaud the recent attention to increasing capacity at vocational-technical schools (Fighting for fairness in vocational-ed admissions) as well as adding more career and technical education courses at local high schools. While this will support long-term planning, we need to also bring attention to meeting the need for skilled labor today. Massachusetts has the opportunity to invest in upskilling adults and immigrants, and we must enhance these investments for adult training pathways to keep our economy moving. Thankfully, we have built some of these pipelines through innovative nonprofit training organizations, the states Commonwealth Corporation, and community colleges. As we anticipate an influx of federal stimulus dollars, scaling up skills training and English-language courses for adults would be an effective investment for the Commonwealth. Advertisement Kathie Mainzer Executive director, The Workforce Solutions Group Boston Bring work-based learning to all schools Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has outlined a vision for investments in education (A renewed vision for Boston Public Schools, Opinion, March 29). I believe, as highlighted in your recent coverage of Massachusetts vocational schools, there should be a strong commitment to address a lack of access to career and technical education. In addition to addressing enrollment issues in CTE, we should increase work-based learning for all Massachusetts high school students and provide experiences like the states Innovation Pathways that help students with career choice. Our vocational schools are national models of excellence. So its not surprising they attract students from all backgrounds. With limited enrollment, many students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are missing out. I believe our students are choosing vocational schools because they want to test and try. This generation is self-directed and looks practically at educational decisions as means to an end: pursuing a career driven by their passions and interests. They crave real world experience that vocational schools offer and opportunities to apply learning and gain experience in careers before they graduate high school. Vocational schools are answering this cry. But so can work-based learning and Innovation Pathways incorporated into every high school, providing all students with equitable access to opportunity. Jean Eddy Boston The writer is president and CEO of American Student Assistance, a Boston-based nonprofit assisting students in education and career choices. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/10/opinion/what-determines-fairness-vocational-school-admissions/ |
Who Is Tottenham, Chelsea, Man City Target Gabriel Menino? Is He Worth $23 Million? | SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 07: Gabriel Menino of Palmeiras celebrates after scoring his team's second ... [+] goal during the final of 2020 Copa do Brasil between Palmeiras and Gremio at Allianz Parque on March 07, 2021 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) Getty Images Gabriel Menino is the new name on the lips of everyone in European soccer. According to various reports from Brazil, England and Spain, he is attracting attention from a host of top clubs including Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. The 20-year-old is currently at Palmeiras in his native Brazil and can play in a number of positions in midfield or defense. Background Menino came up through the academy system of Brazilian Srie B club Guarani, from the city of Campinas, near where he was born. Starting out at the club as a 13-year-old, he was initially a center-back, despite not being particularly physically imposing. Yet as Gustavo Nabinger, a youth coach from his time at Guarani, told Nosso Palestra last year: "He arrived as a center-back for the trial and soon after I moved him forwards. "He always dribbled with ease, shot well from outside the area, [and had good] vision of the game. "First I put him as a defensive midfielder, then as an attacking midfielder. I even had the idea of using him as a winger. He always managed to keep the ball at speed." That quality, versatility and dynamism attracted the attention of Palmeiras and in 2017 the So Paulo-based giants agreed to sign him to play in their youth teams. With Palmeiras, Menino won numerous youth titles, including the Copa do Brasil at U17 level, and the Campeonato Paulista (twice) and Campeonato Brasileiro with the U20 team. At the beginning of 2020, after some excellent performances in the pre-season Florida Cup tournament, he was permanently promoted to the senior squad by former Real Madrid and Brazil coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Clearly, then, he does not have a huge amount of senior experience. But that has not stopped him from tasting plenty of early success, including two major trophies and a senior national team call up, which we will come to again shortly. AVELLANEDA, ARGENTINA - JANUARY 05: Ignacio Fernndez of River Plate competes for the ball with ... [+] Gabriel Menino of Palmeiras during a first leg semifinal match between River Plate and Palmeiras as part of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2020 at Estadio Libertadores de Amrica on January 05, 2021 in Avellaneda, Argentina. (Photo by Marcos Brindicci - Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images Playing style In some of the online profiles of Menino, he has been talked up as the 'new Yaya Tour' or 'Brazilian Yaya Tour', which is somewhat misleading. That moniker is down to quote from the aforementioned youth coach Nabinger, who encouraged Menino to watch videos of Tour to aid his transition from defense to midfield. They are, though, very different players. If we must venture into the dangerous game of comparisons with established stars, it is perhaps more accurate to liken Menino to Philip Lahm, Joshua Kimmich or a late-career Dani Alves. Menino first broke into the Palmeiras team as a right-back, using his combination of defensive, physical and ball-playing skills to adapt to the position and take the step up with ease. As the season progressed, he was moved up the pitch and used as a right-sided central midfielder, alongside fellow academy product Patrick de Paula. It was as a right-back, however, that he was called up to Tite's Seleo squad in September 2020. Dani Alves, at 37, is still the first-choice right-back for Brazil, a reflection of the difficulties Brazil have had in finding an adequate replacement for the ex-Barcelona man. In Menino though, Brazil manager Tite sees a player with the perfect characteristics to slot into his side. Alves often plays as an inside full-back in Tite's tactical set-up, coming into central areas to support and create from deep - much like Joo Cancelo does for Manchester City. As a versatile player capable of playing both at full-back and in midfield, Menino appears a good understudy, despite his relative inexperience (he was called up with fewer senior professional games under his belt that Ronaldo Fenmeno had when he was called up for the first time in 1993). Asked to compare Alves and Menino, Tite said: "They play in the same areas and have similar attacking functions. Obviously, in the defensive phase, [Menino] will slot into a back four [but] he will have an attacking function in the team. He will articulate the play. "Menino is a midfielder-full-back. He has the experience and training for that role. Its not just my imagination." He did not appear for the Seleo, but he has since gained considerably more top-level experience, which would stand him in good stead for another call-up and his possible move to Europe. In October 2020, Luxemburgo was sacked by Palmeiras after a poor start to the Brazilian league season and replaced by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira. Ferreira was just as impressed with Menino as his predecessor was and continued giving him plenty of opportunities - using him as a right wing-back and right midfielder as well as in the middle - as Palmeiras battled their way through to lift a Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil double. Menino scored his first professional goal in the former tournament, a stunning long-range strike that backs up Nabinger's claim about his shooting, and found the net again in the final of the latter. Despite his young age, then, Menino has experience of playing in high-stakes games in the shirt of a big club, with all the pressure that entails. In a word: yes. There are inherent risks with any big-money signing of a young player, especially when they are coming in from another continent. Menino will need to time to adapt to a new climate, language and culture and get used to a higher-paced style of soccer. But Menino's athleticism and skill ex-Brazil midfielder Cesar Sampaio said last year that Menino had the technique of a futsal player means he looks well suited to the top level. The price tag, given what he has already achieved, is relatively modest, especially when you consider that his young compatriots Vinicius Jnior and Rodrygo went to Real Madrid for north of $50m each. Of course, there is a premium for attacking players, but neither Rodrygo nor Vinicius had a senior call-up when they were signed - indeed Vinicius had played just seven minutes of senior football. Menino's contract runs until 2024 and has a $71m release clause, but if Palmeiras could be convinced to sell for around $20m it would represent good business for both parties given the current Brazilian Real exchange rate. No clubs have submitted a formal bid for the future Brazil international as of yet, according to transfer market reporter Fabrizio Romano. In Brazil, there is an expectation that situation will change come the summer. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2021/04/10/who-is-tottenham-chelsea-man-city-target-gabriel-menino-is-he-worth-23-million/ |
What States have the Most New Orleans Saints Fans on Twitter? | Where New Orleans Saints fans on Twitter come from and who's not on the list. New Orleans Saints have one of the most passionate and unique fanbases in the National Football League. The appeal of Drew Brees, Sean Payton, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas over the years has given way to a climb in recent television broadcast ratings and merchandising sales of jerseys and paraphernalia, it's proof that Saints fans have an influence. Many would believe the team's appeal on the Who Dat Nation is restricted to Louisiana and surrounding gulf coast states. On the contrary. According to Pickswise, but the New Orleans Saints have a strong contingent of fans and admirers in several surprising states. Oct 25, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints fans pose in the concourse prior to kickoff at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. A selection of 3000 season ticket holders will be in attendance for the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports Pickswise is a sports betting website that sent me data on New Orleans Saints fans and where they reside. This week, they released research using Twitter data to gauge where fans are following NFL teams. The methodology is not purely scientific since they performed an analysis of one social media platform "to discover where each 32 NFL team's supporters were located." Here are their findings of where the Saints have a majority of enthusiasts. More Who Dats per capita resided in fifteen states and one state leads Louisiana. Yes, Louisiana. Florida. The Sunshine State tops the list, followed by Louisiana, Minnesota, Texas, and California. It's not entirely shocking if they use fans per capita as their baseline. If you are from Louisiana, you already are aware state's upper portion has a strong Dallas Cowboys following. An abundance of Who Dats call Louisiana's southern region home. Still, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida produce many of the Black and Gold's devotees. The Who Dat Nation is far and wide. Nov 24, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints fans cheer from the stands during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was Minnesota for me. Especially after the Minneapolis Miracle and haunting playoff losses, New Orleans received because of the Vikings. The numbers in Minnesota could be from their faithful tweeting and re-tweeting the Minnesota Miracle. Other surprises were Utah, New York, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Utah followers may be from the Taysom Hill effect and his loyalists from his BYU days. Arkansas was missing from the list. Also, Pickswise did not share why these states had New Orleans Saints fans on Twitter and if the research was about the number of postings, re-tweets, mentions, articles, videos, media, memes, and more. No matter the data, research, or who's counting the number of pins in the voodoo dolls, the diehard New Orleans Saints fans live in New Orleans and the surrounding states. Period. Nevertheless, the Who Dat Nation will forever be the most recognizable and uncommon set of fans in NFL history. Even more, it caused the NFL had to trademark Saints fans' favorite phrase, "Who Dat!" That's powerful. | https://www.si.com/nfl/saints/editorial-opinion/states-with-most-saints-fans-on-twitter |
When is an Indian not an Indian? Are we First Nations? | Drew Hayden Taylor is an Anishnawbe playwright and humorist. Open this photo in gallery Humorist and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor. Handout This week I am starting work on a screenplay, adapted from one of my plays. I am, of course, referring to the word Indian, which is a term still commonly used in many First Nations. Its origins are frequently thought of as a mistake of geography when several hundred years ago tourists began showing up looking for cheap cigarettes and gas and mistook Turtle Island for India. Once universal, the term is now considered more racist than descriptive. Story continues below advertisement That is the dilemma of which I speak. Yes, but frequently that was more of a political designation, and sometimes as Im enjoying my coffee on the deck talking with family, I dont quite feel like identifying as a political designation. Same with Indigenous. Everybody is Indigenous to someplace, so it is a complex issue. Do not get me wrong. I am not advocating for the general return of that particular moniker. As mentioned, too often it has been laced with racism and misinformation. Remember former Ontario premier Mike Harris and his famous Ipperwash declaration I want the fucking Indians out of the park! (Spoiler alert theyre still there.) But it is a term still used in many corners of this land unfortunately in both an affectionate and racist manner. We call the land Indian Country. And for me, Indian Country starts right outside my door. Many members of my family will use the I word more frequently than First Nation or any other, except for maybe Nish, which is an abbreviation of the word Anishnawbe, our nation. My cousin Shelley, who is finishing up her PhD in Indigenous education, maintains it is still a valid term despite preferring Anishnawbe. And as anyone in Indian Country knows, nothing is valid, nothing exists, nothing is important unless you first contact and consult with one or several cousins. Its sort of an Indian bylaw. She says: I agree with an elder I once heard that said as long as there is an Indian Act, I am an Indian. I am legally defined as an Indian. Clarence Louie, the Chief of the Osoyoos First Nation in British Columbia, wrote in an e-mail that he believes most of my people (including me) have grown to love the word Indian. Its what binds us Rez people together under the treatment of Canada and the U.S. towards my people. Every Tribe has a name in its own language but in English its the word Indian that brought First Nations together. As the oldest elder on my Rez often says, I was born an Indian and I will die an Indian! On my reserve theres an automotive company called the Indian Rubber Tire Company, which I believe is self-explanatory. Irony is frequently embraced on the reserve. I guess thats the approach. If youre within the First Nation/Indigenous circle, you can wield the epithet with complete abandonment, and revel in it. Its one of the few frills having an Indian status card can bring you. Or so I thought. Story continues below advertisement Recently I wrote a play called Cottagers and Indians. It was produced by Tarragon Theatre in Toronto and eventually toured to Ottawa and many other communities in south and central Ontario. During the tour I was told that several people phoned or e-mailed the host theatres complaining of the use of the I word. They found it offensive. I was told they all came off sounding like white/Caucasian/people of pallor putting on their social warrior Crocs and coming to our rescue; to the best of my knowledge, no First Nations people found the title objectionable. Of course there is a difference between Native and non-Native use of the word. It does make me uncomfortable when those who have not wrestled with the repercussion brought on by the Indian Act toss the word about. I see it as our word now, much as the Black community has reclaimed offensive terminology. Spoken from a privileged mouth, it doesnt have the joie du vivre that we give it. But like many things in life, there are exceptions to all the rules. I wrote a play that was sort of a biography of Sir John A. Macdonald, and the term was liberally spiced throughout. I had difficulty imagining Sir JAM saying to his aides and ministers in the last part of the 19th century, Get those damn First Nations people off that land! While I am no historian, I am fairly sure the term Indian was liberally used and was part of the vernacular at that time. It would seem odd to clean the language up and make the colonizing of Western Canada rather neat and polite. But hey, thats just me. I should also add that, should Indian be driven into extinction, some of the excellent books being produced by our writers such as Thomas Kings The Inconvenient Indian and Indians on Vacation; Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and Five Little Indians by Michelle Good to name a few might have to undergo a radical retitling. Theres a certain visceral appeal to a title such as The Inconvenient Indian. One final word, I gave a presentation at a conference on multicultural humour in Kerala, India, where I was, in fact, an Indian in India. Nobody there got the joke. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-when-is-an-indian-not-an-indian-are-we-first-nations/ |
Who is the ideal trade-down partner for the Miami Dolphins at No. 18? | Much has been made about the Miami Dolphins decision at the top of the draft, but fans shouldnt be overlooking the potential dynamics of Miami manipulating their draft picks with a potential trade featuring their second first-round pick of this offseason. The No. 18 overall selection is one that puts the Dolphins somewhat between a rock and a hard place they may have to take a running back in that slot if they hope to secure one of the top-three running backs in this years class, even if that is sub-par positional value. A trade could certainly help appease that. But who are some potential trade partners with the Dolphins at No. Miami must be calculated here, if they fall back too far in the order, they may still get jumped in their bid to add an upgrade to the backfield (or elsewhere). Fortunately, if Miami wanted to defer a few selections and ensure theyre still getting a top back, there are a handful of potential trade partners that would still allow the Dolphins to tack on a few extra mid- or late-round picks, too. The Tennessee Titans are at the top of the list. Weve just seen the Dolphins and Titans do business recently in a creative swap for OT Isaiah Wilson, a move that flopped hard and left the Dolphins having to wait an extra year for their 7th-round pick featured in the swap. But theres more business to be had if the Titans are interested in leaping up in front of a slew of teams that could threaten the Titans board. Best of all, Tennessee picks 22nd overall, so youre only talking about giving up four spots in the order. The Isaiah Wilson experience left the Titans with a gaping hole at right tackle and the team has since parted ways with veteran Dennis Kelly, too. So Tennessee is currently slated to start Kendall Lamm at right tackle. Thats not going to work for a team trying to maintain a winning window. Tennessee has three teams between them and Miami: Washington, Chicago and Indianapolis. All are candidates to draft a tackle. So Miamis sales pitch is easy. If a tackle that the Titans love is on the board, you sell them on the idea of coming up to slam the door shut on a team plucking their tackle of choice. Miami would likely get an early Day 3 selection for the swap (and maybe a late-round throw-in) and drop from 18 overall to 22nd. And at 22nd-overall, the Dolphins are still in front of running back hungry teams like the Jets, Steelers and Bills. | https://sports.yahoo.com/ideal-trade-down-partner-miami-130159062.html?src=rss |
Is it finally time to gather with friends at a bar for cocktails and conversation? | It seems likely that most of us havent been barhopping in the last 14 months. Its possible that weve been yearning for an opportunity to meet up with a few friends and catch up over a glass of wine or a beer and some salty snacks. But weve sublimated those yearnings; weve been cautious and hunkered down, concerned about our well-being and the health of others. But now that California is loosening pandemic restrictions, you may be reconsidering your options as more bars are reopening or preparing to reopen. Newsletter Eat your way across L.A. Get our weekly Tasting Notes newsletter for reviews, news and more. Enter email address Sign Me Up You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Im Alice Short, the interim food editor, filing in for restaurant critic Bill Addison, who has the weekend off. If youve been missing the fun of a casual get-together over a cocktail, please check out Stephanie Breijos report on the gradual reopening of L.A.s bars. Many owners and entrepreneurs have already reopened under state and county guidelines. Advertisement We went into a kind of hibernation mode and tried to make sure that once this thing was over that we could reopen all the venues, and thats exactly what were going to do [in] this next tier, said Brett Winfield, operations director for the hospitality group Pouring With Heart. Were going to start the wheels turning, and every one of our venues is coming back. His comments were echoed by many others who own and run drinking establishments. Many of the businesses Stephanie wrote about have been struggling during the last 14 months. And some owners have a wait-and-see attitude. I think whats most important is supporting the community and making sure that everybody is kept safe, especially our customers and our staff members, one owner said. Our first priority is their health and safety. Advertisement So, yes, you can meet your friends for a drink but before you go, make sure your hangout is actually open and youre comfortable with its setup. Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. ), Lucas Kwan Peterson has just the place Cupids Hot Dogs in Winnetka and the video from Cody Long and Jessica Chen is irresistible. Lucas also has a story on the remarkable Regina Mitchell, a chef who lost her sight as an adult and now teaches cooking on Zoom through the Nevada-based organization Blindconnect and its life skills-based program, Angelas House. Food and cooking are essential areas where those with disabilities can often be invisible or overlooked, Lucas writes. But Mitchell and other advocates are working hard to address the problem by offering classes and resources and putting forth ideas to make cooking and recipes accessible. Advertisement If youre in a mood to cook this weekend, London-based chef Anissa Helou shares her knowledge of food traditions associated with Ramadan (this year it starts on April 12) and two recipes. The Walsh sisters are putting their own spin on Cupids Hot Dogs, and theyre doing it on roller skates. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times) The L.A. Times Dinner Series event with superstar chef Enrique Olvera The next L.A. Times Dinner Series event is a four-course meal for diners in Los Angeles and in New York on April 24. Chef Enrique Olvera is the force behind Mexico Citys Pujol, Manhattans Cosme and the recently opened Damian in L.A.'s Arts District. In a conversation themed around awards season and hosted by L.A. Times arts columnist Carolina A. Miranda, Olvera talks with filmmaker, screenwriter and award-winning director Fernando Frias de la Parra. The L.A. meal from Damian (picked up by diners before the event) features costillas enmoladas: pork ribs and belly, kimchi, mole negro (nuts, allium). In New York the meal from Cosme centers around the restaurants famed duck carnitas. Advertisement Tickets are $105 per person, with a minimum of two tickets per household. The charity partner for the event is Project Angel Food. | https://www.latimes.com/food/newsletter/2021-04-10/bars-reopen-tasting-notes |
Does Macys Need To Be The Worlds Largest Store? | The exterior of Macy's Herald Square flagship store on April 3, 2021. Michael Lisicky Located at one of midtown Manhattans most visible corners, Macys at Herald Square proudly proclaims Worlds Largest Store on its Broadway and 34th Street exterior. The prominent signage boasts a certain mystique that the retailer hopes will bring prestige to its entire nationwide chain of 512 department stores. When it opened in November 1902, Macys Herald Square store contained one million square feet throughout its ten shopping floors. Additional expansions, in 1924 and 1930, increased the square footage to 2.185 million. By the mid 1930s, Macys frequently used the Worlds Largest Store slogan in many advertisements and promotions. A 1939 travel brochure from the R.H. Macy Co proclaims the business as the World's Largest Store. MACY ARCHIVE Over the past 119 years, Macys Herald Square has served as the companys crown jewel location. The retailer has often referred to its Herald Square store as its most valuable asset. The building, along with the land on which is stands, has recently been estimated between $3 and $4 billion in value. An 800-foot glass tower is proposed to be added to the top of Macy's Herald Square store. Plans and ... [+] permits are still in the initial stages. MACY'S In 2019, Macys announced an initial plan to construct an 800-foot tall office tower above the Herald Square store. The new 1.5 million square foot glass structure would add an estimated 6000 office employees to the already heavily-congested area. The 34th Street subway station, the third busiest in the entire system and located just beneath the store, would require significant upgrades in order to accommodate increased commuter traffic. Despite reports of the companys precarious financial position and a potentially thorny zoning change process, Macys confirmed in February 2020, that it was moving forward with the project. The retailer started meeting with local community groups and business leaders who shared concerns about the project. The small crowd gathers outside the Herald Square Macy's on September 1, 2020. Michael Lisicky However, everything came to a screeching halt last March, when Covid shut down the store and the city. The Herald Square area turned from a bustling business district to a commercial graveyard seemingly overnight. The Worlds Largest Store remained closed to in-store shoppers for three months. A view of the main floor at Macy's Herald Square store on March 4, 2021. Michael Lisicky Fortunately, one year into Covid, there are signs of hope and improvement. Though the retailer has noticeably reduced its store hours, Macys has not closed off any of its sales space at Herald Square. Customer foot traffic has increased at the department store. City tourism officials are optimistic that declining infection rates and increased vaccinations will help the city rebound, as early as the upcoming summer. They estimate that 38 million people will visit the city in 2021. Thats only half the number of those who visited in 2019, but its far greater than the dismal figures of 2020. A series of luxury boutiques are shown at the Macy's Herald Square store on March 4, 2021. Michael Lisicky And Macys has not abandoned the tower project. Orlando Veras, Macys spokesperson, says that the company has moved forward with the permitting process. While there have been some delays, we have laid the groundwork for this long-term project that will serve as a massive value-creating development. The investment and upgrading of Macys flagship has been a decades-long mission. In 2013, then-CEO Terry Lundgren stated the need to elevate the store experience and create a luxury component at Herald Square. A $400 million renovation plan added exclusive boutiques by Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Longchamp, and others to the stores main floor. A 1939 view of the main floor at Macy's Herald Square store. MACY ARCHIVE Its a far cry from the mid-century utilitarian image of the R. H. Macy Co, when the stores motto was Its Smart to be Thrifty. By 1940, Macys carried 168 individual departments that offered goods such as bottle warmers, castanets, hectographs, megaphones, and sun dials. Customers were served by 55 elevators and 58 escalators and there were approximately 137,000 sales transactions every day. The merchandise was displayed on 9 miles of counter-space. Macys Herald Square has not been the Worlds Largest Store since 2009, when Guinness World Records certified that the accolade belonged to the Shinsegae Centum City department store in Busan, South Korea. At 5.847 million of square feet, Shinsegae is practically three times the size of Macys. The Shinsegae Centum City store in Busan, South Korea was declared the World's Largest Store by ... [+] Guinness World Records in June 2009. Shinsegae Centum City But the comparison of Macys and Shinsegae is a little unfair. Shinsegae Centum City offers such amenities as a golf driving range, an ice skating rink, a multiplex theater, and a rooftop theme park. Its interior space feels more like a shopping mall, with individual stores and boutiques. One wont find wooden escalators, ornate elevator banks, or expansive open floor space at the Shinsegae Centum City store. Nor can it claim the Worlds Largest Shoe Floor. This honor belongs to Macys second floor with over 63,000-square feet containing 280,000 pairs of shoes. And even as Koreas first department store, Shinsegae wasnt founded until 1960. An empty wooden escalator at the Macy's Herald Square on September 1, 2020. Michael Lisicky Although Worlds Largest Store no longer applies, size does not necessarily equate strength. As the flagship of the Macys brand, our Herald Square store stands unique in our portfolio, both for its historical significance to our brand and the City of New York, says Veras. [It] provides customers with a singular Macys branded shopping experience. Macys has continued many of its traditions, from its July 4th fireworks presentation to its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even at the height of the pandemic, the retailer worked in concert with city officials and presented and reimagined both events for 2020. The annual flower show, scheduled from May 2-16, is back on for 2021, despite last years cancellation. Veras states, With the spirit of renewal and new days of hope on the horizon, Macys springtime celebration was reimagined to safely bring the magic of the season to life for guests in and around the iconic store. It is important for Macys to protect the Herald Square stores stature. Often regarded as the companys billboard, a positive image blurs the reality that the retailer is deeply in debt. In order to raise much-needed funds, the company has sold off some valuable pieces of real estate, such as the San Francisco Union Square, Chicago State Street, and Brooklyn Fulton Street buildings. There are more store closings planned. Crowds fill the main floor of the Macy's Herald Square store during the 2018 holiday season. Michael Lisicky A visit to the Macys Herald Square store should be a special event, from an unparalled and comprehensive collection of merchandise to unique food service offerings. There must always be a desire for improvement and innovation at the massive store. Its continued success is dependant on shoppers and tourists who wish to visit the store and return to make additional purchases. Ultimately, its hard enough just being a retailer these days, let alone the Worlds Largest Store. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellisicky/2021/04/10/does-macys-need-to-be-the-worlds-largest-store/ |
Why are there still so few black scientists in the UK? | The Nobel laureate poet Sir Derek Walcott once said that the English language is nobodys special property: It is the property of the imagination. Much the same could be said for science. It should be said. Except this isnt quite so. Not yet. Data on who is doing science has recently been released by the Royal Society, the UKs premier scientific academy, using figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, whose data is by far the most systematic. The numbers show that in 2018-19, 19.2% of science, technology, engineering and maths academic staff aged 34 and under are Asian and 1.8% are black. In physics and chemistry, the proportion of black researchers stands at a sobering zero, rounded down, as these calculations do for ease of presentation, from literally one or two individuals. Whats interesting is that these small figures decrease further as a scientists age increases as they travel through the hallowed halls of academia to become senior scientists. So while the UK has 10,560 science professors who are white, only 960 are Asian, 310 mixed and other and 65 black. This says that minorities who enter science are less likely to get promoted. Fewer of them go on to become those experts who evaluate which next-generation scientists should then get the training, the money and the jobs. Unless this changes, the Royal Society says, there will be unbalanced representation of academic staff between ethnic groups working in higher education in comparison to the ethnic breakdown of the general population. I know numbers can make the eyes glaze over, but not these ones, not after the year we have had. Follow the direction in which they point or, as the government has become fond of saying, follow the science, and the interpretation of all these statistics is simply this: the scientific knowledge that the UK produces happens in laboratories in universities that are staffed by senior scientists who are very nearly all white. At their elbows stand the next generation of young researchers and PhD scholars who are very nearly the same. The small numbers of scientists who are not white are predominantly formed of the so-called AMEs in BAME. But look specifically at the near-absence of scientists who identify as black and we can be quite sure that UK science our UK scientists is not even close to reflecting the peoples that it serves. Prof Adrian Smith, a statistician and the president of the Royal Society, says what is evident is that the whole of the education system, from schools to universities, plays an important role in the numbers: the progress in non-completion rates among black science students, disparities in degree outcomes and in progress through careers to senior posts. The really stunning stuff is within the university system, he says. That passage through the universities is not a great story. The reasons for this are at once simple and complex, a contradiction that requires context to be understood. One of these contexts must be science itself or at least its gatekeepers: universities, scientific institutions, government and independent funders, all of which are underpinned by the human face of senior scientists, who are highly respected in their fields and therefore take hugely consequential decisions within their organisations that affect who comes, who stays and who goes. To Dr Nira Chamberlain, the president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, it all comes down to leadership. We come up with all this data and it says, yes, theres under-representation. And we say, Oh, theres under-representation. And the following year, we do the same survey again. Theres under-representation! Now, Im a mathematician, I like numbers, but enough is enough. If you do nothing, everything remains exactly the same. In February 2021, prior to the publication of the governments contentious Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, the Stuart Hall Foundation and the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity released a consolidation of 40 years of inquiries into racial inequality in Britain. They analysed reports published between 1981 and 2017 and 589 recommendations that had already been put forward to address racism and racial inequality, including in education. Either way, the irony of our government, our funders and our decision-makers not following the science on the state of our science is creating a future insurrection against itself. Its like theyre actively pursuing a divided society, through a reluctance to address the facts. Take the analysis by Dr Addy Adelaine, chief executive of the non-profit organisation Ladders4Action, which highlighted that of the 4.3m released to examine the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities, exactly 0 was allocated to black academic leads, even though applications from black scientists had been received. And that after UK Research and Innovation, one of two bodies holding this money, had made an explicit commitment to equality. To Prof Ijeoma Uchegbu, a pharmaceutical nanoscientist at University College London and the universitys envoy for racial equality, this is more than a problem of social justice. She says: Sometimes you rub against people who say, well, weve got the best people doing the job, we actually have chosen the best candidates. And the subtext of that is that if you start talking about equity, you wont have the best candidates. But my message is pretty clear and I say this again and again and again: having good equity is not about helping me, as a black woman. Its about helping your organisation making sure your organisation is fit for purpose. Because you cannot be making the best decisions if they are being taken by a homogenous group, within a multifaceted society. And theres lots of data to show this. You cannot make the best decisions if they are being taken by a homogenous group. And there's lots of data to show this Prof Ijeoma Uchegbu In the wake of all those Black Lives Matter pledges universally posted in the digital shop windows of universities and scientific bodies, Chamberlains question resonates. We are given to believe that the day-to-day decisions our leading scientists make who to train, who to employ, who to promote, who to give money to are approached very much like the science they do. That is to say, the decisions they take in all things are based on excellence, objective observation, evidence and, of course, more than anything, on merit. But this is where we get to one of the complexities. Because theres no point in equivocating: the persistent power structures of the UK tell us that race matters and class matters in our society. Where you live matters, where you are educated matters, whether you are white or B or AME matters. It matters to your progress into positions of power, positions in which you become a decision-maker yourself. Positions where you train, hire, mentor or promote. To whether you get to become a scientist and rise through the ranks to a professorship. While the scientific method is almost defined by its pursuit of the elimination of bias (the randomised controlled trial being a well-known example) when it comes to the hugely consequential decisions taken by scientists themselves, the bias monitor must be malfunctioning. For Uchegbu, this comes from the same kinds of bias already reflected widely across society. She says: I think its very difficult for scientists to divorce their personal attributes from this data-driven world. Scientists are human. Its almost idealistic to believe that we are moved by the data. You know there is inequality, but youre a beneficiary. Difficult for you to then try and change that, because you are benefiting. To Prof Rachel Oliver, a materials scientist at the University of Cambridge and leader of The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research in STEMM, a national campaign group focused on improving diversity and inclusivity in the scientific research community, there is also an inherent problem with the very idea of merit-based decisions that sit on a firm foundation of inequality. I think the thing about the merit picture is that you cant have a discussion about things being merit-based if you dont provide a level playing field, she says. And the non-levelness of the playing field may not always be evident to the people making decisions, so a thing we hear a lot from both younger female scientists, and certainly from black and minority ethnic colleagues, is that when they need support from their institutions, it often isnt forthcoming. That foundation isnt there for them. Dr Lisa Palmer, associate professor and deputy director of the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montfort University, co-author of Blackness in Britain, daughter of Jamaican-born parents and sister to two chemical engineers, both with PhDs, also thinks that, at its base, the question of merit is tricky, but that of objectivity is messy too. I think theres a way in which the good immigrant narrative is also about trying to believe in meritocracy believe that people can see your individual talent and skill, believe that you have come through racial barriers, Palmer says. The university has functioned to produce a particular type of knowledge that is presented as being neutral, objective, fact- and data-driven. But actually part of what we know is that neutrality and being objective is also a function of power and a particular perspective, developed through a social lens of privilege. Until this process is recognised for what it is and addressed, this myth of meritocracy and masking of the value of diverse people and knowledge to science will continue to provide a stage for the meetings of committee after committee. But these battles only cement frustrations and so further entrench inequality. Being self-aware and critical of itself is how science is supposed to progress. But, Palmer says, if you mention the way racism works in the production of knowledge you are positioned as being divisive, or looking for special pleading, or not being able to deal with reality. Its actually misinterpreted in ways that undermine very serious questions about the way in which racism works in higher education and the impact that has, not only on the kind of knowledge that is produced, but who is actually given support, funding and infrastructure. Across recent history, there have been people who have closely observed inequalities and inequities which raise questions of justice. George Orwell once wrote that an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on, indefinitely. Racism itself is well encapsulated by that cycle. And science itself must accept some key culpability in the very origins of the modern concept of race. Racism, based upon a chromatocracy, did predate Carl Linnaeuss 18th-century scientific tabulation of human diversity. But on the back of that iconic work, Immanuel Kant supplied a philosophical justification for a race-based human classification. That justification of human hierarchy within the scientific ranking of nature fuelled European racism and supported the lucrative colonial machine of exploitation. And all of it stemmed from a neutral observation, first made in botany. As Prof Dawn Edge, mental health and inclusivity specialist and academic lead for equality diversity and inclusion says in her race, religion and belief portfolio at the University of Manchester: We never really acknowledge that openly or address how that still plays out in peoples thinking even without them knowing. The way that still plays out in stereotypes being reinforced all the time. Were not having those conversations about how we got here. Unless we actually start to talk about it and acknowledge it, I dont think we can really move on; we will just continue to put a veneer over it. Black students who are at the same level as their white counterparts start falling behind them from A-levels Although there are undoubtedly many today who still overtly subscribe to Kants pernicious racial stereotypes, that is not necessarily what we are talking about here. Rather, it is that the statistics we keep generating should be tapping science on the shoulder and saying that, really, one just has to support existing power structures for one to act in a racist way. That racism is enforced by the decisions people make every day. It is maintained through the rejection of progress, through denial. Much effort is being made by independent groups. Black scientists are creating more visible networks to inspire, support, connect and create collaborations. Among these are the Blackett Lab Family started by Dr Mark Richards, a physical scientist at Imperial College London; the Black Heroes of Mathematics conference, created by Chamberlain and hosted by four UK mathematical societies; and Africans in STEM, launched by four African scientists at the University of Cambridge. Action is already being formulated, or even taken in some universities with committed leaderships, and by scientific professional societies. There is willingness. Even though change is slow and it is still by no means representative, UK science is not quite as white as it was a generation ago. Yet if the slow pace of change tells us that discrimination is systemic and entrenched, and the under-represented remain under-represented year on year, then it stands to reason that a government that is committed to equality and diversity should formulate a programme of oversight and accountability. And, because we have followed the science, we know it should be a plan against our own basic natures, one that doesnt depend solely on the niceness of scientists and of ministers themselves in adopting diversity and inclusion practices. Dr Chris Jackson, who gave last years Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Photograph: Paul Wilkinson/BBC/Windfall Films/Paul Wilkinson Photography Primary school to university trajectory data shows black students who are at the same level as their white counterparts start falling behind them from A-levels. It shows UK-domiciled Chinese and Indian students surpassing their white counterparts at school and still falling behind them at university. That means lower salaries, fewer doing PhDs and fewer in academia. This is the awarding gap and closing it in the analyses of Uchegbu, Oliver, Edge and others requires a plan that spans and financially incentivises education and research institutions from primary schools to universities to funders, so that they regularly report on their diversity data and demonstrate that the action they are taking is making the numbers change. Money talks: that kind of oversight has proved successful before. There is clear evidence that the Athena SWAN charter, created in 2005 to recognise higher education institutions and departments commitment to tackling gender inequality in higher education, started to have a positive impact on changing culture and attitudes. It really did lead to more women being successful in academic careers. In 2016, a Race Equality Charter was also launched to improve the record in equality and diversity in much the same way. Prof Chris Jackson, a geoscientist at the University of Manchester, and the first black scientist to deliver the Royal Institutions Christmas lectures in 2020 says he can see a tension in effectively trying to force people to be good or monetise change if it doesnt also get to the cultural roots of the problem. Getting more minority staff, say, but starting them on the lowest salaries, or bringing them in, but not supporting them for promotion. Jackson says: You also need to show you are doing something to better the advancement of those historically excluded groups. That their progress is not then being harmed by racial discrimination. Somebody had the saying that stayed with me. It said, diversity without inclusion is harm. More than 40 years of reports and recommendations have given us the benefit of hindsight and Covid-19 has writ large to politicians, scientists and society what the eventual, long-term consequence of a lack of an equality strategy is. Despite this, the chance of creating a joined-up commitment from our leaders to tackle the systemic discrimination at the core of the UK science juggernaut has just become that much more challenging. In September 2020, in the midst of the storm of data telling us that racism and inequity in the UK had led to illness and deaths for disproportionate numbers of grandfathers, bus drivers, nurses and doctors from black and minority ethnic groups, the UKs minister of state for universities, our research minister and our innovation minister put their heads together and asked higher education and its funders to not feel pressured to take part in such initiatives to demonstrate their support for the cause the scheme addresses. Instead, they should feel confident in their ability to address such matters themselves. It would probably work, if only we were better human beings. The only conclusion is that the strategy of placing the grisly details of under-representation in the category of distraction and bureaucratic burdens will succeed impressively in the long running project of Everything Remaining Exactly The Same. The fact remains that repeated calls by many scientists to politicians have not led to anything truly transformative. No, of course not, says Jackson. I do wonder if we need our more progressive, independent funders who really seem to value the research culture and environment. And part of that is justice, equality, diversity and inclusion, making everybody feel welcome in the academic space. Maybe its down to those funders who are sufficiently decoupled from the government to really drive the agenda, because they can then impress upon research institutions what their standards are. We have had this slow creep of recommendations, like we were kind of trying to evolve the system. And maybe what we dont need is any more evolution, we need revolution. Now we need some kind of circuit-breaker, a more radical reform. As for Prof Adrian Smith, he is more than aware of the deep-rooted cycle of cause and effect that ends with purple prose celebrating the scientific excellence produced by the UK, the scientific superpower of Boris Johnsons perorations, without considering who has lost out along the way. He says: Both in terms of people and careers but also in terms of making full national use of talent, we have an interest. And I want it on the agenda, to just try to see what we can actually do as opposed to waffling about it, which has gone on for a very long time. | https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/10/why-are-there-still-so-few-black-scientists-in-the-uk |
Where Will Penn State's Jayson Oweh Get Drafted? | Jayson Oweh has the potential to 'take the NFL by storm.' Yet projections differ greatly on where he will get drafted. Former Penn State defensive end Jayson Oweh is among the most intriguing prospects of the 2021 NFL Draft, with projections ranging from the high first round to late second, depending on the week and site. Oweh made a statement at Penn State's Pro Day in March, running the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, a splashy time for most any player, much less a 253-pound defensive end. But he's also still fairly new to the game, having played it full-time since his junior year of high school. As a result, the draft projections vary wildly. One NFL Draft Bible mock had the Dallas Cowboys selecting Oweh with the 10th overall pick. Yet another didn't mention Oweh until the end of Round 2, at No. 64 overall to Tampa Bay. The same mock draft raved about tight end Pat Freiermuth, sending him to the New York Jets in the first round at No. 23 overall. Still, teams are looking at Oweh for his potential. NFL analyst Jim Mora said the defensive end combines pass-rush and run-stopping skills with an ability to cover tight ends, making him a valuable player. "He gets himself in situations where you don't think he's going to be able to make a play," Mora said. "Then all of the sudden, because of his burst and his hip flexibility, he goes in and makes a tackle that you wouldn't think he'd be able to make." Despite the varied projections, NFL Draft Bible holds Oweh in high regard, listing him as the top 4-3 edge rusher in the draft. Here's more from NFL Draft Bible's scouting report: With how paramount athleticism is at the defensive end position, Oweh is the next athletic freak that continues to push the envelope for standards at the position. Oweh is the definition of the first man off the bus. He certainly looks the part of the next great pass rusher to come out of the Big Ten with potential to take the NFL by storm. An honoree on the annual Feldmans Freak List, Owehs testing numbers have become folklore at this point, almost unfathomable for a man of his size. Coupling his insane athletic profile with some outstanding length, Oweh is a tough assignment to block one-on-one. With dynamite explosiveness around the outside track, he can put offensive linemen into troubling positions, causing a lot of oversets. Oweh has shown a propensity to convert speed to power, feasting on oversetting offensive tackles. When tackles overset on him, he is able to immediately counter with inside moves, enabling him to win both inside and out. Calling Oweh a high-upside pass rusher would be a major understatement.After being an underwhelming run defender in 2019, Oweh was much improved in that area this past season. His arm length allows him to lock out and set a firm edge. With more upside than tangible play at the moment, Oweh is a mound of clay that has limited production and live reps to date. He lacks awareness working against misdirection, taking himselfout of position too often. Despite some serious juice up the track, he can be a tick slow off the snap. From a raw talent perspective, Oweh is a slam-dunk early first-round selection. With the inconsistencies he shows, there is no certainty where his draft slot will ultimately land. Fit will ultimately be the deciding factor for Oweh. If he lands with a good defensive line coach who can get the most out of him, we could be looking at a high-volume sack artist who could develop into one of the better pass rushers in the NFL. Check out the video above for Mora's breakdown, and read more evaluations at NFL Draft Bible. In addition, their huge draft guide features more than 400 scouting reports, position rankings and exclusive interviews. | https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/football/where-will-penn-states-jayson-oweh-get-drafted |
Why Is Vail Resorts (MTN) Down 0.4% Since Last Earnings Report? | It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Vail Resorts (MTN). Shares have lost about 0.4% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Vail Resorts Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates Vail Resorts reported second-quarter fiscal 2021 results, wherein both earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, both the metrics declined year over year. In the quarter under review, the company reported earnings of $3.62 per share, against the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $2.19. In the prior-year quarter, the company had reported earnings of $5.04 per share. Quarterly revenues were $684.7 million, which surpassed the consensus mark of $623 million. However, the top line fell 26% on a year-over-year basis. The downside was due to dismal performance by the Mountain segment and Lodging segments. The companys RevPAR declined 38.4% in the quarter, while ADR increased 2.9%. Segment Results The Mountain segment reported revenues of $641.5 million in the quarter under review, down 24.1% year over year due to limitation and restrictions on its North American operations on account of the COVID-19 outbreak. The downside can also be attributed to 11.1% decline in lift revenues. Moreover, Ski school, dining and retail/rental revenues decreased 45.1%, 58.0%, and 32.6%, respectively. The segments EBITDA amounted to $283.6 million, down 24% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, operating expenses at the Mountain segment totaled $186.1 million, down 29% year over year. EBITDA was impacted by coronavirus pandemic, marginally overshadowed by disciplined cost management. Lodging net revenues in the reported quarter were $42.9 million, down 45.7% year over year primarily due to operational restrictions of North American lodging properties as a result of the pandemic. Under the segment, EBITDA declined to ($7.5) million from the prior-year quarter figure of $5.3 million. Meanwhile, operating expenses at the Lodging segment contracted 31.5% year over year to $50.4 million. Story continues Operating Results Vail Resorts reported adjusted EBITDA of $274.8 million in the quarter under review compared with $373 million in the prior-year quarter. The decline was primarily due to negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Resort operating expenses totaled $409.5 million, down 25% year over year. Meanwhile, total segmental operating expenses contracted 25% year over year to $411 million. Balance Sheet Cash and cash equivalents as Jan 31, 2021, totaled $1,301 million, up from $126.8 million in the year-ago period. Net long-term debt amounted to $2,768 million at the end of the quarter, up from $1,817.1 million at the end of the prior-year quarter. As of Feb 28, 2021, the company had total cash and revolver availability of approximately $2 billion. This includes $1.4 billion of cash in hand, $419 million of U.S. revolver availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and $179 million of revolver availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement. Fiscal 2021 Guidance The company provided results for nine months ended Apr 30, 2021. The company anticipates net income in the range of $204 million to $247 million. Resort reported EBITDA is expected between $560 million and $600 million. It turns out, estimates revision have trended upward during the past month. The consensus estimate has shifted 51.1% due to these changes. VGM Scores At this time, Vail Resorts has a poor Growth Score of F, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with an A. However, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Vail Resorts has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/why-vail-resorts-mtn-down-153003209.html |
Why Is Zumiez (ZUMZ) Down 1.9% Since Last Earnings Report? | It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Zumiez (ZUMZ). Shares have lost about 1.9% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Zumiez Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates, Grow Y/Y Zumiez delivered robust fourth-quarter fiscal 2020 results, with the top and the bottom line not only beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also rising year over year. Management is quite impressed with the overall holiday performance beating the tough operating environment. Also, the companys one channel approach to retail looks impressive. Results in Detail Zumiez posted quarterly earnings of $1.68 per share that surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.61. The bottom line jumped 13.5% from $1.48 reported in the year-ago quarter. Higher net sales along with efficient expense management supported bottom-line growth. Total net sales edged up 0.8% year over year to $331.5 million and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $327 million. The upside was supported by a 4.7% rise in comparable sales and the net addition of three new outlets during the fiscal year, partly offset by temporary store closures because of the pandemic in the quarter. In the year-ago quarter, comparable sales increased 6.4%. In the fiscal fourth quarter, the hardgoods category stood out as the companys largest positive comping category, followed by accessories and men's. Meanwhile, footwear was the companys largest negative comping category, followed by women's. We note that the company experienced meaningful digital strength with comparable web sales increasing 31.8% in the fiscal fourth quarter, while comparable sales for physical stores declined 3.1% year over year. Further, management highlighted that the companys stores were open for nearly 94% of potential operating days in the reported quarter. Region-wise, North America net sales grew 1.5% to $285.2 million, while other International net sales, consisting of Europe and Australia, declined 3.2% to $46.3 million. Furthermore, gross profit inched up 1% year over year to $129.6 million, while gross margin expanded 10 basis points (bps) to 39.1%. The increase in gross margin was fueled by an 80-bp improvement in inventory shrinkage in obsolescence, 40 bps of leveraged occupancy costs and 20-bp growth in product margin. Growth was partly hurt by increased web shipping costs and adverse impact with respect to the STASH loyalty program deferred revenue adjustment made last year coupled with higher distribution and fulfillment costs. We note that SG&A expenses contracted 4.7% to $75.8 million during the quarter. As a percentage of sales, SG&A expenses declined 120 bps to 22.9%. Furthermore, the company reported operating profit of $53.8 million, up nearly 10% from the prior-year quarters figure. Again, operating margin rose 130 bps to 16.2%. Story continues Financial & Other Updates As of Jan 30, 2021, the company had cash and current marketable securities of $375.5 million compared with $251.2 million as of Feb 1, 2020. The upside was driven by cash generated through operations, including deferment of $30.1 million comprising landlord payments, reduced inventory levels, extended vendor terms and payroll tax payments along with net income improvements associated with abatements, credits and expense reductions. Growth was somewhat offset by $13.4 million of share repurchases via the companys stock buyback program prior to the stores closing in March due to the pandemic and other anticipated capital expenditures. Total shareholders equity at the end of the quarter stood at $552.6 million. The company had no debt at the end of the quarter and maintained full unused credit line of $35 million. It ended the fiscal year with $134.4 million inventory, down 0.5% from $135.1 million last year. For fiscal 2021, capital expenditures are projected in the band of $20-$22 million versus $9.1 million in fiscal 2020. Things to Note Management provided details regarding first-quarter-to-date performance. Sales for the 35 days ended Mar 6, 2021, were down about 3.8% year over year. Comparable sales for the same period fell 0.4%. By channel, open store comparable sales fell 6.9% while e-commerce sales rose 29.5%. For the first quarter-to-date period, the company had nearly 7% fewer open store days compared with the year-ago period. This was due to government directives as well as safety concerns. The company also witnessed significant traffic metering and lower hours required by local governments. As the quarter progresses, management expects store closures and other operating restrictions to persist at fluctuating levels. First-quarter-to-date comparable sales decline was driven by lower transactions, partly offset by a rise in dollars per transaction. Moreover, the hardgoods category remained the largest positive comping category, followed by accessories. Again, footwear was the companys largest negative comping category, followed by women's and men's. Region-wise, total sales in North America fell 6.1% in the first quarter through Mar 6, while the metric at other International business increased 11.4%. Many factors including the delay of U.S. tax returns and store closures impacted the North America business. In fiscal 2021, management expects quarter-to-quarter volatility to persist as it transitions back to a more normalized sales and expense landscape. Nonetheless, management is encouraged about fiscal 2021 given its advanced in-store fulfillment capabilities, including Zumiez Delivery and other strategic efforts. It turns out, estimates review flatlined during the past month. The consensus estimate has shifted 200% due to these changes. VGM Scores At this time, Zumiez has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. However, the stock was allocated a grade of A on the value side, putting it in the top 20% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Zumiez has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Zumiez Inc. (ZUMZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | https://news.yahoo.com/why-zumiez-zumz-down-1-153003662.html |
Is a party that sells police stations to criminals so very tough on crime? | Defund the police was a provocative slogan for the US radical left and the settled policy of Britains ruling right. You should switch off politicians and commentators who talk about building a safer country, if they dont face up to the debilitation that 11 years of Conservative defunding has inflicted on the criminal justice system. Let one anecdote stand in for the bigger picture. The Tories sold half the magistrates courts and more than a third of county courts in England and Wales between 2010 and 2020, and about 600 police stations. The same government is engaged in a screeching U-turn today and trying to deal with the tens of thousands of Covid-delayed trials by opening Nightingale courts, although I doubt that Florence Nightingale would have sent the lowliest British soldier in Crimea to our fetid prisons. Bewildered detectives reported to former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal that a police station in the north-west was included in the fire sale and an organised crime group bought it. The gang run it as a pizza restaurant and a front for the distribution of drugs extra toppings. Afzal tells me police intelligence heard the gangsters crowing about getting one over on their old adversaries. A country where crime gangs do business from former cop shops is not one whose politicians should be able to boast of their toughness on crime. Boris Johnson and Priti Patel get away with it by saying they will restore the 15% cut in police numbers their own party imposed by 2023. No sensible person believes a Johnson promise. But humour me and assume he isnt lying. When newspapers from Cheshire to the Thames Valley report that local officers dealt informally with suspects accused of child sex crimes, drugs trafficking, stalking, robbery, firearms possession, kidnapping and blackmail rather than take them to court, the softest liberal may concede Johnson has a point. He cannot make it stick, and not just because the courts will still be hearing Covid-delayed cases in 2023, and have no idea when they will return to normal. For the court system, failure was the normal of the 2010s. As with so much else, the pandemic has accelerated existing trends and, in the case of the criminal justice system, the trend was downhill all the way. Johnsons party reduced the Crown Prosecution Service to an organisation creaking under the strain of a loss of a quarter of its budget, in the words of Alison Saunders, a former director of public prosecutions. With malign timing, the explosion in evidence from online data coincided with the assault on the public sector, slowing the ability of prosecutors and police officers to process cases. Legal aid payments for defence solicitors have become so miserly that suspects may soon be unable to find lawyers in large parts of the country. Prisons have confined inmates to their cells, meanwhile, in conditions the Prison Reform Trust says amount to solitary confinement. The pandemic destroyed what attempts the jails made to turn them from crime when it closed classrooms, gyms, libraries, workshops and offending behaviour programmes. I could go on to the withdrawal of public support from youth workers, social workers and teachers who might identify and divert young men at risk of turning to crime, and from probation officers who might rehabilitate offenders. I could look at drug and alcohol consumption rates and poverty. However long I spent, the fact would remain that, when Patel said: I want criminals to feel terror, she must have known the odds were criminals would be left in peace. What applies to the failing system applies to libertarians who worry, understandably, about the authoritarian powers the government has taken in the crisis. They cry that the UK is becoming a police state without understanding that we dont have enough police to police a police state. Liberals, who want a humane prison system or a police force that takes the abuse of women seriously and does not disproportionately target young black men, not only need to think about where they will find the funding, but about who they might train and recruit and how many years it will take to rebuild from the wreckage. The Conservatives got away with defunding the police and the rest of the criminal justice system in part because their 11 years in power began during a period of social peace across the developed world. From the mid-1960s until the 1990s, crime rates exploded and then fell back, spectacularly, in the 21st century. Criminologists argue about the reasons: ageing populations, the aborting of unwanted children, even reductions in air pollution and levels of lead in the blood. As always, left and right pick the explanation that suit their biases. Perhaps we do not need an explanation. What American researchers call the great crime decline may just be a reversion to the mean. Humanity progresses, as Steven Pinker has argued, and a part of the progress has been a decline in everyday violence that began at the end of the Middle Ages. On this view, the brutal decades of the late 20th century were a temporary diversion from the road to greater peace. In 2014, when UK crime rates had fallen significantly below 1990 levels, researchers from Cambridge University and the World Health Organization said a future in which rates of homicide, child abuse and domestic violence fell by as much as 50% was achievable in 30 years. Today, they may not be so confident. Gun deaths reached their highest point in US history in 2020, a year the Princeton sociologist Patrick Sharkey described as the most violent of the century. A gradual rise in crime since 2014 had culminated in a really terrible year across the whole country. American exceptionalism should make you wary of looking west for guides to what will happen next here. I just mention in passing that UK crime rates have risen since 2014, too, and plateaued around their 1990 level. They are still below their peak but, if they should explode, the justice system would fall apart. Indeed, it has already fallen apart. | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/10/is-a-party-that-sells-police-stations-to-criminals-so-very-tough-on-crime |
Did Bryce Harper teach a Braves fan how to pronounce Ronald Acua's name? | originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington Bryce Harper is used to being the target of heckling. It comes with the territory when you're a six-time All-Star, former NL MVP, and one of the highest-paid players in baseball history. He came across one of those hecklers on Friday night when his Phillies visited the Atlanta Braves. The fan repeatedly shouted, "you'll never be as good as Acua," referring to the Braves' outfielder and former NL Rookie of the year Ronald Acua Jr. but pronouncing his name wrong. In a must-see moment, it appears Harper politely turned to the fan and gave him a lesson in how to pronounce the last name of his team's star player. This Braves fan got under Bryce Harpers skin tonight Youll never be as good as Acua! pic.twitter.com/xyaEGPMfi9 Talkin Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2021 It takes an audacious fan to go after a player of Harper's pedigree as a player, but audacity and a general lack of knowledge might have gone hand-in-hand in this interaction. The Phillies fell 8-1 to the Braves on the night and Harper's performance likely didn't change this fan's mind. But hopefully he was able to impart some basic knowledge on how to properly pronounce the name of one of baseball's best up and coming players. | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-bryce-harper-teach-braves-034748765.html?src=rss |
Could Kadarius Toney Be Next Lions Big-Play Wide Receiver? | Read more on whether Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney should be a target of the Detroit Lions in the 2021 NFL Draft The name of the game in the NFL is scoring, and one of the best weapons in this year's draft is wide receiver/return specialist Kadarius Toney out of the University of Florida. This guy is a flat-out weapon. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, and he is someone who could electrify the crowd at Ford Field. Toney burst on to the scene in 2020, putting up 70 catches for 984 yards (14.1 yard average) and 10 touchdowns. He was targeted 85 times, which illustrates his biggest downfall -- he drops some balls that he simply should not. He did it on game film, and he did it at the Senior Bowl practices during the one-on-one drills. Thus, it's the biggest concern that I have about him. Adam Hagy, USA TODAY Sports WR Kadarius Toney 6'0, 193 pounds (4.41 40-yard dash time, per NBC Sports) Grade: B (Good player, but not elite; he's good enough to win with, however) Kelly's draft board: High second round Scouting Report Diminutive-looking, quick receiver who catches the ball with his hands, drops some he should not and is elusive in the open field. Also returns punts and is a real threat every time he touches the ball. Can motion a lot pre-snap. Capable of lining up in the backfield and taking a hand-off. Runs like an elusive running back in the open field. Defenses have to be aware of where he is on the field at all times. Gets into routes quickly. Has some shake-and-bake to him. Good hip flexibility. Can really snap off routes at the break point. Has wiggle and bend. Tough matchup for defensive backs and tough to keep up with. Sets up defensive backs well. Has second gear. Glides when he runs. Tends to catch the ball with his hands. Excels at short receiver screens. Good YAC ability (yards after the catch). Darts. Shifty body movements. Able to take a short pass and take it to the house (see Missouri game). Tough and courageous. Willing to go across the middle. Able to take a shot. Good sell on out-and-up and double-move routes. Has some real play-making ability. Able to blow past defensive backs and go deep. Home run-hitting ability. Deep threat. Good long speed. Can also return punts, and gets up field in a hurry. Big-time return threat. He is a real weapon for an offense to have. Game-breaking and game-changing ability in the mold of former NFL speedster Percy Harvin. I think he will fall into the top of the second round, because he drops some balls that he shouldn't. However, if Detroit can grab him at the start of Day 2, it has to do so. Playmakers make plays, and most importantly, they win games for their teams. Odds Lions Trade Up to No. 4 Overall | https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-kadarius-toney-big-play-receiver |
Should Negotiators Hold Out For A Better Deal Or Move Quickly To Close? | Former Monsanto EVP and CTO Robb Fraley offers insights on balancing the competing needs to achieve desired terms in a deal versus sealing it fast. getty It was the last day of January 2020, a Friday. Two negotiating teams had worked through the holidays on a large M&A deal that had been delayed for months as the parties argued over some final IP risk items. They had finally come to a mutually acceptable outcome and were ready to sign. The acquirer just needed a final internal approval and then the deal could be closed the following Monday. But before the close of business that Friday, the US declared a public health emergency due to the coronavirus outbreakand the acquirer hesitated. Meanwhile, a competitor swooped in and closed the deal itself, buying both the target company and its technology at a great price. During the pandemic, the technology became more important than ever. Only the competitor was happy with the result. Academic research and some of the best negotiators in the world suggest that its best not to press for a final win and just close the deal instead. If its a strategic deal on the table, the benefits down the line will likely outweigh any concessions a negotiator has to make in the present and often the deal can be renegotiated later anyway. But, most importantly, a delay always introduces a risk of losing the whole deal, which should not be an option. How Monsanto Drove Innovation Through M&A Its not the deals we didno matter how they turned outthat kept me awake at night, says Robb Fraley, PhD, former EVP and CTO of Monsanto. Its the deals we didnt do or came close to that nag at me. So, Im always in the camp of its better to do the deal. Throughout its 120-year history, Monsanto has been at the center of controversy a number of times, but it has also been one of the business worlds greatest innovators. At the end of the last century, with the global population growing exponentially, many feared the world would be unable to produce enough food to support humanity. Food production had to increase, but the land needed to grow it was a finite resource. Monsanto saw an opportunity in an emerging field called agriculture biotechnology and invested significant R&D to make food production more efficient, strengthening its research capabilities by acquiring other companies or their technologies. Today, most of the corn, soybean and cotton produced in America is grown containing traits that Monsanto developed. Several competitors over the years have told me that they had looked at the same deals and had even taken them to their boards, but that they couldnt quite pull the trigger, said Fraley. Two of Monsantos most substantial technology acquisitions were Holdens Foundation Seeds and DeKalb Genetics Corporation in the late 1990s. By agreeing to acquire the privately held Holdens in 1997 for $1.02 billion, Monsanto became the largest US producer of the foundational corn seed used to produce hybrids and gained a robust distribution network for its own gene technology. When it acquired the remaining 40% of DeKalb that it did not already own in 1998 for $2.5 billion, Monsanto solidified its position as an ag biotech leader. It was crucial for Monsanto to complete both deals because of the interconnectivity of their germplasm, which our technology team realized, Fraley says. We literally had just signed the agreement and were saying goodbye as a potential competitor was ringing the front doorbell. Speed was absolutely critical. Facebooks Acquisition of Instagram: A Historic Deal Put Together in Days In the tech world, one of the most notable deals that was carried out extremely quickly was Facebooks acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion in 2012. The Facebook team recognized the competitive threat that both Instagram and Twitter, which had also considered acquiring Instagram, presented to its own business. The acquisition, Facebooks largest to date at the time, was negotiated in just three days and the Facebook board found out about the plan only at the last minute. The deal has since proven one of the most successful acquisitions in Silicon Valley history. The story of the Instagram acquisition highlights how short the window of opportunity can be for a strategic technology acquisition or an M&A deal. Often, acquiring companies have only days to weeks to move before the competition is activated or the business environment changes. The benefits of such a strategic acquisition may not be realized immediatelythey may not be fully clear until 10 years down the line. But during those 10 years, the deal terms, in many cases, can be renegotiated. And even if the deal cannot be renegotiated later, the strategic benefits may outweigh any lasting concessions made during the initial negotiation. Tips for Negotiating More Efficiently Here are a few considerations all negotiators should keep in mind to ensure they dont miss out on an important deal: Align clearly on all priorities: Internal teams obviously must align on corporate objectives prior to beginning a negotiation, but they must also align specifically on speed and where they can compromise in order to move forward fast. Internal teams obviously must align on corporate objectives prior to beginning a negotiation, but they must also align specifically on speed and where they can compromise in order to move forward fast. Exercise autonomy: The negotiation team needs to be able to seal the deal. If a final signature of someone not directly involved is needed, it should be secured immediately when the final documents are sent out. The negotiation team needs to be able to seal the deal. If a final signature of someone not directly involved is needed, it should be secured immediately when the final documents are sent out. Beware fear of failure: Negotiating teams might be uncomfortable presenting an inferior deal to senior leaders and colleagues, fearing theyll bear the blame for not achieving better terms, particularly when the loss of the whole deal might be attributed to the other side. Fear of failure, however, increases the risk of landing at an impasse. Negotiating teams might be uncomfortable presenting an inferior deal to senior leaders and colleagues, fearing theyll bear the blame for not achieving better terms, particularly when the loss of the whole deal might be attributed to the other side. Fear of failure, however, increases the risk of landing at an impasse. Move onto maintain the relationship: In a January 2020 article in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Einev Hart and Maurice E. Schweitzer state, Compared to not negotiating, individuals who negotiate may secure favorable deal terms, but risk incurring affective, relational, and economic costs after the agreement. The winner-take-all mentality rarely pays off long term. In a January 2020 article in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Einev Hart and Maurice E. Schweitzer state, Compared to not negotiating, individuals who negotiate may secure favorable deal terms, but risk incurring affective, relational, and economic costs after the agreement. The winner-take-all mentality rarely pays off long term. Move onto improve the deal later: Positive feelings resulting from one negotiation can be economically rewarding in a second negotiation, according to a 2010 study by Jared R. Curhan, Hillary Anger Elfenbein and Noah Eisenkraft that was published in The Journal of Applied Social Psychology. The researchers findings suggest that positive feelings, not just positive outcomes, can evoke future economic success. Positive feelings resulting from one negotiation can be economically rewarding in a second negotiation, according to a 2010 study by Jared R. Curhan, Hillary Anger Elfenbein and Noah Eisenkraft that was published in The Journal of Applied Social Psychology. The researchers findings suggest that positive feelings, not just positive outcomes, can evoke future economic success. Utilize post-settlement settlements: In their foundational 1987 case analysis, Max H. Bazerman et al. advocated taking another look at the outcome of negotiations. After a deal is signed, the parties are likely to trust each other more and understand the complexities of the deal better. In addition, the time pressure is off. All of that supports the creation of a new deal that provides value for both sides. Professional negotiators are under tremendous pressure. Their organizations have certain expectations they must meet and billions of dollars may be on the line. They may feel that theyre in an advantageous position in a particular negotiation and be tempted to take their time and press hard for terms that seem perfectly reasonable, but academic research and successful business negotiators suggest that its often better to move with urgency to close a deal before external factors change the situation. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinrand/2021/04/10/should-negotiators-hold-out-for-a-better-deal-or-move-quickly-to-close/ |
Who is the 2nd-best QB in the 2021 NFL draft? | The Guardian As some players mentors have found out in Masters week, this grand old club will punish anyone who breaks its traditions Spectators at the 18th green of the Masters, which stands alone as a tournament that denies the general use of mobile phones. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The famously no-nonsense approach of Augusta National to matters of discipline has been evident once more during Masters week, with more than one players coach understood to have been ejected from the premises for violating the rules on mobile phone usage. In one instance, a competitors tutor was discovered to be filming his client from outside the ropes during the opening round and was duly asked to leave the course. It is unclear whether the coach was allowed back inside the gates, given his player has survived the 36-hole cut. Mobile phones are not permitted at all for spectators on entry to Augusta National or for the media outside their designated building. Coaches are allowed them under strict guidance, which pertains largely to the capture or filming of swing work during practice sessions on long or short game ranges. This week the guidelines have been abused more than once, with swift action taken. Augusta National did not offer comment. However, the club has privately made it plain that it has mobile phone policies and they are enforced. The Masters stands alone as a tournament that denies general use of mobile phones and there is no apparent sign of that situation changing. Speaking before the 2019 Masters, the Augusta National chairman, Fred Ridley, said: I think thats something that does set us apart. I think our patrons appreciate our cell phone policy. I dont believe thats a policy that anyone should expect is going to change in the near future, if ever. I cant speak for future chairmen, but speaking for myself, I think we got that right. Even players are not immune to the phone rules. I remember one of my first Masters I was with Ian Poulter and we were posting a few pictures on Twitter and stuff, and someone came out and told us to cease and desist, the former US Open champion Graeme McDowell told GolfWeek last year. Kim Si-woo is likely to receive at the very least a stern lecture after breaking his putter in a fit of pique on the 15th hole of his second round. The South Korean managed to play his closing three in level par despite putting with a fairway wood. On the PGA Tour, the deliberate breaking of clubs tends to see players quietly fined. I was lucky I only had like three-, four-, five-feet [putts] over the last few holes, Kim said. So I got lucky there. It was just frustration. The surprise Masters contender Will Zalatoris, meanwhile, has reflected on his early encounters with Jordan Spieth. Zalatoris is making his Augusta debut at the age of 24, six years on from Spieths runaway victory. The pair are acquainted from amateur days, having both been schooled in Texas. Ive known Jordan, I guess since I was about 10 years old, Zalatoris said. He was always a world-beater at such a young age. The story I always tell is we were 14, playing my home club in Dallas at Bent Tree, and he made a crazy up-and-down on the first hole to save par basically from another fairway. He went out and birdied six out of the next eight to shoot 29 on the front, and he broke the course record that had been there for 20-plus years. That was at 14. Ive seen him do just some of the most miraculous things playing little games at home. But playing against him, hes always set the bar, especially in Texas, in terms of whatever that bar is at whatever level. I think guys like Scottie Scheffler and myself really owe him a lot for setting that bar. Wed probably make a great Ryder Cup pairing because Im a really good ball-striker and hes probably the best chipper and putter in the last 30 years. Hes been a great friend and really a great role model. | https://sports.yahoo.com/2nd-best-qb-2021-nfl-191420525.html?src=rss |
Could the 49ers Draft a Running Back Early? | The 49ers have plenty of needs outside of quarterback. The 49ers have plenty of needs outside of quarterback. Using the second- and third-round picks will be their chance to add immediate contributing players. Cornerback and interior offensive linemen are the ideal targets, but there is a chance the 49ers do not go that route. I would not rule out a scenario where the 49ers end up drafting a running back on Day 2. It wouldn't be the first time that they have invested high draft capital into the position. The only awkward part is that it has never worked out for them. Almost any undrafted free agent running back or drifter in the league works out superbly in Kyle Shanahan's offense. Yet, I still wouldn't put it past him to want some young legs at the position. Absolutely. If the 49ers ended up using their 43rd pick on top prospective running back, such as a Najee Harris should he fall, then it would not surprise me. I am not big on drafting a running back early, especially in the first two rounds of the draft, but I wouldn't necessarily hate it if the 49ers did this. Drafting someone such as Harris, or even UNC's Michael Carter who can catch out of the backfield, wouldn't be a slanderous decision. Now the 49ers would still be severely lacking when it comes to cornerback and the interior offensive line, so it is definitely a huge risk. I think the only way to come to grips with the 49ers taking a running back is if he is an absolute stud or if the 49ers find a way to make their lacking positions sufficient. Taking a running back early could always come back to haunt them. | https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/could-the-49ers-draft-a-running-back-early |
Did Deshaun Watson's Lawyer Hurt his Case Following Comments? | Rusty Hardin's recent comments might not be ones that Deshaun Watson would enjoy following the allegations. HOUSTON -- Currently, the case against Deshaun Watson has not been one of a positive outlook. The Houston Texans quarterback currently faces 22 civil lawsuits of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage sessions. Watson, who is represented by Texas lawyer Rusty Hardin, has denied the allegations as of this time. Earlier this week, Hardin asked the courts to force prosecuting lawyer, Tony Buzbee, to identify the names of the women who have moved forward with the allegations. So far, Buzbee has agreed to release 14 of the 22 names. READ MORE: Harris County Judge Rules Deshaun Watson Accuser Must Be identified On Friday, Hardin stated during a news conference that there were some "consensual encounters" between Watson and the women. Although there's no evidence stating the claim as of now, Hardin also said that Watson did not engage in any activity that wasn't "mutually desired" between the two parties. Yes," Hardin said according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. On Tuesday, Ashley Solis became the first woman to release her identity to the public as a victim of Watson's action. Since then, Buzbee has stated she has already received threats on social media. Since the initial case was released against Watson in March, reports have fluttered that the 25-year-old has deleted messages on social media, hoping the "settle a deal" before going further. READ MORE: Deshaun Watson Has 'Learned A Lesson,' Texans QB's Lawyer Asserts It's a clear indication that modern communications will be a factor in the case. Millennials live on Instagram. Those of you who are millennials know that. Those of you who are not have probably discovered it long before I, Hardin said Friday. They do business on it. Deshaun lives on Instagram. He does business transactions on Instagram. Other people do. Im discovering a much more prevalent use of it than I had any idea. Im not on Instagram. I dont do Twitter. Im not on Facebook. I am an idiot about modern communications. But what Ive learned is everyone else is not. Following Solis' testimony, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy released a statement calling the allegations against Watson "deeply disturbing," overall. "We take these issues very seriously," McCarthy said. The NFL began an investigation under its personal conduct policy last month after the first allegations. TexansDaily.com will continue to keep you up to date with everything happening surrounding Watson and the case. CONTINUE READING: New Texans Jenkins Ready to be "Violent Guy" for Defense | https://www.si.com/nfl/texans/news/did-deshaun-watsons-lawyer-hurt-his-case-following-comments |
Where do WFT Fans Rank in Party Mode on Gameday? | Washington Football fans often have had a reason to numb their pain often over the last 30 years. We go inside the numbers. ASHBURN -- Sports fans and Washington Football fans often compliment their experience on gameday with alcohol, great food and possibly a little bit more. According to a recent survey by Lines.com the report stated that 'Whether at home or attending a live event, drinking is a staple for many sports fans. While watching sporting events, an average of 3.7 alcoholic drinks are consumed MMA/UFC enthusiasts led the pack with the highest consumption level, compared to other sports.' That last part is something that should likely not surprise anyone. Nor should it surprise any person that sports fans drink more on average when attending games as opposed to watching at home. According to the results by Lines.com, 49% of NFL fans binge drink on gameday, lower than UFC, NBA and maybe surprisingly ESports. READ MORE: Breer Says Move Into Top-10 Unlikely for WFT And then there's other activities. The study, also broke down fans that smoked marijuana on the day of the event. As the chart indicates, the Washington Football Team fans are fairly conservative compared to other fan bases. While 57% binge drink, 48% smoke marijuana on gameday according to the survey of almost 1,700 sports fans. We know that a survey of such a small group of fans in a world with hundreds of millions does not show proper representation globally, but the results are still interesting. The Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots fan bases rank among the lowest percentages in the entire NFL. The Pats were lowest in both categories at 42% for binge drinking and 31% on the high side. The Cowboys (not shown) were 46% and 34%, respectively. | https://www.si.com/nfl/washingtonfootball/news/where-do-wft-fans-rank-in-party-mode-on-gameday |
Could a Top-Tier CB Fall To Washington at No. 19? | Depending on the overall need, the Washington Football Team could target Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley There's never too much of a good thing. For the Washington Football Team, that could come in the form of defensive backs. One year into the Jack Del Rio defense proved prosperous for WFT. The unit ranked No.2 overall in pass defense, allowing opponent to average just 191.8 yards per game and 6.4 yards per play. That depends who is on the board. Washington currently selects No. 19 on April 29. Should they stay put, the "best player available" might be the best course of action going forward. READ MORE: Breer Says Move Into Top-10 Unlikely for WFT Although there are needs at linebacker and safety, one name could be on the shortlist of WFT should he hover in the area. Prior to the 2020 NCAA season, Farley became the first prominent player to opt-out and declare for the draft due to COVID-19. In two seasons with the Hokies, Farley recorded 56 total tackles, 19 pass deflections, six interceptions, and a sack. Earlier this offseason, Farley underwent a procedure to fix an S1 disc in his back. According to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Farley passed his medical re-check on Friday. That didn't stop other teams moving him down their draft boards. Currently, Farley is considered the No. 3 or No. 4 cornerback behind Alabama's Patrick Surtain II, South Carolina's Jaycee Horn and potentially Northwestern's Greg Newsome II. What WFT Should Hope for at No. 19 Del Rio's defense has been known to use the nickel position often. Washington hasn't been afraid to play three-safety sets with one in the big nickel, or electing to use Jimmy Moreland in the slot. Washington signed former Cincinnati Bengals standout William Jackson III this offseason. Last year, they reunited with former slot cornerback Kendall Fuller. Fuller though excelled on the outside in his first full season. Expectations are that Jackson and Fuller can create a top-five tandem. Farley checks all the boxes needed to play on the outside at the next level. The 6-foot-2 defender has great closing speed when working in off-ball coverage. He also has worked well when shifted inside to cover tight ends. Farley's weakness is his lack of experience. Originally expected to play wide receiver following a high school career at quarterback, he's only spent two seasons at the position. This can make him susceptible to double moves in coverage and having a lesser cushion than needed. The overall upside of Farley comes in the form of his play-making skills on the outside. Despite two years at cornerback, six interceptions is plenty of any college player. Should WFT take him, this would also open up the avenues to run a more 4-2-5 system under Del Rio in 2021. Should Farley thrive in camp, this could allow Fuller to shift inside and remain the primary nickel defender. If Del Rio wants to run big nickel, veteran Landon Collins could shift down and Fuller could remain deep at safety. Washington has holes on defense. Cornerback isn't a big one following the Jackson addition. Still, if Farley were to fall in Ron Rivera's lap, it certainly isn't out of the question. | https://www.si.com/nfl/washingtonfootball/news/could-a-top-tier-cb-fall-to-washington-at-no-19 |
Is high-speed rail the future of U.S. transportation? | The New York Times SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. Word got around when Kristine Hostetter was spotted at a public mask-burning at the San Clemente pier, and when she appeared in a video sitting onstage as her husband spoke at a QAnon convention. People talked when she angrily accosted a family wearing masks near a local surfing spot, her granddaughter in tow. Even in San Clemente, a well-heeled redoubt of Southern California conservatism, Hostetter stood out for her vehement embrace of both the rebellion against COVID-19 restrictions and the stolen-election lies pushed by former President Donald Trump. This was, after all, a teacher so beloved that each summer parents jockeyed to get their children into her fourth grade class. But it was not until Hostetters husband posted a video of her marching down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol on Jan. 6 that her politics collided with an opposite force gaining momentum in San Clemente: a growing number of left-leaning parents and students who, in the wake of the civil-rights protests set off by the police killing of George Floyd, decided they would no longer countenance the right-wing tilt of their neighbors and the racism they said was commonplace. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times That Hostetter herself had displayed no overt racism was beside the point to them, her pro-Trump views seemed self-evidently laced with white supremacy. So she became their cause. First, a student group organized a petition demanding the school district investigate whether Hostetter, 54, had taken part in the attack on the Capitol, and whether her politics had crept into her teaching. Then, when the district complied and suspended her, a group of parents put up a counter petition. Religious discrimination? it warned. Each petition attracted thousands of signatures, and San Clemente has spent the months since embroiled in the divisive politics of post-Trump America, wrestling with uncomfortable questions about the limits of free speech and whether Hostetter and those who share her views should be written off as conspiracy theorists and racists who have no place in public life, not to mention shaping young minds in a classroom. It has not been a polite debate. Neighbors have taken to monitoring one anothers social media posts; some have infiltrated private Facebook groups to figure out who is with them and who is not and they have the screenshots to prove it. Even the local yoga community, where Hostetters husband was a fixture, has found itself divided. It goes deeper than just her. A lot of conversations between parents, between friends, have already been fractured by Trump, by the election, by Black Lives Matter, said Cady Anderson, whose two children attend Kristine Hostetters school. Hostetter, she added, just brought it all home to us. Complicating matters is Hostetters relative silence. Apart from appearing at protests and the incident at the beach, she has said little publicly over the past year, and did not respond to repeated interview requests for this article. People have filled in the blanks. To Hostetters backers, the entire affair is being overblown by an intolerant mob of woke liberals who have no respect for the privacy of someones personal politics. Yet Hostetters politics, while personal, are hardly private, and to those who have lined up against her, she is inextricably linked to her husband, Alan, who last year emerged as a rising star in Southern Californias resurgent far right. An Army veteran and former police chief of La Habra, California, Alan Hostetter was known around San Clemente as a yoga guru his specialty is sound healing with gongs, Tibetan bowls and Aboriginal didgeridoos until the pandemic turned him into a self-declared patriotic warrior. He gave up yoga and founded the American Phoenix Project, which says it arose as a result of the fear-based tyranny of 2020 caused by manipulative officials at the highest levels of our government. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the American Phoenix Project organized protests against COVID-related restrictions up and down Orange County, and Alan Hostetters list of enemies grew: Black Lives Matter protesters. The election thieves. Cabals and conspiracies drawn from QAnon, the movement that claims Trump was secretly battling devil-worshipping Democrats and international financiers who abuse children. By Jan. 5, Alan Hostetter, 56, had graduated to the national stage, appearing with former Trump adviser Roger Stone at a rally outside the Supreme Court. His appearance there and the next day at the Capitol prompted some of San Clementes more liberal residents to make bumper stickers that read: Alan Hostraitor. It also led the FBI to raid his apartment in early February, though he was not arrested or charged with any crime. (He, too, did not respond to interview requests.) Kristine Hostetter was there every step of the way, raising money and filming her husband as he rallied supporters at protests. When the American Phoenix Project filed incorporation papers in December, she was identified as its chief financial officer. The Teacher Kristine Hostetter grew up in Orange County back when locals still joked about the Orange Curtain separating its conservative and overwhelmingly white towns from liberal and diverse Los Angeles to the north. In the late 1960s, Richard Nixon turned an oceanside villa in San Clemente into his presidential getaway, christening it La Casa Pacifica. John Wayne kept his prized yacht, Wild Goose, docked up the coast in Newport Beach. Orange County, Ronald Reagan once declared, is where the good Republicans go before they die. It also was where surfers and spiritual seekers met cold warriors and conspiracy theorists, where some of the conservative movements most virulently racist, anti-Semitic and paranoid offshoots went. In the 1960s, Orange County saw a surge in the popularity of the John Birch Society, an anti-communist organization that in many ways presaged the rise of QAnon. In the 1980s, its surf spots became a magnet for neo-Nazis and skinheads. And in 2020, the onset of the pandemic produced a new generation of Orange County extremists. If Kristine Hostetter had any strong political leanings before last year, she did not let on, said her niece, Emma Hall. She only picked up the first hint of her aunts rightward drift at small party to celebrate the Hostetters wedding in 2016. There were about six people, friends of theirs, that did not let up asking me if I was going to vote for Trump, recalled Halls husband, Ryan. Neither of the Halls gave it much thought. Hostetter seemed happy, and her new husband exuded the laid-back charm that typifies a certain kind of Southern California man in the American imagination. He led his yoga classes at a studio not far from where they lived, in one of the small apartment blocks packed onto the steep hillside rising from the beach. His sound healings drew a mix of well-to-do women and New Age types seeking that peaceful place within us all that we can all touch if we just devote a little effort to finding it, as he put it to VoyageLA magazine in 2019. His new wife also got into yoga, Emma Hall said. Then came the pandemic and the American Phoenix Project. It just went from zero to a hundred, from not talking about politics at all to the only thing he was talking about was how Gavin Newsom was a dictator and COVID-19 is a fake and China and QAnon, Ryan Hall said. As for Kristine Hostetter, she wasnt out shouting about it like Alan, but she was there, her niece added. In style and rhetoric, the American Phoenix Project married the mistrust of institutions so common among New Age devotees with a paranoid form of Trumpism gaining purchase across the country. Its protests quickly gained supporters from self-described yoga moms to Dana Rohrabacher, the Republican former congressman. At first, Kristine Hostetter appeared to keep her distance. When other teachers asked about the American Phoenix Project, she was always like: Oh, thats just him. Thats not me, said a colleague, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing school administrators. Soon enough, though, Kristine Hostetter was joining her husband at protests. When he and seven other people were arrested in May at a protest to tear down a temporary fence around the town beach, she set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for their defense. As the year went on, the American Phoenix Project grew steadily more extreme. There was talk of domestic enemies and executions, curfew-breaking street parties and patriot patrols to monitor the few small Black Lives Matter protests in and around San Clemente. Alan Hostetter began wearing a Q pin in his fedora, and gained a reputation among those who disagreed with him as a menacing figure. At one point, he suggested a woman who commented on one of his Facebook posts should come find him in person. But before you try too hard to pay me a visit, lets play a little game, snowflake, he wrote in a Facebook direct message reviewed by The New York Times. Lets compare what we were both doing in 1995. He was a police officer at the time. You might pause a little bit before you look too hard for me, he added. That his wife had accosted people wearing masks in public only intensified concerns. Indeed, a number of San Clemente residents interviewed for this article would not allow their names to be used for fear of provoking the couple. At the American Phoenix Project, they were joined by Russ Taylor, who owns a graphic design business, a multimillion-dollar home and a red Corvette he calls the Patriot Missile. The groups board included Morton Irvine Smith, scion of a quarrelsome California family that once owned much of the land on which Orange County was built. In January, the four of them traveled to Washington. The American Phoenix Project helped pay for the Jan. 5 rally in front of the Supreme Court. A day later, they all listened to Trumps speech at the Ellipse and marched to the Capitol. How close Kristine Hostetter got to the building remains an open question. But Alan Hostetter and Taylor appear to have made it to the terrace on the west side of the building, and posted images of themselves a short distance from where a mob was battling the police. The Petition Esther Mafouta was visiting her grandparents in Spain when, a day after the Capitol attack, a friend texted her a photo of a woman marching in Washington that was making the rounds on Twitter. It was her old fourth-grade teacher, Kristine Hostetter. I kept zooming in to check if that was really her, Mafouta, 18, said in an interview. I remember how shocked I was. What until then had largely been a local skirmish in the national battle over COVID restrictions and stolen-election claims was about to be threaded together with the other explosive through line of 2020 politics: the fight over racial justice. Mafouta says she has only warm memories of her time in Hostetters class and cannot recall being mistreated or singled out for being Black. But, she said, maybe I didnt notice it because I was so young. Maybe it affected how she viewed me and my other peers of color. In the years since, Mafouta said, she has grown keenly aware of race, and last year she and three friends, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the country, started their own group, CUSD Against Racism, to fight the bigotry that they say pervades the schools in and around San Clemente. Their first move was an open letter to the Capistrano Unified School District that attracted more than 800 signatures. The letter castigated the district for not explicitly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and demanded a series of progressive reforms, such as adopting an explicitly anti-racist curriculum at all grade levels and hiring more people of color as teachers and mental-health counselors. A decade ago, far milder proposals would have been dead on arrival in almost any corner of Orange County. But the county is in the midst of a remarkable political shift. In 2016, Orange County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1936. Two years later, the congressional district that includes San Clemente elected a Democrat for the first time since its creation in 1972. Yet the county, and especially San Clemente, remains overwhelmingly white, and frictions over race persist. As recently as 2019, San Clemente High School made national news when students shouted racial epithets at opposing players during a football game. The open letter written by Mafouta and her friends included dozens of pages of testimony from students about episodes of racism at the 63 schools in the district: Black students pressured into giving white friends a pass to use a slur for African Americans. Latinos being described as dirty. A teacher asking an Asian student what it was like to use a hole in the ground as a toilet. A Jewish student being asked if he had killed Jesus. It was in that context that Mafouta and her friends, seeing the Jan. 6 photo of Hostetter, with her Trumpist views and ties to the American Phoenix Project, decided they wanted the school district to do something about it. So they did what they knew best. They drew up a petition. The Confederate flag was flown in the Capitol for the first time in history. That kind of speaks on the insurrection in general, said Mafouta, who is now a freshman at Columbia University. Kristine Hostetter is affiliated with that movement, she continued. We dont know if she reflects those values, but that is something that is of grave concern to us. The Fallout Signatures started piling on as soon as the petition went online. It was only days after the attack on the Capitol, and we all wanted answers, said Sharon Williams, a mother of a third grader at a different school who signed the petition. She did have concerns about free speech, she said, but if youre out there promoting violence and conspiracies, and youre a teacher, thats problematic. Hundreds of other people who signed the petition also opted to send the school district an email pre-written by the students. It called on the district to explicitly address the rampant white supremacy and anti-Semitism that occurred during the Capitol breach. The email, however, sidestepped an inconvenient fact many people in the district, including some school board members, felt very differently about what had taken place on Jan. 6. While they said they were horrified by the mob attack on the Capitol, many were at least sympathetic to the stolen-election claims and the protesters who had rallied that day in Washington. Where progressives saw a battle in the war against racism, a great many others saw censorious liberals trying to silence dissent by tarring conservatives as racists. When did our youth lose sight of innocent until proven guilty and treating people fairly and respectfully? Judy Bullockus, president of the school districts board of trustees, wrote in a widely circulated email. No one had written an open letter or posted a petition when teachers attended Black Lives Matter rallies, Bullockus said in an interview. No one had called for an investigation when a teacher displayed a Black Lives Matter poster in the background while teaching remotely. Now they want us to investigate a teachers politics? she asked. When someone had a different opinion, then suddenly the rules of the game change? The school board, though, was hardly united. Two members, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering their colleagues, said they wanted her fired. Both argued that Kristine Hostetter displayed poor judgment, and they were troubled by her open advocacy for an extreme cause. A lot of the parents agree with her. San Clemente is home to about 65,000 people, and Hostetters school, Vista Del Mar, is in one of the citys toniest neighborhoods, an enclave in the arid hills above downtown where million-dollar homes sit behind well-watered lawns. The affluence is apparent in the small traffic jam that forms outside school each weekday morning a long line of Teslas, BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Range Rovers just up the street from the golf club and the small shopping center with a Pilates studio and a pet spa. Among the parents who support Hostetter is Denise Martinez, whose daughter is in her class. It was a matter of free speech and a teacher being targeted for her right-wing views, Martinez said. And they started calling her a racist, that she was anti-BLM. Martinezs mother came from Mexico, as did her husbands entire family. Her daughter, who is a pretty dark Mexican in a very white school, has encountered outright racism, she said. But never in Ms. Hostetters class. Shes always preaching how everybodys equal, its whats on the inside that matters, Martinez said. And now Hostetter is back in the classroom. The district reinstated her last month after its investigation found she had done nothing more than protest peacefully in Washington. That may have settled the matter as far as the district is concerned. But for many people, nothing has been resolved. If anything, Hostetters case has served as a still-unspooling coda to the Trump years. Frankly, its hard to get stoked about sending flowers and birthday cards to a classroom teacher who appears to align herself with a conspiratorial social movement and embraces the racist values of QAnon, one mother wrote in an email to other parents. The parent said she was waiting for an explanation from Hostetter, or even an apology in the event she did something she now regrets. She is likely to be waiting a long while. In an email sent to a fellow teacher days after getting back to work, Hostetter betrayed no hint of regret. If I was teaching students about journalism, I might consider a discussion about bias in the media, fact-checking and journalistic integrity, Hostetter wrote to the teacher, who advises the student newspaper at San Clemente High School. The paper had broken the news of her suspension, and she went on to suggest in a second email that the student journalists should reflect on whether they allow their own bias, or that of their peers, to influence their articles. Now that she had been cleared, Hostetter hoped another story was in the works. I will not be available for an interview, however, she added. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 2021 The New York Times Company | https://news.yahoo.com/is-high-speed-rail-the-future-of-us-transportation-125321863.html |
How will the Reds juggle playing time between Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson? | Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell says it can be easier getting two catchers consistent playing time than any other position. This season, he can choose daily between Tucker Barnhart, the reigning Gold Glove winner whos having one of the best offensive stretches of his career, and Tyler Stephenson, the franchises 2015 first-round pick who has made a leap forward in his second Major League season. (Barnhart) is getting two out of three (starts) right now, Bell said. But there will be other times of the year where, depending on a certain situation, maybe that would be reversed. More:Jesse Winker's chicken noodle soup leads to another spark in the Reds lineup More:Jesse Winker compliments new Cincinnati Reds broadcaster John Sadak Over the last 10 seasons, the Reds have only had two above-average hitting seasons from their catchers. Curt Casali and Devin Mesoraco have been the lone Reds catchers with more than 50 plate appearances to post an OPS+ above 100 in a season. So far, Barnhart and Stephenson have both hit significantly above average. Following the Reds seventh game of the season, Barnhart has made five starts and is ranked third among catchers in batting average (.444) and OPS (1.251). Stephenson has started the other two games, and he ranks fifth in batting average and seventh in OPS among catchers with more than ten at-bats. A few changes to Barnharts swing have led to a better stretch at the start of the season than he had at any point in 2020. Barnharts progression started last season when he had a .241 against right-handed pitchers and a .318 on-base percentage. In 2021, Barnhart said his plan is proper thinking and hitting line drives opposite field. I didnt expect maybe this, but I expected something similar, Barnhart said. I worked tirelessly this offseason just trying to put myself in the best position with every swing I took to get my best swing off and its working. I just have to keep getting good pitches. The reigning Gold Glove Award winner has made a significant impact defensively as he has throughout his career. Against the St. Louis Cardinals, Barnhart made a highlight juggling catch to save a strikeout. He also has a deep understanding of the Reds pitching staff, which Barnhart used to get the Reds out of a few jams in Friday nights 6-5 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With relief pitcher Sean Doolittle, Barnhart called a fastball-oriented game plan to secure a scoreless inning. After relief pitcher Lucas Sims allowed a home run in the eighth inning, Barnhart went to the mound, told Sims the three biggest outs of the game were ahead of them and helped Sims get the Reds to extra innings. After Amir Garrett got the save in the 10th inning, he credited Barnhart. We called so many sliders, but him knowing thats my best pitch and thats what were going to stick to, were going to live and die by it, Garrett said. Its a sense of relief because he knows me like the back of his hand. When Stephenson has been in the starting lineup, he has looked the part of a top-100 prospect. In addition to what Stephenson brings as a power hitter, he was behind the plate for Jeff Hoffmans Reds debut. Hoffman allowed just one run in five innings. Stephenson also caught one of the most efficient starts of Luis Castillos career. Castillo threw seven scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whenever I was thinking of one pitch, I asked for it, Castillo said through team interpreter Jorge Merlos. It was a good mix of pitches that we were thinking of at the same time. Whenever he asked me for something, I agreed with him. It was a really good combo that we had with Tyler Stephenson today. A platoon between the left-handed Barnhart and the right-handed Stephenson would be a way to divide playing time, but the Reds will face right-handed starters considerably more than left-handed starters. The Reds havent faced a left-handed starter yet this season. In 2020, Cincinnati faced 47 right-handed starting pitchers and just 13 left-handed starting pitchers. While the catching rotation is more complicated than the opposing starting pitcher, Bell said hes confident Stephenson will have opportunities. We need both of these guys, its going to work out, Bell said. The advantage is theyre both playing well, one of them hits left-handed and one of them hits right-handed, (Barnhart) is doing a great job against left-handed pitching now too. They both understand the situation, and well be able to keep them both sharp. | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2021/04/10/how-cincinnati-reds-use-tucker-barnhart-and-tyler-stephenson/7174826002/ |
Is Sixers' Doc Rivers Worried About Seth Curry's Scoreless Game vs. Pelicans? | After having two days off on the schedule and one day of light practice on Thursday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers looked surprisingly flat in Friday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. While Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said he believed his team's defense was good enough to win -- the offense was a different story. Sixers forward Tobias Harris led the team in scoring on Friday night with a 23-point showing. Joel Embiid, who had one of his worst games this season, shot just 5-for-16 from the field, putting up 14 points in 31 minutes. Aside from those two, the Sixers really got nothing else in the scoring department from the rest of the starting lineup. Ben Simmons, Danny Green, and Seth Curry all combined for a whopping 18 points on Friday night. Simmons and Green contributed to the total. Unfortunately, Seth Curry did not. In 26 minutes of action, Seth Curry got up just seven shots. Clearly, he wasn't feeling it on Friday night as none of his field-goal attempts went in. This season, as Curry has battled through COVID-19 and other minor nagging injuries, the veteran guard has been somewhat inconsistent at times. And his zero-point performance on Friday night wasn't the first time he's struggled to contribute to the scoreboard. The Pelicans loss marks the third time this season Curry collected zero points. However, Doc Rivers made it clear that he's hardly worried about Curry's personal performance on Friday night, and he explained why. "I don't worry about one single game," Rivers said. "Seth has been playing well the last couple of games. He had a tough one tonight. I'm not going to draw up new stuff or anything like that. I believe in shooters. Guys don't forget how to shoot. They all have a bad game here and there; everybody will. It's human nature. It's just a human game, and it always will be. That's what sports is." The Sixers will have a quick turnaround as they're set to tip-off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. Although their overall performance on Friday resembled a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Curry and the Sixers will have to find a way to battle through fatigue and get the offense going early to avoid falling into a mini-slump amid a four-game road trip. Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA. | https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/sixers-doc-rivers-worries-seth-curry-scoreless-pelicans |
Why wasn't Jesse Winker credited with a leadoff home run after replay review? | PHOENIX When umpires told Jesse Winker that he had to stay at second base, he broke into a smile and made a thumbs down motion. Winker crushed the first pitch of Fridays game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, his first time back in the lineup after a four-game absence, to the right-center-field wall. The ball hit the yellow padding and ricocheted off a pool chair that was backed against the wall before bouncing back onto the field. It was ruled a double on the field. Umpires gathered and initiated a replay review. Crew chief Larry Vanover put on a headset and waited for nearly two minutes before the replay review crew in New York informed him that the call stood. The in-house replays on the Chase Field video board showed the ball hit the back of the pool chair. On separate TV broadcasts, the Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Arizona announcers seemed confident that it would be overturned to a home run. Reds manager David Bell seemed surprised that it wasnt overturned and chatted with Vanover after the replay review. There are no explanations from the replay crew in New York; just the result of the review. Once it goes to replay, its out of the hands of the umpire on the field, Bell said after the game. I know youre not allowed to argue that. Im guessing they had a different view than what we saw. Winker was stranded after his leadoff double, so the call to keep it a double cost the Reds a run. The Reds won, 6-5, in 10 innings for their sixth consecutive win. | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2021/04/10/did-incorrect-replay-review-cost-jesse-winker-home-run-cincinnati-reds/7178009002/ |
Did Kat West's online life play a role in her mysterious death? | Kat West's lifeless body was found outside of her Calera, Alabama, home by a neighbor who noticed her lying partially dressed in the street. Police soon learned the 42-year-old stay-at-home mom had an active social media life, including an active OnlyFans account. Authorities initially considered whether an overzealous fan caused her death. "A beautiful woman, nude in a street, in a nice subdivision," says reporter Carol Robinson, a CBS News consultant. "That is what doesn't happen every day around here. And that is what drove this story." Kat West had hundreds of fans on OnlyFans, a subscription-only website popular with celebrities and social media influencers alike, where content providers and consumers can communicate. Just last week, 18-year-old rapper "Bhad Bhabie" made more than $1 million dollars posting lifestyle content on OnlyFans in only six hours. Kat West's half-naked body was found outside her suburban Alabama home in January 2018. She was lying in a pool of blood with a roughly two-inch gash on the left side of her head. Kat West/Facebook Like many, Kat West had used the site to post adult content. For three years, correspondent Maureen Maher and "48 Hours" have been investigating Kat's death. It's a case about an unconventional marriage, a mom with a fixation on Marilyn Monroe and the question of whether her online life could have led to her death. Lauren Kwei knows some of the risks of OnlyFans all too well. When she couldn't live on a paramedic's modest salary in New York City, Kwei says she turned to the popular platform as a way to make ends meet, posting nudes under an alias. She says her world exploded last December when a tabloid newspaper went public with her full name, the name of her employer, and even where she lived. "I definitely wish things had gone differently in my experience, however I'm pretty proud of who I am today," Kwei says in her first television interview. Generating money from subscribers was a way to survive in New York City, she says, adding that she worried about the risks of being so exposed on the internet. And while she lost her anonymity, Kwei says she knows that, by being outed online, she could have lost a lot more. "Sometimes I think about Kat West and I think about where she would be today and how much more of her life she could have fulfilled," Kwei says. There were many things about her death that struck police as odd. At the death scene, Kat's husband Jeff was oddly reserved, police say. She was found with a fatal head wound and a bottle of absinthe lying on top of her phone nearby. "It just did not seem right that it would have landed in such a way other than being staged," says Calera Police Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff. LIFE OF THE PARTY One look at her online presence made it clear: Kathleen West put the "social" in "social media." Brittany Driesler: It was out there for the whole world to see. And friends like Brittany Driesler say, "Kat was very extroverted." In the real world, she was always the life of the party, as well. Brittany Driesler: Kat would get on stages and sing. She couldn't sing for the life of her, but she would sing! Carol Robinson: Kat was proud of who she was. So, on January 13, 2018, when the 42-year-old wife and mother, widely known as Kat, was found dead in the street near her Alabama home, veteran reporter and CBS consultant Carol Robinson smelled a story. In the tight-knit Birmingham suburbs, she's known as "The Coco Chanel of Crime." Carol Robinson: I don't let what I cover dictate what I wear. She later arrived at the scene and started hunting to see if Kat's past could help explain her death. Nancy Martin: She loved to be outside. John Martin: Yes. Nancy Martin: That was her big deal. She had a swing set. Kat's parents Nancy and John Martin say as a kid in Florida, she doted on her dolls. Nancy Martin: Absolutely. Yes. John Martin: When she got a little bit older she wanted to do modeling. "She was obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and was trying to emulate her in every way," reporter and CBS News consultant Carol Robinson says of Kat West. Alamy/Kat West, Facebook Brittany Driesler [laughs]: She kinda looked like her, she says She tried to recreate some of her photos, her hairdos. She loved her. Carol Robinson: She was obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and was trying to emulate her in every way. As Carol Robinson retraced the lines of Kat's life, she realized her resemblance to the troubled movie star was more than skin deep. Carol Robinson: There were always self-esteem issues there. She craved adulation from some people whether she knew them or not. John Martin: You'd tell her she's beautiful. She says, "You're just my mom and dad." As time went on, Kat's parents say her feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and depression spiraled out of control. Nancy Martin: I don't know how many different places we took her to. John Martin: She went to a lot of counseling. It was a tough few years. Her parents say she was battling bipolar disorder and drinking too much. But by 2004, the broken pieces of Kat's life finally began to fall into place. It happened at a Super Bowl party. Nancy Martin: And that's where she met Jeff. Kat struck up a conversation with a local Army recruiter named Jeff West. Nancy Martin: They fell in love on their first date. John and Nancy Martin: Yes. Yes, it was. Carol Robinson: Within the year They were married in Las Vegas. Jeff and Kat West Kat West/Facebook They moved around the country for Jeff's job and in 2005 they had a daughter, Lola. Brittany Driesler: Lola was her light. Lola was her gift, and she adored her daughter. In 2011, the West family moved to Southern California where Army veteran Brittany Driesler's husband was thinking of enlisting. At the recruiting station, Brittany says Jeff West basically had her husband at hello. Brittany Driesler: He was just super reassuring and nice. He was just nice. So nice, she says, that he even invited the Drieslers to his home. His wife Kat answered the door. Brittany Driesler: She was just in her tank top and shorts and really happy, bubbly and, "Hey girl!" Right off the bat, she was like, "You want a drink?" Brittany says as far as she could tell, Kat and Jeff West were a happy if somewhat unlikely couple. Brittany Driesler: Seeing how Kat carried herself and what she looked like and then seeing Jeff I know opposites attract. Uh " You know, it never really made sense to me until I started getting to know them more. Maureen Maher: You would not describe this as a conventional marriage. Brittany Driesler: Definitely not. [laughs] When it came to the unspoken rules of entertaining, she admits Kat was so colorful that she sometimes colored outside the lines. Brittany Driesler: She would jump from the kitchen counter to the sofa and shirtless, braless. Maureen Maher: Wait! Brittany Driesler: Yes! My husband would go, "Oh my gosh!" [Laughs] The couples hung out at home, but also started going to bars and clubs. Brittany Driesler: She'd be lively, animated. He would just be sitting on the couch, relaxing, having his drink. Brittany Driesler: Kat would fight. Jeff would not. Kat would get emotional. When she was drunk, she would get loud. She would get, umm, feisty. But he would sit there and just say "OK, Boo Boo. OK. I love you. All right, baby girl." Brittany Driesler: Never [laughs] never. Carol Robinson: That surprised me because I don't think many men would feel that way. Carol says Jeff was proud of having an attractive wife. In 2014, the Wests had moved to Alabama, where he had a job as a campus police officer. The couple always made time to be together with a regular date night, including on the night of January 12, 2018. Jeff's parents had then-12-year-old Lola for the evening. Carol Robinson: They go out to a restaurant. You know, they have some drinks and dinner. After dinner, they stopped at a liquor store. Security cameras show the couple shopping apparently without a care in the world. The couple had a standing date night, and on the night of Jan 12, 2018, while Jeff's parents watched then-12-year-old Lola, Jeff and Kat went out for dinner and drinks. After dinner, a liquor store security camera captured them buying alcohol on the way home.It was the last time Kat West was seen alive. Inside Edition Carol Robinson: Everything seemed fine. At one point, he even patted her on the butt. But it would be the last time Kat West would be seen alive. When Brittany Driesler learned of Kat's death, she immediately contacted Jeff West. Brittany Driesler: I just was shocked, baffled I don't believe it. How did this happen?" And his answer was just, "I don't know." Neither did Macorsha Purifoy. Macorsha Purifoy: It was dark. It was cold. Macorsha Purifoy: I wasn't sure, like, what I was seeing Macorsha had been driving to work before dawn that day, when she spotted something. Macorsha Purifoy: I think I see a person laying in the road well, halfway. Macorsha went home to get her parents. They returned to the scene. Macorsha Purifoy: Her body was frozen, like frozen. I was traumatized. I was just in the car crying. Macorsha's mother called 911. Macorsha Purifoy: They asked to see if she was breathing or not. She wasn't. And we just waited for the police to get there. Calera police Sergeant Mike Mehlhoff, a veteran criminal investigator, arrived about 30 minutes later. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Looking at the scene Kathleen's head is laying in the road. Her body is actually laying in the grass. And there was something else he noticed right away. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: It did appear that the body had been moved more than once. Kat West was found lying in a pool of blood across the street from her house. Mehlhoff noticed there was another blood pool nearby. Next to Kat's body: her cell phone and an open bottle of absinthe liquor the kind she and her husband had been seen purchasing the night before. "The absinthe bottle it was just propped up on the phone just like that," Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff demonstrates. "It just did not seem right that it would have landed in such a way if it other than being staged." CBS News Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: The absinthe bottle it was just propped up on the phone just like that. It just did not seem right that it would have landed in such a way if it other than being staged. Carol Robinson, who saw the crime scene photos, also thought it looked staged. Carol Robinson: That bottle was placed on the phone. Maureen Maher: By somebody. Carol Robinson: By somebody. She says there was somebody at the scene whose behavior caught authorities' attention. Carol Robinson: Jeff West standing in the doorway. At one point, he was on the porch smoking a cigarette and watching. And when Mehlhoff spoke to Jeff inside Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: His behavior was not what I expected it to be knowing that his wife was outside. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: It was Everybody grieves in a different way. And that was something I kept telling myself... Kat had a roughly two-inch gash on the left side of her head. The cause of death was blunt force trauma. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: The injury that she suffered was enough to actually fracture the skull. The autopsy showed signs of sex, but there was no indication of sexual assault. Also, her blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. Still, the medical examiner could not say exactly how Kat sustained the injury. Carol Robinson: The manner of death was undetermined. While authorities searched the neighborhood for clues and witnesses, Jeff went to headquarters. Police say he stayed for about six hours. Carol Robinson: Absolutely. Jeff was adamant with police - he had no idea what had happened to Kat. He speculated she may have died by accident. He also said their marriage was in a good place. Police later discovered what the couple's friends already knew. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: I think it would be fair to characterize her as an exhibitionist. She enjoyed the attention. Jeff revealed he would actually photograph Kat and help her post suggestive photos online, where hundreds of paying subscribers knew her as "Kitty Kat West." Brittany Driesler: She was very out loud about it. She was making money. But Brittany says, for Kat, it was about a lot more than money Brittany Driesler: Kat, when not behind the website, was not always confident Yes, you have your husband, but you always want to be pretty to others. and remarkably, Jeff seemed to love it. Brittany Driesler: Jeff got the best of both worlds He was able to be with his wife. She got what she wanted, which was I get to make my money I get to show off what I have and he's not going to leave me. Brittany says by 2018 Kat's online activity had really ramped up. She'd been using that subscription-only website, OnlyFans to share adult photos and videos. Brittany Driesler: She was starting to get knee-deep in that type of industry. And with OnlyFans came a new feature for Kat: providers and subscribers could communicate. Subscribers could also make requests. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: No, ma'am. Mehlhoff was interested to learn that Jeff had photographed Kat for her site the night she died, and her page contained subscriber requests for personalized content. Sgt. He says they knew they had to cast a wider net so they sent Jeff home. Mehlhoff says they spent about three weeks looking for other suspects. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: There were thousands of names that had to be culled through in order to properly investigate this. As police continued gathering evidence, Carol Robinson says they had more public involvement than they wanted. Kat's death had set the internet on fire. Carol Robinson: You had this huge online presence. These murder discussion Facebook groups. While they may have started in Calera there were people from all over and they aren't quiet about their opinions. It seemed everyone had an opinion on the way Kat died. CAROL ROBINSON [reading posts]: " it's the husband," "I vote stalker," " it might have been a freak accident." And the way she lived. CAROL ROBINSON [reading posts]: "I don't agree with her lifestyle," " she brought this on herself " "She was proud to have such an amazing figure Good for her!" Carol Robinson: She was a sympathetic victim to many. She was an unsympathetic victim to many. On Facebook, Jeff later made it clear that all the online chatter had taken a toll on the family. "To the public, our tragedy is juicy gossip" he wrote. Carol Robinson: The Facebook thing was really intruding on their lives, in his opinion. Investigators had formed their own opinion: Kat's death had been no accident. And on February 22, 2018, they made their move. PRESS CONFERENCE: William Jeffrey West, the victim's husband, has been arrested and charged with the murder. On February 22, 2018, police arrested Jeff West and charged him with his wife's murder. His bail was set at $500,000. Stephen Quinn ABC 33/40 Bail was set at half-a-million dollars. Brittany Driesler says Jeff should never have been arrested firmly believing that police failed to fully investigate the hundreds of OnlyFans subscribers who had paid to see the racy content Kat posted. WELCOME TO ONLYFANS Some see it as unseemly; others call it harmless fun. Either way, the online venue where Kat West posted her racy photos, known as OnlyFans, is a lot more than only a website, says Carol Robinson. Carol Robinson: It's sort of the happy median between porn and "The Brady Bunch." ONLYFANS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: "Whether you're a blogger . celebrity, model, whatever, you can reward your loyal fans with even more of the great content you already produce but get paid for it!" Since COVID-19 caused widespread lockdowns, OnlyFans has become a provocative and profitable platform for celebrities. Last summer, former Disney star Bella Thorne reportedly made a $1 million in one day, posting lifestyle content. And the site has become an exotic destination for more salacious "staycationers" as well: A place to dream of living large and potentially to make a good living in the process. A former teacher in one YouTube video told a reporter she quadrupled her income posting nudes on OnlyFans: "I wear things that allow me to feel sexy, because when I feel sexy, I feel powerful." Another woman says she is paying her way through a neuroscience Master's program. And a Minnesota pastor made headlines when she left the pulpit: Not for a higher calling, but she did eventually make a higher paycheck posting on OnlyFans and now reportedly earns tens of thousands of dollars a month. By the end of 2020, the London-based site had grown to more than a million content providers and more than 90 million subscribers. Lauren Kwei: Not at all. In 2015, Lauren Kwei moved to New York from her home in West Virginia with dreams of making it big on Broadway. Lauren Kwei: I really wanted to make something of myself. Soon frustrated with the rat race, the 23-year-old daughter of a doctor and nurse began studying emergency medicine and became a paramedic around the time the pandemic began. Lauren Kwei: I knew there was a job that needed to be done. Almost immediately, she found herself treating and transporting critically ill COVID patients working at the intersection of life and death. Lauren Kwei: I still remember taking patients away whose family members couldn't come with us. They didn't know if it was going to be the last time they saw each other. That was really rough for me. Rougher still, she says, because even though she was saving lives, it was impossible to save any money. She was making only about $40,000 a year less than other first responders like many New York police and firefighters. Lauren Kwei: No, not at all it wasn't feasible to live off of that salary. As her bills piled up and employment options dwindled, Lauren turned to OnlyFans. Lauren Kwei: I don't have to go outside of my house, you know this could be an easy business. Using an alias, she started by posting lingerie pics, cropping out her face. But she says she soon stopped cropping. And before long, the paramedic who by day was covering every inch of her body in protective clothing, started taking it all off online. Lauren Kwei: Yes, I did. And she says if Kat West was proud to be on OnlyFans, she would have had reason to be. Lauren Kwei: The human body, I believe it should be celebrated. Lauren Kwei: I felt empowered. I did not feel like I was degrading myself. Lauren Kwei: A hundred percent. But Lauren admits she was worried about the exposure. Lauren Kwei: It was scary to think that, you know, I'd be taking pictures of myself that would be on the Internet. Especially as her pool of OnlyFans subscribers started to grow. She says some of the requests for personalized content were disrespectful. Lauren Kwei: There's some really weird people on the Internet. Maureen Maher wondered if West's attorney was thinking the same thing. John Robbins: We looked into that and there just wasn't that evidence out there. No evidence that an OnlyFans online user was involved in Kat West's death. What the evidence does show, says Jeff's attorney John Robbins, is that Kat wasn't murdered. John Robbins: She fell and hit her head. Jeff's parents, Jerry and Suzi, agree. They aren't sure exactly how Kat hit her head and they don't think authorities can prove it either. William "Jerry" West: They set out to get Jeff. There was no investigation. Carolyn "Suzi" West: I know he's innocent. William "Jerry" West: I don't care what anybody says. He did not do this. Jeff's parents say he was incapable of harming his family. Now that is exactly what you would expect to hear from the parents of an accused killer. But you would probably not expect to hear the same thing from the parents of the alleged victim. John Martin: He's honorable, and he loved my daughter. I know he didn't do it. Nancy Martin: He didn't do this. Kat's parents, John and Nancy, say their daughter was conspicuously clumsy and the drinking did not help. Brittany Driesler concedes anything is possible. Because she was so intoxicated. Authorities insist Jeff West is a murderer. But their tactics suggest otherwise. A few months before histrial, Jeff West turned down a plea deal. Shelby County Sheriff's Office John Robbins says just a few months before trial, the prosecution offered Jeff West a deal. It's called an Alford Plea. Jeff would not have to admit that he had committed a crime, but he would have to acknowledge that the State had enough evidence to likely convict. Now if the judge accepted that deal, it means that Jeff would be let off with time served and only two years' probation. He could walk out of jail almost immediately. John Robbins: That tells you, as a defense lawyer the prosecution has some problems with their case, and they recognize that. According to Shelby County prosecutors, plea deals are standard in every case and Robbins says he told Jeff it was a reasonable offer. John Robbins: He rejected it immediately. John Robbins: Because he says "I cannot say that I'm guilty of something that I didn't do." Jeff West decides to roll the dice and take his chances in court. John Robbins: He understands the risk of going to trial. JEFF WEST GOES TO TRIAL For more than two years, Jeff West has awaited trial in custody. Carol Robinson: We weren't getting a lot of information at the time. The police were holding things close to their vest. Defense attorney John Robbins believes prosecutors have problems with their case. He says, the Friday before trial, they called him with more talk of a plea deal. John Robbins: We discussed what would it take to settle the case. But they could not come to terms. The prosecution has also notified the court it will make a new filing of evidence: text messages between Jeff and Kat. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: It was very apparent that it was a very volatile relationship. Jeff and Kat West Kat West/Facebook Prosecutors will tell the jury that the Wests did not have a harmonious marriage. "You're throwing almost 14 yrs [sic] of a relationship away" she'd written a week before she died. "You don't want me , fine. Someone will." "I always want you," he'd replied. The texts went from erratic to erotic so fast that Robbins actually wants to use them to defend Jeff. John Robbins: Any time Kat said something that, quote, "can be considered an argument." His response is, "I love you. I want you. You're sexy." Carol Robinson [at court]: Today is the first day of the murder trial against Jeff West in the murder of Kat West. The judge banned news cameras from the courtroom, but"48 Hours" was at the courthouse taking notes. And it soon became clear there were at least two things the defense and prosecution agreed on: the cause of death blunt force trauma and how the night began. Jeff and Kat had started drinking at dinner and bought more booze on the way home. When the Wests returned to their home, they continued drinking. On Instagram that night, Jeff posted this picture of the liquor bottle they had bought. Jeff West/Instagram It was later that Kat apparently had changed into lingerie and asked Jeff to photograph her for her online fans. On Instagram, that night, he posted a picture of the absinthe liquor bottle. Authorities contend he would bludgeon her to death with the very same bottle. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: I wouldn't want to speculate as to, you know, what drove him to that point. But I can certainly say, that I feel that yes he's- he's the one responsible for his wife's death. At the scene, Mehlhoff says he found it odd that Jeff did not ask for details about his wife's condition. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: I would have thought that he would have at least asked, you know, "Can I see her?" Carol believes what Jeff did say made authorities suspicious too. Carol Robinson: According to Jeff, he went to bed about 10:30 Kat stayed up. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Now, that's Jeff's version of what happened. But before long, Mehlhoff unearthed a different story on a health tracker app on Jeff's cell phone. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Well, the health app actually shows Jeff's phone moving as late as 10 minutes after 11 o'clock. And Mehlhoff says he believes Jeff also lied about when he woke up that morning. Jeff told authorities his dogs got him up by barking at the police cruisers out front. But a neighbor reported seeing Jeff before police arrived. Carol Robinson: She could see a man in the house pacing back and forth. Having laid out what they believed were Jeff's movements that night, police looked at Kat's phone, which also had a health tracker app. It showed her phone had stopped moving 16 minutes before Jeff's. About a month after her death, police got test results from that absinthe bottle. It had a sliver of glass chipped off. And there were two spots of Kat's blood on the bottom. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: We had Jeff's fingerprints on it. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Oh, absolutely. But Mehlhoff says there was something specific about the prints that helped point the finger of blame at Jeff. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Basically, the bottle was held inverted much like he'd be holding it like a club. Carol Robinson [demonstrates]: Jeff's thumb print was found in a downward position on the bottle and his ring fingerprint was found over here. John Robbins: She was not hit in the head with that bottle. Robbins says that's clear, because Jeff is a righty and the prints on the bottle were from his left hand. And there's a good reason they're upside down. John Robbins: The bottle was in a bag. You would pull it out of the bag in the same way, where your thumbprint would be going down. But to win this case, the defense will tell the jury that Jeff West could not have murdered his wife because Kat wasn't murdered. John Robbins: I've handled well over 100 murder cases never went forward on a murder case where the manner of death was classified as undetermined. John Robbins: In a nutshell she fell, she hit her head. Robbins says police found Jeff dressed in the same clothes as seen in the security video the night before. John Robbins: There was nothing on his clothes, no liquor, no blood, no bodily fluid, no tissue, no hair. And there was no hair on the bottle There's no glass in her wound. And, despite what police told "48 Hours," no real effort Robbins maintains to consider other suspects or theories about Kat's death. John Robbins: The only person they ever looked at was Jeff and they really never looked at it whether it was an accident. Sgt. Mike Mehlhoff: Absolutely not. I don't want to sit here and say that I immediately ruled out an accident, but just the head trauma alone knowing that the body had been moved it was very hard to try to look at this as an accident. Not hard at all, insists Robbins. The two blood pools at the scene suggest that after Kat fell, she could have gotten up and fallen again. John Robbins: 'Cause it's clear that she moved around after she had that head injury. John Robbins has whittled his entire case down to only one witness a witness guaranteed to get the jury's attention: Kat's mother Nancy Martin takes the stand to tell the jury about her daughter's lifelong struggles. Maureen Maher: It's a lot of pressure. Nancy Martin: Yeah, it was. It really was. Carol Robinson: Martin testified that she, herself, had witnessed Kat West in an intoxicated state go outside barefoot, in any whether it was hot or cold, she said. She would be in varying stages of dress. Carol Robinson: You know I can't really recall another case where the mother of the victim and the father of the victim were so attached to the suspect. Kat's parents are even giving Jeff legal advice. They help convince him not to testify. John Robbins [at court]: Jeff's in a good mood. He's fired up. In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Daniel McBrayer finally ties together the state's theory of what happened that night and why: He says Jeff had lost his temper with his wife. Daniel McBrayer: He had a problem with her drinking and her social media usage. Prosecutors say the evidence from that night shows it: Jeff had thrown her phone into the street and clubbed her to death with the liquor bottle when she went after it. And McBrayer says the way the bottle and phone were positioned convinced authorities it could not have been an accident. Daniel McBrayer: There were those two items stacked perfectly together. right there on the street next to her body. John Robbins: Jeff loved his wife. John Robbins: But there's no evidence to that. He has does not have a history of violence. The trial is ending when prosecutors make a last-minute move. They convince the judge to let the jury consider a lesser charge than murder: reckless manslaughter. Carol Robinson [at court]: I think that we could see a verdict tonight. John Robbins: This is this is the hard part, just just waiting. A STUNNING VERDICT John Robbins: They were afraid that they were going to lose the case. John Robbins says he wasn't happy about the last-minute lesser charge that prosecutors introduced, and it's easy to see why. It takes the jury less than five hours to convict Jeff West of reckless manslaughter. John Robbins: Jeff is is stunned. Both sets of parents are also stunned by the verdict. WILLIAM "JERRY" WEST [to reporters]: That was [expletive] and you know it John Martin: I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't. Almost three months later, Judge Bill Bostick sentenced Jeff West to 16 years. Nancy Martin: I just wanted to cry. With credit for time served, Jeff will be behind bars for 13 more years. For the prosecutors, it's a kind of split decision but they declare victory anyway. ADA DANIEL MCBRAYER [to reporters]: Obviously, we would have preferred a murder verdict. We're glad to get a sentence as we did. For the defense, it is a stinging defeat. Jeff knows if he had accepted that plea deal from the prosecutors, he'd probably already be home. John Robbins: In retrospect, that probably he should have taken the deal. Both sets of parents stand behind Jeff's decision. [They all raise their hands.] Carolyn "Suzi" West: We all think he's not guilty William "Jerry" West: We all think he's not guilty. Jeff and Kat West's parents. Clockwise from top William "Jerry" West, Carolyn "Suzi" West, Nancy Martin and Jim Martin. CBS News They sat down with "48 Hours" as a group three days after sentencing. William "Jerry" West: Nobody. Maureen Maher: No hands. They believe the judge threw the book at Jeff West in sentencing for refusing to settle the case, and that from the moment Kat's death made news, she was harshly judged in the court of public opinion. Nancy Martin: It was the fact that she was doing these things that small towns don't understand. New York City paramedic Lauren Kwei says, for her, the harsh judgements did not start until last November. Lauren Kwei: I think society is always going to be hard on women for anything that we do. "I definitely wish things had gone differently in my experience, however I'm pretty proud of who I am today," Lauren Kwei tells "48 Hours" in her first television interview. Lauren Kwei She says a newspaper reporter contacted her out of the blue. He told her he was investigating whether her OnlyFans page violated her employer's code of conduct. Lauren Kwei: And in that moment I I wanted to just, like, crawl in a hole and die. Lauren says she canceled her OnlyFans account immediately. The expos including her real name, and where she lived and worked began circulating a few weeks later. Lauren Kwei: I opened my Instagram and saw, you know, 600 follow requests. Lauren Kwei: Absolutely. Lauren Kwei: Well, I - I think it definitely would have made a lot of money. As it happens, she did anyway. Worried that Lauren might lose her job, a friend set up a GoFundMe page for her. Supporters contributed more than $100,000. But in the end, the private ambulance company she works for kept her on the clock. We caught up with her at work. Lauren Kwei: It's always really hard to watch people pass away. Sometimes I think about Kat West and I think about where she would be today. Kat West Kat West/Facebook Brittany Driesler [Crying]: It sucks that she was taken so early. Kat's friend Brittany Driesler is living with loss, too. Brittany Driesler [Crying]: She's gone. That that that's heart wrenching. They have a daughter that's in the mix of everything. Maureen Maher: I think people forget that a child is involved. Nancy Martin: Right. Every week, Lola, now 16-years-old, goes with all her grandparents to see Jeff. Nancy Martin: No [laughs]. Suzi West: No. Nancy Martin: They're family! But even when Jeff West does get out of prison, this will always be a family with someone missing. William "Jerry" West: Kind, caring mother. Nancy Martin: Kind, caring person who loved her husband and loved her daughter very much. Lola is being raised by both sets of grandparents. Jeff West has filed an appeal. Produced by Josh Yager and Lauren A. White. Ryan N. Smith is the development producer. Elizabeth Caholo is the field producer. George Baluzy, Greg Kaplan, Joan Adelman, Diana Modica, and Grayce Arlotta-Berner are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer. | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kat-west-onlyfans-mysterious-death-48-hours/ |
How big are the blood-clot risks of the AZ jab? | Last Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency stated there was a plausible link between the Oxford/AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccine and rare types of blood clotting, which the MHRA estimates may happen in one in 100,000 young adults who get the vaccine. It is challenging to think of such low risks: when we have to count the zeros, all intuition goes. We could choose from the risk of dying when under general anaesthesia, or in a skydiving jump, or, on the positive side, winning the Lotto jackpot if you bought 450 tickets, or guessing the last five digits of someones mobile phone number. Perhaps more pertinently, its roughly the risk of a young woman on the contraceptive pill having some form of blood clot in one week. Risk is as much a matter of feeling as analysis. For the briefing last week, the Winton Centre (which DS chairs) constructed a comparison of benefits and risks in different age bands, balancing avoiding intensive care with Covid-19 against getting one of these specific clots. When there is not much virus circulating, these may be finely balanced in younger people, as they do not tend to get severely ill with Covid-19. But this analysis leaves out important potential benefits of vaccination, such as preventing other risks from Covid, including blood clotting. Then theres long Covid around 12% of people aged 17 to 24 reported symptoms 12 weeks after infection. Vaccination is also not just for the person who gets jabbed; it looks like it will help prevent symptomless infections and viral spread and so benefit all those they meet. Life is neither safe nor unsafe: risk is a spectrum. There are acceptable risks, which are so low people do nothing in response. There are risks so high we desist our activities. The third kind is tolerable risks: where we seek to reap the benefits while mitigating downsides. For most people, when there is virus circulating, the risks of Covid-19 outweigh the minimal risks from the vaccines. | https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2021/apr/11/how-big-are-the-blood-clot-risks-of-the-az-jab |
Wheres the populism in superhero movies? | In The prescient warning in A Streetcar Named Desire, Tom Joudrey critiques what he deems the pro-populist consensus of the American film industry. If one considers what is perhaps the most popular genre in Hollywood, the superhero film, it would be hard to find populist sentiments, except maybe among the superheroes enemies. The superhero genre lionizes elites, from genius billionaires like Batman and Iron Man to noble monarchs like Black Panther and Thor, while leaving the common people to passively admire their betters magnificence. Hollywood tells far more stories about sympathetic elites, both superpowered and otherwise (business moguls, high-power professionals, politicians, royalty), than it does about people in far more common occupations, such as fast-food workers, truck drivers, or custodians. Contrary to Joudreys suggestion, Hollywood usually tells stories from elites perspective rather than from the perspective of common folk. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/11/opinion/wheres-populism-superhero-movies/ |
Whats Behind The Violence In Northern Ireland? | BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 09: Flames and smoke rise from car set a fire during protests as ... [+] rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and stones at police amid unrest since Wednesday, in Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 09, 2021. The unrest started when some Sinn Fein members attended a crowded funeral on top of tensions caused by Brexit border arrangements, which brought checks on goods shipped between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Both loyalist and nationalist areas were involved in riots in west Belfast. (Photo by Hasan Esen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Only three people have ever really understood the Schleswig-Holstein businessthe Prince Consort, who is deada German professor, who has gone madand I, who have forgotten all about it. Lord Palmerston, British statesman. Palmerstons musing on the Schleswig-Holstein question was always useful during Brexit, to illustrate its mystery and complexity. It is even better as a description for Northern Ireland, at least in terms of how well people outside Ireland understand the complexity of its political and social problems. Few seem to care Indeed, with the exception of select pockets of the USA, and oddly still fewer pockets of the UK, there are not many who comprehend or are interested in the complex history of Northern Ireland, though to its credit, the European Commission gave it great attention in the Brexit negotiation process. This lacuna should be filled by two recent books - Charles Townsends The Partition and Ivan Gibbons Partition. I do not want to repeat the arguments of these books, but rather to simply make two points in the context of vicious rioting across Northern Ireland in the last week. The first is that the kindling of the riots is partly due to the fact that the historic Good Friday Agreement has not been accompanied by an ambitious Marshall style plan for the north that could have remade its society and economy. The Irish governments recent Shared Island Plan is a nod in the right direction, but politically Northern Irelands Assembly largely exists (when it sits) to channel money from London into the local economy. No one has yet dared a radical program of change for Northern Ireland, and the consequences are being felt. Border across the sea Second, to a large extent however, the rioting in the North is provoked by the uncertainty over once steadfast boundaries. In particular the unionist/loyalist community is, together with British fishermen and farmers, realising the negative consequences of the Brexit deal for which they thoughtlessly campaigned (if in doubt look up the views of Sammy Wilson MP for example). The prospect of a de facto customs border through the Irish Sea (dividing the North from the UK) and talk of a united Ireland have sown discord. It lies with Boris Johnson to fix this. I do not think that Northern Ireland will erupt into the kind of violence witnessed in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is an important warning sign for the implications of Brexit for the rest of the UK. It may also be a sign of things to come, in a world where the fading of globalisation and the disruptive effect of the coronavirus, we will see more and more signs of identity angst where shifting feel they are no longer anchored in their own country. Ironically in the context of Northern Ireland, the Scots (Ulster) Irish in the USA are a case in point. As a demographic group they are one of the marginal forces behind the rise of Donald Trump (remember him?). Emerging Angst While it is not terribly edifying to search for the next socio-political breakdown, two further thoughts are worth drawing out in this regard. The first concerns emerging economies. Last week the IMF released growth forecasts for the chief economies of the world. What was striking was the relatively sluggish forecast growth for emerging economies, with a generalised rise in poverty. A structural slowing in growth in emerging nations will go against the grain of steadily rising prosperity of recent decades, and this could provide the backdrop to a more challenging political backdrop in Brazil, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Turkey and Pakistan to name a few countries where faltering economics, identity and ethnicity are faultlines. The other cohort of identity angst candidates is in eastern Europe principally Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, whose status as EU members is challenged by strong men politicians, corruption, the influence of Russia (in the case of Hungary) and ugly Sammy Wilson style views on womens rights, the LGBT community and liberal democracy. The growing tensions in these countries between, at a very stylised level, liberal pro European and generally younger generations versus those with a more regressive view of their country, will become more pronounced. These tensions may produce unrest, but they also need to be tended to by the EU, which has to increasingly defend and incentivise its values. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeosullivan/2021/04/11/whats-behind-the-violence-in-northern-ireland/ |
Is the era of big government back? | The United States is the capitalist nation par excellence, Irving Kristol once wrote, and he was right. Because of our free-market orientation, Americans have enjoyed the benefits (and headaches) of a dynamic economy. As a result, America is the richest country in the world, our scientists and businesses the most inventive, and we remain the worlds No. 1 destination for new immigrants. All this is possible because our country encourages vibrant competition in the private sector while ensuring the states hand, if sometimes heavy, never becomes oppressive. But that is changing. America has never been a libertarian wonderland, but for much of our history especially since the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s it was a place where individual rights were held in higher esteem than government prerogatives, where power was decentralized to states and localities, and where free competition challenged American businesses to continually improve. The creative destruction our limited government approach inspired was sometimes painful, but it led to the greatest well-being for the most people overall. Perhaps nothing better proved the sway this worldview held over American life than Bill Clintons 1996 State of the Union address, when a Democratic president famously declared, The era of big government is over. This statement always reflected more of an aspiration than reality. Government surely grew after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, and that growth accelerated again with the response to the financial crisis of 2008 and with passage of President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act. But these were differences in degree. The federal governments response to COVID-19 reflects a new paradigm altogether. A once-in-a-century challenge, the pandemic required a strong response from the federal government temporarily. That leadership challenge proved too much for the Donald Trump administration, and the result is a new administration pushing for an even larger and more intrusive government permanently. There is no popular mandate for this agenda. Even with the headwinds generated by Trumps problematic pandemic response, Democrats barely secured control of both houses of Congress. But their narrow majority has not stopped them from pursuing a transformation of the social contract between the individual and the state, the consequences of which we will live with for a long time to come. * * * America is about to enter a much-needed period of rapid economic growth. As more and more Americans receive their coronavirus vaccines, the economy will bounce back and the scars of 2020 will begin to heal. But the vast expansion of governmental power the events of 2020 precipitated will prove much harder to reverse. Since the coronavirus reached our shores, the purview of the state has grown and that of the individual has shrunk in three main areas. The first and most obvious is the extent to which public health experts now dictate economic policy. All governments rely on subject-matter experts to guide and implement decisions, but statesmanship involves the prudent balancing of competing interests. Instead, over the past year, the single-minded advice of public health officials overwhelmed the concerns of all other parties be they small business owners, religious observers, parents of school-age children, or local leaders. The early and sensible-sounding slogan flatten the curve morphed into the destructive and, in hindsight, excessive lockdowns. These measures were understandable in the early days of the pandemic given the viruss uncertain lethality and transmissibility. But the evidence gathered since suggests that, at least in Western Europe and North America, extended lockdown policies cant pass a cost-benefit analysis. This should not come as a surprise. Lockdown orders were always a blunt instrument of state power, allowed to be stunning and unprecedented in scope only because the public understood them as short-lived intrusions to address an emergency. Now, as the danger recedes, we can see how hard they can be to unravel witness the continuing resistance to reopening schools in many places, even as all the scientific evidence makes clear that it is safe to do so. Once state actors get in the habit of using that kind of power, it becomes much harder to roll it back. When health officials say one course of action might lead to preventable deaths and the other will not, politicians overwhelmingly choose to exercise their power to prevent deaths even when the only guaranteed outcome of such an action is further restriction of individual freedom. The rare governors who buck this advice, such as Georgias Brian Kemp, are described as launching an experiment in human sacrifice, as one headline in The Atlantic put it. (Georgia, meanwhile, has suffered far fewer COVID-19 deaths than lockdown-heavy states such as New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, both in gross terms and as a percentage of their respective populations.) Empowering these experts facilitated the second force rewriting our social contract a massive expansion of government spending to cope with the economic fallout. Even before President Joe Biden entered the White House, bipartisan votes in Congress delivered trillions of dollars of economic support to Americans, most of which was necessary to keep businesses afloat and families solvent through the worst stages of the pandemic. The result was nearly as miraculous as it was underappreciated: The U.S. economy fared better than every other advanced Western economy over the past year, and disposable income grew at its fastest rate since the 1980s. With vaccines becoming available to every American adult by this summer, in 2021 America will likely see its fastest economic growth in decades. But this has not stopped the Biden administration from proposing an even larger role for the federal government in the years ahead. The president pitched his recent $1.9 trillion stimulus bill as yet another emergency measure to help America recover from the pandemic, but much of that funding wont be spent for years or, worse, is allocated for this year but will work against the recovery. Expanding supplemental unemployment benefits through Sept. 6, for instance, will make it harder for businesses to hire back staff because many beneficiaries can receive more money by staying home than by returning to work. And this is just one component of the dramatically increased use of government dollars to provide income to nonworking Americans. Food stamps, stimulus checks, and a new universal cash benefit for children all increased as well all provided without any expectation that their recipients work or look for work. Last months unemployment rate of 6% (and falling) is essentially at the historical average of the past seven decades nothing like what our country has experienced in times of economic catastrophe. The vast and transformative expansion of the welfare system is simply not justified by our circumstances. The sheer size of Bidens stimulus is especially striking because it passed without any support from Republicans in a closely divided Congress. This is not 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson enacted his Great Society after winning a clear mandate. This is also not 1932, when the American people swept Franklin Roosevelt into office and gave Democrats an additional 11 Senate seats to address an economic challenge far greater than what confronts us now. This is 2021, where despite losing seats in the House of Representatives and holding the narrowest possible edge in the Senate, Democrats have decided to govern like no opposition even exists. And that leads us to climate change, the focus of the third great expansion of government power. Exploiting a global threat to implement intrusive policies will not be limited to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration is already preparing the same playbook for its next $2 trillion idea, a progressive policy wish list masquerading as an infrastructure package. American presidents of both parties have long supported public investment in roads, bridges and canals internal improvements, as they were called in the days of Henry Clay and Abraham Lincoln. But traditional infrastructure is an afterthought in the latest proposal. Roads, bridges and highways would receive less money than the $174 billion devoted to electric cars and barely more than the $100 billion directed at decarbonizing Americas energy grid which in effect means banning fossil fuels by 2035, if not sooner, as many members of the presidents party would like. Climate change should concern all of us. But, like COVID-19, it should not spark poorly thought-out responses that only compound the damage. America has reduced its annual carbon emissions significantly over the past two decades, not because of state coercion but thanks to private-sector innovation. We need further innovation in clean and cost-effective technologies, and with the right growth-oriented policies, we will get it but not if further government expansions crowd out private investment while targeting the few affordable fuel sources we already have. * * * These are not the only forces threatening individual freedom in America today; the rise of China, reductions of free speech on college campuses, and the increasing influence of Big Tech also give cause for concern. But the expansion of big government is the most immediate consequence of the pandemic and the one most in our power to control. Before we can set our sights on the future, however, we must come to grips with the recent past. No party is free from blame here. The Trump years will be remembered for many things, but one of its negative legacies will be a mortal sin of omission: In three years of peace and prosperity, the Trump administration could not solidify any lasting, bipartisan reforms to ensure the long-term survival of Americas uniquely limited government. Its signature legislative achievement, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, might not even survive this year. This did not need to be the case. The early years of Trumps term, when growth was solid and foreign enemies deterred, provided a rare window of opportunity to address Americas more complex and long-term problems. This opportunity was squandered. By failing to pursue overdue reforms to Americas entitlement programs, infrastructure, or immigration system, advocates of limited government missed their best chance to secure conservative-steered compromises that could withstand successive Democratic administrations. Instead, we are now experiencing a blitz of Keynesian remedies to problems that dont require radical solutions. Before the pandemic struck, Americans wages were rising at the fastest pace in decades, especially for those toward the bottom of the income ladder. Now as the pandemic is set to recede, the strong economy of 2019 could roar back. But the excessive spending has raised the risk of a surge in inflation, a specter even the left-leaning economist Larry Summers has cautioned against. Rising inflation might end up being the least of our worries. The danger of big government is not bigness per se, but the further risks bigness entails, to both individual liberties and the economy more broadly. The policymakers in Washington no doubt believe they are promoting good-faith efforts to protect our health, slow climate change, and reduce material hardship. But good intentions are no safeguard against bad results. At a certain point, deficits and incentives still matter. If Summers is right and inflation returns and if conservatives are right and the return of big government brings back low growth then the coming decade could come to resemble the stagflation and malaise of the 1970s. This would be fitting. The quote with which I began this essay was written in 1975, several years before President Ronald Reagan (and Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker) refocused our mixed economy decisively in favor of the individual. What is needed now are similar leaders ushering in a similar restoration of classically American values: limiting the central governments role, prioritizing free markets over state mandates, diffusing power to the local level, and above all trusting that individuals and communities can make better decisions for themselves and their families than can any government official, expert or otherwise. Robert Doar is the president of the American Enterprise Institute. | https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/04/11/is-the-era-of-big-government-back/ |
What would a Stephon Gilmore extension look like? | The Patriots methodically attacked free agency, making a number of significant moves with the hope of returning to contender status. There could be more fireworks to come in or around the NFL Draft, which is now two and a half weeks away. Its pretty clear Bill Belichick, who turns 69 on Friday, doesnt want to engage in a long-term rebuild. He wants to get back in the winners circle sooner, rather than later. To that end, trading Stephon Gilmore makes no sense. His status and contract remain one of the to-do items on the Patriots offseason list. Extending his deal, which expires after this season, would seem like the way to go for several reasons. First, as one of the premier corners in the league, its rather doubtful Gilmore would want to play for just $7 million, which is his base salary this year. That figure is also $13 million shy of Jalen Ramseys average annual salary, as the NFLs highest paid cornerback. Gilmore probably wants and expects something to be done especially in wake of Belichick opening up the purse strings for others in free agency. The Patriots, meanwhile, know theyre going to have to deal with Gilmore one way, or the other. When they bumped his salary up by $5 million last year, it was understood another adjustment would be needed going forward. Second, and most important, the Patriots need to have a shutdown corner to play defense the way Belichick likes to play defense. More to the point, they need a shutdown corner in order to seriously contend. Obviously, a quarterback would help, too. But lets focus on the defense for this exercise. Belichick is at his best scheming and plotting to stifle high powered offenses with a true shutdown corner in tow. Over time, weve seen how much a top corner can influence a game with Ty Law and Darrelle Revis, as well as Gilmore. Its no surprise all three have been part of championship teams. J.C. Jackson, while good, didnt distinguish himself in the top role during the games Gilmore missed last season. He seems best slotted in the No. 2 role at this point. As for the rest, Jonathan Jones, who is the only corner under contract beyond this season, is very good in his role as the slot corner, and occasional safety. Hes not a top gun, however. Same with Joejuan Williams and Myles Bryant, who are hybrids who seem best suited for specialty roles. Perhaps the Patriots draft a top corner in the first round, be it Alabamas Patrick Surtain II, South Carolinas Jaycee Horn or Virginia Techs Caleb Farley. If that happens, it will still take a bit of time for that rookie to evolve into the teams next shutdown corner to follow Gilmore. So it behooves the Patriots to fish, and not cut bait with Gilmore. The Patriots wont want to go long-term, thats almost a given. So maybe a two-year extension on Gilmores current deal, in the neighborhood of $35 to $38 million, would suffice, or at least, be in the ballpark. Lumping this years salary in the mix, hed average around $14-to-$15 million per season over the course of the next three years, with the Patriots having him under contract through the 2023 season. If the guaranteed money comes early, the third year could be a parachute for both sides. That type of extension would place him just under Miamis Xavien Howard, who is the sixth-highest paid corner at an average of $15.05 million, and on par with Baltimores Marcus Peters, who is at No. 8 at $14 million, if its at the low end. To put it in further context, this deal is also in the realm of the 5-year, $65 million deal he originally signed with the Patriots as a free agent in 2017. Now, if Gilmore remains for the length of the deal, hed be 33 going into his age-34 season when the contract expires. Just for a few reference points, Law was 35 when he retired. Revis was 32. Patriots owner Robert Kraft, speaking with the media 12 days ago, wouldnt say if there had been any contract talks ongoing with Gilmore, who was reported to be open to discussions for a new deal. Were lucky to have Stephon Gilmore. Hes a tremendous player for us, a great person. And hes just so gifted, said Kraft. So hes under contract with us, and well see what happens. Its possible the Patriots might only want to keep Gilmore for the final year of his deal this season, and then move on. If that was the plan, it would also behoove them to select one of the best corner prospects in the draft as the likely successor. Again, Gilmore might not be inclined to play nice at the $7 million figure for one season. Like last year, coming off his NFL Defensive Player of the Year laurels, he might balk until getting his deal sweetened. Hes not taking a pay cut, I can tell you that right now, said SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots when reached last week. If the Patriots want to keep him, hes probably not going to take anything less than $15 million (per season). The leverage the Patriots have on Gilmore is his age, and the fact hes coming off the partially torn quad injury that ended his season, and required surgery. He might be perfectly fine in 2021 and beyond, but that also factors in. Wilcots understands the need to hold onto a player like Gilmore, he just wasnt sure if the Patriots would go for a multi-year extension. He thought the Pats would make another adjustment on this years figure, and have him play out the contract. They would also draft his eventual successor, especially if Surtain, who is Nick Sabans guy at Alabama, falls into their lap at No. 15. Personally, I can see them letting Gilmore play out (the final year), said Wilcots. As much as they might want to keep him, Im not sure Bill wants to pay the number (it would take) to do so, especially at Gilmores age. Bill will probably offer one year at $10 million, and think thats a bargain for him, and Gilmore should take it. But I can also see them drafting someone, Wilcots went on. If Surtain is still there when they go on the clock, that solves the problem, and he can still keep Stephon for one more year. Maybe thats the way it will ultimately go. But given all the dynamics at play, it also wouldnt be surprising to see Gilmore here beyond 2021. House stands by Newton Tom House, a former MLB pitcher and throwing mechanics coach most noted for working with Tom Brady, sees a light at the end of the tunnel for Cam Newton. House had previously worked with Newton in Carolina and said in an interview with NBC Sports Bostons Patriots Talk Podcast, he believed the quarterbacks biggest problem last year may have been the Lisfranc injury that eventually ended his 2019 season. I think his foot injury bothered him more than his shoulder injury, House explained. These athletes throw with their feet. The quicker their feet, the quicker their release. He went through a full year where he couldnt step and throw without pain in his foot. House said he thinks with Newton operating in a normal training camp, he should improve in 2021. What people dont realize is Cam has been injured, House said. He hasnt had the ability to work on mechanics like he should or could have because his health was an issue. And what you saw with the pandemic and all the upheaval and weird things that were going on with the day-to-day process, he probably didnt have the time, or what I would say his efforts had to be directed toward just plain competing. Hoyer visits Jets With the Jets focused on drafting their next franchise quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft BYUs Zach Wilson the odds-on favorite it makes sense for them to plug in a veteran backup. To that end, Gang Green interviewed former Patriots backup Brian Hoyer on Thursday, a league source confirmed. Hoyer has some familiarity with the coaching staff, as well as the Jets offense. He was with the 49ers in 2017 when current Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was the passing game coordinator. Jets head coach Robert Saleh was also the defensive coordinator of the 49ers, so he also has a pretty good idea what Hoyer brings to the table. Seems like a good match. Hoyer is a good mentor for young quarterbacks. Well see if the Jets become his eighth NFL stop to go along with the Patriots, Colts, 49ers, Bears, Texans , Browns and Cardinals. Draft tidbits Ohio States second Pro Day is set for Wednesday. Those who didnt attend quarterback Justin Fields first pro day on March 30 will have a second chance to watch him throw live, as hes expected to participate. Several teams, including the 49ers, who own the No. 3 pick, and the Patriots, had their top people at Mac Jones Pro Day in Alabama during Ohio States initial day. While there were personnel on hand from both teams, no doubt Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch from the Niners, and or Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels from the Patriots would like to watch Fields in person. While it was interesting to hear Saban say neither Shanahan nor Lynch spoke to him about Jones specifically, dont read too much into that. Also, North Dakota States Trey Lance is also having a second Pro Day on April 19. So the plot thickens. The 49ers are doing their best to keep their quarterback choice under wraps. Patriots working for greater cause In his spare time, Bill Belichicks right-hand man Berj Najarian, the director of football/head coach administration for the Patriots, has used his platform to champion Armenian-related causes. In January, he raised money for the Armenians impacted by the drone attacks by neighboring Azerbaijan. Najarian wore cleats promoting Armenian relief that pulled in the highest donation in the history of My Cause, My Cleats, raising more than $40,000. Of late, Najarian is also raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide, which took more than a million lives. Last week, he took to Instagram to post a challenge for people to recognize the Armenian Genocide with a call to action. Najarians post was supported and promoted by several members of the Patriots organization including defensive assistant Jerod Mayo, center David Andrews, linebacker Chase Winovich, long snapper Joe Cardona and quarterback Jarrett Stidham, just to name a few. The encouragement from ownership, coaches, players and support staff to use our platforms and raise awareness for important issues, particularly ones of human rights and social justice, is incredible, Najarian said, via email. These issues remain on the front burner for all of us and to be part of a group that is always uplifting each other is pretty special. There are many examples with the latest being Joe Cardona, Jerod Mayo, Chase Winovich and others re-posting my call to action at anca.org/genocide. In 2019, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to formally recognize the genocide and mass killings of Armenians a century ago. Political motivation, however, has prevented wider recognition. Said Najarian: Even though the United States Congress has fully and formally recognized the Armenian Genocide as a known historical event with perpetrators and victims, it is long overdue for our executive branch to do the same thing. I am going to continue my effort to raise awareness as long as it takes. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/04/11/what-would-a-stephon-gilmore-extension-look-like/ |
Could The U.K. Secretly Strip Encryption From WhatsApp? | The U.K. Government is targeting WhatsApp DeFodi Images via Getty Images The U.K. government could secretly force Facebook to strip end-to-end encryption from apps such as WhatsApp, a civil liberties organization has claimed. The U.K. government has waged a long campaign against end-to-end encryption in consumer apps because it makes interception of communications more difficult. End-to-end encryption thus facilitates crimes such as child abuse, politicians such as the U.K.s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, have argued. Technology firms and civil rights groups retort that encrypted communication are safer for everyone, not only criminals. Until now, the U.K. governments rhetoric against end-to-end encryption has been just that: rhetoric. But there are now signs the governments resolve is hardening, with the likelihood of forthcoming legislation that would make end-to-end encrypted apps illegal. High-risk features Earlier this week, a report called Unsafe Children: Driving Up Our Countrys Response To Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation was published by the influential right-wing think tank The Centre for Social Justice. The think tank was founded by a former Conservative leader and the report was endorsed by the former chancellor, Sajid Javid, who is hotly tipped for a return to government. The report made startling recommendations in respect of apps such as WhatsApp. We would wish to see that the introduction of a high-risk design feature like end-to-end-encryption without evidencing corresponding safeguards would be a clear breach of the Duty of Care [in the forthcoming Online Safety Bill], the report stated. It will be insufficient for a platform to argue that introducing such a high-risk design feature will have benefits in other spaces like user privacy and preventing online financial crime. Whats more, the report seems to take a pre-emptive strike against Facebook, which has said it will introduce end-to-end encryption across all of its messaging platforms. We will expect [U.K. telecoms regulator] Ofcom to stay zoomed in on the specific impact on child safety and to be able to act retroactively should any high-risk design features be introduced in advance of the Online Safety Bill passing. In other words, should Facebook attempt to introduce encryption before its made illegal, the Centre for Social Justice wants action taken against the firm. Ready to act Priti Patel has long opposed end-to-end encryption in apps Getty Images The report comes ahead of a speech the Home Secretary will give next week at an event hosted by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), in which she is expected to rail against the use of end-to-end encryption in consumer apps. An NSPCC report commissioned for the event will, according to a leaked draft seen by Wired, suggest the government devise regulation expressly targeting encryption, so as to block any measures that might make it harder for police to intercept communications. One way in which the government could effectively outlaw encrypted apps is through a Technical Capability Notice (TCN). These were introduced as part of a previous and highly controversial piece of legislation called the Investigatory Powers Act, and could allow the government to effectively strip the apps of encryption without fresh legislation. A TCN can compel a service provider to remove electronic protections, including security standards, such as encryption, says a blog post from the Open Rights Group, a civil liberties organization in the U.K. The Open Rights Group fears the notice could be implemented without any public discussion. TCNs are negotiated in secret and are not made public, the Open Rights Group adds. A company which is subject to a TCN is legally barred not only from discussing the specifics of the notice, but from disclosing whether the notice exists at all. If the U.K. government were to proceed with a TCN against Facebook and other app developers, it would mean any private message exchanged on Facebook/WhatsApp could be subject to monitoring and surveillance, with no notice, recourse, or transparency, the Open Rights Group claims. However, even with a gagging order in place, it would be hard for the companies to enact such an order without anyone noticing. As the Open Rights Group speculates, the government would much prefer Facebook to back down publicly, which is why its continuing its current PR offensive. Either way, it seems the U.K. governments determination to rid messaging apps of encryption is stronger than ever. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2021/04/11/could-the-uk-secretly-strip-encryption-from-whatsapp/ |
Where Will Dana Evans Go in the 2021 WNBA Draft? | (Photo of Dana Evans: Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After a long and illustrious four-year career with the Louisville women's basketball program, Dana Evans is finally heading to the next level. Following the Cardinals' season-ending loss to Stanford in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, the senior guard confirmed she would indeed be declaring for the 2021 WNBA Draft instead of taking advantage of the extra year granted by the NCAA. Evans departs the program not only as one of the top players in school history, but one of the most decorated. She is a two-time ACC Player of the Year, is one of three Louisville players to ever be named a First Team AP All-American (Angel McCoughtry, Asia Durr), and is the winningest player in Louisville history. During her tenure in Louisville, the 5-foot-6 guard native has built up plenty of good stock among WNBA scouts and executives. Of course, when you're the ninth-leading scorer (1,715), sixth-leading three-point shooter (37.7%) and sixth-leading assister (521) at a well renowned program like Louisville, it's hard not to. "I think Dana had a very good career at Louisville. She's shown a lot of versatility playing both the point guard and the two guard positions," Indiana Fever head coach Marianne Stanley said during the WNBA Pre-Draft Media Conference Call. "She's someone who has demonstrated that she's not afraid of a big shot or a big moment, and that's something that all the very good players have in their arsenal." The Gary, Ind. native has established herself as one of the top guard prospects and top scorers in this year's draft class. In 30 games during her senior season, she averaged 20.1 points, which led the Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as 3.9 assists with a 43.0% field goal percentage and 35.3% mark on three-point attempts. Texas forward/center Charli Collier has been pretty much penciled in as the No. 1 overall pick ever since she declared for the draft, and the same can be said for international prospect Finland center Awak Kuier at No. 2. Most mock drafts also have Tennessee wing Rennia Davis getting picked up at No. 3. Now is when the top guards in the draft class will start to hear their name called. Most mock drafts have Arizona point guard Aari McDonald and Rutgers shooting guard Arella Guirantes as the top two guard prospects. McDonald made herself into a household name after leading the Wildcats to the title game, and Guirantes was one of the most consistent scorers in college basketball. It also didn't help that Evans had a prolonged shooting slump through most of the month of March. After both McDonald and Guirantes are off the board, this is when we will most likely hear Evans' name be called. Her projected draft range is between picks six through eight, with the New York Liberty holding the sixth overall pick, the Dallas Wings with the seventh, and the Chicago Sky possessing No. 8. Most Cards fans will see the Liberty in the mix, and immediately clamor for them to take Evans. After all, New York has former Louisville teammates Asia Durr, Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook all on their roster. In ESPN's latest 2021 WNBA Mock Draft, they actually projects the Liberty to select Evans. But Louisville fans need to embrace the possibility this might not happen. In fact, both CBS Sports and SBNation are projecting that Evans will fall all the way to the No. 8 overall pick held by the Chicago Sky. Of course, there's no shame in that, as Evans would still be a top ten pick, plus ESPN women's basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo believes that would be a great fit for any guard taken with that pick. "If you're a guard in this class, that would be a great place to go because you would definitely learn from one of the best in the game in (Courtney Vandersloot), and you would be able to have minutes without having all of the pressure that can come from running the show right away," Lobo said during the WNBA Pre-Draft Media Conference Call. "I think (Chicago Sky GM/HC James Wade), if he does go with a guard at No. 8, will get a good one and will get one who will be in a great situation to learn as a rookie and get some minutes and play with a really great group of players who come in off the bench," she continued. The 2021 WNBA Draft will be held on Thursday, Apr. 15 at 7:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ESPN. You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter: Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp | https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/how-high-will-dana-evans-go-in-draft |
When's the Best Time for Steelers to Pick a Tight End in NFL Draft? | PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers won't avoid a tight end during the 2021 NFL Draft. Or, at least they shouldn't. The Steelers' tight end room currently consists of Eric Ebron, Zach Gentry, Kevin Radar and Charles Jones. After Vance McDonald's retirement, the team has been forced to evaluate the position and add a new face. So far, they've waited and should utilize the draft to bring in another name. It's hard to imagine they'll select a tight end early. The first and second rounds will likely be used on positions with larger needs like running back and offensive line. AllSteelers spoke with former NFL and NCAA head coach Jim Mora to decide when is the best round for the Steelers to approach a pass-catching lineman. "Third round. Third or fourth," Mora said. "There's some guys there. Obviously, Kyle Pitts is gone - he's long gone before they get to 24 ... You know how the draft is. It's a dynamic that changes every single pick." Mora doesn't have an exact prospect that'll be around but believes they could have the opportunity to bring in names like Pat Freiermuth out of Penn State and Hunter Long from Boston College. "A guy like one of those two, or someone that kind of fits that mold would be great for the Steelers because they can open them up, they can use them as receivers. They're big. They're physical. They played in inclement weather and I don't know if you want to discount that." Mora's first-round pick for the Steelers remains a running back, with offensive tackle as a high priority as well. Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers. | https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/gm-report/best-time-pittsburgh-steelers-tight-end-nfl-draft |
Is Gonzaga Poised To Land The Projected No. 1 Draft Pick For 2022? | CHANDLER, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Chet Holmgren, from Minnehaha High School, shoots a free throw during ... [+] the Pangos All-American Festival on November 8, 2020 at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, AZ. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Chet Holmgrens high school career ended with yet another state title, and his next mission will be trying to win an NCAA championship at the college level. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren is expected to make his college announcement sometime in the coming days after leading Minnehaha Academy to a fourth state title in four years on Saturday night with an 80-29 rout of Alexandria High School in the Minnesota Class 3A state championship game. Holmgren, a McDonalds All-American who was also named to the Nike Hoop Summit team, went for 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in the win. It was a great way to send us (seniors) off into our next part of our journey whether thats football for some of our guys, basketball, other things definitely a great last hoorah for all of us, Holmgren said, per the Pioneer Press. We just wanted to make sure that we went out with a bang. The widespread expectation is that Holmgren will commit to Gonzaga and take his talents to Spokane, Wash., for a one-and-done season before entering the 2022 NBA Draft, where he is projected as the No. 1 pick, per ESPN.com. After losing to Baylor in the title game on Monday, Gonzaga is favored by Caesars William Hill to win the NCAA championship next season. And part of that calculation has to do with Holmgren. He also lists Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio State among his final seven, but Gonzaga has been the heavy favorite for some time now. Holmgren is a former teammate at Minnehaha of Gonzaga freshman point guard Jalen Suggs, a projected top-3 pick in this years draft. New Minnesota coach Ben Johnson has done his due diligence by texting and calling Holmgren after getting the job, and Holmgren is wishing him well going forward. From my experience, hes a really good guy, he said per Ben Goessling. I see him doing really good things with the program. As for Gonzaga, Suggs and senior small forward Corey Kispert are expected to declare for the draft, while redshirt junior guard Joel Ayayi declared on Friday. Its unclear if sophomore forward Drew Timme will enter the Draft he could opt to at least test the waters but if he returns he and Holmgren would form one terrific frontcourt duo, with Timme able to play the 4 and Holmgren the 5. While Timme is a tremendous offensive player, able to pass out of the post and score in a variety of ways down low, defense is not his strong suit. Holmgren, meantime, is an elite shot blocker who can protect the rim and serve as a safety valve behind Timme. For Chet, it starts with his length and his shot-blocking. he has incredible instincts, hes incredibly tough around the rim, 7-4 wingspan, stands 7 feet tall, ESPNs Mike Schmitz said earlier this year. Incredibly light on his feet and can really shoot it with touch. Reminds me of Kristaps Porzingis with an added dose of toughness. In November, Holmgren outplayed Emoni Bates, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022, scoring 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, with 12 rebounds and 6 blocks in a victory for his Team Sizzle. On offense, Timme and Holmgren would be a dangerous pair in various offensive sets, including pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop and dribble hand-offs. The Zags are also expected to return junior point guard Andrew Nembhard, sophomore forward Anton Watson and 6-7 freshman guard Julian Strawther, who averaged 31.5 pts, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game his senior year, en route to becoming Liberty (NV) High School's all-time leading scorer (2,252 points) and rebounder (839 rebounds). They are also bringing in five-star guard Hunter Sallis, who committed in March. The Bulldogs figure to hit the transfer portal and have their choices considering the NCAA is expected this week to grant immediate eligibility to all first-time transfers. They have been linked to North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. I talk to the staff all the time, we need to continue to stay as old as we can but continue to add really, really good young players, too, that we can go through the development process with, Gonzaga coach mark Few said. Its quite a balance. Its just going to be different this year. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2021/04/11/is-gonzaga-poised-to-land-the-projected-no-1-draft-pick-for-2022/ |
How long will Bill Belichick coach? | At one point, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said that, unlike Hall of Famer Marv Levy, Belichick wont be coaching into his 70s. As Belichick inches closer and closer to 70, his stance may have changed. To start the week that will see Belichick turn 69, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com published recent quotes from Levy regarding the notion of coaching well beyond what once was the retirement age of 65. Age is only an approximate thing, Levy told Reiss. Youre involved and youre going at it hard, and you love it, thats it. You just coach as long as you love it. I finally retired [after the 1997 season] because the great core of our team had gotten old, and they were all retiring. And I had it finally. I felt I needed some time away. Levy said that, a year or two later, he wondered whether he may have left too early. He later returned to the team, in his 80s, to serve as General Manager in 2006 and 2007. As noted by Reiss, Belichick has 311 career victories, 13 behind George Halas and 36 behind Don Shula. In March 2017, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that he hopes Belichick stays into his 80s, citing men like Warren Buffett and Rupert Murdoch, who continue to thrive well into their ninth decades Maybe Belichick will stick around a lot longer. In April 2017, as he closed in on turning 65, Belichick said hes good for a while. He separately acknowledge in 2019 that, as he moved even closer to 70, hes less certain about packing it in. Halas retired at 73 because of arthritis in his hip, which kept him from handling the physical aspects of the job. Said Halas at the time, I supposed I began to realize this in one of our final games last season when I started rushing after the referee who was pacing off a penalty and it suddenly dawned on me that I wasnt gaining on him. I began to wonder whether the officials were speeding up, or I was slowing down. Story continues Some have speculated that, if/when Belichick slows down, he eventually could become a V.P. of football operations, possibly with a sliver of equity, for another team. Coaches who take those jobs rarely thrive, however, because they remain coaches at heart. For Belichick, assuming a position atop the football food chain and resisting the urge to micromanage the folks cooking the meals would become the ultimate test of his do your job mantra. So maybe hell just keep doing the job hes doing for as long as he physically can do it. originally appeared on Pro Football Talk | https://sports.yahoo.com/long-bill-belichick-coach-143145041.html?src=rss |
Where do Dolphins fit as NFL.com stacks AFC field prior to 2021 draft? | The Miami Dolphins got the cruelest taste of just how competitive the AFC Conference is in 2020 the team became the first AFC team in the Wild Card era to finish with 10 wins and be the conferences No. 8 seed; a recipe that saw the Dolphins miss the playoffs despite an expanded playoff field for the first time last season. And the competition only figures to be heating up. The Dolphins have gotten better, that much is certain. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com stacked the teams of the AFC into tiers ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft and his placement for the Dolphins is familiar waters: he pegged them as a playoff contender alongside another seven teams in the AFC. That would be fine if not for four teams being ranked in tiers above the contenders tier. Rosenthal pegged the Bills and Chiefs as bullies in the conference and the Ravens and Browns as playoffs or bust. But amid the contenders, it appears as though Rosenthal will not be lulled into sleeping on the Dolphins like he was last year. The Dolphins made me look dumb in this exercise a year ago because I didnt see the roster talent. Brian Flores has proven hes as good at coaching a squad that is greater than the sum of its parts as he is at changing coordinators. Folks are way too down, too quickly on Tua Tagovailoa. Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com The NFL Draft could very well serve as a tipping point in the crowded field in the AFC. You could make a firm case for two of the other seven teams in that tier, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, having fallen off considerably given their free agent losses this offseason. But Miami must balance drafting for now versus drafting for the future if they strike gold, it may be the push they need to punch the ticket they couldnt last year: a trip to the playoffs. Theyll have plenty of competition. | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-dolphins-fit-nfl-com-141250013.html?src=rss |
Will the 49ers Draft Trey Lance? | Lance went to North Dakota State, which produced Carson Wentz, who was an MVP candidate before he tore his ACL in 2017. The 49ers certainly could draft Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft. He arguably has the most potential of all the draft-eligible quarterbacks this year. He's only 20, and he's big and fast and has a cannon. Plus he played in a pro-style offense and made checks at the line of scrimmage, unlike most college quarterbacks. He's extremely smart. NFL.com compares him to Josh Allen, who finished second in the MVP voting last season. Plus Lance went to North Dakota State, which produced Carson Wentz, who was an MVP candidate before he tore his ACL in 2017. And Lance might be an even better prospect than Wentz was when he entered the draft. But Lance is green. He played only one season of college football and completed just 208 passes. He's the least experienced first-round quarterback ever, which means he either needs to sit the first two seasons or play right away so he can experience the growing pains and learn on the job. The 49ers have a Super Bowl window -- they need to win now. They can't afford yet another losing season in 2021, because that would be Kyle Shanahan's fourth losing season in five years. He needs to a quarterback who helps him win next season. That's not Lance. Lance should go to a team where he can sit behind a Hall of Fame quarterback for a couple years, or a rebuilding team with a new coaching staff. A team like the Jets. They recently hired Robert Saleh as their head coach, and they now run the 49ers offense. So if Lance fits the 49ers, he fits the Jets. And Saleh has no pressure to win right away. Meaning he can afford to draft Lance and play him next season. Plus Jets general manager Joe Douglas was the Eagles vice president of player personnel in 2016 when they drafted Wentz. If Douglas liked Wentz enough to take him with the No. Don't be surprised if the Jets take Lance and leave the 49ers to choose from Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. In that case, I would expect the 49ers to take Wilson. The draft is three weeks away. Lots can happen between now and then. | https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/will-the-san-francisco-49ers-draft-trey-lance |
Who Will Be the Jets' Backup Quarterback Next Season? | After shipping Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers, it's clear the Jets are positioning themselves to take a new quarterback in the NFL draft. We don't know exactly who New York is planning on taking, but general manager Joe Douglas confirmed this week that assuming they'll take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick is a "fair assessment." With the departure of Joe Flacco, however, there's another wrinkle to New York's quarterback situation that remains unclear. As of now, there are two quarterbacks on New York's roster: James Morgan and Mike White. Morgan was selected in the fourth round of last year's draft by the Jets while White was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round in 2018. Even if both those quarterbacks have zero NFL experience, Douglas delivered nothing but positive remarks when speaking about their presence in the quarterback room and their growth. "Were really excited about James Morgan and Mike White," Douglas told reporters on Tuesday. "They didnt get an opportunity with no preseason games this year, but really excited about those two guys." The odds of Gang Green entering the 2021 season without a quarterback that's taken an NFL snap are slim to none. That in mind, Douglas hinted at adding an additional signal-caller, one that could help mentor the younger guys and provide some experience in case of an injury. "As in any room on our team, if there is an opportunity to add to it, make it a little bit better, were going to pursue that opportunity," Douglas said. "So, theres constant discussion in our pro scouting department with our coaching staff on not just the quarterback room possibly adding to it but every other position as well." Many of the quality veteran options have been snatched up by other teams this offseason, but players like Brian Hoyerwho met with the Jets this weekremain available. New York could also pursue a trade for Carolina's Teddy Bridgewater, who will be stuck behind Darnold moving forward with the Panthers if he stays put. Alternatively, if Carolina cuts Bridgewater, New York could be the first team to pounce. MORE: Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), on Facebook (also @MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Jets Country and check back daily for news, analysis and more. | https://www.si.com/nfl/jets/news/who-will-be-new-york-jets-backup-quarterback-next-season-james-morgan-mike-white-brian-hoyer |
Could electric vehicle chargers in city-owned parking lots help replace gas stations? | Green P parking lots could help establish the City of Toronto as a for-profit fuel provider, replacing gas stations when the electric vehicle revolution really takes off. Thats the dream of Councillor Mike Layton, one of the Toronto Parking Authority board members behind a partnership with Toronto Hydro to expand and upgrade EV chargers in city-owned lots. But that requires the city and its electric distribution utility to embrace change and make early investments, including now when spots reserved for EVs will sometimes sit empty, he said. We could cut out that whole traditional gasoline infrastructure, by ensuring public provision of electricity and charging infrastructure, earning profits while helping reduce harmful emissions, he said. Lets be innovative on this, lets be more aggressive in our market capture, the Ward 11 University-Rosedale councillor said. Lets think like capitalists, but the gains are for our society. We should encourage Toronto Hydro to make those investments now for the long-term benefits to the environment and to our bottom line, while figuring out how to cope with a huge boost in demand. The TPA-Hydro pilot project will replace nine existing free chargers in Green P lots with faster-charging Level 2 devices with a fee, likely $2 an hour. Another 20 Level 2 chargers will be added at other lots, plus three Level 3 ultra-fast chargers, for a total of 32 in the city lots. As North Americas largest municipally owned parking operator, TPA has a unique opportunity to jump-start the penetration of EV chargers across its asset base in order to accelerate the electrification of both personal and commercial vehicles in support of the City of Torontos EV strategy and (greenhouse gas reduction) TransformTO vision, says a parking authority staff report. But Toronto is behind the curve, Anu Aduvala, the parking authoritys vice-president of operations, told board members at a recent meeting where they approved the expansion. TPA currently lags other smaller municipalities in EV deployment, with Calgary Parking Authority at 46 Level 2 chargers, Oakville soon to be at 46 and even Pearson airport on its own has a mix of 53 Level 3 and Level 2 charging stations, Aduvala said. Were fully aware that 32 is not the number for Toronto Parking Authority to settle on, she added, saying usage data collected from the new chargers will help guide expansion plans. Toronto Hydro is buying the hardware, a cost partly covered by a $250,000 grant from National Resources Canadas zero emission vehicle infrastructure program. TPA is covering some other costs. The chargers are expected to be in use on average six hours a day and generate a profit on power sold that will flow to Hydro to help cover costs of the program. At the end of the pilot, the parking authority will have an option to buy the charging infrastructure from Hydro. The project follows another partnership, between Hydro, the city and charge station maker FLO, testing use of chargers at 17 parking spots on residential streets in different neighbourhoods. On-street and parking lot chargers could help Torontonians who want EVs but have no driveway where they can put home chargers. Ontario and its biggest city lag behind regions, notably B.C. and Quebec, in making investments to hurry and profit from the switch to vehicles that dont emit greenhouse gases. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Ontario EV sales plummeted in 2019 after the Premier Doug Ford government cancelled purchase rebates. That year, provincial agency Metrolinx ripped chargers out of GO parking lots, citing low demand. But EV adoption is crucial to Torontos efforts to help fight climate change by becoming carbon neutral no later than 2050, including an ambitious goal of jump-starting EV ownership to 20 per cent of all vehicles in Toronto, from about three per cent now, by 2030. Jeffrey Steiner, a lawyer and executive, told fellow parking authority board members that Toronto needs to put the pedal to the metal because automakers are embracing the change. This is not something you can just flip a switch on, Steiner said of infrastructure to accommodate the rolling green revolution. We need to go fasterTo be an innovation lab, we should have three or four initiatives around EVs, ready to tap an expected flood of federal funding for electrification projects, he said. Keith Stewart, a senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, said walking, cycling and emissions-free transit are best for the environment. But EVs are important, too, and currently suffer from a chicken and egg problem. If there arent charging stations nobody buys electric cars. And if we dont have electric cars people arent going to build charging stations, he said, calling the current economics of operating chargers not great. He welcomed the great TPA-Hydro project, saying Ontario electrical utilities have been risk adverse, reluctant to stray from their traditional role of getting power to plugs. City council needs to wield the whip and say, You have to act in the public interest here, Stewart said. Every single strategy for carbon neutrality, the biggest part is electrification. In an email, Toronto Hydro said it is excited to continue to play an active role in transportation electrification, including the TPA partnership and supporting the TTCs move to a zero-emission fleet. We look forward to helping expand the citys efforts toward electrification and decarbonization, as the city explores broadening our mandate and unlocking our potential to further support its climate change objectives. We believe EVs are the future of transportation. | https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2021/04/09/could-electric-vehicle-chargers-in-city-owned-parking-lots-help-replace-gas-stations.html |
Will I run out of money in retirement? | Many U.S. households retire without enough money to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living. Once retired, though, people often reduce their spending enough to make their money last, according to a recent study by David Blanchett, head of retirement research at Morningstar, and Warren Cormier, executive director of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Associations Retirement Research Center. People are finding a way to make it work, Blanchett says. The findings challenge a common financial planning assumption that retirees spending will increase at the rate of inflation each year. But the research also indicates many people retire without a realistic understanding of how much they can safely spend. Running out vs. running short The fear of running out of money is pervasive in the U.S. Nearly half of Americans have this concern, according to the 2019 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey. And their worries may be well-founded. A 2012 paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research found 46.1% of older adults died with less than $10,000 in financial assets. Of course, the phrase running out of money is somewhat misleading. The vast majority of U.S. retirees receive Social Security benefits, which continue for life. So while they may run through their savings and run short of money, they cant truly run out. Still, few people relish the idea of having to cut back sharply on their spending in retirement or eking out an existence on $1,543 a month (the current average Social Security check). Spending less slows the burn rate Blanchett and Cormier studied 425 U.S. households that had at least $10,000 in savings at retirement and $5,000 in annual Social Security benefits. They found only 18% retired with enough money to maintain their standard of living. Over time, though, most of the households reduced their spending and slowed how quickly they were burning through their savings. After 10 years, the proportion with sufficient funds to last their retirement shot up to 48%. The research, which was published in September 2020, has its limitations. The sample size was relatively small, didnt include the poorest households and examined only the first 10 years of retirement. Also, the researchers couldnt tell whether people were cutting back by necessity or choice. Blanchett believes many havent thought enough about how much retirement will cost and are forced to adjust as their savings dwindle. Either they didnt know how much they needed to save, or they just didnt (save), Blanchett says. They get to retirement and they have to start making harder choices. Some who could spend more dont However, the researchers also found that many of the households that had enough money were spending as if they did not. In fact, 29% of the best-funded households actually had more wealth 10 years into retirement. That resonates with financial planners, who say they often have clients who spend less sometimes much less than their wealth would support. Some want to leave inheritances for their kids or guard against financial shocks, such as long-term care. In other cases, theyre just more comfortable continuing old habits. If you are in the habit of being frugal, you tend to remain that way, says certified financial planner Dana Anspach of Scottsdale, Arizona. People can take frugality too far, though, if fear keeps them from getting the most out of their retirements, Blanchett says. You might end up not spending enough money when you could enjoy it more, he says. A little planning can go a long way Picking the right level of spending in retirement isnt easy because of all the unknowns, including how long youll live and your future health. Having a clear idea of what your expenses are likely to be in retirement, as well as how much income you can expect, can help you create a sustainable spending plan. A good financial planner preferably a fee-only fiduciary advisor committed to putting your best interests first could be helpful. Your brokerage or 401(k) provider also may have resources to help guide you. A little planning could go a long way to help the many people who wont be able to sustain their pre-retirement lifestyle. Blanchett likens it to being able to spot the edge of a cliff in time to avoid going over. It can be a very painful reality for a lot of people when they really understand what they have and what they need, Blanchett says. But Id rather you understand that at 65 than you get to the point that youve blown through all your savings. More From NerdWallet Liz Weston writes for NerdWallet. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @lizweston. originally appeared on NerdWallet. | https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/04/will-i-run-out-of-money-in-retirement.html |
Which Remaining Buccaneers Free Agents Could Tampa Bay Bring Back? | Ten former Buccaneers who were on the 2020-21 Super Bowl roster remain free agents. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a way to return their top free agents this offseason and will field the same starting lineup, offensively and defensively, in 2021 as they did throughout their 2020, Super Bowl-winning campaign. Ten free agents, however, remain unsigned at this point. The Buccaneers are extremely limited on cap space with just about $2 million to spend right now per Over the Cap, making it difficult to bring back everyone. Depth will need to be addressed via the draft across the entire roster as such, but there remains a case for a select few players to wear red and pewter again in 2021. Below, you'll find the remaining free agents that were rostered through Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run this past season, as well as arguments for and against those players potentially signing new contracts with the Bucs before the offseason is over. QB Blaine Gabbert The Buccaneers have teased the idea of Gabbert returning to the team numerous times this offseason, however, Tampa Bay and the 31-year-old quarterback have yet to strike a deal as of this story. Gabbert, a first-round pick by the Jaguars in 2011, never lived up to his selection but has paved out a solid career as a backup. He's filled that role for three years under Bruce Arians - two in Tampa, one in Arizona - and threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Tom Brady against the Lions this past season. Arians suggested that the Bucs could draft a quarterback to groom behind Brady if the value is right, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Gabbert in a Tampa Bay uniform again next season on a cheap contract. QB Ryan Griffin With Gabbert emerging as the favorite to re-sign among the Bucs two free agent signal-callers and the idea of drafting a quarterback not being too far-fetched, Griffin appears to be the odd man out. It's extremely unlikely that Tampa Bay would carry four quarterbacks in any season, much less in 2021 as the Bucs aim for a second consecutive Super Bowl title. Perhaps Griffin would demand less of a salary than Gabbert, in which case there is a reality where the former returns to Tampa Bay over the latter. Griffin nearly doubled Gabbert's cap hit in 2020, however, so that seems unlikely. RB LeSean McCoy McCoy is far past his prime and was able to manage a mere 132 yards from scrimmage this past season. He didn't play a snap in the Super Bowl, either. Arians has expressed confidence in the top three running backs on the roster this offseason: Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn. McCoy traditionally offered a different style of play than those backs with a large presence in the passing game, but Tampa Bay would be wise to draft a similar player in the draft. RB T.J. Logan Logan has gone on season-ending injured reserve twice in as many years with the Bucs. It would be a surprise to see Tampa Bay bring him back this year, similarly to McCoy. RB Kenjon Barner Barner was on and off the Buccaneers roster throughout the 2020 season and barely saw playing time at running back. Barner is an intriguing kick-returning option for Tampa Bay next season, though, unless the team finds a return specialist in the draft. WR Antonio Brown Brown is the biggest name remaining from the Buccaneers' full list of free agents this offseason. As such, as one might expect, Brown and the Bucs are reportedly "not close" on financial terms in contract negotiations. The 32-year-old, four-time First-Team All-Pro is undoubtedly a threat with the ball in his hands. After over a year out of the league due to his off-the-field track record, Brown caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns in eight regular-season games this past season. The Bucs aren't in a position to cave to Brown's contract demands with tight cap space, and his previous troubling conduct wouldn't exactly warrant a large deal. With that being said, it's hard to let a weapon like Brown walk away whilst contending for Super Bowls. There's certainly a chance he returns in 2021 if the two sides can reach a middle ground in negotiations. DT Steve McLendon The Buccaneers traded for McClendon in the first half of the 2020 season following Vita Vea's placement on the injured reserve. Making a move for a proven depth piece who has experience with the coaching staff was a smart move for the Bucs at the time and it paid off as McLendon took on 332 snaps throughout the regular season on Tampa Bay's defensive line. However, as McLendon recently turned 35, he was most likely a one-year rental that can be replaced in the draft on a cheaper salary. Vea was able to return in the second half of the postseason and played well, so the need for McLendon at this point is minimal. ILB Deone Bucannon Bucannon has been with the Buccaneers on separate occasions, the first time being in 2019 after Arians was hired as the Bucs head coach. Bucannon was a member of the Cardinals for four years under Arians after Arizona selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, he was released by the Bucs in October 2019 and spent time with the Giants and Falcons before returning to Tampa Bay for the playoff run. Bucannon was signed to the Buccaneers practice squad days before the Wild Card round and went on to play on special teams in every postseason game. So long as he would be inexpensive, Bucannon is a candidate to return based on his familiarity with Arians and the coaching staff. Like others, though, Bucannon's role could be filled by a rookie. ILB Jack Cichy (restricted free agent) The Buccaneers did not extend a qualifying offer to Cichy as a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning he is now free to sign with his team of choice despite the restricted label. CB Ross Cockrell Cockrell should be one of the Buccaneers remaining priorities to re-sign at this point given the team's lack of cornerback depth. We expect Tampa Bay to select a corner at some point in the upcoming draft, but Tampa Bay has virtually zero experienced depth at the position right now. Cockrell offers that. Cockrell, a rising eighth-year pro, signed midseason in 2020 and took on a meaningful as a depth nickel cornerback behind Sean Murphy-Bunting. He tallied 11 tackles, a pass breakup, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in seven appearances. | https://www.si.com/nfl/buccaneers/front-office/tampa-bay-buccaneers-2021-remaining-free-agents-list |
Has Steve Bruce stopped the rot at Newcastle and does he deserve a fresh chance? | Steve Bruce praises the impact of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin Steve Bruce's Sunday lunch was almost spoilt last weekend when Aleksandar Mitrovic scored for Fulham to temporarily consign Newcastle to the relegation zone. But the Magpies were back out again by the time Bruce was getting stuck into his "apple pie and custard" thanks to Aston Villa's 3-1 victory. This Sunday, it was Allan Saint-Maximin who served up a treat as he scored and set up a goal in a 2-1 over Burnley which puts Newcastle six points clear of danger. On a freezing day where Turf Moor was surrounded by April snow, it felt like a decisive turning point in Newcastle's season which has lurched from one crisis to another. In addition to the overhanging prospect of a takeover, there has been a coronavirus outbreak, injuries to several key players, leaks from the training ground, accusations of Bruce losing the dressing room and bans for local journalists. For many fans who have grown tired of Bruce and the way his team plays, it felt like the team was "sleepwalking to relegation" as the Newcastle United Supporters' Trust described it. But through it all Bruce has retained the support of owner Mike Ashley, and after last week's unexpected comeback draw against Tottenham, Saint-Maximin helped earn a first win in 26 Premier League games where Newcastle had conceded first. They are not safe yet, but Fulham's momentum has ebbed away leaving Newcastle a chance to pull clear from the bottom three and perhaps even contemplate whether Bruce can get the club back to where fans think it belongs. Allan Saint-Maximin had set a goal up and scored himself within seven minutes of being introduced against Burnley Newcastle 'a different animal' with Saint-Maximin and Wilson Ever since Newcastle have been dragged into a relegation scrap thanks to their poor form at the turn of the year, Bruce has liked to talk about an "accumulation of points" in an effort to avoid the drop. Sunday's win over Burnley was only their third in 20 Premier League games, but the real damage was done in December and January when they failed to win in nine matches. Add a damaging quarter-final Carabao Cup loss to Championship side Brentford and supporters were beginning to call for a change in management. The appointment of assistant coach Graeme Jones from Bournemouth and a switch in tactics led to an improvement, with Newcastle losing four of their past 11 league games. The three wins in that sequence all featured Wilson and Saint-Maximin, two of which came in three matches before they were both injured. After his assist to set up Jacob Murphy's equaliser at Turf Moor and then his dazzling winner, Bruce said of Saint-Maximin: "Probably only Allan could have done that, and when you see games like that, you see what we have missed. "I hope we can keep both Callum and Allan well because we are a different animal with them in the team." The statistics bear that out. Newcastle have failed to win any of the four matches where neither player has featured, and have only won two out of 18 games where only one of the pair has featured, a win ratio of 11%. With both in the side, however, they have won six games from 13, a win ratio of 46%. Individually it is even more stark. With Wilson absent in nine league games, Newcastle have won none. With Saint-Maximin out, it is two wins from 13 matches. Keeping the pair fit will be critical to Newcastle's success, this season and next. Bruce has admitted finding this season "testing", but has highlighted his experience of "20-odd years" in management and recent results show the team retains a fighting spirit to stay in the division despite a nadir at Brighton. A recent poll in a local newspaper showed 95% of fans wanted a change in management, and his methods have constantly been under the microscope, ranging from his tactics through to giving players days off. Injuries to key players such as Saint-Maximin and Jamaal Lascelles, who both had after-effects of coronavirus, plus Wilson and Isaac Hayden have all been significant. In a normal season questions might be valid about training methods although most of the problems have come during games. Yet this season has been anything but normal. A lack of a pre-season and a shortened campaign means games have been almost constant, and plenty of other teams have suffered similar injury problems. Add a lack of fans, which has affected all clubs but often can be a difference at St James' Park, and it is hard to judge how Bruce has fared. As a boyhood Newcastle fan he knows simply surviving in the Premier League is not good enough. But with Wilson and Saint-Maximin a success when fit, and a mid-season nudge towards a more attacking style of play, there have been some signs of progress among the gloom. Bruce said recently he hopes to be in charge next season, although he accepts that decision is out of his hands. Much may depend on whether the takeover happens, with Ashley still keen to sell to a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, which has gone quiet. Whatever Bruce's future there are huge issues to resolve at Newcastle, from board structure through to how much ambition the club has and the role of supporters. They are unlikely to be solved with a change of manager. Bruce, who led Newcastle to 13th last term, might argue he deserves another season to prove himself given a campaign littered with unprecedented challenges. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56709755 |
Are Investors Too Bullish On Earnings? | Stock market on target getty It was another good week for the stock market, as many of the market averages made further new highs. After the April 1 surge by the S&P 500 above 4000, this was certainly not surprising. It was also a good week for the European markets, as the German DAX and the STOXX Europe 600 both made new all-time highs last week. Markets Tom Aspray - ViperReport.com For the second week in a row, the Nasdaq 100 ($NDX NDAQ ) led the other averages, adding another 3.9%. It is now closer to the February high at 13,879. After overcoming the 4000 level at the start of the month, the S&P gained another 2.7% to close above 4128. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 33,800, up another 2% for the week. After ending 2020 at 30,606, it is now more than 10% higher year-to-date (YTD). The iShares Russell 2000 (IWM) IWM was the only loser of the week, down 0.5%, while the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) GLD was 0.8% higher. 10 Year T-Note Yield Tom Aspray - ViperReport.com Gold may have gotten a boost from the weeks slight decline in the yield of the 10 Year T-Notes. The daily chart shows what appears to be a continuation pattern, which is a pause in the trend of higher yields (lines a and b). A close in yields above 1.773% will project a move to the 1.950% area. The daily Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD) turned negative on March 23 (point c) as the MACD-Histogram had been diverging from yields since late February (line d). The weekly MACD and MACD-His are still positive, so the negative readings from the daily indicator are consistent with just a pause in the uptrend. Growth Value Tom Aspray - ViperReport.com Last weeks gain in the growth-heavy Nasdaq 100 showed a second week in a row where growth has outperformed value. One useful way to evaluate the performance of growth versus value is to use the iShares Russell 1000 Growth (IWF) IWF and the iShares Russell 1000 Value (IWD) IWD , and track their ratio. In October 2020, the ratio appeared to be turning in favor of value, after more than a decade of dominance by growth. The weekly chart of this ratio shows that it made its high on November 2 (point a), when the value of IWF (growth) was 1.873 times that of the IWD (value). The top was completed in February as the important support (line b), was broken. This former support, which is now resistance, could be reached in the next few week. For now, the rebound looks to be part of the topping process. The weekly MACD turned negative in September and was declining steadily, as the ratio made its high. The MACD-His peaked in May 2020 and diverged from prices (line d) until it also turned negative. Both have risen recently, but show no signs yet of a bottom. The stock market is getting ready for the start of the earnings season this week, as JPM JPM organ Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs Group GS (GS), and Wells Fargo WFC (WFC) are just a few of the companies reporting on Wednesday. The outlook for earnings is quite positive, as Factset is looking for an estimated earnings growth rate of 24.5% in the S&P 500. That would be the largest gain in any quarter since 2018. Price/Earnings ratios are also at historic highs, with the forward 12-month P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is 22.4 which is well above the 10-year average (15.9). There seems to be a consensus on which sectors will show the largest profits. Caroline Valetkevitch at Reuters reports Financials are expected to show one of the biggest earnings gains, up 75.6% year-on-year, while materials are seen up 45.4%. In addition, FactSet is also looking for double-digit earnings growth in nine of the ten industry groups that make up the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Last week, I discussed the very encouraging numbers on Consumer Confidence. The seasonal trend in April also favors these three sectors. Vanguard Financial ETF (VFH) Tom Aspray - ViperReport.com My favorite financial ETF is the Vanguard Financial ETF (VFH) VFH which has 409 holdings, with the largest holdings in JP Morgan Chase & Co, Berkshire Hathaway Inc BRK.B (Class B), and Bank of America BAC . It has an expense ratio of 0.1%, a yield of 1.79%, and assets of $9.8 billion. It is less liquid than the Financial Sector Select (XLF) XLF but is more diversified, as XLF has only 65 holdings. VFH was up 1.7% last week and is not far below the all-time high at $87.56. The weekly starc+ band is at $92.01. The rising 20-week exponential moving average (EMA) was almost reached in January and is now good support at $78.26. The relative performance (RS) turned higher last fall as it moved above its weighted moving average (WMA). The RS overcame the resistance (line a) in February, which confirmed that VFH was a market leader. The On Balance Volume (OBV) moved above its WMA in November and has been leading prices higher in 2021 as it made a new high last week. S&P 500 Tom Aspray - ViperReport.com The technical outlook for the S&P 500 is positive. After breaking out on April 1 and closing above $400, it overcame the monthly pivot R1 resistance at $406 the next day. The S&P closed at $411.49 on Friday with the monthly R2 resistance at $415.39. The rising 20-day EMA at $398.33 is now first support which is 3.2% below Fridays close. The S&P 500 Advance/Decline line has been leading prices higher in 2021, as it broke out to the upside at the start of the month and also made a new high last week. It is getting far above its rising EMA and is a bit extended on the upside. And there are a few warning signs that the market is indeed overextended. In the latest survey from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII), the Bullish % surged 11.1 points to 56.9% from 45.8% the prior week. That is the highest reading since January 4, 2018. Additionally, the percentage of S&P 500 stocks above their 50-day MA closed the week at 89%, which is one of the three highest readings in the last five years. It is also a concern that the Spyder Trust (SPY) SPY is less than 2% below its weekly starc+ band, increasing the risk on new long positions. After the sharp gains so far in April, I would not chase prices. A pullback of at least 1-2% pullback seems very likely as we head into the earnings season. I will be watching the Growth/Value ratio in the next few weeks. As always, one should pay particular attention to the risk on any new positions. In the Viper ETF Report and Viper Hot Stocks Report, I update subscribers with my market analysis at least twice each week and provide specific buy and sell advice. Each report is just $34.95 per month. New subscribers also receive six free trading lessons, a $49 value. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomaspray/2021/04/11/are-investors-too-bullish-on-earnings/ |
What's inside a wasp's nest? | Wasp's nests are nurseries. The queen wasp builds the first structure alone, then males add on to it. The nest has special adaptations for maintaining temperature and cells for larvae. See more stories on Insider's business page. Following is a transcript of the video. Michael Mills: This is a wasp nest. In the wild, some of these nests are built underground using clay or mud. But you might be most familiar with the paper nests -- the ones built out of saliva and pulp, typically found attached to buildings or trees. And these guys can get big. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest wasp nest was 12 feet long and 18 feet all around. Now, we're all accustomed to avoiding these nests, because, obviously, wasps are scary, but today we're going to go inside one, because there are a lot of fascinating factors that make these nests work for wasps and their babies. So, let's cut into one. Pretty easy to cut through this. The hardest part was definitely here at the top, where you can tell the cells are more dense and wider. If I can give you a scale for how big this is, I mean, like, look at it next to my head. This is like a brick cellphone from the '90s. The key to this type of nest is the pedicel, or the root. It's the foundation that the entire nest is built off of. These are the cells. Wasps are like butterflies. They're what's called holometabolous insects, meaning they go through a metamorphosis before they become adults, and these cells are basically their cribs. Petrovicheva: The cells are open when they first are produced. The queen will lay their egg in there, and then it'll get sealed off. Mills: They're shaped similar to a hollow cylinder, or like a regular lead school pencil, and there's a reason why. Petrovicheva: The walls of the hexagon hold the other cells. Also, they're a compact space, so you can get a lot of these cells in very, very small space while still having a very strong structure. Story continues Mills: They're also perfectly sized to fit both the larva and its roommates. Petrovicheva: Oftentimes there's some food laid in with the egg, so when it hatches it has the food in there already. The drones move from cell to cell in a circular motion, making sure that each larva has food. Some wasp species tear up insects for the babies, but other wasps take things further. Mason wasps drop off whole caterpillars for their children to eat alive, while tarantula hawk wasps lay their eggs on tarantulas they sting and paralyze as a birthday feast. Other species lay their eggs inside their prey, and once the larvae hatch, they have a meal waiting for them to chew their way out of. Petrovicheva: Once the larva is ready to metamorphose, it'll become a pupa inside the cell still, and then it'll hatch as an adult. Mills: Since the cells are both the crib and the cocoon for these wasp babies, the nest must maintain a stable temperature with high humidity. This means as much insulation as possible. For these types of nests, the domes are almost always made of salivary secretions, plant material, or paper or cardboard. Petrovicheva: So, they take wood, they chew it up, and they mix it with saliva to make a glue, and then they lay it in thin layers. The denser the layers, the stronger and more sturdy the structure. After building the core structure, the queen wraps the entire nest in an envelope -- these thin sheets of macerated pulp. Mills: This layer basically protects the comb, or each layer of cells, limiting the entrance to one tiny little hole. Scientists think this helps to maintain the internal temperature and humidity of the structure. And more cones can be added on with more pedicels, sort of like expanding a mansion with tiny little staircases that the wasps can use to get from one area to another. So, now I know the question on some of your minds is, "Is there honey in a wasp nest?" And the answer is no. While both bees and wasps pollinate flowers, bees actually farm nectar to turn it into honey, the food source for their larvae. Most wasps, on the other hand, are meat eaters and prefer a diet of freshly chewed insects, meaning you won't find honey in their nests, but you might find a lot of dead bugs. So, the next time you see one of these nests and you're tempted to knock it down, maybe back off. Those wasps put a lot of effort into building this crib for their babies. We don't want to tick them off. Read the original article on Business Insider | https://news.yahoo.com/whats-inside-wasps-nest-201500597.html |
Who are the witnesses in the Derek Chauvin trial? | Following weeks of jury selection, the trial of fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began with opening statements on March 29, 2021. Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd in south Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. As required, the prosecution presented its case first. Here are the witnesses who have been called to testify so far. Witnesses for the prosecution: 1. Jena Scurry, the 911 dispatcher who handled the call that resulted in Chauvin and the other officers responding to the intersection where Floyd was detained. Jena Scurry detailed how she was troubled by seeing on wall-mounted dispatch screens how Floyd's arrest played out on city surveillance cameras. She said she glanced up at the screens and saw a police squad moving "back and forth" as officers dealt with Floyd, then moments later take him to the pavement. Multiple times she looked away and then back to see the same image of the officers keeping Floyd on the pavement. It was then that "something was not right. It was an extended period of time," she said. "It was a gut instinct, now we can be concerned." Scurry said she called a supervisory sergeant and reported what she saw. "I don't know, you can call me a snitch if you want to but we have the cameras up for [squad] 320's call, and I don't know if they had to use force or not, but they got something out of the back of the squad, and all of them sat on this man, so I don't know if they needed you or not, but they haven't said anything to me yet," the dispatcher is heard by the jury saying in her call to the sergeant. 2. Alisha Oyler, a Speedway employee at 38thand Chicago who witnessed Floyd's arrest and testified that she recorded several brief video clips of Floyd's arrest and turned them over soon after to police. Oyler said under prosecution questioning that she made the videos because "police is always messing with people ... and it's not right." 3. Donald Williams II, a witness at the scene of 38thand Chicago who urged Derek Chauvin to get off Floyd's neck and to check Floyd's pulse. Williams told the court that as a longtime mixed martial arts fighterhe was familiar with how Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the pavement. Williams recognized it from his training as a "blood choke." He added it can lead to someone falling unconscious. "You see Floyd fade away like the fish in the bag," he said. "He vocalized that he can't breathe and 'I'm sorry.' His eyes rolled back in his head." As Williams watched the viral video shot by a fellow bystander,he told the court that Chauvin was shifting his weight on purposerepeatedly to tighten the hold on Floyd's neck, what the witness called a "shimmy." 4. Darnella Frazier, the teenager, now 18, who filmed the video seen worldwide of Floyd's death outside Cup Foods. "When I look at George Floyd I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all Black," she said. "I have a Black father, I have Black brothers, I have Black friends. I look at them and how it could have been one of them. It's been nights I've stayed up apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life, it's not what I should have done it's what he should have done." Nelson was brief in his cross-examination, crafting his questions to set the scene as becoming increasingly hostile to the point of creating a potential threat to the officers. Frazier agreed with Nelson that bystanders were getting louder and more angry, but she added that she didn't think anyone was ever threatening to Chauvin. 5. Judeah Reynolds, the 9-year-old cousin to Frazier who also witnessed Floyd pleading for his life. "I was sad and kind of mad and it felt like it was stopping his breathing and it was hurting him," she said. Defense attorney Eric Nelson did not cross-examination the girl, who was then excused. 6. Alyssa Funari, who was 17 at the time she witnessed Floyd's death and began recording with her cell phone. Her previously unseen footage was played in court. "It was difficult because I felt like there wasn't really anything I could do," she said. "As a bystander I was powerless there, and I was failing to do anything." 7. Kaylynn Gilbert, who was also 17 when she arrived at Cup Foods with Funari. She said she had a "gut feeling" that something was wrong. "I saw (Chauvin) digging his knee into (Floyd's) neck more. He was putting a lot of pressure into his neck that was not needed." 8. Genevieve Hansen, aMinneapolis firefighter who was off-duty when she encountered the scene and attempted to render aid to Floyd, but was rebuffed by officers. "There is a man being killed, and I would have been able to provide medical attentionto the best of my abilities, and this human was not provided that right," she said. Hansen, 27, a two-year member of the Fire Department, testified that Chauvin appeared "very comfortable with the majority of his weight balanced on top of Mr. Floyd" while pinning him to the pavement with his knee. 9. Christopher Martin, 19, the Cup Foods clerk who sold Floyd a pack of cigarettes and suspected the $20 bill Floyd used was counterfeit. After he attempted twice to get Floyd back in the store, his manager summoned the police. Martin was seen in exterior store video footage pacing about near the arrest scene and clasping his hands atop his head. Martin said he was feeling "disbelief and guilt." He was asked. "If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided." The clerk said that when he first saw the bill, "I noticed it had a blue pigment to it, kind of like a $100 bill would have, so I found that kind of odd and assumed it was fake. "Martin said store policy meant he would have to pay for any counterfeit currency he or his co-workers accepted. "I took it anyway and was willing to put it on my tab, and then I second guessed myself," he said. 10.Christopher Belfrey, who was with his fiance and picking up something to eat from Cup Food that night, when he parked behind Floyd's SUV. He began recording a video with his phone when he saw Office Thomas Lane point a gun at Floyd and pull him out of the vehicle. He then moved his car across the street to avoid "commotion" and resumed recording as the officers sat Floyd on the pavement and questioned him. "It startled me when I seen the officer raise his gun, I started recording," he said. 11. Charles McMillian, who was the first witness on the scene after officers escorted Floyd from across the street, then struggled to get him into their squad car. McMillian, initially encouraged Floyd to cooperate because once in handcuffs "you can't win," he testified.McMillian cried on the stand as he described feeling "helpless. "He confronted Chauvin after Floyd was taken away in an ambulance. "I think I said to him, 'Five days ago I told you at the end of the day go home to your family safe, and that the next person go home to their family safe, but today I gotta look at you as a maggot.'" 12. Lt. James Rugel, head of the Minneapolis Police Department's Business Technology Unit. He was on the stand while the state played body camera videos from officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Chauvin. 13. Courteney Ross,George Floyd's girlfriend for the three years leading up to his death. She testified about their relationship after she met him while visiting the Salvation Army Harbor Lights shelter where he was a security guard. They both struggled off and on with opioid addiction. Both suffered chronic pain and had prescriptions when they became addicted; they then began obtaining the drugs off the street. She said Floyd typically used oxycodone and obtained them through other people's prescriptions to ensure that they were safe. Shortly before Floyd's death, they had taken a pill that acted more as a stimulant, Ross said. "Both Floyd and I, our story is a classic story is of how we both get addicted to opioids," she testified. " ... We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. "The defense has contended that illicit drug use played a role in Floyd dying and not anything Chauvin did to him on May 25. 14. Seth Bravinder, aHennepin EMS paramedic who responded with his partner to 38thand Chicago whereGeorge Floyd lay unconscious pinned beneath the three officers. Bravinder said "there were multiple officers on top of the patient, we assumed I assumed there was potentially some struggle still because they were still on top of him." Bravinder and his partner loaded Floyd into the ambulance and began working on him. He said full cardiac arrest is "not a good sign for successful resuscitation. Basically, just because your heart isn't doing anything at that moment, it's not pumping blood. It's not a good sign for a good outcome." 15. Derek Smith, a Hennepin EMS paramedic and partner to Bravinder. He checked Floyd's pulse at the scene and immediately noted there was no pulse and Floyd's pupils were dilated. "I looked to my partner, I told him 'I think he's dead, and I want to move this out of here and begin care in the back,' " Smith said, noting the agitated crowd of bystanders. However, they continued to work on Floyd in the ambulance, including directing Officer Thomas Lane to deliver chest compressions while they attempted various lifesaving attempts en route to HCMC. Smith said Floyd never regained a pulse, but they continued attempting to save him. "He's a human," Smith said. "I was trying to give him a second chance at life." 16. Capt. Jeremy Norton, a Minneapolis Fire captain who responded to 38thand Chicago, where the ambulance carrying Floyd had already left. He encountered an"agitated to distraught" off-duty firefighter Genevieve Hansenand other bystanders. He made his way to the ambulance, where Floyd was "an unresponsive body on a cot." Afterward, he called his supervisors to report what happened. "I was worried that a man had been killed in police custodyand then I also wanted to notify my supervisor that there was an off-duty firefighter that was a witness at the scene." 17. David Pleoger, a retired Minneapolis police sergeant in the Third Precinct who was supervisor to Chauvin and the other three officers the night of Floyd's death. He fielded concerns through 911 dispatch on May 25 about possible excessive use of force by officers while detaining Floyd. He then headed to the scene while questioning Chauvin on what happened.Chauvin did not immediately tell him that he placed his knee on Floyd's neck.The officer said Floyd was going "crazy [and] wouldn't go in the back of the squad." When Chauvin did disclose later that night that he used his knee to hold down Floyd, he did not say for how long, the sergeant added. The sergeant, who reviewed officers' body-worn camera video, was asked when use of force against Floyd should have ended. He replied: "When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint." 18. Third Precinct Sgt. Jon Edwards, who was working the overnight "dogwatch" shift on May 25, the night Floyd died. Edwards was summoned to 38thand Chicago to secure the scene after Floyd was taken to HCMC. Officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng were still at the intersection. Edwards ordered them to turn on their body-worn cameras on and step out of their squad so it could be secured. The sergeant attempted to interview witnesses, but the only one, Charles McMillian, refused to give his name or speak with Edwards. 19. Police Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who said it was "totally unnecessary"for Chauvin to put his knee on a handcuffed Floyd's neck during his arrest. Zimmerman, a 36-year veteran of the department and head of the homicide unit, minced no words when testifying based on his viewing video from the officers' body-worn cameras. He said, "First of all pulling him down to the ground face down and putting your knee on a neck for that amount of time is just uncalled for. I saw no reason why the officers felt they were in danger." Under cross examination, defense attorney Eric Nelson noted that as an investigator, Zimmerman rarely has to use force compared to a patrol officer. Zimmerman also acknowledged under questioning that situations can be fluid, and officers must quickly adapt to what he called "scene security." "So you're gonna assess, are there people watching, are there people videotaping, are those people happy or angry, etc., right?" asked Nelson. "Yes," said Zimmerman. 20. Dr. Bradford Wankhede Langenfeld, the emergency room physician at HCMC who examined Floyd and declared him dead soon after he arrived by ambulance. He said he tried various measures for 30 minutes to save his patient. He testified that Floyd never had a heartbeat "sufficient to sustain life" and he believed Floyd's cardiac arrest was due to a lack of oxygen, or asphyxia. He said he did not believe Floyd's cardiac arrest was the result of a heart attack. "At the time it was not completely possible to rule that out," he said, "but I felt it was less likely based on the information available to us." 21. Chief Medaria Arradondo, who has served as the 700-member force's police chief for the past three years. He went on the record less than a month after Floyd died and called it "murder." On Monday, Arradondoplaced the responsibility for Floyd's death on Chauvin in his testimonyusing terms that were just as clear but less stark. "Once Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that that should have stopped," the chief said after spelling out department policy on when to use force vs. calming a situation through de-escalation tactics. "There's an initial reasonableness of trying to just get him under control in the first few seconds," the chief continued, "but once there was no longer any resistance, and clearly when Mr. Floyd was no longer responsive and even motionless, to continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed behind their back,that in no way shape or form is anything that is by policy. It's not part of our training and is certainly not part of our ethics or values." Under cross examination by defense attorney Eric Nelson, Arradondo acknowledged that officers sometimes need to take control of a situation. "Would you agree that the use of force is not an attractive notion?" Nelson asked. "I would say the use of force is something that most officers would rather not use," Arradondo said. The chief also agreed that department policy affords an officer flexibility under evolving circumstances for when to use force or choose to de-escalate an encounter with someone resisting arrest. 22. Inspector Katie Blackwell, theFifth Precinct Inspector for the Minneapolis Police Department, who formerly headed up training for the department when Floyd was killed. Blackwell was shown a photo from the viral video of Chauvin on Floyd's neck and was asked whether that is a tactic the police are taught. "I don't know what kind of improvised position this is," said Blackwell, who has known Chauvin for about 20 years, when they were both community service officers. She also walked through records showing the various training that Chauvin received in 2016 and 2018, which included when a suspected is detained facedown and handcuffed. As heard multiple times in previous testimony during the prosecution's case, the person should be put "in the side recovery position or an upright position as soon as possible," or run the risk of asphyxiation." 23. Sgt. Ker Yang, a Minneapolis police department crisis trainer who explained that listening is key to crisis intervention. Voice, neutrality, respect and trust are at the core of the model on how an officer should approach a crisis situation. "It is useful [and] it is practical," he said. "When it is safe and feasible, we shall de-escalate." 24. Lt. Johnny Mercil, a use of force trainer with Minneapolis Police Department. He is experienced in martial arts, particularly Brazilian Jiujitsu, a form of martial arts that results in leverage and body control. Derek Chauvin was on his training roster. He testified about "red zones, where injury tends to range from serious to long lasting and could include serious bodily injury or death. Areas included the head, neck and sternum, among others. Conscious and unconscious neck restraint should only be used in cases of active resistance andaggression, respectively, he said. "You want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your objective to control, if those lower uses of force do not work or are too unsafe to try you can increase your level of force against that person." 25. Officer Nicole Mackenzie, a medical support coordinator for the Minneapolis police department, responsible for CPR and other classes for officers. She said police have a responsibility to both call ambulance and render aid "if it's a critical situation." She testified that being able to talk doesn't mean you're necessarily able to breathe. She testified that agonal breathing, or a brainstem reflex that causes gasping, could be misinterpreted as breathing. "Somebody could be in respiratory distress and still be able to verbalize it," she said. "Just because they're speaking doesn't mean they're breathing adequately." 26. Sgt. Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department police officer of 28 years and use of force expert hired by the state. He reviewed the materials and deemed the use of force against Floyd "excessive." Initially when Mr. Floyd was being placed in the backseat of the vehicle, the officers were justified in trying to have him comply and sit in the backseat of the vehicle," Stiger said. "However, once he was placed in the prone position on the ground, he slowly ceased his resistance and the officersor ex-officers I should sayshould have slowed down or stopped their force. Stiger also testified that officers' body-worn camera video from one of the officers showed Chauvin using "his right hand and appeared to use a pain compliance on Mr. Floyd's hand." Chauvin appeared to accomplish this by "squeezing fingers or bringing knuckles together, which can cause pain or pulling the hand into the cuff, which can cause pain as well." When someone cannot comply, he said, "At that point, it's just pain." He also testified that placing a person prone on the ground runs the risk of positional asphyxiation, and placing weight on that person heightens the risk. 27. Special Agent James Reyerson of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and part of the agency's use of force investigation group. Reyerson testified about taking photos of Chauvin, processing videos and other evidence, including the squad and the vehicle Floyd was driving, along with items found inside the vehicle: a pill, some dollar bills, a pipe. He testified that Chauvin kept his weight on a handcuffed George Floyd's neck for minutes after Floyd was no longer talking or moving during the incident late last spring. Defense attorney Eric Nelson also played a short clip of Floyd from Kueng's body camera during which he was pleading with the officers. Did it appear that Mr. Floyd said "'I ate too many drugs?'" Nelson asked. "Yes, it did," Reyerson said. When Frank later played a longer version of the video in court, Reyerson reversed course. "Yes, I believe Mr. Floyd was saying, 'I ain't do no drugs,'" the agent said. 28. McKenzie Anderson, a forensic scientist for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. She processed both the Mercedes Benz Floyd was in and Squad 320 on the first processing of the squad, she tested eight stains, seven of them blood, that tested positive for George Floyd's DNA. She reprocessed the squad at defense attorneys' request in January and found what appeared to be a pill and other apparent remnants in the backseat of the squad. It tested positive for George Floyd's DNA. 29. Breahna Giles, a chemical forensic scientist for the BCA. She testified that the pills found inside the Mercedes contained methamphetamine and fentanyl. The partial pill and other traces of it tested positive for methamphetamine, and in the case of the largest partial pill, another substance was detected, but there was not enough of it to conclusively identify it, she said. Defense attorney Eric Nelson asked Giles if the trace substance was fentanyl. "I can't confirm," she said. "You can't say it was or wasn't fentanyl?" "Yes," she said. 30. Susan Neith, a forensic chemist at NMS labs in Pennsylvania. She tested the two pills found in the Mercedes and the partial found in the squad. All three pills contained a fentanyl concentration of less than 1%, which she said is common. The pills contained a methamphetamine concentration of 1.9 to 2.9%, which she said was atypically low. "The majority of the time I see 90 to 100% methamphetamine," she said. 31. Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician in pulmonology and critical care at Hines VA hospital in Chicago, and Loyola University School of Medicine. In lengthy testimony, he concluded that "Floyd died from a low level of oxygen. This caused damage to his brain that we see, and it also caused a [pulseless electrical activity] arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop." Floyd stopped breathing 23 seconds later and "didn't have an ounce of oxygen in his body" less than a minute after losing consciousness, Tobin said. He noted the moment Floyd died when shown the bystander video of his final moments. "At the beginning you can see he's conscious, you can see slight flickering and then it disappears, so one second he's alive and one second he's no longer," Tobin said. " ... That's the moment the life goes out of his body." 32. Daniel Isenschmid, a forensic toxicologist at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania. He testified that while fentanyl was found in Floyd's blood, so was norfentanyl, which is metabolized fentanyl. Overdose victims rarely have norfentanyl in their blood, he said. He testified that Floyd's ratio of fentanyl to norfentanyl was 1.96 ng/ml. This is compared to the average ratio of 9.05 in postmortem cases and 3.2 in driving under the influence cases. Floyd's level of methamphetamine, 19 ng/ml, was in the bottom 5.9% of a sample of DUI methamphetamine cases. "Does this show Mr. Floyd was below the average and even below the median in DUI cases?" prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked. "Yes," Isenschmid said. 33. Dr. Bill Smock, a specialist in legal forensic medicine and former emergency room doctor at the University of Louisville's trauma center. He works as a police surgeon for the Louisville Police Department. He reviewed videos from Floyd's arrest and other case records and concluded that he died from a lack of oxygen and not from a fentanyl overdose. Much of what he testified supported Tobin's conclusions about Floyd's deteriorating condition and movements in his effort to keep breathing. Smock said Floyd was not snoring, had dilated pupils, and was talking and saying "I can't breathe." "That is not a fentanyl overdose," he said. "That is someone begging to breathe." Smock testified that Floyd also showed no signs at the scene of a diagnosis called excitable delirium. He also addressed the need for CPR, "way before it was. As soon as Mr. Floyd was unconscious, he should have been rolled over. ... When they can't find a pulse, CPR should have been started." | https://www.startribune.com/who-are-the-witnesses-in-the-derek-chauvin-trial-for-the-killing-of-george-floyd-in-minneapolis/600042794/ |
Who Will Follow Coinbases Path To Wall Street? | Coinbase, arguably the premier crytpocurrency exchange in the U.S., goes public on Wednesday. Even my mom is tired of me saying hows my Bitcoin? (as I show her my Bitcoin wallet just to be that guy.) We are moving fast into a digital economy. Cryptocurrencies are the new stocks. I will undoubtedly buy Coinbase when it goes public. I just wont be a buyer of the countrys premier cryptocurrency exchange on Wednesday, because I dont like to chase. I suspect it will rise by double digits. I want to see where it ends up trading after a month or two on the market before I think about it. It is another step for cryptocurrencies being perceived as shifting further into the mainstream, says David Jones, chief market strategist for Capital.com, a commission-free crypto exchange. If this continues, and there are no signs yet of that stopping, then exchanges for buying and selling should do well. It is by no means a perfect comparison of course, but listed shares of exchanges such as Nasdaq NDAQ and the London Stock Exchange have respectively done very well over the years." Coinbase filed its Form S-1 Registration Statement for its initial public offering in February after saying in December that it was going to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol COIN. It goes public on Wednesday, April 14. Coinbase isnt exactly the E*Trade of cryptocurrency, but they reportedly have around 43 million retail investors plugged in, along with 7,000 institutional investors in over 100 countries. As of Dec. 31, 2020, Coinbase did $456 billion in trading. Investors have at least $90 billion worth of assets stored on its platform thanks to the fact that Bitcoin is up 769% over the last 12 months and the Nasdaq is up a mere 65%. The market has them valued at $100 billion pre-IPO. Its easy to see how cryptocurrency-related IPOs look like a dot-com bubble ready to inflate. For comparison, Morgan Stanley bought E*Trade in October 2020 in an all-stock deal valued at just $13 billion. Coinbase is the first large crypto exchange to take its place on Wall Street. What has been most notable so far is the very high price-to-earnings multiple it got on futures markets, says Brian Kerr CEO and Co-founder of Kava Labs (KAVA). Kava runs a decentralized, financial services designed for cryptocurrencies. It bodes well for other U.S. exchanges like Kraken which seems to be preparing to follow suit. Shares of Coinbase and Kraken are already trading well on secondary markets like Sharespost and Linqto with heavy multiples, he says. Last Thursday (April 8), Kraken confirmed theyre next, CNBC reported. Gemini, co-founded by the Winklevoss brothers, is also rumored to be a perfect candidate to go public. The market wants crypto exposure, says Kerr. As for personally investing in Coinbase, it has a great business, huge revenues, and is the leader in the U.S. with a huge regulatory moat, but...there is just so much risk with looming inflation and regulatory uncertainty that I prefer to sit back. Coinbase Founder and CEO Brian Armstrong attends Consensus 2019 at the Hilton Midtown on May 15, ... [+] 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images) Getty Images Coinbase & the Competition In the short term, Coinbase will continue to grow on the fees it charges for trading crypto. In the long-run, though, it's really anyone's game. This is the real risk here for Coinbase, thinks Max Breus, founder of Moscow-based UBIX Network, a blockchain platform. The market will continue to evolve and margins will inevitably tighten over time. There is also the possibility that a game-changer in the form of a new trading model or a disruptive technology will emerge. I see exchanges moving towards the hybrid model where they support both public and private crypto simultaneously, he says, meaning more of a crypto lending or investing platform that isnt just for buying and selling cryptocurrencies, or acting like PayPal PYPL where you can pay your friend in Bitcoin (if they have a Bitcoin wallet, of course). For now, the biggest thing Coinbase has is trust and brand recognition. Other exchanges will have to find other ways to compete with them. If another company can find a way to monetize in other ways and make it easy, it could be a blow for Coinbase, says Brandon Burgason, founder & CEO of Mobie, a mobile app allowing for payments in crypto and fiat. There are so many exchanges out there, some allowing for more sophisticated trading like swaps and currency pairs, but the one that goes commission free, has access to the top coins, and is easy to set up could blow Coinbase up, investors that are sitting this one out have said. Other than operating in a crowded market, Coinbases price to earnings might look a lot like Teslas TSLA . And while Tesla was once the only, sexy EV in town, it now has all of the major car companies breathing down its neck. Coinbase will be in a similar situation. Im skeptical about Coinbases valuation, says Ivo Georgiev, CEO of display advertising company AdEx Network (ADX), which I liken to the anti-Google AdSense. I find it to be a bit high based on their technology, user base and trading volumes alone. But they do have a relatively good reputation and the trust of the cryptocurrency community, he says, recalling a Commodities and Futures Trading Commission investigation that found Coinbase guilty of false reporting and wash trading. They were ordered by the CFTC to pay around $7 million in fines on March 19. Their brand recognition and first-to-market positioning will be enough to send Coinbase stock price soaring on day one. Investors are already looking for the next crypto-related business to go public. If you compare Coinbases operations to the operations of other exchanges such as Binance for exampletheir market valuation should raise your eyebrows, says Georgiev. Changpeng Zao, Mr. Binance. Crypto investors would love to see Binance go public, too. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP Successful IPOs of competing companies often push other companies in the sector to do the same, says Oleg Fakeev, a private investor and founder of Kit Investments in Russia. I think Coinbase is far from being the last crypto company who will IPO, he said. He mentioned Binance as a possible candidate. Binance is the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange, founded by Forbes listed billionaire Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ. Like Coinbase, Binance has the brand name recognition among cryptocurrency traders; it has a user-friendly interface, the ability to easily deposit into an account, and security. All of this makes the Binance exchange an excellent whos next?, says Fakeev. Companies that go public have to be more transparent. For Coinbase, that will bring with it more serious investors from institutional endowments to RIAs managing individual accounts of clients looking for growth. In that regard, Coinbases IPO makes them the only cryptocurrency exchange to own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2021/04/11/who-will-follow-coinbases-path-to-wall-street/ |
Will Nuclear Energys No-Carbon Quality Outweigh The Fukushima Accident? | The cooling towers of Exelon Corporation's Limerick Generating Station nuclear power plant are seen ... [+] in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, November 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) ASSOCIATED PRESS The global community has witnessed Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima nuclear accidents that have left many skeptical. But energy experts and climate hawks say those events are rare, noting that hundreds of reactors have been operating for decades without incident. Safety is always the paramount concern. Now, though, the focus is shifting to low-carbon investments. And the Biden Administration reasons that advanced nuclear energy plants have added safety features and increased efficiencies. Greater investment and favorable policies are thus worthwhile. That is especially true if demand rises because the transportation sector and the home heating industry use more electricity instead of oil and natural gas. As such, President Biden has his eye on enacting policies to ensure that most electricity is produced using sustainable and low-carbon sources, referred to as the Clean Energy Standard. The no-carbon future we need is seen as being powered by renewables, says Mike Shatzkin, co-founder of ClimateChangeResources.org at an event Friday on the future of nuclear energy sponsored by Our Energy Policy. Nuclear energy, carbon capture, and batteries must have massive breakthroughs. But only nuclear can significantly complement renewables. Battery storage is measured in hours and carbon capture is nowhere near large-scale implementation. We need to be working on all three. Time is too tight. The consequences too dire. The symposium zeroed-in on safety. But it also delved into the nuclear waste dilemma, next-generation nuclear technologies that also include smaller reactors, and being able to deliver nuclear power plants on time and on budget. Ninety-four nuclear reactors operate in 28 states and they comprise 20% of the electricity pie. Meanwhile, they provide 55% of this countrys carbon-free power. Those plants are operating at a 92% capacity factor more than all other competing energy sources. And nuclear power can keep the lights on during cold winters when bottlenecks may prevent the free-flow of natural gas. At the same time, the industry says that its operating costs have fallen by 19% since 2012. Thats why Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio have taken steps to ensure that nuclear plants in their states keep operating. The beneficiaries: Dominion Energy D , Exelon Corp. EXC , First Energy Corp., PSEG Corporation, and Xcel Energy XEL . Two reactors in Illinois will produce more carbon-free generation than all of the windmills in California, says John Kotek, a senior vice president for the Nuclear Energy Institute. We have seen states take action Now the Clean Energy Standard is driving the conservation on The Hill. Delays Are Deadly Atomic plant Vogtle, is a 2-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, ... [+] Georgia in USA. Each unit has a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR), with a General Electric turbine and electric generator, producing approximately 2,400 MW of electricity. The site is seeing the 'rebirth' of nuclear power in USA with the on going construction two Westinghouse made AP 1000 reactors considered very safe. The world's largest land crane cane be seen also nuclear waste canisters (Photo by Pallava Bagla/Corbis via Getty Images) Corbis via Getty Images The big question is whether nuclear power plants can satisfy investors and be built in a timely and cost-efficient way. In the case of the two existing units on Southern SCCO Companys Vogtle site, they took about 15 years to build and came in $8 billion over budget. The two additional units, which are to be operated by Southerns subsidiary George Power, secured billions in loan guarantees and they have incurred both delays and higher than anticipated costs. Worries, meantime, persist over whether this country is susceptible to a Japan-like accident: Backup cooling systems failed at Fukushima, causing the spent fuel rods to become exposed and the reactors core to suffer a meltdown. Deadly radiation then escaped. Now, though, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been beefing up the security measures and making sure that all nuclear sites are natural disaster-proof that they have back up power to prevent any meltdowns. Just as notable, the storage of radioactive waste still obscures nuclear energys path. The fuel rods are now warehoused onsite in above-ground, concrete-encased containers at about 70 sites around the country. But a blue ribbon commission appointed by the U.S. Department of Energy during George Bush IIs era advises that the waste be moved into regional repositories. These are do-or-die issues, Allison Macfarlane, former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told the audience. Referring to the high cost of construction and supply chain matters, she adds that nuclear energy requires quality assurance and quality control. It needs skilled workers with integrated project management experience characteristics now lacking industry-wide, notable in the case of the Vogtle expansion. Regulators are addressing issues with advanced reactors, she adds. They are processing applications. The future of nuclear is not dependent on the regulator. It is dependent on new entrants, which must design plants that operate reliably, efficiently and safely and which can be built economically. Tomorrows Tech ** FILE ** Idaho National Laboratory workers perform maintenance, in this Monday, July 11, 2005 file ... [+] photo, on the Advanced Test Reactor, about 30 miles south of Arco, Idaho. The U.S. Department of Energy is making available to university researchers a nuclear reactor test facility in southeast Idaho to learn how to build better nuclear power plants. (AP Photo/John Miller) ASSOCIATED PRESS The nations existing nuclear reactors use second-generation light-water facilities, all of which operate near capacity. So-called third-generation light-water reactors have been built overseas and particularly in Asia. Fourth-generation reactors will follow, known as Very High Temperature Reactors. The greater the temperature, the better the thermal efficiency and the potential for use in industrial applications and hydrogen production making them more economically appealing. Advocates, furthermore, say that the odds of any leaks are near zero. But skeptics say that the very high temperature reactors are unproven outside of the labs and will thus have difficulty finding investors. Some nuclear researchers say that they are focused on right-size reactors that are smaller between 100 megawatts and 300 megawatts. In the case of Sandia National Laboratory, it is actively working with other nations where their transmission grids cannot handle larger generation to implement the technology. To maximize efficiencies, the lab wants to couple its efforts with other endeavors such as desalination and the creation of potable water. Consider NuScale Power, owned mostly by the engineering firm Fluor Corp FLR : it says that 12 of its smaller modular reactors can combine to form a 540-megawatt unit. When one of the modules goes down, it is easily be maintained while the other modules keep running. The cost of a 540-megawatt reactor is about $2.5 billion. While that is notably less expensive than a 1,000-megawatt nuclear plant, the cost to generate a unit of electricity is more because they get less oomph per ton of fuel about 30% more expensive than centralized generation. But those reactors are potentially easier to site and have storage containment devices built in. The small modular reactors can be scaled, says Chris Colbert, chief strategic officer for NuScale, at the symposium. They dont need to be in the middle of five transmission lines ... this reduces the impact on the surrounding communities. It also opens up the aperture for smaller plants. Moreover, NuScale can put modules where old coal plants were, he adds. We can retrain workers for well-paying jobs. People do not need to move. Those rural communities will not be bankrupted. Coal has been the largest single employer in their communities. But a lot of those plants are retiring. For the communities that want it, this is a great opportunity. The modern environmental movement knows that nuclear energy can help solve the climate dilemma. It is now asking colleagues to embrace this position to cease viewing the fuel from the perspective of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. Thats a tall task. But an even taller one is to deliver future projects on budget. Until those forces converge, the energy source must be valued for its carbon-free content and its ability to generate reliable power. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2021/04/11/will-nuclear-energys-no-carbon-quality-outweigh-the-fukushima-accident/ |
What went wrong with Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers, and what's next for the QB? | CHARLOTTE, N.C. The Carolina Panthers' acquisition of Sam Darnold doesn't mark the first time Teddy Bridgewater has been passed over for the former New York Jets quarterback. In March of 2018, the Jets signed Bridgewater after the Minnesota Vikings declined to pick up his fifth-year option. That was viewed as a prove-it opportunity for the QB following his recovery from a major knee injury that affected him for the better part of two years. The next month, the Jets drafted Darnold, a then-20-year-old quarterback out of Southern Cal third-overall. Along with Josh McCown, Bridgewater gave Darnold tips and worked alongside him. "Oh man, that guy, he's cool. He's a cool guy," Bridgewater said of Darnold back in August 2018. "Seems like a guy you can't break, and that's what you want as a quarterback. He's even-keel. I just watch him, he makes throws, and it's like man, this guy, he's the real deal." Panthers' trade for Sam Darnold makes for QB questions Teddy Bridgewater spent one season as the lead dog in an NFL team's quarterback room, but that is the case no longer with the Carolina Panther Bridgewater, 28, was then traded to the New Orleans Saints prior to the regular season, while Darnold, now 23, started the next three years in New York. And for now, at least, the Panthers have reunited the pair, with Darnold set to replace Bridgewater one season into Bridgewater's three-year deal in Carolina. "I don't want to say Teddy couldn't do something. I just like focusing on the positives that Sam has," Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said when asked about the duo's differences. "I really liked (Darnold's) ability to move in the pocket and really get the ball downfield and take those shots. I do think Teddy is a very valuable player, and I think he's a starting quarterback, but I just I really like the fit for Sam with Joe Brady and this offense." Finding a fix For months, led by a desire from team owner David Tepper, the team has explored options to correct the Bridgewater signing, including looking at Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson and the upcoming NFL draft. Trading second- and fourth-round picks in 2022 and a sixth-round pick this year for Darnold is the first official move to try and fix the mistake. While it certainly wasn't the first choice to grab Darnold for what the team did, it provides more flexibility in the draft and an alternative at quarterback with potential. Having Bridgewater start in 2021 was never in the cards for the organization after his late-game struggles some of which were not entirely on him. The Panthers know what they have in Bridgewater. Darnold has a perceived higher ceiling, assuming he can reach a level with offensive coordinator Joe Brady and head coach Matt Rhule than he never did with the Jets. Signing Bridgewater to a $63 million deal that was set up for the team to get out of after two years did not work. There's plenty of blame to go around. Part of the allure of signing with Carolina last offseason was getting to work with running back Christian McCaffrey and being protected by left tackle Russell Okung. McCaffrey played in only three games due to injury and Okung played seven. Carolina Panthers get a new quarterback: Sam Darnold arrives via trade with Jets NEW YORK The New York Jets traded quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers, ending a stint that was marked by a few flashes of brill Bridgewater's own ability to stay healthy remains a question mark, and his overall performance could have been expected based on his first six seasons in the league. He did not have a bad season, but he didn't have a great one. Deep passes weren't his strong suit before signed in Carolina. In 2020, Bridgewater's 5.1 average air yards per completed throw was ninth-fewest in the league, per Next Gen Stats. Darnold was worse sixth-fewest with 4.7. Multiple times during Fitterer's post-trade news conference Monday, Darnold's ability to get the ball downfield was mentioned. The idea was that in an odd offseason, and with a new coaching staff, Bridgewater's previous knowledge of Brady's offense from their time together in New Orleans would be a benefit. He came to be beloved by his teammates and earned the league's Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. His performance at the end of halves and in the red zone were issues throughout the season. Going 0-8 in end-of-game situations with chances to win or tie showed the team could stay in games, but the Panthers decided a new option was needed to take them over the edge. Despite stressing patience, and referencing Rome not being built in a day prior to hiring Rhule more than a year ago, Tepper and the organization decided a change was needed to get closer to winning sooner rather later. Fitterer speaks with the owner daily, and he assists in the decision-making process. Are we making the right decision," Fitterer said. There are a couple of scenarios for Bridgewater. If a trade can be worked out, then he will likely head elsewhere with a chance to compete. There's a reason one hasn't taken place yet, however. The problem is, few teams if any want to take on about $18 million in salary. Other avenues include staying on the roster, if he is willing to take a pay cut, and being a mentor and competition for Darnold again, but it's hard for a likely backup quarterback to have the biggest cap hit on the roster. The Panthers could also work with a new team to restructure his contract and facilitate a trade. If it became a situation where the team feels forced to cut Bridgewater, designating him as a post-June 1 release would save the most money. In that case, he would account for $15 million in dead cap with $8 million saved in 2021 and $5 million in dead cap with $21 million saved in 2022. The opportunity to start again did not work out like anyone hoped for Bridgewater. The last time Darnold took over for him, Bridgewater found a solid backup job in New Orleans with a trade that benefited the Jets. Seeing Bridgewater again wearing a new jersey in 2021 wouldn't be a surprise. | https://www.nola.com/nation_world/article_1c468cea-9b0c-11eb-8360-13ba4ee7064f.html |
What Do the Chiefs Need to Add on the Offensive Line? | The offensive line in Kansas City is about to look drastically different than it has in recent years, as the Chiefs will have two new tackles, moving on from both of their longtime starting tackles, two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher and two-time All-Pro right tackle Mitch Schwartz, and their whole interior looks different as well, adding 2019 All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, 2014 All-Pro right guard Kyle Long and Rams' starting center Austin Blythe. It makes sense for there to be many changes after what we saw in Super Bowl LV, where numerous injuries resulted in a weak group of linemen playing out of position or with little experience against a great pass rush, leaving quarterback Patrick Mahomes running for his life all game. It was a record-breaking level of pressure faced by Mahomes in that Super Bowl and he should never have to go through that again. The Chiefs should also expect to bring in two players who opted out prior to the 2020 season, former starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who notably left the Chiefs after winning the Super Bowl to help in the fight against COVID-19 in Canada, and 2020 third-round pick Lucas Niang, who is expected to battle with Mike Remmers to be Schwartz's replacement at right tackle in 2021. Currently, I think the Chiefs have four of the five starters already locked in, with Thuney at left guard, Blythe at center, Long or Duvernay-Tardif at right guard and Niang or Remmers at right tackle. This seems like a pretty solid group to me, one that ought to be a middle-of-the-pack group with a good left tackle option added and mostly avoiding injury. However, that does mean they would have to add a left tackle, with the current group of tackles having extremely limited NFL experience with Martinas Rankin, Prince Tega Wanogho and Yasir Durant. Rankin has shown potential, but it's probably better to look elsewhere. This would mean that Rankin, Wanogho, Durant and either Niang or Remmers would be the backup tackles and the interior depth would consist mainly of Nick Allegretti and either Long or Duvernay-Tardif. If that tackle depth seems like too much and the interior depth seems a bit shallow, the Chiefs could also move Rankin to guard, as he has shown he can play there and be effective. Not too bad in my book! The free-agent market has become somewhat barren, but that doesn't mean there are no options. Some key options still available are two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung, who the Chiefs have already "checked in on", two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Alejandro Villaneuva and the Chiefs' recent starting center, Austin Reiter, if they decide they want to have a competition at center. In the draft, this is a fantastic time to need an offensive tackle, with 12 or more tackles possibly going in the top 100. There are three guys that the Chiefs can't get at pick No. 31, the top three on the following list, but after them, the options are still great, though it could be tough for the Chiefs to make the puzzle pieces fit. Teven Jenkins from Oklahoma State looks remarkable, though he played at right tackle much more than he did at left tackle there. Michigan's Jalen Mayfield also looks awesome, but he was also primarily a right tackle. North Dakota State's Dillon Radunz is good and actually plays left tackle, but he wasn't as good Jenkins or Mayfield and he has the issue that all players from North Dakota State have, playing FCS football. Liam Eichenberg of Notre Dame produced quite well in college, too, but his issue is that he sorely lacks on arm length, having a 32 3/8" arm length according to his Pro Day. Texas' Samuel Cosmi performed quite well and was also a left tackle, but he doesn't look quite as good as Jenkins or Mayfield either. Alabama's Alex Leatherwood is a great prospect as well but is considered by many to be a guard in the NFL rather than a tackle. Unfortunately, like with Eichenberg, there is an issue of arm length here. The only player here with an arm length in excess of 33 1/2" is Leatherwood, the likeliest guy to not play tackle in the NFL. If I were in charge of this situation, I would try to get Okung in free agency for cheap to be the starting left tackle in 2021 and then any of Jenkins, Mayfield, Eichenberg or Cosmi early to fill the rookie 2020-Niang role. My starting offensive line would consist of Okung, Thuney, Blythe, Long and Niang and my backup offensive line would be the drafted rookie tackle, Rankin, Allegretti, Duvernay-Tardif and Remmers. On paper, that is a tremendous group. The starting group should be above-average and then the depth should prevent a Super Bowl-like disaster situation. For more Kansas City Chiefs analytics and analysis, follow @SIChiefs and @WichitaChiefSam on Twitter. | https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/gm-report/what-do-the-kansas-city-chiefs-need-to-add-on-the-offensive-line |
Who is Will Zalatoris, the guy near the top of the Masters leaderboard? | AUGUSTA, Ga. You look at the Masters leaderboard, and you see a whole range of familiar and kinda-familiar names: Justin Rose. Jordan Spieth. Tony Finau. Will Zalatoris. Justin Thomas. Wait. Go back. Well, friend, let us enlighten you. Yes, he's a guy with a surname like an acid reflux medicine. But he's also a dude who's piloted a run with a career trajectory like pre-crash GameStop stock. Let's dig in: Zalatoris not technically a member of PGA Tour This is a little complicated, but Zalatoris is technically a member of the Korn Ferry developmental tour. But he's played so dang well in the PGA Tour events he's entered that he's now getting invitations to majors. Seize your chance, friends. First Masters for Zalatoris Zalatoris first qualified to play in the U.S. Open in 2019 at Pebble Beach, and all he did there was finish T6 and card an ace on the iconic 7th on Thursday. He'd played the 2016 U.S. Open as an amateur but failed to make the cut. So, as a pro, he's played two majors and been inside the top 6 at both. That's not bad. Zalatoris has leaped up in world rankings At the start of 2019, he was ranked 2,006th in the world. One year later, he was up to 672nd. At the start of 2021, he was ranked 59th, and played his way into the Masters with a top-50 ranking that he reached in February. Zalatoris grew up in the Dallas golf scene As a wee Texas lad, Zalatoris squared off in junior golf competitions against Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. Decent warmup competition that helped prep him to win the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2014 and join the 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team. He's torching the Tour this season Zalatoris has played in 14 events and made the cut in 13 of them, not missing a single cut since early October. He's finished in the top 5 five times and in the top 25 10 times. He's also been one of the most skilled players from tee to green, ranking in the top 5 in two around-the-green categories ... exactly how you want to flourish heading into Augusta. Story continues He's pals with Tony Romo The ex-Cowboy QB has made no secret of his love for golf, playing multiple events on sponsors' exemptions. The two are members of the same Texas country club, and Romo reportedly badgers Zalatoris at all hours of the day and night with questions on his swing. No rookie since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 has won the Masters, but Zalatoris wants to be the first. And he's picking the brains of guys who know. "It was fun playing with Bernhard Langer, and he said he thinks this was his 38th Masters," Zalatoris said Friday. "I've gotten in five rounds here." So there you go ... all you need to know about Will Zalatoris heading into his round Saturday. Let's see how long he's able to hold on at the top. Could be awhile. Will Zalatoris is playing in his first Masters. (Brian Snyder / Reuters) ______ Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee, or contact him at [email protected]. More from Yahoo Sports: | https://sports.yahoo.com/who-is-will-zalatoris-the-guy-near-the-top-of-the-masters-leaderboard-161059047.html?src=rss |
Can Rick Spielman's QB Approach Tell Us What George Paton Might Do? | Paton worked under Spielman for many years while with the Vikings. We've heard what new Broncos general manager George Paton has had to say about the team for whom he now oversees personnel. "Sleeping giant." "Aggressive, not reckless." "This is the job I really wanted." "They have everything here to win." We like to boil down what NFL players, coaches and executives say into juicy sound bites. Therefore, you hear Paton talking up the Broncos and what he thinks of their potential, you look at the roster, you look at the moves he's made thus far and you might think "we are a quarterback away from a Super Bowl!" The problem I see is that it's putting the cart before the horse. It's acting like Paton's already done all the work that needs to be done to get the Broncos back up to speed, and all he needs is a quarterback. Perhaps we can learn something from the man he worked under for many years, Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman. Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily! Spielman's Early Years The Vikings didn't have a clear answer at quarterback when Spielman took over in 2006. Brad Johnson had played well in the past, but he was aging. Spielman's first move was to trade up for a quarterback: a move up in the second round in the 2006 Draft for Tarvaris Jackson. Such moves up the second round don't happen often for QBs, but Spielman took a chance here. Jackson didn't pan out, leaving Spielman to bring in another aging veteran, Gus Frerotte, in 2008. In the meantime, he wasn't stockpiling the draft picks. He tended to trade up, or trade them away, more often than he traded down. Among Spielman's bold moves was a blockbuster trade for Jared Allen in 2008. He sent the 17th overall pick, two thirds and a sixth, and got a 2009 sixth back, for the top-tier pass rusher. It certainly helped get the Vikings to the playoffs in 2008. Then came 2009, when fortune smiled upon Spielman and Brett Favre became available in free agency. Favre, who had retired early in 2009, but was released from his contract with the Jets, came out of retirement to join the Vikings. The Vikings reached the NFC title game in 2009, but Favre was injured against the Saints, a storyline that turned into the so-called Bountygate scandal. Favre was never the same after that, and a trade during the 2010 season for Randy Moss for a 2011 third didn't help. Head coach Brad Childress was fired and replaced by Leslie Frazier midway through the 2010 season. Favre retired after the season. It was clear that Spielman needed to reassess where the direction of the team. A Shift in Philosophy In 2011, Spielman took a chance on Christian Ponder, in which the thinking may have been about getting a quarterback under a cost-controlled contract that the rookie pay scale (implemented when the CBA was approved later that year) made possible. Still, there were some who thought Ponder might be at least an adequate starter, so it made a little sense to take him when he was available with the 12th overall pick. Though Ponder didn't work out, Spielman tried again when he traded up for Teddy Bridgewater in 2013. That move started out better, but a serious injury Bridgewater suffered in the 2015 training camp prompted Spielman to send a 2016 first for Sam Bradford. Though that move didn't work, Spielman had changed course in other ways. He was more concerned about trading down in drafts whenever possible, and only trading up when he had accumulated draft capital. Of particular note is that Spielman frequently trades down in the third round. Since 2014, Spielman has traded down 10 times in the third round, accumulating more picks in either later rounds or future years. And the Bradford trade aside, Spielman hasn't gone "all in" on a player in a trade, but he has received a lot in return from teams who went "all in" on one of the Vikings players. He got a 2013 first, seventh and 2014 third in a 2013 trade for Percy Harvin, then got a 2020 first, fifth, sixth and 2021 fourth in a 2020 trade for Stefon Diggs. Since 2013, Spielman made at least 10 selections in six out of eight drafts. The Vikings have 10 picks in the 2021 Draft, so Spielman could make 10 selections again, unless he trades up. And though there are questions as to whether or not their current QB, Kirk Cousins, is the guy to build around, Spielman is a believer in building through the draft, particularly when it comes to stockpiling picks. His trades up the board since the Brad Childress era ended have happened when Spielman accumulated draft capital. That gave him picks he could afford to lose when he made a move up the board. What It All Means Spielman didn't necessarily start out as a guy who was patient, and he looked to make bold moves to get the Vikings to the playoffs. He also entered a situation in which he was fortunate to get a veteran QB who could take the team to the next level. However, that QB was gone after two seasons and Spielman had to reassess. He changed his philosophy a bit, focusing more on stockpiling picks and, while he never ruled out a trade up for a QB, he did it when he had the picks stockpiled. When the Vikings moved up for Bridgewater in 2013, they made 10 total selections. That ensured Spielman had the players who could potentially help either as starters or depth players, to build the roster around Bridgewater. Even though he was unable to find an elite QB, Spielman kept stockpiling the picks and looking for players who could help. He has explored free agency, but hasn't used that as a replacement for the draft (and, furthermore, multiple big-ticket signings haven't worked out well for the Vikings, while their value signings have been better). So, since the Childress era, I'd say that Spielman has followed the approach of "try to find our QB, but if we don't have our QB, build like we have him, anyway." While it may be frustrating for Vikings fans to endure a few seasons of mediocrity, they have gotten their fair share of playoff trips. Since 2006, the Vikings have gone to the playoffs six times and reached the NFC title game twice. They've also had more stability at the head coaching position: Childress lasted five seasons, Frazier lasted three and current head coach Mike Zimmer enters his eighth. How Paton May Approach Things Gabe Christus/Denver Broncos If Paton is going to implement the philosophy Spielman has demonstrated in more recent seasons, he's not going to stop looking for a QB, but he's going to pick his spots. The Broncos enter the 2021 Draft with nine total selections, three of them in the seventh round. That's not a low amount, but it's not an amount that suggests Paton is going to make a bold move to trade up in the first round, regardless of what one thinks about the roster or the talent of the 2021 QB draft class. That doesn't mean Paton won't take a QB in the first round. It's more likely, though, that he'll wait to see if one falls him at No. 9 overall that everyone is comfortable with taking. As much hype as there is around the 2021 Draft class, you can't rule out a QB sliding down the board. And while I won't say that one of the top four QBs will slide down the board like, say, Bridgewater did in 2013, I won't rule out the possibility of a QB not going in the top three sliding down. Just because draft analysts rank a QB high on their lists, doesn't mean teams rank him that high. Regardless, I believe Paton will be patient when it comes to selecting a QB, rather than falling for the hype some may believe about the Broncos being a QB away from being a Super Bowl contender. He'll only trade up if somebody the Broncos love and not simply like is there after the first three picks. Sure, you can argue that a top QB in the draft class is a potential upgrade over Drew Lock. I believe that's jumping to conclusions. If one of the top QB prospects isn't there at No. 9 overall, it won't surprise me if Paton trades down. Furthermore, if Paton is going to do anything like Spielman, I'd say the safe bet is that Paton will trade down in the third round, because Spielman has done this so often. I also believe Paton is likely to give head coach Vic Fangio more than just 2021, unless the Broncos are so bad they finish with a record that puts them in the top five of the 2022 Draft. Otherwise, I believe Paton wants stability at the head coaching position. Keep in mind the Broncos haven't had much stability under previous GM John Elway. John Fox had the longest tenure at four seasons, with Gary Kubiak and Vance Joseph each lasting two, and Fangio with just two seasons under Elway. Conclusion But back to the quarterback: If Paton is able to get draft capital stockpiled, he can always look at QBs in future classes, should Drew Lock go into 2021 as the starter but fail to improve. Don't worry about comparing the talent level of one class to another. History has shown there is no rhyme or reason to how many QB prospects were considered worth a first-round pick, versus how many turned into quality starters. What matters is finding your guy, no matter the year it may be. If Paton decides 2021 isn't that year, even if lots of draft analysts are touting the class as one of the best ever, then there will always be another year and it could be a year in which analysts says it's not a great overall class, but there's one who goes off the board in the first round and not necessarily No. 1 overall who turns out to be the right guy for the Broncos. The one thing I believe you can count on is this: Paton will go get the QB when he and the coaching staff believe they have their guy. But if he doesn't believe this is the year, he'll build as if the Broncos already have their guy. Be sure to check out Part I, Part II and Part III of our QB series. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobMorrisSports. Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts! | https://www.si.com/nfl/broncos/news/denver-broncos-gm-george-paton-how-rick-spielman-may-have-influenced-him |
How about a rake instead of noisy blowers that just send the yard debris elsewhere? | To leaf blower users: Please understand that if you are blowing the debris to the curb or the street, you really arent accomplishing anything. The debris is still there. - If its along the curb, and it rains, the debris might wash into the storm sewers, although, more likely, the leaves will clog the drains. - If you are blowing it into the street, it is still there -- waiting for the next breeze or car disturbance to put it back into the air, to resettle back where it came from. (Not to mention that if there are cars driving past at that time, you are putting that dust into those cars. This will, I admit, remove it from the immediate area, but its really rather rude, to say the least.) Better yet, an old-fashioned rake to replace the noisy, dirty leaf blower, followed by a broom and dustpan, if needed. There will be less dirt debris with a simple rake, and hence more dirt in the gardens and under the bushes, where it was intended. Wendy Deuring, Cleveland | https://www.cleveland.com/letters/2021/04/how-about-a-rake-instead-of-noisy-blowers-that-just-send-the-yard-debris-elsewhere.html |
What Happened To Americas Communes? | What's known as "cohousing" is today considered a more independent form of communal living, says ... [+] Yvonne Daley, author of "Going Up the Country." Yvonne Daley The 1960s were a time of upheaval in the United States. Anti-war protests around the country dramatized in part in this years Oscar-nominated film The Trial of the Chicago 7, along with the sexual revolution and civil rights legislation, left few norms unchallenged. New ideas spawned an interest in communal living. Chinas sprawling communes championed by Chairman Mao Zedong in that era received global attention and study. Yet the U.S. had as many as 3,000 smaller communes of its own during the 1960s and 1970s, populated by young idealists in search of an alternative lifestyle. To learn more, I exchanged this month by email with Yvonne Daley, an award-winning writer and author of the 2018 book, Going Up the Country: When the Hippies, Dreamers, Freaks, and Radicals Moved to Vermont. The small state attracted Northeastern U.S. outsider-transplants such as current U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and was an center of American commune growth in the 1960s and 1970s. At least two of the Chicago 7 David Dellinger and John Froines have ties to the state, whose liberal culture supported the early growth of Ben & Jerrys ice cream before it was sold to conglomerate Unilever in 2000. Interview excerpts with Daley, a retired journalism professor at San Francisco State University now living in Vermont, follow. Daley: Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 communes existed in the U.S. in the 1960s and 70s with about 75 in the small state of Vermont, making it one of the epicenters of the experiment. Its hard to establish a hard figure as many people lived in group homes but didnt call the arrangement a commune. In a 1970 article for Playboy Magazine, John Pollack estimated that there were 35,800 hippies in Vermont, who accounted for roughly 33% of the total 107,527 people in the state between the ages of 18 and 34. Many had experienced living with other young people at camp or in dormitories and so the idea of living together in a commune or group home made sense both economically and made sense in an environment like Vermont in which the realities of heating ones home (often with wood), shoveling and perhaps growing your own food, easier through joint labor, allowing more time for causes, hobbies or play. Most differed dramatically from the idea of the Chinese commune as they were generally not highly organized around work or production. Although American communards worked to raise food, shared parenting and household tasks, shared financial responsibility and upkeep, the rules and organization were often lax, leading many to fail simply because there was no governing body, not enough discipline or consequence when someone did not do their part. Also, for some, drugs and sex were more important than work. Some areas in which there were, however, established roles for individuals included Frog Run Commune in Vermonts Northeast Kingdom, initially founded by Robert Houriet and his wife, Mary Mathias. Houriet is famous for a book that chronicled the commune movement called Back to the Land, a kind of bible for those touring the country and its communes in the 1960s. When Mathias and Houriet broke up, Mathias and a group of predominantly women ran their farm successfully for a decade. Daley: There was as much variety as there were communes. In one epicenter of the movement in Vermonts Brattleboro area where there were a dozen or so communal living situations within miles of one another, the late Peter Simon, brother to the singer Carly Simon and a scion of the Simon & Schuster publishing empire, established Tree Frog Farm, a clothing-optional commune where Jenny Buell, daughter of a CIA national security officer and Elliot Blinder, now a fine-art collector in California, hung out with a cow given to them by Allen Ginsburg. Purchased by radical journalist Andrew Kopkind in 1974, the property is now the Kopkind Colony, a think-tank for todays journalists and nonfiction writers. In 1967, the anti-Vietnam War activists who had founded The Liberation News Service, a news bulletin with two million followers (at its peak), moved from Washington, DC, to a run-down farm in Guilford, Vermont, where in the next few years poet Verandah Porche, fiction writer Peter Gould, nonfiction writers Ray Mungo and Marty Jezer and many others published dozens of books, chronicling their back to the land escapades and well-researched political histories. Later, Porche and another Total Loss Farm communard, Richard Wizansky, became active in local politics (Porche is a member of the Guilford board of alderman and active in local womens groups and shelters; Wizansky is on the Guilford Library Board.) Their Total Loss Farm still operates as a home and cultural center for some of the founders and an occasional new resident. In Vermont as elsewhere, there were communes that offered refuge to international refugees (New Hamburger in Plainfield); free love and a communal family (Quarry Hill, Rochester). Among those who lived at Quarry Hill were Libby Hall of the Hallmark cards fortune and Art Spiegelman, author of Maus; for outlaws and draft dodgers and people who generally wanted nothing to do with society (Earth Peoples Park, Norton, now a state park.) Patricia Whalen lived on a number of communes in Vermont before she decided to become a lawyer so she could work for women and the under-represented. Named a judge by Gov. Madeleine M. Kunin, Whalen has since The U.S. had thousands of communes in the Vietnam War era. Yvonne Daley established Vermonts first rape and crisis center, transformed Vermont Family Court, served as a Vermont judge and as an international judge in the War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina , Sen. Bernie Sanders spent time on many Vermont communes but was often more interested in political discussions and debates than in getting stoned, communing with nature, raising crops or just hanging out. Some communes like Quarry Hill had leaders who set the tone if not the rules; there, the founder Irving Fiske often suggested sexual arrangements. The Summertown, Tennessee commune simply called The Farm, founded in 1971 by roughly 300 flower children, now has about 200 members whose values continue to be nonviolence and environmental protection. Twin Oaks, founded in 1967 on 450 acres in Louisa, Virginia, is known for its tofu. About 100 residents live there in group houses surrounded by a gathering area, soy production facility, swimming hole, graveyard and greenhouses. Daley: The end of the Vietnam War, the Womens Movement and economic realities are the three major reasons so many communes broke up. During the mid-1970s, especially after the 1974-75 oil embargo, there was a dramatic spike in the cost of food, fuel and other necessities. As economic changes made living on next to nothing more difficult and as some early relationships broke up, many of the young people who had coupled up fell apart. Some moved back to where they had grown up or returned to college to finish degrees or get graduate ones. People with degrees began wanting to use those degrees for both economic and personal reasons. Despite their radical ideas, many people in this post-WWII generation had married, especially those who had children. With the breakup of marriages, some moved off of communes and to cities. Despite the idea of shared parenting, for the most part the children stayed with their mothers. Vermont, for example, had and still had many female-based households at this time. Some women lived together to share costs. Because of the need for childcare, daycare centers became an essential part of the landscape. But all this led to somewhat of a dispersal. Today, however, older people of all sorts are moving into intentional communities all over the country for shared responsibility, companionship, and entertainment under the general rubric of co-housing. These include dozens if not hundreds of these settings, some for seniors, some for families and singles, including EcoVillage Ithaca, one of 20 intentional sustainable communities worldwide; and at least 10 co-housing properties such as Living Tree Alliance, a modern Kibbutz-inspired community in the Mad River Valley of Vermont, Burlingtons Cohousing East Village, which includes private apartments and homes, shared cultural opportunities and resources, a community garden, and large meeting rooms located across from the University of Vermont (UVM) campus and the UVM Medical Center and adjacent to UVMs 68 acre Centennial Woods nature preserve. Today, there are about 200 co-housing opportunities in the U.S.; in general, they are considered a more independent and formalized form of communal living. Daley: Id put food as the number one impact. Hippies and communards ate brown rice, made their own yogurt, grew organic vegetables, raised bees and boiled maple syrup for both economic and nutritional reasons. But Ben & Jerrys ice cream must top the list. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, two college friends, opened their first shop in Burlington in 1978. Although they didnt live in a commune, they were friends with many and embraced the movement along with the ideas of the day. Their impact on ice cream quality, opposition to hormone-treated dairy products, to connecting food quality to flavor, and their longtime friendship and support of Senator Sanders show the ways in which values can translate into business or political success. In terms of personal relationships, gays and lesbians in America prior to the 1960s often lived in fear and shame; during the 1960s, many came out and were embraced by members of the counterculture. At Total Loss Farm, where one of the first same-sex marriages was held, the communards became friends with a local man, a sixth-generation Vermonter, Ron Squires, who became Vermonts first openly gay state legislator. Vermont was the first state in the union to approve civil unions between same-sex partners. In terms of education, the idea of womens and black, Native American or First People, Latino and other ethnic studies began as small areas of interest at many of the more liberal colleges in America, such as Goddard in Plainfield, Vermont, and are now part of most educational frameworks. Speaking of Goddard, that school and several other nontradional colleges, changed education dramatically and produced a long list of notable characters from actor William Macy and playwright David Mamet, activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, singer and founder of Phish Trey Anastasio, authors Piers Anthony and Mary Karr. Not only did the early communards value the products of the land but also the land itself. In places where the counterculture and commune movements were strong you will find states with strong environmental laws. Daley: The Foundation for Intentional Communitys directory says the number of communes, most referred to as intentional communities, nearly doubled between 2010 and 2016 (the last year the directory was published), to roughly 1,200. Although the number of people living in these communities is hard to pin down the demographic is often deliberately off the grid the foundations director Sky Blue estimated in 2020 that there are currently around 100,000 individuals residing in them. Theres an obvious growth trend that you can chart, he said; millennials get this intentional community thing more than people in the past. Elsewhere, I found this: The Fellowship for Intentional Community lists more than 300 such examples of communal living in the United States and thousands worldwide. Only seven of those American sites qualify for recognition by the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. @rflannerychina | https://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2021/04/11/what-happened-to-americas-communes/ |
Who is the best WR in the 2021 NFL draft? | BGR The stars aligned themselves just right this past week for a significant number of data breaches and security vulnerabilities to come to light. The massive Facebook hack from August 2019 come back to haunt more than 533 million users whose personal data ended up in the hands of hackers. Even Mark Zuckerbergs account was included on the list, yet Facebook will not notify users who might have been impacted. A similar hack involving scraped personal data for 500 million LinkedIn accounts was also disclosed, and the massive database of info was on sale online earlier this week. Then we saw a different data leak that allowed people to obtain the phone numbers of Facebook users who liked a page on the social network. Next up, a large number of credit card records and Social Security numbers were hacked on a platform that sells this type of stolen information thats to say that data had been stolen before this security exploit, but now it has been made available more widely. Finally, we also saw malware-spreading Android apps in the wild again, and Facebook allowed ads for a malware app on its platform. To top it all off, theres another vulnerability that millions of people need to be aware of. A small mobile operator failed to protect its customers' personal data, so anyone was able to access account information by simply inputting a phone number into a mobile app. The carrier in question is Q Link Wireless, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) with around 2 million US customers. A Reddit user first found the security vulnerability a few months ago, attempting to notify the carrier a few times via customer support and app reviews that highlighted the bug. Ars Technica followed up on that post, and its inquiries might have convinced Q Link Wireless to finally fix the security issue. The hack allowed anyone to install the carriers My Mobile Account and then input any customers phone number to access the data associated with that account. No password was needed, and the information was accessible to anyone aware of the security issue. The mobile app offers tons of information about users. Examples include a user's first and last name, home address, phone call history (outgoing/incoming), text message history (outgoing/incoming), account number, email address, and last four digits of the associated payment card. The app cant be used to make any changes to someones account or harm the phone number via a SIM swap or locking someone out. But Ars says that a would-be SIM swapper might try to use the data to social engineer a Q Link Wireless employee into helping. A more simple type of attack involves spying on victims. People aware of the vulnerability could have used the security flaw to keep track of someones calls and texts. Abusive spouses, stalkers, and other people with malicious intentions who might target a particular victim could have done this with ease. After ignoring the problem for months, Q Link Wireless appears to have fixed it, so the data is no longer available to anyone with knowledge of a phone number. Its unclear if the vulnerability was abused, with security firm Intel471 telling Ars that it did not find discussions about this particular security flaw on forums frequently used by hackers and criminals. But the report points out theres no way to know if the leak had been abused on a smaller scale. Ars Technica's full report is available at this link. | https://sports.yahoo.com/best-wr-2021-nfl-draft-001541201.html?src=rss |
Should the Vikings Sign Recently-Waived Thaddeus Moss, Son of Randy? | Former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss was released by the Washington Football Team recently, and naturally, it's worth wondering if the Vikings will have any interest. Moss, as you're probably aware, is the son of Randy Moss, who is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Minnesota Vikings jersey. I think it would be a solid low-cost move to add depth. Moss was a three-star recruit from Charlotte and began his college career at North Carolina State. After playing sparingly during his freshman year, he transferred to LSU. Moss sat out in 2017 and missed all of 2018 with a foot injury, but had his breakout year in 2019. With future No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow at the helm, Moss started 12 games for the Tigers, catching 47 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns. Perhaps more impressively, Moss stepped up in a big way in the two biggest games of the year. In the College Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma, he posted a career-high 99 receiving yards and caught a touchdown pass. In the national championship game against Clemson, he added two more touchdown receptions. Moss was a big part of a historic offense that also featured Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Moss went undrafted last year and was scooped up by Washington, but spent the year on injured reserve. At 6'3, 250 pounds, Moss has good size and decent athleticism. He doesn't do anything especially well, but he has the potential to develop into a solid player if he can stay healthy. After losing Kyle Rudolph this offseason, the Vikings could use another tight end. If they were to sign Moss, he could compete with Brandon Dillon and a late-round rookie for the No. 3 TE spot behind Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin. The Vikings arent going to make a move just because of his last name, but its worth a shot from a football perspective. Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there. | https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/should-the-vikings-sign-recently-waived-thaddeus-moss-son-randy |
Why Kubernetes Developer Ecosystem Needs A PaaS? | Platform as a Service (PaaS) was one of the first delivery models of the public cloud. If Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) gave control to administrators, PaaS squarely targeted the developers through simplicity, productivity and scale. Abstract Layers Pixabay In 2008, Google launched App Engine, a platform that enabled developers to deploy and scale Java web applications. Amazon added Elastic Beanstalk to its compute infrastructure in 2012 as a PaaS offering. Windows Azure, the initial avatar of Microsofts public cloud, was all about PaaS. Only in 2013, Azure got support for Linux and Windows VMs to deliver a full-blown IaaS. The last decade saw the rise of PaaS in the form of Cloud Foundry, Heroku, Engine Yard, and Red Hat OpenShift. The most significant promise of PaaS was the ability to bring source code and walking away with a URL pointing to the application. Developers never had to worry about provisioning the infrastructure, installing the OS, or configuring and securing the infrastructure. They just pushed the code leaving the rest to the platform. PaaS would also scale-in and scale-out the application automatically without manual intervention. This approach freed developers from dealing with everyday operations giving them more time to focus on the code than infrastructure. PaaS led to continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), which has become the norm today. Advanced deployment techniques such as blue/green deployments, version switching, canary releases were all made possible by PaaS. The democratization of containers led by Docker and the rise of Kubernetes changed the dynamics of the modern infrastructure and platforms. Containers quickly became the fundamental unit of deployment and Kubernetes emerged as the orchestrator to manage tens of thousands of containers. Soon the public cloud providers started to offer managed Kubernetes offering, Containers as a Service (CaaS) which became an alternative to IaaS and PaaS. With Kubernetes gaining popularity, PaaS has embraced Kubernetes to enable developers to reuse the building blocks - the containers. App Engine Flex, Azure App Service, Cloud Foundry and OpenShift can run containerized applications. Red Hat was one of the first platform companies to realize the power of Kubernetes, which resulted in OpenShift becoming a fully compliant and conformant Kubernetes distribution for enterprises. Unlike IaaS, where only administrators and operators were expected to build and provision virtual machines, Containerization brought the responsibility of packaging the code and building the container images to developers. If the application is deployed to Kubernetes, developers are also forced to learn the building blocks of the orchestration engine to wrap container images in pods, deploying them and then exposing them as services. With containers and Kubernetes, the line between development and operations gets completely blurred. Irrespective of the persona - developer or operator - every team member is expected to learn everything about the infrastructure and application lifecycle management. Thanks to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) managing the open source project, and the vibrant ecosystem, Kubernetes has been standardized to expose well-defined APIs. The documentation and resources made the technology accessible to a large number of developers and operators. Unlike PaaS, Kubernetes brought extreme clarity and transparency to application lifecycle management. But, one thing developers miss in Kubernetes is the simplicity of PaaS. Lets consider the Cloud Foundry workflow for deploying an application. Once the developer tested the app in his local machine, he would simply invoke the command-line tool to deploy the application and the associated configuration. Behind the scenes, Cloud Foundry does everything from provisioning the compute resources, launching or associating additional services such as databases and cache, and finally, handing over a URL of the application to the developer. In Kubernetes, it all starts with packaging the code into a container image, which is further wrapped into a pod or a deployment object. Additional services such as databases follow the same workflow. The developer needs to create a configuration map and a secret for the web app to securely talk to the database. To persist the database records, she also needs to create volumes and volume claims. Finally, the database is exposed as an internal service to the web application while the public-facing app is hooked to a load balancer. As you can see, the developer deals with over a dozen Kubernetes objects to configure and deploy a simple two-tier web application. It is not just the long-wound deployment process and the steep learning curve, but the real concern is how much the developer needs to understand before deploying an app. In a traditional IaaS or PaaS environment, a majority of this would be handled by operators. Kubernetes doesnt clearly distinguish between developers and operators. Irrespective of the persona, every user is expected to know the inner workings of the orchestration engine. The cloud native ecosystem clearly understands this challenge. The platform vendors have taken three different approaches to add platform capabilities to Kubernetes. The first approach is building an open source application platform powered by Kubernetes. Red Hat is one of the first platform companies to adopt this strategy. OpenShift, the most popular container platform, added robust application lifecycle management to Kubernetes. It mimics the PaaS workflow through an integrated container builder, image registry and application router. The second mechanism is porting existing PaaS to Kubernetes while maintaining compatibility with the tools and workflow. Cloud Foundry for Kubernetes went through this route to bring the familiar PaaS workflow to developers. The third approach builds an opaque layer on top of Kubernetes that entirely hides the orchestration engines underpinnings. Render.com and DigitalOcean App Platform are examples of this implementation. But, each of these approaches has its own challenges and limitations. Red Hat OpenShift and its community counterpart, OKD, are too heavy to install. You would need at least five machines to run a basic hello world application on OpenShift. Cloud Foundry is relatively new for cloud native developers. It has the potential to become the preferred platform layer, but its too early to arrive at this conclusion. Commercial PaaS implementations like Render.com and DigitalOcean App Platform are not open source and portable. Some of the key contributors of Kubernetes have built various building blocks that make it easy to create a platform. Google, IBM, VMware and Red Hat contributed to Knative, an open source project that brings the serverless and event-driven platform to Kubernetes. Microsoft is working on Distributed Application Runtime (DAPR) and Kubernetes Event-Driven Autoscaling (KEDA) to simplify the development, deployment and scaling cloud native applications. Knative, Dapr and KEDA are not full-blown PaaS implementations. Instead, they are the foundation for building platforms on top of Kubernetes. For example, Google Cloud Run, a serverless container platform, is based on Knative. But, Cloud Run is not an open source project which is exclusive to Google Cloud. With the line between development and operations gets blurred, cloud native developers need an abstract layer that simplifies application lifecycle management. There is a clear opportunity to build a portable, consistent, developer-friendly platform for Kubernetes. The developer ecosystem needs a choice of open source, cloud native PaaS implementations that can be installed in any Kubernetes cluster, including managed CaaS in the public cloud or on Minikube running on a laptop. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/janakirammsv/2021/04/12/why-kubernetes-developer-ecosystem-needs-a-paas/ |
Have I been scammed out of thousands by a fake travel agent? | I appear to have been scammed by a fake travel agent. Needing to get my wife and three children back from an emergency visit to Pakistan, I used a firm called Sevenseaholidays.co.uk to book Qatar Airways flights for me to travel out, and for all of us to return. Sevenseaholidays sent me two invoices to pay by bank transfer, into two different bank accounts. After I paid 1,180 I was given the reference numbers, and invited to check the reservation on the Qatar Airways website. A few days later it emerged that people coming to the UK via Qatar would have to self-isolate in a hotel, so I called the company, and requested the reservations be changed to direct flights, for which I sent a further 983. I was then told that I had paid the money into the wrong account, and that I would lose the flights unless I paid this sum again into the right bank account. I was promised a refund of the 983 overpayment, but this failed to materialise. When it asked for a further 500 to provide the direct flights, I started to think this was a scam. I have since discovered that my Qatar flights had been cancelled, and British Airways has no record of my direct flight booking. I reported it to my bank HSBC, which has refunded 590 of the 3,000 Id paid, and to Action Fraud. However, the company still seems to be trading. FR, London Legitimate firms are usually happy to engage with us when we take up complaints like these, but Sevenseaholidays has not. I have called the firm twice and been cut off both times, and then found both of my phone numbers blocked. It has not responded to emails either. The company, which advertises on Facebook and has an address in Blackpool, has been called out for falsely claiming to be a member of Abta. In February, a legitimate travel agent, World Travel Lounge, said it had reported the firm you bought your tickets from to Lancashire Constabulary, Action Fraud and the Civil Aviation Authority for fraudulently using its Atol licence. Another travel agent with a similar name, 7SeasHolidays, has a warning on its website saying that it is in no way connected to Sevenseaholidays. On the basis that you think you have been defrauded, you need to file an authorised push payment fraud claim with your bank. HSBC is one of the banks that has signed up to refund innocent victims of such scams. I have sent your letter on to HSBC, have explained the position, and will report back if it fails to refund you. You should contact Lancashire police too and local trading standards. In the meantime, others need to be aware of what this firm is doing. Its always worth Googling a firm you have never heard of before sending it any money and being very wary of any firm that asks for bank transfers rather than the traditional card payments. Just as Money went to press, it emerged the City of London police had taken Sevenseaholidays website offline. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at [email protected]. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/apr/12/have-i-been-scammed-out-of-thousands-by-a-fake-travel-agent |
Should I use 120,000 savings to buy a house to rent out as I expect to lose my job? | Q I am currently working but expect to lose my job. Im not holding out much hope of finding another one as Im almost 60 and not in the best of health. I have savings of about 120,000 in an account that pays less than 0.5% interest. I was wondering about using my savings to buy a house to let and living off the rent rather than earnings from a job. I am going to be looking for a new job if I lose my current one but I just think the odds are stacked against me. HR A My first thought was nice idea but not a feasible one because I didnt think that 120,000 would be enough to buy a rental property outright including stamp duty land tax and meet the other costs of becoming a landlord, such as arranging safety checks and installing the necessary safety alarms. However, London-based Vesta Property which describes itself as a data-driven marketplace for buying and selling investment property proved me wrong, albeit not entirely mistaken. You can, in fact, pay less than 120,000 for a flat in places such as Cwmaman, Draycott, Hartlepool and Stratford-upon-Avon, with the added bonus that the flats in those places come with a tenant in place, so you would start earning rent as soon as you picked up the keys. And the return on your investment would be a lot healthier than the meagre 0.5% paid on your savings. According to a table published by SDL Property Auctions, even the lowest average rental yield is 3.28%, while the highest is 7.29%. So, on paper, it looks like a no-brainer. But there are no guarantees that the yield will be as much as the average there could be periods when the property is empty and you are getting no returns at all. There are also costs associated with being a landlord: the property needs to be maintained, and you may need to appoint an agent to manage it for you. The rent you receive will need to be declared to HMRC if you have no other job, it might come within your personal allowance and be tax-free, but if your doubts about your employability prove wrong, you might end up with a bill. You should also consider the overall state of your finances. If you still have a mortgage on your own home, for example, a better use of your savings might be to pay that off. If you are currently renting yourself, it might make more sense to buy yourself a home (if spending 120,000 would enable you to do that without taking out a mortgage). Whatever you choose to do, you might want to think about how you would manage financially without a cushion of savings to fall back on if you do lose your job. | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/apr/12/should-i-use-120000-savings-to-buy-a-house-to-rent-out-as-i-expect-to-lose-my-job |
Can America's 'Civil Religion' Still Unite The Country? | Enlarge this image Pool/Getty Images Pool/Getty Images America, unlike some countries, is not defined by a common ancestry, nor is it tied to an official faith tradition. But it does have a distinct identity and a quasi-religious foundation. Americans are expected to hold their hands over their hearts when they recite the Pledge of Allegiance or stand for the national anthem. Young people are taught to regard the country's founders almost as saints. The "self-evident" truths listed in the Declaration of Independence and the key provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights have acquired the status of scripture in the U.S. consciousness. More than 50 years ago, sociologist Robert Bellah argued that such facts of American life suggest that the country adheres to a non-sectarian "civil religion," which he defined as "a collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity." For these beliefs and principles to give definition to a nation, scholars argue, they may need the power that a religion holds for its believers. Characterizing them as a faith system elevates them beyond mere personal philosophy. "I think the phrase 'civil religion' points to the way in which our political values have a dimension that goes beyond ourselves," says Philip Gorski, a professor of sociology and religious studies at Yale University and author of American Covenant: A History of Civil Religion from the Puritans to the Present. Acceptance of this uniquely American creed is seen as the key to one's identity as an American and distinguishes the United States from other countries. "It is difficult to become German. It is difficult to become Swedish, because those identities are not ideas," says Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who writes often on religion and politics. "Becoming American means you believe in the American idea, and at least in theory, that's open to any immigrant who's able to come here." In practice, some Americans have not been allowed full participation in society and political life. "Because of the xenophobia Asian-Americans are facing, because of the backlash against African-American civil rights, we're seeing that this kind of citizenship, this intrinsic right to be in the U.S., to enjoy its freedoms, is not really for everyone," says Lynn Itagaki, a professor of women's and gender studies at the University of Missouri. The strength and binding power of America's civil religion is clearly being put to a test. Forming belief in the American idea Just as young people are usually raised in the faith tradition of their parents, young Americans are schooled in the basics of the country's civil religion. Boys who aspire to become Eagle Scouts, for example, must first earn the "Citizenship in the Nation" merit badge. As part of the requirements, they must familiarize themselves with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and discuss the documents with a counselor. Among other requirements, they must choose a speech of "national historical importance" and explain "how it applies to American citizens today." Discussion of the issue of America's unique identity is a key part of the merit badge course. "Are we a country that's united by a nationality?" asks Cheryl Repetti, leading a recent merit badge class for Scouts at an outdoor classroom in Alexandria, Va. "Do we have hundreds of years of living together as a people, as a shared culture?" Joe, a young man in the second row, raises his hand. "I would say that the thing that really holds America together, it's our values," he says. "Kinda like freedom and, like, respect to everybody." This is part of the civic education almost all young people in America learn, whether through a Scouting program or in their schools. Typically, students from across the country visit Washington, D.C., each year, as if on a pilgrimage, to see such hallowed buildings as the U.S. Capitol and get a firsthand look at the actual founding documents on display at the National Archives. "I always tell my students that we started schools because we wanted children to understand our government," says Nicole Sarty, a fifth-grade teacher in Eagle, Idaho, "what was important about our government, and why America is an awesome country and why people want to come here." Because of the pandemic, Sarty's students this year had to settle for a virtual visit to the nation's capital, including a guided online tour of the National Archives. Among the topics Sarty has discussed with her students, she says, are the opening words in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more Perfect Union...." This year, she tied the discussion to current events. "That goes back to everything that's happened with the pandemic and the riots," Sarty says. "We see things that aren't working right, but we're always striving to be a 'more perfect union.' We have great discussions, and it's exciting to hear 10- and 11- year-olds struggling with some of the same ideas that we've struggled with as a nation since the beginning." Updating the scripture Among the issues that teachers like Sarty have to confront is the flawed character of America's origin, when white Europeans violently displaced the native population. "The U.S. is a white settler colonialist state," notes Itagaki. "It was founded that way," Many of the founders were themselves slaveholders, including some who signed the Declaration of Independence, with its lofty language of all men being created equal. The original version of the U.S. Constitution stipulated that enslaved individuals should be counted in the census as only three-fifths of a free person. Shadi Hamid, himself the son of immigrants from Egypt, nonetheless argues that the darker aspects of America's founding should not discredit the American idea. "If we completely do away with key founding figures, and we start problematizing the founding documents, which are part of the American civic faith, then the American idea doesn't have a lot to go on," he says. "Foundations matter." For Lynn Itagaki, who writes about what she calls "civil racism," the problem is less with the text of the founding documents than with their application. "The United States is sufficiently inclusive as a philosophy," she says. "In practice, it's obviously been exclusive and has pushed people out as not being deserving or, in religious terms, not being faithful enough." Itagaki notes that the American idea would be meaningful to more people if more recognition were given to some of its less familiar sources. "The Iroquois nation's Great Law of Peace was influential in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence," she notes. "So we've got other thinkers, other texts, and I think we need to consider them in creating this civil religion that we talk about." Similarly, Yale's Philip Gorski argues that the notion of an American scripture needs periodic updating to incorporate the voices of others alongside the nation's founders, such as Frederick Douglass, the social reformer Jane Addams, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "I think about the American civil religion as an evolving tradition," he says. "I sometimes liken it to a river whose banks grow wider over time and which is changed by the landscape that it flows through, instead of thinking about it as some kind of pristine spring that we have to return to again and again." Debating religious language The advocacy of a civil religion took a complicated turn in recent months as the American political idea became linked to Christian nationalism. Among those who invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, claiming it as "our house," were many who said they were led by their Christian beliefs, even as members of the Capitol Police warned they were violating a "sacred" space. One of the insurrection leaders, standing defiantly on the dais of the Senate chamber, actually called on his fellow protesters to join him in prayer. "Jesus Christ, we invoke your name!" he shouted, as recorded in a video by a writer for The New Yorker magazine. Among those upset by that scene was Myles Werntz, a theology professor at Abilene Christian University. "When you have someone like you saw on Jan. 6, someone who gets up into the Senate, declaring that the violence that is being done that day is being done in the name of God, that's when I think you find that religious language has gone amok." The widespread display of Christian symbols on Jan. 6, in fact, has triggered a general backlash against religious nationalism in the country. Werntz fears that the notion of a civil religion for the country may suffer as a result. Some of the most eloquent apostles of the American idea, such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke from a Christian tradition, Werntz notes. "In his speeches, he frequently uses reference to scripture, and he's not speaking specifically to Christians," Werntz says. "He's using these things as more basic moral instruction. My concern is that in trying to get rid of the Christian nationalist versions, the other things which might have some social benefit might get swept out as well." At the stake in this new consideration of a civil religion for the United States is whether this collection of beliefs and principles can still inspire the nation and hold it together. The Scouts who gathered at a park in Virginia to work for their "Citizenship in the Nation" merit badge agreed among themselves that the work to put the American idea into practice is an ongoing process. "We're kind of getting closer to that American dream," said Joe, in the second row. "We will never reach that dream perfectly. But I think it's a history of getting closer and closer, from the American Revolution to the Civil War to the Cold War and then to now where we're having discussions about race, LGBTQ [rights], stuff like that. It's how can we get closer to that American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." | https://www.npr.org/2021/04/12/985036148/can-americas-civil-religion-still-unite-the-country |
Will Derek Chauvin testify at murder trial? | As the state begins to wind down its case against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd last May, legal experts are considering whether Derek Chauvins defense lawyer will call him to the stand. The decision will ultimately rest with Chauvin. Joe Friedberg, a veteran defense attorney, told the Star Tribune that much of the case focuses on Chauvins state of mind during the deadly incident. He said the "best person to tell us about that would be Chauvin, so you might really be forced to put him on in this case." The paper pointed out that Eric Nelson, Chauvins attorney, has not indicated whether or not his client will testify. Nelson, 46, handles cases ranging from drunken driving arrests to homicides, and is one of a dozen attorneys who take turns working with a police union legal defense fund to represent officers charged with crimes. He has gone hard and consistently at his chief message: that Floyds consumption of illegal drugs is to blame for his death, rather than something Chauvin did. An autopsy found fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyds system. Expert witnesses for the prosecution have asserted drugs did not kill Floyd. Mary Moriarty, a former Hennepin County chief public defender, told USA Today that Chauvin may testify "if he can add something to their case, (like) his perspective on what he did." She called it a possible last-ditch effort. She told KARE 11 that the state could wrap up its case by calling upon another medical witness and using Spark of Life testimony, which would allow Floyds relatives to "talk about who the person was in life." The paper also spoke to Joseph Daly, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, who mentioned the 17 previous complaints against Chauvin. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "The main danger of him testifying is the prosecution will put in its entire case againthrough its cross of Mr. Chauvin, not to mention his bad behavior in other situations." The Associated Press contributed to this report | https://www.foxnews.com/us/will-derek-chauvin-testify-at-murder-trial |
Could public money finance private-school discrimination, religion and fake history? | Derek W. Black and Rebecca Holcombe Opinion contributors With bills pending in more than 20 state legislatures to expand private school voucher programs, this spring could usher in the biggest transfer in funds from public schools to private schools in our nations history. The problem started last year when the Supreme Court held in Espinoza v. Montana that states cannot adopt blanket policies to exclude religious schools from voucher programs. The court left open the possibility that states could still place limits on what private schools do with the money. States might still prohibit them from using public money to teach religion or discriminate based on religion, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation and other protected classes. But choice advocates argue these minimal requirements are unconstitutional, too. Satisfied slaves, divine intervention This distinction is lost on a lot of states, which make no attempt to stop private schools from using public dollars to teach religion, discriminate or deliver curriculum that flies in the face of historical and scientific facts. Students in North Carolina, Florida and Indiana have tried to use their vouchers at religious schools only to be turned away because they didn't fit the schools desired demographic. Far too many of these schools also use textbooks that routinely espouse anti-science and white-centric ideology. For instance, as the Orlando Sentinel reported, some Florida voucher schools teach students that dinosaurs and humans lived together, that God's intervention prevented Catholics from dominating North America, that slaves who knew Jesus Christ were better off than free men who did not, and that most Black and white Southerners lived in harmony until power-hungry agitators stirred up conflict. Voucher advocates now argue not only that they have a right to participate in these voucher programs, but also that states cannot regulate what they teach with the money. If this idea prevails in the courts, states may lose all control over their programs. For example, in Vermont, some rural communities paid tuition for public academies for generations. Thirty years ago, the legislature converted those schools to private-nonprofit independent schools, effectively changing an old tradition into a typical private school voucher scheme one now subject to Espinoza. National right-wing legal advocacy groups noticed and filed several suits on behalf of religious school students in Vermont. In January, one federal appellate court ordered three Vermont public school districts to pay tuition vouchers to a Catholic school whose website states that faith is weaved into every aspect of life at the school, and that it aims to form its students in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Other decisions are still pending. America's teacher shortage:How to attract more, better educators into classrooms The newest and most radical claim, however, is that Espinozas rationale applies to charter schools, which are operated by independent groups using public funds and in theory are public schools. Some choice advocates, including in a recent Manhattan Institute report, argue states must allow private religious schools to operate as public charter schools. These religious schools need not even change their curriculum. They just need to send the bill to state government, instead of to parishioners and parents who had already opted out of public education and a public mission. First amendment roadblock Proponents of taxpayer funding of religious institutions ignore the fact that a public religious charter school is an oxymoron. The First Amendment prohibits states from establishing religion. And public education is by definition inclusive. Public schools dont get to exclude people because they practice a different religion or dont practice one at all. Nor do they get to propagate religion as science. You dont need a law degree to understand that the Constitution prohibits state-funded, licensed and regulated schools from doing these things. Religious charter schools, however, would threaten more than just basic democratic principles. They would take a wrecking ball to public school funding. States would suddenly become financially responsible for millions of students who previously chose to forgo public education. In places already struggling to maintain public infrastructure, public budgets would now be on the hook for religious infrastructure. Fight for equity: 3 million kids missing from school because of COVID-19: Shaquille ONeal and Rey Saldaa This choice movement may wrap itself in the rhetoric of meeting individual students needs and giving them the same opportunities as wealthy students, but unregulated vouchers and public religious charter schools would subvert the overall public will to the whims of an ideological minority. The saving grace is that an overwhelming majority of families and taxpayers have no interest in this bizarre education world. And if courts and advocates push them there, only one rational choice remains: End charter schools and publicly financed private school tuition altogether. That is a policy choice courts cannot second-guess on specious grounds. So the school choice lobby should be careful for what it wishes. Derek W. Black (@DerekWBlack) is the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of South Carolina and author of "Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy." Rebecca Holcombe (@RHolcombeVT) is the former Vermont secretary of Education. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/04/12/public-money-private-schools-religion-science-history-column/7121202002/ |
Can George P. Bush beat Ken Paxton for Texas AG in the Donald Trump-loving GOP? | If George P. Bush challenges incumbent Ken Paxton in the GOP primary for Texas attorney general, it will reveal whether hes the last of a fading political dynasty or the rising star capable of beating a Donald Trump-era incumbent whos steeped in controversy. Last week Bush told conservative radio talk show host Mark Davis that he is considering challenging Paxton the embattled attorney general in the 2022 GOP primary. There have been some serious allegations levied against the current attorney general, Bush told Davis on his 660 AM (The Answer) radio show in Dallas. Personally I think that the top law enforcement official in Texas needs to be above reproach. Bush added that character and integrity matters in public service, giving a clue about the focus of his campaign. After the interview, I asked Davis for an early take on a Paxton-Bush contest. It would be a very interesting race, the Bush star quality versus the Paxton legacy, Davis said. Might be a little, might be a lot. Democrats are taking aim at Paxton as well. Former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, a lawyer, is seeking the partys nomination for attorney general. Running but not yet affiliated to a political party is civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt. Paxton appears weakened by scandal. The FBI is investigating claims that Paxton abused his power by trading political favors to a political donor. Numerous former top aides who were fired or resigned allege that Paxton took bribes in exchange for a home remodel and a job for his alleged mistress. A recent poll by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows some voters give Paxton the benefit of the doubt, which could help him in a campaign against Bush. FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks , in Washington, at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called the "Save America Rally." The Texas attorney general's office is seeking to withhold or denying it has records related to the Republican official's appearance at a pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin File) (Jacquelyn Martin) When poll respondents were asked if Paxton has the integrity to be the states top lawyer, 32% agreed he does, 29% disagreed and 39% were unsure. Before the Republican Partys sharp turn to first the tea party movement and now Trump-brand conservatism, Bush the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush and the nephew of former President George W. Bush was destined for stardom. Pundits projected him as a potential governor. From the governors mansion, the White House would be in view. George P. Bush was to usher in a new era of Republican politics, one that took compassionate conservatism to a new level and pushed the diversity of the party, both in conservative ideas and participation. I remember him with his grandfather at the 2004 Republican National Convention, urging Republicans to do more to appeal to communities of color. He was a symbol of the futures of both his party and his family. Now in his second term as Texas land commissioner, Bushs political career has been a success, though the popularity of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has kept him in the backdrop of Texas GOP politics. His rise to the top could be complicated by the increasing unpopularity of his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and his uncle with Texas Republican voters. Trump forced Jeb Bush off the political scene in a humiliating 2016 presidential primary. And Trump has helped make George W. Bush uncool with many of his supporters. In other parts of the country, George W. Bush loyalists helped topple Trump in the 2020 presidential election. George P. Bush has done an adequate job separating himself from his familys disgust of Trump, but challenging Paxton could force voters to examine whether Bush is loyal to Trump or his family. Politics Stung by the storm: Poll finds Texas leaders failed to anticipate severe weather, prepare public Two out of three Texans lost electricity, water or both in last months devastating winter storm, and by a 2-to-1 margin, they say state and local leaders failed to adequately alert the public so it could prepare, according to a poll released Sunday by The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler. By and Often in Republican politics a middle ground is difficult to find. Bush told Davis his campaign would be about Paxtons performance in office, not conservative credentials. When you pick up the paper, yes, theres good lawsuits, theres good ideology and filings, but its about how you run an office, its about how you lead and its about how youre a role model for our children and for members of the Texas bar, Bush said. Paxtons career still thrives Paxtons political career has thrived amid legal and ethical challenges. In 2014, the former state senator from McKinney was elected attorney general despite looming charges of securities fraud. Hes been fighting those charges since 2015, which didnt prevent his reelection in 2018. Paxtons most effective strategy in his first campaign for attorney general was casting himself as a tea party conservative. Campaign television ads and mailers featured Sen. Ted Cruz, a darling of the tea party movement, praising Paxton. That was enough for Paxton to sprint ahead of the competition, which included former state Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas. Now Paxton is under federal investigation and matters could get worse. But he has endeared himself to many conservatives by bringing the meritless lawsuit that sought to overturn presidential election results in several battleground states. His standing with Trump is secure, and the former president could play a role in a Paxton-Bush showdown. But even as he seeks to appeal to Trump voters, Paxton has had difficulty raising campaign dollars. Hell need to step up his fundraising for a brutal challenge from Bush. While Bush would try to make the contest about Paxtons conduct in office, Paxton would want the race to be a referendum on conservative credentials, particularly as it relates to Trump. Republican voters will have to decide whats more important to them: Paxtons job performance and legal problems, or his commitment to the Trump and hard-right cause. A Paxton-Bush showdown will not only be a fascinating tactical battle, but it will measure the level of discernment among Texas GOP voters. | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/04/12/can-george-p-bush-beat-ken-paxton-for-texas-ag-in-the-donald-trump-loving-gop/ |
Should Titans pickup Rashaan Evans fifth-year option? | Come May 3, the Tennessee Titans will have to decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of 2018 first-round pick and linebacker, Rashaan Evans. While the Titans did make the right move at the time with their last four fifth-year-option decisions, none of those decisions ended up working out the way the team had hoped. Quarterback Marcus Mariota got benched during the fifth year of his rookie deal, while right tackle Jack Conklin and wide receiver Corey Davis had career years after theirs were declined. Cornerback Adoree Jackson was the last Titan to have his option picked up, but he went on to play in just three games due to injury in 2020 and wasnt very effective when on the field. He never made it to the fifth year of his rookie deal following his release this offseason. Next up is Evans, who appears to be heading for the same path that Conklin and Davis had to take, which is having to go through a prove-it year after Tennessee declines his option. It remains to be seen if Evans will mimic those players in terms of having a career year, though. While Evans has no doubt shown flashes of being a solid player and he was impressive in 2019, he definitely took a step back in 2020, no matter how you slice it. His caliber of play wasnt what weve come to expect, particularly against the run, and he was a penalty machine, leading the Titans with eight, including a Week 1 ejection against the Denver Broncos. It has gotten to the point where 2019 sixth-round pick and linebacker David Long deserves to have an opportunity to challenge Evans for the starting job next to locked-in starter, linebacker Jayon Brown. According to Spotrac, Evans would make roughly $9.7 million on the fifth-year option, a price too high to pay for what the Alabama product showed last season, and really, overall during his three years in the NFL. Not only should the Titans decline Evans option, they should also explore trading him. Such a move would guarantee Tennessee some draft capital, while also saving the team about $2 million against the cap. Story continues From there, the Titans could plug Long into the starting job next to Brown and ensure they get something for Evans inevitable departure from Nashville. Related | https://sports.yahoo.com/titans-pickup-rashaan-evans-fifth-114337330.html?src=rss |
How Did a Self-Taught Linguist Come to Own an Indigenous Language? | When I first met Carol Dana, in the spring of 2018, she told me that she was thinking of getting a parrot. Dana, a member of the Penobscot Nation, one of five hundred and seventy-four Native American tribes recognized by the United States federal government, was attending a small ceremony at the University of Maines anthropology museum. She wore her silver hair pulled back from her face, and introduced herself to me as the tribes language master, a title, she added, that she wasnt fully comfortable with. The idea of mastery seemed an imprecise way to describe the fraught relationship she had with the Penobscot words inside her head. Though not fluent, Dana has a better grasp of the language than anyone else on Indian Island, where six hundred of the worlds estimated twenty-four hundred members of the Penobscot tribe live. She admitted to being linguistically lonely. Ive been talking to myself in Penobscot for years, she said. You need to say it out loud, so your own ears can hear it. Though she knew that a bird wouldnt be able to carry on a conversation, she thought that simply hearing Penobscot words spoken at home by another living creature would be better than nothing. Dana, who is sixty-eight, learned most of what she knows of Penobscot not from her tribal elders but from Frank Siebert, a self-taught linguist who hired her, in 1982, as a research assistant. He was seventy; Dana was thirty. Siebert had grown up in Philadelphia and had been passionate about Native Americans for as long as he could rememberas a child, he had slept with a toy tomahawk in his bed. He, Dana, and a few other assistants worked in a bare office on Indian Island, a mile-wide shallot-shaped island in the middle of the Penobscot River. Dana, who was brought up there, had as a child been forbidden to go to the mainland, and shed spent her school-age days picking blueberries and mayflowers, building lean-tos, and impaling apples on sticks, throwing them like javelins. In the summer, she and her friends swam in the river; in the fall, they wrestled in the leaves. Siebert, who had moved to Maine permanently about fifteen years before Dana joined him in his work, had no such memories, but together they muttered and scribbled in a language that only a handful of people still spoke. I first heard about Frank Siebert a year before I met Dana, from Jane Anderson, a legal scholar at N.Y.U. I was interested in the ways in which indigenous knowledge, passed down through many generations and often collectively held, is considered essentially authorless by Western intellectual-property law. Anderson, who is Australian, works with indigenous communities around the world to help solve conflicts over the ownership of ancient ideas. I had come to her with questions about a burgeoning movement in Guatemala to trademark traditional weaving designs, but within an hour I was convinced that I should travel not to Central America but to Maine, which, she told me, was home to a sovereign nation whose language was technically owned by a dead white man who had devised a way to write it down. The name Penobscot is a mangled rendering of punawuhpskekor pnwhpskek, in the writing system Siebert introducedmeaning the place where the rocks clear out. For more than three hundred generations, the tribe, which once had fifty thousand members, hunted on the banks of the Penobscot River, navigated its waters, and spoke one of the many Eastern Algonquian languages heard along a swath of the northern Atlantic coastan area that today extends from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Siebert began studying the Penobscot language in the nineteen-thirties, four hundred years after European explorers arrived. By then, all that was left of the Penobscot territory, which once encompassed half of Maine, was a reservation that included Indian Island, which can be circumnavigated by foot in less than an hour, and some smaller islands along the river. The tribes language had nearly disappeared from use. Beginning in the eighteen-eighties, Penobscot children were sent to government-sponsored residential schools, where teachers beat them for speaking anything but English. Anywhere else in the world, youre thought to be more intelligent if youre bilingualexcept for us, for some reason, Dana told me. The strategy, replicated across the country, was effective: more than three hundred indigenous languages were once spoken in the United States; today, linguists worry that within thirty years there will be only twenty. By the middle of the twentieth century, there were just two dozen Penobscot speakers on Indian Island, most of them elderly. When they tried to teach Penobscot to younger members of the tribe, their efforts were met with complaints that there was no use for it anyway. But Dana loved listening to her grandmother speak the language of her ancestors. Like other indigenous New England dialects, Penobscot does not distinguish between certain commonly used consonantsBs and Ps, for instance, or Zs and Ss. The sonic effect of Penobscotmelodic, gentle, and worn-sounding, almost like singingis at odds with the languages structure, which is especially visual, efficient, and kinetic. Single words can express full ideas. Canoe is that which flows lightly upon the water; an otter is a wandering portager; lunch is noon eat; butter is milk grease; flower is something bursting forth into the light. Dana describes Penobscot words as little poetic pictures. Her grandmother was a stoic and remote woman when she spoke in English, but she seemed transformed when laughing and joking and talking with her Native friends. Thats how language is conveyed, Dana said. Around the kitchen table. Dana first applied for a job on Sieberts team in 1979; she told me that she had been frustrated when Siebert gave the job not to her or to another Penobscot person but to a red-haired woman from Connecticut. Two years later, Siebert agreed to take Dana on as well; he had her sort through stacks of materialstranscripts of interviews hed conducted with elders in their homes, journals and notecards scrawled with vocabulary that was written in the orthography hed developed, which was punctuated with unfamiliar, academic diacritics. Dana was moved by what she learned. There is no word in Penobscot for goodbye, only the more optimistic Ill see you again. Verbs of motion almost always have prefixes. People dont just walk or jump. They walk from here or to there; they jump across or out or up. Built into the language is the directive to cite ones sources. When I asked Dana whether she ever felt resentful or embarrassed that she had learned her own language from a white man, she laughed. Oh, yes, all of that, she said. But it didnt quite feel like I was learning it from him. It was her ancestors language that she was reading, not Sieberts. There was no bridge to Indian Island when Siebert made his first trip there, as a twenty-year-old college student, in 1932. The ferry, a flat-bottomed bateau, cost ten cents, round trip. It was August, and the river was low the day he boarded the boat and paid his fare. He asked where he might find someone willing to speak Penobscot with him, and the ferryman pointed toward a honeysuckle-lined path that led through the woods. At the end of the path lived a pious man in his sixties named Louis Lolar. Siebert introduced himself, and Lolar invited him inside. His small home was sparsely furnished; like the other houses on the island, it had no indoor plumbing. The two men sat by Lolars woodstove, and Siebert practiced Penobscot until the sun went down. To an English-speaking eavesdropper, the conversation would have sounded a bit like a choir lesson. Siebert was nearsighted and nearly six and a half feet tall. Everyone thought he looked German. His high-school yearbook had remarked on his unobtrusiveness and complete disdain (as far as we know) of the female sex. By the age of fifteen, he had read everything he could find about Native Americans, and had grown so impatient with the limitations of the local public library that hed begun creating his own private one. His first purchase, in 1928, was a reprint of a seventeenth-century Christian primer written in Wampanoag, a language related to Penobscot. It cost him twenty-five cents. Sieberts father was a train inspector; his mother, a savvy stock investor. They wanted him to become a doctor, and so he did. It was when he entered medical school, at the University of Pennsylvania, that his double life began. Siebert took the required courses in biochemistry and immunology, but he spent his free time learning about indigenous North American languages. He took regular trips up the East Coast, to attend lectures at Columbia, with Franz Boas, widely considered the pioneer of modern anthropology, and at Yale, with Edward Sapir, a founder of ethnolinguistics. At the University of Pennsylvania, Frank Speck, an anthropologist specializing in the Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples, nurtured Sieberts special interest in Penobscot. Speck kept office hours in a book-lined neo-Gothic chapel filled with living snakes and lizards, and was known to shoot arrows from a crossbow into the door. Speck had visited Indian Island in 1907 and collected Penobscot stories from Newell Lyon, a speaker in his seventies. (At the time, linguists called such Native collaborators informants, as though in admission that their work involved a kind of treachery.) The stories chronicled the exploits of Gluskabe, a shamanic hunter and trickster whose grandmother, a woodchuck, teaches him how to survive in the wilderness using interspecies statecraft. The Gluskabe stories were passed down in the community like heirlooms. Sometimes one family would take a particular narrative into its care, as if for safekeeping, and another family would have to ask for permission to relay it. In 1918, eleven years after his first trip to Indian Island, Speck published the stories in an academic journal. In Specks office, Siebert memorized Penobscot vocabulary while keeping an eye on a white fox, which hid behind a leaking radiator. To learn the languages grammar and make his first attempts at a Penobscot orthography, Siebert pored over Specks transcriptions of Lyons Gluskabe stories, marking up their margins in green and red ink. Like the patients Siebert was learning to treat, the language was frail and suffering. In a letter he sent at that time, he described Penobscot as nearly dead in all respects. Siebert joined the Linguistic Society of America; he collected stories and collated word lists from Native American communities in Ontario, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Long Island, some of them on the brink of disappearing. He wrote for peer-reviewed linguistic journals, presented at conferences, and did field work in the summertime. Once, during a medical internship, he sold his blood in order to buy a rare edition of an eighteenth-century indigenous-language guide. But linguistics remained a hobby. In 1956, he married Marion Paterson, an administrative assistant at a Pittsburgh hospital where he had taken a job. Marion, a decade his junior, had grown up in the area during the Depression. Their honeymoon, which he planned, was a driving tour of Civil War battleground sites. The next year, they moved to Vermont, where Siebert worked as a pathologist and as a regional medical examiner. Siebert and Marions first daughter, Kathy, was born in 1958; their second, Stephanie, in 1961. Lets see . . . Ill do the green eggs . . . ham . . . sub the eggs for . . . hmm . . . Ill come back to that. Lets go ahead and sub hash browns for the ham . . . Do you prepare the potatoes on the same griddle as the eggs or the ham? Facebook Twitter Email Shopping Cartoon by Sara Lautman Both daughters told me that their parents marriage was troubled. Neither attempted to diagnose their father, but, like other people I spoke with, they described the kind of bizarre behavior that one might associate with a nervous breakdown. In Vermont, Siebert became neurotically frugal, eating food out of the trash and not allowing Marion to buy formula for the babies. As Marion nursed and cooked and cleaned, Siebert thought aloud, in a booming voice, about Custers Last Stand. They had screaming matches and physical altercations. Siebert once told a bookseller that he had tried to push Marion out of a moving car and that she, in turn, had cut his brake lines. The couple divorced in 1964, and that fall Siebert left Vermont without saying where he was going. For a time, he lived in Philadelphia, in a single-room-occupancy hotel. Marion and the girls returned to Pittsburgh to live with her family. Siebert never paid alimony or child support. Marion, who continued to wear her wedding ring and kept a framed photograph of Siebert and his microscope on a bookshelf, wanted to hire a detective to track him down, but she couldnt afford it. She had no idea that her husband had moved to Maine. Siebert bought a bungalow across the river from Indian Island and went to work. Preserving a hardly spoken oral language required innovative intervention. Of the two dozen fluent Penobscot speakers whom Siebert had started interviewing decades earlier, only a few were still alive, including Andrew Dana, who had learned Penobscot as a child by staying up past his bedtime and listening to his grandfather, a famous storyteller. (His family was close with Carol Danas, but she believes they were not related.) By 1968, Andrew Dana was in his seventies and sick. As he spoke, Siebert scribbled. Sieberts notebooks are filled with the old mans correctionsthe sounds that Siebert misheard, the words he misspelled. Siebert, who had left his medical career behind when he moved to Maine, supported himself with investments and with private and federal grants, which enabled him to hire a small team of assistants. In 1980, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded him a large sum for the creation of a Penobscot dictionary that would provide scholarsnot speakerswith a better understanding of the language and culture. Ives Goddard, who curated the Smithsonians department of anthropology at the time, has described Siebert as clearly the most brilliant and most competent avocational linguist working on Native American languages that there has ever been, hands down. But Siebert was known on the reservation as a crank. He wandered around in stained shirts and suits shiny with wear. He monitored his bank account obsessively and subsisted on canned tuna and beans. His letters from the time, many of which run on for multiple pages, are written in a nearly illegible script and filled with omnidirectional vitriol. His targets included the C.I.A., the F.D.I.C., Keynesian economics, libraries, Brazil, fellow book collectors, African-Americans, and the twentieth century itself. He mocked Daniel Boone, for his poor spelling (like a four-year-old), and F.D.R., whom he referred to as Old Jelly Legs. Siebert seemed to spend a lot of time taking walks in a nearby graveyard, and he never had company. A neighborwhose newspaper Siebert read to avoid paying for his own subscriptionsometimes brought him dinner, but the food was seldom to Sieberts liking, and he was not shy about saying so. He left Maine only to buy rare books, and to conduct library research. Clarence Wolf, a Philadelphia-based bookseller, thought that Siebert was homeless on first meeting him. In the insular world of antiquarian book collecting, he came to be known as the Indian Man. A linguistic anthropologist who met Siebert in the seventies noted that, despite his rapidly expanding bibliographic collection, he was a scholar who trusted no scholar, and hence no products of scholarship. Siebert believed that his university-affiliated colleagues were at a contemptible remove from their supposed areas of expertise; he, meanwhile, was satisfied only to learn from primary sources. | https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/19/how-did-a-self-taught-linguist-come-to-own-an-indigenous-language |
Will Hsavk Earn an skar? | Hsavk (population twenty-three hundred) is a fishing village on the northern coast of Iceland. Its chief industry is tourism: whale-watching (the town calls itself the Whale Capital of Iceland), a microbrewery, geothermal baths. In the winter, you can see the northern lights. We really cant complain, except that there are too few of us herewe need more people, the towns mayor, Kristjn r Magnsson, said recently. His duties normally include meeting with school principals and sorting out staffing with the fire chief. But in 2019 Hsavk welcomed the Netflix comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga for four days of filming. No drones are to be operated over or around the set, Magnsson warned citizens. But he couldnt help feeling starstruck himself. Recalling a shoot at a local cemetery, he said, If somebody had told me that I would be sitting at my grandmothers grave with Will Ferrell and Pierce Brosnan, I dont know what I would have thought! The movie tells the story of two Hsavk musicians (probably not siblings), Lars and Sigrit, played by Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, who represent Iceland at the Eurovision contest after the countrys other contestants are killed in a boat explosion. They bumble their way to the finals, where they perform a half-silly, half-stirring ballad called Hsavk (My Hometown). (Where the mountains sing through the screams of seagulls.) When the movie came out, last June, the town was elated, although COVID dampened the celebration. We had planned a huge screening here at the sports hall, which we couldnt do, Magnsson said. But I think every single person, whether at kindergarten or the elderly home, was watching the first day. The song became a town anthem: Late at night, if you opened your window, you could hear people singing out of the bar. Last month, a group of townsfolk released a video called An skar for Hsavk, in which a fictional resident named skar skarsson lobbies for an Academy Award. It was the kind of publicity even Netflix cant buyand it paid off. Hsavk was nominated for Best Original Song, and Magnsson has set aside funds for more grassroots campaigning. Having an anthem like this, its priceless, the mayor said, on Zoom. He was joined by the three nominated songwriters: Savan Kotecha, Rickard Gransson, and Fat Max Gsus. Magnsson, who was meeting them for the first time, wore glasses and a gray sweater; the songwriters all had shaggy hair and beards. They were delighted to hear how their song had transformed the town. The kids at school sing it, Magnsson told them. Thats probably the coolest thing ever, Gsus said, as the trio giggled. Kotecha, an American pop composer who has written for Katy Perry and One Direction, was the films executive music producer. For the climactic number, he corralled two Swedish collaborators, Gransson (with whom he worked on the Ariana Grande hit God Is a Woman) and Gsus (a new guy in our whole Swedish mafia), to write something that could pass for a real Eurovision power ballad while also being a parody of one. We needed this song to be the heartbeat of the movie, Kotecha said. They went through more than sixty versions, with an Icelandic verse rendered via Google Translate. Early on, Gsus said, I tried to put together the most complicated, longest Icelandic village name that I could think of, and it came to be Kirkjubjarklaustursteingrmsfjararheiiarstaal. Ultimately, the filmmakers settled on Hsavk, which was both scenic and easier to pronounce than, say, Seyisfjrur. My need to cry has given way to a need to laugh. But it could flip back anytime. Facebook Twitter Email Shopping Cartoon by Victoria Roberts None of the songwriters had visited Hsavk, but they drew on their love of their own home towns. Kotecha spent his teen-age years in Austin, where he discovered music and started a boy band. Gsus is from Karlskrona, a Swedish coastal city, and Gransson grew up nearby, in Vxj. As for Magnsson, he was born in Hsavk in 1979 and studied public health in the United States; he was teaching at the University of Iceland, in Reykjavk, when he was recruited to be the mayor of Hsavk, in 2014. The town is planning to capitalize on its global famewhich will surely grow when the song is performed at the Oscarswith a summer tourism campaign. Theres now a Jaja Ding Dong pub, named for another song from the movie, and a replica of the tiny elf houses from the film, so you can actually go there and celebrate the elves, Magnsson promised. The composers werent sure yet whether theyd be able to attend the Oscars in person, but Hsavk residents are planning to stay up and watch. We might have to consider late check-in at school the day after, the mayor said. Should the songwriters ever make it to Hsavk, he offered to buy them a round of Jaja Ding Dong whiskey sours. Send the town our love, Kotecha said. Were going to try and win it for you guys. | https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/19/will-husavik-earn-an-oskar |
Why is Macron abolishing Frances school for the political class? | On Thursday 8 April, Emmanuel Macron announced the closure of the prestigious cole Nationale dAdministration, Frances elite school for turning out senior civil servants and politicians. The presidents announcement sounded familiar he had already pledged to reform the ENA, a school renowned for its conservatism and aversion to change, back in 2019 but this time its final: Macron said that the time had come to abolish an institution that is widely regarded as a symbol of elitism and inequality. With just a year until the next presidential election, Macron is neck and neck in the polls with Marine Le Pen. The ENA abolition looks, therefore, as if its part of a strategy to reconnect with the people. Its easy to forget, given the pandemic, but before France entered lockdown in March 2020, it had been experiencing the most sustained anti-elite movement for generations in the form of the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests. Macron has certainly has not forgotten this. The president does not want to dispense with the idea of an elite school altogether but to build something that allegedly works better. A new school called the Institut du Service Public, a kind of public management school, will replace the ENA. Unsurprisingly, Jean-Louis Debr, once a close ally of Jacques Chirac, declared that this was a populist measure (by which he meant it was pandering to public opinion). His father, Michel Debr, the first of Charles de Gaulles prime ministers, founded the ENA in 1945. Its aim was to train students drawn from all walks of life through entrance exams so jobs in the French civil service could be assigned on merit rather than wealth and personal background. In reality, the school turned out to be a close-knit club for the upper-class, rather than a force for democratisation. The elitist recruitment pattern has worsened over the years: by 2014, 70% of students came from the upper classes, as opposed to 45% in the 1950s. ENA graduates called narques land the best jobs in the civil service, but also in business and frontline politics. Alumni include several presidents, the past eight prime ministers and current CEOs of top business and banking firms. There is even a term, pantouflage (from the word for slippers), referring to the practice by which civil servants find lucrative work in the private sector the narques are emblematic of this tendency, which accentuates the public perception of an incestuous old boys network. One may think of narques as the French counterparts of Oxford PPE graduates. Insofar as they are both effectively finishing schools for the ruling class, the comparison makes sense, although the specifics are quite different. In the UK, private education and elite universities are a fact of life. In France, the ideology of republicanism which comes from the French Revolution insists on the notion of equality of treatment for all and on the delivery of state-of-the-art public services owned and run by the state. The ENA is a public institution whose funding almost wholly comes from the state. This makes the way it favours students with high economic and cultural capital not just embarrassing, but a seeming contradiction of the states republican ideals. To get in, candidates spend a year prior to applying to the school in a classe prparatoire, an extremely demanding course. The written exam (concours externe) tests a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Only a minority of candidates make it to the second round, which includes oral exams that essentially test their elocutionary skills. Then comes the dreaded grand oral, a long ordeal in front of a jury during which candidates are asked all kinds of puzzling and provocative questions designed to test their capacity to think on the spot. It all has the effect of giving richer candidates who have the right social skills the edge over candidates from more modest backgrounds. Once in the ENA, it is essential to graduate in the top 10%, if graduates want to be able to choose from the most prestigious roles in the French state. The rest may be assigned to mediocre positions. Former graduates often complain about the teaching, which has a reputation for being dull and conservative, and describe the institution as a bastion of upper-class snobbery. Back in 2006, Nicolas Sarkozy (who did not attend the ENA) mocked the sadist or idiot who had seen fit to include exam questions for ENA candidates about Madame de la Fayettes Princess of Clves, a 17th-century novel. Sarkozys mockery alluded to the idea that narques are trained to discuss subjects as varied as politics, economics, history, arts or literature but can do so in only a superficial manner. The modernisation of the ENA should therefore involve a comprehensive overhaul of the schools recruitment process and exam procedures, as well as a dramatic modernisation of the curriculum so it reflects the challenges of the real world. Only he knows. Though the reform may be welcome and necessary, it will probably not make the slightest difference to them: narques and ordinary citizens would carry on living on different planets. | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/12/macron-abolishing-france-elitist-school-president-ena-french-voters |
How many states and provinces are in the world? | The New York Times LAKE MARY, Fla. Long before the FBI began to scrutinize a tax collector in Florida named Joel Greenberg and long before his trail led them to Rep. Matt Gaetz he amassed an outlandish record in the mundane local public office he had turned into a personal fief of power. Records and interviews detailed a litany of accusations: Greenberg strutted into work with a pistol on his hip in a state that does not allow guns to be openly carried. He spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to create no-show jobs for a relative and some of his groomsmen. He tried to talk his way out of a traffic ticket, asking a police officer for professional courtesy. He played police officer himself, putting a flashing light on his car to pull over a woman and accuse her of speeding. He published an anti-Muslim Facebook post. He solicited help to hack critics on the county commission. Stalking a rival candidate got him arrested. Federal agents looking into the matter found at least five fake IDs in his wallet and backpack, and kept digging. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Their inquiry culminated in 33 federal charges against Greenberg, 36, including sex trafficking of a minor, bribery, fraud and stalking and led to a mushrooming political scandal that burst into national news in recent days and ensnared Gaetz, who is a close ally of former President Donald Trump, and other influential Florida Republicans, with the investigation continuing. Though the sex trafficking charge against Greenberg and the ensuing Justice Department examination into Gaetz including whether he had sex with the same 17-year-old girl have received the most attention, the array of schemes that Greenberg is suspected of are broader and altogether show an astonishing disregard for the law by an elected official. Interviews with people in Seminole County who dealt with Greenberg and a review of news articles and public records from his past suggest that he went from being a wealthy but troubled teenager who drifted through young adulthood before turning to local politics five years ago and embracing Trumpism. He quickly built relationships with Gaetz, 38, whom he had met in political circles that also included Chris Dorworth, 44, a real estate developer and lobbyist for Ballard Partners, a powerful firm that had close ties to the Trump administration. (Greenberg hired Ballard in 2017 to lobby for the tax collectors office.) Dorworth announced Friday that he had resigned from the firm. Greenberg relished hobnobbing with the well-connected: He spoke at a Trump campaign rally in 2016 and was invited to the White House three years later. But he also appeared to ingratiate himself with Gaetz and others more privately as well: by soliciting women for sex on their behalf, sometimes in Ecstasy-fueled encounters, people familiar with the arrangements have said. Gaetz has broadly denied allegations against him, including paying for sex or having sex with a minor. In the end, Greenberg went from being an outsider elected on an anti-corruption platform to, prosecutors say, becoming corrupted himself. The world he built quickly fell apart when he was first indicted in June. He resigned and dropped his bid for reelection. Within days, one of the women crashed a vehicle into a tree near Greenbergs house, suffering minor injuries, according to a police report of the crash, which has not been previously reported. And indications in court last week that he plans to plead guilty, suggesting he will cooperate with prosecutors, further prompted former friends to abandon him. No one wants to talk to me anymore, Greenberg told The Orlando Sentinel in the fall. Greenbergs lawyer, Fritz Scheller, declined to make his client, who has been in jail since March for violating terms of his bail, available for a jailhouse interview. Greenberg acted unlike any other tax collector in Florida. His small-time position left him dissatisfied. His friendships gave him a taste of greater power. He tested the boundaries of what he could get away with, until it all imploded. Daniel A. Prez, a lawyer who represented one of Greenbergs former employees in a labor dispute, likened the disreputable saga to a Netflix series: Its like the Tiger King got elected tax collector. He was not expected to win. The previous tax collector, Ray Valdes, a Republican, had been in office for 28 years. But Valdes had been accused of ethical misconduct, and Greenberg, a newcomer, saw an opening. He raised five times as much money for a primary challenge, almost all self-funded his father founded an empire of dental offices and ousted the incumbent. Greenberg had little record to run on. He campaigned as a small-business owner, with an advertising company named DG3 Network registered to his name. He had hosted a daily afternoon sports-talk AM radio show. He was 31 and had recently married Abby Weldgen, a real estate agent. Greenberg attended evening classes at Rollins College between 2005 and 2012 but never graduated, according to the school. His name appeared on a burglary incident report when he was 18 and on an involuntary psychiatric commitment report when he was 21, but both reports were sealed, according to records unearthed in 2016 by WFTV, a local news station. Greenberg declined to speak to the station about them. When Greenberg was 15, he and his mother, Susan Greenberg, told a sports columnist for The Sentinel that he had benefited from the mentorship of an Orlando Magic basketball player, John Amaechi, who sometimes shot hoops with wayward teenage boys. Susan Greenberg told The Sentinel that her son had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder as a toddler, took medication as a child and developed Tourette syndrome. Joel is my shining star that needs more polishing, more buffing, she said. Hes the one who keeps me on my knees. It was a belligerent, defiant, rebellion-type of thing at home. Greenbergs parents sent him to the Florida Air Academy in Melbourne for military-style discipline, but I guess it just didnt sink in, young Joel told The Sentinel. Asked what he would like to be one day, he answered, I want to be a good person. Being elected tax collector could have offered Greenberg a stable, if low-profile, career in government. But he had run as a reformer and appeared to bask in the trappings of his new role. Two months after winning the Republican primary in August 2016 effectively clinching the office, since no Democrat was on the ballot he made the speaking lineup at a Trump rally in Sanford, Florida, bounding onto the airport tarmac stage in sunglasses before Trump arrived. The media has tried to destroy a good mans reputation, he said of Trump, and in destroying that, they would destroy that which he represents: the ideas that you and I hold dear in our hearts, that we know is right and true. By June 2017, Gaetz floated the idea to a Tampa radio station that Greenberg could run for Congress. He called him a disrupter who had taken the tax collectors office by storm. A few months into office, Greenberg was, according to an employee and others in his orbit, already bored. Four complaints about his actions as tax collector were made to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement from August 2017 to August 2018, including accusations that he had asked a contractor to hack the countys computers, department records show. He pulled over a woman in 2017 while wearing shorts, a backward baseball cap and his tax collectors badge around his neck. She said he had yelled at her for supposedly cutting him off and driving like a bat out of hell, according to a complaint she filed to the sheriffs office. News reports alleged financial mismanagement. A county audit concluded that Greenberg had wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer money and used his tax collector credit card to purchase body armor, weapons and a drone. By the end of his tenure, his office in top-shelf space he leased was strewn with electronics, one person who saw it said. A poorly installed server to allow for cryptocurrency payments to the tax collectors office was blamed for a fire this year. Seminole County elected a criminal into office, unknowingly, said J.R. Kroll, a Republican who was elected tax collector last year, after Greenbergs resignation. State and local authorities never charged Greenberg with anything more than traffic violations. What ultimately got Greenberg into trouble as so often happens in Florida began with a clash over real estate. His friend Dorworth wanted to build a shopping and residential complex on rural lands in eastern Seminole County. But an opposition group defeated the project in 2018, and eventually its leader, a music teacher named Brian A. Beute, decided he wanted to go beyond activism and run for office, filing a 2020 candidacy against Greenberg. Soon after, an anonymous letter was sent to the school where Beute worked, falsely accusing him of having a sexual relationship with a student. Social media accounts popped up making other repugnant claims about him. The Seminole County Sheriffs Office found Greenbergs fingerprints on the letter. Deputies called in federal agents, said David Bear, Beutes lawyer. That set off a cascade of criminal charges against Greenberg filed in four indictments, including that he used drivers licenses surrendered to his office to create fake IDs for women with whom he engaged in sugar daddy relationships. Prosecutors say he obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent loans from a COVID-19 relief program and embezzled more than $400,000 from the county. Seminole is a suburban county of about half a million people northeast of Orlando. The Greenberg affair, outlandish as it was, might have never made waves outside Central Florida if not for the ties investigators found to other Republicans the Seminole County Republican mafia, Bear called it and Gaetz. Greenberg and Gaetz met through the tight-knit group of prominent Trump backers in Florida in 2017, according to a person familiar with the matter. Greenberg had no political experience before he was elected. Gaetz represents a district some 400 miles away. Yet Greenberg and Gaetz saw each other regularly in recent years. They gathered at Dorworths home in January 2019 to celebrate that Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican close to Gaetz, had overturned a ban on smokable medical marijuana. The three men visited Washington together that June, and Greenberg posted photographs on social media from the White House lawn, including one of his daughter with Gaetz and Trump. A few years ago the exact date is unclear Greenberg brought Gaetz into the tax collectors branch office in Lake Mary over a weekend. The following Monday, an employee found the alarm deactivated and drivers licenses strewn over a desk. She reviewed surveillance video and saw Greenberg with another man by that desk. When she asked Greenberg about it, according to text messages reviewed by The New York Times, he wrote back, Yes I was showing congressman Gaetz what our operation looked like. Did I leave something on? What the men were doing is unclear. In a separate episode on a Sunday in September 2018, Greenberg texted an employee about getting Gaetz an emergency replacement ID by Tuesday, claiming that the congressman had lost his. Gaetz told Politico that he had briefly lost his wallet but found it before needing the ID replacement. Days after Greenberg was first indicted last year, a woman crashed her car into a tree a few hundred yards from his home early one morning, according to a crash report. The woman, according to two people familiar with their relationship, had previously had sex with Greenberg and received money from him on mobile payment apps; she had been leaving his house, the people said. When a neighbor called 911, the woman was crying out incoherently in the background, according to a recording of the call. The neighbor said the woman was calling a friend. Moments later, an unidentified man could be heard on the callers end of the line. She got a bump on her head, the man said. Theres a little cut on her head. Shes just very shaken. The latest indictment of Greenberg was unsealed late last month. The accusations, which included defrauding the Small Business Administration out of more than $432,000 in COVID-19 relief loans, described wrongdoing that began days after Greenberg was first arrested and released on bond last summer, prosecutors said. His wife left the house for at least some time after the arrest. Sheriffs deputies were called to the house in November after a verbal dispute between the couple, records show. In February, Greenberg drove to Jupiter, Florida, looking for his wife, a 180-mile drive that violated the curfew and travel restrictions that were conditions of his release. His mother-in-law called the police. At some point after Greenberg returned home, he burned her clothes, according to a person familiar with the episode. When sheriffs deputies went to rearrest him at his home in Lake Mary, Greenberg claimed to have explosives and threatened to harm himself, according to a deputys report. He surrendered after hours of negotiation. He now sits in jail, awaiting an expected plea deal and most likely a yearslong prison sentence. Investigation of Matt Gaetz The Justice Department is investigating whether Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., broke federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz, 38, was elected to Congress in 2016 and became one of President Donald Trumps most outspoken advocates. The inquiry focuses on the representatives relationships with women recruited online for sex and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The investigation includes an examination of payments to women. Investigators believe that he paid for sex with a number of women he met through Joel Greenberg a former Florida tax collector who was indicted last year on a federal sex trafficking charge, among other offenses people close to the investigation told The New York Times. Greenberg is expected to plead guilty to federal charges, an indication that he could cooperate as a witness against Gaetz. The representative has repeatedly dismissed the investigation as politically motivated and unfounded, defending his past relationships with women. So far, he has not been charged and the extent of his criminal exposure remains unclear. The investigation is continuing. Gaetz has claimed that his family is being targeted by two men trying to extort $25 million in exchange for making potential legal problems go away. The men have denied that they were trying to extort the Gaetzes. In the final weeks of the Trump administration, Gaetz asked the White House for a blanket pardon for any criminal conduct he had ever committed, people familiar with his request have said. Trump aides vetoed that idea, and Trump has said Gaetz never asked him directly for a pardon. Gaetz told the Times that he had no plans to resign from Congress. But as the investigation continues, he could face pressure either to step down or temporarily relinquish his spot on the House committee that oversees the Justice Department. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 2021 The New York Times Company | https://news.yahoo.com/many-states-provinces-world-122747283.html |
What Would A Sony Counterpunch To Xbox Game Pass Actually Look Like? | Horizon Forbidden West Sony This year, Microsoft has continued to make headlines with millions of new Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and big deals for launches on the service from Destiny 2: Beyond Light to Outriders to now the Sony-made MLB The Show 21. While Sony is still in a very strong position with the PS5 continuing to sell out at every turn, it stands to reason that Game Pass is becoming an irritant, and PS Now, with something like nine times fewer subscribers than Xbox Game Pass by last count, isnt getting the job done. This past week, former God of War director David Jaffe went on YouTube to say that everyone is underestimated PlayStations Jim Ryan and that a response to Game Pass is coming, in some form: We had the guy on the show yesterday that had made the petition to fire Jim Ryan and I was like, dude, thats way premature because Jim Ryan doesnt owe anybody, Sony doesnt owe anybody, the truth about whats coming and what their counterpunch to Game Pass isThere will be a response to Game Pass." The question, of course, is what that would actually look like. Obviously if Sony simply announced all first party games would launch day one on PlayStation Game Pass/PS Now, copying Xbox, that would be a huge deal. Its also extremely unlikely, given that Sony has previously said they dont see that as sustainable for their big-budget games, and they do not want to forgo tens of millions of box sales for series like Horizon, God of War and others. More First Party Games On PC Xbox has been doing this for a while now, but Sony has seemed more open to bringing its first party hits to PC. Granted, this is happening usually years after the fact, but I could see Sony starting to bend and bringing more of its first party games to release on PC more quickly, bringing that aspect of things on par with Xbox without sacrificing too much. Returnal SIE Select First Party Games Launching On PS Game Pass While its hard to imagine say, Horizon Forbidden West launching on a PlayStation Game Pass on day one, its possible Sony becomes more open to doing this with other games, showing PlayStation players that its worth signing up for the service. I could see for instance, Ratchet and Clank as a potential middleground first party release on a service like that, or it could be a way to debut new IPs to get them an expanded playerbase like Returnal. Merge PS Now And PS Plus With just a few million subscribers to PS Now after all this time, and PS Plus being effectively mandatory for most PlayStation owners, I could see Sony benefitting from losing the PS Now brand entirely and just rolling up both services together as a way to undercut Xbox, which still separates XBL and Game Pass unless you combine them into a somewhat expensive bundle. PS Nows library is solid, and PS Plus is constantly adding free monthly games that are always hugely attractive, along with things like the PS Plus Collection, a massive list of free, first party hits. With Now failing to take off in a meaningful capacity, I might just blend these two into one streamlined offering. All of this does raise the question though, is there anything Sony really can realistically do to match Game Pass if theyre not going to A) launch every first party game there and B) do massively expensive deals with third parties to launch games there, which are the two main staples of Xbox Game Pass, and why everyone is so drawn to it. Both of those ideas seem just too costly for Sony, and while they can improve their current services, I remain skeptical about what that will actually look like in the end. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to my free weekly content round-up newsletter, God Rolls. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series, and The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2021/04/12/what-would-a-sony-counterpunch-to-xbox-game-pass-actually-look-like/ |
What Would A New Financial Reporting Model For Network Businesses Look Like? | Contribution margin per unit sold, clear separation into fixed and variable costs so that we can identify platform building costs and changes in customer lifetime value broken down into vintages of acquisition will go a long way in helping investors separate the wheat from the chaff. Uber Taxi sign NurPhoto via Getty Images The dot-com boom spawned several noteworthy network businesses. Those that emerged stronger from the bursted bubble did so by investing in gaining market share as quickly as possible. Examples include: Amazon, Facebook, ebay, Etsy, Alibaba, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest and Airbnb, Uber and Lyft. When these companies and their less successful peers saw a number of users reach a tipping point, an older customer would implicitly get a new customerleading to a virtuous cycle resulting in runaway winners and left behind losers. Lets look at this in practice. If I am searching for an alternative to a hotel room in a new city, I head to Airbnb, not to VRBO or Booking.com because owners of apartment rentals in the specific area I am interested in that suit my preferences (i.e. close to a Whole Foods store and organic restaurants) are more likely to list their places on Airbnb. Because people like me look for such places, apartment owners who have units that fit my profile are more likely to list them on Airbnb. The greater the number of riders on Uber, the more attractive Uber becomes to drivers. Facebook started as a free online service in 2004, launched advertising in 2007, went public in 2012 and entered a hyper-growth phase in 2014. However, the current financial reporting model obfuscates, rather than informs, capital providers about the economics of these businesses. Lets consider Facebook as our positive outlier. In 2008, Facebook reported revenues of $272 million and a loss of $56 million. In 2014, revenue came in at $12.4 billion and income at $2.94 billion. Those numbers had grown to $86 billion in revenues and $29 billion of net income by 2020. The company has become successful enough to attract antitrust interest. Facebook was either lucky or skilled enough to hit the tipping point early in its life. There are many businesses which keep investing and hope for that magical tipping point moment to eventually arrive. Sometimes, they buy unsustainable growth by giving away the store despite recurring evidence that their customers expect steep discounts. Meanwhile, they urge capital providers to stay patient and blame the absence of long-term capital as a barrier to innovation. The current reporting model is particularly unhelpful at enabling investors identify such losers in a timely manner. Consider Uber before the confounding influence of Covid. For end-of-year 2019, Uber reported revenues of $13 billion but incurred losses of $8.5 billion. Anup Srivastava, my co-author, suggests a focus on unit economics and sensitivity of that metric to projected scale in the future. Building on these thoughts and my prior work outlining a more ideal reporting model, I propose a model that asks CEOs to report the following line items: Revenue (price per unit * number of units sold * foreign currency fluctuations) o Break down by new customer and repeat customers. Unless repeat buying increases, reaching the tipping point in a reasonable time frame becomes difficult. Direct variable costs associated with sale (variable cost per unit sold * number of units sold* foreign currency fluctuations). In Ubers case, drivers compensation per ride, credit card fees per ride. o Break down by new customer and repeat customer. If the firm keeps providing incentives for customers to come back, the tipping point becomes elusive. Contribution margin per unit, defined as the difference between revenue per unit and direct variable costs per unit. Indirect variable costs such as server time with Amazon Web Services. Period specific costs that are not central to the creation of the potential network or platform (example: utilities, rent, administrative expenses). Provide detailed breakdowns of these costs by category. Capitalize the costs that the manager believes creates the network or platform to the balance sheet. Provide detailed breakdowns of these costs by categories in terms of R&D, selling or brand building expenses. Customer reporting: Concurrently and perhaps most important, report the total number of customers serviced that year, the number of new customers, the number of repeat customers and the frequency distribution of their repeat buying by customer vintage (i.e., how many purchases and the dollar amount of purchases this year by customers acquired in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), the number of customers lost this year. Disclose and clarify: Disclose the projected lifetime dollar value of the customer and associated acquisition costs per customer. Clarify the actual and projected cross-selling of goods and services across customer vintages. For instance, an Amazon customer who came in 1999 first to buy books eventually bought music, video, groceries and so on. An Amazon customer who came in 2009 perhaps never bought a book. This analysis will also shed light on the portion of customer portfolio that could not be reactivated into buying again. A somewhat crude (no pun intended) template of this reporting scheme is the lifetime value of oil reserves that exploration and production companies are expected to disclose. For instance, Exxon reports the net proved developed and undeveloped reserves of oil at the beginning of the year, revisions in those estimates due to improved or declined recovery of oil from those reserves, purchases and sales of those reserves, extensions and discoveries, and the fall in these reserves due to production of oil this year. These revenue-based numbers, in fair value dollars and number of barrels of oil, are supplemented by data on future costs. Exxon discloses the present value of future cash inflows from sales of oil, future production costs, future development costs and future tax expenses. The discount rate in oil is set to a standard 10%. For a company like Uber, the analogy would work out as the fair value of customers relationships at the beginning of the year, upward or downward revisions in those estimates, purchases of customers via acquisitions, new investments made this year, impairments (if any) in the potential value of such relationships, expected future production and development costs and future tax expenses. Another wrinkle. Consider disclosing these estimates during the best, worst and expected scenarios in the judgement of the CEO with adequate disclosure of the underlying parameters of each scenario. Companies will pushback that this is unnecessarily burdensome. I would counter that the board of directors and the C-suite should have access to this information to manage the company well in any case. In essence, I am calling for disclosure of more management accounting or control and planning type data produced inside the company to outside capital providers. The investor can assess whether the contribution margin per unit is rising over time. One can get insight into the potential break even point or the number of units that need to be sold for contribution margin per unit to cover indirect variable costs and period specific fixed costs. Once the tipping point is reached, the rate of growth year over year on platform costs and other capex will fall. Net income per unit will grow and will more than pay for the platform costs capitalized on the balance sheet. Without a revised reporting model, businesses will continue to spin narratives that losses on the income statement merely reflect investment losses and peddle the falsehood of the elusive tipping point being within striking distance. In addition to my attempts to create an early design of a future reporting model, I am somewhat surprised that sell-side analysts dont push management to provide such granular data. Suggestions are welcomed on alternate reporting structures that will help investors finally separate the wheat from the chaff of network businesses. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivaramrajgopal/2021/04/12/what-would-a-new-financial-reporting-model-for-network-businesses-look-like/ |
Could Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley be a target for the Raiders at No. 17? | With Jon Gruden entering the fourth year of his ten-year contract, its safe to say he has some job security. That allows him (and Mike Mayock) to be more aggressive and bold in free agency and in the draft knowing their jobs arent on the line. Over the past few years, weve seen the Raiders make a few shocking picks, such as drafting Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 (2019) and Damon Arnette at No. 19 (2020). If they wanted to take on some risk in the hopes of getting an elite talent, the Raiders might consider Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley. A back injury on top of opting out of 2020 season has caused him to fall some in the draft. Farley was once thought of as a potential top-10 pick and maybe the first defender off the board. But now, there is a chance that he could fall into the late teens and into the range of the Raiders. In a recent mock draft by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he actually mocked Farley to the Raiders as he believes it would be the ideal fit for him in Gus Bradleys Cover-3 defense. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the potential pairing: Arguably the best corner available when healthy, Caleb Farley has been rapidly slipping down draft boards from a borderline top-10 pick at his peak to somewhere in the bottom third of the round, according to PFFs Mock Draft Simulator. Farley dealt with multiple back issues during his college career, and that will always scare teams, but if he checks out medically (and he reportedly did at the medical re-checks in Indianapolis), then the Raiders are the kind of team that would fall in love with his physical tools. I have never seen a corner with the kind of recovery speed and burst to the football that Farley has. Those are traits the Raiders above most teams would find it very difficult to pass up. If healthy, Farley would immediately be the teams best cornerback as he has a rare blend of size, speed and the ability to take away the football. If the Raiders want to gamble on an incredible talent, Farley wouldnt be the worst pick. Dont be surprised if a team in the late teens, such as the Raiders, stop Farleys fall. Hes just too good of a player at his peak to last much longer than that. | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-virginia-tech-cb-caleb-123251404.html?src=rss |
Could two tragedies that killed five Houston area relatives in the same week have been prevented? | On a Sunday evening in mid-March, a sheriffs deputy pulled over a driver who sped by his patrol car near Spring. The man admitted to having a small amount of marijuana, which the deputy took for lab testing and not seeing any outward signs of impairment, according to the Harris County sheriffs office, let the motorist leave. At an intersection roughly 7.5 miles away, Porsha Branch and her three young boys paused at a red light after a busy evening spent helping her mom move into a new home. As the family was stopped, the man, believed to be speeding again and allegedly intoxicated, smashed into the back of Branchs vehicle, killing the 28-year-old and her three children. At a vigil for the family five days later, relatives received another devastating call. The kids 6-year-old cousin, Laurionne Walker, had been shot multiple times amid an argument at the Pasadena home of a family friend babysitting so the girls mother could attend the remembrance. Paramedics raced Laurionne to a hospital, where she died. Nearly a month after the pair of intertwined tragedies, members of the extended family hope for answers and justice from the courts as two men have been charged in connection with the two cases. Numerous questions remain, like why a sheriffs deputy released a man accused of having a blood alcohol content level twice the legal limit moments later when he set off a chain-reaction wreck that ignited a lifetime of grief. We still are taking a day at a time, said Damien House, Branchs husband, father of the three children and Laurionnes uncle. *** The deputy pulled over Daniel A. Canada, whose vehicle registered a speed of 115 mph two seconds before smashing into Branchs vehicle, shortly after 8 p.m. March 14, causing her car to burst into flames. The stop is under review by the offices internal affairs division to determine whether all applicable policies were followed. The office has not released any updates and declined to answer questions about whether body camera footage of the stop was available and why the deputy did not issue the man a speeding ticket. This case remains an open investigation, and we have no additional information to release at this time, spokesman Jason Spencer wrote in an e-mail. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said his deputies ran Canadas vehicle plates after the crash, which showed he had been pulled over minutes before the wreck. At a hospital, blood drawn from Canada showed his blood alcohol level was about twice the legal limit, Herman said. A lawyer listed as representing Canada in his four counts of intoxication manslaughter did not return a message seeking comment. I dont know what he told the sheriffs deputy, Herman said. I feel for the family. Impaired driving is 100 percent preventable. Canada had several previous run ins with law enforcement, according to court records. One of the most recent incidents occurred in November 2018 when he was stopped in Liberty County and later charged with possession of marijuana, being a felon in possession of a firearm and money laundering. He made bond two days after being arrested. Upon learning of the collision in Harris County, prosecutors moved to revoke his bond, which prompted the issuing of warrants for his arrest, said Mark A. Boemio of the Liberty County district attorneys office. Everyone is entitled to bail, Boemio said. Its very sad and unfortunate that it happened this way but I dont think theres anything we could have done short of violating his constitutional rights. Canada still faces three charges in Liberty County stemming from the 2018 stop, according to indictments obtained by The Chronicle. And in Gregg County, records show Canada was sentenced to probation in 2016 after pleading guilty to evading arrest. *** Raymeon Means, the 35-year-old who faces capital murder charges in the death of the little girl in Pasadena, had been convicted of felonies in Harris County, including a 2014 incident when he pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery. Records also show two incidents involving children: endangering a child in 2008 and injury to a child in 2006, when Means was accused of pushing over a stroller with a child in it, according to a criminal complaint. He received 10 months in state jail after pleading guilty. Means appeared to be homeless and staying on and off with his sister at the apartment where he is accused of shooting Laurionne Walker during an argument over spilled water after a toilet clogged, according to Pasadena police spokesman Sgt. R.L. Granados. Detectives hadnt found the firearm used in the shooting at least two weeks later. I don't think we have recovered it, Granados said. Dont know what type of gun it was. Its also unclear whether Means could have lawfully had a firearm. A lawyer for Means listed in court documents did not return a message seeking comment. In late March, a judge ordered an interview and collection of information to determine whether Means has a mental illness or intellectual disability. Means and Canada were being held, according to sheriffs office records, at the same jail on Baker Street in Houston. *** House, Branchs husband, started phoning his wife after getting a call from his mother-in-law that shed been unable to reach her daughter after the traffic light. Every call House placed to his wife went straight to voicemail. He figured about 10 minutes would be plenty to charge her phone if it was dead. He tried again. Voicemail again. His sister-in-law called him, crying. Call my mom, she told House. He dialed his mother in law. Its not looking good. House said he flew to the hospital. Branch and Drake, who was less than a year old, perished at the scene. His two other sons, King, 5, and Messiah, 2, died after fighting to stay alive. Im taking it a day at a time, House, 31, said. Its hard. About a decade ago, he met Branch on Facebook. They went on a couple of dates and fell in love. Wonderful mother, down to Earth, sweetie, beautiful young lady, House said, his voice slightly quivering. All the amazing things you can think of from a woman. The family enjoyed spending time with each other, House said, going out to eat or catching a movie or visiting a park for family day. He misses all the parts of being a dad, and the parts he had yet to experience. Every moment, the funny, the laughter, House said. Just being a father to them. Now Im not going to see them any more. His kids also liked to hang out with their cousin, Laurionne. *** Every time the 6-year-old, went to her aunts house, Nicole T. Sledge made sure her niece, Laurionne, left with candy. She loved candy as much as she loved food, family, unicorns and dancing for TikTok videos. She was a princess, Sledge said. Everybody that met her loved her. Bright and social, she learned to talk around age 1, said her 32-year-old cousin, Jlissa Austin, who recalled how the little girl could chat for hours. She was a happy child, Austin said. Anytime Ive seen her, she was smiling. Shortly before the shooting, Sledge bought Easter candy for the bowl in her home that Laurionne would usually empty out. But the child never made it back to her aunts house. [email protected] | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Could-two-tragedies-that-killed-five-Houston-area-16094316.php |
What key moments stand out for each lead acting nominee? | It takes a fully embodied performance to earn an Academy Award nomination. But deep inside those heightened performances lies one critical moment that stays with viewers and voters alike and elevates the actor into being worthy of the industrys greatest honor: The Oscar. Heres what they had to say. Viola Davis, Ma Raineys Black Bottom Key scene: Ma Rainey (Davis) goes through a rainbow of emotions while declaring that the white people around her treat her like an old whore. Advertisement Whats so special: She starts out as a woman used to being in charge, then the jealousy erupts and it becomes rage and hurt, says director George C. Wolfe. Then it turns into loveliness and wonder and depth of caring. Youre seeing this kaleidoscope of who Ma Rainey is, and its startling and deeply moving. Youre inside the anger and fragility. Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday for key scenes story. Key scene: While speaking with a journalist, Billie (Day) realizes shes fighting a lost cause. Whats so special: The scene was shot nine months after principal photography ended, and Day had to reenter the role seamlessly. We didnt want to play her as passive, says director Lee Daniels. This is the turning point of Billies descent into death, almost giving up. Its almost like working with an alien to work with Andra she was really able to keep it in the zone like that. (Hulu) Key scene: While speaking with a journalist, Billie (Day) realizes shes fighting a lost cause. Advertisement Whats so special: The scene was shot nine months after principal photography ended, and Day had to reenter the role seamlessly. We didnt want to play her as passive, says director Lee Daniels. This is the turning point of Billies descent into death, almost giving up. Its almost like working with an alien to work with Andra she was really able to keep it in the zone like that. Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman Shia LeBeouf as Sean and Vanessa Kirby as Martha in Pieces of a Woman. (Benjamin Loeb / Netflix) Key scene: Martha (Kirby) delivers her baby at home, but the child dies shortly after being born. Advertisement Whats so special: "[It] serves as a reference point throughout the entire story, director Kornl Mundrucz writes in an email. It was especially important to me that Martha doesnt only go through the single most tragic moment of her entire life, but she also experiences the purest form of love she has ever known. Though she lost a child, shes always a mother to the lost one, that love still remains inside her. Frances McDormand, Nomadland FOR KEY SCENES: Frances McDormand in Nomadland. Key scene: Ferns (McDormand) van, which she lives in, has broken down. The mechanics tell her its better to sell it and buy a new one than fix it, but she wont hear of it. Whats so special: She sighs, and theres this silence before she says, Its my home, and in that silence is resignation and quiet desperation and also hope for a better tomorrow, says producer Peter Spears. The whole movie is in that sigh. Shes completely bare in that moment. But shes not going to be defeated. (Searchlight Pictures) Key scene: Ferns (McDormand) van, which she lives in, has broken down. The mechanics tell her its better to sell it and buy a new one than fix it, but she wont hear of it. Advertisement Whats so special: She sighs, and theres this silence before she says, Its my home, and in that silence is resignation and quiet desperation and also hope for a better tomorrow, says producer Peter Spears. The whole movie is in that sigh. Shes completely bare in that moment. But shes not going to be defeated. Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman FOR KEY SCENES: Adam Brody and Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman. Key scene: A drunk Cassie (Mulligan) goes home with an at-first helpful man (Adam Brody) who turns out to be predatory. Whats so special: This scene is the most deceptive one in the movie, says writer-director Emerald Fennell. Carey is playing two people: Cassie, who is meticulous and a planner and an incredibly drunk girl at the wrong place and the wrong time. What she does so brilliantly is you see the little decisions Cassie is making. She cleverly exists in the corner. The men trap themselves. (Merie Weismiller Wallace/Focus Features) Key scene: A drunk Cassie (Mulligan) goes home with an at-first helpful man (Adam Brody) who turns out to be predatory. Whats so special: This scene is the most deceptive one in the movie, says writer-director Emerald Fennell. Carey is playing two people: Cassie, who is meticulous and a planner and an incredibly drunk girl at the wrong place and the wrong time. What she does so brilliantly is you see the little decisions Cassie is making. She cleverly exists in the corner. The men trap themselves. Advertisement Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal Riz Ahmed in a scene from Sound of Metal. (Amazon Studios) Key scene: Recently deaf Ruben (Ahmed) gets a cochlear implant, which causes his mentor and the leader of the deaf community, Joe (Paul Raci), to kick him out. Whats so special: The whole film pivots on that scene, says director Darius Marder. The energy was so intense coming into this scene; [Ruben] was looking for a fix for his fears. He walked away from that language and that culture and knew hed never have it again. It was a real goodbye. Advertisement Chadwick Boseman, Ma Raineys Black Bottom Chadwick Boseman as Levee in MA RAINEYS BLACK BOTTOM(2020). DP Tobias Schliesslers favorite scene in when Chadwick Boseman, playing the talented yet distracted trumpeter Levee,"recounts the rape of his mother and murder of his father to his bandmates. Cr. David Lee/NETFLIX (David Lee/NETFLIX/David Lee/NETFLIX) Key scene: Levee (Boseman) explodes with rage and hurt that stems from the brutal loss of his mother. Whats so special: This is one of two blues arias director George C. Wolfe says Boseman has in the film. His anger flows against [bandmate] Cutler and over God and the power of God, and Levees rage because of what he witnessed when he was a little boy. Chadwick exposed [Levees] vulnerability. It becomes this performance that shifts between unbridled rage and deep hurt. Its a quicksilver transformation. Advertisement Anthony Hopkins, The Father Anthony Hopkins as Anthony in The Father, for key scenes. (Ben Smithard/Sony Pictures Classics) Key scene: In a nursing home, Anthony (Hopkins) asks a nurse his name. When she tells him, he cries for his mother to save him. Whats so special: I wanted the film to lead to this place, says director Florian Zeller. Anthony [the actor] thought of a lullaby his mother used to sing to him, and I saw that memory destroying him in front of us. He traveled through time and became not a child, but the child he was. He was really crying for his mother. Advertisement Gary Oldman, Mank Key scene: Mank (Oldman) stumbles drunkenly into bed, and as his wife (Tuppence Middleton) undresses him, he bemoans that he hasnt made a mark on the world, by saying, I should have done something by now. Whats so special: It always comes down to the simplest thing, says producer Eric Roth. Hes of an age where he should have accomplished something, but he hasnt found the right vehicle. Garys performance is understated hes such a smart actor, recognizing his characters flaws. And theres a sadness to it. Steven Yeun, Minari Advertisement Steven Yeun in Minari. (A24) Key scene: Jacob (Yeun) and his wife, Monica (Yeri Han), argue in their small trailer home after a tornado threat passes, their hopes and fears exposed in front of their children. Whats so special: This was an incredibly nuanced scene, says producer Christina Oh. Steven was conscious of not characterizing a performance of our [collective Korean] parents but putting himself in his own parents shoes, so to speak. He absolutely crushes it. In that scene, we are all reminded how while our upbringings are different, what we went through emotionally in families is similar. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-04-12/lead-actor-actress-nominees-key-film-moments |
Whats Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface? | Microsoft Microsoft Over the last five months, I have spent an immense amount of time using the new Apple M1 MacBooks. I published an out-of-the-gate review of the M1 MacBook last November using my productivity tools. I then followed it up with a AAA gaming review and finally an Intel Evo PC vs. MacBook M1 review. I have spent much time evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of M1 compared to its competitors, but one comparison I received requests on was comparing the Microsoft Surface devices against Apple's M1 MacBooks. Surface is the most closely positioned to Apple with its premium-only device lines for the Windows notebook ecosystem. Most end-users view Apple in the same vein as Surface in terms of quality, features, and performance, so I got the request, and there is no better way to find out than to evaluate the devices head-to-head. While I know this is a constantly moving target as Apple and Microsoft will be adding new devices, you must pause and compare at some point. I made sure to update my M1-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to the latest software stacks, and I will point out that Microsoft did provide me with a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 and a Microsoft Surface Book 3 to review. These two Surface systems are the latest's and greatest from the Surface team and will provide an excellent comparison to Apple's M1 Macs. I have spent extensive time with Surface Devices over the past three generations to be transparent and I've literally used every Surface that's ever been built except for its desktop. Apple M1 Apple Apple MacBook Air M1 versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 First up is the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 compared to the Apple MacBook Air M1. Let's dig in. App and peripheral compatibility- Surface Laptop 3 I tested many apps, including Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Gmail, Microsoft Edge, BofA, Instagram, and Facebook. Unsurprisingly, I didn't have any application or peripheral issues while using the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. That was the case because many of my go-to apps are developed by Microsoft or that they were written for the X86 instruction set. All the applications that were written natively for the MacBook Air, like Outlook and Apple apps, ran smoothly, quickly with no crashes. I wasn't surprised that the M1 optimized applications ran very well. What I worry about is not fully knowing what applications will work and which won't. A formalized list of functioning applications would help a lot, but Apple hasn't provided anything like this. There isn't a full-proof way to verify that your go-to apps will work on an M1 MacBook. With over 200+ popular applications not supported on M1, there is a good chance you may be missing some apps you currently use on another PC. If you are considering an M1 MacBook, it may be worth your time to look at the list of applications that are not currently supported here. You will need to evaluate if the apps that fit your use case are available on M1. Theoretically, one can run iOS apps on the M1 MacBook. At first glance, that seems awesome, but there's a catch- the ISV must enable that capability. Several applications are not available in the Apple App store like BofA, Gmail, Instagram, and Facebook, to name a few, so in my opinion, it mutes the benefit of running iOS apps. Check to make sure your apps are available on the new Macs. I will say I do enjoy the instant connection to my iPhone and the easy transition to Apple Music and the podcast app on the MacBook Air. In terms of peripherals, I tested one of my favorite mouses, the Logitech G305. Sadly, the Logitech G305 is a USB-A mouse that works on my Surface Book 3 but won't work on the MacBook Pro without a USB-A to USB-C adapter. I use different webcams, gaming headphones, and portable SSDs, and I have no idea what software is supported and what isn't with M1. For example, I tested the new Samsung SSD T7 Touch drive with a fingerprint sensor built for an added layer of security. The application was supported on Mac, but it didn't work. This issue rendered the fingerprint security useless on the drive. When I first reviewed the M1 Macs, I had problems with Logitech's webcam software; the issue is now fixed. If I would have bought that peripheral specifically for pairing with my MacBook, it would have been a waste of money due to compatibility issues. I believe Apple will continue to add support for peripheral apps, but you will have to do some digging to see if your specific peripheral apps are currently supported or planned to be in the future. Now, there is no official Apple list. The best applications list I have found is here. But unfortunately does not include peripherals. I have tested M1's ability to play AAA games extensively. The issue that I have with M1 isn't the raw benchmark performance but instead the game combability. M1 plays supported AAA games surprisingly well for an ultrathin machine. For Windows PCs, Steam on Windows houses the world's most popular games and makes it exceptionally easy for users to download games and play them on its devices. It isn't that simple Steam for Mac. There are many compatibility issues, and a lot of the most popular games aren't available on Mac which is a shame considering how well M1 graphics perform. Games like PUBG, Cyberpunk 2077, Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, Call of Duty Warzone, and Doom Eternal are not available for macOS, a bummer. There are a good number of popular games available for macOS like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Dota 2, Sid Meier's: Civ VI, Total War: WARHAMMER II, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Fortnite, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, World of Warcraft, and Minecraft to name a few. Even with those games considered, there isn't nearly as much support for macOS games when compared to what is available for Windows. Consider that if you're purchasing a Mac for gaming. The best list of supported and unsupported games that I have found is here. Its be great if Apple would provide a list. Display, Touchscreen, and Pen- Surface Laptop 3 We know that the MacBook Air M1 and the MacBook Pro M1 don't come with touchscreens. I have hypothesized that this is likely because the company doesn't want to eat into its iPad sales, and early on, there was a thickness penalty. While the MacBook Air lacks a touch screen, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 continues the Surface legacy of high-quality touch screens across its devices. The touchscreen on the Surface Laptop 3 performs in all the ways that I needed a touch screen to function. It is responsive to the touch, whether using my fingertip or using the optional Surface Pen. I like to use the touchscreen for scrolling through web pages and articles and occasionally using the Surface Pen to sign contracts in DocuSign. I believe some users really appreciate pen for navigating even on Laptop, especially customers with accessibility needs that may use both touch and pen for improved screen interaction/manipulation. While the MacBook Air doesn't offer a touch screen, this is something the Surface Laptop 3 offers, and it performs well. If you want Apple touch and a pen, then get an iPad. Another display consideration is that the Surface Laptop 3 comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio compared to the 16:10 aspect ratio of the MacBook Air. The aspect ratio boils down to increased screen visibility on the Surface Laptop 3 when compared to the MacBook Air due to 13.5 size and 3:2 ratio. The high-resolution touchscreen for me is an excellent value add for my use case. The MacBook Air M1 lacking a touchscreen isn't because Apple lacks the technology to implement it, but rather a business decision that I tend to disagree with and something that potential customers must overlook. Both displays are high quality. Image Credit: Microsoft.com Style options- Surface Laptop 3 Color doesn't matter as much to me on a system but having options is always nice. The Surface Laptop 3 comes in many color options, including Sandstone, Matte Black, Cobalt Blue, and Platinum. Platinum is known as the iconic Surface color wave. The Platinum color exudes a highly premium look and feel, and I have always preferred it on my Surface devices. There are also three color options available for the MacBook Air M1, including Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. My MacBook Air M1 came in the Space Gray option, which I enjoyed. It seems that Apple took more of a reserved approach with its color waves on the MacBook Air. Two of the color are similar (Silver and Gray), and when you consider the flashy and unique colors of Sandstone and Cobalt Blue that Surface offers, I like to have more differentiated color options. Users also can customize the keyboard and trackpad area on the Surface Laptop 3 with an Alcantara fabric or stick with the metal finish. Alcantara doesnt get enough credit, but if youre unfamiliar with it, its the soft yet durable material used in super-cars like Lamborghinis and Porsches. The MacBook Air and the Surface Laptop 3 both have premium finish options, but when both systems come with premium finishes, the more options available, I think, the better. Theres also the choice of screen size. While I know that Apple currently has Intel versions of its 16 Air, it doesnt have that yet in M1 flavor. Surface offers both 13.5 and 15 with the same processor brands and architectures. Camera- Tie The MacBook Air and the Surface Laptop 3 both sport a 720P resolution front-facing camera. I tested them both out on Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and I will say there were not many noticeable differences between them. The Surface Laptop 3 seemed to be a little sharper and was slightly better in low-light situations at night. If you're looking for useable performance in ideal lighting, either camera will work for photos and video conferencing. Ports- Surface Laptop 3 (honorable mention for MBA with Thunderbolt) Ports and types of ports matter to me as an analyst and I think most users, especially pros. I use many peripherals and an external display to get maximum productivity out of a notebook. The MacBook Air comes with two ports, with one dedicated to power, meaning I really only have one open port. Both ports are Thunderbolt compatible, and the system additionally has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Thunderbolt does have some good performance advantages compared to USB-C, which is good news for the MacBook Air. The Surface Laptop 3 comes with USB-C, capable of transferring data at 20Gbps, while Thunderbolt can transfer data 2x faster at 40Gbps. When you consider that Thunderbolt uses the same port as USB-C, there are no disadvantages to equipping a Thunderbolt system but cost. The MacBook will require an external adapter for my use case, and I suspect that will be an issue for many users. One problem I did run across while testing is that M1 only supports one external display natively. I rigged more external displays with a 3rd party DisplayLink driver on the M1, but its not supported by Apple and doesnt support all the features a native display adapter down. When I use a notebook in what I call desktop-mode, I often use two 15"- 17 external displays to improve my productivity. It was disappointing to find out that M1 only supported a single native external display, but this could get better with Macs' next generation. The Surface Laptop 3 isn't exactly packed full of I/O, but it is undoubtedly a step up compared to the MacBook Air. The Surface Laptop 3 comes with 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. One of the main differences is a Surface power port used to charge the device, keeping two ports free while the system charges. The Surface also has the extra USB-A power port on the power adapter. I like what Microsoft is doing by including legacy USB-A and USB-C. Many of my older peripherals are USB-A, and it is nice to have for the time being. I don't expect it to stay on the Surface devices for long, but I think it makes sense for now. Apple M1 Apple Weight- Tie Weight isn't typically a big issue for me when dealing with 13" notebooks, but I would generally say the lighter, the better. The Surface Laptop 3 weighs 2.84 pounds, and the MacBook Air M1 weighs 2.80 pounds. When I was using these systems, I didn't notice any difference in weight. The Surface Laptop 3 is also around 7% thinner than the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. You shouldn't be worried about the weight or slimness of either of these systems. Login- Surface Laptop 3 Having the ability to login instantly with facial Windows Hello is something that I use daily (hourly) but don't appreciate enough until I don't have it anymore. I set up Windows Hello on my Surface Laptop 3 immediately, and it is the quickest way for me to log in to any device. Sure, I don't mind using passwords, pins, and fingerprints if need be, but I rely on instant face login a lot, and it performs flawlessly on my Surface Devices. MacBook's, on the other, don't offer an instant face login feature which, in my opinion, is a big miss, especially when considering that I use FaceID on my iPhone every day. Apple's technology is there; I don't understand why it doesn't implement it on its MacBook devices. When I use MacBooks, I usually opt for using the built-in fingerprint sensor and use Touch ID. It isn't nearly as convenient as Windows Hello, but it works quickly with high accuracy. Regardless, I would love to see FaceID or something similar implemented into upcoming MacBook systems. Performance & Battery Life- MacBook Air M1 with Arm ISA native apps My productivity use case typically includes running many Office 365 apps simultaneously, doing web research on 10+ Edge browser instances, and video conferencing on Teams, Zoom, and Webex. Neither one of these systems struggled when I was working throughout the day. Teams was sometimes wonky on the Mac which I attribute to it being x86. The Office 365 apps still feel a little smoother on the Surface Laptop 3, which I cannot explain and shouldnt be, but the MacBook Air performed well without any noise as it doesn't have a fan. The beta version of the Office 365 M1-optimized apps had improved the user experience tremendously compared to when M1 first launched. In terms of battery life, while I was using the Surface Laptop 3, I was getting around 9-10 hours of battery life which was enough for a full days' worth of work. A strength of the MacBook Air with M1 is the battery life on native, Arm apps. I could go a couple of days without charging the system, and on a typical workday, the MacBook Air would easily last over 10 hours. They key to getting the best battery life is to make sure the display is low and only using Arm-native apps. When I cranked the Mac and Surface to what looked like the same nits, the Mac trailed off considerably. Apple MacBook Pro versus Microsoft Surface Book 3 Now let's look at the new Microsoft Surface Book 3 compared to the Apple MacBook Pro M1. My Surface Book 3 came in the 13.5" configuration and is also available in a 15" design. The MacBook Pro M1 came in a traditional 13" format. App & Peripheral Compatibility Surface Book 3 It's no secret that the new M1 Macs generally support a smaller number of popular applications and peripherals compared to its Windows-based counterparts. My go-to applications for productivity typically include Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Instagram, Twitter, Messenger, and Facebook. My Surface Book 3 supported and ran all these browsers and applications except for Safari. On my MacBook Pro, I have good support for Microsoft applications, but there is skewed support for other apps. For instance, I can't download Instagram or Facebook from the app store, but I can download Messenger and Twitter. I can hook up multi 4K external monitors to the Surface Book 3. The new MacBook's with M1 will only support a singular, native external display which I assume is a silicon limitation. In contrast, the Intel-based Microsoft Surface devices can support multiple 4K external monitors on a single PC. For content creators, screen real-estate is crucial. The list of peripherals for me stayed the same, including the Logitech G305 mouse, which will need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to be able to use. If you have USB-A peripherals, I would recommend picking up an adapter or even a USB hub beforehand and saving some time. I have several different gaming headphones, external SSD's, and webcams that I could pair with my MacBook Pro, but I don't know what is compatible and what isn't on the M1. I tested the new Samsung SSD T7 Touch drive, and even though the application was available on Mac, it didn't work. That left an extra layer of fingerprint security pretty much useless. Some apps may work flawlessly, and some may not, but there are very few ways of knowing beforehand. It is worth checking out what apps work for your use case before purchasing a MacBook based on M1. You can look at some of the supported and unsupported applications here. Id love to see Apple create a site that showed what work and what doesnt on the M1. In terms of game support, Steam for Windows is the most popular game store that exists. It is effortless to download AAA and eSports games from Steam, and it's what I have used for years. There is a Mac version of Steam, but the game titles supported are a much smaller subset than Steam on Windows. When I tested a large swath of AAA games on the MacBook Pro M1, many popular games were available for macOS via Steam. The games I tried included Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Dota 2, Sid Meier's: Civ VI, Empire of Sin, Total War: WARHAMMER II, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Firewatch, and Subnautica. Although I could test many games, some of the most popular games on Steam were not available for macOS. These games included PUBG, Cyberpunk 2077, Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, Call of Duty Warzone, and Doom Eternal, to name a few. The best list of supported and unsupported games that I have found is here. Id love to see Apple create a site that showed what games work and dont work on the M1. Form factor, display, Touch Screen and pen- Surface Book 3 I have talked about the MacBook's lack of touch screen above. It is incredibly frustrating when most of its Windows-based counterparts come with a touch screen and many with an optional pen. I have always appreciated that Microsoft Surface Book has the detachable touch screen display that comes on the system. Even more useful than the tablet is that you can detach it, turn it around and have your own Wacom tablet. The single system is versatile and works as a detachable tablet or PC, depending on your individual use case. You aren't bound to just a typical notebook workstation use case like you are on the MacBook Pro. When you add the optional Surface Pen into the mix, the system is very adaptable and can fit a wide variety of use cases. The Surface Book 3 also comes in a higher resolution configuration at 260 PPI than 226 PPI on the MacBook Pro. Both displays are very high quality. Microsoft Surface Book 3 Microsoft Camera- Surface Book 3 Similar to the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro comes with a singular 720P front-facing camera. The Surface Book 3 comes standard with dual cameras. The 5.0MP selfie camera can shoot video in 1080P HD video, while the 8.0MP rear-facing camera includes autofocusing capabilities and can shoot 1080P HD video. The two-camera solutions on the Surface Book 3 easily outperform the single 720P camera on the MacBook Pro. The video conferencing image quality will be much sharper on the Surface Book 3 than the 720P quality of the MacBook Pro. Not to mention that you can fully detach the Surface Book 3's display and use it as a tablet, making it much easier to take photos. If you think people dont take photos with tablets, just go to a high school soccer or basketball game. Login- Surface Book 3 Like the Surface Laptop 3, the Surface Book 3 comes standard with Windows Hello providing a great instant face login experience. Like the MacBook Pro Air, the MacBook Pro M1's only biometric login source is fingerprint via Touch ID. Like I said above, I don't mind using this as the primary login technique, but when I know Apple can implement FaceID as it does on other products, it is a little disappointing. I use FaceID every day to login into my iPhone and occasionally the iPad. Ports- Surface Book 3 (honorable mention for MBP for Thunderbolt) Like the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and two Thunderbolt ports with one dedicated to charging and one free. While there is a lack of ports on the MacBook Pro, with Thunderbolt, the ports can process up to 2x faster (40Gbps on Thunderbolt compared to 20Gbps USB-C). An external adapter is still required for me to use this system for my productivity use case. I am confident that Apple will offer more ports with its next-generation silicon, but we have one port for now. The Surface Book 3 is a more extensive system, so I expect a little more in terms of ports, but it offers a lot in a 13.5" notebook. The system comes with 2 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C, an SD reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Like the Surface Laptop 3, the system comes with a proprietary Surface charging port. The dedicated Surface charging port means that the charger takes up none of the other open ports. With the MacBook Pro, there is a lot to be desired in terms of ports. The Surface Book 3 does an excellent job of implementing legacy ports and next-gen USB-C to balance new and old, albeit thicker. For external Thunderbolt storage arrays and external GPUs, the Surface Book 3 really should have Thunderbolt. The MacBook Pro supports an external Thunderbolt storage array but will not support an external GPU. Weight MacBook Pro M1 While the Surface Book 3 is just a half-inch bigger than the MacBook Pro, the system is more significant when you lay them alongside each other or stack them side by side. I can appreciate that Apple could keep the MacBook Pro in a slim 13" form factor and offer the 16" form factor for those that need more performance. The MacBook Pro weighs 3.02 pounds compared to 3.62 pounds of the Surface Book 3. I didn't notice a significant difference in the weight, but I saw when it came to slimness. The large display hinge that the Surface team put on the Surface Book 3 makes the device noticeably thicker than the MacBook Pro's slim profile. Battery Life MacBook Pro For my productivity use case, both the MacBook Pro and the Surface Book 3 handled my workloads with ease. On my typical day, I was getting right at 9 hours out of my Surface Book 3. The system is unique because it comes with a battery in the display to power the tablet when disconnected from the base and a traditional battery. For the MacBook Pro, I was able to get 10+ hours of hard use with ease on a typical day with 50-75% brightness, running my productivity workloads and near-zero fan noise. If I had very low display brightness on the MacBook Pro, I could get two days of work. Professional workstation graphics- Surface Book 3 15 with Quadro option There are more enterprise-grade hardware options for Surface Book 3 users who need more enterprise application performance. The 15" Surface Book, 3 for Business, comes with an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 GPU. This specific GPU is designed for AI and ray tracing workloads. The Quadro RTX 3000 GPU has 30 RT cores, 240 Tensor Cores for GPU-accelerated AI, 1920 CUDA cores, and 6GB of GDDR6 memory. The enterprise version of this system will target designers, architects, engineers, software developers, and data scientists, to name a few. NVIDIA put some time into optimizing over 100 different ISV applications. Popular workstation apps like many from the Adobe Suite, AutoCAD, ImageVis3D, PTC Crea, and many others were certified by NVIDIA. The 15" version of the Surface Book 3 will be a sleek, premium system that can take on many enterprise-grade applications. Something like this would be overkill for my use case, but this system looks excellent for enterprise users. Gaming - Surface Book 3 Since my Surface Book 3 came with a discrete NVIDIA GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design, I wanted to test a game that I have previously tested on my MacBook Pro M1. I tried Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1920 x 1200 resolution, and 1400 x 900 resolution; both ran on high settings. On 1920 x 1200 resolution, the Surface Book 3 scored 39 FPS, and the MacBook Pro scored 20 FPS on average. When I scaled the resolution down to 1440 x 900 resolution, the Surface Book 3 scored 53 FPS, and the MacBook Pro scored 30 FPS on average. I understand that comparing the integrated graphics on the M1 to a discrete card isn't entirely fair, but it's worth looking comparing. There are a lot of AAA games that perform well on M1's integrated graphics. I tested a large swath of AAA games in that review, some of them running natively on M1 and several that ran through the Rosetta 2 emulator. You can check out that full review here. The best list of supported and unsupported games that I have found is here. Shadow of Tomb Raider FPS Results on 1440 x 900 Resolution Shadow of Tomb Raider I also ran the Surface Book 3 through 3DMark Time Spy, a DirectX 12 graphics benchmark, and the systems scored 2900 in graphics score, 2858 CPU score, and a 2893 overall score. These scores may not mean a lot to most people, but it may provide some value for those that often use systems benchmark. TimeSpy Results on Surface Book 3 TimeSpy Results on Surface Book 3 Wrapping up All in all, I think the MacBook Air M1, MacBook Pro M1, Surface Laptop 3, and Surface Book 3 are great premium devices that will perform well in many use cases. To me, the differences between the Macs and Surface devices are in the details and desired use cases. The Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 outperform its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro counterparts in app and peripheral compatibility, touch screen display and pen, ports, camera quality, and biometric login features. There are several areas where the M1 Macs compete well, like battery life on native apps, raw benchmark performance, weight (Book 3), and low-no fan noise. I have no reason to believe that the M1 Macs won't add more ports and features with the next generation, especially as Apple optimizing its new in-house silicon, but the products are what they are now. Microsoft wont be sitting still, either. When it comes to gaming, this is an easy choice. Even though the M1 graphics performance is strong, its not as strong as the ray tracing supporting discrete graphics with the NVIDIA GTX 1650 in the Book 3. Game compatibility will be no easy feat for Apple to fix and I dont know if its even a big goal for the company. Maybe theyre saving themselves for WWDC but I havent seen any new titles. When it comes to Pro as in professional, the MacBook Pro, even with the M1s high-performance CPU, just has a hard time stacking up. I believe most professionals need more than one open port, native support for more than one external display, unquestioned compatibility with professional audio and video peripherals and applications and much higher GPU performance and pro-app certified with the NVIDIA Quadro (on the 15 Book 3). Many Pros need touch and pen support as well which are available on the Book 3. The icing on the Book 3 cake is its ability to transform into a tablet. Its like getting a built-in Wacom tablet. As of now, the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 look and feel to me like a more versatile and mature set of devices when compared to the M1-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The Surface experience felt a little more premium and compatible, and the Surface devices' feature set is more profound than that of the M1 Macs. Things could change as Apple continues to optimize and roll out new machines, but as of now, I would choose the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 over the M1-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Note: Moor Insights & Strategy writers and editors may have contributed to this article. Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided paid research, analysis, advising, or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including 8x8, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Applied Micro, ARM, Aruba Networks, AT&T, AWS, A-10 Strategies, Bitfusion, Blaize, Box, Broadcom, Calix, Cisco Systems, Clear Software, Cloudera, Clumio, Cognitive Systems, CompuCom, Dell, Dell EMC, Dell Technologies, Diablo Technologies, Digital Optics, Dreamchain, Echelon, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, Flex, Foxconn, Frame (now VMware), Fujitsu, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries, Google (Nest-Revolve), Google Cloud, HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honeywell, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Ion VR, Inseego, Infosys, Intel, Interdigital, Jabil Circuit, Konica Minolta, Lattice Semiconductor, Lenovo, Linux Foundation, MapBox, Marvell, Mavenir, Marseille Inc, Mayfair Equity, Meraki (Cisco), Mesophere, Microsoft, Mojo Networks, National Instruments, NetApp, Nightwatch, NOKIA (Alcatel-Lucent), Nortek, Novumind, NVIDIA, Nuvia, ON Semiconductor, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Oracle, Poly, Panasas, Peraso, Pexip, Pixelworks, Plume Design, Poly, Portworx, Pure Storage, Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus, Rayvolt E-Bikes, Red Hat, Residio, Samsung Electronics, SAP, SAS, Scale Computing, Schneider Electric, Silver Peak, SONY, Springpath, Spirent, Splunk, Sprint, Stratus Technologies, Symantec, Synaptics, Syniverse, Synopsys, Tanium, TE Connectivity, TensTorrent, Tobii Technology, T-Mobile, Twitter, Unity Technologies, UiPath, Verizon Communications, Vidyo, VMware, Wave Computing, Wellsmith, Xilinx, Zebra, Zededa, and Zoho which may be cited in blogs and research. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2021/04/12/whats-better-the-new-m1-macbooks-or-the-microsoft-surface/ |
Will Frank Ragnow Become NFL's Highest Paid Center? | In a recent SI All Lions roundtable article, the question was posed regarding who is the Detroit Lions best player on the 2021 roster. Several readers weighd in and commented that center Frank Ragnow should be in the conversation based on his play the past couple of seasons. The 2018 first-round pick cemented his place in the hearts of fans when he completed an entire football game against the Green Bay Packers last season with a fractured throat. Ragnow signaled to his teammates that he lost his voice early in divisional matchup last December. He then did not miss a single snap the remainder of the game. "He came up to me early in the game, and was very hoarse and kind of faint sounding and was like, 'I cant really talk right now. I cant really talk, just to let you know. Just make sure youre communicating with everybody up front even more than (you) normally would,'" Matthew Stafford said regarding Ragnow. "So, it was kind of crazy, but it was good. Didnt have any communication issues the rest of the game, really." Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports According to The Athletic, it is going to cost the Lions $12,657,00 to pick up the centers fifth-year option. Corey Linsley is currently the highest-paid center in the league. The Los Angeles Charges center signed a five-year, $62.5 million agreement back in March. The contract will pay Linsley $26 million over his first two seasons with his new team. In 2019, Ragnow allowed just two sacks on 996 offensive snaps and earned a 74.9 grade from Pro Football Focus -- ranking sixth among 38 qualified centers. Last season, Ragnow did not allow a sack in 929 snaps and only had three penalties called against him all season. He earned a PFF grade of 80.3. Vote here. More from SI All Lions: Odds Lions Trade Down from No. | https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/polls/poll-should-ragnow-be-highest-paid-center |
Will Taking A Stand On Election Laws Hurt Brands? | Brands, companies, celebritiesall have the right to be political and express their opinion ... [+] just like citizens. This isn't new," says brand expert Jane Cavalier. Consider these recent news items: Dozens of CEOs and C-level leaders gathered in April on Zoom to plot what big businesses should do next about new voting laws under way in Texas and other states. Major League Baseball in April pulled this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia's new restrictive voting law. In March 2021, 72 Black executives signed a protest letter in the wake of changes to Georgias voting laws. According to The Wall Street Journal reporting about the CEO Zoom call, Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express Co., and Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., urged the leaders to collectively call for greater voting access, according to several people who attended. This was a week after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that it is "stupid" for corporations to take stances on divisive political issues. "So my warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics," McConnell told reporters at an April news conference in Louisville. "It's not what you're designed for. And don't be intimidated by the left into taking up causes that put you right in the middle of one of America's greatest political debates." Brand experts dont see it that way. Brands, companies, celebritiesall have the right to be political and express their opinion just like citizens, says brand expert Jane Cavalier. This isnt new. Brands have spoken in the past, and sports brands have spoken in the past. Cavalier points out that back in 1991, the NFL pulled the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix after Arizonans voted against making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday. In 2016, the NBA pulled the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, N.C., because of the so-called "bathroom bill," which restricted access for transgender people. I say the critics are censors trying to suppress amplified voices, says Cavalier, who led strategic planning for clients of McCann-Erickson worldwide, the worlds largest advertising agency. She also has taught as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management and NYU Stern School of Business. Concurring with Cavalier is Courtney McKenzie Newell, a multicultural marketing expert and author of FutureProof: The Blueprint for Building a Brand GenZ and Millennials Love. "The MLBs decision to move the All-Star Game out of Georgia was not only a powerful display of corporate allyship, but also a huge step in the right direction of showing how companies need to lead. This action empowered players, MLB Fans, future fans and players; but more importantly it empowered other large corporations to stand in their convictions. Former president Donald Trump, among others, are calling for boycotts of brands like Coca-Cola. Consumers not only expect them to lead with conviction, but are requiring it, says Newell. Consumers now more than ever before are making conscious purchasing decisions, they support brands that support the causes they care about and are willing to cancel the brands that dont. In order to future proof themselves, brands must be willing to take bold stances, use their voices for good and be willing to speak up when other brands are unwilling to do so. What is interesting to Cavalier is that brands are finally taking the risk to join the conversation to amplify voices that are often muffled. She pointed out Nikes support of Colin Kaepernick, who was forced from the NFL for his protests during the National Anthem. You cant muffle a powerful brand, says Cavalier. And guess what, there apparently is little downside business risk. That risk is unfounded. Nike only benefitted from its support of Colin Kaepernick. And, now that it is unfounded, brands are letting loose to help build a better world according to the values they share with their constituents. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/henrydevries/2021/04/12/businesses-ponder-if-election-law-stand-will-hurt-the-brand/ |
Would the Bears actually be lucky if they landed Mac Jones? | The general consensus surrounding the 2021 NFL draft quarterback class is that there are two, maybe three elite prospects Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields and another high-ceiling blue-chipper (Trey Lance). Then theres Mac Jones, the Crimson Tide signal-caller whos usually fifth on most rankings. According to ESPNs Adam Schefter, the word elite has been attached to Jones in multiple areas of his game. Hes got elite accuracy, Schefter said one NFL executive told him. And hes got elite leadership skills. Those were his exact words. He said that hes higher on draft boards more highly rated than fans believe he is. The San Francisco 49ers made an aggressive trade to land the third overall pick from the Miami Dolphins, and the presumed target is, in fact, Jones. But if GM John Lynch decides Fields is his guy, theres a chance Jones will begin to slide into potential trade-up territory for the Bears. The New England Patriots at No. 15 overall and the Washington Football Team at No. 19 overall pose legitimate threats of selecting a quarterback before the Bears, so if Jones is hanging around at No. Maybe Ryan Pace should hop on a call with the Carolina Panthers, who are fresh off of trading for Sam Darnold. If you told a Bears fan a month or two ago that theyd be lucky to land Jones at No. 20 overall, you wouldve been laughed out of the room. Now, theyre on bended knee hoping Mac slides. | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-actually-lucky-landed-mac-151915187.html?src=rss |
Should the Bears consider trading up with Falcons for No. 4 pick? | With the 2021 NFL draft less than three weeks away, theres been plenty of discussion about what the Chicago Bears are going to do with a plethora of positional needs. While general manager Ryan Pace has only drafted one quarterback in his six-year tenure, the Bears are primed to select a quarterback in this years draft. Whether thats in the first round or on Day 2 remains to be seen. But theres always the possibility that Chicago could trade up to try and land one of the top five quarterback prospects. Theres already been one big trade ahead of the draft with the San Francisco 49ers trading a boatload of picks their 12th-overall pick, a 2022 third-round compensatory pick and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the third overall pick, where theyre primed to select a quarterback. But there could be more movement leading up to the draft. According to ESPNs Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons are willing to trade the No. 4 pick and have been in discussions with teams about potential trades. On Good Morning Football, NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager believes the Bears are among a handful of teams that should be engaging with the Falcons for that fourth overall pick. Atlanta holds the keys to the Draft with the fourth pick right now, Schrager said. Id look at Denver, New England, Washington, even Chicago to pick up that phone and see what it would take. Atlantas willing to listen. This is where it gets really interesting. Atlanta holds the keys to the Draft with the 4th pick right now. Id look at Denver, New England, Washington, even Chicago to pick up that phone and see what it would take. Atlantas willing to listen. This is where it gets really interesting. @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/kl0rxYEmYl GMFB (@gmfb) April 6, 2021 If someone does trade up for that fourth overall pick, theyll be looking for a quarterback, which would likely mean four quarterbacks chosen with the first four picks. Story continues With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson looking to go 1-2 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, that would leave Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones as the remaining top quarterback prospects on the board. The San Francisco 49ers are a team to keep an eye on as theyre rumored to be interested in Mac Jones, who is believed by many to be the fifth quarterback in this class. That would leave Fields and Lance up for grabs, which should certainly intrigue the Bears. List | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-consider-trading-falcons-no-121023513.html?src=rss |
How do the Miami Dolphins stack up to NFL in wins during 16-game era? | The 2021 NFL season will mark the end of an era as the league transitions to a 17-game season this upcoming fall. The NFL agreed this offseason to add games to the schedule for the first time since 1978; positioning the league for more revenue and more action courtesy of ticket sales and television deals like. And with the end of the 16-game era, the Miami Dolphins are hoping to leave some of their shortcomings behind along with them. Yes, we saw the entirety of the Dan Marino tenure come while the league played 16 games. We saw the entire careers of Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and other prominent defenders too. But the Dolphins never won a Super Bowl during the 16-game era and the team struggled over the last 15 years to even keep their head above .500; undermining much of the teams successes from 1978 to the early 2000s. And yet despite the hardship of the last 15 years and the lack of hardware during the 16-game era, when you stack the Dolphins up agains the rest of the NFL youll find that Miami was still one of the most accomplished and winningest franchises of the timeframe. Miamis 0.543 win percentage from 1978 to 2020 ranks as the NFLs 9th-best over that timeframe. That win percentage is almost identical to the teams all-time win percentage (0.553) a mark that is still the 6th-best in the history of the NFL. Green Bay Packers 0.569 Dallas Cowboys 0.569 Baltimore Ravens 0.564 Chicago Bears 0.563 New England Patriots. 0.562 Miami Dolphins 0.553 The Dolphins are also closer to the Patriots at No. 5 in the rankings than the No. 7 team (Minnesota) is to the Dolphins. So with the team aligned for sustained success, perhaps the Dolphins can push back up the ranks with a new era of the NFL upon us. And hopefully the teams championship success in the 17-game era will mirror that of the 14-game era from the early 1970s, too. | https://sports.yahoo.com/miami-dolphins-stack-nfl-wins-150938572.html?src=rss |
How much football will Texans QB Deshaun Watson even play in 2021? | GlobeNewswire Read Meticore reviews from customers. Meticore.com review by FitLivings. Read Meticore reviews from customers. Meticore.com review by FitLivings. Rochester, NY, April 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meticore Reviews 2021: Groundbreaking New Report Outlines Critical Information Every Meticore Customer Needs To Know Before Buying. MUST SEE: Critical New Meticore Supplement Report is Out - This May Change Your Mind! Meticore is a natural supplement that has made its way among top weight loss supplements that help achieve successful body transformation without going the extra mile. According to the official website - meticore.com, it targets the core body temperature to fix the underlying issues in it, eventually improving the metabolic rate all through its herbal ingredients. Several Meticore reviews online attribute these ingredients for the metabolic trigger and fat burn that are highly desirable from a credible weight loss formula. (SPECIAL OFFER 2021) Click Here To Order Meticore at an Exclusively Low Price Today! There are several studies showing a link between basal body temperature and the obesity of a person. Generally, a low body temperature means a slower metabolism, which makes it hard for the body to process the calories from food and leads to excessive fat accumulation. This layered fat is what we see all around the belly, thighs, arms, and hips. While dietary changes can certainly help lose weight, in most people, they fail to get rid of the stubborn fat layers secondary to the slow metabolism. In such circumstances, using a product like the Meticore supplement can be a good idea. According to medical experts, a natural weight loss plan is always better than trying a fad diet or following a strict fitness routine. The reason is that you will gain all the weight back once you stop following these two. On the other side, a natural weight loss such as the one supported by Meticore pills can improve the bodys working in a way that it can lose and maintain this progress for years. Multiple Meticore reviews have mentioned how this type of weight progress comes without side effects, which is why more and more people are switching to this supplement to successfully achieve their dream bodies. Let's find out everything in this detailed Meticore review. MUST SEE: We Found an AMAZING Low Price for Meticore Supplement Right Here Meticore Review You might have heard the name Meticore, especially on the online weight loss forums or from people who are conscious about their fitness. It is a dietary supplement that triggers fat burning to provide several benefits like relieving inflammation, lowering stress, and removing toxins from the body. Although these functions look like average problems, a failure to address them can lead to a weight loss plateau, where the body is unable to lose weight no matter how much you starve it or move it hoping to lose weight. The Meticore weight loss supplement uses the finest natural ingredients inside to help address all the common issues of natural fat burning. It may be surprising, but the human body has an automatic system to burn calories, generate energy, and fuel the functions. All of this is involuntary, which means there is no way you can stop or change these functions with a controlling hand. But what you can do is to influence these functions in a way that they become fast or slow. Poor dietary habits, nutritional deficiencies, and a sedentary lifestyle typically slow down metabolism, increasing the risk of weight gain. On the other side, changing these habits can restart weight loss and maintain the process. Still, there are many people for whom the typical weight-loss strategies don't work. The latest studies have added new parameters and factors involved in weight loss, for example, inflammation, gut microbiota, hormones, stress, toxin damage, and free radicals. People who fail to lose weight or gain it all back within days of losing it usually suffer from any of these issues. In such circumstances, using a supplement like Meticore diet pills can be extremely convenient as they can address all of these root causes. Moreover, this dietary supplement can serve as a thermogenesis-inducer as well as a fat burner that helps regenerate cellular activities so that the body can finally lose weight. The Meticore dietary supplement comes in an easy-to-use capsule form, and there are 30 capsules in every bottle. This one bottle is sufficient for one month. According to Meticore reviews 2019 and 2020, if your targeted weight loss is more than 6 pounds, you would need more than one bottle. In such circumstances, availing the extra discount that the company is currently offering on bundle deals can be a good option. Click here to visit meticore.com to place an order for limited-time Meticore bundle offers before the offer expires. The Connection Between Thermogenesis And Weight Loss Yes, the modern lifestyle and dietary patterns are indeed behind the increase in obesity worldwide. Every year adds millions of people to this whole community of obese people trying to lose weight. It also explains why there are so many new weight loss products in the market every other month; however, not all are worth your money. Still, many people fall for the wrong products and waste their money and time trying them in a desperate attempt to lose weight. For all these people, the Meticore weight loss supplement can be the newest addition to their to-do list, but this is not the only reason to give it a try. The market value, popularity, and high demand for this supplement have grown in the last few months, urging people to know that it is much more than a diet pill. Meticore tablets may look like any normal weight loss supplement, but a closer examination can help you notice that it is very different from other options that you may find. The Meticore weight loss formula makes use of an intelligent approach and uses the natural ingredients to target a slow metabolism without affecting other body parts. It can induce changes at the cellular level to take control over fat breakdown, nutrient absorption, nutrient supply, and food-to-energy conversion among the rest. Numerous Meticore reviews from customers have stated how this supplement works on the core body temperature, to induce weight loss. But one thing that is necessary to mention here is that these weight loss diet pills only work when you use them every day for a few weeks to see a complete weight loss transformation. According to whats mentioned on meticore.com, these capsules use a thermogenic weight loss mechanism to melt stubborn fat layers. Thermogenesis is a process in which the body produces heat while burning calories. This thermogenic metabolism can speed up enzymatic activities, increase basal body temperature, and make the body lose weight even without diet or exercise. In addition to this, the Meticore weight loss pills contain ingredients that work on appetite suppression, which helps the body to consume lesser calories than routine. There are no stimulants inside this formula which means the user may not feel the typical high after taking them. There are no artificial or hidden ingredients inside which may interact with blood sugar, blood pressure, or energy levels, making it a risk-free supplement to use every day. The Meticore weight loss capsules also help remove toxins from the body. Furthermore, they can improve enzyme activity and protect against free radical damage. Some of its ingredients possess natural anti-inflammatory and stress-relieving properties which means they can address the inflammation and stress in the digestive tract that otherwise slows down the weight loss efforts. When all these effects are combined, thanks to the daily consumption of Meticore capsules, the body is finally able to burn fats and shed excess weight, proving itself as a weight loss solution for almost everyone. Also check out what Meticore customer reviews are saying about the benefits of this weight loss product. Visit meticore.com for more information. Most Meticore independent reviews state that any person over 18 years of age who is suffering from obesity can try the Meticore diet pills to lose extra weight. Going through the Meticore reviews Reddit page also reveals that it can be helpful for everyone who experiences the signs of a slow metabolism. There are good chances that you arent obese, but your metabolism is slow, explaining why you need a lot of effort to lose weight. Here are the most common signs of slow metabolism that may make you an ideal candidate to try Meticore tablets. You always crave desserts and sugary drinks. You always feel exhausted, low on energy, and tired You never lose weight no matter what you do You are always bloated whether or not you eat much You often experience brain fog, concentration, and memory problems You easily get cellulite, especially around thighs, arms, and hips Your blood sugar remains constantly high, no matter what you eat You may also have thyroid issues People who experience some or all of these issues may be suffering from a slow metabolism. Meticore weight loss pills can work on every such person who has a slow metabolism and wants to lose weight. But if there is a medical condition involved, you should contact your doctor before trying any product to lose weight. Also, remember that it is a nutritional supplement; there is no way the Meticore supplement can be used in place of medicine. The individual results on every user may also vary. Despite being a natural formula with an extraordinary safety profile, Meticore tablets may still not be a suitable option for many people. For example; If you are on a daily prescription-based medicine If you are a pregnant or breastfeeding woman If you are below 18 years of age If you have a cardiovascular disease If you have an undiagnosed medical reason for obesity In all of these above-mentioned cases, it is advised to discuss the use of Meticore with your doctor and only uses it if he approves. Everyone who wants to start a weight loss journey can use the Meticore morning metabolism trigger along with the following tips. Use it regularly for a few weeks and never stop in-between or skip any day. Add natural foods to your diet, i.e., fruits, veggies, legumes, etc. Drink plenty of water every day. Pay attention to your sleeping cycle. Avoid alcohol consumption and smoking. Follow a light to moderate physical activity for faster weight loss. Read Meticore independent reviews and customer testimonials. More information can be found here! Meticore Ingredients List Evaluation According to mymeticore.com, there are eight natural ingredients inside this supplement, each of which provides distinctive benefits to the body. To begin with, everyone should know that it is a US-made product, prepared under Good Manufacturing Practices using modern machinery. There are no stimulants or additives added, so there are no chances to feel alertness or sedative after using them. Meticore capsules contain a fine blend of eight ingredients mixed in a perfect ratio, creating a natural thermogenic formula. Once this capsule reaches the body, it starts working within a few minutes by targeting the adipose tissues. This thermogenic property can speed up the conventional weight loss efforts, likely causing a permanent fat loss in a few weeks or months. Lets evaluate all Meticore ingredients and see how they help in weight loss. Moringa oleifera Moringa has been used in various medicines and ointments for centuries because of its natural medicinal abilities. It has antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, making it a perfect natural multivitamin product. For example, it has 7 times more vitamin C than oranges and 15 times more potassium as found in bananas. Additionally, it has iron, molybdenum, and amino acids, which help decrease cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar. There are also some studies revealing the anti-cancer activity of moringa extracts. Although moringa is also available in supplement form, in Meticore ingredients, it can work better as its effects are synergized with other ingredients. African Mango Extract (Irvingia gabonensis) Also called African mungbean, this Meticore ingredient provides a high amount of dietary fiber, minerals, and fatty acids that can save a person from digestive distress during weight loss. It also provides antioxidants, protecting the body from toxins and free radical damage. You may see this ingredient in many other weight loss supplements too, because of its promising effects in fat burning. Plus, it helps curb hunger, saving people from emotional eating and sticking to their weight loss goals. Fucoxanthin (Brown Seaweed Extract) Fucoxanthin is a natural part of brown algae that has been used as a dietary component worldwide. It has enormous antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that help remove toxins from the body and improve metabolism. It can also increase metabolic rate by curbing inflammation that is otherwise a risk factor for slow metabolic. Curcumin (Turmeric) This Meticore ingredient is actually a spice added to a variety of dishes worldwide. But its flavorful aroma is not the only thing that makes it famous because there are many studies highlighting the role of turmeric as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer product. It means a daily intake of turmeric can help the body overcome harmful bacteria and inflammation in the gut that may make it hard to lose weight. Moreover, it can also balance hormones, remove toxins, and improve immunity, helping the body in this entire weight loss struggle. Ginger Like turmeric, ginger is also added to various recipes for its flavor. However, there are many medical reasons to add it to this Meticore ingredients list. First, it works through chrysin and galanin, its core ingredients that improve metabolism. In this way, ginger can burn fat, induce an anti-inflammatory effect and save from fat deposition in the body. Furthermore, it lowers cholesterol levels and maintains healthy blood sugar levels protecting a person from cardiovascular diseases. Citrus Bioflavonoids (Bitter Orange) These flavonoids can save the body from allergens and toxin damage that cause premature aging and slow metabolism. There is scientific evidence of flavonoids improving blood circulation and all visceral organs' functions, which in turn, complements the fat burning process and aids in weight loss. One particular component derived from bitter orange extract works on sugar levels and helps burn fat faster. Chromium Chromium is an essential mineral that lowers high blood sugar and blood pressure. It is also behind the appetite suppressant effects of Meticore pills, saving the user from unnecessary eating. Although controlling the cravings is hard, chromium intake can make it easy for the body to adopt mindful diet choices. Surprisingly, chromium deficiency is prevalent in many people mainly because natural foods only contain a small amount of this mineral them. Thats why taking its supplement form can lower the issues related to chromium deficiency inside the body. For this same reason, chromium is added to the Meticore ingredients list so that the user can be saved from sugary and carbs-rich food cravings. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) Vitamin B12 is essentially required by the body to function well. Although it can be obtained from dietary sources, i.e., eggs, meat, dairy, people with changing nutritional preferences may be deficient in this essential vitamin, causing them to experience high stress, sleeping issues, and anxiety. From Meticore capsules, the users can take their daily intake of vitamin B12 and save themselves from any potential nervous system threats. Besides, this vitamin also promotes RBC production, lowering the risk of heart and circulatory diseases. It is necessary to build realistic expectations from the Meticore supplement for weight loss. There is no way to see overnight results, and without making any dietary or lifestyle changes, it may take longer to show results. Moreover, the results can also vary in different users. As the Meticore supplement is relatively a new product, it may be hard to trust it and spend your money on it. However, there are thousands of Meticore reviews UK and Meticore consumer reports that share how users started their journey from a fearful to successful weight loss experience. Giving any new product like the Meticore supplement looks risky because there is no way to know how it would react to the body. Further, the internet is full of scams, and the bad part is that many effective products also experience the criticism associated with the scam products as both appear to be similar at first. Evaluating a product before deciding to buy it helps to understand the efficacy and safety. Thats why the background check of every product, even if hundreds of people endorse it, is obligatory. Applying it all on Meticore tablets makes it necessary to find out key features that make it a reliable product. Going through multiple Meticore.com reviews has helped compile the following list of features that may make these pills stand out among the rest. Targets the root cause It is unusual for a dietary supplement to target the root cause of a problem because this property is mainly associated with medicine only. The ingredients inside Meticore capsules have proven medicinal benefits and are no less than any synthetic medicine, excluding the potential side effects. They can fix the issues that make it hard for the body to lose and maintain weight, which is why this supplement can be considered different from all other diet pills available in the market. Targets metabolic rate Metabolic rate is the speed at which the human digestive system processes and burns calories. It is not one process but a sum of thousands of processes, some of which occur at a cellular level. It is necessary to take all of them together to make a change in metabolism. Unlike other products, Meticore pills work in multiple directions at a time, ensuring an improved metabolic rate. No additives/stimulants inside Those who have tried some other diet pills before would know how some companies add stimulants or additives to their formulas causing artificial alertness in the user. It may look desirable at first, but it completely ruins the body systems in the long run. The body can no longer maintain its energy levels, metabolism, and cognition, which is why people get hooked on these pills. Fortunately, there is no risk with Meticore diet pills. As confirmed in many Meticore reviews BBB, they are free from chemicals, additives, fillers, and stimulants, No unrealistic promises Unlike most supplements, the Meticore pills dont offer unrealistic weight loss benefits. There is no easy weight loss, and when you are a victim of slow metabolism, it may take a long time to see noticeable results. The official Meticore website (meticore.com) suggests its usage for three to six months, which may look like a long term to some people because they see other companies offering miraculous results in a couple of weeks. However, it is high time you realize that there is no authentic and safe weight loss that helps you lose 20 pounds in two weeks. Any company offering this is most likely to be fake, while a natural weight loss is slow but its effects may last for years. Herb sourced ingredients You might have noticed that all of the Meticore ingredients are natural. The company explains that it only picked high-quality natural sources to obtain these ingredients making sure there is no contamination in this entire process. Although the company doesnt collect these ingredients, it guarantees that all of its merchandisers are 100% authentic and reliable. Moreover, many Meticore Australia Reviews have confirmed how these ingredients did not mess up with their body in any way, even after using the pills regularly. No side effects There are only negligible chances for these capsules to go wrong for a user and cause any Meticore side effects. There is nothing inside it that can cause undesirable effects. Plus, the daily dosage is designed as per the tolerance level of an adult human body. All this proposes zero side effects and risks even after long-term use. All these above-mentioned reasons imply that the chances of a Meticore scam are highly unlikely, and this supplement has a clear advantage over other supplements offering the same benefits. (BEST ONLINE DEAL DEAL) Click Here To Order Meticore Bundle Package At Reduced Prices For All New Customers! Meticore Side Effects and Warnings Most Meticore pills reviews report it to be safe for daily use. There are no reasons to believe that it can cause undesirable effects on its users. But it doesnt give anyone a reason to abuse Meticore diet pills. Despite being a natural product, the ingredients inside its formula are of medicinal value. Misusing it, abusing it, or overdosing can cause extreme side effects, which is why sticking to the official guidelines is necessary. To make this weight loss process even more fruitful, you can add Meticore pills into a healthy and active daily routine. Although it is unnecessary to follow a restrictive diet or exercise to make it work, the results can be faster and better if you do it. In any case, dont experiment with Meticore by using it with any over-the-counter prescription medicine as well as other dietary supplements. These types of interactions can be risky and may cause irreparable damage to the metabolism. If you are unsure whether or not to use diet pills to lose weight, consult a doctor and discuss your case. Directions to Use Meticore Diet Pills Meticore is an oral pill that should be swallowed with water. This supplement's recommended dosage is only one capsule per day, and there is no fixed time to use it. You can also use it between your meals, but it is better to take it in the morning so that it has plenty of time to work. If you are taking the Meticore weight loss supplement, you need no other multivitamin or stamina boosting pills. The only way you can improve its results is by improving your diet or following any physical activity. The use of a secondary supplement, medicine, or herbal extract is restricted. Dont consume Meticore tablets with alcohol, carbonated or alcohol-based drinks. Meticore reviews from customers. Why was Meticore the top trending weight loss supplement of 2020 and still topping the charts in 2021. Find out more here. Pricing Guide and Shipping Details To purchase Meticore capsules, you can visit meticore.com or mymeticore.com. The company handles all the orders by itself, without involving local retailers. It is to make sure that there is no counterfeit product or any Meticore scam that users may fall into. The company is currently offering Meticore bundle packs with three and six bottles in them to facilitate the users. You can buy a bundle and use it throughout the weight loss journey without searching and ordering it every other month. Not to forget, buying in bulk reduces the price, allowing the user to buy Meticore for a discounted price. Read the following details about these bundle packs. One bottle of Meticore pills costs $59.00, which contains 30 capsules and lasts for one month only. Three bottles of Meticore cost $49 per bottle, and this bundle would last for three months. Six bottles of Meticore pills cost $39 per bottle, and this bundle would last for six months. Those who have never tried a supplement before or want to lose a few pounds before a big event may only need one bottle of Meticore. Others looking for a lean body may prefer buying three or six-bottle bundles and save their time and money spent purchasing one bottle every month. (SPECIAL OFFER) Click Here To Order The Meticore Supplement For as Low As $39 Only Meticore Money Back Policy If you are worried about losing your money on an online product, the company is offering a money-back guarantee on all orders of Meticore weight loss pills. The company mentions the refund policy with detailed terms and conditions, mentioning that it will refund money for all orders purchased online through their official website only. The duration to apply for the refund is 60 days, during which a user can contact the customer support line and ask them to initiate a refund process. The refunds are not applicable on completion of these 60 days. It is also not applicable on Meticore pills bought from websites like Amazon or sellers other than the official store. The company has a full right to review and reject any refund request based on a reason, i.e., missing information. Note that delivery charges are not included in the refund amount. An unsatisfied user is expected to send the used/empty or unused bottles back to the company at the following address: 1301 Ridgeview Drive, McHenry, IL 60050 Users can also write to the customer care team at [email protected] and provide their basic information and order number with a mention of a refund request. Once the company receives the bottles and confirms the order from their records, the refund process will start immediately. Meticore seems like a high-quality weight loss formula designed to help people struggling with their weight. All the orders for Meticore placed through the official website are also protected with a money-back guarantee. Currently, it is in stock and running like hot cake; if you are interested in giving it a try, visit the official Meticore website today and reserve your bottles before the stock ends. (LIMITED SUPPLIES) Click Here To Order Meticore Pills From Its Official Website Before The Stock Runs Out Product Contact: Meticore [email protected] About Fit Livings: This press release has been created by Fit Livings, a USA based company that provides consumers with product reviews and reports helping them make informed decisions. Individual results may vary and this product review has been published for information purposes only. Any purchase done from this link is subject to the final terms and conditions of the website that is selling the product. To contact Fit Livings regarding this press release, please email at: [email protected] FDA and Supplements: The FDA will never approve a dietary supplement. According to the Food and Drug Administration, dietary supplements are a category of their own, and they are not subject to FDA regulation or approval. If a company is claiming that the FDA approves their diet supplement, run. This is a clear misrepresentation. -- This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. --- These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. | https://sports.yahoo.com/much-football-texans-qb-deshaun-155834465.html?src=rss |
Is TCU safety Trevon Moehrig an option for Washington in 1st round of 2021 NFL draft? | While Washington has arguably the leagues top defensive line and a solid group of cornerbacks, it could use at least one linebacker and a free safety to take the defense from good to elite. Fortunately for Washington, there is one top prospect at free safety, TCU safety Trevon Moehrig. Washington signed Landon Collins to a record contract two years. Unfortunately, Collins is a box safety and hasnt exactly lived up to his contract. He did miss a large portion of 2020 with an Achilles injury, allowing seventh-round rookie Kam Curl to step in and shine. Collins will be back this season. Sure, but that wouldnt be ideal. Curl is a natural at strong safety and deserves the opportunity to start there in 2021. Back to Moehrig. At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Moehrig has outstanding size. He combines that size with terrific athleticism and outstanding instincts. He has proven to be strong in coverage during his time at TCU. Trevon Moehrig has been a beast for @TCUFootball. Now he's the top Safety prospect in the draft, per @MoveTheSticks. : Pro Day coverage continues all month long on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/I4WYdIfhgo NFL (@NFL) March 19, 2021 He could play various roles for Washington, including being a single-high safety if the team wanted to bring Curl or Collins down in the box. Washington could draft the fourth-best offensive tackle at No. 19 or the best safety prospect. Sure, the fourth-best offensive tackle in this draft will be an excellent prospect, but a player like Moehrig could completely transform Washingtons defense. Moehrig should certainly be an option for Washington if it remains at No. 19 in the 2021 NFL draft. | https://sports.yahoo.com/tcu-safety-trevon-moehrig-option-135525712.html?src=rss |
Will Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw be the Bears pick in Round 1? | The Telegraph Survivors of child sexual abuse in football have called for a new independent investigation after the authorities were accused of glossing over the paedophile crimes of a leading administrator with close links to the Football Association. Ray Barnes was full-time secretary of the Hampshire Football Association between 1976 and 2001 and, during almost 50 years as a referee and then senior official, used his position to prey on young boys, one of whom he abused on the way back from Wembley after getting tickets through the FA for the 1983 Cup final. He was also leading the Hampshire FA during Bob Higginss widespread sexual abuse of young footballers in the county, before killing himself in 2010 shortly after being convicted of five counts of indecent assault against three boys between 1964 and 1983. One of the survivors, Geoff Smith, was indecently assaulted by Barnes when he was 11 and is now waiving his right to anonymity for the first time at the age of 68. Smith was not approached as part of the Sheldon Review into child sexual abuse in football and says that there had never been any attempt at a personal apology, support or investigation from the FA or Hampshire FA. They swept it right under the table, he said. We went through just as much as the lads from the professional clubs and weve had no apology. I dont think they want to know. How his name was not in the report astounds me. I still believe there are many more who could have been abused by him. Its very difficult to come forward but is something I thought I had to do. The Hampshire FA even commended Barness outstanding service in an official history that was published in 2013 and only taken off the FA website following questions raised by Telegraph Sports investigation and he was not named in the 710-page FA-commissioned Sheldon Review. Smith was indecently assaulted in the mid-1960s after first meeting Barnes outside a pub where he would serve food and drinks to local children playing football. He was later invited to a Southampton reserve team game by Barnes, who he says wore a blazer with the Hampshire FA badge. The Wessex League, where Barnes became president, even suggested a minutes silence in his memory following his death aged 74 just over a decade ago. Another survivor, who he assaulted on their journey home from the 1983 FA Cup final, was given a job by Barnes at the Hampshire FA but then sacked after Barnes made the unfounded claim that he had been stealing. Barnes was also the Hampshire FA secretary when a parent reportedly spoke with an unnamed senior official about Higgins, the notorious Southampton coach who was jailed in 2019 for 64 counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1996. Higgins later also held positions at non-league clubs in Hampshire, including Winchester City and Bashley, and continued running coaching sessions in the area even after numerous accusations had been made. Dean Radford, who first formally complained about Higgins in February 1989, said that he was staggered that Barnes was not named by Sheldon and that there were not more detailed investigations into the abuse he perpetuated, his influence as an administrator and also his potential links with the Higgins case. How can this four-year report, millions of pounds, no stone unturned supposedly, not thoroughly investigate a guy working for one of the FAs county associations who has been charged and convicted of five counts of indecent assault? asked Radford. Dino Nocivelli, a partner in the abuse team at Bolt Burdon Kemp, contrasted the differences between the responses of the FA and Hampshire FA to how clubs have been investigated, conducted their own internal investigations, met with survivors and offered apologies to survivors. It is just not good enough and results in even more distrust about the whole process, said Nocivelli. We now need an external body to look at this. It cant be the FA again. They have had their chance. The Sheldon Review would not comment on its investigation into Barnes but Clive Sheldon QC did meet one of the other survivors and considered the case. He did not name Barnes because he believed that there was a confidentiality obligation to a public body. The FA released their safeguarding file on Barnes to Sheldon and pointed to the general apology that had been issued to all survivors of child sexual abuse in football. Hampshire Police would not say how many complaints there had been about Barnes or whether more people had come forward after the full extent of abuse in football had emerged in 2016. The Hampshire FA had no contemporaneous documentation in relation to Barnes. Their chief executive Neil Cassar said that they had received no complaints directly and therefore have not reached out directly to any survivors but would supply details on available support if they came forward. Smith said that he and the other survivors would have been easily contactable following Barnes conviction at Bournemouth Crown Court in 2010. Radford said that the Barnes survivors had been treated like they didnt exist and was also outraged by how Barnes was praised in the Hampshire FAs history book. It just typifies what the attitude of some people has been, said Radford. Its heartbreaking. The whole thing has given me no faith in any sort of establishment. Geoff Smith: Why I'm speaking out, 40 years after my abuse by Ray Barnes More than 40 years had passed but, when Geoff Smith saw a photograph of Ray Barnes beside a newspaper report detailing his arrest, something suddenly changed. And, for the first time, he thought that he would be believed. Smith was indecently assaulted by Barnes at the age of 11 and the only person he had previously ever felt able to tell was his wife. I just pointed at the paper and said, Thats him, there, the man who abused me. I read it and phoned the journalist. I said, I dont know what to do but this man abused me as well. The journalist suggested I report it to the police and they then did a full video interview. Smith was in his late fifties by then but every awful detail was still lodged in his mind, right down to the car that Barnes would drive and the clothes he wore. They had met when Barnes befriended local children who would buy lemonade and crisps from the Bridge Tavern pub next to where they played football. He worked part-time and he would serve you and start talking, says Smith. Looking back, you can see the grooming and how it works. Barnes first offered to take Smith in his car to a local airport strip to show him how to drive. He then invited him to The Dell for a Southampton reserve team match, serving up egg and bacon at his home before the game. I remember he had a blazer with the Hampshire FA badge on when we went to the football and he had a pass to get in, says Smith. The grooming continued for around a year before Barnes told him that he was an artist and suggested that he come into a flat with him. He was like, Ill draw you, take your clothes off and then came over and started touching me. I went back on the bus that night and felt absolutely numb. There was no one in my family who I could talk to. My parents had split up and my dad was just not the sort you could tell. Ray Barnes would have died that weekend if my dad had known. Thats the way he was. I avoided him after that. Christ knows what would have happened if it had carried on. Both Barnes and Smith still lived in the Southampton area and he would sometimes see his abuser refereeing football matches. Barnes became the assistant secretary of Hampshire FA in 1972 and then the paid secretary between 1976 and 2001. He was also a special constable and a magistrate. He worked with youth offenders and at other local sports clubs, remaining absolutely embedded in football administration until his trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in 2010. His time leading the Hampshire FA also coincided with when Bob Higgins, one of the most prolific paedophiles in footballs entire child abuse scandal, was also working at local clubs. It all raises obvious questions about how many other victims there might be and Barness role in the failure to stop Higgins from offending. As well as Smith, a third survivor also came forward after reading the initial complaint against Barnes. He had been given a job by Barnes at the Hampshire FA and was just 16 when he was assaulted on the M3 after Barnes had used his position to get them tickets for the 1983 FA Cup final between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion. | https://sports.yahoo.com/virginia-tech-offensive-tackle-christian-145328990.html?src=rss |
Are herd immunity, California coronavirus variant preventing West Coast spring surge? | The Midwest, New England and the New York areas have faced troubling rises in coronavirus cases, and some have expressed concern that Los Angeles County has previously been only a few weeks behind trends coming out of New York. In the last week, average daily coronavirus cases nationally are up 5% over the previous week and the change in new COVID-19 hospitalizations is up 7%. But so far, California remains in good shape, relatively speaking. California has one of the lowest average daily coronavirus case rates in the nation over the most recent seven-day period, while Michigans case rate the worst in the nation is 12 times higher than Californias, placing growing strain on hospitals there. One factor that might be helping California for reasons not fully understood is the presence of the California variant. The California variant here might be helping to keep a lid on the U.K. variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than the conventional strains of the coronavirus and likely results in a greater chance of death. Advertisement Here are some reasons why Michigan might be doing so badly, while California so far seems to be doing far better. The U.K. strain is dominating the Midwest outbreak Michigans current wave is approaching an intensity as strong as the height of its winter surge, said Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist, at a recent campus forum. Michigans recent wave was spurred on by youth athletic events, including large outbreaks involving hockey teams, Rutherford said. Minnesota is also seeing a cluster of new cases. A big factor in the Midwest surge is the presence of the U.K. variant, which now accounts for about 70% of Michigans and Minnesotas new coronavirus cases, Rutherford said. Michigan is now seeing its hospitals under pressure from surges of patients, and some hospitals in the state are canceling nonemergency procedures and enacting pandemic surge plans, the Detroit Free Press reported. Advertisement One bright side, however, is that the cluster in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut seems to be starting to turn the corner a little bit, Rutherford said. An outstanding question is whether the surge in COVID-19 in the neighboring Canadian province of Ontario is affecting the surge in cases in the Midwest and Northeast, Rutherford said. The borders are closed, [so] Im not quite sure what that all means. But its something to be cognizant of, Rutherford said. Doctors in Ontario have started to plead with government officials to sent more intensive care unit nurses to the Toronto area to avoid a triage situation, the Toronto Star reported Saturday. Advertisement The California variant may be keeping the U.K. strain under control In California, the U.K. variant now probably accounts for 40% of new coronavirus cases, Rutherford said, but unlike in Michigan, it hasnt driven the overall epidemic curve, Rutherford said. Part of the reason for that is that the California variant may be outcompeting the U.K. variant for dominating the state. Of virus samples that have been genomically sequenced cumulatively, more than 12,000 cases of the California variant also known as the West Coast variant (B.1.427/B.1.429) have been identified in California, compared with 980 of the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7). The California variant is believed to be 20% more transmissible than the conventional coronavirus strains, but the U.K. variant is thought to be 50% more transmissible and more likely to cause worse illness. Some experts have said they would presume that the U.K. variant would crowd out the California variant. But Rutherford said, somewhat counterintuitively, that the California variant may be somehow keeping the U.K. variant at bay. Advertisement Rutherford said he couldnt fully explain it, but, for whatever reason, they seem to be pushing it out of the way. An upcoming study of coronavirus cases identified in San Franciscos Mission District is expected to report almost no cases of the U.K. variant. Its possible that California will eventually be dominated by the U.K. variant, Rutherford said. But for right now, we have way more of the [California variant], Rutherford said. If you had to choose between the California variant and U.K. variant being more dominant, the California variant is preferable, because its relatively less transmissible and deadly than the U.K. variant. If it was the U.K. variant [that was dominating California], wed be in worse shape, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the UC San Francisco Department of Medicine, at the campus forum. Advertisement Relatively high rates of immunity may be helping California The autumn-and-winter surge in California tore through many lower-income and heavily Latino communities, leaving behind a high death toll. These communities were particularly hit hard because many residents live in crowded homes and have jobs requiring them to leave home, exposing them to a higher risk of infection. The intensity of the autumn-and-winter wave, however, has resulted in a large number of survivors who now are immune to COVID-19. Officials estimate about 38% of L.A. County residents have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. And Rutherford said he suspects there are parts of L.A., such as in Boyle Heights and South L.A., in which half of residents have been infected. Advertisement Rutherford said its possible that California could reach something approaching herd immunity by June 15. The politics of lockdowns tough in Michigan So far, Michigans governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has declined to impose new mandatory restrictions to cope with the recent surge. On Friday, Whitmer called for a voluntary two-week suspension of indoor restaurant dining, youth sports and in-person high-school classes, deciding against mandatory orders even though some doctors say theyre needed. No one wants another lockdown, but we need it, tweeted Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and author of What the Eyes Dont See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. Hanna-Attisha won the Freedom of Expression Courage Award for her efforts to expose the dangerous levels of lead in the water in Flint, Mich. Advertisement Following the autumn-and-winter surge, indoor restaurant dining in Michigan resumed on Feb. 1; L.A. County resumed indoor restaurant dining much later, allowing operations to reopen March 15. National experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious diseases expert, has long been warning against states reopening businesses too quickly following the winter surge, fearing that a speedy reopening would result in a backsliding into another surge. At the end of February, Fauci warned against moves by states to reopen too quickly. On CNN, Fauci noted that in past periods of the pandemic, when we started to pull back prematurely, we saw the rebound. We definitely dont want that to happen. Last week, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, advocated for stronger mitigation strategies to reduce disease transmission in Michigan. Problems that could delay the end of the pandemic in California include the introduction of a new variant in California or the discovery of a problem with a vaccine that could undermine confidence in the shots, Rutherford said. The vaccines now approved in the U.S. have proved themselves to be very effective and very safe, experts say. And the variants that pose a relatively higher risk of being resistant to vaccines the South African and Brazilian variants have yet to establish a firm hold in the U.S. The numbers of states with more than a few handful of cases of those is really vanishingly small, Rutherford said. I really havent seen it yet that makes me worry. | https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-12/california-coronavirus-variant-preventing-spring-surge-herd-immunity |
Can Alex Rodriguez transform Timberwolves from miserable losers to lovable winners? | Alex Rodriguez would bring power and glamour to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA franchise located in Minneapolis needs an injection of money, excitement and a new ownership groups immediate desire to have a winning product for its fans and players. Rodriguez, the former MLB MVP, and billionaire business partner Marc Lore, an e-commerce entrepreneur, are closing in on a deal to buy the Timberwolves from Glen Taylor. Since signing an exclusive letter of intent on Saturday to finalize a deal in 30 days, the two sides are motivated to close a win-win for both parties. Taylor purchased the team in 1994 for $90 million and is expected to sell for nearly $1.5 billion, and Rodriguez and Lore have had their sights set on pro sports ownership, coming close to buying the New York Mets last year. The Timberwolves need a jolt. Since Taylor bought the franchise, Minnesota has more losses than any other NBA team and has the second-worst winning percentage. The Timberwolves have made the playoffs once in the past 17 seasons. They had their best seasons from 1996-97 through 2003-04 with Kevin Garnett eight consecutive playoff appearances but just once did they get out of the first round, reaching the Western Conference finals in 2004. This season, they are 14-40 (worst record in the NBA) and headed for another high lottery pick. New ownership can help pull a team out of that misery. The best example might be in the neighboring state with the Milwaukee Bucks. New ownership elevated the franchise after buying the Bucks from Herb Kohl. Yes, it helps to draft a generational player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, but since then, ownership has paid Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday and helped build a new downtown arena and practice facility. If a deal is finalized, one of the new groups first tasks will be figuring out Karl-Anthony Towns future. The two-time All-Star, who is 25 and experienced the playoffs just once in his Timberwolves career, has three more seasons and $101.5 million remaining on his contract. The Timberwolves need to find out if they can retain him, if they will have to trade him for valuable assets or let him leave in free agency with nothing in return. Taylor plans to set up a unique structure to transfer ownership. Rodriguez and Lore will initially own a smaller stake and gradually purchase more until they have controlling ownership in about 2 years. This is important, because while Taylors teams have struggled, he is an important NBA owner. He was the NBA Board of Governors chairman and was integral to both commissioner Adam Silver and former commissioner David Stern as a confidant and right-hand man during labor and TV rights negotiations. POINT ZION:Pelicans' Zion Williamson, who is 6-foot-7, says playing point guard 'feels natural' EARLY RETURNS:As LeBron James hints of an early return, medical experts say he's not falling to Father Time yet His stewardship on that front is important as is his understanding of a pro sports franchise as a civic institution. Rodriguez should understand that from his time as an MLB star for Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees. The Timberwolves have value to the community, and its why Taylor, a native Minnesotan, wants to include a clause that keeps the franchise in Minneapolis. It might be difficult to enforce such a clause in perpetuity. So while there will be rumblings and even concerns that Rodriguez will want to move the team to Seattle, keep this in mind: the NBA doesnt want a current team to relocate to Seattle as much it wants to the expansion fee ($2.5 billion or higher) for a new team in Seattle. Relocation simply doesnt generate that kind of money. Given his personality type Rodriguez loves the spotlight he would be less like Taylor and more like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who is Rodriguezs friend and sometimes guest on Cubans Shark Tank TV show. That doesnt mean he would go full Cuban either. But it is guaranteed he will be involved. There is a learning curve for all new NBA owners. Its the not the same as investing in a sporting goods apparel or health food company or working in the low-key but lucrative maze of private equitys billion-dollar deals. Rodriguez and Lore need to be smart enough to know what they dont know and learn from those who do. | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/twolves/2021/04/12/can-alex-rodriguez-turn-timberwolves-losers-into-winners/7189736002/ |
Can Alex Rodriguez Turn the Timberwolves Around? | The former MLB star and current ESPN analyst is nearing a deal to own the Timberwolves. Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, the former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, are nearing a deal to become the next owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The two would serve as limited partners for the next two and a half years before taking control of the team if a deal were to get done. Current owner Glen Taylor would serve as a mentor for the two new owners. The deal would also include Taylor's WNBA team, the Minnesota Lynx, according to the Star Tribune, with an agreement to keep both teams in Minnesota. The Crossover staff reacts to the news. Michael Pina The Timberwolves were arguably the NBAs worst team when Glen Taylor purchased them in 1994, and they were arguably the NBAs worst team on the day he agreed to sell them to an ownership group headlined by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. In between, zero organizations that existed at the time have had a lower winning percentage or a worse defense. Change is good, but the sale should be met with cautious optimism. Taylor told the newspaper he owns that there will be language in his contract with Rodriguez and Lore that prohibits them from moving the Timberwolves to another market, though thats not likely to be ironclad and must be approved by the league. But if youre a Timberwolves fan whos suffered through several eras marred by ineptitude, a new face or two at the top is a very good thing. For a little while, at least. The ideal scenario for everyone who loves the NBA would have been for Kevin Garnett to become the face of Minnesotas next ownership group. Imagine KG at draft workouts, giving press conferences, involving himself in trades and reinserting himself as an iconic character in the NBAs narrative. Hes forever connected to that teamwhich hasnt won a playoff series since Garnetts MVP season in 2004and the Timberwolves might not be there today had the Hall of Famer spent most of his prime elsewhere. Jeremy Woo As they say, the biggest competitive advantage in sports is ownership. If A-Rod and his group are smart enough to commit financially, empower their basketball people and stay out of the way, then yes, there's no reason it can't work. By the time they actually take over, the Wolves should be trending upthey have to get lucky in the lottery to keep their pick away from the Warriors this year, of course, but there's talent on the team and some actual direction right now. It's not a bad time to get in, if A-Rod avoids meddling. Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports Chris Herring Theres very, very little that could stop me from feeling terrified if I were a Minnesota fanparticularly with Rodriguez having ties to Seattle. Its all well and good that Glen Taylor is saying the right things for now. But the NBAs last relocation, from Seattle to Oklahoma City, revealed that people can and apparently will say whatever is necessary to get a deal done where they want to. In that case, Clay Bennett wrote in an email to then commissioner David Stern suggesting hed never had conversations with his partners about moving the Sonics out of Seattle. Later, we learned those conversations were already well underway, and that he was simply lying. The Timberwolves may very well stay put forever. I hope they do. But short of seeing ironclad legal paperwork, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling totally assured of that, based on how these things work. Pinky promises arent adequate. This is, after all, a franchise that has made the playoffs just once since the 200405 season and just nine times in its history. I think a potentially more interesting question is what does this new ownership group mean for the WNBA's Lynx. The Lynx have won four titles in the last decade and have made the postseason in 10 straight seasons. But in Rodriguez's statement announcing they are entering the next phase of the process to buy both franchises, he explicitly mentioned the Timberwolves, but failed to mention the Lynx. Lynx coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve has called outgoing owner Glen Taylor one of the best listeners Ive ever had in my life, and Taylor has shown a willingness to pour resources into the citys WNBA team. Maybe Rodriguezs omission of the Lynx in his lone statement wont mean anything down the road, but it is eyebrow-raising nevertheless. Michael Shapiro I dont think Alex Rodriguez and Minnesotas new ownership group will look to move the team, so theres no need to panic on that front. I have no idea. Rodriguezs success will ultimately be dictated by the people he chooses to run basketball operations, which (David Kahn alert) effectively ruined the chances of the previous regime. If Minnesota emerges as a title contender in the next decade, its likely were talking about Chris Finch and Cade Cunningham more than the former Yankees third baseman. MORE NBA STORIES Beck: Rick Welts is ready to exit the stage Nadkarni: Nets are pushing the regular season to its limits Pina: Chicago's future is brighter than it appears Mannix: Why you should not worry about the Lakers | https://www.si.com/nba/2021/04/12/alex-rodriguez-timberwolves-ownership |
Can Ukraine deploy U.S.-made weapons against the Russians? | Wess Mitchell, who served as the Trump administrations top State Department official overseeing European and Eurasian affairs, noted that the Javelins and other lethal weapons are designed not for first use but to deter Moscow from encroaching on Ukrainian territory. But while Washington urges Kyiv to use the Javelins only for defensive purposes and requires that the weapons be stored in a secure facility away from the conflict, there are no geographic restrictions on the actual deployment of the missiles, U.S. officials said, which means that Ukrainian forces can transport, distribute and use them at any time. Javelins are defensive weapons and the United States expects Ukraine to deploy them responsibly and strategically when needed for defensive purposes, said Pentagon spokesperson Mike Howard. If the Javelins were to be moved, it doesnt necessarily mean theyd be used in Kyivs estimation, the threshold for actually firing the weapons has not yet been met, according to two Ukrainians familiar with the discussions. The red line, they said, would be if Russian tanks crossed over into Ukrainian territory. The current Russian movement in Eastern Europe is exactly the kind of scenario the Javelin sale was designed to counter, said two former senior U.S. defense officials familiar with the agreement. Im sure there is a discussion going on, the person said. Its a no-brainer. An official close to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any discussions about moving the Javelins had not reached the presidential level and that no decisions have been made on whether to deploy them. Zelensky is eager to de-escalate tensions, so he would not be naturally inclined to move the weapons east, said another person close to the Ukrainian president. U.S. officials said they were not aware of any decisions to deploy the Javelins. Senior Ukrainian officials are not yet convinced that the troop buildup means that Russia is planning an invasion the fact that the troop movements have been so public and dragged on in the open for more than two weeks, suggests to Kyiv that Moscow may just be saber-rattling to try to create leverage with the new Biden administration. But Ukrainian officials are still nervous that the conflict could escalate dramatically and with little notice. At least seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since late last month amid a spike in violence in the Donbass region, where Ukrainian government forces have been battling Russia-backed separatists since 2014. President Joe Biden and Zelensky spoke for the first time this month amid the escalating tensions. A White House readout of the conversation said Biden reaffirmed the United States unwavering support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression in the [Donbass] and Crimea. The U.S. has provided Ukraine $2 billion in security assistance since 2014, including two tranches of Javelin missiles as well as other military equipment. Biden, who pushed unsuccessfully to provide lethal aid to Kyiv during the Obama administration, also recently approved an additional $125 million worth of lethal aid to help the country defend its borders, including two armed patrol boats and counter-artillery radar. Morning Defense The latest news in defense policy and politics. Sign Up Loading By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Still, the Javelins are an incomplete solution to Russias aggression. Jim Townsend, a Pentagon official during the Obama administration, said that while the deployment of missiles in itself would not be escalatory, they would be of limited use if the Russians are not planning on mounting a conventional attack with armored vehicles. If the Russians are up to something, and that something doesnt involve armor, then the Javelins wont matter, said Townsend, who went on to refer to Russia's paramilitary forces that invaded Crimea in 2014. For instance, Javelins arent useful if the Russians are using little green men to infiltrate Ukrainian lines." | https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/12/ukraine-us-missile-weapons-russia-480985 |
Can Vaccinated People Travel With Kids This Summer? And Where? | It can be difficult to know whether it's okay to travel with kids this summer getty Its becoming clear that people who have been vaccinated will be able to travel much more freely over the summer and the CDC has given the go-ahead for vaccinated people to be able to travelboth domestically and overseas. Heres a roundup of the best advice out there at the moment: It depends on the destination Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease epidemiologist and science communication lead at the Covid Tracking Project, told Cond Nast Traveler that whilst children arent considered high risk for infection from Covid-19, nor for transmission, parents need to analyse the access to vaccines in the destination. Ideally, people shouldnt be traveling from a high vaccine area into somewhere with low vaccine rates. Many countries are opening up as they get nearer herd immunity (like Israel) but others are still open to U.S. travelers even with high infection rates (it is possible to fly to Mexico, even though the land border is closed). Stay in your bubble Dr. Ilan Shapiro, a Los Angeles-based paediatrician told Cond Nast Traveler that risk can be minimised by staying inside the family bubbles that people were in during the early stages of lockdown. Limit risk by staying within the same family/friendship group and rent a house instead of hotel rooms and if at all possible, drive. Indeed, The NY Times asked many experts on the safest way to travel and reported that most were planning on driving to limit risk to their children. If you are choosing to stay in a hotel, Dr. Abraar Karan, an internal medicine physician at the Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School suggests analysing how far you can stay away from people while staying there. Try to think about elevators, indoor dining areas and lobbies as places to be avoided as much as possible. Experts are also advising on using the same caution when putting your children in kids clubseven if they have the same rules as schools (wearing masks, playing in small groups at least six feet apart from one another and spending most of the time outdoors) they are bringing together kids from different parts of the world, which is probably something that should be avoided right now. Whats more, one expert said if the pool was very crowded, they wouldnt go in. A very crowded swimming pool is probably a no-no, say epidemiologists getty Acclimatise kids beforehand It can be helpful to get kids used to wearing masks by building up to it in incremental stageswearing them in the house for a bit, before departure, for instance. Take a large selection of different kinds of fun masks so they can choose and keep swapping and whenever possible, push them into the outdoors to play. Short-haul flights are probably safer The NY Times reported that the experts they asked were not planning on traveling internationally with their children, because of the rise in cases around the world and also because of the strict re-entry requirements upon landing in the U.S. However, Dr. Arthur L. Reingold, head of the epidemiology division at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health said that the instances where transmission had been documented on an airplane, it was during long-haul flights. Experts were in agreement that shorter flights posed less risk to travelers because masks were lifted less frequently for taking a drink or eating. Ultimately, whilst things seem to be improving globally, there is always a chance of a new wave of infections arising from new variant strains of Covid-19. Make sure there is a back up plan (particularly a domestic one, if you have international travel plans) and check that all costs are refundable or at the very least, can be rolled into new dates or rebooked later. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2021/04/12/can-vaccinated-people-travel-with-kids-this-summer-and-where/ |
Will the NFL yank the 2023 Super Bowl from Arizona? | Back in 2018, the National Football League announced that the 2023 Super Bowl will be played in the Glendale home of the Arizona Cardinals. Team owner Michael Bidwill and his friend Gov. Doug Ducey were positively giddy. This is fantastic news for the State of Arizona, Ducey said. This comes on the heels of us hosting Super Bowl 49, the college football national championship, the NCAA Final Four, spring training and the Phoenix Open. We couldnt be happier to do this. This is a tremendous economic impact for the State of Arizona. Bidwill added, Were thrilled by the unanimous vote and we look forward to making this the most fan friendly Super Bowl in the history of Super Bowls and bigger and better than any Super Bowl. I wonder what theyd say if the NFL yanks the game from Arizona over the raft of voter suppression laws working their way through the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature. MLB yanked the All-Star Game. It could happen. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. Fair access to voting continues to have our unwavering support. As it should. After Arizona voters failed to approve a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in 1990, NFL owners voted to remove the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix. (We got it back for 1996 after voters approved the holiday in 1992.) If the Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature continue on the voter suppression path, trotting out nearly two-dozen bills aimed at making it more difficult for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights and sullying the reputation of the state, the ramifications could be broad and long-lasting and negative. Arizona doesn't need that economic impact Weve been through this before. There is the very real possibility of damage to the economy, particularly the tourism industry, but also to other businesses. And not only would an anti-voter reputation hurt the bottom line for Arizona businesses, but it will make it more difficult to recruit the best and brightest people to work in those businesses, as well as our schools, hospitals and more. And it would make it more difficult to keep the talent that is already here. There is no doubt that if it gets ugly at the Legislature with the Republican-led voter suppression effort there will be pressure to move the 2023 Super Bowl. Our own history tells us it could happen. And if the ugly bills pass, and Ducey doesnt veto them, it should happen. Reach Montini at [email protected]. For more opinions content, please subscribe. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2021/04/12/nfl-yank-2023-super-bowl-arizona-passes-voter-suppression-bills/7174997002/ |
Should MLB look at expanding replay after week full of blown reviews? | 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 Jordan Luplows stat line this season should include three home runs. Right now it reads two because one was taken away from him Saturday thanks to a failure of Major League Baseballs replay system. On Mondays podcast, Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga discuss what MLB can do to ensure more critical calls dont get missed despite having video available of each play. 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. What former Tribe players are doing has me talking to myself: Pluto | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/04/should-mlb-look-at-expanding-replay-after-week-full-of-blown-reviews.html |
How to persuade the vaccine sceptics? | Our weekly podcast at the sharp end of the global vaccination race ALL ADULTS in America are now eligible for a covid-19 vaccine. Around 30% of those polled in the country, however, are hesitant to take the jab. A shortage of vaccines will soon become a shortage of arms. We speak to Heidi Larson, anthropologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and founding director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, about the similarities between vaccine hesitancy today and the 19th century. Crystal Son, director of healthcare analytics at Civis Analytics, on why vaccine safety messaging is ineffective. Alok Jha and Natasha Loder are joined by Edward Carr, The Economists deputy editor, and Tamara Gilkes Borr, US policy correspondent. Runtime: 39 min Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher | TuneIn For full access to The Economists print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/thejabpod. Sign up for our new weekly science and data newsletters at economist.com/simplyscience and economist.com/offthecharts. | https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2021/04/12/how-to-persuade-the-vaccine-sceptics |
Could Seahawks Benefit From Marquise Blair Changing Positions... Again? | Making an easy transition from safety to slot cornerback and turning in an outstanding training camp, Blair looked primed for a breakout 2020 season. Coming off an uneven rookie season in which he started a trio of games, numerous roadblocks stood in the way as obstacles preventing Marquise Blair from earning more consistent playing time for the Seahawks defensively. Heading towards training camp, Seattle already had two proven starters in Quandre Diggs and Bradley McDougald under contract at the safety position. Then, general manager John Schneider pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Pro talent Jamal Adams from the New York Jets for two first-round picks and a third-round selection in late July. With Adams in the fold and Diggs still having two years left on his contract, Blair was the odd man out on the depth chart. But coach Pete Carroll was determined to find a path to get the 2019 second-round pick onto the field and after hinting at a possible position change on multiple occasions during the offseason, Seattle slid him to nickel cornerback at the start of camp. Despite having no prior background at the position, Blair remained confident his skill set would translate to the slot effectively. Coverage rules generally staying the same helped ease his transition from safety as well. While Blair made his share of mistakes adjusting to a new position on the fly during the first few practice sessions, he quickly emerged as one of the biggest stars in an abbreviated Seahawks training camp. He consistently got his hands on the football in coverage, including picking off two passes in the team's mock scrimmages, and found his way to Russell Wilson and Geno Smith as a blitzer from the slot. By the time camp wrapped up, the hard-hitting Blair had beaten out Ugo Amadi for the starting nickel cornerback role and looked poised for a breakout second season. Playing alongside Adams and Diggs in nickel and dime packages, Carroll expected the versatile trio to be a disruptive force and help Seattle's defense return to the ranks of the NFL's elite. Unfortunately, the Seahawks weren't able to see what the group could accomplish together, as Blair's season came to an abrupt end in a Week 2 win over the Patriots. While finishing a tackle, K.J. Wright inadvertently hit his helmet against the young defender's knee, causing his leg to buckle. He had to be helped off the field and only a few days later, after registering eight tackles and a forced fumble in the first two games, he was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Nearly seven months after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, Blair is on schedule to be 100 percent healthy for the start of camp in August. In a video of a recent workout, he looked quick and explosive running through agility hurdles and transitioning in and out of his backpedal, a positive sign for his recovery process. Just like last offseason, the Seahawks will have to figure out where Blair fits into the team's defensive plans in 2021 and beyond. At safety, Adams and Diggs are both entering the final year of their respective contracts and all signs point to Seattle extending both players at some point. Meanwhile, at the nickel corner spot, Amadi performed well in Blair's absence, earning a respectable 67.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus while producing 45 tackles and six pass breakups on 552 defensive snaps. Considering how well Blair performed out of the slot during training camp, it would seem safe to assume he will remain at that position and once again compete against Amadi for the starting role. But as a coach who has never been afraid to experiment in the secondary, Carroll may have one other option to at least consider. While the Seahawks have been able to fortify their defensive line during free agency, the team lost starting cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, leaving the team with significant question marks at the position. Former 49ers starter Ahkello Witherspoon was signed to a one-year contract, while D.J. Reed and Tre Flowers will return with one year remaining on their current deals. Known for his physicality and toughness, Blair already proved he could adapt to Seattle's kick-step technique and handle press coverage duties in the slot last summer. While quicker receivers may have been problematic for him working inside, he would have the added benefit of the sideline functioning as an extra "defender" to help him in coverage on the outside. Though Blair has only 30 3/4-inch arms, which falls below Seattle's typical threshold of 32 inches, his 40-yard dash (4.48), 3-cone drill (6.84), and vertical jump (35 inches) all meet the team's testing requirements at the position. Coupled with his size and aggressive play style, these numbers suggest he has more than enough athleticism to play on the outside. However, there are several reasons why such a position switch may not be near as successful for Blair as last time around. Aside from playing deep zone, he has spent the vast majority of his time at the college and NFL level playing in the box. Lining up on an island on the outside with more one-on-one matchups may be too far outside of his comfort zone and there would be additional technique hurdles he would need to overcome to be effective. It's also debatable whether playing outside cornerback would truly maximize Blair's biggest strengths. He'd rarely be used as a blitzer, wouldn't be as involved defending the run, and would not draw as many matchups against big tight ends, which is an area he could certainly be utilized given his size and physical presence. Ultimately, Blair has most of the physical and athletic tools Seattle looks for at outside cornerback, but he doesn't have the background. Shifting outside would be a far trickier move than sliding from safety to slot cornerback as he did a year ago. That much upheaval can also severely stunt a player's development. With that said, if there is a coach who could transform Blair into a viable outside corner and do so quickly, it is Carroll, who has rightfully earned his reputation as a defensive back guru. Most likely, he will stay in the slot where he thrived last summer, but the intrigue of seeing Blair press receivers into submission on the outside may be worth careful consideration. | https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/could-seahawks-benefit-from-marquise-blair-changing-positions-again |
Will FinCENs Crypto Conundrum Hurt Ransomware Victims? | Ransomware was invented 30 years ago when an AIDS researcher mailed between 10 and 20 thousand 5.25 floppy disks emblazoned with the name AIDS Information Version 2.0, to people and business around the world. Over the past 30 years, much has changed including our use of computers which now, instead of being attached to cathode ray television sets, fit into our pockets. The trajectory, from floppy disks in the 80s, to e-commerce by the early 2000s, has culminated in the minting of digital money. Since then, as the use of cryptocurrency has grown, other industries have grown with it. One industry, often overlooked, is ransomware. Ransomware is a plague on businesses world-wide. Indeed, the U.S. government recommends not paying these ransoms . New guidance, however, issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to the industry in late 2020, takes this too far; it threatens to impose sanctions on the insurance industry that has bloomed around cyber crime and will likely hurt the victims, not the criminals. Ransomware is Everywhere Today, ransomware is a booming business for cyber criminals, making cyber insurance a business imperative. Says Bridget Choi, the General Counsel of Kivu Consulting, a digital forensic-incident response (DFIR) firm, who leads their regulatory program. Since the dot.com boom, cyber insurance has become a billion-dollar industry. Originally designed to be a risk transfer should a network go down and a business lose revenue, cyber insurance is now frequently used to protect against and respond to ransomware attacks. And cyber insurance claims happen to be an excellent metrics for tracking these cyber-attacks. As recently as 2013, the large cyber-claims were typically well-known data or payment card data security breaches, explains Choi. With the growth of digital payments and cryptocurrency, the cyber threat landscape has changed. Indeed, the FBI estimates that $144.35 million in Bitcoin have been paid for ransomware attacks between 2013 and 2019. Estimates for ransomware payments for 2020based in part on the surge in remote work spurred by COVID-19reached $350,000,000. Enter the U.S. Government, which is trying to address cybercrime by applying Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) compliance to the ransomware recovery industrythe businesses who help victims navigate the world of ransomware. That help often includes making ransomware payments. You Might Not Want to Help ... In late 2020, overshadowed by the pandemic, election-mania, and riots that swept our nation, the U.S. Treasury issued dual guidance reminding the various cyber-incident response companiesa big part of the billion dollar cyber insurance industrythat they can be at risk for sanctions if they assist malware victims in making payments to actors who are on OFACs blacklist (known as the SDN list). When US regulators hint that certain actions can subject entities to regulatory risks, it should be understood as a warning that taking such actions will subject the actor to regulatory action. And FinCEN was plain that this will happen: Processing ransomware payments is typically a multi-step process that involves at least one depository institution and one or more money services business (MSB). Many ransomware schemes involve convertible virtual currency (CVC), the preferred payment method of ransomware perpetrators. Following the delivery of the ransom demand, a ransomware victim will typically transmit funds via wire transfer, automated clearinghouse, or credit card payment to a CVC exchange to purchase the type and amount of CVC specified by the ransomware perpetrator. Next, the victim will send the CVC, often from a wallet hosted at the exchange, to the perpetrators designated account or CVC address. Crypto May Boost Ransomware, but it May Help Catch the Thieves As suggested by FinCEN and others, cryptocurrency may have arguably boosted the business of ransomware. But nearly all cryptocurrencies run on publicly available blockchains. These distributed ledgers provide the complete transaction histories from one anonymous address to another. Once an address has been linked to an individual, however, investigators start connecting the dots. Just ask Hugh Haney, an unobtrusive 60-year-old, living in Columbus, Ohio. Haney, ran the Pharmville narcotics operation on the now infamous Silk Road online criminal marketplace. He was arrested by the United States government in July of 2019 after trying to liquidate $19 million worth of Bitcoin that was traced to Haneys Silk Road wallet. (According to Haneys lawyers, at the time of his narcotics sale, the total Bitcoin he was paid at the time he received the transfers was worth, approximately $7,600.). In the press release issued by the United States Attorneys Office, the government went into detail about the ability to use wallet addresses to track the bitcoin that was moved, and to catch Haney. More recently, an international sting operation netted the corporate heads of an infamous and prodigious ransomware company known as Egregor, who were living and working in Ukraine. Now that they are caught, the pseudonymous nature of the blockchain may be Egregors forensic undoing. Good Intentions Be Damned. While FinCENs guidance has been on the books for almost 5 months, it is too short of a time to determine its effect. FinCENs admonishment could result in more reporting, or it could shut down the section of the insurance companies and DFIRs that assist victim-customers with making payments. After all, nothing prevents ransomware victims from opening an account on a cryptocurrency trading platform, buying cryptocurrency, and paying the ransom themselves. Less draconian treatment, such as requiring these companies to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with basic information such as the amounts paid and the wallet addresses, would serve to provide the government with information and not punish the industry actors who are looking to assist ransomware victims. The answer may very well be yes. Unfortunately for us all, no amount of regulation can stop crimeit certainly has not stopped ransomware, which has grown from a one-man, floppy-disk-by-snail-mail operation to complex, distributed international criminal syndicates replete with third-party service providers that specialize in everything from testing a targets security to web hosting providers. FinCENs new guidance may only end up hurting the victims of cybercrime; an irony that should not be lost on our regulators. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnagi/2021/04/12/will-fincens-crypto-conundrum-hurt-ransomware-victims/ |
Should the Atlanta Falcons draft a QB at No. 4? | In the past twenty years, the Falcons have held a top-5 selection only twice. With those two draft picks, the team landed quarterbacks Michael Vick and Matt Ryan. Unlike Vick, though, Ryan has remained the starting quarterback in Atlanta for the past 13 years. Lets take a look at both sides of the argument. Why the Falcons should... Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports For the first time in the modern era, there is a very likely scenario where five quarterbacks are taken in the top 10. There's even an outside shot that the first five picks could all be quarterbacks. Since the 2010 NFL draft, an average of two quarterbacks have gone inside the top 10. Only four times in the last 11 drafts have there been more than two quarterbacks drafted. Statistically, this crop of signal-callers is either being grossly overrated, or is simply a rare, all-time great draft class. Matt Ryan will be 36 years old by the time the season rolls around. His age and $48 million cap hit in 2022 may be off-putting for Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith. With that being said, the No. 4 selection is the perfect spot to grab a quarterback. Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Mac Jones are likely going off the board 1-2-3, leaving the Falcons with a choice between Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Both players could be capable of riding out the next two seasons and fine tuning their game in the event that Ryan begins to decline. https://twitter.com/LRiddickESPN/status/1376963771495776257?s=20 Justin Fields has a big arm and is very capable of making all the throws in the NFL. Drafting Fields now would provide the quarterback a year of experience behind Ryan to progress in his reads at a faster rate and improve his fundamentals altogether. The biggest reason the Falcons should consider drafting a quarterback at number four isn't necessarily the talent but rather getting that fifth-year option, which lessens the cap blow down the road if the player sits behind Ryan for a year or two. It's based on a player's playing time and Pro Bowl accolades. The math here is simple, the less playing time the player receives, the lower the eventual price tag the team. If this draft class is as good as it's hyped up to be, this could be the right time for the Falcons to pull the trigger on Ryan's eventual successor. Story continues Why the Falcons shouldn't... Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports While there are plenty of reasons for the Falcons to draft a QB at No. 4, there are also plenty of reasons why they shouldn't. Ryan himself stated back in 2018 that he wishes to play into his 40s. Health has never been an issue with Ryan. In fact, during his 13-year career with the Falcons, the quarterback has only missed three games -- two of which came in the 2009 season. On the production front, the former MVP has shown he is still capable of producing in the NFL. Many people point to his age as the biggest reason to draft his future replacement. However, there is no indication that his performance will drop off a considerable amount. In fact, his performance in 2021 is expected to be elevated by Arthur Smith's offense due to its similarities to the offense Atlanta ran in 2016. The team could instead use that pick to add to Ryan's game by bringing in another pass catcher or going after Oregon's left tackle Penei Sewell. Both would bring an immediate impact to the Falcons and help the team win now. On the financial front, many like to point out the Falcons cutting Matt Ryan after June 1 of 2022 would save the team $23 million in cap space. However, you're not cutting Ryan for nothing. Even with his age and contract, he still has market value. The $23 million in cap savings may look good on paper, but this move is simply not practical. This would incur a dead cap hit of $24 million, and despite what others may tell you, this is something teams try and avoid. The Eagles and Ram only did it due to internal conflicts and Goff not living up to his premature big contract. Sam Bradford is the only notable quarterback to get a post-June 1 cut, making Ryan unlikely to be the next. Finally, drafting a quarterback with the intention of sitting them for a year isn't as easy as many choose to believe. The 2011 collective bargaining agreement saw a decrease in the amount of hours teams could practice, both during the year and in the offseason. This limits the growth of a young quarterback. Not to mention, coaches don't allocate a lot of time during the season for true quarterback development. Instead, we see a much bigger focus on game-planning since their jobs are more predicated on success than anything else. Overview Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Terry Fontenot is coming from an organization in New Orleans that struggled to part ways with Drew Brees. It's unknown if Fontenot was a believer in continuing to build around Brees, or if he preferred to move on from the future Hall of Fame quarterback sooner than the team did. Fontenot being at odds with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith could suggest the latter, but both have since aligned themselves with the direction they want to go with the No. 4 pick, per D'Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC. However, that direction has yet to be disclosed. An alternate universe suggest that the Saints would have used their No. 11 pick in the 2017 NFL draft to take Patrick Mahomes, thus pushing Drew Brees out the door sooner. However, as we know today, the Chiefs traded one spot ahead of New Orleans before they could pull the trigger. Atlanta is truly at a crossroads. On one hand, Ryan has proven he can compete on a high level and has no indication this should change. On the other, he will be 36 years old this season and the Falcons will need to eventually have a plan in place for life after Ryan. You don't want to be stuck in a situation in year two or three with Matt Ryan still playing at a high level, despite his age, and have a young quarterback sitting idle on the bench. Not only will the young quarterback be unhappy with the situation, but this could also cause a riff between Ryan and the Falcons organization. By taking a quarterback at No. 4, there is an expectation that he will be a starter in year one or year two at the latest. Let's also not forget, only three quarterbacks who are not currently playing on their rookie contract are still with the team that drafted them. Ben Roethlisberger (2004), Aaron Rodgers (2005), and Matt Ryan (2008). Quarterback scouting, while it may be flashy and exciting, it is entirely speculative and ends up being inaccurate more times than not. The Falcons have a proven winner at quarterback and consistency is hard to come by at the NFL level. https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1375480089740206084?s=20 And while you can plan for the future, you can also do this by addressing key holes or taking the best player available at the time. With the top three quarterbacks already off the board, the best player available is not likely to be a QB. The Falcons don't have the luxury of drafting a quarterback at No. 4 and still expect to win in 2021. By doing so, the team would be committing to a rebuild and not expected to compete until 2023 or 2024. Threading the needle between winning now or building for the future is much easier said than done. 1 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/atlanta-falcons-draft-qb-no-195716446.html?src=rss |
Who is Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old Black man killed in officer-involved shooting in Minnesota? | Daunte Wright was a 20-year-old Black man fatally shot by a female police officer during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb Sunday afternoon. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon on Monday described the shooting as "an accidental discharge." He said the officer responsible intended to fire a Taser, not a handgun. Body camera footage of the fatal encounter shows three officers around a stopped car. When another officer attempts to handcuff Wright, a struggle ensues. "Taser! Taser! Taser!" one of the officers is heard shouting. Another officer fires a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away and the officer is heard saying, "Holy (expletive)! I shot him." Authorities said the car was pulled over for having an expired registration and after determining the driver had an outstanding warrant, police said they tried to arrest him. The driver then re-entered the vehicle, and an officer fired, striking him, police said. The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle. BIDEN ADDRESSES DEADLY OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING, SAYS 'PAIN IS REAL,' BUT NO 'JUSTIFICATION FOR VIOLENCE' A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash, authorities said. Dauntes mother, Katie Wright, said the passenger was her son's girlfriend. Court records show Wright was being sought after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June. In that case, a statement of probable cause said police got a call about a man waving a gun who was later identified as Wright. Katie Wright said her son called her as he was supposedly getting pulled over for having air fresheners hanging in his rear-view mirror an offense in Minnesota. "All he did was have air fresheners in the car, and they told him to get out of the car," Wright said. During the call, she said she heard scuffling and then someone saying "Daunte, don't run" before the call ended. When she called back, her son's girlfriend answered and said he had been shot. Shortly after the shooting, demonstrators began to gather, with some jumping atop police cars. Marchers also descended on the Brooklyn Center Police Department, where rocks and other objects were thrown at officers, authorities said. MINNESOTA SPORTS TEAMS POSTPONE GAMES IN LIGHT OF DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING Wright's father, Aubrey, told the Washington Post that his son had just asked his mom for $50 for a carwash and was headed there when he was shot. "I know my son. He was scared. He still [had] the mind of a 17-year-old because we babied him," Wright told the outlet. "If he was resisting an arrest, you could Tase him. I don't understand it." Aubrey said Daunte had a 2-year-old son and dropped out of high school two years ago because of a learning disability. Daunte has since worked in retail and fast-food restaurants to support his son and planned to get his GED, Aubrey told The Post. "He was a great kid," Aubrey Wright said. "He was a normal kid. He was never in serious trouble. He enjoyed spending time with his 2-year-old son. He loved his son." FOR CHAUVIN'S TRIAL ATTORNEY, IT'S ALL ABOUT RAISING DOUBT Wrights death comes as the area was already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd's death. The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd's death, continued Monday. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is White, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck. Prosecutors say Floyd was pinned for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. The judge in that case refused Monday to sequester the jury after a defense attorney argued that the panel could be influenced by the prospect of what might happen as a result of their verdict. Speaking before Sunday nights unrest in Brooklyn Center, a city of about 30,000 people on the northwest border of Minneapolis, Wright's mother, Katie Wright, urged protesters to stay peaceful and focused on the loss of her son. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "All the violence, if it keeps going, it's only going to be about the violence. We need it to be about why my son got shot for no reason," she said to a crowd near the shooting scene. "We need to make sure it's about him and not about smashing police cars, because that's not going to bring my son back." The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/us/daunte-wright-police-shot-brooklyn-center-minneapolis |
Are herd immunity and the California coronavirus variant preventing a West Coast spring surge? | Joel Jurez, 22, holds his dog Yuki as medical assistant Adrian Davis administers a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Los Angeles on Friday. The Midwest, New England and the New York areas have faced troubling rises in coronavirus cases, and some have expressed concern that Los Angeles County has previously been only a few weeks behind trends coming out of New York. In the last week, average daily coronavirus cases nationally are up 3% over the previous week and the change in new COVID-19 hospitalizations is up 7%. But so far, California remains in good shape, relatively speaking. California has one of the lowest average daily coronavirus case rates in the nation over the most recent seven-day period, while Michigan's case rate the worst in the nation is 12 times higher than California's, placing growing strain on hospitals there. One factor that might be helping California for reasons not fully understood is the presence of the California variant. The California variant here might be helping to keep a lid on the U.K. variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than the conventional strains of the coronavirus and likely results in a greater chance of death. Here are some reasons why Michigan might be doing so badly, while California so far seems to be doing far better. The U.K. strain is dominating the Midwest outbreak Michigan's current wave is approaching an intensity as strong as the height of its winter surge, said Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist, at a recent campus forum. Michigan's recent wave was spurred on by youth athletic events, including large outbreaks involving hockey teams, Rutherford said. Minnesota is also seeing a cluster of new cases. A big factor in the Midwest surge is the presence of the U.K. variant, which now accounts for about 70% of Michigan's and Minnesota's new coronavirus cases, Rutherford said. Michigan is now seeing its hospitals under pressure from surges of patients, and some hospitals in the state are canceling nonemergency procedures and enacting pandemic surge plans, the Detroit Free Press reported. Story continues One bright side, however, is that the cluster in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut seems to be "starting to turn the corner a little bit," Rutherford said. An outstanding question is whether the surge in COVID-19 in the neighboring Canadian province of Ontario is affecting the surge in cases in the Midwest and Northeast, Rutherford said. "The borders are closed, [so] I'm not quite sure what that all means. But it's something to be cognizant of," Rutherford said. Doctors in Ontario have started to plead with government officials to sent more intensive care unit nurses to the Toronto area "to avoid a triage situation," the Toronto Star reported Saturday. The California variant may be keeping the U.K. strain under control In California, the U.K. variant now probably accounts for 40% of new coronavirus cases, Rutherford said, but unlike in Michigan, "it hasn't driven the overall epidemic curve," Rutherford said. Part of the reason for that is that the California variant may be outcompeting the U.K. variant for dominating the state. Of virus samples that have been genomically sequenced cumulatively, more than 12,000 cases of the California variant also known as the West Coast variant (B.1.427/B.1.429) have been identified in California, compared with 980 of the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7). The California variant is believed to be 20% more transmissible than the conventional coronavirus strains, but the U.K. variant is thought to be 50% more transmissible and more likely to cause worse illness. Some experts have said they would presume that the U.K. variant would crowd out the California variant. But Rutherford said, somewhat counterintuitively, that the California variant may be somehow keeping the U.K. variant at bay. Rutherford said he couldn't fully explain it, but, "for whatever reason, they seem to be pushing it out of the way." An upcoming study of coronavirus cases identified in San Francisco's Mission District is expected to report almost no cases of the U.K. variant. It's possible that California will eventually be dominated by the U.K. variant, Rutherford said. "But for right now, we have way more of the [California variant]," Rutherford said. If you had to choose between the California variant and U.K. variant being more dominant, the California variant is preferable, because it's relatively less transmissible and deadly than the U.K. variant. "If it was the U.K. variant [that was dominating California], we'd be in worse shape," said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the UC San Francisco Department of Medicine, at the campus forum. Relatively high rates of immunity may be helping California The autumn-and-winter surge in California tore through many lower-income and heavily Latino communities, leaving behind a high death toll. These communities were particularly hit hard because many residents live in crowded homes and have jobs requiring them to leave home, exposing them to a higher risk of infection. The intensity of the autumn-and-winter wave, however, has resulted in a large number of survivors who now have protection against coronavirus infections and COVID-19. Officials estimate about 38% of L.A. County residents have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. And Rutherford said he suspects there are parts of L.A., such as in Boyle Heights and South L.A., in which half of residents have been infected. Rutherford said it's possible that California could reach something approaching herd immunity by June 15. The politics of lockdowns tough in Michigan So far, Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has declined to impose new mandatory restrictions to cope with the recent surge. On Friday, Whitmer called for a voluntary two-week suspension of indoor restaurant dining, youth sports and in-person high-school classes, deciding against mandatory orders even though some doctors say they're needed. "No one wants another lockdown, but we need it," tweeted Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and author of "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City." Hanna-Attisha won the Freedom of Expression Courage Award for her efforts to expose the dangerous levels of lead in the water in Flint, Mich. On Monday, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said the answer to Michigan's "extraordinary number of cases" is "really close things down, to go back to our basics, to go back to where we were last spring, last summer, and to shut things down, to flatten the curve, to decrease contact with one another." Walensky said the solution does not involve redirecting vaccine doses from other states to Michigan. Even if additional doses went into arms today, the effect would not be seen for two to six weeks. "If we tried to vaccinate our way out of what is happening in Michigan, we would be disappointed that it took so long for the vaccine to actually have the impact," Walensky said. Following the autumn-and-winter surge, indoor restaurant dining in Michigan resumed on Feb. 1; L.A. County resumed indoor restaurant dining much later, allowing operations to reopen March 15. National experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious diseases expert, has long been warning against states reopening businesses too quickly following the winter surge, fearing that a speedy reopening would result in a backsliding into another surge. At the end of February, Fauci warned against moves by states to reopen too quickly. On CNN, Fauci noted that in past periods of the pandemic, "when we started to pull back prematurely, we saw the rebound. Problems that could delay the end of the pandemic in California include the introduction of a new variant in California or the discovery of a problem with a vaccine that could undermine confidence in the shots, Rutherford said. The vaccines now approved in the U.S. have proved themselves to be very effective and very safe, experts say. And the variants that pose a relatively higher risk of being resistant to vaccines the South African and Brazilian variants have yet to establish a firm hold in the U.S. "The numbers of states with more than a few handful of cases of those is really vanishingly small," Rutherford said. "I really haven't seen it yet that makes me worry." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. | https://news.yahoo.com/herd-immunity-california-coronavirus-variant-170637332.html |
Are We Ready For The Post-COVID World? | Milder weather in the Northern Hemisphere coincides with an acceleration in COVID vaccinations in selected countries, the U.S. notable among them. So many appear to be emerging from their hibernation seeking (somewhat prematurely, according to the CDC) a return to pre-contagion lifestyles. While its too early to let down our guard, its not too early to try and envision the post-pandemic environment. In fact, our foresight now will be critical to effectively maneuvering in a somewhat transformed world once we finally get the pandemic behind us. As the renowned technologist, Vivek Wadhwa, noted in one of my recent podcasts: The pandemic is a dress rehearsal for the future. So we need to try to re-position those kaleidoscopic pieces of pre-pandemic shattered glass to make some sense of the road ahead. iStock- 297820501 As we scan the remainder of the year and beyond, its worth observing that there are few fundamentally new factors at work. Instead, we need to account for a shift in the speed of several pre-pandemic drivers shaping the outlook. Many of them, including some that appeared only as faint signals before the virus reared its ugly head, are now on fast forward. So the trick is, paraphrasing the Wayne Gretzky metaphor, to imagine where the puck is likely to be rather than to skate to where it is now. Easier said than done. Considered together, these changesfrom incremental to systemicwill be apparent in most everything we do, personally and professionally. How we socialize, learn, shop, eat, travel, work, invest, and even how we vote will be changed in one way or another in the foreseeable future. Ask any retailer if consumer behavior has changed during the pandemic. Ask any builder or realtor if the average home buyers preferences have changed. Talk to any travel company or tourism-destination manager about how the pandemic has transformed re-connecting them with their customers. Look at how academic institutions are adjusting their learning rubrics. Engage any CEO in a discussion about how the pandemic is shaping their employee work-life expectations. Take a look at the altered state of political dialogue around the purpose and role of government. In the face of such sweeping change, the biggest mistake we could possibly make is assuming well soon return to some sense of pre-pandemic normalcy. The reality will be a world aparta new world out of balance, the title of a book I wrote from a somewhat different vantage point more than 15 years ago. The current challenge is to sort out those likely lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, to acknowledge the historical discontinuity they represent, and to reach careful conclusions as to how we should respond. To miss these transformations would relegate one to irrelevancy. The Mayo Clinics President and CEO, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, shared a fascinating glimpse of the future recently when he and I discussed how COVID-19 has turbocharged exciting new advances in the delivery of health care. From the earliest surge of the coronavirus, Mayo successfully experimented with remotely managing hospital emergency rooms around the country, relieving pressure on systems not set up for the mushroomed case load. Whats more, the ongoing demands of the pandemic have also advanced Mayos strategic relationships with partners like Google/Alphabet. Data-driven medical innovation is expanding geometrically, allowing Mayo to provide advanced virtual care with AI-enabled digital diagnostics and remote service delivery. Mayo has also been a pioneer in bringing the best of medical care into the home, with all the necessary collateral servicesfood, linens, visiting nursingas part of a transformational hospital-at-home initiative. From virtually every vantage point, the pandemic has forced us to learn the potential of these new technologies. Theres no going back to the status quo ante. Surely there will be something of a nostalgic hankering to return to the good old days, but with some very new post-pandemic, technologically-enabled twists. If this is the direction of the future, the next important question is whether we are prepared to seize it. The simple answer, regrettably, is an emphatic no. We are constricted both by the lack of universal access to new technologies, on the one hand, and potentially ill-conceived restrictive public policies on the other. Microsoft estimates that nearly 50% of Americans use the internet at less than broadband speeds and approximately 42 million people have no broadband access at all. Hence the Biden proposal to invest $100 bn in expanding U.S. internet access combined with other sizable investments into R&D focused on new, competitiveness-enhancing and quality-of-life-improving technologies. However, sizable R&D and infrastructure expenditures alone will not fundamentally enhance competitiveness without the appropriate regulatory policies to effectively govern the development of these technologies. These very technologies full of such great promise are also fraught with prospects for abuse and division. This fear of technological abuse might well explain the recent Edelman Trust Barometer finding of the rapid deterioration in public support for tech companies globally, but especially in the United States. Thus the burden on public and private sector leaders is greater than ever to understand how they can marshal the promise of these technologies and deftly channel it with carefully crafted regulatory policy. In so doing all of society will realize the great potential ever more clearly in sight as we emergeat long lastfrom this devastating pandemic. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paullaudicina/2021/04/12/are-we-ready-for-the-post-covid-world/ |
Will Social Media Lead To Police Reform Following Recent High Profile Events? | BROOKLYN CENTER, MN - APRIL 11: Demonstrators chant around a chalk circle that says Justice for ... [+] Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021 in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Protesters took to the streets today after 20 year old Daunte Wright was shot and killed during a traffic stop by members of the Brooklyn Center police. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Getty Images Even as one of the most high profile criminal cases involving a former law enforcement officer continues to unfold in Minnesota, two other recent police-related events are now in the spotlight this week. Both have gone viral on social media. The first involves a black man, Daunte Wright, who was shot and killed by a police officer during what should have been a routine traffic stop. In that incident on Sunday, the police officer drew a handgun instead of a Taser, resulting in Wright's death. The tragic chain of events, which sparked protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on Sunday evening, took place just 10 miles from where former police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the killing of another black man, George Floyd. As of Monday, Windsor, Virginia police officer Joe Gutierrez has been fired following a confrontation that occurred last December. Gutierrez and his partner Daniel Crocker had stopped black and Latino U.S. Army Lt. Caron Nazario and the situation escalated. Body camera footage from the two police officers as well as from Nazario's cell phone went viral on social media last week. In the footage, the Army officer, who was in uniform at the time, can be heard repeatedly asking why he was stopped and when he refused to step out of his SUV he was subsequently pepper-sprayed by Gutierrez. The pair of incidents ignited Twitter on Monday, with many calling for police reform, while a few also took to the platform to defend the hard job that law enforcement has today. Response To Another Tragedy The hashtags #DuanteWright, #ItwasaGun and #Manslaugher were widely shared on Monday afternoon. Activists, celebrities, political pundits and lawmakers quickly voiced their concerns over the tragedy. A common refrain was how a trained police officer could make such a heartbreaking mistake, which resulted in Wright's death. "Daunte wright was shot in cold blood by a female police officer. there was no reason for her to taser him. there was no reason to murder him . No excuse .this daily horror of our black brothers and sisters being murdered by police officers must end get racist cops out," wrote actress/activist Rosanna Arquette (@RoArquette). Pastor and author/activist Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) shared a similar sentiment, "Lives depend on a cop knowing the difference between a gun and a taser." TV producer Andrew Kimmel was among those who posted a very similar stance: "If you can't distinguish between your gun or your taser, you shouldn't be a cop." "Body cam footage shows the officer drew her service weapon instead of her taser. Duante Wright was killed," posted former RNC chairman and MSNBC analyst Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele). Go To the Video Since last week, the video footage involving Caron Nazario in Virginia has been widely shared, and even resulted in the firing of Officer Gutierrez. It has been tagged with various hashtags including #PoliceBrutality, #PoliceReformNOW and #armyveteran. Human rights attorney, Qasim Rashid (@QasimRashid) was among those who recapped the event with some of the footage. He has had nearly 26,000 likes while he has been retweeted more than 13,000 times: By Monday afternoon "Cops" was among the most trending topics across Twitter. While much of the discussion was around police reform, there were some that actually offered support for law enforcement. These criminals all add insult to injury by acting shady when police are attempting to do their jobs (a very dangerous job). Being asked to show your hands and exit your vehicle is for YOUR safety and the officers safety," wrote @goodblackdude. Social Media And Social Change The fact that so many have been so vocal speaks to the power of social media following these events. It was 30 years ago in March 1991 that footage of the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King by amateur videographer George Holliday sparked outrage. That footage was eventually widely shared with the mainstream media, but today it is now possible for such video to be quickly disseminated across social media even as events are unfolding. The question is how such videos shared on social media could lead to social change. "It took longer for the Rodney King footage to get air time, but not all that long and when it did it was ubiquitous," said Steve Blum of Tellus Venture Associates. "The George Floyd video was distributed more quickly but I wonder if it had more cumulative effect over time, despite being even more disturbingly dramatic. The Rodney King video was the beginning, or at least the watershed moment, of crowd sourced video of police misconduct. It was ever more shocking as a result." However, as has been seen with other issues, the battle lines remain firmly drawn on the social platforms. While activists may be vocal, it isn't clear if this leads to real change. In the case of Lt. Nazario it may have resulted in the firing of a police officer who certainly seems in the wrong. "There's little or no discussion across ideological divides on social media, regarding policing related issues or anything else," admitted Blum. "Social media has become the megaphone that reaches into most households," said technology analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics. "It raises awareness, shows people that they are not alone, helps them connect, or deafens people and makes them less sensitive," Entner explained. Whether social media can actually bring wider change is not as clear. "Social media also lowers the barriers for uncivil conduct. Social media alone does not bring about change," added Entner. "The people who are touched by social media can bring about change when they take the step from the virtual world into the real world." | https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/04/12/will-social-media-lead-to-police-reform-following-recent-high-profile-events/ |
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