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When can the Harrison community expect renovations on high school football stadium field? | Buy Photo Harrison quarterback Connor Kinnett (11) stiff arms Ross defender Sean Lange (17), Ross High School, Friday, September 14, 2018 (Photo: Michael Noyes For The Enquirer) HARRISON Harrison High School is currently in a very small minority of high schools in Hamilton County that do not have artificial turf in their main stadium. The school plans to remove itself from that list in 2020 as the Southwest Local School District is putting a renovation plan in motion this month. Harrison plans to renovate its football stadium, adding artificial turf and upgrading the press box and bleachers. The plan also includes a new scoreboard and grass practice fields. The school will host an open information session about the project at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, inside the activity theater. Mark Meibers, Harrisons athletic director and an assistant principal, said the project is estimated at $1.5 million and will be raised solely through private donations without any taxes used. The plan is to raise the funds throughout the 2019-20 school year, break ground June 1, 2020, then have the stadium ready for use on August 1, 2020. An artist's conception of the new Harrison High School athletic complex. (Photo: Provided) Meibers said getting turf in an urgent matter because of current construction on the Harrison campus, prompted by a levy that passed in 2018. The school district is adding an elementary school to the grounds, which would remove from commission the grass field where Harrison plays its home soccer and baseball games. That would put more traffic in the main stadium. We get three new buildings, he said. Well get a new junior high and make renovations to the high school. Great news for us. Some of the green space will go away. Grass fields are susceptible to wearing down with use and rain. Many stadiums with grass fields are mainly filled with mud at the end of a long fall football and soccer season. More: Announcing the 2018-19 Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky High School Winter All-Stars More: Proud Cincinnati sports moms share favorite photos taken with their athletes The project will impact everyone, he said. Our high school cannot host a band competition because were on grass. The kids dont get dirty and uniforms arent ruined. Our youth football program cant host a Super Bowl game, the little league championships. If were the number one seed, we cant host the game. According to Meibers, Harrison, a member of the Southwest Ohio Conference, is the largest high school in Hamilton County that does not have an artificial turf field or share one with another school. He cited Finneytown and Reading, smaller schools in the Cincinnati Hills League, as others that still have grass. The growth here is awesome. We understand it. Its exciting, he said. Weve included everybody in the process. How does it impact the community as we meet and work through the process. Coaches, band directors, first- and second-grade parents whose kids will use these facilities in the future. | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/05/14/now-levy-has-passed-harrison-must-raise-funds-new-stadium-turf/3670505002/ |
How do we prepare our dog for fireworks on the long weekend? | Q: This will be our dogs first summer. A: Socialization is critical for all dogs. Well-socialized dogs feel safe in the world. They can cope with all that life throws their way. This would include noisy and crowded environments such as the summer festivals. When it comes to fireworks, the short answer is no, you shouldnt take a dog to a show as a means of socializing them to the noise. Each year, after Victoria Day, lamp posts are covered with posters of lost dogs. Many of these dogs bolted when frightened by fireworks. While some people may insist that they take dogs to events with no ill effect, its a very high-risk strategy with potentially tragic consequences. The issue with risky strategies, those that work for some dogs, is that it is much like texting and driving. Some people may claim that they have done so with no ill effect. Yet its clear that distracted driving is dangerous. We dont make decisions on whether to text and drive based on how many people were lucky enough to get away with it. Rather, we look at the risk and harm done to those who paid the price. Dog training has many similar situations. Bringing a dog into a crowded and overwhelmingly noisy fireworks show is a strategy that has potentially tragic consequences. It matters not if some dogs survived the process. What matters is that it is clearly harmful for many dogs and thus best not done. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Good socialization exposes puppies to a variety of things in a positive manner. The mistake families typically make is that they favour their own neighbourhood. Its convenient. Others might enjoy strolling through forested areas thinking the hikes are enjoyable for their pets. While that might be true, it can limit socialization. People who live in rural areas should plan to take walks in urban areas. Families who live in communities with predominantly young families should go for walks where the demographic has more seniors. The reverse is also true. Walk through different ethnic communities. Look for dog-friendly stores. Hardware, farm supply stores and many automotive shops allow dogs. Call ahead to check their policy. Such places open the door to new experiences. The lesson is that people, all people, in all places, are safe. Add a variety of sounds to the mix. Apps and online recordings can be helpful in this regard. Play sounds of babies crying, construction sounds, door bells and more. Do include fireworks as well as thunder. Start with the volume low. Gradually, as the dog bores with the sounds, increase the volume. Notice that many scary sounds are terrifying because they surprise the dog. When playing sounds, make sure to give periods of quiet followed by a surprise sound. It mimics real life much better this way. Again, start with the volume low and work up. Before hitting the streets, check that collars and leashes are in good repair and fit correctly. Dogs can slip out of collars and harnesses. Use white noise to block overwhelming noise during the holiday. Walk early or late when it is quieter. | https://www.thestar.com/life/advice/2019/05/15/how-do-we-prepare-our-dog-for-fireworks-on-the-long-weekend.html |
What's behind rising US-Iran tensions in the Gulf? | National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) announced a new US military deployment to the Gulf, calling it "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime" (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski) Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump's order of a US military buildup in the Gulf to counter alleged threats by Iran has many worried about a looming war and others skeptical of Washington's motivations. - On May 5, Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton announced the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and a B-52 bomber force to the Gulf. - Iran has not made any direct public threats to spark the US deployment. Washington says it acted on intelligence reports of Iranian actions. Bolton said the aircraft carrier and bomber deployments were "in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings." On Wednesday, the US was more specific, saying there was an "imminent" threat to US personnel in Iraq from Iraqi militias allegedly controlled by Tehran. The US State Department ordered the partial evacuation of the US embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Arbil in response. Analysts in Washington suspect that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could have been plotting an attack in retaliation for the US declaring it a terrorist organization in April. Iran subsequently designated all US troops as "terrorists," effectively making them a potential target. One. On Monday, Saudi and United Arab Emirates officials said three oil tankers and a barge anchored at Fujairah near the strategically important entrance to the Gulf were damaged in an alleged "sabotage" operation. But what caused the relatively minor damage to the vessels and who was behind it remains unknown. - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it is not. "We fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran," he said Tuesday in Sochi, Russia. President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that expects the pressure on Iran will bring it to the negotiating table. "I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon," he wrote. At the same time, The New York Times reported last week that Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan presented the White House with a plan for responding to an Iranian attack that involved sending up to 120,000 American troops to the region. That is not enough to invade Iran but is enough for an attack from outside its borders. - Washington's European allies have kept their distance, calling for calm and expressing concern over military escalation. They fear that more pressure on Tehran will compel it to abrogate the international agreement on its nuclear program, the JCPOA, from which Trump withdrew the United States one year ago. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin "still regards this nuclear agreement as the basis for Iran not having any nuclear weapons in the future, and we regard this as existential for our security." British, Netherlands and German forces in the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria downplayed the immediate threat from Iran. But Germany and the Netherlands said Wednesday that they were suspending training of soldiers in Iraq due to a "generally heightened" state of alert. And Spain recalled a frigate accompanying the US carrier task force, explaining that the frigate's mission was not to take part in actual hostilities with Iran. | https://news.yahoo.com/whats-behind-rising-us-iran-tensions-gulf-213544904.html |
Have NBA playoffs given the Heat hope its on right path? | Spoelstra: This season without question would be the growth of our young players Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra talks to the media during the season-ending press conference at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday April 12, 2019 in Miami. Up Next SHARE COPY LINK Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra talks to the media during the season-ending press conference at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday April 12, 2019 in Miami. The Miami Herald Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you werent able to ask one this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email me at [email protected]. Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month Get full access to Miami Herald content across all your devices. Guys who improved after a few years in the league. Anthony Chiang: Sure, those are examples of players who improved from their first few seasons in the NBA and turned into stars. Kawhi Leonard averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists in his third NBA season. Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his second NBA season. Damian Lillard averaged 20.7 points on 42.4 percent shooting in his second NBA season. And CJ McCollum averaged 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and one assist in his second NBA season. But its important to point out these are also outliers. The players mentioned on this list are probably now among the top 30 in the entire NBA. Obviously, the answer is yes. But the Kawhi and Giannis jumps dont happen very often .... or really ever. For now, its just important the Heats young players continue to improve from season to season. Whether that means turning into McCollum or a just a quality role player/starter, improvement is needed from Miamis young core. Its that young nucleus that could help draw an established star to the Heat down the road. Another observation that could be made from the remaining four teams in the playoffs Golden State, Milwaukee, Portland and Toronto is the draft helped each one build the core of its roster. Thats the approach the Heat is currently taking. Anthony: Getting the best player available. Who knows what this Heat team will look like in two years, when most of this current roster could be off the books. Richardson and Winslow are the only two Heat players currently under contract for the 2021-22 season. The Heat can make the other member of its young core, Adebayo, a restricted free agent for 2021-22 with a qualifying offer. Because of that uncertainty surrounding Miamis roster, a best-player-available approach seems like the most logical one. Whether its a point guard, wing player or even a power forward, simply the best player on the Heats board. The one position I would be surprised to see the Heat draft this year is center, just because of the logjam already existing at the position with Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and Adebayo vying for minutes at the spot. Sports Pass for $30 per year Get unlimited access to all Miami Herald sports stories and videos for $30 Subscribe now #READLOCAL | https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article230374484.html |
Will Scootermania End With A Crash? | Enlarge this image Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc. Editor's note: This is an excerpt of Planet Money's newsletter. You can sign up here. Electric scooters have invaded the world's cities. They whiz down streets and lie abandoned in the middle of sidewalks, bringing both convenience and annoyance to citydwellers. There are now dozens of scooter-sharing companies, and the two biggest, Bird and Lime, are the fastest startups to reach a valuation of $1 billion in U.S. history. Each company is now valued at over $2 billion. Scootermania Big Scooter argues that technology electric motors, better batteries, GPS, and smartphones has produced a system of shareable scooters that can solve infrastructure problems, decongest commutes, limit climate change, and make investors buckets of money. They're calling it the "micromobility revolution." Last year, there were 38.5 million trips on shareable e-scooters in the U.S., which is more than double the year before. The business model of these companies is pretty simple: flood a city with hundreds of scooters for passersby to rent. You can locate and pay for them using your smartphone, and they typically cost $1 plus 15 cents per minute. Then leave them wherever you want. At a couple bucks a ride, it takes about four to six months for companies just to break even on these scooters, and there's a big problem: the scooters aren't lasting that long. They're typically dead in less than a month or two. They get abused by riders who have no incentive to maintain them and they literally get left out in the rain and cold. They're also vandalized by people who hate them. The Instagram account Bird Graveyard documents scooter destruction. It has more than 80,000 followers. In the rush to expand, companies have been using scooters that were not designed for commercial use. (Lime has had to recall theirs multiple times). Last week, Bird unveiled a new scooter, Bird One, which it claims will last ten months. Reports suggest that would be as much as ten times longer than their initial fleet lasted. Bird launched in late 2017 in Santa Monica, and there's since been a rush of companies into the global scooter market, including Uber, Lyft, and Ford. Even if scooter companies survive price wars and can start making a buck, there's a natural limit to how high their prices can go. If you really love scooting everywhere, you can buy a $300-$600 scooter yourself and save money. Scooter NIMBYs Like Uber, AirBnB, and other sharing revolutionaries, scooter companies have already faced political backlash in reliably outraged cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. They've proven annoying, even infuriating, to voters and a regulatory clampdown has begun amid rising safety concerns. The city of Austin and the CDC recently released a study that found there were about 20 injuries per 100,000 scooter rides, and that half of these were head injuries that could have been avoided if riders were wearing helmets. Such findings could increase calls for helmet regulations, which could damage the convenience that is critical to the hop-on-and-hop-off scooter-sharing business. Part of the political appeal of shareable scooters is the idea that they're good for the environment, but that's still debatable. If motorized scooters are replacing cars, then it's clearly a win. But they may be mainly replacing biking and walking, which makes them a loss especially in markets where the power used to charge these scooters comes from dirty power plants. A recent survey in Santa Monica, Bird's home, suggests that scooters there are replacing a good portion of car trips, but there is still no rigorous evidence to back claims that flooding cities with shareable scooters reduces carbon emissions. There is, however, evidence that to suggest it's wasteful because these scooters are dying so quickly. Unicorn Stampede Scootermania isn't just about scooters. It's about this entire bubbly era of tech. Tech watchers have come to call startups worth over a billion a "unicorn." At first it was because they were hard to find. Today, there are four times more unicorns than there were in 2013. Last year, VC funding for private companies hit a high of $131 billion, which is past the heights of the 1990s that ended in a crash in nominal terms and close to it in real ones. The percentage of companies going public despite being unprofitable has hit a similar peak. Uber, which remains unprofitable, became one of those companies last week. The money being poured into money-losing companies is driven by an ideology sometimes called "blitzscaling" that values growth over profit. It's a belief that winners take all because of dynamics like "network effects," a notion that a good or service becomes more valuable to users as more people use it and that achieving scale is important because competitors won't be able to catch up. (Think Google vs other search engines). But it's not really evident that the scooter business is winner-take-all, especially because spotting them on the street and downloading a free app is relatively easy. Even the CEO of Bird seems to acknowledge this, telling The Information that he doesn't believe market share is important for scooter profitability. Instead, he says, what's important is to actually stop losing money every time they buy and rent out a scooter. Venture capitalists are now subsidizing consumers with billions and billions a year with the hope that the money-losing companies they back will become the next Google or Facebook. It has a bonus: you can now rent a scooter for a couple bucks courtesy of rich investors. Well, it looks even better in your inbox! You can sign up here. | https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/05/14/723003882/will-scootermania-end-with-a-crash?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology |
Could Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou fetch Red Wings a defenseman? | Center Andreas Athanasiou (middle) and forward Anthony Mantha (39) combined for 55 goals last season. (Photo: David Guralnick, Detroit News) Detroit Few players are generating as much buzz at the current world championships than Anthony Mantha. The Red Wings forward has carried his late-season scoring surge into the world tournament. Mantha was second in the tournament with seven points (three goals, four assists) in only three games for Canada, skating and playing with the puck about as well as he did at any point during the regular season. The chances are slim of Mantha being dealt, especially given the way the line of Mantha, Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi exploded the final weeks of the regular season. But with those three young forwards, plus Andreas Athanasiou, and prospects such as Michael Rasmussen, Taro Hirose, Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, Evgeny Svechnikov and Jonatan Berggren not to mention whoever the Wings pluck out of next months entry draft the Wings young talent pool among forwards runs deep. Among the defensemen, it's not quite as deep. And certainly on the NHL roster, the depth chart isnt as strong and, it's aging compared to others around the league. Some of the forwards arent going anywhere. Larkin is the foundation of this organization. Bertuzzi had 21-goal season, is a heart-and-soul player, but wouldnt likely fetch the return that a Mantha or Athanasiou would, and is probably a more valuable player for the Wings, given his intangibles, than for other teams. That leaves Athanasiou and Mantha, primarily, as two names that jump out. Its a question that makes sense, especially for a general manager like Steve Yzerman, who showed in Tampa Bay a willingness to be aggressive, at times. Theyve got to find the young defenseman, said E.J. Hradek, an NHL Network analyst. They have a number of talented forwards, so much so, maybe they can move one to get a really good defenseman. Hradek, as an example, pointed to the Colorado Avalanche, with young defensemen Tyson Barrie, Cale Makar and Samuel Girard on the roster, but lacking premier offensive forwards after its incredible top line (Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen). There are teams which could be a good fit. Lets say Colorado, just as an example, Hradek said. Could Colorado be in position to move a Tyson Barrie with the arrival of Cale Makar. So they could be looking for a high-end forward who can play with tempo. There could be a match there. The Wings have drafted some real good forwards and developed them. Maybe theres a match. Maybe the Wings become a destination again, and they can land a free-agent defenseman and all those things come together. Players like Mantha or Athanasiou become valuable bargaining chips if the Wings choose to go the trade route. Both players become restricted free agents in the summer of 2020, with Mantha currently making $3.3 million per season and Athanasiou $3 million and each is likely to earn massive raises given the current NHL landscape, with dynamic young forwards being retained on long, expensive deals. Athanasiou, 24, quieted questions about his consistency and production with his first 30-goal season (54 points overall), while also looking capable of playing center and anchoring another capable scoring line. Mantha had 25 goals and 48 points, while missing 15 games with a hand injury suffered in a fight with Colorados Patrik Nemeth, coming to the defense of Larkin. The 24-year-old Mantha was dominant playing with Larkin and Bertuzzi, using his deft passing to complement his size and goal-scoring ability. When he skates, hes a really good player, coach Jeff Blashill said late in the season about Mantha a sentence hes used regarding Mantha many times in Manthas young career. To make a pure, true player-for-player hockey trade, the Wings dont have many options. There arent many assets that are going to entice another team to give up a talented player, likely the defenseman the Wings need. A player like Athanasiou or Mantha would figure to create the most meaningful return. They really have a good group of forwards. A lot of talented young forwards, Hradek said. But they need to fill out their defense. Defense is so important in this game now. Having those young puck-moving defensemen in a league thats such a speed league now, for me, thats really job one to rebuild and remake that defense. Well see where it goes. [email protected] Twitter: @tkulfan | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2019/05/14/could-anthony-mantha-andreas-athanasiou-fetch-detroit-red-wings-defenseman/3666153002/ |
Why did Uefa hand Azerbaijan hosting rights for the Europa League final? | You had to admire Uefas steadfastness in the face of unfortunate timing. The decision to award the hosting rights for this years Europa League final to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, was made public in September 2017, just a few weeks after entirely unrelated revelations about a huge underhanded campaign to whitewash Azerbaijans international reputation. The so-called Azerbaijani Laundromat scandal came to light thanks to bank leaks that showed that about 2bn had been funnelled out of oil-rich Azerbaijan between 2012 and 2014 through various European financial institutions and companies, including some registered in Britain. It was primarily an elaborate money-laundering scam but some lolly found its way into the pockets of lobbyists and politicians who were encouraged to help polish the reputation of Azerbaijan. In the aftermath of the revelations 13 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Pace) were found to have accepted gifts or bribes from the Azerbaijani government and were expelled from the Council of Europe, an organisation set up in 1947 to promote democracy and protect human rights and the rule of law in Europe. The donations were made around the time the Pace was compiling a report into institutionalised corruption and the suppression of politician dissent in Azerbaijan. Arsenal face prospect of having to leave Mkhitaryan at home for Baku final Read more Ilham Aliyev, the countrys president since 2003, went on to win a third term in 2018, with an impressive 86% of the Azerbaijani electorate apparently convinced there was no better person for the job. Aliyevs regime does not score so highly on Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, in which Azerbaijan has slipped this year to 166th, the lowest-ranked country in Europe, between Bahrain and Equatorial Guinea. Not content with crushing all forms of pluralism, president Ilham Aliyev has been waging a relentless war against his remaining media critics since 2014, says Reporters Without Borders. Independent journalists and bloggers are jailed on absurd grounds if they do not first yield to harassment, beatings, blackmail or bribes. Still, none of the above has anything to do with Uefa or football so why not let Baku stage the final of Europes second most prestigious club competition. OK, lets go with that line of thinking for a moment. Uefa cannot avoid political considerations altogether because, unhappily for footballs not-for-profit governing body, it turns out that one of the teams that reached the final, Arsenal, has a player from Armenia. There are no diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia because of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and although Azerbaijani authorities have said they will allow Henrikh Mkhitaryan into the country, Arsenal have yet to be satisfied by Uefa that their midfielders safety can be guaranteed. The club, therefore, may feel obliged to omit one of their most high-profile players from the most important match of their season. Uefa is, of course, well aware of the depth of the tensions that exist between Azerbaijan and Armenia. There may even be some culture buffs at Uefa who read the report in February in the art journal Hyperallergic, which claimed that over the last 30 years the Azerbaijani government has engaged in the systematic destruction of traces of the countrys Armenian heritage, including Unesco-protected monuments, on a scale beyond that of the Islamic States dynamiting of Palmyra in the Syrian desert. Because of its awareness of the enmity between the two governments, Uefa keeps Azerbaijan and Armenia apart in draws for competitions. But it looks as if it failed to plan for the eventuality of a team with an Armenia international reaching the Europa League final. One wonders what will happen if Armenia qualify for Euro 2020. Baku was awarded the right to host four matches in those finals, three group games and a quarter-final. Uefas decision was a publicity coup for the Azerbaijani regime, with the countrys official media organ reacting to the award of the Europa League final by hailing it as another opportunity for the country to showcase its ability to stage world-class events and to prove that it is a major Eurasian logistical hub. Alas, that last claim took a dent this week when Uefa said that Arsenal and Chelsea would be allocated fewer than 13,000 tickets between them for a stadium with more than 68,000 seats because the airport serving Baku cannot cope with more travellers than that. Offering more tickets to fans of the participating teams was therefore not the responsible option, wrote Uefa. The tickets are very expensive, the venue is far away and, it turns out, the vast majority of fans could not get to the final even if they had the time and money to do so, just like, perhaps, Mkhitaryan. All things considered, then, Baku was a bad choice. Azerbaijan bans Guardian from reporting on Baku European Games Read more The principle of switching venues from year to year is a good one, however. If, as some have suggested, Uefa waited until the identity of the finalists was known so that it could choose a stadium close to both, then finals would probably be the exclusive preserve of western Europe because that is where most of the continents richest clubs are concentrated. Since 1999, when home-and-away finals were scrapped, only five of the 21 Uefa Cup/Europa League finals have had a participant from eastern Europe and there have been none from Scandinavia. Similarly, in the Champions League, there has not been a finalist from eastern Europe since 1991 and, in fact, every finalist since 2005 has come from Spain, England, Italy or Germany. If clubs from the rest of the continent cannot realistically expect to reach a final, they should at least be allowed to hope that their country hosts one. In the name of fairness. And not, of course, for wrong reasons. | https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/16/uefa-handed-azerbaijan-europa-league-final-baku-chelsea-arsenal |
How does Alabama's near-total abortion ban bill compare to Georgia's 'fetal heartbeat' law? | CLOSE Several states have passed controversial "heartbeat" abortion bills, and several more are considering similar legislation. USA TODAY MONTGOMERY, Ala. In 2019, more than a dozen states have either passed or attempted to pass stricter abortion legislation. Alabama's Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would be the most restrictive in the nation. Georgia's Gov. Brian Kemp has already signed a bill that would make performing an abortion illegal once a heartbeat is detected. That new law is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Two other states Ohio and Mississippi have passed similar legislation. The bills are expected to face litigation. Current state law in both states outlaws abortion after 20 weeks unless the woman's health is at risk. Georgia's newly signed law would change the time period to six weeksof pregnancy, a time period in which many critics say many women aren't yet aware of their pregnancy. Georgias Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs legislation banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected in Atlanta on May 7, 2019. (Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Alabama lawmakers in the House and Senate have sent a bill to Gov. Kay Ivey's desk that would ban nearly all abortions in the state at any stage of the pregnancy unless the mothers physical or mental health is in jeopardy. In Alabama: Alabama Senate approves near-total ban on abortion; sends bill to the governor In Georgia: Georgia Gov. The law Kemp signed in May does include an exception in cases of rape and incest. As the law is written, it requires that the pregnancy is at 20 weeks or less and an official police report must be filed alleging the rape and/or incest. The same is currently true for Alabama but the state's House passed a bill without an exception for rape and incest. The Senate weighed an amendment from Democrats asking for an exemption in cases of rape and incest, which failed to pass. The Senate passed the bill without exemptions and sent it to the governor. Our laws: You elected them to write new laws. Theyre letting corporations do it instead. Deadly deliveries: Hospitals know how to protect mothers. They just arent doing it. Currently, breaking abortion law in Georgia can be punished with imprisonment "for not less than one nor more than 10 years." The newly signed bill gives no indication as to who would be charged with penalties and what, if any, those penalties would be. Bianca Cameron-Schwiesow, a protester of Alabama's near-total abortion ban bill, is dressed as a handmaid while waiting outside of the Alabama statehouse after HB 314, passed the state Senate in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. (Photo: Mickey Welsh / Advertiser) Some have speculated that since the bill recognizes unborn children as "natural persons," that women who choose abortion or miscarry or the medical professionals who help them, would face murder charges, but the term has been used routinely in the previous criminal code, which the measure does not repeal. Bill breakdown: Here's what to know about the state's proposed abortion ban Abortion 'reversal'?The method is unproved, but Ohio lawmakers want women to consider it Alabama's bill would punish a doctor or abortion provider who performs a procedure with a Class A felony punishable by life or 10 to 99 years in prison. Attempting to perform an abortion would be a Class C felony, punishable by one to 10 years in prison. The woman seeking an abortion would not face charges under the bill. Alabama Rep. Terri Collins, a Republican from Decatur who sponsored the bill, says the purpose of the bill is to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. "The heart of this bill is to confront a decision that was made by the courts in 1973 that said the baby in the womb is not a person," Collins said. "This bill addresses that one issue. I believe our law says it is. I believe our people say it is. And I believe technology shows it is." Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter: @nchute Supreme Court: Strict state anti-abortion laws aimed at Supreme Court; justices not eager to consider them Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/15/alabama-abortion-bill-georgia-abortion-ban-heartbeat-law/3676635002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/15/alabama-abortion-bill-georgia-abortion-ban-heartbeat-law/3676635002/ |
Should Ontario raise speed limits on major highways? | The Ontario government is looking at raising the speed limit on 400-series highways to 120 km/h. Chris Klimek, founder and director of advocacy group stop100.ca, argues this is a good idea, while Emile Therien, public health and safety advocate insists it is not. Speed limits should be apolitical and set by trained engineers. Public feedback is best solicited by observing the actual speeds drivers drive, using an engineering speed study. Engineers conduct a speed study and determine the speed not exceeded by a supermajority of drivers, known as the 85th percentile. This engineering guideline has been used around the world to set safe speed limits for about 70 years with stellar results. More than 60 countries and states around the world post 120- and 130-km/h speed limits on their divided highways. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW My organization, stop100.ca, obtained two sets of data showing the proper speed limits on Ontario 400-series highways should be 120 to 130 km/h. One is the 85th percentile speed study conducted several years ago by the Ontarios Ministry of Transportation (MTO), which yielded 119 km/h in the right lane and 126 km/h in the passing lane showing 120 km/h should be the minimum posted number. THE BIG DEBATE: For more opposing view columns from Toronto Star contributors, click here. Another obtained from the MTO agrees with these findings and point to average passenger vehicle speeds falling between 120 and 130 km/h on many stretches of our highways. Note the design speed of our 400 highways is 120 km/h, confirming most drivers instinctively know what are safe speeds. There are a number of benefits of setting proper speed limits: Fairness of the law The current speed limit of 100 km/h arbitrarily defines virtually every driver as a lawbreaker. The actions of a majority of safe drivers must not be made illegal. Safety and respect for the law With low speed limits posted far below the 85th percentile speeds, drivers decide what speeds are safe for them, with most falling at or below 120 to 130 km/h. This creates disrespect for the law and causes drivers to ignore most posted limits. A recent government speed study in B.C. showed the actual operating speeds remained mostly unchanged where limits were increased and some stretches showed the 85th percentile speeds dropped by 2 km/h. This suggests drivers now trust and respect the new increased speed limits. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Smooth and efficient traffic flow Highway traffic is safest when most vehicles travel roughly at the same speed, with slower traffic to the right. Posting low speed limits far below the typical flow speeds (85th percentile speeds) creates dangerous speed differentials and poor lane choices. One slow driver travelling far below the actual but illegal traffic speed severely impedes smooth traffic flow, causing more passing and other conflicts. More money left in drivers pockets Low speed limits create speed traps and make responsible road users travelling at safe speeds targets of unfair speed enforcement with risks of unjustified insurance premium increases. This removes economic activity from local economies. Better use of police resources Currently, a vast majority of drivers who travel above 100 km/h are considered lawbreakers so it is more difficult for police officers to isolate truly dangerous drivers from those travelling at safe speeds. Posting proper speed limits would allow the police to target only the much smaller number of drivers exceeding them by a significant margin. The Ford government is doing the right thing by proposing to finally fix Ontarios incorrect highway speed limits. Safe driving must not be arbitrarily made illegal. Speed limits must be set using proper engineering and safety principles. Ontarios 400-series highways see 85th percentile speeds between approximately 120 and 130 km/h and are No. 1 and No. 2 in safety in North America according to the data from the MTO. We urge the government to set proper speed limits of 120 and 130 km/h, which will end a widespread disrespect for the law, create a smoother traffic flow, leave more money in drivers pockets, free up police resources and allow them to shift their attention to other problematic behaviours, such as occupying the left lane when not passing: keep right except to pass. Chris Klimek is the founder and director at stop100.ca, an advocacy group calling for proper 400-series highway speed limits. I was shocked to learn Ontario is considering raising speed limits on the 400-series highways to 120 km/h. Speed Kills Fast driving is a serious safety problem. Speeding increases the likelihood and severity of a crash. The faster a vehicle is moving, the less time the driver has to react to a hazard, and for other road users to react to that vehicle. Speed is a factor in over 20 per cent of fatal crashes and 12 per cent of all crashes. As speed increases over 100 km/h, the fatality rate of vehicle occupants goes up exponentially. For example, the chances of being killed in a vehicle travelling at 120 km/h are four times higher than at 100 km/h. When a car crashes near 200 km/h the chances of survival are minimal. Advocates of higher limits need only look across the border for proof that raising speed limits is a bad idea. A study examined the impact of higher travel speeds on U.S. rural interstates over the past 25 years and found that rising speed limits were blamed for 37,000 additional highway fatalities ... including more than 1,900 in 2017 alone, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute estimates five per cent of those people killed or 1,934 would be alive today if the speed limits were not raised in 1993. And according to a 2019 report it published, a 5 mph increase in the maximum speed limit was linked to an 8 per cent increase in fatality rates on interstate highways and freeways. The Canada Safety Council and other public safety advocates seriously question why any jurisdiction in Canada would choose to follow this lead. The Big Debate | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/thebigdebate/2019/05/14/should-ontario-raise-speed-limits-on-major-highways.html |
How much difference would a $1 billion rainy day fund make? | Opinion: Based on Arizona's experience in the last recession, not much. Gov. Doug Ducey will be digging in his heels for his top budget priority of boosting the rainy day fund from $460 million to a cool billion dollars. Now, Ducey is very much a PR governor. I suspect his political brand managers really like the symmetry of having inherited a billion-dollar deficit and leaving office with a billion dollars in the bank. Based on the states experience with the last recession, the answer is: Not much. Columnist Robert Robb explains why schools should get the cash first. Brian Snyder, Arizona Republic When the recession hit in 2008, there was $677 million in the rainy day fund. That was drained by 2010. To cope with the effect of the recession, the state had to do $9 billion of other stuff: federal stimulus money, borrowing, a temporary sales tax increase, and deferring payments. Even that wasnt enough to avoid deep spending cuts which the state still hasnt fully restored. ROBB: Schools, not savings, should be our top priority In 2008, if the state had $1 billion in the rainy day fund, rather than $677 million, it wouldnt have made a material difference in the fiscal challenge Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature had to cope with. Now, the 2008 recession hit government revenues unusually hard, particularly in Arizona. In coping with a milder recession, obviously the more money in the bank the better. That, however, assumes that the money will still be there, and not be otherwise encumbered, when the recession hits. Why rainy day funds usually don't work Gov. Doug Ducey's top budget priority this year is boosting the state's rainy-day fund. (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic) Ive always been skeptical about rainy day funds, since politicians just dont have the discipline to leave a large stash of cash stored away unmolested. The temptation to tap it for some politically favored project ultimately is irresistible. Thats been the experience with Arizonas. In non-recessionary times, its been tapped to provide funding for the arts, parks, wildland fires, assistance to rural schools, construction at the Arizona State Hospital, the Department of Child Safety and the Department of Economic Security. Right now, the Department of Public Safety is borrowing from it. Many of these depletions took the form of loans to be paid back. But the larger the stash, the bigger the political temptation to raid it, temporarily or otherwise. A bigger rainy day fund is better. But the entire state budget shouldnt revolve around getting it to an even billion dollars. Reach Robb at [email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/05/14/1-billion-rainy-day-fund-not-save-arizona-recession/1191710001/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/05/14/1-billion-rainy-day-fund-not-save-arizona-recession/1191710001/ |
Could Arizona become the next Alabama on abortion? | CLOSE Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed a near-total abortion ban into law. USA TODAY Opinion: The behind-the-scenes power brokers who run Arizona look at what Alabama has done not with horror, but with envy. Alabamas legislature just passed a law that essentially bans abortions in the state. It says a doctor who performs an abortion could face up to 99 years in prison. It does not allow for an exception in the case of rape or incest. The law will wind up in court now that the governor has signed it. Its a horror for womens health. Particularly in the case of poor women. And theres no telling what kind of economic consequences there might be for the state. Its grim, mean-spirited, cruel and something that the people who run Arizona would look upon with envy. This is a backroom power broker's dream Im speaking about the real people who run Arizona. Behind-the-scenes power brokers like Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy, to whom Gov. Doug Ducey and just about every other Republican stalwart bows in fealty. The Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature have for years, at the bidding of Herrod, tried to make Arizona the most restrictive abortion state in the nation. No matter the cruelty. Like when they passed a law that lumps together those seeking abortions with those who are terminating a pregnancy (most often at a doctors suggestion) after learning of a fatal fetal anomaly or because something has gone wrong with the fetus or the pregnancy, endangering the woman. CLOSE Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Garcia says Gov. Doug Ducey has made Arizona "the most anti-choice state in the country." William Flannigan and Tom Tingle, Arizona Republic There have been numerous other restrictions. And those pushing that agenda feel emboldened by President Donald Trump and the conservative Supreme Court. At least as long as a legislature remains in control of Republicans. In Arizona, that's not the sure bet it once was. Abortion rights groups have filed several lawsuits challenging Arizona laws. One of them said the intent of our laws is to "impede both women and medical providers so systematically that abortion becomes more onerous and even unavailable to many. Not just many all. Women Thats the goal. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters And depending on how things go in Alabama, Herrod and her elected minions may choose to follow Alabamas lead. Eric Johnston, head of the Alabama Pro-life Coalition, explained the reasoning used to prohibit abortions for victims of rape or incest. He said, "Regardless of how the conception takes place, the product is a child, and so we're saying that that unborn child is a person entitled to protection of law. Women. Reach Montini at [email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/05/15/arizona-alabama-abortion-doug-ducey/3682662002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/05/15/arizona-alabama-abortion-doug-ducey/3682662002/ |
What started J.J. Bledays power surge for Vanderbilt baseball? | J.J. Bleday, Vanderbilts future home-run record holder, sat wide-eyed with his legs crossed along the side of the swimming pool, an 18-month-old dressed adorably in denim OshKosh overalls, a turtle neck and tiny sneakers. His older brother practiced his freestyle stroke on the far side of the pool. Their mom stood just a few feet away, talking to one of the swimming instructors. Little J.J. was almost at arms length. But then the pint-sized toddler sprang to his feet, darted toward the pool and plunged in feet first. His overalls were soaked. His mom shrieked. Made me look like a bad mother, but I was standing right beside him, Kathy Bleday said 20 years later, with a mixture of sigh and laughter. I just didnt understand it. He was a careful kid. And I dont know if he knew why he did it. But it just seemed natural to him, like he was meant to do it. Bleday, trading in his overalls for Vanderbilt pinstripes, stood near home plate at Hawkins Field two decades later. He paused at a question, shrugged his shoulders and gave the most honest answer he could. I was as surprised as anyone, Bleday said. It may not seem like the thing you would do, but some things just come naturally. It just happened. Buy Photo Vanderbilt's J.J. Bleday is leading the SEC in RBIs and total bases. (Photo: Mark Zaleski/ For The Tennessean) Bleday doesnt recall his 1-year-old cannonball into that swimming pool. Instead, he was talking about his unpredictable hot streak that broke Vanderbilts home-run record and placed him atop the nations long-ball list and among the best prospects in the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft. Super Regional walk-off homer started this years surge Bleday has 23 home runs, tied for the Division I lead, for No. 2 Vanderbilt. The Commodores (42-10, 20-7 SEC) wrap up their regular season with a series at Kentucky (26-26, 7-20), beginning Thursday, before next weeks SEC Tournament. Bledays talent was never a secret. He was a heralded high school prospect when he signed at Vanderbilt in 2016. But he was a strong left-handed pitcher and consistent batter, not a feared power hitter. Bleday ditched pitching and started immediately in right field as a freshman. Last season, he touted a team-high .368 batting average in an injury-plagued sophomore year and was tabbed preseason All-American this season. But before hitting 23 homers in 52 games this season, he had only six homers in 90 career games. It started at 12:11 a.m. on June 10, 2018, when Bledays walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning beat Mississippi State in Game 2 of the NCAA Super Regional and put Vanderbilt one win away from a College World Series berth. Vanderbilt's J.J. Bleday celebrates as he heads toward home after hitting a walk-off home run to beat Mississippi State 4-3 in an NCAA Super Regional last season at Hawkins Field. (Photo: George Walker IV / tennessean.com) Adam Bleday, the same older brother taking swimming lessons as a child, watched that late-night Super Regional game on his phone during a road trip in North Carolina as a minor league player. I was in bed getting ready to go to sleep, and then my teammate yelled, J.J. Bleday! said Adam, now a developmental pitching coach in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system. My phone was three seconds behind his, so I didnt know what happened. But that home run sparked something, and hes still riding that wave. Vanderbilt failed to get to the College World Series, and that game-winner was only Bledays fourth home run last season. But it hinted at his record-breaking pace this season. NEWSLETTERS Get the Sports newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Top and trending sports headlines you need to know for your busy day. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters A fan of Pedro Alvarez before he broke his record Bleday broke Vanderbilts single-season record by passing Pedro Alvarez, who hit 22 homers in 2006 and was drafted No. 2 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates two years later. It was a source of excitement for 10-year-old Bleday, who grew up in Titusville, Pa., and regularly attended games as a loyal Pirates fan. Bledays family moved to Panama City Beach, Fla., midway through his high school career. But during his last summer watching his hometown team, Alvarez hit a power surge and clubbed 36 homers in 2013 to lead the National League and earn an All-Star accolade. The Pirates' Pedro Alvarez has been an inspiration for Vanderbilt's J.J. Bleday. (Photo: The Associated Press) It was a lasting memory for Bleday, who admired Alvarezs left-handed swing and met him years later during summer training sessions at Vanderbilt. At first glance, theres always that fan part of you that comes out, Bleday said. Growing up a Pirates fan, you watch him on TV and then hes right here in our (batting) cage. But then you see him as just a normal guy, like all the other professionals that come back here." Bledays profile has risen immensely this season. He leads the SEC with 61 RBIs, 149 total bases and a .741 slugging percentage while ranking second with 63 runs scored, trailing only teammate Austin Martin. He and Martin are candidates for the Golden Spikes National Player of the Year award. Bleday is projected by MLB.com as the No. 4 pick for the Miami Marlins in the draft, which begins June 3. Swimming, fishing and finally hitting came naturally Home runs might have been an inevitable outcome of Bledays smooth swing and dedication to hitting. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said it just took time for Bleday to develop his timing, patience at the plate and knowledge of the strike zone in order to become a complete hitter. Bleday likes the fact that hes hit home runs without trying to do so. Of course, his mom knows that hes been led to major feats without knowing how he got there. Years before J.J. Bleday broke Vanderbilt's single-season home run record, he set several swimming records at Titusville High as one of the top swimmers in Pennsylvania. (Photo: Submitted) Even though he was about a year-and-a-half old, he popped up out of the water like he was meant to be there, she said, reflecting on his plunge into the pool. Ever since then, hes been a natural in the water. As one of the top high school swimmers in Pennsylvania, Bleday rewrote the record book at Titusville. And he has loved to fish since early childhood, first in search of trout at Oil Creek in Pennsylvania and later red fish off the Florida coast. Even if youre not aiming to do something, Bleday said, things can just happen on their own. Reach Adam Sparks at [email protected] and on Twitter @AdamSparks. | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2019/05/15/vanderbilt-baseball-jj-bleday-home-run-record-pedro-alvarez/1163102001/ |
What are the challenges facing Theresa May's withdrawal bill? | Brexit bill that could let UK leave EU in summer looks unlikely to pass parliament Theresa May has pledged to give MPs another opportunity to vote on Brexit early next month, with or without Labours backing. Here are some of the challenges facing the withdrawal agreement bill. Although it may seem as though May is making a fourth attempt to pass her deal, the tactic is slightly different to the other three votes. Parliament has held three meaningful votes a vote that was made a legal requirement of ratifying the agreement after amendments in 2017 by the Conservative MP Dominic Grieve. The withdrawal agreement bill or WAB as it is known in Westminster was intended to be the second stage after MPs had voted to ratify the agreement, to enshrine it in UK law. Brexit: MPs vow to vote down May's withdrawal agreement next month Read more However, MPs have failed to pass the first stage and the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, has made it clear the government cannot repeatedly ask MPs to vote on the same question without substantial changes. Therefore, the government is now skipping directly to the second stage, and will need to include a clause in the bill removing the need for a separate approval motion. Bringing the withdrawal agreement bill to parliament with no stable majority is fraught with risk for the government. Should the bill fail to pass at second reading, May would not be able to bring it back during this parliament and may be faced with proroguing parliament in order to make any new attempt. That would mean beginning a new parliament and having to pass another Queens speech extremely difficult in the current climate. After a lengthy cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, ministers agreed the UK should leave the EU before the summer parliamentary recess usually due to begin in mid-July. The bill would need to get through all its different stages before recess, which is why the week of 3 June has been set, coming after the European elections and parliaments Whitsun recess. It is imperative we do so then if the UK is to leave the EU before the summer parliamentary recess, No 10 said. It is set to be a busy week for the prime minister and MPs: the US president, Donald Trump, will visit the UK from 3-5 June, when world leaders are gathering in Portsmouth for D-day commemorations. It is also the Peterborough byelection, which Labour, the Tories and the Brexit party are tightly contesting, on 6 June. Talks with Labour are to continue between officials, including Corbyns head of policy, Andrew Fisher, and Mays chief of staff, Gavin Barwell. The change is that the talks now have a deadline to come to an agreement. When Corbyn met May on Tuesday night, he said the shadow cabinet had concerns about the prime ministers ability to deliver on any compromise agreement, particularly after combative statements by Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers jostling for the Tory leadership. Without Corbyns support, the PM will somehow need to find at least 30 or so switchers who voted against the deal last time when it was defeated by 58 votes but are ready to fall into line. Indeed, given a number of former Tory rebels have since rediscovered their opposition to the deal, the number she needs may be significantly higher. Unless there are substantial changes, it looks unlikely. Corbyn made it clear to May he would whip MPs to vote against the bill unless agreement had been reached in the cross-party talks. Parties that support a referendum, including the Scottish National party, Liberal Democrats and Change UK, are also likely to oppose the bill unless it contains a clause adding a referendum which May opposes. The Democratic Unionist party has said it is highly likely Mays deal would be defeated again unless the prime minister can demonstrate something new that addresses the problem of the backstop, and that is a proviso also likely to apply to Tory Eurosceptics who have previously voted down the agreement. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/15/what-are-the-challenges-facing-theresa-mays-brexit-withdrawal-bill |
How can I increase my laptops storage space? | I use a Dell 15-5577 laptop with 8GB of memory for music production and graphic design. The problem is that its 256GB SSD is not enough to store all my projects. An external drive is not an option because I want everything in the same drawer and its a pain to carry it everywhere with me. I need help with how to swap out my existing SSD with a larger capacity one, say 512GB. Marex The Dell Inspiron 15-5577 was sold as an affordable 15.6in gaming laptop with an Intel Core i5 or i7 Kaby Lake (7th generation) processor and an Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics chip. It costs from 799 to 1,299 depending on the processor, graphics, storage and type of screen installed. It also has an Ethernet port, three USB 3.0 ports and a full-size SD card slot. Reviews suggested the base-level screen was somewhat lacking and one said the 256GB SSD was slow. However, if your machines screen meets your needs then it is a good specification for your purposes. Now you can get extra benefits from its ability to handle upgrades. You should certainly be able to do these yourself, with the help of the service manual and couple of YouTube videos. Theres only one screw to hold the back on your laptop, so physically installing an M2 SSD and an 8GB memory module is a two-minute job. With some upgradeable laptops, it can take longer to get the back off. Adding an SSD Facebook Twitter Pinterest Adding an SSD is fairly straightforward but if you want a very large amount of storage without breaking the bank, a traditional spinning hard drive is still the way to go. Photograph: Alamy If youre a bit geeky, the best way to find out whats inside a PC is to run Sandra Lite. This will tell you lots of things you didnt know, and several things you would rather not know. But if youre a normal person, just go to your local Crucial website. You dont even need to know which make or model of laptop you own. Crucial has a small utility that will analyse your PC and tell you which SSD and memory upgrades will be compatible, so you can buy them on the spot. You can, of course, use the information to shop around. Ive been a happy Crucial customer for many years, and no longer bother. In your case, the crucial info is whether the 256GB SSD occupies your laptops SATA drive bay or whether it fits into the separate M2 NVMe slot (take the back off and see if the drive bay is empty). Whichever one you have, buy the other. If your laptop has its SSD in the drive bay, you could add a 250GB Crucial MX500 SSD (37.19) or 500GB SSD (61.19) to the M2 slot. If your SSD is in the M2 slot, you should be able to install a 240GB Crucial BX500 SSD (26.39) or a 480GB SSD (51.59) in the empty drive bay. Alternatively, you could install a 1TB 2.5in hard drive for under 40. Most of the benefits of having an SSD come from using it as the boot drive to run the operating system and your main applications. You should be OK with data stored on a spinning hard drive, especially if you use it on mains power and tell it not to spin down. People have been doing this for decades. If you find you really need SSD speeds, you can always copy, for example, the loops and samples you are actually using in a music production to the SSD. Either way, you should get a very economical upgrade. People who are upgrading laptops often have to throw away or repurpose the old part but youll be able to keep your current SSD. Note: Dells User Manual (PDF) says that the 15-5577s M.2 storage slot supports both PCIe NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs up to 512 GB (PCIe SSD). M.2 PCIe NVMe is the way to go. It also says that 1TB is the maximum hard drive capacity but I cant see why a SATA SSD wouldnt work. Thats exactly the job they were designed to do. Adding memory Facebook Twitter Pinterest An old 512MB stick of RAM. Things have improved quite a lot over the last decade or two. Photograph: Alamy Again, youre in luck. The Dell 15-5577 usually shipped with one 8GB memory module and one empty slot. You should therefore be able to install a second 8GB module (45.59 from Crucial) and expand the memory to 16GB. I strongly recommend this. Microsoft Windows loves memory and 8GB is my minimum for normal (as distinct from light) computer use. For heavyweight tasks such as music production and graphic design, its much better to have 16GB or even 32GB. Unfortunately, while your laptop can handle 32GB, it would mean buying two 16GB modules (179.99) and dumping the 8GB you already have. If you really want to invest that sort of money, it would be better to spend it on one 8GB memory module plus a bigger or faster SSD, such as a Samsung 850 EVO. Before you attempt the upgrade, read the relevant parts of the Dell service manual for your laptop, including stuff about turning off the power and avoiding the perils of static electricity. After that, its always worth searching for YouTube videos. The Windows Central website has one on upgrading RAM & SSD for Dell Inspiron 15 7559 gaming laptop, with most of the three-minute running time devoted to moving Windows to the new SSD. More storage options Facebook Twitter Pinterest USB flash drives make it super easy to add more storage but SD cards and external drives might be a better option. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo Your laptop has a full SD card slot and USB 3.0 ports, so you have other options, too. For example, you could add 128GB of storage in seconds by inserting a U3/V30-class Samsung EVO SD card (21.39) or a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC card (40.77). The latter should be faster. You probably wont get the claimed speeds in your laptop but these cards should be fast enough for some purposes, including backups. If nothing else, a couple of cards would free up space on your current 256GB SSD because you cant be using all your data all the time. The advantage of using SD cards is that you can leave one in the PC all the time, except for swapping in the second card when you need to back up your current project. This is always wise when youre working away from home. It would be even cheaper to use USB 3.0 thumb drives such as the 128GB SanDisk Ultra Flair (22.83), which claims transfer speeds of up to 150MBps. The drawback is that you have to keep inserting and removing them. USB ports are not my favourite connection for constant use. Finally, while youre not keen on external drives, there are some fast, small SSDs that are designed for portability and durability. For example, have a look at the 512GB Adata SD700 (96.25). Its dustproof, waterproof and military-grade shockproof. Its also tiny, at 8.33cm square and only 1.4cm thick. Its not a pain to carry one around. Less robust alternatives include the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD, which weighs only 38.9g, the Samsung MU-PA500B and the WD My Passport Portable, among others. Unfortunately, to achieve their impressive maximum speeds, most external SSDs rely on Windows laptops having a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port, which sadly you have not got. However, USB 3.0 is still fast enough to be useful. Email it to [email protected] This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information. | https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/may/16/how-can-i-increase-my-laptops-storage-space |
Is McDonalds new fish and chips better than a Filet-O-Fish? | Diners in Atlantic Canada were the first to get a taste of McDonalds fish and chips as part of a pilot project a year ago. That version is basically the same thats now being rolled out nationwide: two pieces of fried haddock ( Newfoundlanders were initially skeptical that cod wasnt used ) with McDonalds famous fries and a side of tartar sauce, the same stuff in a Filet-O-Fish. Im a sucker for fast food specials, as evidenced by my last greasy taste test that involved eating multiple A&W fast food Beyond Meat breakfast sandwiches for the purpose of research. Starting this week, McDonalds Canada is now serving fish and chips for a limited time across the country. While fish and chips isnt as novel as lab-grown not-meat meat, my coworkers were intrigued by the new offering so I had McDonalds send me a few boxes. While prices vary across the country, in downtown Toronto a box of fish and chips costs $7.69 ($9.88 with a drink) and according to the nutrition information requested from the company, contains 740 calories, 47g of fat, 530mg of sodium, 16g of protein and 64g of carbs. The fish is cooked in a dedicated fish fryer (the same one used for Filet-O-Fish patties) to prevent cross-contamination for those with fish allergies. This wont make Captain Highliner roll over his grave, says Star restaurant critic Amy Pataki. Its OK, but not great. The plus side is that its sustainably caught and from Canada. To be honest, Id order this again, but I want to try it fresh since we got it delivered and its been sitting in the box for a bit. I think its an overall success. Deputy life editor Kate Robertson agreed that the fish and chips were all right, and that while the fries at a regular fish and chips restaurant tend to be the thicker-cut variety, McDonalds signature thinner fries pairs well with the size of the fish, which is smaller than what youd get at a dedicated fish and chips place. Deputy digital editor Ariel Teplitsky says its a decent-sized portion and says it doesnt have as much of a processed taste he associates with typical fast food and likes it more than the Filet-O-Fish. Same for another tester. If you dont eat meat, itll make do until they come out with a veggie burger, says business editor and resident pescatarian Andrew Meeson. I like this more than the Filet-O-Fish cause I never liked the bun it came in. But wheres the malt vinegar? Theres no word on how long the fish and chips will be available, though in a press release the company states that it expects to sell around 260,000 pounds of haddock. Karon Liu is the Star's food writer and is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @karonliu | https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/opinion/2019/05/14/is-mcdonalds-new-fish-and-chips-better-than-a-filet-o-fish.html |
Should I pay for college with a credit card? | CLOSE These common mistakes can make college even more expensive. USA TODAY The benefit of using credit cards is collecting rewards for expenses you were already planning to pay. So if you're staring down a hefty college tuition bill, you may be wondering whether it makes sense to charge it on a credit card. In doing so, you'll rack up a ton of reward points, which could effectively be free money in your pocket. Some colleges won't allow you to pay your tuition with a credit card, so before you contemplate doing so, find out what your school's policy is. Assuming you can pay tuition on a credit card, the next question becomes whether your college will charge you a processing fee for the privilege of using one. If there's no fee, then you may as well use your credit card to pay for college, as writing a check won't get you any rewards or cash back in return. This advice, however, is based on the assumption that you can pay your credit card balance when it's due. If that's not the case, then you absolutely should not use your credit card to cover your tuition. If you can't afford those bills in their entirety, you should first explore your various student loan options Federal loans are your best bet in this regard because they come with relatively low, regulated interest rates that make paying them back more affordable. Unfortunately, federal loans also come with a borrowing cap, so if you're looking at a pricier school, they may not cover your total costs. Once you've exhausted your federal borrowing options, you can look into private loans and compare the interest rates to those charged by your credit card. Generally, private lenders will offer you much lower interest rates than credit card companies, so it'll most likely make more sense to borrow some money privately than to charge your education. Now let's assume that you can pay your tuition from a bank account, but you're interested in using a credit card for the rewards involved. Again, if there's no additional fee imposed by your university, you're golden. If there is a fee, you'll need to compare it to the rewards you stand to reap. Getting 2% cash back won't do you much good if your college charges a 3% processing fee for using a credit card. Things get a little tricky, however, when there's a sign-up bonus involved. Imagine you're offered $500 cash back for charging $3,000 or more on your credit card within your first three months of opening it. Let's also assume you get 2% back on all purchases, and your college charges a 3% processing fee on tuition. If your total bill is $26,000, you'll pay $780 for using your credit card. However, you'll also get a $500 sign-up bonus plus $520 cash back for a total of $1,020, thereby making it worth it. Without the sign-up bonus, however, the numbers don't work. Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll need a high enough credit limit to even have the option of charging college tuition on a credit card. If it's your first credit card, you can pretty much write that option off. But it may be something for your parents to explore, especially if they have good enough credit. Heres what could happen to your score (Photo: Getty Images) Credit cards can't take the place of loans If, despite your best efforts to borrow enough to finance your education, you end up falling short even after pursuing your private loan options, you may be tempted to charge your remaining college costs on a credit card and pay it off over time. This, however, is a truly bad idea. Not only might it cost you a ton of money in interest, but by carrying a balance for too long, you'll risk driving down your credit score. If you don't have enough money in loans to cover your education, consider deferring your studies for a semester or two, working, and saving enough to bridge that gap. It's a far better idea than destroying your credit and accruing costly interest in the pursuit of that diploma. The Motley Fool owns and recommends MasterCard and Visa, and recommends American Express. Were firm believers in the Golden Rule. If we wouldnt recommend an offer to a close family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Ascent either. Our number one goal is helping people find the best offers to improve their finances. That is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. Our #1 cash back pick has a surprise bonus Offer from the Motley Fool: This may be the perfect cash back card! That's because it packs in $1,148 of value. Cardholders can earn up to 5% cash back, double rewards in the first year, and avoid interest well into 2020. With such a deep bench of perks, you'll wonder how this card packs in a $0 annual fee. Best yet, you can apply and get a decision in two minutes. Learn more with our in-depth review. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/14/should-i-pay-for-college-with-a-credit-card/39450489/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/14/should-i-pay-for-college-with-a-credit-card/39450489/ |
Will Trumps China trade war mess up Polestars U.S. challenge to Tesla? | Whether any of this matters, at least in the U.S., remains to be seen. Its unclear whether most Tesla buyers are fans of electric cars, or just fans of Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. The Model 3 is outselling all other electric cars by a wide margin. But sales of all Tesla models fell 40% in the first three months of this year. If momentum fades, it could be bad news not just for Tesla but for electric cars in general, which in 2018 still represented just 2% of the U.S. auto market, though 7.8% of new cars sold in California. | https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-polestar-model3-tesla-volvo-china-tariff-20190514-story.html |
Is Game of Thrones Daenerys just upset or are Targaryens really that crazy? | Varys justified his betrayal in Sundays episode of Game of Thrones with a vintage Westerosian observation: Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin and the world holds its breath. It should; Cersei entertained a similar thought on the eve of the last sack of Kings Landing. Half the Targaryens went mad, didnt they? she asked Tyrion. True, some members of that royal line, which is full of incest, were afflicted with mental illness. But most expressions of Targaryen madness have other explanations. Even if the gods do flip a coin, the results arent so clear as heads or tails. Sometimes, the coin lands on an edge. Lets start with dragon dreams, a peculiar form of prescience that some Targaryens possess. When Dany had one such dream, she knew she could walk into the funeral pyre with her dragon eggs and that they would hatch, as she revealed later in Qarth. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW When I stepped into the fire, my own people thought I was mad, she told the Spice King. But when the fire burned out, I was unhurt, the mother of dragons. Im no ordinary woman. My dreams come true. Having such dreams might drive anyone mad. Testing their truth can require major risks. Centuries before the War of the Five Kings, Daenys Targaryen had dragon dreams about the Doom of Valyria 12 years before it happened, prompting the familys migration to Westeros. That move might have seemed irrational at the time, but it turned out to be a wise decision. A volcano eruption is said to have wiped out the city of Old Valyria, and the Targaryens were the only dragonlords to survive. But the familys track record when it comes to dragon dreams is pretty hit-or-miss. Prince Aerion Targaryen drank a cup of wildfire, believing it would transform him into a dragon; it didnt, and he died. King Aegon Targaryen V tried to hatch some dragon eggs and burned down the great castle of Summerhall instead. Their dreams looked a little less like prophecy and a little more like madness. And yet, Aerion and Aegons brother Prince Daeron Targaryen did have dreams that came true, even if he didnt always understand them when he had them. Meanwhile, the other royal brother, Maester Aemon, who refused the throne, didnt have such dreams until he was on his deathbed. The actions of King Maegor Targaryen, known as Maegor the Cruel, were sometimes attributed to madness, but his cruel nature might have been rooted in a traumatic brain injury, not heredity. (During a trial by combat, he took a blow to the head, collapsed and fell into a deep coma for about a month.) Likewise, King Baelor Targaryen, known as Baelor the Blessed, fasted himself to death after he also suffered a great injury. In his case, he sustained multiple snake bites in a Dornish serpent pit until he lost consciousness. Some considered Baelor a holy man, but others thought him erratic and wondered whether it was the snakes venom, not his genes, that had damaged his brain. We have only secondhand recollections, so its impossible to know whether this man was sweet-tempered and gentle, as some said, or basically feebleminded. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW | https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2019/05/14/is-game-of-thrones-daenerys-just-upset-or-are-targaryens-really-that-crazy.html |
Is having sex six times in six days the secret to work-life balance? | Ali Babas founder Jack Ma has come up with a timetable for his married employees. Name: 669. Age: Brand new. Appearance: Employer-mandated intercourse. Please explain. Nope. OK, the first thing you should know is that Chinese work culture operates on something known as 996. Yes, but you said 669. I am getting to that: 996 refers to the working hours unofficially observed at many Chinese companies, 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Thats 72 hours a week! Jack Ma, founder of the tech giant Alibaba and one of Chinas wealthiest men, recently shared his belief that working at the cost of everything else shows dedication. Hmm, Im not so sure about that. No, of course it isnt; its awful. Chinese law apparently states that a working week should not exceed 40 hours. A group of developers recently launched a website, 996.icu, to campaign against such a demanding work ethic, warning that it might result in workers being hospitalised. OK, so thats 996. Well, according to Ma, the best way for workers to improve their work-life balance is to have sex six times a week. Right. We want 669 in life. Six times in six days; the emphasis is on nine, he reportedly said. I dont understand the nine. Nine in Mandarin is a homophone of the word long. In summary: have sex six times a week, for as long as possible. Yes. Its hard to know how theyd fit it all in, so to speak. This man sounds like an absolute tyrant. I havent got to the good bit yet. Go on. At a mass wedding ceremony of 102 of his employees. Not at all. He wants the best for his workers. Its just a coincidence that the best means marrying off many of his employees, happily reducing their need for time off, so that they can continue to work 72 hours a week and have joyless, exhausted, mandatory intercourse for most of their designated sleeping time. Hes a nice guy. Do say: The key to perfect work-life balance is 669. Dont say: Six times in six months, for nine seconds. | https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2019/may/15/jack-ma-china-996-work-669-sex |
Are we on the brink of war? | The internet is (still) sketchy, plastic is (still) everywhere and America is (still) willing to send troops to the Middle East. It's Ashley with today's biggest news. But first, don't @ me: Washington is the best state in America, according to new rankings (shout out to our WA readers). Iran warns of America's 'very dangerous game' An Iranian official said Tuesday that America is playing a "very dangerous game" by attempting to "drag Iran into an unnecessary war." Hamid Baeidinejad, Irans ambassador to the United Kingdom, told reporters that an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers deployed to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged Iranian threats risked "serious miscalculation." Baeidinejad also denied Iran was responsible for the "sabotage" of Saudi Arabian oil tankers near the Gulf. The comments come amid growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran that appear to have brought the two longstanding foes to the brink of war. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he would send 120,000 troops to Iran if need be. This handout picture released by the U.S. Navy on May 8, 2019, shows the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln conducting exercises in the Persian Gulf. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) Trump's lawyers clash with the House in court Trump's lawyers clashed with the House Tuesday in federal court over Congress' power to investigate him the first legal test as Trump's tries to keep lawmakers out of his finances. Trump lawyer William Consovoy argued that Congress wants Trump's financial info for essentially a law-enforcement purpose which is outside its authority rather than to work on legislation. A House subpoena seeks to find whether Trump's loans have left him beholden to foreigners. The resulting lawsuit from Trump is the latest development in a series of them in the aftermath of (you guessed it!) Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The ocean is not your dumpster The ocean is full of it. And by "it," I mean plastic. Weve seen it for ourselves. And by we I mean undersea explorer Victor Vescovo. Vescovo took a four-hour dive to the worlds deepest ocean depth and returned with unsettling news: Trash including a few candy wrappers and a plastic bag was spotted even down there. Incredibly, as much as 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. Undersea explorer Victor Vescovo said he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest place on Earth. (Photo: Courtesy Discovery/Atlantic Productions) Real quick Sketchy security threats: WhatsApp edition Go ahead and update WhatsApp on your phone like, right now. A cybersecurity breach left users vulnerable to malicious spyware being installed on their smartphones. Nobody is safe: WhatsApp, the Facebook messaging app, admitted Monday that the security vulnerability affects both iPhone and Android devices. WhatsApp says the cyber threat was first discovered earlier this month and had been used to target a "select number" of users. The app is used by over 1.5 billion people. Black girls get punished more Black girls often receive more severe penalties for the same behavior as white peers, experts say. But they arent misbehaving more; they're just being punished more even for minor infractions such as dress code violations. African American girls are also more likely to be suspended than white girls in every state not because of misconduct, but because of biased perceptions by educators. Nationally, black girls make up 14% of the population, but about 33% of females in juvenile detention. Remake the system, experts say. C'alra Bradley reads verses from the Bible that have given her strength. (Photo: Monica Rhor, USA TODAY) Legendary comedian Tim Conway dies at 85 Tim Conway, who made "Carol Burnett Show" viewers weep with laughter over his deadpan comic delivery, has died at the age of 85. Conway's celebrated career in comedy included acclaimed performances on programs such as Burnett's variety show and "McHale's Navy." He won four Emmys for his work on "Burnett" and two more for guest appearances on "Coach" and "30 Rock." Celebrities, especially fellow comedians, paid tribute on social media. Tim Conway died at the age of 85. The comedian is best known for his time on "The Carol Burnett Show." (Photo: AP) This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/14/tim-conway-whatsapp-iran-trump-game-thrones-tuesdays-news/3666320002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/14/tim-conway-whatsapp-iran-trump-game-thrones-tuesdays-news/3666320002/ |
When are the 2020 presidential election primaries? | There are nearly two dozen hopefuls running in the 2020 election, each vying to become the next president. And the race to the White House begins sooner than you think. Although the general election is still over a year away, candidates are zig-zagging across the country trying to win the hearts of voters for the primary election, which will determine who will be the Democratic and Republican nominee. The primary election begins early next year, with the start of the Iowa first-in-the-nation caucuses on Feb. 3, 2020. Here are the currently scheduled primary and caucus dates for the 2020 election: February February 3: Iowa caucuses February 11: New Hampshire primary February 22: Nevada Democratic caucuses February 29: South Carolina Democratic primary March Colorado has not set a date, but it will be in March. Super Tuesday (March 3): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia primaries Democrat voters living abroad begin voting on March 3 through March 10. March 7: Louisiana primary March 8: Maine Democratic caucuses and Puerto Rico Republican primary March 10: Hawaii Republican caucuses, North Dakota Democratic "firehouse caucus," Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio primaries March 17: Arizona, Florida and Illinois primary April April 4: Alaska Democratic caucus and Hawaii Democratic caucus April 7: Wisconsin primary April 28: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island primaries May May 5: Indiana primary May 12: Nebraska Republican primary and West Virginia primary May 19: Kentucky and Oregon primaries June June 2: Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota primaries June 7: Puerto Rico Democratic primary June 16: Washington, D.C. Democratic primary Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/14/when-are-the-2020-presidential-primaries/1158275001/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/14/when-are-the-2020-presidential-primaries/1158275001/ |
How does the NBA draft lottery work? | The NBA draft lottery is finally here. This year, 14 teams have a shot at winning the first pick, presumably to select Duke phenom Zion Williamson in this year's NBA draft. Williamson's teammates R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish will also be on this year's board alongside Murray State's Ja Morant, Vanderbilt's Darius Garland and Virginia's De'Andre Hunter, all ready to make a move to the NBA when the draft kicks off on June 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This year's draft lottery will be aired live on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. The Knicks, Cavaliers, Suns, Bulls, Hawks, Wizards, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Lakers, Timberwolves, Hornets, Heat and Kings will make up this year's list of 14 teams in the draft lottery. There are 14 ping pong balls numbered 1-14 that are put in a glass drum. They are mixed around for 20 seconds before the first ball gets drawn, and then 10-second intervals are used to space out the drawings of three additional balls. Each team is given its own list of combinations that those four balls could create, and the team whose combination is picked gets that pick. There are 1,000 combinations that are used and the combination of 11-12-13-14 is not used, so if it is drawn for one of the picks, they draw again to determine which team gets that pick. Each team's odds at landing the top pick are based on each team's regular-season record. The team with the worst record have the best odds and the team with the best record among those that missed the postseason have the worst odds. Tiebreakers will be used if teams end up tied with the same record to decide which will have the more advantageous spot in the draft lottery order. The teams with better odds are given more combinations than the teams with worse odds. After the first three picks are decided, the remaining draft ordered is decided based off what each team's lottery odds were. The team with the highest lottery odds is guaranteed a top-four pick and the team with the lowest odds will end up with the 14th pick unless it gets one of the top three picks. Below is a full list of odds to land the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft: New York Knicks : 14.0% Cleveland Cavaliers: 14.0% Phoenix Suns: 14.0% Chicago Bulls: 12.5% Atlanta Hawks: 10.5% Washington Wizards: 9.0% New Orleans Pelicans: 6.0% Memphis Grizzlies*: 6.0% Dallas Mavericks**: 6.0% Minnesota Timberwolves: 3.0% Los Angeles Lakers: 2.0% Charlotte Hornets: 1.0% Miami Heat: 1.0% Sacramento Kings^: 1.0% Note: * = pick may be conveyed to Boston; ** = pick may be conveyed to Atlanta; ^ = pick will be conveyed to Boston via Philadelphia or to Philadelphia | https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/14/draft-lottery-explained-history-odds-how-it-works |
Which states are seeking to make abortion illegal and who is behind it? | Alabama lawmakers passed the most restrictive abortion ban in the US on Tuesday night, outlawing abortion from the point of conception with exceptions only if the womans life is seriously at risk. The law is one example of a severe clampdown on womens reproductive rights spreading across Republican-led states. The White House has stoked anti-abortion campaigners fervor, with conservative court nominations and a litany of bureaucratic changes restricting reproductive freedom and related funding. 'We need this bill to die': the Alabama Democrat fighting for abortion rights Read more This year, more than a dozen US states have sought to make abortion illegal after six weeks of gestation, including six states that successfully enacted the laws. Anti-abortion campaigners have successfully enacted a ban on all or most abortions in seven Republican-led states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio and Georgia. Alabamas law, which must be signed by the Republican governor, is the most severe. At least 61 bills like this have been introduced across the country, in states including Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas and West Virginia. Even in states considered safe havens for abortion rights, such as New York and Illinois, anti-abortion lawmakers have introduced bills as a kind of protest. The wave of restrictions is due primarily to the Trump administrations judicial picks. Anti-abortion campaigners believe the chances of further restricting abortion through court cases are better today than they were a year ago. Generally, the anti-abortion elements are made up of social conservatives. The Christian right has fought against abortion rights for decades, but some of its most extreme proposals have only recently started to pick up steam. The Christian right is also one of the Trump administrations most fervent bases of political support. Revealed: nine US states considering hardline Georgia-style anti-abortion bills Read more In Ohio for example, the leader of one anti-abortion and anti-gay hate group, Janet Porter, pressed for a ban on abortions for nearly a decade. She only succeeded this year, after the Trump administration pushed the supreme court and lower courts to the right. That is the aim for many anti-abortion campaigners. The US supreme court legalized abortion across the country in 1973, through the landmark case Roe v Wade. Until then, states had been left to make their own laws on abortion, leaving a patchwork system where some women lived in places where abortion was illegal, and others where it was safe and accessible. That changed with Roe. The supreme court ruled that women have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus can survive outside the womb, generally understood to be about 24 weeks gestation. A full term is 40 weeks. The supreme court is made up of nine justices. Until last year, there were four generally liberal judges, four conservative, and one swing vote, Anthony Kennedy. But when Kennedy retired last year Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh a conservative and a Catholic. His confirmation, after a contentious series of hearings, has has tilted the court to the right, and although Kavanaugh does not have a long track record on abortion, experts believe he will support more restrictions. To pressure the supreme court to take up a case, anti-abortion campaigners have pushed for these clearly unconstitutional restrictions to be passed in the seven state legislatures. Civil rights groups are forced to challenge the laws in court to stop their implementation, setting up a fight and a chance to get to the highest court. Some groups want to use these cases to overturn Roe v Wade or severely restrict how it is interpreted. Unless and until the supreme court speaks on one of these cases, abortion remains legal to the point a fetus can survive outside the womb in the US. Abortion providers are taking the threat seriously and making plans for the future, which could include using funding to shuttle women across state lines to obtain abortions. However, some civil rights lawyers are cautiously optimistic that the supreme court is not interested in revisiting Roe, even with new conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh in place. It is impossible to say for certain whether one of the new laws being passed by states will be considered. But even if states do not succeed in making abortion illegal, the pile-on of restrictions has had an impact. There are fewer abortion providers and the procedure is more expensive, making it ever more difficult for women to exercise their rights. | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-ban-legislation-alabama-will-it-pass |
Is Trumps trade war saving American jobs or killing them? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Jeffrey Kucik, University of Arizona (THE CONVERSATION) With the U.S.-China trade war intensifying, there is a lot of talk about whether tariffs save American jobs as President Donald Trump claims or destroy them. On May 14, for example, Trump said his tariffs helped save the U.S. steel industry. Whether or not thats true, many economists and industry organizations argue trade protectionism is actually hurting workers in a range of other areas, such as the solar power sector, civil aircraft and auto manufacturing. Political economists like me have been exploring this question since Trumps trade war began about a year ago. The answer makes a big difference to the economic welfare of American workers. And, with the 2020 elections soon approaching, it may help determine whether Trump is able to remain in the Oval Office. The winners At first glance, the jobs data does look good for Trumps argument. Since Trump announced tariffs on more than 1,000 Chinese products on April 3, 2018, about 2.6 million new jobs have been added to the U.S. economy. This includes 204,000 jobs in manufacturing, the sector of the economy that hemorrhaged over 5 million positions from 2000 to 2009, a problem blamed on free trade and China. The good news for Trump doesnt stop there. Some of the biggest gainers over the last year are industries like fabricated metals, machinery and electronic instruments, all of which saw gains of 15,000 to almost 30,000 jobs over the past year. All those industries enjoy at least some protection from Trumps tariffs. Those numbers seem to support Trumps rhetoric that tariffs are providing a vital shot in the arm of Americas ailing manufacturing sector. And they may even show why the U.S. economy continues to hum despite economist fears that a trade war would hurt growth. The losers Unfortunately, not all industries are enjoying the same success. Of the 20 major manufacturing categories in the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, only six have grown faster during the trade war which arguably began with the threat of widespread tariff increases in April of 2018 than in previous years. The rest, which include chemicals, paper and textiles, either didnt enjoy a boost or lost ground during the period. And here is one lesson from the trade war. If Trump and his supporters want to claim that tariffs helped accelerate job creation in machinery and metals, then it follows that his policies should share some of the blame for the less encouraging performance of other sectors hurt by retaliation from other countries. After Trump extended steel tariffs to the European Union, the EU hit Americas textiles industry. Canada targeted some paper products in retaliation for tariffs on steel and softwood lumber. And China, Trumps primary antagonist, hit chemicals along with a large swath of other industries with further retaliation on the way. Beyond jobs Nonetheless, the simple fact remains: The U.S. economy continues to add more jobs. But this is only one part of the equation for how tariffs are affecting working Americans and their quality of life. Theres less good news for Trump in this data. The annual growth in seasonally adjusted hourly pay during the trade war averages out to around 3.2% across all private sector U.S. employees. There are two important things to say about that 3.2%. First, it falls short of pre-Great Recession levels, when wage growth was typically a full point higher. Second, wage growth in manufacturing the sector Trump has lavished the most attention on actually lags behind the national average at just 2.3%. Those wage numbers are good reason to hold our applause for Trumps tariffs. Protected industries are adding jobs, but wages arent living up to expectations. Looking for good news The competing job numbers explain why the debate over Trumps tariffs are full of confusing anecdotes and why most anyone can find good news to support their favorite argument. Americans have heard United Steel Workers thank Trump for helping bring over 1,000 jobs back to Birmingham, Alabama. Theyve also heard General Motors announce that it lost US$1 billion in 2018, partly because tariffs contributed to rising production costs, and that as many as 14,000 jobs are being cut. A fuller picture of how well workers are doing requires looking beyond the jobs numbers at how much money theyre actually taking home and how its affecting their living standards. And none of this says anything about another crucial part of the equation: consumer prices. If the latest data from Goldman Sachs is on the money, things are about to get a whole lot worse for working-class Americans as the price tags attached to products affected by the trade war begin to rocket upward. This is hardly good news for the average household. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/is-trumps-trade-war-saving-american-jobs-or-killing-them-117159. | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Is-Trump-s-trade-war-saving-American-jobs-13848486.php |
Should Zion Williamson engineer an escape from the hapless Pelicans? | New Orleans are primed to select the generational talent with the No1 pick of the NBA draft. Tuesday night was a dream for the New Orleans Pelicans. They won the 2019 NBA draft lottery, and are first in line to select Zion Williamson, the most highly coveted prospect since the Pelicans last held the top overall pick in 2012, when they selected Anthony Davis. The lottery didnt just represent the dawn of a new era. It allows New Orleans to cling to hopes of keeping six-time All-Star Davis, following last years will-they-wont-they trade saga. Davis is heading into the final year of his contract, and adding Williamson may be the teams only path to keeping Davis long term. Thats a lot of pressure to put on an 18-year-old. Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) Zion Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery. Source said the former Duke star was rooting to go to New York, but now is going to New Orleans. It didnt appear to be Williamsons dream night. He left the lottery proceedings immediately after the results were announced, with some reporting he had his heart set on playing in New York. In a basketball world in which we hyper-analyze everything, Williamsons quick exit could be interpreted as disappointment. The Pelicans have been a mess since their inception, when they were called the Hornets. Theyve had ownership issues, have a less than fervent fanbase in a town where the NFL team is a symbol of resurgence post-Hurricane Katrina, and show little signs of long-term vision, despite being gifted a once-in-a-generation talent in Davis. New Orleans have won 50 games just once in franchise history. They maxed out at 48 wins in the Davis era, with a combined record of 251-323 during his seven-year run. The ill-informed wonder how a player as talented as Davis has struggled to drag his team to contender status. Perhaps hes just not as good as everyone says, they say. The opposite is true. Davis is special. Its as if he was constructed in a lab for the modern game. He plays with physicality, grit and guile. He can be a battering ram to the rim, a step-ahead playmaker, or step outside and make shots few other players can even contest his shot; his release point is too high. The fact Davis hasnt been able to drag the Pelicans past the second round of the playoffs is not a knock on his greatness, its indicative of just how poorly the franchise has been run. Team ownership is a huge question mark. The Benson family went through a rift at the end of Tom Bensons life. The former owner of the Saints and Pelicans disinherited his daughter and her children and made his wife Gayle his primary heir. It resulted in a long-running, at times vicious, lawsuit. Gayle Benson still owns the team. And she has already shown a sternness that the nicey-nice franchise so often appeared to lack. Dell Demps, the lousy GM employed since 2010, was ousted in favor of former Cleveland GM David Griffin this offseason. Griffin was a champion in Cleveland working alongside LeBron James. Life is always easier as an NBA decision-maker when the greatest player of his generation is in your starting five. But Griffin did an excellent job in Cleveland holding everything together until the Kyrie Irving saga disintegrated everything they had hoped to build. He has the chops to build a contender. Just the thought of Zion and Davis is enough to send any basketball fan doolally. The possibilities are endless. Both can guard all five positions. Either can be a creator or destroyer. A hypothetical pick-and-roll with Williamson as ball-handler would be pretty close to unstoppable. Apparently not. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported post-lottery that Davis stance on a trade has not changed. Griffin will be preparing for two worlds: one in which he moves Davis now and starts a rebuild around Zion in earnest; another in which he drags the Davis saga towards next years trade deadline, hoping Zions excellence convinces him to stay. But what about a third scenario. Its at least worth considering the possibility. A draft is an act of wage suppression masquerading as an exercise in parity. It exists because the owners cannot control themselves. Put Zion on the open market with the current NBA rules and every owner in the league would chuck a max slot his way before he has played a second of professional hoops (and it would be earned). Open Williamson up to the free market, one without the leagues current salary cap, and its not crazy to think he could be in line for a $50m-a-year payday. Instead, his professional future is decided by a group of ping-pong balls; his salary determined by the rookie wage scale agreed upon by the NBAPA a group made up of veterans already playing in the league who have no incentive to help the young pups get their payday. The one thing Zion does have is leverage: no young star entering the league has had so much since LeBron. Williamsons skill, celebrity, and financial situation (he will sign the largest shoe deal in history in the coming months) mean he can go toe-to-toe with any franchise, particularly the Pelicans, who are notoriously cheap. There are precedents in the NFL. Eli Manning forced through a draft day trade to the New York Giants after the San Diego Chargers selected him first overall in 2004. John Elway famously ditched the Baltimore Colts for the Denver Broncos after the former selected him with the first pick in the 1983 NFL draft. Elway had leverage: he threatened to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Williamson finds himself in a not too dissimilar spot. The Davis situation is one of the messiest in the league. Other teams in the lottery are dysfunctional (thats why theyre drafting in the lottery), but few are in quite the state of disarray as the Pelicans. Tuesday night was perfect for the Pelicans. They went from planning for a Davis-less future, picturing lean years as they rebuild from the very bottom up. Now, they get to envision a Zion-Davis world and the possibility of championship parades on Bourbon Street. But if Zion opts to flex his considerable muscle, that dream will become a nightmare. At least we know one thing for sure: the NBA didnt rig this one. | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/16/should-zion-williamson-engineer-an-escape-from-the-hapless-pelicans |
Can Game of Thrones' showrunners breathe new life into Star Wars? | The news that Game of Thrones showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff are to pen the next-but-one film in the franchise (following Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker) may have fans of the Starks and Targaryens wondering if Obi-Wan Kenobi is about to be revealed as a dragon whisperer, or Luke Skywalker brought back from the dead by a disciple of Rhllor. The reality is that the most famous tropes of Game of Thrones were present and correct in George RR Martins A Song of Ice and Fire novels long before the show arrived on telly. It seems unlikely they will be carried over into the new Star Wars film, set to be released in 2022, though it would also be foolish to imagine that Weiss and Benioff havent learned a thing or two about the dramatic power of bloodthirsty betrayal. Read more It is easy to see why Lucasfilm has turned to the showrunners, not least because of the obvious parallels between Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Both operate in a universe where magic exists but is rare and all the more fascinating for it. There was never a more powerful moment in Game of Thrones than the first season finale in which Daenerys Targaryen emerged naked from the flames with three baby dragons curled around her, because until that moment audiences werent even sure magic existed in this world. Likewise, the best Star Wars movies are those in which the force is only sparsely apparent: the scene in Empire Strikes Back when Yoda raises the X-Wing from the Dagobah swamps is infinitely more potent than any of those in the prequel trilogy in which every second character appears to have Jedi powers. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Magic touch Emilia Clarke has starred in both franchises. Photograph: Helen Sloan/AP The two sagas have even shared a surprising number of actors. As well as playing the pretender to the Iron Throne, Emilia Clarke, who played the enigmatic Qira, was one of the better things about Solo: A Star Wars Story. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) is almost as well-known for her role as chrome-plated Stormtrooper chief Captain Phasma in the current Star Wars trilogy. Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle) played General Veers in Empire, while Max von Sydow was both Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lor San Tekka and the original Three-Eyed Raven. Keisha Castle-Hughes and Jessica Henwick, who played two of Dornes Sand Snakes, appeared in Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens respectively. Much of this is coincidence yet both sagas rely on diverse casts to convey the sense that their stories take place in a vast and varied universe. Both also rely on unusually proportioned actors for the same reason: Christie and Peter Dinklage in Thrones; Dave Prowse, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker in Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker: why no one ever really dies in Star Wars Read more Reasons to be cheerful then. And yet perhaps we should also be asking quite what Weiss and Benioff have done in the past to show they have the creative clout to take on Star Wars. Aside from Game of Thrones, Benioffs only notable credits in the fantasy and sci-fi arena are for screenwriting efforts on execrable ventures such as Troy and X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Weiss has very little on his CV other than Thrones. Perhaps the pair have a worthy plan to transform Star Wars; they will need one, because the saga cannot continue leeching off George Lucass original trilogy for ever. The Rise of Skywalker may just be the last time we ever hear mention of that name. | https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/16/game-of-thrones-showrunners-star-wars-db-weiss-david-benioff |
What does cancelling Jeremy Kyle mean for ITV's reality shows? | The cancellation of The Jeremy Kyle Show has left ITV in the middle of one of the biggest British broadcasting scandals in recent years, with the company facing a parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of reality TV guests and the risk of the issue damaging next months return of the highly profitable Love Island franchise. It also raises questions about the extent to which a broadcaster can be held responsible for the actions of individuals who voluntarily choose to appear on programmes. ITV insiders and those at other production companies are now pondering whether it is possible to create the drama necessary for compelling reality TV without damaging the individuals who provide the raw material. ITV axes Jeremy Kyle Show after death of participant Read more Reality programmes broadly fall into three categories: heavily produced scripted reality episodic series such as Made In Chelsea, shows such as Love Island where carefully selected fame-seeking contestants subject themselves to sustained scrutiny over a short period, and long-running daytime programmes such as Jeremy Kyle which expose the real-life personal problems of guests. TV producers and analysts agree that shows in the final category, which flourished in the 1990s and 2000s, now pose the biggest risk to broadcasters reputations. Jeremy Kyle is a very different format to many reality formats, said Gill Hind of media analysts Enders Analysis. The people on there have already some difficulties in life which is very different to someone going on Big Brother. The chain of events which led to the shows cancellation began when Steve Dymond recorded his appearance on the programme two weeks ago. The 63-year-old was left distraught after failing a lie detector test over claims he had been unfaithful to his fiancee. Although production staff believed the couple had calmed down by the time they departed in a taxi, they split up and he was found dead days later. Love Island: Matt Hancock says reality shows must support mental health Read more News took time to filter through to ITV headquarters, with his death only confirmed on Sunday afternoon at which point executives decided to suspend production of the programme to protect the show and the staff who work on it. Late on Tuesday night, following growing calls for the show to be cancelled and an intervention from Downing Street, leading ITV staff including chief executive Carolyn McCall, head of television Kevin Lygo and daytime boss Julian Bellamy collectively agreed the show could not be saved. Kyle issued his first comment on the case last night, telling the Sun he and his team were utterly devastated by the recent events, adding: Our thoughts and sympathies are with Steves family at this incredibly sad time. Media regulator Ofcom has demanded an initial report from ITV on the circumstances surrounding Dymonds participation on the cancelled show by next Monday. The Jeremy Kyle Show was in some ways a relic from a previous era of reality TV. Its 9.25am broadcast slot sat uneasily between the chatshows Lorraine and This Morning in the ITV morning lineup, with the Kyles brutal morality judgements providing a stark contrast with two programmes which specialise in soft interviews on a sofa and human interest chat. A former runner on the programme told the Guardian they quit the show after becoming uncomfortable with how it treated guests: People would come in quite excited to be on the show but they were quite vulnerable. They felt this was their only option because they were told that a lie detector test that cost 700 would be free and theyd get food and cigarettes and a free nights hotel. Politicians have linked Dymonds death to the suicides of Sophie Gradon, 32, and Mike Thalassitis, 26, two former contestants on Love Island the annual cash cow which has enabled ITV to boast of its ability to attract hard-to-reach young viewers. But their deaths occurred some time after filming completed, in some cases after they had appeared on other reality programmes or struggled with social media infamy. Once someone leaves Love Island the pressure on them is from other media, said one person with knowledge of the programmes after-care arrangements. With Kyle it is much more about what happens on air. ITV has publicly grappled with the issue of what support it should offer Love Island contestants and is now planning to offer support for more than a year after they appear on the programme. But McCall has previously said there are limits to what a broadcaster can do: We can do everything we possibly can to look after people and to do our duty of care but you cant do that for ever with an individual It cant be indefinite. Around 60 staff worked on Kyles show, which was produced in-house by ITV Studios in Salford. Many were reported to be in tears on Wednesday when it was confirmed that the programme was being canned. ITV is now seeking to redeploy team members some of whom also work on the fake court show Judge Rinder to other programmes in order to secure their jobs. The scandal came at a bad time for ITV, whose share price has slid in recent months. Rival TV producers suggest the show made in-house by ITV Studios would have cost around 75,000-100,000 an episode to make, with the company facing a potential hit of more than 10m as a result of winding down production in Salford. Despite its consistent ratings performance, some of ITVs top team have not been enamoured of the show for a while. The mood at ITV was it was time for it to go, said one source. After running for 15 years and producing more than 3,000 episodes, the show has now been wiped from the internet. Its YouTube archive featuring more than 10,000 clips has been deleted, while its Facebook page with over 1.3m followers has vanished, along with its Twitter account. Yet Kyle himself is still set to work at ITV, unless anything is unearthed during the ongoing review ITV is conducting into the episode. His current affairs show The Kyle Files is still available on ITVs catch-up service ITV Hub. Kyle may also stand in again for Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, as he has done so before. Some sources suggest he is considering moving into politics a transition made by another former ITV daytime host, Robert Kilroy-Silk. | https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/15/what-does-cancelling-jeremy-kyle-mean-for-itvs-reality-shows |
Why is all offender supervision to be renationalised? | The Ministry of Justice has announced the renationalisation of all offender management services in England and Wales almost five years after the then justice secretary, Chris Grayling, rushed through a part privatisation of the sector. The U-turn will be seen as a final, damning indictment on Graylings changes, which have been panned by MPs, inspectors and former probation officers alike. The probation sector manages and supervises around 250,000 offenders in the community. If an offender is on probation, it means they are serving a sentence for a criminal conviction but they are not in prison. This could involve serving a community sentence or being released from prison on licence or on parole. The probation sector oversees a range of services including provision of unpaid work, education or training courses, treatment for addictions and regular meetings with probation officers or offender managers. Under Graylings shake-up, 35 public sector probation trusts were replaced in 2014 by the National Probation Service (NPS), which continued to be held in public ownership, and 21 privately owned community rehabilitation companies (CRCs), which cover different regions. The NPS was to take on responsibility for high-risk offenders, while the CRCs would manage about 150,000 low- to medium-risk offenders. For the first time, this figure would include about 40,000 offenders who served sentences of 12 months or less. Grayling also introduced a payment by results system based on reducing rates of reoffending. Grayling ignored extensive warnings against introducing the changes including from within his own department. On a scale of one to 25, where 25 is the highest likelihood of something happening, an internal assessment gave a maximum score to the probability that there would be a reduction [in] performance under the new system. It stated that this would mean the potential for service delivery failure increased and that there was a very high chance of operational confusion. As a result, offenders would pose a higher risk to the public and there would be poorer outcomes for victims and communities. The report warned that courts would lose confidence in the ability of the service to deliver sentences. The trade union the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) was particularly concerned by the speed at which the changes were to be pushed through and warned that the public would be put at risk. Exactly as predicted. The average number of reoffences per offender increased by 22% between 2011 and March 2017. The number of offenders recalled to prison for breaching their licence conditions went up by 47% from January 2015 to September 2018. The implementation and delivery of probation supervision was rated as inadequate in 80% of the privatised CRCs inspected by HM Inspectorate of Probation. About 38% of magistrates indicated in 2016 that they had less confidence in probation than they had under previous arrangements. Dame Gleyns Stacey, the chief inspector of probation, concluded that the overhaul was irredeemably flawed. The justice committee, chaired by Tory MP Bob Neill, called the changes a mess and warned they may never work. And last week, the public accounts committee concluded that Graylings changes were rushed through at breakneck speed, taking unacceptable risks with taxpayers money. In one of her reports, Stacey revealed that tens of thousands of offenders up to 40% of the total were being supervised by phone calls every six weeks instead of face-to-face meetings. Probation staff in the CRCs have been discovered meeting offenders in public spaces such as cafes, in some cases with the purpose of discussing sensitive and personal issues. The government was forced to bail out the private providers by more 500m. Last year, the justice secretary, David Gauke, announced that eight firms that run the CRCs in England and Wales were to have their contracts terminated in 2020, two years earlier than agreed. That alone will cost the taxpayer 170m, including the waiver of 115m in penalties owed by CRCs for failing to meet targets under Graylings payment by results system, an extra 46m over two years to shore up the through the gate services provided to prisoners on release and a further 9m to correct underpayments. The government previous had to hand over an extra 342m to the CRCs, bringing the total additional cost to the taxpayer to more than 500m. In July, the government put a new plan out to consultation, which would have seen new CRCs formed and contracts put out to tender once again. After a consultation, which concluded in September 2018, Gauke has decided that all 250,000 offenders in probation will be managed by the (NPS), renationalising the core services provided by the sector. These changes should be introduced by spring 2021. | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/16/why-is-all-offender-supervision-to-be-renationalised-probabtion |
Has the rise of the Brexit party blown away Ukip? | Sitting in his glass-walled managing directors office in east London, Lance Forman contemplates the logistics of potentially taking not only a second job, but a second job which is based in two separate overseas cities. From what I understand, the amount of time one needs to spend in Brussels or Strasbourg is actually not that onerous, he says, hopefully. And Ive learned how to delegate. A matter of weeks ago the Brexit party barely existed, and Forman was still a Conservative supporter. Now it is leading the polls for next weeks European elections, and as second on the party list for London, he seems likely to become an MEP, even if only briefly. This dizzyingly fast pace is symptomatic of elections the government did not want to happen, and which are expected to deliver the Conservatives a solid kicking while propelling the Brexit party and its leader, Nigel Farage, into the political mainstream. The corollary to this can be witnessed 60 miles east in Thanet, the longtime stronghold of Farages former party, Ukip. Here, three weeks after Ukip was wiped off the electoral map locally, the same seems likely to happen in the European parliament. Stuart Piper was among 33 Ukip councillors elected in Thanet in 2015. He was returned this month, but as a Thanet Independent, a rump group of ex-Ukippers. Ukip itself fielded two candidates and received 1% of the total vote. Theyve not only completely disappeared from the council, they seem to have almost disappeared altogether, Piper said. We didnt see anybody from Ukip campaigning for the local elections. We havent seen anybody campaigning for the European elections. This precipitous decline is mirrored nationwide. While Ukip, under the more notably hard-right leadership of Gerard Batten, was polling up to 11% before Farage formally launched his new party, it is now at around 3%. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Putting up online shit-posters is not good politics. Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin (left) campaigns with former Breitbart journalist Milo Yiannopoulos in Exeter. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images One reason for the switch in fortunes is Farage. He was always Ukips greatest electoral asset, and its decline began the moment he quit as leader after the 2016 EU referendum. Whether you love him or loathe him, Nigel Farage had an enormous personal following down here, Piper says. And it was a personal following hes always been a great speaker, hes always been very charismatic. And thats a very difficult act for anybody to follow. But another factor is how Farage has tweaked his appeal to the British people, exemplified by candidates such as Forman, the wealthy owner and manager of an eponymous family fish business. When Ukip topped the vote in the 2014 European elections the majority of its 33 MEPs were veterans of the tough and often unfashionable world of Eurosceptic politics, and Farage had to agree policy decisions with the partys boisterous national executive. In contrast, Farage has near-total control over his new party, which he says he runs as a business. It has no members, just paying supporters, and he was able to hand-pick the European election candidates from a reportedly long list of volunteers. The slate is certainly eclectic, ranging from former Revolutionary Communist party member Claire Fox to former Conservative Ann Widdecombe and former journalist Annunziata Rees-Mogg. It is dotted with wealthy businesspeople such as Forman and property millionaires Ben Habib and Richard Tice, who chairs the party. The populist message is that these are people who could outwit the EU and deliver Brexit. Part of the offering that we have to you from the Brexit party is weve got men and women whove had successful careers in business, Farage told an event this week in West Yorkshire. Theyd make a damn sight better job getting this country ready for its independence. In discussing Brexit, Forman repeatedly invokes his business experience, insisting that trade deals are not particularly important for global business and that groups like the CBI are making it up when they say a no-deal Brexit would damage the economy. This breezy optimism could arguably be an asset in an election for a party are fighting on just one policy stance pushing for a no-deal Brexit. It does, however, bring pitfalls on more complex issues. Forman initially describes the idea of the Irish border being problematic in a no-deal Brexit as a complete hoax, and seems slightly hazy as how it could be resolved. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brexit party leader Nigel Farage (left) and MEP candidate for Wales Nathan Gill visit a vape shop in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images I just think that sometimes you need to move forward, he says eventually. People shouldnt fear change. Change brings opportunity. Its how it handled. Forman is, however, under no illusions about the emotions involved in the election. Last week a 10-metre (30ft) swastika was painted on the outside wall of the companys headquarters. Forman says he believes the perpetrator was motivated by his support for Brexit, rather than the fact he is Jewish. Once you put your head above the parapet, people start attacking you, he says. Its really not pleasant, and politics has got quite nasty. Forman is, however, otherwise enjoying his sudden change of career, describing a hustings event in the largely remain-supporting London suburb of Chiswick as great fun if very boisterous. The same can probably not be said for many people in Ukip, which did not provide a candidate for the Guardian to speak to. The party is due to hold yet another leadership election next month, which could become a fight between Battens hard-right, anti-Islam vision for the party and a more libertarian approach. Brexit party will unveil full policies after EU elections, says Farage Read more One senior Ukip figure said they feared the party might not win a single European seat: Theyre all gone. We could maybe get one but thats being really, really optimistic. It could be really, really bad end of the party stuff. The figure, speaking anonymously, criticised Battens decision to put up candidates such as the YouTube controversialist Carl Benjamin, who is under police investigation for comments speculating whether he would rape the Labour MP Jess Phillips. Put it this way, I know Ukip people in the south-west, where Benjamin is standing, who are voting for the Brexit party so they dont have to vote for him. Putting up online shit-posters is not good politics. And Gerard just thinks the polls are wrong and were going to do well. Its proper bunker mentality. Brexit party in brief Slogan Lets change politics for good Campaign issues Leaving the EU Candidates 69, fielded people in all regions except for Northern Ireland. Current representation Officially none the European parliament website lists the (many) MPs who have left Ukip since being elected as having no party group. More than a dozen have pledged allegiance to the party, but of these Farage is one of two standing again. Notable candidates Annunziata Rees-Mogg: journalist, former Conservative general election candidate, sister of a certain Jacob. Ann Widdecombe: former Tory prisons minister, subsequent veteran of TV reality shows and several pantomimes. Claire Fox: ex-Revolutionary Communist party member who still declines to disown her belief that the IRA was justified in attacking civilians. Martin Daubney: journalist best known for editing lads magazine Loaded. They say Farage says the new party is very much his operation: Were running a company, not a political party. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/15/farage-rise-of-brexit-party-ukip-european-election-polls |
What has happened to energy since privatisation? | Image copyright Getty Images British Gas was privatised in 1986 under Margaret Thatcher's government, while the first parts of the electricity sector were privatised in late 1990, when the 12 regional electricity companies in England and Wales were sold. Later, the Scottish industry was sold, as were the generating businesses National Power and Powergen and also the National Grid. The National Grid's main business is moving electricity and gas around the country. This is known as transmission. The very last leg of the journey into people's homes and businesses - known as distribution - is done by a number of different companies. It has been Labour Party policy since the 2017 election to take the transmission and distribution companies back into public ownership. The party would then encourage the establishment of locally owned energy supply businesses to compete with the private sector suppliers, including the Big Six suppliers: British Gas, EDF, E.on, npower, Scottish Power and SSE. This is what has been happening to energy bills. The figures go back to 1996 only - although the House of Commons Library says gas prices fell in the early 1990s, but not in 1995, after VAT was charged on domestic energy bills, while electricity prices changed little. Average annual domestic energy bills Great Britain - real terms - 2010 prices Since 1996, the electricity bill in this example - provided by the government - has gone up by about one-third in real terms, while the gas bill has gone up by just over a half. Much of the increase since 1996 seems to have come in the 2000s. The energy regulator, Ofgem, says that retail gas prices have been fairly stable since 2010, after adjusting for inflation, while retail electricity prices steadily increased in real terms between 2010 and 2017. It also said that there had been a noticeable decline in energy consumption, which would be expected to reduce bills as households use less energy. This is the breakdown of where the money in an average dual-fuel bill is going. The biggest part of the bill - 36% last year - goes on wholesale costs, which is what the energy suppliers are paying for the fuel themselves. Costs going into average dual fuel bill Percentage of bill Next up, at 26%, is the amount they spend on getting the energy around the country to people's homes - and it's that part that Labour wants to nationalise. The National Grid says that only about three percentage points of that is down to its transmission costs, with the rest going to the companies that distribute the energy. Towards the bottom of the ledger is the average amount that goes towards the supplier's profits, which is 4% of the average bill. Average profit margins of big energy suppliers For joint supply of gas and electricity Shadow energy secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey says: "Companies have been able to post huge profit margins." Ofgem says that the current rate of 4% has grown from about 1% in 2009 - but there is considerable variation between suppliers. For example, in 2017 npower reported making a loss of almost 5% on dual-fuel supply, while British Gas made an 8% profit. The Competition and Markets Authority's 2016 report on the sector suggested that a 1.25% margin would provide a "normal" level of profits. And it estimated that customers had been paying 1.4bn a year more than they would in a fully competitive market, saying that was because people who did not switch tariffs were losing out. Ofgem says that 61% of customers have switched supplier only once or never, while 19% of consumers had switched supplier between July 2017 and June 2018. The government criticised Labour's plans for leaving politicians in charge of keeping the lights on, and added: "Through measures like our energy price cap, the Conservative government will continue to protect people from unfair bill rises, while increasing renewable electricity to a record high." EU average domestic electricity prices Euros per kWh for first half of 2018 Despite the lack of switching and the weakness of the pound, the UK's electricity prices are below the average level across the EU, as this chart from Eurostat shows. The UK is half way down the list for domestic gas prices, paying 0.05 euros (4.4p) per kWh, compared with an EU average of 0.06 euros. Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48284802 |
What's the secret of life satisfaction? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The young have higher life satisfaction than those in their 40s What you spend rather than what you earn helps to determine how satisfied you are with life, a new study says. Research from the Office for National Statistics found spending on hotels, restaurants and household furnishings was associated with life satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, spending on insurance and mobile phones was not. But the ONS said that overall spending and income mattered less than personal circumstances when measuring life satisfaction. Good health, marital status and economic activity had the strongest associations with how positively life satisfaction is rated. Its analysis found that age also mattered: the young have higher life satisfaction than those in their 40s but life satisfaction rises again in later years, before falling again for those in their 80s. Higher income boost Living circumstances were also important. Those who own their homes or have mortgages rate their life satisfaction more highly than those in private and social rented housing. Households with dependent children were also more likely to be satisfied than those without, the ONS found. But while spending is more important than income, households with an income of between 24,000 and 44,000 would feel more satisfied if their income increased, the ONS found. The ONS, which is looking beyond the official GDP gauge to try to form a broader picture of the economy, said: "There is no evidence of a statistically significant association between household disposable income and life satisfaction overall after accounting for other characteristics [such as age, marriage and employment status]". "You are more likely to report higher life satisfaction if you have higher household spending and spending appears to matter more than household income to people's life satisfaction," the ONS said. Health matters Being retired, among other factors, also had a positive impact on life satisfaction. Whereas being unemployed or economically inactive due to sickness or disability had a significant negative impact, the ONS said. Health had a larger effect on reported life satisfaction than any other other characteristic or circumstance in the analysis. The odds of reporting higher life satisfaction are three times greater for someone reporting very good health than for someone reporting fair health, the ONS said. The odds of reporting higher life satisfaction are 5.7 times lower for someone reporting very bad health than for someone reporting fair health. Health was also important the last time the ONS looked at this subject in 2013. The impact of someone's marital status also appears to matter more for people's life satisfaction than it did six years ago. The ONS' findings are based on two separate surveys; its annual population survey and a separate survey on the effects of taxes and benefits. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48279876 |
Did an explorer find a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench ? | An American explorer thinks he spotted man-made waste lying at the bottom of the worlds deepest ocean floor, but we may never know for sure what the object but since he was unable to retrieve it, we can never know what it was. Several media outlets, including National Geographic and the BBC, reported that American explorer Victor Vescovo spotted a plastic bag and candy wrappers during a record-breaking submarine dive into the Mariana Trench, hailed as the worlds deepest oceanic pocket. However, Stephanie Fitzeherbert, a spokeswoman for Vescovos team, says that information cant be confirmed. No candy wrappers, she wrote in an email to the National Post. She did confirm, however, that whatever Vescovo found at the bottom of the ocean floor is, something that resembled man-made waste but could not say whether it was a plastic bag. Vescovo, a former navy officer, spotted the man-made waste after descending 10,927 metres into the deep oceanic pocket, according a press statement released on Monday. While the statement included details of the voyage, which included four dives into the deep-sea trench over the course of three weeks, beginning in April, it did not make any mention of the waste discovered on the floor. Video clips by Atlantic Productions of Vescovo landing on ocean soil do point out an unidentified object in an otherwise barren-looking floor. The object is small and triangular in shape and appears to share the same colour as the ground. The waste was never retrieved so its hard to ever know whether it was indeed a plastic bag, but the discovery may still indicate that all is not well at the bottom of the worlds oceans. Researchers who in 2018 combed through a database of photos and videos from previous dives found evidence of the worlds deepest-known waste a plastic bag in the Mariana Trench, according to findings released the same year. Of all the debris found in the database, plastic was found as the most prevalent type of rubbish. A study released in February 2019 tested amphipods from six deep-sea trenches and all were found to have been ingesting microplastics. Vescovos team discovered a variety of new species on their underwater adventures and collected samples. According to CNN, the team plans to test these samples to check how much plastic underwater species may be ingesting. Vescovos dive was the first out of four dives carried out in the deep-sea pocket, known as Challenger Deep, over three weeks, starting in late April. Previously, the deepest dive measured over 10,912 metres and was carried out by U.S. navy lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard in 1960. Movie director James Cameron attempted a solo plunge in 2012 after creating his own submarine, known as Deepsea Challenger, and reached a depth of 10,908 metres. Vescovos expedition into the Mariana Trench also marks his fourth ocean bottom visit, with a fifth to come he will next explore the Molly Deep in the Arctic Ocean, the shallowest of the five at a mere 5,669 metres. We feel like we have just created, validated and opened a powerful door to discover and visit any place, any time, in the ocean which is 90 per cent unexplored, said Vescovo. | https://nationalpost.com/news/media-reports-of-a-plastic-bag-and-candy-wrappers-lying-on-the-worlds-deepest-ocean-floor-may-not-be-true |
When is the 'OK' gesture not OK? | Image copyright Ruuben Kaalep Image caption Marine Le Pen said she had not idea this sign was not OK France's Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Rally, is the latest politician to find themselves in hot water for signalling that everything is OK. While visiting Estonia's far-right EKRE party, which has just entered government, she made the ancient hand gesture in a selfie with the party's youth leader, Ruuben Kaalep. There is just one problem - the symbol has been widely used by white nationalists in recent years, and for many people has taken on a darker meaning. "I'd never heard of the second meaning of this trivial gesture," Marine Le Pen said. But she has still come in for criticism, with some asking how the political leader could be ignorant of a major trend among the far-right scene she operates in. From the ultra-right to American conservatives and even the suspect in a mass murder, the symbol is being used to "troll the media" and ruffle feathers. Internet trolls turned trendsetters The entire saga started out as an online joke - taking an innocent and widely-used gesture and pretending there was a sinister hidden meaning behind it, hoping to trick the media and left-leaning people into outrage. But the joke was so successful, and the gesture so widespread among the far-right and white nationalists, that many believe the OK sign is changing meaning. It was even used in court by the suspect in the Christchurch killings, after he killed 50 people after opening fire on two mosques - bringing it to international attention as a genuine white power symbol. Image copyright EPA Image caption The accused in the Christchurch killings during his brief public moment It all began in 2017 on the infamous internet message boards 4Chan. Through its long and controversial lifespan, the site has been the source of many internet memes and jokes but also has a strong right-leaning political audience. The hoax planned on 4Chan was simple - to ridicule media by convincing reporters of a fake white power symbol. The preposterous reasoning to be given was that in a hand making the OK sign, the three straight fingers make a "W" shape, while the closed thumb and forefinger symbolise the letter "P". It was wildly successful, and the popularity of the gesture used to mock left-leaning people or "troll" viewers exploded. In the two years since, however, its constant use by right-wing or extremist individuals has turned the hidden meaning into a genuine connotation. As the US Anti-Defamation League (ADL) puts it: "By 2019, at least some white supremacists seem to have abandoned the ironic or satiric intent behind the original trolling campaign and used the symbol as a sincere expression of white supremacy." Many now consider the sign to be a white nationalist "dog whistle" - a sign only intended to be understood by those in the know. Which makes its use in the current political climate a bit complicated. False accusations Around most of the world, the OK sign still means what it always has - that everything is fine. In some countries, however, the gesture is considered vulgar. It can also have other meanings - among young men, it is frequently used in the "circle game", where making the sign below the waist and getting a friend to look at it entitles the prankster to thump said friend on the arm. Before the hoax tried to invent an alternative meaning, supporters of US President Donald Trump had frequently been photographed using the OK sign - a gesture in selfies which spread among the group. "In the end, it can mean almost anything," as the US-based Southern Poverty Law Centre says in its explanation of the topic. The ADL, too, warns against jumping to conclusions about the meaning, saying the "overwhelming usage" is still the traditional sense. "Someone who uses the symbol cannot be assumed to be using the symbol in either a trolling or, especially, white supremacist context unless other contextual evidence exists to support the contention," the organisation says in its educational material. "Since 2017, many people have been falsely accused of being racist or white supremacist for using the "okay" gesture in its traditional and innocuous sense." Image copyright Reuters Image caption Martin (L) and Mart Helme make the OK sign during their swearing-in Context, then, is key: which is why Estonia's EKRE, who Marine Le Pen was visiting in May, have come under fire. The group's two most prominent leaders, father and son Mart and Martin Helme, both made the symbol while being sworn into office as they entered government. Mr Helme the senior has suggested that indigenous, white Estonians are being "replaced" by immigrants, while his son has previously said "I want Estonia to be a white country". But it has also spread far outside politics. A Chicago baseball team banned one fan from the stadium for making the sign on a television broadcast, while a US Coast Guard employee was pulled from duty for the same offence. What began as an online joke has transformed into a loaded gesture with very real consequences. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48293817 |
Who's the monster at the end of Omar's book? | Theres a monster at the end of this book. Grover from Sesame Street begs the children to stop turning pages, because every page is one page closer to the scary unknown. This isnt supposed to be a scary story. Not for most of us. This is a story about a nice dinner party U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar threw for her constituents on the eighth night of Ramadan. This time of year in Minnesota, dawn breaks around 4 a.m. and the sun sets after 8:30 p.m. In the long hours in between, the Muslim faithful will fast. No food. No drink. Workers go to work hungry, students still go to school, thirsty athletes still work out, and members of Congress still make speeches. Then, as the sun starts to set, community members come together to celebrate and break their fast with an iftar, the sunset meal. President Donald Trump hosted the annual White House iftar on Monday. Gov. Tim Walz opened the governors residence for an iftar dinner last week. Safiya Mohamed and her daughter Sumaya, 9, posed for a photo with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar while waiting for iftar to commence. On Monday, men, women and children crowded into a downtown Minneapolis hotel ballroom, laughing, chatting and posing for selfies with their congresswoman as the sun inched toward the horizon. Omars re-election campaign, which raised $830,000 in her first three months in office, footed the bill. Makram El-Amin, imam of Masjid An-Nur in north Minneapolis, smiled as he looked around the room. This is a month of renewal, really, he said. Its a month of reconciliation and peace, of trying to really get ourselves spiritually re-centered with God, and with each other. Ramadan is less about what you sacrifice than what you gain. Its a time to be kind, to be charitable, to make peace, to keep the faith even in hard times. We know we are experiencing really hard times right now, said Asma Mohammed, advocacy director of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment, and one of several speakers at the event. Minnesota Muslims have cleaned up the debris from a pipe bomb tossed through the window of a local mosque. Theyve watched a new congresswoman the first to enter the House chambers in a hijab face death threats and presidential Twitter blasts. They remember the woman in the Coon Rapids Applebees who smashed a beer mug into a Muslim immigrants face while screaming Speak English. On Monday, they watched social media tear into another Muslim congresswoman. Online and off, critics ripped and rearranged Rep. Rashida Tlaibs words like a ransom note until her story about Palestinians helping Holocaust survivors turned into a claim that she found memories of the Holocaust calming. We never know whats coming next, Mohammed said. When bad things happen, we say Im not surprised. Ramadan is a time to avoid conflict and quarrels, but anyone who follows Omar on Twitter knows conflict avoidance is not her style. So when she rose to speak, she took the opportunity to drop a few words of her own that can be pulled out of context and rearranged into something scary. Ramadan, she said, can be a struggle. A struggle to talk when your mouth is too dry to swallow, a struggle to move when your limbs feel impossibly weak from hunger. That word, struggle, for a lot of Muslims has a heavier meaning, she said. You will hear extremists, terrorists, Islamophobes talk about the word jihad. For many of us, the word jihad simply means to struggle The struggle to better ourselves, the struggle to better our communities, the struggle to be righteous. This month of Ramadan provides sort of a boot camp to the betterment of our community, Omar continued as if seeing the words Ilhan Omar jihad terrorist and boot camp in proximity wasnt going to send some of her critics straight into the stratosphere. This was either a straightforward Arabic language lesson, or our congresswoman is trolling Islamophobes for fun and fundraising. This concludes our story. I hope weve all learned a little something about Ramadan, our neighbors, and the joys, rewards and hardships of this holy month. But if all you remember from this story is that Ilhan Omar said jihad, the monster at the end of this book might be you. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar grabbed a date off a plate offered by her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, as iftar commenced. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @stribrooks | http://www.startribune.com/jennifer-brooks-who-s-the-monster-at-the-end-of-omar-s-book/509934022/ |
How will Twins use Miguel Sano now that he's back? | A statistic that is probably more circumstantial than telling nonetheless came to mind Wednesday with the news that the Twins put Mitch Garver on the injured list and recalled Miguel Sano. Counting the Twins 26-15 start without Sano this season, they are since the start of 2015: 161-147 when Sano does not play (14 games over .500). 170-211 when Sano plays (41 games under .500). This is probably a case more of correlation than causation, since Sano has been productive during a decent amount of that time. But particularly in 2018, when the Twins went 28-43 when an often-struggling Sano was in the lineup but went 50-41 when he wasnt in the lineup, there is maybe some causation. All of this leads to some interesting questions. While a healthy and productive Sano will help any team, the Twins have a really good thing going right now. Its natural for fans (and players and manager Rocco Baldelli) to wonder how to mix Sano back into both the clubhouse and the lineup. That would have been easier when Gonzalez was struggling, but he has a .372 batting average and 1.018 OPS in his last 12 games. He could, but that weakens the outfield defense and takes Byron Buxton, Max Kepler or Eddie Rosario off the field. Theyd have to bump C.J. Cron, who has nine home runs and has been steady with his glove (Wednesdays gaffe notwithstanding). Nelson Cruz should be back from his sore wrist soon, and he should get virtually all those at-bats. The answer is probably a mix-and-match approach, and all this certainly falls under the heading of good problem to have. But I dont think the answer is that Sano plays every day or even almost every day initially. Well have to see. | http://www.startribune.com/how-will-twins-use-miguel-sano-now-that-hes-back/509969392/ |
Did the much-hyped atmospheric river perform as it was forecasted? | 1 / 29 Back to Gallery A much-hyped atmospheric river swept the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday, and meteorologists say it generally performed as it was forecasted. The system delivered the first sprinkles before sunrise and gradually intensified into the afternoon and evening with periods of heavy rain. NWS forecaster Drew Peterson says the main takeaway is the "storm over-performed in the North Bay, especially in Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Coast, and underperformed everywhere south of the Golden Gate." The rain gauge in Santa Rosa measured 2.17 inches as of 5 a.m. Thursday, almost doubling its May average of 1.28 inches. The unincorporated town of Venado in the mountains of Sonoma County 10 miles west of Healdsburg, recorded an impressive 5 inches. For same-day rainfall, Peterson says that breaks any record in May going back to 1949 by more than an inch. With any storm, Venado often records the highest rainfall. "It's up in the hills, so it benefits a lot from that upslope rain," explains Anna Schneider, a meteorologist with the Bay Area National Weather Service. "You get the lifting on the mountains and that squeezes rains from the clouds and produces more rain." By the time the system reached the central Bay Area, a lot of the moisture had been wrung out. San Francisco measured .67 inches as of 5 a.m., getting close to its .70 inch May rainfall average. "There is still more rain to come today and tomorrow and more rain coming on Saturday," says Peterson. "We're probably going to surpass the monthly rainfall pretty quick." Yesterday's storm activity was impressive compared to anything the city saw in May of last year. As of May 16, 2018, S.F. had measured no rain since May, and by the end of the month the total was at a mere .13 inches. ALSO: San Francisco has seen nearly twice as much precipitation as Seattle this year Meteorologists say the atmospheric river event opened the door for continuing unsettled weather into early next week. A second round of showers is in the forecast for Thursday afternoon and evening, though the rain isn't expected to be as heavy as on Wednesday. Friday should be mostly dry, and then a second soaker is forecast to skirt across the Bay Area on Saturday afternoon. The wettest period is bound to be Saturday night and showers could linger into Sunday morning, bringing a 50 percent chance of rain during the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco. Another break in the action is likely early Monday, according to the National Weather Service, before a third storm drapes the Bay Area, delivering another dose of rainfall. Since this system is nearly a week out, details aren't yet reliable and the timing may change in coming days. "That's where the crystal ball gets fuzzy," said Jan Null, a consulting meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services. "I'm not thinking much about that one at this point. Historically, weather models are less accurate at this time of the year than they are in the middle of winter." | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/atmospheric-river-May-spring-weather-California-13850238.php |
Could facial recognition cut crime? | Video The Metropolitan Police have been trialling the use of facial recognition in different parts of London, using cameras to scan passers-by to find matches on watch lists. South Wales Police have used similar technology in more than a dozen trials. Some privacy campaigners say there is no UK legislation regarding facial recognition and it is being used without regulation. The Home Office has previously said facial recognition can be an "invaluable tool" in fighting crime. The Metropolitan Police have now concluded the trial and are awaiting the results of an independent evaluation. BBC Click finds out more. Police 'miss' chances to improve face tech See more at Click's website and @BBCClick. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-48228677/could-facial-recognition-cut-crime |
Could online takeout help prove home ownership? | TBILISI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Facebook photos and food delivery data could replace expensive surveys and wills in helping billions of people worldwide prove they own their home, researchers said on Wednesday. Globally, an estimated 5 billion people lack the proof of ownership needed to access services, get loans, pass on property or reclaim it after being forced out by war or natural disaster. Yet, from social media to ride-hailing services, many tech firms have an accurate idea of their users main address, based on where they tag photos or regularly get deliveries, according to analysts at New America, a U.S.-based think tank. With the proliferation of sensors and data, we are starting to leave data trails, said Yuliya Panfil, director of New Americas property rights program. Government agencies normally only accept documents such as survey plans or notarized wills as proof of ownership but these are often expensive or hard to get, the group said in a report. But letting people present certified data records downloaded from tech firms - for example Google Maps GPS history of where a user sleeps - could provide a valid alternative, it said. None of these pieces of evidence on their own is very convincing, but the ability to collect them together ... is what makes this tapestry of evidence more convincing, said Panfil. Such a system could be particularly useful in rapidly growing cities and middle-income countries like Colombia or Georgia, where more people have access to smartphones, she said. Researchers at McGill University in Canada have been testing a similar approach, using social media postings - as well as anecdotal evidence - to help people who flee conflict areas reclaim their property post-war. You can get around the fact that a title or a deed in many cases was never held by a person that fled, and when it was, often they didnt take it with them, said Jon Unruh, an associate professor at the universitys department of geography. Unruhs team has been conducting research in South Sudan, northern Iraq and Syria, and is aiming to create a platform for refugees to upload evidence of property claims, he said. Yet, a major challenge would be distinguishing occupation from ownership, as long-term renters or squatters could potentially amass enough evidence to make an ownership claim, according to New America. This is a question administrative agencies will have to grapple with, the group wrote in the report. | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-property-rights/could-online-takeout-help-prove-home-ownership-idUSKCN1SL2ED |
What is Huawei and why are people talking about it? | Here are some of the big questions answered. Huawei is a massive technology company founded in China back in 1987. It's pronounced "wah-way" according to the company themselves. They make smart phones and tablets, provide 4G and 5G internet access and make wireless broadband routers - you may have one in your home. It is the largest telecommunications company in the world and they sell more mobile phones across the world than Apple, who make the iPhone. Some countries are worried the Chinese government is using Huawei mobile phones and other technology to spy on people and other country's governments. Because of this, Australia and New Zealand have both blocked the use of Huawei tech in their 5G mobile networks. However, Huawei say they are an independent company with no links to the Chinese government. However, there have been warnings in the United States since 2012 that the company pose a security threat. In April, there were reports that the British government plans to allow Huawei to build the UK's 5G network, despite these concerns. Getty Images Top secret information about discussions around this issue appeared in the newspapers and it caused a big row. Member of Parliament Gavin Williamson, who was the UK's defence secretary, was sacked after claims it was him who leaked it - but he strongly denied it was him. No decision has been confirmed on what role, if any, Huawei will have in the UK. The tech firm have already said they are in no way connected to the Chinese government, and therefore are not sharing information about other nations. They have said they are "willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments" including the UK. Getty Images President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to protect US computer networks from "foreign adversaries". He signed an executive order which effectively bars US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose national security risks. The move does not name any company, but many experts claim it is aimed at Huawei. The company have responded to Trump's executive order, saying they are "ready and willing to engage with the US government and come up with effective measures to ensure product security." They also argue that blocking Huawei from doing business in the US would not make the country safe from cyber threats and would also leave the country lagging behind on 5G coverage. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48295029 |
Did Trumps big talk, action on DACA affect the health of DACA beneficiaries? | Barack Obamas decision to launch the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012 changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. Many immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children were able to get jobs and buy houses. Many got health insurance for the first time thanks to the program that granted them renewable two-year work permits and reprieve from deportation. It also led to the current predicament almost 700,000 DACA recipients are facing: what one president can do, another can simply undo. Donald Trumps administration ordered the program to close September 2017, and though federal judges halted the move, the program's future remains up in the air. But a team of researchers in California found that the uncertainty about DACAs future began well before Trumps move to end the program and that such concerns may be harming the health of the DACA beneficiaries and their U.S.-citizen children. Caitlin Patler, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California Davis, said that DACAs creation in June 2012 may have allowed recipients to ease up on their fears of deportation and focus on their work and futures. | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/immigration/2019/05/16/trumps-big-talk-action-daca-affect-health-daca-beneficiaries |
What makes dark chocolate smell so intoxicating? | The next time you unwrap a bar of dark chocolate, take a big sniff before you pop a square in your mouth. Like other fermented products such as cheese, coffee and wine, chocolate has a complex aroma; it contains a multitude of compounds that combines to produce the taste and scent we identify as chocolate. Now, in a paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers have identified both the number of molecules and the proportions needed to yield dark chocolates enticing aroma. According to the American Chemical Society, although as many as 600 compounds have previously been discovered in chocolate, the researchers found that roughly 30 contribute to the aroma. Alone, the molecules smell goat-like (4-ethyloctanoic acid), sweaty (methylpropanoic acid) or vinegar-like (acetic acid) but together, in the right concentrations, they produce the rich, nutty, earthy, fruity and floral aromas we expect from high-quality dark chocolate. In their analysis of two store-bought chocolate bars (90 to 99 per cent cacao), authors Carolin Seyfried of the Technical University of Munich and Michael Granvogl of the University of Hohenheim in Germany successfully isolated the aroma compounds, determined their amounts and then recreated the scent from scratch. According to a trained sensory panel, the reconstructed aromas smelled very similar to the original bars. | https://nationalpost.com/life/food/what-makes-dark-chocolate-smell-so-intoxicating |
Are Joanna Cherry's claims of SNP 'infighting' true? | Image copyright PA An SNP MP has hit out at party "infighting" after claims of "back-stabbing" and "politically motivated smears". The current row stems from complaints from a number of former members of Ms Cherry's staff. One former caseworker wrote in the Sunday Herald about complaints of bullying against the Edinburgh South West MP and her office manager. Another former employee said that "almost all her staff" had written letters of complaint to Commons authorities over their treatment. Ms Cherry rejects these accusations, describing them as "lies" and "spurious", saying that "I am not and never have been a bully". On the one hand, this could be seen as a matter of office dispute resolution. But on the other, it's politics. Ms Cherry has certainly chosen to cast it that way, talking about "politically motivated smears", which she says "arise from SNP infighting". She has retweeted and "liked" messages from supporters online which use a hashtag reading "I stand with Joanna". And then on Wednesday, she tweeted that "at least the Conservatives do their back-stabbing in public". Equal rights Image copyright Hannah Bardell / Twitter Image caption Trans activists and campaigners from within the SNP joined together with MPs and MSPs at party conference There is a simmering row within the SNP about trans rights and gender identity. In fairness, this isn't just an issue for one political party - it's something that affects the whole of society. But it currently seems to be gripping the SNP more than others, possibly by dint of the party's position in government in Scotland. The Scottish government is planning reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to allow people to "self-declare" their legally recognised gender. Some ministers see the current system - which requires transgender people to produce medical reports and satisfy a panel that they have gender dysphoria - as intrusive and outdated. But others are urging caution. A group of 15 SNP parliamentarians - including several junior ministers, and MPs including Ms Cherry - signed a joint letter urging the government not to "rush" into "changing the definition of male and female". They are concerned about the potential implications for women - in contrast with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has declared that transgender rights are "not a threat to me as a woman". This is an intensely divisive issue. For example, look at the Dundee councillor who quit the SNP complaining of "institutional transphobia" - who was also suspended from the council for two months over "offensive" and "abusive" tweets on the topic. Ms Cherry has not been right at the forefront of the debate - certainly not to the extent of, say, MSP Joan McAlpine - tweeting at one point that "where there are competing interests there must be civilised and open debate". But by signing the GRA letter she was seen to have picked a side, and she also got into a row with activists over claims she "misgendered" someone on Twitter. It was the MP's complaints of being abused on social media which led to the Sunday Herald article, with the employee involved saying that they "couldn't stay silent anymore" when they saw the "hypocritical" posts. The road to independence Image copyright PA It won't be a surprise to anyone that SNP activists enjoy debating independence. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her team have a plan: they want to have a new referendum before the end of the current Holyrood term, subject to an agreement with the UK government. They have drawn up an economic blueprint, the "growth commission", and set up a new campaigning strategy complete with social media hashtag. The leadership's approach is, broadly, accepted - but it is not the only one within the party. Some members want to go faster. Some MPs and party executive members, straining at the leash, have called for a new referendum within the year. There are also divisions over the economic plan, which were underlined at the most recent SNP conference when Ms Sturgeon was defeated over an amendment to currency proposals. It was a minor rebuke, but a rebuke nonetheless. Ms Cherry is among those who have suggested alternative approaches. At another party conference, in October 2018, she suggested that "it doesn't have to necessarily be a referendum" that would trigger independence. She also criticised the "softly softly" approach of the growth commission. In calling for "an end to SNP infighting", the MP specifically linked the issue to independence, saying: "The timetable for indyref2 has been announced, our restiveness is at an end, with unity and civility we will win." Leadership ambitions Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ms Cherry was an ally of former SNP leader Alex Salmond The other way the row has been cast is as evidence of Ms Cherry's apparent leadership ambitions. The MP "liked" a post on Twitter by the journalist Kenny Farquharson, where he linked to a piece speculating about Ms Sturgeon's departure from office and Ms Cherry's prospects of succeeding her. For a long time, Ms Sturgeon's position has been unassailable. And to be clear, it is still secure - far more so than that of almost any other political leader in the UK. But the fact is, people are now talking - both behind closed doors and more openly - about life after her leadership. She has been asked about it in the Holyrood chamber and in national TV interviews - making it clear each time that she's not planning on going anywhere. Content is not available As for Ms Cherry, the fact she would rather Scotland were independent aside, her Edinburgh South West seat is being abolished at the next election after a Westminster boundary review. She has been tipped as a potential challenger to Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson in Edinburgh Central, so a move to Holyrood could well be in the offing. She certainly has ambitions, having previously been a candidate to lead the Westminster group. And in each of the potential schisms facing the party, listed above, it seems like Ms Cherry is on the opposite side from Ms Sturgeon. On the urgency of holding indyref2 as quickly as possible. On the currency plan. On trans rights. Perhaps. Maybe it really is just a matter of office politics, rather than national politics. But Ms Cherry is the one fuelling the talk of "back-stabbing" and "infighting", which is why scrutiny like this persists. The whole row has chiefly been interesting because of how unusual it is. The SNP has been an incredibly tight unit in recent years, resisting rebellions even as fractures tear through the other mainstream parties. But like the other mainstream parties, the SNP is a big tent. In particular since its surge in membership after the 2014 referendum, the party includes many passionate people with quite different, strongly-held views, united by the overarching cause of independence. In a big political movement like this, splits are fairly inevitable. The real test is how they are dealt with and managed. Listen to more analysis of the row on the BBC's Podlitical podcast | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48295427 |
Will Washington State's New 'Public Option' Plan Reduce Heath Care Costs? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Rachel La Corte/AP Rachel La Corte/AP Millions of Americans who buy individual health insurance, and don't qualify for a federal subsidy, have been hit with sticker shock in recent years. Instability and uncertainty in the individual market driven in part by changes Congress and the Trump administration made to the Affordable Care Act have resulted in double-digit premium increases. Now Washington state has passed a law designed to give consumers another choice: a new, "public option" health insurance plan that, in theory, will be cheaper. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat who's running for president, signed the measure into law on Monday. "Washington state is leading the nation in a brighter way to provide for the health and security of our families," Inslee said at a bill signing ceremony in the state Capitol in Olympia. Talk of a public option has been around since before passage of the Affordable Care Act. Generally, the idea is for the government to create a health insurance program to compete with the private marketplace, one that, unlike Medicaid and Medicare, would be available to all. Washington's embrace of a public option comes as Democratic candidates for president are talking about Medicare-for-all proposals and some states are considering letting people buy in to Medicaid. Washington is thought to be the first state law to authorize the creation of a public insurance plan of this type. "It depends on how you define a public option," says Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Under Washington's approach, called Cascade Care, the state will not get into the insurance business. Instead, Washington is creating more of a hybrid public-private system where the state will contract with private health insurers to administer the plans, but will control the terms to manage costs. In that sense, says Tolbert, what Washington is creating could be called a state-sponsored plan. Still, Tolbert says, it's not yet clear how much of game-changer Washington's new health insurance law will be. "I think we have to wait and see," she says. Washington state, Tolbert notes, has a history of leading the way on healthcare by seeking innovative approaches to expand coverage and ensure affordability. But she also has a reality check for consumers about the new Washington law. "It will likely be a lower-cost option, but [it's] unlikely to be a dramatic savings over what people are paying today, more likely a modest savings," Tolbert says. Even sponsors of the legislation acknowledge the state plans may only save consumers 5-10% on their premiums. Democratic state Rep. Eileen Cody, who sponsored the House version of the public option bill in Washington, says, given the climate of rising costs, it's less about bringing prices down than about holding the line on premium increases. "What we're hoping is the rate that you pay today is what you'll pay when this comes on the market," Cody says. Here's how Washington's new law is intended to work. Starting in 2021, consumers seeking individual coverage will have the option to buy a state-sponsored plan on the Health Benefit Exchange, the state's online insurance marketplace. To keep premium and deductible costs down, the new plans will cap total provider and facility reimbursement rates at 160% of Medicare. That cap is the keystone of the new law. "It's the first time that anybody has put a rate cap on a plan and tried to make sure that those people who are buying insurance don't have to pay so much," says Cody. Another feature of the new law may give consumers some relief from other, out-of-pocket expenses. By 2021, the exchange will create standardized health plans with the goal of lowering deductibles and copays. The creation of the Cascade Care program, at the request of Gov. Inslee, follows years of volatility and steep premium increases in Washington's individual health insurance market. Washington state officials say the individual insurance market has been buffeted by a series of actions by the Trump administration and Congress. These include the end of federal reinsurance and cost-sharing payments, as well as the suspension of penalties for individuals who don't buy coverage. "It's been a triple whammy that's created this bow wave effect in terms of premium increases year-over-year," says Pam MacEwan, CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. This year, the state's insurance commissioner approved an average premium increase of 13.8% for plans sold inside the exchange. In 2018, the average rate increase was 36%, a spike attributed in part to President Trump's decision to stop funding cost-sharing reduction assistance. As premiums have gone up, enrollments have dropped. Between 2018 and 2019, more than 13,000 people left the individual market, according to data provided by Washington's exchange. Today, about 200,000 Washington residents buy their insurance individually. Besides affordability, another challenge has been getting insurance companies to offer a choice of plans in all 39 Washington counties. Currently 14 counties only offer one individual health insurance plan option on the exchange. In previous years, the state has scrambled to find even a single carrier to provide coverage in some rural counties and avoid what are known as "bare counties." The goal of the legislation is to offer public option plans in all 39 counties. But participation by health insurers in Cascade Care will be voluntary and there's no requirement they offer statewide coverage. Democrats, who are the majority in the Washington legislature, embraced the public option this year as a way to increase offerings on the exchange without scaling back required benefits or requiring additional state spending on health care. "This is going to lower premiums, it's going to have better [out-of-pocket costs] and Washingtonians will be much better off for it," said the bill's prime sponsor, Democratic state Sen. David Frockt of Seattle, on the floor of the state Senate last month. Republicans in the state legislature opposed Cascade Care and warned of potential unintended consequences. "We worry that this could distort the market," said state Sen. Steve O'Ban, the ranking Republican on the Senate's Health and Long Term Care Committee. O'Ban raised the specter that doctors might drop Medicaid patients "to make it work financially to participate in this plan with the lower reimbursement rates." Under Cascade Care, the state will not subsidize or help cover the cost of premiums beyond federal subsidies that are already available on the exchange based on income levels. However, the new law requires the exchange to study the feasibility of offering state-level subsidies in the future. "We think initially the consumers that will be most interested in purchasing these plans will be those who don't qualify for subsidies and who are paying the full cost of healthcare out of their pocket," MacEwan said. Washington isn't alone in pursuing a public or state-sponsored health insurance option. Last month, Colorado lawmakers approved legislation directing state agencies to develop a proposal for a public health coverage option. Other states, including Connecticut, are also considering public option legislation. | https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/16/723843559/will-washington-states-new-public-option-plan-reduce-heath-care-costs?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr |
How does Labour plan to pay for its energy nationalisation policy? | The Labour Party has announced plans to take back control of Britains energy network from private shareholders, as part of a sweeping nationalisation policy. We look at how a Labour government plans to pay for the multibillion pound programme. Labour plans to nationalise large parts of Britains privately run infrastructure, including the water and rail industries. The first detailed policy covers the electricity and gas supply industry, which is structured in two layers a National Grid, which is a single entity that is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange, and 14 distribution network operators, or DNOs, which are owned by six large business groups, most of them foreign-owned. Soon after taking office, Labour will pass an act of parliament nationalising the entire energy network industry. Ideas for mutual or cooperative ownership have been rejected in favour of the Treasury stumping up the cash, which could run into the tens of billions of pounds. Labour plans to minimise the cost by taking into account pension fund deficits; asset stripping since privatisation; stranded assets; the state of repair of assets; and state subsidies given to the energy companies since privatisation. In other words, it will say that the lack of investment in the networks, previous subsidies, excessive profit taking and the holes in existing final salary pensions schemes should be deducted from the bill. Critics dismiss Labours argument that its plan mimics Gordon Browns nationalisation of Northern Rock in 2008. They say it was a bust company and effectively worthless. Railtrack is a better example. Even though Tony Blair agreed to pay 2.50 a share for the rail network operator, the government spent years fighting shareholders who wanted 9.15 a share. The same lengthy court battles await a Corbyn-led administration. Once it arrives at a value, Labour plans to compensate the owners of the energy network company by replacing shareholdings with government-backed bonds. In this way, shareholders will become lenders to the electricity industry and instead of receiving a dividend each year, will receive interest on the loan (bonds typically make an annual interest payment to their holders). Labour says it will be able to cope with honouring these debts because it will pay a lower interest rate, because government debt is considered less risk by credit rating agencies, than that paid by a private company owner. Whether the final bill for the energy network is closer to the sums Labour expects to pay or the more generous figures likely to be demanded by the industry, it will be added to the national debt of 1.8tn. Labour says that this extra liability will be more than offset on the Treasurys balance sheet by the purchase of a profitable asset such as National Grid. Surpluses with be used to kickstart a green industrial revolution based on a new network of community-based bodies overseen by a national energy agency. However, those surpluses will have to cover a lot of cost. Upgrading the UKs ageing infrastructure in order to make it ready to distribute power generated by renewables will soak up billions of pounds. In addition, the government will also need to fund extra capital investment in renewable energy such as wind and solar farms. There will also be huge costs setting up an extensive support network Labour envisages for areas as small as a single street to take control of their energy supply. | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/16/how-does-labour-plan-to-pay-for-its-energy-nationalisation-policy |
What was inside the Roebling Bridge safe? | Buy Photo Steve Woods of Acme Lock and Safe unlocks the safe. (Photo: Cara Owsley/The Enquirer) We finally know what's inside the historic Roebling Bridge safe and it's a bit anticlimactic. Earlier this year, a safe believed to be from the 1860 to 1870s was pulled out of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's offices and sent to the Kenton County Public Library. They wanted to figure out a mystery. On Thursday, professional safecrackers from ACME Lock Company unlocked the 150-year-old safe that offices said hadnt been opened in more than 65 years. Earlier this year, a safe that historians believe to be from the 1860s-1870s, was pulled from long term storage at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. (Photo: Provided/ Kenton County Public Library) Inside they found five concrete pavement log books, all empty. And some fabric used to protect items in the safe. It was an anticlimactic end for the historic safe. "We dont get things like this dropped on our doorstop very often," Covington Library Branch Manager Paul Duryea said. "And we usually dont have to have professional movers bring it to us." Nancy Wood, spokeswoman for KYTC, said it's been in their office for as long as she's been there. She said she wanted to know the story behind it and sent it off to the library. Wood said the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel safe debacle got her thinking knowing District 6 had a safe older than the one inside the hotel. Buy Photo Old record books and fabric were found inside the Roebling safe. (Photo: Cara Owsley / The Enquirer) More: Anticlimatic end to Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel safe saga: 'Sorry it's not Jimmy Hoffa' "So we got baby out of the corner," Wood said of the safe. In 1953, the state of Kentucky bought the bridge from the Covington-Cincinnati Bridge Company. The company's name is emblazoned on the side of the safe. Along with the bridge purchase came some property in Covington. That's where the safe was stored until the 1960s. In 1967, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet moved to its offices in Crescent Springs off Buttermilk Pike. The safe came with them. There are books! They are all blank. And some shelf covers. pic.twitter.com/UHOIkXgD1l Sarah Brookbank (@SarahBrookbank) May 16, 2019 According to historians with the Kenton County Public Library, the safe was made by Hall's Safe and Lock Company, which was one of the largest safe manufacturing companies in the world. At its peak there were 600 to 800 employees and the headquarters was located near where Paul Brown Stadium sits now. Buy Photo Old record books and fabric were found inside the Roebling safe. (Photo: Cara Owsley / The Enquirer) Historians with the Kenton County Public Library said the safe was burglar and fireproof and likely would have costed about $1,200 at the time of purchase. Historians said the bridge company used to collect tolls to cross the Roebling Bridge, the safe could have been used to store the tolls. Wood said she hopes this process will "preserve this historic peace for future generations." Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/05/16/what-inside-roebling-bridge-safe/3691874002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/05/16/what-inside-roebling-bridge-safe/3691874002/ |
What's our China endgame? | My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic, Ronald Reagan told his adviser Richard Allen in January 1977, four years before he became president. It is this: We win and they lose. What do you think of that? As the U.S. now girds for a trade war, and perhaps a new cold war, with China, its worth thinking through what our endgame should be now. It cant be Reagans. The Soviet Union and its satellites were an apparatus of state terror, resting on an ideology of class hatred, foisted on nations that wanted no part of either. It was always a house of cards. China is not like that. Its a regime, but its also a nation and a civilization, and the three are tightly woven. It will evolve one way or another, but its unlikely to simply collapse. It cant be Donald Trumps. The president believes that trade wars are good, and easy to win. Well see about that. He has turned a trade dispute into a test of wills, and the willingness of dictatorships to let their people absorb economic blows usually exceeds the ability of democracies to do likewise. Besides, even if Washington and Beijing could settle on new terms of trade (and, more improbably, stick to them) it would do nothing to address the broader strategic rivalry. Finally, the endgame can no longer be what presidents from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama hoped it would: Beijings peaceful rise as an economic power and a responsible stakeholder in international affairs. Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, China has behaved in increasingly nefarious ways. Domestically, it has shifted from one-party to one-man rule and has become a surveillance state that locks up innocent people by the hundreds of thousands in concentration camps. Abroad, it snoops, steals, kidnaps, cheats, pollutes, undermines, corrupts, proliferates and bullies. The goal of Xi Jinping Thought, the partys new official dogma, isnt stakeholdership. Its dominance: Why question the Communist Party, goes its message, when the alternative is chaos and corruption? China also poses an underappreciated danger. By many measures, it has already peaked. Its economy is sliding; its debt is exploding; its population is aging; its workforce is shrinking; and its most successful citizens are leaving. Rising powers can bide their time. Declining ones at least authoritarian ones tend to take their chances. As Chinas economic prospects dim, its taste for foreign adventures will grow. Taiwan should worry and rearm. China cant be defeated. Its dangerous to provoke and too unscrupulous to appease. But it can be countered, undermined and enticed a type of containment with offramps. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, the free-trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration, might have served as a core piece of the strategy by deepening U.S. economic ties across the region. But Trump withdrew from it in his first week of office. Deepening military cooperation with our allies in Asia should serve as another piece of the strategy. But Trump ended large joint exercises with South Korea, has thrown shade on military ties with Japan and has yet to make major arms sales to Taiwan. Denouncing Chinas human-rights abuses and championing civil rights and religious liberty would counter Xis efforts to entrench a cult-of-personality regime. But Trump has been silent on the subject, and his administration shelved sanctions intended to punish Chinese officials for their mass incarceration of Chinese Muslims. Worst, Trump is obsessed by our trade deficit with China, which has led to his tariffs. But tariffs are a tax on U.S. consumers, and the wrong tool to deal with Chinas routine theft of intellectual property. Trump is falling down here, too, by failing to sanction the entities or individuals doing the stealing. The goal of the next administration should be to reverse each of these errors. As for offramps, it would also help if U.S. policymakers resisted the temptation to think of China as our next great enemy. As the Canadian scholar Michael Ignatieff once pointed out (in a different context), theres a difference between adversaries and enemies between those whose designs you want to defeat and those whose very existence you have to destroy. China is now an adversary of the United States. A wise U.S. policy should treat it as one. But it should also do everything possible to keep it from becoming an enemy. Generous accommodations in trade negotiations would help: The last thing the U.S. or the world needs is a wrecked Chinese economy or a humiliated Chinese public. That will be Americas central geopolitical challenge for years to come. | http://www.startribune.com/what-s-our-china-endgame/510015252/ |
Is Darius Garland destined to be drafted by LeBron and the Lakers? | Vanderbilt's Darius Garland is an interesting case in this NBA Draft. Garland only played five games with the Commodores due to injury. He looked explosive during those few games, and his injury isn't known to be a long-time issue. Garland also is signing with LeBron James-owned Klutch Sports for representation. Given all that, Garland is a top-10 lock. Teams looking for a point guard will certainly consider Garland's scoring ability and his penchant playing on the ball. Plus, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Garland left the NBA Draft combine, with rumors floating that he had a draft promise from a team in the lottery. Top prospect Darius Garland has left the NBA Draft Combine, fueling belief among some teams that he could have a promise in lottery, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium. Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 15, 2019 One of those teams might be the Lakers, who, despite using a top five pick on Lonzo Ball in 2017, need a ball-handler not named LeBron. LA earned the fourth overall pick in Tuesday's lottery. The Suns, picking sixth, also need a point guard who can drive the offense while Deandre Ayton works the middle of the floor and Devin Booker scores from the perimeter. Both teams come up often. CLOSE From Brentwood Academy to Vanderbilt, Darius Garland is a Music City basketball star with special skills and a big smile. "Garland is a strong fit alongside Lonzo Ball and LeBron James. The Lakers need more shot creation and shot-making on their roster, and Garland is a good fit here. The fact that he shares the same agent as James probably won't hurt." "The 6-3 point guard is a knock-down outside shooter, which is consistently valuable next to the ball dominance of LeBron James. He would also allow Lonzo Ball to slide into a larger role off the ball, eliminating some of the negative impact of his limited shooting range and highlighting his ability to cut smartly." "Last year's No. 1 overall pick, Deandre Ayton, is on record saying Phoenix needs a point guard. So selecting Garland here would make a lot of sense -- even if he is coming off of season-ending knee surgery, which is less than ideal. Before getting hurt, Garland appeared in five games for Vanderbilt. He averaged 16.2 points while shooting 53.7% from the field and 47.8% from 3-point range. He's great with the ball. He's a tremendous shooter. If he develops into an All-Star, it won't surprise me." "The pre-draft process represents a suitable opportunity for Darius Garland to strengthen his case as the No. 2 point guard in the class. NEWSLETTERS Get the Sports newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Top and trending sports headlines you need to know for your busy day. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters "He'll plug a gaping hole in Phoenix, where the Suns need both point guard play and shooting." "The Suns need a point guard, and even though its not Morant, Darius Garland will be a good fit for this young talented group. Garland only played five collegiate basketball games before suffering a season-ending knee injury but his draft stock hasnt wavered. Garland is a true floor general who is a great passer, super quick in the lane and a solid defender. He might just be the missing piece alongside Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton." "Garland is small but mighty (think Steph Curry size-wise). Scouts have said to me that Garland, a better shooter than Morant, has a really, really good shot at becoming the better NBA point guard between the two of them. He can score from everywhere. "Garland next to Booker is intriguing; both are score-first guards. I don't know if it would work, but I know this much: I'd watch." | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2019/05/16/darius-garland-lakers-nba-mock-draft-2019/3692768002/ |
Who is hoping to be Britain's next prime minister? | MICHAEL GOVE, 51: Gove, one of the highest-profile Brexit campaigners during the 2016 referendum, has had to rebuild his cabinet career after falling early to May in the contest to replace Cameron, who resigned the day after losing the...more MICHAEL GOVE, 51: Gove, one of the highest-profile Brexit campaigners during the 2016 referendum, has had to rebuild his cabinet career after falling early to May in the contest to replace Cameron, who resigned the day after losing the referendum. Seen as one of the most effective members of cabinet in bringing forward new policies, the high-energy environment minister has become a surprise ally to May and has backed her Brexit strategy. Gove teamed up with Johnson during the 2016 Brexit campaign only to pull his support for Johnson's subsequent leadership bid at the last moment and run himself. He has not yet said whether he plans to run. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Close | https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/who-is-hoping-to-be-britains-next-prime-idUSRTS2HNOR |
Should we weed out the worst performing KiwiSaver funds? | As KiwiSaver approaches its twelfth anniversary there is growing interest from people in the performance of their funds. A new online tool launched by the government this year called Smart Investor has made it easier than ever to compare how well your fund is going against others. In part three of the series Tamsyn Parker looks at what should be done about the poor performers. When Australia's Productivity Commission lifted the lid on its superannuation industry last year it found entrenched underperforming funds were harming millions of members. The inquiry found significant numbers of products were underperforming, even after adjusting for differences in investment strategy and evidence of excessive and unwarranted fees despite the scale of the market. The commission said inadequate competition, governance and regulation had led to the issues and it recommended a raft of changes including that default funds should become the 'exemplar" and that members should be able to choose a fund from a "best in show short-list" set by a competitive and independent process. Advertisement It also recommended a weeding out process for poor performing funds with funds required to beat their benchmark by 0.5 per cent per annum on a rolling eight year basis or face being shut down. In New Zealand KiwiSaver members are currently left to their own devices to figure out if their fund is a poor-performer. Tom Hartmann, managing editor of Sorted.org.nz - the government's money education arm, says people can go online see the after fee returns for their fund and compare it to others. "From our point of view sunlight is the best disinfectant." But Jessica Wilson, head of research at Consumer New Zealand, isn't convinced that is enough. She would like to see providers and regulators doing a lot more to make members aware of how their fund stacks up. Wilson said its research showed less than half of people felt they had enough information to make a good decision about their investments. Some of those concerns were around where the money was being invested from an ethical point of view. Wilson said it was still really hard to find that information. "You have got to realise we have over 200 funds - it is a pretty daunting task trying to compare them." Wilson said while there was a small group of people who were really active in looking for information about their KiwiSaver fund it was not the case for the majority. "The level of interaction with KiwiSaver providers is pretty low." For some members all they got was a once a year paper statement, although providers must also post information quarterly online. The statements do not have to contain any comparison information about how that fund performed relative to its benchmark or other funds in the same sector or how its fees compare. "In a way our market has been left to itself. The safe-guards around getting good information weren't there at the start so they have been retro-fitted." It was only last year - more than 10 years after KiwiSaver launched - it became compulsory for providers to tell their members what they were paying in fees in a dollar form on the annual statement. Wilson said the Australian review of its superannuation funds showed the problems that arise when you don't have good disclosure. "I think there is a much stronger role that has to be played by regulators in helping consumers navigate the market." And she is particularly hot on the default providers having to do more to earn their right to automatically allocated members. Wilson said if default funds were not performing they should lose their default status. Consumer research showed default providers were some of the worst when it came to giving good customer service and those in a default fund were least likely to know which fund they were in. She is also critical of the fees providers are charging saying the amount is growing as funds under management grow. "We haven't really seen a lot of competition and what has happened has been superficial." She believes the lack of competition is linked to weak regulation. "I think one of the factors is there hasn't been the regulation there to force providers to cough up the information to make it easier for consumers to compare funds. "If there was that pressure it would force companies to offer better deals." The government is kicking off its default provider review this year and has already said a closer look at fees will be part of it. Richard Klipin, chief executive of the Financial Services Council whose members include KiwiSaver providers, said it was still firming up its view on the default review with members. But its latest data showed the KiwiSaver pie was growing and had now hit $54.8 billion with 2.85 million members. The average balance was more than $19k. "The system is growing and that is a really good message for New Zealand." Alongside the data the FSC released messaging over the weekend recommending consumers save now, save often and save smart by making sure they are in the right KiwiSaver fund, paying the correct tax rate and checking the fees they are paying to make sure they are getting value for money. The average KiwiSaver balance now has more than $19k. Photo / 123RF "Our members are taking a consumer- led lens to that. No," said Klipin. But he pointed the finger more at the advice side rather than the providers. "It's like shopping around for a mortgage, you've got to make sure it is fit for purpose and that is where an intermediary comes in. And I think that is the missing part." Klipin said there was an obligation for all parties - providers, regulators, the government - to do what is right for consumers. He said consumers wouldn't walk into a bank branch and expect to see term deposit rates advertised alongside the average rate for the market. The problem with KiwiSaver is a high-fee charging fund can eke away at a person's balance over 20 or 30 years and they may not realise how much money is going out on fees. Klipin said KiwiSaver was a really important part of New Zealand's financial future and members needed to make sure they were in the right fund. "Part of that is around being active and engaged as a consumer - it's up to all of us." The size of KiwiSaver: | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=12230347 |
How Many Times Has Tiger Woods Won the PGA Championship? | The 2019 PGA Championship has begun and runs from May 16 through May 19. And as the attention of the golfing world turns towards Bethpage Black Course in New York, much of the focus leading up to the second major tournament of the PGA Tour season will be placed on Tiger Woods, who won The Masters earlier this year. Woods, 43, will make his 20th career appearance in the PGA Championship; he made his appearance in 1997, when he finished tied-29th. He finished second in last year's event, which marked his first time competing after missing the previous two. Woods has won the PGA Championship four times in his career, taking home titles in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007. Below is a list of Woods's finishes at the PGA Championship entering the 2019 competition: 1997: T-29th 1998: T-10th 1999: 1st 2000: 1st 2001: T-29th 2002: 2nd 2003: T-39th 2004: T-24th 2005: T-4th 2006: 1st 2007: 1st 2008: DNP 2009: 2nd 2010: T-28th 2011: Cut 2012: T-11th 2013: T-40th 2014: Cut 2015: Cut 2016: DNP 2017: DNP 2018: 2nd | https://www.si.com/golf/2019/05/16/tiger-woods-pga-championship-how-many-times-has-he-won |
Who Won the PGA Championship Last Year? | Brooks Koepka won the 2018 PGA Championship, taking home a $1.98 million payout along with his third major title which also served as his second of the year. Koepka had won the 2018 U.S. Open earlier last summer year. Tiger Woods took home $1,188,000 as the second-place finisher at last year's championship. Adam Scott finished in third. The 2019 tournament will take place May 16-19 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. Here is a list of the top 25 finishers in 2018: 1st: Brooks Koepka (-16) 2nd: Tiger Woods (-14) 3rd: Adam Scott (-13) T-4th: Stewart Cink (-11) T-4th: Jon Rahm (-11) T-6th: Thomas Pieters (-10) T-6th: Francesco Molinari (-10) T-6th: Justin Thomas (-10) T-6th: Gary Woodland (-10) T-10th: Rafa Cabrera Bello (-9) T-10th: Tyrrell Hatton (-9) T-12th: Jordan Spieth (-8) T-12th: Chez Reavie (-8) T-12th: Brandon Stone (-8) T-12th: Daniel Beger (-8) T-12th: Kevin Kisner (-8) T-12th: Shane Lowry (-8) T-12th: Rickie Fowler (-8) T-19th: Zach Johnson (-7) T-19th: Kevin Na (-7) T-19th: Jason Kokrak (-7) T-19th: Justin Rose (-7) T-19th: Matt Wallace (-7) T-19th: Webb Simpson (-7) T-19th: Julian Suri (-7) T-19th: Jason Day (-7) | https://www.si.com/golf/2019/05/16/pga-championship-2018-brooks-koepka-winner-leaderboard |
Can Anything Good Come of de Blasios Quixotic Quest for President? | Bill de Blasio has earned much of the derision that greeted his announcement on Thursday that he is running for president. He promised transformative change when running for mayor but sometimes has been too cautious to deliver. Hes strayed dangerously close to ethical red lines in mixing fundraising and governing. He leapt too early onto the national stage in 2014 and quickly tumbled into the orchestra pit. Again and again, he left the house too late and rode a car that was too big to a gym that was too far from his office. Hes frequently been tetchy with the local press corps. Perhaps worst of all, he often ratified the right wings cartoon of him as aloof and ineffectual. Ad Policy This article was produced in partnership with City Limits, an urban-affairs news site covering New York City. And yet he runseven though polls say New Yorkers would prefer he did not, even though among the Democratic field of 23 (and counting?) there are bigger names with more cash, less baggage, and paths to the presidency that dont require debunking the canard that our city is a crime-ridden, trash-strewn communist nightmare. He goes where past New York mayors have failed, even though he promised not to and even though he is on the payroll to run a city of 8 million for 31 months more. Lets not bother to wonder why hes really runningto win or just to line up a cabinet post by showing off his chops?or waste time nodding along with the pundits who assure us he has no chance to win. De Blasios microscopic chances are only as puny as what most of the primary field faces. Nowadays our years-long presidential process gathers together hundreds of millions of dollars, world-shaping policy proposals, and a dozen or so reputations, throws them in a pit in the backyard, splashes on some butane and tosses in a match. Whumph! When the derisive laughter fades, the fact is that de Blasio has a case to make. While he has fallen short on many counts, he has still delivered a lot of concrete, progressive change, improving tens of thousands of lives in the process, all while managing a $90 billion budget and a 300,000-person bureaucracy. Hes dealt with crises, from a terrorist attack to severe weather to cop killings to an Ebola outbreak. De Blasio can make the case that, except for former vice president Biden, his work experience is better aligned with the presidency than any senator, representative or small-city mayor currently in the race and maybe even more than the governors. And perhaps that will make people pay attention to the idea de Blasio represents: that, as disappointing as it can be, a center-left government can produce broad-based benefits for working people. His slogan, Theres plenty of money in this countryits just in the wrong hands, will piss a lot of people offmaybe the right people. Its vague, emotive and a little dangerous, like all good slogans. But if it can focus any part of the Democratic debate on the distribution of resources (income, wealth and land) so that the party avoids the trap of making 2020 primarily about wedge issues like impeachment and guns, that would be to everyones benefit. Maybe. National campaigns are all about broad strokes. The nuances of his housing policy, which included a historic mandate that developers set aside income-targeted units but also directed subsidies to higher-income groups with less severe housing needs, are unlikely to be nibbled over in Iowa school gymnasiums or church halls in South Carolina. De Blasios reducing arrests while continuing to embrace broken windows policing frustrated the left locally, but that wont translate to a bigger stage. Its the big and juicy ideas that get play in a presidential race, and he has had some good ones, like universal health care, living wages, and early childhood education. Jarrett Murphy Bill de Blasio Has 4 Years to Cement His Progressive Legacy Jarrett Murphy Along with big ideas, de Blasio carries big baggage. The negative commercials all but write themselves: reports of prosecutors who narrowly decided not to prosecute him for campaign finance violations, images of former donors and fundraisers heading to prison, shots of the citys persistent homeless population, and samplings from the lead-paint scandal at the New York City Housing Authority. Here, the nuances would help himhe did devote a lot of money to fixing NYCHA, just not enoughbut those wont make it into the script. All of that is assuming he is in the race long enough for there to be a negative ad about him. I didnt want de Blasio to run for president, for one reason only: I didnt want the management of the city where I work and live to be overtaken by the 24/7 nonsense of a presidential campaign. I didnt want every move he makes, every word he says, to be interpreted through the lens of his national candidacyand frankly, I didnt want him making decisions thinking about primary voters in New Hampshire instead of me and my neighbors in the Bronx. Being mayor of New York City is a pretty great job, with tremendous potential to do good for millions of people, and I worry that de Blasio is mortgaging some of that on a long-shot run for the White House. Now that he is running, though, maybe we can hope the national stage brings out some better version of Bill de Blasio: more transparent, more willing to try to connect with different constituencies, more cautious about the dangers of courting donors, bolder. I have no idea if that version of him would be a good president. But I know it would make for an even better mayor. | https://www.thenation.com/article/bill-de-blasio-running-president/ |
Could Conrad Black run a public company again, now that hes been pardoned? | Penalties imposed on former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black by the Ontario Securities Commission remain in force despite Donald Trumps granting of clemency but a former White House pardon attorney says the regulator could be motivated to take another look. I think they might, because it has been quite a long time hes served his sentence and the sovereign jurisdiction that convicted him thinks its time for him to start anew and to get a second chance, said Margaret Love whose law practice in Washington, D.C. specializes in executive clemency. Love, who served as U.S. Pardon Attorney between 1990 and 1997 before leaving public office, said the pardon does not compel foreign jurisdictions or even the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to unravel any regulatory or other consequences that flowed from the courts decision. Thats partly because the pardon applies in the U.S. and because of the arms-length relationship between the SEC and the White House, she added. Black, the Montreal-born author and former CEO of Hollinger International, which published newspapers including the National Post, was found guilty of wire fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007 after a Chicago court ruled he conspired with other executives to divert funds from the sale of newspapers. He served more than three years in U.S. federal prison and was also fined $125,000 (U.S.) ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Canadian government also removed Black as an officer of the Order of Canada. The same bans and conditions remain, OSC spokesperson Kristen Rose said, adding that she could not comment on whether a review of the conditions will be undertaken. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW A spokesperson for the office of the Governor General which invests the Order of Canada did not respond by deadline to inquiries about whether the withdrawal of the award will be reviewed in the light of the Trump pardon. Michael Lewis is a Toronto-based reporter covering business. Follow him on Twitter: @MLewisStar Read more about: | https://www.thestar.com/business/2019/05/16/could-conrad-black-run-a-public-company-again-now-that-hes-been-pardoned.html |
How free is free college? | Tufayel Ahmed is leading an ordinary college life with an extraordinary price tag for tuition: $0. Zero. The first in his Bengali-immigrant family to attend college, hes the beneficiary of a statewide program that will cover four years of tuition so he can earn a bachelors degree in computer science at the public City College of New York (CCNY), an oasis in Upper Manhattan where the quads chunky neo-Gothic buildings remind him of castles. Recommended: With Barr in crosshairs, a look back at last time Congress cited contempt The lean freshman with a thick wave of black hair atop his forehead lives at home in Queens, and he doesnt anticipate needing any loans. That was actually one of my goals, to make sure that Im able to finish college without having to have a huge debt on my shoulder, Mr. Ahmed says. His fathers income from working at a hotel disqualifies him for federal Pell grants and the states tuition assistance program for low-income students. But in 2017, New York state rolled out its Excelsior Scholarship with families like Mr. Ahmeds in mind. It expands help from the state to much of the middle class, covering public tuition not already paid for by other grants for students with a household income under $125,000. Recipients need to be state residents for a year before college, enroll as full-time undergraduates, and stay on track to finish on time. The offer is a bold step that people often refer to with an even bolder shorthand: free college. Free college isnt as simple as the hyperbolic label makes it sound. Living expenses on or off campus and other non-tuition costs are often higher than public tuition, and arent covered by most programs. But the catchy phrase represents a growing sentiment that cost has put college degrees out of reach for too many students and has led to a national load of student debt topping $1.5 trillion, nearly the size of Russias economy. POLITICALLY POPULAR These scholarships, also referred to as college promises, have been proliferating in recent years throughout the United States. Hundreds of programs serve a local pool of high school graduates, often with philanthropic support. Twenty-four states offer college promises, though their eligibility and scope vary widely. (See map.) On the national level, free college is a prominent talking point for many Democratic presidential candidates. Earlier, President Barack Obama called for free community college, and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, became a magnet to youth voters in 2016 when he included four-year degrees in his free college plan. In Congress last year, Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, pushed the envelope even further with his Debt-Free College Act, which would cover more than just tuition for those who need aid at public colleges, through a federal-state partnership. He reintroduced it in March. As long as Republicans control the U.S. Senate, such expensive ideas are unlikely to gain traction. But state plans already underway offer a more concrete story. After years of post-recession cuts to higher education budgets, many states have finally turned the corner and begun reinvesting. And college promise plans are making a real difference in family balance sheets from Oklahoma to Rhode Island. They are demonstrating that a desire to shore up higher educations role in promoting social mobility and the economy can transcend partisanship. Weve seen both Democratic and Republican [state] leaders embrace this issue because it is politically popular, says Tiffany Jones, director of higher education policy for The Education Trust in Washington, D.C., which advocates for educational equity. Even as alternative pathways such as apprenticeships are growing, theres no ignoring the critical importance that [higher education] continues to play in students ability to participate in the economy. Whether making college free for large swaths of the population is a good idea is still a point of debate, however. A number of conservatives argue that it wont produce a high enough rate of return and might even harm the economy by leading to higher taxes. They also see higher education as more of a private good than a public one. The predominant gainers from attending college are the people who go to college themselves, says Richard Vedder, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif., and author of the new book Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America. Since college graduates tend to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more over the course of their lifetime, why should not someone making those kinds of gains pay for it, just like they would pay for any other investment they make? he says. Even some Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, for instance have come out against free public four-year colleges. TRIAL AND ERROR IN EXECUTION But among those who support more comprehensive free college, theres also a lot to hash out about how to structure it to be fair and effective. The Tennessee Promise, covering community college tuition and offering various other supports for students since 2015, is often looked to as a model. The governor of Washington state is expected to sign into law next week an expanded college promise that some experts consider the most progressive in the nation. New York made its splash in 2017, because Excelsior was the first statewide program to cover not just community colleges, but also four-year schools for students beyond the lowest income level and regardless of high school GPA. So far, 20,000 students have received Excelsior, with the state budgeting $92.4 million for the 2018-19 school year. Thanks to a combination of state and federal aid, tuition is now free for 55 percent of in-state, full-time undergraduates at State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) campuses, says Daniel Fuller, Gov. Andrew Cuomos deputy secretary for education, in a phone interview. Yet theres often a big gap between free college rhetoric and the reality that boosting higher education success is a complex puzzle. Ultimately, it comes down to a certain amount of trial and error and persistence both for the students and the public college systems. A closer look at such experiments can help inform policy debates and even kitchen-table conversations about how to target higher education aid to give both students and taxpayers the biggest bang for their buck. Were happy to see so much energy around this big investment, says Ms. Jones of The Education Trust. We just want to make sure those investments are made in the best ways, and that means actually impacting the ability of low-income students to pay for college. College promise plans are one way to give wings to students educational aspirations. By communicating in K-12 schools that tuition will be covered, they can motivate more students to complete high school, take a college-prep curriculum, and enroll. The promise in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been around long enough to also show a boost in college completion. But if policymakers dont get the right formula for support, they may not generate the hoped-for gains. In New York, advocates for more investment in higher education say too many people are left out of the Excelsior Scholarship, and that its requirement of full-time attendance and on-time graduation may result in the most disadvantaged students losing eligibility partway through school. Nationwide, only about 6 out of 10 full-time students at public institutions complete a bachelors degree within six years, let alone four. So if students heed the call to stretch themselves and dream beyond a high school diploma or associate degree, and then they trip over the strings attached, it can feel like the promise has fallen flat, too. ONE EXAMPLE: STYMIED BY CREDITS Yerania Aguilar embodies both the promise and the pitfalls. Shes the first in her family to earn an associate degree from Queensborough Community College in New York and it was virtually free. A special program there covered not only tuition, but also transportation and books, and helped her keep on track with strong advisement. She arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at age 3, and still lives with her sister and their single mother in Queens. By some markers, she is living the American Dream. I was definitely thankful for free community college, which is maybe why it got to my head: If it could happen to me the first two years, it could happen to me the second two years. But no, it didnt work like that, Ms. Aguilar says, sitting on a saggy couch in the basement of the student union at Queens College, where shes pursuing a bachelors degree in exercise science. Last spring, at the end of her second semester here, she found out that dropping a class in her first semester had thrown her off track. She thought she had a green light for her schedule. By her count, she was still earning 31 credits for the year, she says, and Excelsior requires 30. But then a college official told her she hadnt earned enough credits related to her major. For that spring semester I had to pay back $639, she says, the amount of her Excelsior Scholarship after other aid covered the rest. Tuition at CUNY four-year campuses, including Queens College and Mr. Ahmeds CCNY, is $6,730 per year. Her questions to campus officials were never satisfactorily answered, she says, but she paid it and moved forward without the scholarship. She had also lost future eligibility by declaring a minor, which would make it impossible to finish her degree on time. She chose psychology as her minor, to prepare for graduate school on her way to becoming a pediatric physical therapist. She knew that would be a good career when she assisted Sebastian, a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy, during an assignment at her community college. He said he couldnt put on a sock, and then [we found] other ways for him to put on a sock without it being such a hassle. And at the end of the day he was able to put it on, and it just felt so heartwarming, she says. She babysits and tutors, and her mother, who works in housekeeping, helps cover nearly $1,000 in expenses each semester. She knows thats relatively cheap for college, but says that because of Excelsior, the cost was unexpected. When they first introduce you to the scholarship, it sounds very easy, ... but then the contract itself is very confusing, she says. Many students struggle to line up the right courses to graduate on time, especially when campus resources are stretched thin, so Excelsiors 30-credits-per-year rule is placing the onus on the student for a problem thats really systemic, says Emily Skydel, issue coordinator for higher education affordability at New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), which has a chapter at Queens College. The Monitor spoke with several CUNY Excelsior scholars who are taking extra-heavy course loads or considering summer classes to stay on track, but state scholarships can be used only in the spring and fall semesters, so they would have to pay out of pocket. Funding for CUNY and SUNY has essentially been flat after accounting for inflation in recent years, Ms. Skydel says. You cant just waive the cost but not invest in the system. The states Higher Education Services Corp. plans to track how many students lose eligibility for Excelsior, but doesnt yet have a number, Mr. Fuller says. As for students being shut out of needed classes, he says, we have not had that problem reported to us from either SUNY or CUNY. ... They were very clear to us that ... kids will not be denied their scholarship because they cant get into a class in their major, he says. Students can appeal through HESC. Several campus leaders say the 30-credit rule is a plus, bolstering a broader set of efforts to keep students on an efficient path toward graduation. At CUNYs 25 campuses, the share of full-time students earning 30 credits in their first year rose from 45 percent in 2013-14 to 55 percent in 2017-18. The 3,300 Excelsior scholars appear to be contributing to the rise, says senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer Matthew Sapienza. But the four-year timeline doesnt take into account the relationship between the racial wealth gap and college completion, and can further disadvantage black and Hispanic students, says Alan Aja, associate professor in Puerto Rican and Latino studies at CUNYs Brooklyn College. College progress is affected not just by income, but also by whether a family has a financial safety net to lean on during hard times, he says. Nationally, while 39 percent of white students complete public four-year schools within four years, only 19 percent of blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics do, the National Center on Education Statistics reports. Why not just have tuition free for all?, which CUNY did for many decades before 1976, Professor Aja says. The strings attached are like a form of workfare, and its something that we unfairly do to communities of color. That approach is like saying the person needs fixing in order to work harder, he says, but poor people are already working hard, and its the institutional inequality that needs fixing. Hes also concerned about the fact that if students dont work in the state after graduation for the same number of years that they receive the scholarship, it will convert into a no-interest loan that they have to pay back (with exceptions, like military service). While the fine print of free tuition looks onerous to some advocates, to other observers, its simply a fiscal and political reality, at least for now. States are trying to figure out how to pay for these programs, so theyre adding cost-containment measures, says Jen Mishory, a senior fellow in the Washington, D.C., office of The Century Foundation, which seeks to reduce inequality. The Education Trust favors plans like Oklahomas and Indianas. They are limited to lower-income families, but instead of just covering tuition thats not paid for by other aid, their scholarships can be layered on top of other funds to cover some additional expenses such as books or room and board that otherwise might prove a barrier. Thats important because it directs more assistance to those who need it most, Ms. Jones says. Universal plans that include middle-class families are often touted as easier sells politically, but some state programs that target low-income students have survived and thrived, even as lawmakers cut other higher education spending, she notes. FREE VS. DEBT-FREE Even for students who get free tuition, room and board can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Thats one reason some Democrats want to go beyond free tuition and offer ways for students to avoid debt, or even wipe out already accumulated debt as presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts recently proposed. Voters are receptive to these ideas. When asked if they support raising taxes on the wealthiest to make public colleges tuition-free, 55 percent said yes; 56 percent support wiping out up to $50,000 in student debt for those making under $100,000, according to a May Politico/Morning Consult poll. Excelsior and other scholarships cover Brenden Bixbys tuition, but hes taking out loans for room and board at SUNY Cobleskill, which averages about $13,000 a year. Right out of high school, Mr. Bixby could have worked full time on the apple orchard that his father manages in Poughkeepsie, New York. I really wanted to get a degree just to have behind me, because nowadays you cant get anything without a degree, he says. He chose Cobleskill in rural central New York, about two hours from home, because it offers an environmental management major and great spots to go fly fishing. Halfway through college, Mr. Bixby doesnt know exactly how much hes borrowed. I try not to think about it too much just because I dont want it to bring me down, he says. I need to focus on getting good grades because I will come out with a better job, and that job will make it way easier to pay for over time. At CCNY, Mr. Ahmed says he doesnt take his freedom from financial concerns for granted. Its a huge opportunity for kids like me, he says, because it gives us more time to actually do things that we love, which in his case is coding. His older cousins had to juggle work and college to help get the extended family established in the U.S. Now he hopes his three younger siblings can take advantage of the easier path hes found. Hes applied for a leadership and public service fellowship next year. I always wanted to do something that will give back to the community, he says before heading up the wide slate-gray stairs and disappearing into the massive North Academic Center for a class on writing for engineers. Despite the challenges she's faced, Ms. Aguilar, too, is determined to use her experience to help others. She counsels students at her former community college, telling them, This is where I went wrong; this is where you could go right, she says. All of them want to show their parents that the sacrifices to enable them to attend college will bear fruit. Sometimes it was so easy to say, Never mind, I quit. ... Its fine to just do a high school degree, Ms. Aguilar says. But then shed think about her mothers hopes: She wants something more. Related stories Read this story at csmonitor.com Become a part of the Monitor community | https://news.yahoo.com/free-free-college-211716220.html |
Whats behind Trumps aggression with Iran? | While vowing to make America great again, the newly elected president was harshly critical of his predecessors for entangling the U.S. in seemingly endless conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Donald Trump came to power two years ago on a promise to avoid ruinous foreign wars. But unlike Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George Herbert Walker Bush, he has refrained from involving America in new wars. Since then, he has been willing to use the threat of military action as a bargaining tool as he did when he famously threatened fire and fury against North Korea unless it abandoned its nuclear weapons program. Now the Trump administration appears to be setting the table for a particularly ruinous war with Iran. Then came reports from the administration that Iran was threatening military action against America and its allies. The reports were contradicted by some of the allies themselves. But the U.S. responded all the same, dispatching an aircraft carrier group and long-range bombers to the region. All of the usual lead-ups to war are in play. First, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a multinational deal designed to limit Irans nuclear ambitions. Then he imposed punitive economic sanctions on both Iran and any country that dared to trade with it. This was followed by reports of alleged Iranian provocations: the sabotage of four oil tankers in the Persian Gulf; a missile attack by Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels against Saudi Arabia. Throughout, National Security Advisor John Bolton has been beating the drums against Tehran. To skeptics, all of this is reminiscent of the Tonkin Gulf incident, the non-existent attack on a U.S, naval ship in 1964 that Washington used to justify sending thousands of GIs to fight and die in Vietnam. Others recall Americas claim that Iraq under Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, an allegation (later proven false) that was used to justify the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of that country. It is possible that, like Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he believes the very existence of the current Iranian regime poses a threat to America. Or it is possible that he has been persuaded by Saudi Arabia and Israel that Iran is an irredeemably malign force in the region. But its more likely that hes just being Trump and that he believes his bluster is an effective bargaining tool. Indeed, Trumps animosity toward Iran does not seem to be based on anything other than his belief that it bested America in the nuclear talks. If Trump could force Iran to negotiate what he believes to be a better deal, he probably wouldnt care who ran the country. He has offered to talk to Irans leadership. He might well declare supreme leader Ali Khamenei his best friend. Under this scenario, Trump might think it useful to have a mad warmonger like Bolton on leash if for no other reason than to scare Tehran. I actually temper John, the president said recently. Still, CNN reports, there are signs that Trump is finding Bolton too uppity. The president has never liked his advisers moustache. More to the point, Trump is said to be irked that Bolton, with his non-stop war talk against Venezuela and Iran, is stealing the limelight from his boss. In the Trump administration, this is a mortal sin. Whatever Trumps views about Boltons moustache and whatever the reason for Washingtons campaign against Iran, the president is playing a dangerous game. History shows that it is easy for the U.S. to be pulled into foreign wars. The difficult part as Trump should know is getting out. Thomas Walkom is a Toronto-based columnist covering politics. Follow him on Twitter: @tomwalkom | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2019/05/16/whats-behind-trumps-aggression-with-iran.html |
Is the United States heading for war with Iran? | Image copyright AFP Image caption The US has deployed the aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf There are two competing narratives. The first, which is favoured by US President Donald Trump's administration, is that Iran is up to no good. Preparations are said to have been seen for a potential attack on US targets, though few details have been revealed publicly. The US has moved reinforcements to the region; it is reducing its non-essential diplomatic personnel in Iraq; and it is reportedly dusting off war plans. The message to Tehran is clear: any attack on a US target from whatever source, be it Iran or one of its many proxies or allies in the region, will be met by a significant military response. Image copyright EPA Image caption Iran has said the Trump administration is playing a "very dangerous game" The second narrative lays the blame for this crisis squarely at Washington's door. Iran - not surprisingly - holds to this view, but so too do many domestic critics of the Trump administration's approach. Indeed, to varying degrees many of Mr Trump's key European allies share some of these concerns. According to this narrative, the "Iran hawks" in the Trump administration - people like National Security Adviser John Bolton, or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - sense an opportunity. Their goal, this narrative argues, is regime change in Tehran. And if maximum economic pressure does not work then they believe, military action is not ruled out in the appropriate circumstances. Image copyright AFP Image caption Reinstated US sanctions have pushed Iran's economy towards a deep recession These two narratives reflect different interpretations of the reality and, as so often, they play up certain facts and ignore others to make their case. But perceptions here matter just as much as reality. Indeed, in many ways they produce the reality. And that reality is that a conflict between the US and Iran - albeit by accident rather than design - is more likely today than at any time since Mr Trump took office. Tensions in the Middle East are certainly mounting. Iran, its economy suffering from the re-imposition of US sanctions that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, is pushing back. It has warned that it may no longer abide by the restrictions on its nuclear activities. Image copyright AFP Image caption Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani, has said it does not want to pull out of the nuclear deal The arrival of Mr Trump was a turning point. The president pulled the US out of the nuclear deal a year ago and embarked upon a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. Iran has had enough. It is pushing the Europeans to do more to help its ailing economy and threatening if they do not - and it is hard to see what they can do - it will go ahead and breach the nuclear deal. That would only give the Trump administration additional ammunition. Image copyright AFP Image caption John Bolton, the US national security adviser, has long pushed for regime change in Iran Much now depends upon the dynamics inside the Trump administration and also on Tehran's assessment of what is going on there. The president himself has sought to play down the idea that his officials are divided regarding Iran, and reports indicate that he has little enthusiasm for war. His opposition to military entanglements abroad is well-known. However Mr Trump is unlikely to back down if US forces or facilities are attacked. However this is not necessarily the way things may be seen in Tehran. If that is Tehran's assessment, then it is a high-risk strategy. Image copyright EPA Image caption Spain withdrew a frigate from the US carrier strike group amid differences over Iran While Washington's key Middle Eastern allies - Israel and Saudi Arabia - may be applauding from the sidelines, Mr Trump's European partners are uneasy at the way things are heading. Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have all taken steps to suspend military activities in the region alongside the Americans, citing the rising tensions. This is not the moment to rehearse what a conflict between Iran and the US would look like. But comparisons between such a conflict and the 2003 Iraq war are unhelpful. Iran is a very different proposition to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. A full-scale invasion of Iran is not going to be on the cards. Rather, this would be an air and maritime conflict with a huge dose of asymmetry in Iran's responses. It could set the whole region ablaze. Image copyright Reuters Image caption US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003 and overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime There were those who predicted a major foreign policy catastrophe when Mr Trump took office. Instead, there is an unfolding and multi-dimensional crisis that has many elements and the Iran situation illustrates them all: an antipathy to international agreements; an over-reliance on regional allies with their own agendas to pursue; rising tensions with long-standing Nato partners; and, above all, an inability to determine and to prioritise Washington's real strategic interests. Many US strategic pundits would say no. Many accept that containing Tehran and, yes, threatening severe reprisals if US interests are attacked, may be necessary. But the steady drumbeat towards war is not. And one thing should be clear. There is no "drift" towards war. That suggests an involuntary process that people can do little about. If there is a conflict then it will be down to conscious decision-making, to the calculations and miscalculations of the Iranians and the Americans themselves. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-48298517 |
When will American Dream Miami mega-mall open in Miami-Dade? | Megan Sorbo speaks against the controversial American Dream Mall calling the development, an abomination American Dream Miami, a retail theme park that would be the largest mall in America, wins approval from the Miami-Dade County Commission. Developer Triple Five says the $4 billion project will include an indoor ski slope and a submarine lake. Up Next SHARE COPY LINK American Dream Miami, a retail theme park that would be the largest mall in America, wins approval from the Miami-Dade County Commission. Developer Triple Five says the $4 billion project will include an indoor ski slope and a submarine lake. A year after approving development of the nations largest mall in Northwest Miami-Dade, the county is still awaiting the site plans that would turn the American Dream Miami project into a reality. The Florida version of Minnesotas Mall of America won a nearly unanimous zoning vote on May 17, 2018, by the County Commission. The momentum dropped off from there, with Miami-Dade agencies that must consider permits and county road upgrades for the projects saying developer Triple Five hasnt submitted the paperwork needed to get the green light for construction. Theres no update on our end, said Tere Florin, a spokeswoman for the countys office of Regulatory and Economic Resources, which oversees permitting and zoning. They havent submitted a site plan, which remains the next step. Triple Five did recently secure a win after extensive talks with county and state administrators on a new interchange off the Florida Turnpike thats required for the $4 billion American Dream project to proceed. Florida has begun seeking private firms to build the Turnpike project under a state contract. And Miami-Dades sewer managers are proceeding with a $15 million pipe extension needed to build American Dream and other projects in the area outside of Miami Lakes and Hialeah, where the turnpike meets I-75. Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month Get full access to Miami Herald content across all your devices. SAVE NOW Development experts said its not unusual for a large project to take more than a year to shift from government approval to preparing for construction, so a longer delay is expected for a mall large enough to plan for submarine rides, indoor roller coasters and a domed artificial ski slope. It is full speed ahead, said Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a lobbyist and lawyer at Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr who is representing Triple Five in talks with Miami-Dade. The former county commissioner said there have been daily talks over the Turnpike project, with bids due later this month. Youll be able to practice your skiing indoors in Miami soon. Delays have been a problem at American Dreams sister project in New Jersey, the American Dream Meadowlands. Triple Five had once planned to open in time for the 2014 Super Bowl in MetLife stadium next door. Delays in securing financing for whats described as a $5 billion development project stalled the construction start, as Triple Five lined up government subsidies and publicly backed loans. An April 30 update to Wall Street lenders said construction is about 85 percent finished, with American Dream Meadowlands scheduled to open in September. That scratches an earlier plan for a spring opening. Triple Fives most recent prediction for a Miami-Dade opening is 2023. A coalition of South Florida malls trying to block American Dream Miami secured a resolution last year from Miami-Dade commissioners saying the county wouldnt subsidize the project. Triple Five representatives objected, but noted they werent asking for public dollars. Triple Five partner Eskandar Ghermezian had asked Mayor Carlos Gimenez for government subsidies during negotiations, but Gimenez said he turned down the requests. Ghermezian has largely declined interviews during the five years that Triple Five has been pursuing its Miami-Dade project. Neisen Kasdin, a former Miami Beach mayor who represents developers before local governments, said approval for a project as large as American Dream Miami typically triggers the start of the real heavy lifting: securing lenders and investors to fund construction. Sometimes a project will get their approvals, and then it may be some period of time when they get all the equity and debt placed, said Kasdin, a land-use lawyer at Akerman. For a project as large and complicated as American Dream, even just coming up with a plan for how to build the complex can mean months of work. Just to do the construction plans and drawings that can take a year, he said. Anthony De Yurre, a land-use lawyer at Bilzin Sumberg, said a more traditional project may take six months to pursue construction permits after winning government approval. For American Dream Miami, the process is bound to take far longer. Youre basically building a small city, he said. Neither Kasdin nor De Yurre is involved with American Dream Miami. The development agreement Miami-Dade commissioners approved a year ago requires American Dream to delay opening until a string of transportation improvements, including new interchanges and road widenings, are finished. Some are projects that Florida is funding through previously scheduled improvements in the area. Others Triple Five has to pay to have completed. Miami-Dades Transportation and Public Works Department would oversee some of those approvals, along with upgrades to county bus service that are required under the agreement. Spokeswoman Karla Damian said the agency hasnt begun talks on those efforts. There havent been any developments, she said. | https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article230476794.html |
Whats the latest on KU guard Devon Dotson in the NBA Draft? | KUs Devon Dotson brings his game to NBA Combine Kansas guard Devon Dotson talks about the NBA Draft process and how its gone for him so far. Up Next SHARE COPY LINK Kansas guard Devon Dotson talks about the NBA Draft process and how its gone for him so far. Devon Dotson doesnt plan to decide on his basketball future any time soon, but he gave NBA scouts plenty of reason to like him on Thursday. The Kansas guard was fourth among point guards in the vertical jump at 38.5 inches at the NBA Combine, second overall in the shuttle run at 2.8 seconds and scored eight points in his exhibition game alongside Tennessee star Grant Williams, his former high school teammate. Dotson said he remains extremely close with Williams and couldnt help but laugh throughout the week at his former teammate, who carried some extra weight with him the first time they played together. He was a big guy, Dotson said. When we went to college he transformed and worked it off. Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month Get full access to The Kansas City Star content across all your devices. SAVE NOW Dotson, who is 6 feet, 2 inches, said hes nowhere close to deciding on his future, which includes a possible return to Kansas for his sophomore season. Dotson is here alongside KU teammate Quentin Grimes, who shared ball-handling duties with him this past season. Dotson said his decision isnt linked to Grimes and said while the two had growing pains splitting time in the backcourt, he sees the value in returning for a sophomore season, were that to be his move. As a freshman, Dotson averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point territory. He was also second on the team in turnovers with 81, and said a year in which he takes better care of the ball could raise his stock. Next season, Kansas returns center Udoka Azubuike alongside guard Ochai Agbaji and recent forward pledge Tristan Enaruna. I dont think one of us affects each other, Dotson said of Grimes and his NBA decision. Quentins going to do whats best for him and his family. KU coach Bill Self and his staff have been in touch with Dotson daily to relay feedback and opinions on his workouts and meetings and Dotson, a former four-star recruit, said the coaching staff is at peace with his current situation. I feel like the roster would be strong, he said. Dotson said he has a workout planned with the Atlanta Hawks next week among others and doesnt plan to decide until after he participates in a pro day out in California towards the end of the month. When asked what hes looking for to lean one way or the other, Dotson didnt really tip his hand other than to say hes still working to learn where he could go in the draft and what the depth could potentially look like for him in next years draft. Dotson said he plans to huddle with his agent and family around the May 29 deadline before coming to a decision. Theres different things, he said of the factors. Getting more comfortable with the teams. Its still kind of early. | https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article230501414.html |
Did Warriors fan Im trying Jennifer motivate Portlands McCollum? | If the Trail Blazers make a series out of this, we might have to blame one of the Warriors biggest fans: Jennifer Williams. Williams, who lives in Chicago, became the famous Im trying Jennifer, meme on social media last summer. When Portland guard CJ McCollum expressed disgust last summer over the Warriors signing of DaMarcus Cousins and other players who chase championships, Warriors fan Williams took him to task. She tweeted: Win a playoff game then talk. McCollum immediately responded back on Twitter with Im trying Jennifer. The phrase quickly became a thing. And it went viral again when McCollum scored 37 points in Game 7 against Denver. Williams was at Oracle for Game 2. She was on the ESPN set on the court with Rachel Nichols and was telling the story when McCollum came out to greet her and give her a hug on live television. A historic moment in NBA Twitter history: @CJMcCollum meets Im trying Jennifer pic.twitter.com/9hGDnCgeMn SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 16, 2019 Both Williams and McCollum said random people come up to them on the streets to drop the phrase, Im trying Jennifer. When he met her, McCollum thanked Williams for providing him with motivation. Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @annkillion | https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/Did-Warriors-fan-I-m-trying-Jennifer-13852272.php |
Should city raise taxes or cut services to offset Doug Fords funding cuts? | City admits new tax bills an option to offset cuts By all means, protect our city services, now under attack by Premier Doug Fords brutal cuts. Raise the property tax on city homeowners, who already enjoy lower property taxes than others in the GTA. A 6-per-cent tax increase represents about $240 more per year for the average home. If the province is reducing its support for its own engine of prosperity, then a property tax increase is the only viable option for the city. And definitely include a clear message in every notification that the tax increase is due to Fords cuts. That will likely result in zero re-election of Conservatives in the city, and Ford might reconsider his decision. E. Bolvary, Toronto ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Or councillors could role up their sleeves and dig deep into the budget looking for savings or reductions that match the shortfall. A good place to start is the perennially bloated police budget. Year after year, recommendations have been made to cut the bloat by such actions as not paying for 28 hours of work in each 24 day (a four-hour overlap of shifts) or not placing two officers in each police car at night (Toronto is the only major city in the country to double up in this manner). These and other cost savings have been submitted to the police board over and over again, but never acted on. Now would seem to be the ideal time to revisit these potential savings. Maybe councillors will have to raise taxes. But that should be their last resort, not their first. David Kister, Toronto The answer should be obvious, but in case it isnt, consider this: He and his brother disrupted Toronto governance for several years. Rob got elected by promising to stop the gravy train. The only gravy he found was on his tie. Doug Ford now calls for more efficiencies in Toronto management. The Ford brothers promised low taxes in the popular right-wing mantra of small government. They brought the city to its knees by mismanagement, delays and disruption. Downloading huge costs onto Toronto at exactly a time the city cant deal with it. It looks like the tax increases that should have been made years ago, and the Fords prevented, will now have to happen because of Ford himself. What hypocrisy from the guy who claimed to be looking after his constituents in Toronto. Tom McElroy, East York Read more about: | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/05/16/should-city-raise-taxes-or-cut-services-to-offset-doug-fords-funding-cuts.html |
Can homelessness be solved? | The term "homelessness" conjures up images of people sleeping on park benches and inside shop doorways in our bigger cities. It describes an aspect of our society with which many of us are uncomfortable partly because it's not the New Zealand with which some of us are familiar, and partly because, as often happens with such issues, advocacy groups have inflated the definition of the problem to such an extent as to make some of the numbers quoted seem ridiculous. The honest answer is yes but like many of these issues, there are conflicting narratives around both the cause and the extent of the problem. According to a study conducted by the Auckland Council the causes include unemployment, failure to reintegrate into society after being in prison, relationship breakdowns, mental illness and alcohol and substance abuse with the relative weight of each of these differing in other studies. And though we don't know the precise number of homeless, we do know the hardcore number of those who lack habitable accommodation is probably somewhere between 2000* and 4200** depending on what data you're looking at. We also know that there are another 37,000 people who are described as being in temporary or overcrowded housing. Advertisement This larger group aren't technically homeless, but their circumstances aren't ideal in a country which prides itself on its pragmatic approach to looking after its most vulnerable. Well, quite a lot, as it turns out. A little investigation reveals serious action to address the issue started, in 2016, under the National Government, which took a series of steps to identify, then resolve, homelessness. These steps included more closely examining the circumstances of those in housing need; moving those who needed assistance to the Social Housing Register; a dramatic increase in the provision of places in transitional housing for individuals and families; and a big jump in emergency housing special needs grants. The incoming Coalition Government has continued to focus on the issue with a series of initiatives, including its most recent announcement of a decision to spend another (almost) $200 million to house 2700 long term homeless by boosting support for a housing programme called "Housing First". I confess that I hadn't heard much about this programme so I did a bit of study to see how our money was being spent and I have to say that I'm extremely impressed and encouraged. Based on an American initiative, from the 90s, the New Zealand Housing First initiative is comprised of a collective of organisations including Auckland City Mission, Link People, Vision West, Kahui tu Kaha and Lifewise. Nothing about the programme itself is particularly groundbreaking it's just good old common sense of the sort often sadly lacking in Government-supported programmes. In a nutshell, the Housing First model focuses on placing people in a permanent home as quickly as possible. The focus is on client-led recovery, which means those suffering from substance abuse receive the support they need; the kind of support that participants receive is personalised, which means that they're not subjected to a one-size-fits-all approach;and support is provided for as long as it's needed with no time limits. Early results are encouraging. Since May 2017, 964 people, including 452 children, have been placed in 512 homes. 63 per cent of these placements were for individuals and 37 per cent for families. The programme also focuses on placing participants in private sector accommodation, where possible and so far 85 per cent of placements have been in private rentals another encouraging trend and one which could work equally well if applied to the KiwiBuild programme. At this rate, we can legitimately expect homelessness to be a thing of the past within a few short years. * Those on the Social Housing Register described as being in "insecure housing" in Sept 2017 ** The number of homeless as identified in the 2013 Census Ashley Church is the former CEO of the Property Institute of New Zealand and now writes on behalf of OneRoof.co.nz and Herald Homes | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=12232058 |
How much does poor body image affect mental health? | Having concerns about how you look is not in itself a mental illness, but can trigger a range of problems Like it or not, most of us are aware of how we look. We have all had a bad hair day, or worried whether we are wearing the right clothes for a particular event. The traditional stereotype is that young women are more concerned about their appearance than young men. Societal pressures, media images, and doting relatives saying how pretty a female child looks all have an impact. Statistics by the charity the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), show that poor body self-image can affect all ages, not just younger people, and the reactions it can trigger range from anxiety and self-disgust to suicidal thoughts. One in three UK teenagers 'ashamed of their body' Read more The figures, revealed to coincide with the body image theme of national Mental Health Awareness Week, follow a YouGov poll of 4,505 UK adults. It found that 57% of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed admit to having felt anxious because of their body image, compared with 30% of 45- to 54-year-olds and 20% of over 55s. Some 10% of women have deliberately hurt themselves because of their body image compared with 4% of men. At the same time, 13% of adults admit to having experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings because of their body image. And, although the sample of people from the LGBT+ community was small, 39% of those who experienced these thoughts identified as bisexual, and 23% identified as gay or lesbian. While puberty is notoriously stressful, there are other times in our lives when we might worry about our image, such as during pregnancy or the menopause or when our hairline starts to recede or we need to use a walking stick. Phillippa Diedrichs, professor of psychology at the University of the West of England (UWE) and an expert on body image, says even at primary school age, girls are more aware than boys of their appearance. They have been very much valued in terms of their image. Thats the way they have currency in society; most research has focused on young women, she says. But there are key transitional points in peoples lives, such as reaching 65, when people still feel its important how they present themselves. Its difficult to say for sure how these concerns affect people over time, because weve no longitudinal research. Having concerns about how you look is not, in itself, a mental illness, according to the MHF. However, it can be a risk factor for mental health problems, its spokesperson says. Research suggests that higher body dissatisfaction is associated with poorer quality of life, psychological distress and risk of unhealthy eating behaviours and eating disorders. For Hannah Lewis, policy officer at Rethink Mental Illness, how we see ourselves is also a public health issue: People with poor body image are at risk of self harm and of potentially harmful sexual behaviour, she says. And poor body image can further undermine the wellbeing of people who already have a mental illness. Some medications can cause weight gain. Thats really important to a persons body image, says Lewis. Separate research from the LGBT+ equality charity Stonewall last year showed that 12% of LGBT+ people had experienced an eating disorder. Stonewall policy manager Josh Bradlow acknowledges the potential damage insecurities about body image may cause: Stereotypical assumptions and beliefs about masculinity and femininity can be deeply damaging for how anyone especially LGBT people see themselves and their bodies. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Poor body self-image can affect all ages, not just younger people. Photograph: Rex And Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at eating disorder charity Beat, says people who are dissatisfied with their body image are at higher risk of developing an eating disorder. This is only one of many factors that can lead to the development of these serious mental illnesses, he says. Diedrichs has been working with the beauty product manufacturer Dove on a self-esteem project in schools that encourages pupils to discuss the impact of advertising on body image. Diedrichs also counsels against fat talk and old talk. Telling someone you look good, have you been on a diet or you dont look that old, tell me your secret only reinforces our obsession with body image, she says. She also suggests complaining if you do not like body images you see in the media, particularly where the photo has been retouched. And dont just talk about looks when you meet a friend. Instead, ask them how theyve been, she says. Were deluged with images of beauty. No wonder so many of us feel so bad | Dawn Foster Read more In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected]. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Experience: Body image is constantly under discussion, everywhere Alexia Harrison was hospitalised for anorexia as an adolescent. She shares the toll it took on her mental health, and how she recovered. Interview by Rossalyn Warren Alexia Harrison did not stay in one place for very long during her childhood. Her family often moved from country to country due to her fathers work, so she attended many different schools, making it difficult to keep hold of long-term friendships. Then, at the age of 11, she returned to live in the UK. At school, she felt she had missed out and was out of touch with the latest trends her friends gossiped about. The constant travelling had put Harrisons life in a state of upheaval. She felt isolated, and her mental health deteriorated. She began to show signs of a troubling relationship with eating. At the same time her mother also grappled with a disorder, and often spoke about dieting and body image. Then, when Harrison was aged around 13, she began to develop anorexia. By the time she reached her GCSEs her anorexia had become so severe she was admitted to hospital. At the time, there wasnt as much information about anorexia as there is today, says Harrison. Looking back, they didnt know what to do with us. They tried to feed us, but I ended up losing more weight while on the ward. She describes that period of her life as desperately unhappy. But today she is in a far better place. Now aged 41, she lives in Leeds with her husband and two children, and is surrounded by close friends. She is also using her experience to shape the lives of others who face similar challenges. As a counsellor and psychotherapist, she works closely with young people who have anorexia and bulimia, and volunteers with Beat, the UKs leading charity for eating disorders. Sign up for Society Weekly: our newsletter for public service professionals Read more While the causes for eating disorders are complex and many factors are involved, being surrounded by images of perfect bodies can distort how a person sees themselves. And celebrity culture and social media strongly contribute to and exacerbate the issue, she says. The society I grew up in is very different to what girls face today, she says. There is social media and unrealistic models on Instagram, and its all contributing to the pressure on young people and their mental health, and how they see their bodies. The trouble is that peoples body image is constantly being discussed everywhere on television, screens, magazines. And if youre somebody whos vulnerable, its really easy to snap into a very low mood and think dieting may be the answer. Medical care is not always there, or easily accessible either, she says, despite eating disorders being serious mental illnesses that require professional support. Harrison has a starker view about herself in relation to the pressures young people face today. If I grew up in this culture today, with the intense influence from social media and celebrities, Im not sure I would have made it through, she says. Still, she thinks her coping mechanisms in her childhood years still serve as valuable guidance for herself and others today. What kept me going is that Ive always liked nature, says Harrison. I would always feel better when Id get away from it all from everybody, from the pressures, and from technology, she says. I still do this today with my husband. We take off and get lost, and go to lakes. I am always better when Im outside. | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/17/poor-body-image-mental-health |
Were we just not smart enough for the Smart car? | Open this photo in gallery Mercedes-Benz will stop selling Smart cars in North America this year. Daimler AG, press department Driving his tiny Smart fortwo felt like being in a fishbowl, Glenn Kolano remembers. Not because the car was so small, but because everybody would stare at him through the glass as he drove. It would stop people in their tracks, said Kolano, a retired emergency-room nurse from London, Ont. People didnt think it was legal. They questioned if it could go on [Highway] 401. Onlookers in big SUVs would lean out of the window to take pictures. Kolano was among the first in Canada to buy a Smart fortwo, driving it off the lot in late 2004. He and his wife each have one now; theyve had eight in total. Story continues below advertisement I thought it would be a great way to save the environment, and it seemed to be a very practical solution, Kolano said. He once drove from London to Miami on US$55 worth of gas, and could always find parking space, even in downtown Toronto. He put snow tires on in winter, and never missed not having all-wheel drive. Still, he wasnt surprised to see the news that Mercedes-Benz will stop selling Smart cars in the United States and Canada this year. The death of Smart is just the latest chapter in North Americas troubled relationship with tiny cars. Im just disappointed mainly, in all the people who could never grasp the idea of what the Smart car was all about. Thats the sad part, Kolano said. And now all of them are driving Ford F-150s and SUVs. Tiny cars offer an obvious solution to big problems such as climate change, traffic, lack of parking space and the high cost of car ownership. Its a solution that worked in Japan, where frugal kei jidosha (light cars) make up about a third of new-car sales. Smaller cars exist now, unlike the self-driving fully electric shareable pods that automakers envision will someday save us. Sliding sales Open this photo in gallery Smart cars came to North America in 2004, amid the highest gas prices in decades. Daimler AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars Mercedes-Benz cited declining micro-car sales and high homologation costs as reasons for pulling out of the market, despite having just launched the all-new third-generation Smart in 2015. The move effectively kills the brand in Canada, although it will continue in other parts of the world. Smart launched in North America in 2004. At that time, gas prices were starting to skyrocket to their highest levels since at least 1929, according to U.S. government data. Story continues below advertisement Annual sales of the Smart fortwo peaked in Canada in 2005 with more than 4,000 sold, according to GoodCarBadCar figures. The company discontinued the gasoline-engine Smart in 2017, leaving only the electric version in showrooms. Annual sales totalled just 264 cars in 2018. The U.S. market experienced a similar decline. The Fiat 500 is hardly doing any better, and Toyota killed off its own micro-car, the Scion iQ, in 2015. Utility and truck-body styles continue to increase in market penetration, said Robert Karwel, senior manager of the automotive division for J.D. Power in Canada. There is just little interest in the sub-subcompact segment (for lack of a better term) in our part of the world. Unlike in Europe, our cities dont, yet, necessitate such tiny vehicles. Micro-cars in a big country Open this photo in gallery The company discontinued the gasoline-engine Smart in 2017, leaving only the electric version in showrooms. Daimler AG, press departement Smart was not the first company to try selling North Americans on the benefits of micro-cars, but the fact youve probably never heard of the other companies speaks to their failure. The micro-car really came about after the Second World War in Europe, said Jeff Lane, director of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tenn., which has an extensive micro-car collection. Most people were either walking or riding a bike; the micro-car filled the need to have motorized transportation. The Bond Minicar, Messerschmitt KR200 and Isetta were cramped and shaped like gumdrops, but at least they were cheap and waterproof. Part of the reason people developed better mini-cars the Fiat 500, Citroen 2CV and Mini is that micro-cars werent that great; they werent that reliable, Lane said. Story continues below advertisement In the United States, micro-cars never sold in any kind of volume, despite the fact there were some American manufacturers, he explained. One such company, Crosley, which also made radios and washing machines, built micro-cars before and after the Second World War. The Crosley was a terrible car, Lane said. Other companies, like Nash with the Metropolitan, dabbled in it, but the [sales] volume just wasnt there to make money. Im surprised Smart stayed this long, he concluded. Small cars struggle in North America in part because we tend to see cars as indicators of wealth and status. And, in that context, as weve written before in these pages, small cars look like failure. This bigger-is-better ethos goes back to the beginning of the automobile in the United States, said Ken Cummings, professor of transportation design at Humber College. One of the most coveted cars in 1920 was the giant Locomobile, he said. By the 1970s, luxury was personified by a 472 cubic-inch [7.7-litre] engine on a 19-foot [5.8-metre] long frame. Who has ever heard of the small American Bantam, Crosley or the King Midget? Cummings asked. Those micro-cars disappeared into automotive obscurity while Cadillac and Lincoln roll on making ever-larger SUVs. Only high gas prices and long fill-up lines make us think small, he said. We will regret not having cars such as the Smart if (or when) gas hits $2/litre, unless electric or hydrogen cars suddenly become ubiquitous. Story continues below advertisement The price of joy Open this photo in gallery Despite their tiny engines, Smart cars are incredibly fun to drive in a city. What most people dont know about very small cars because most people buy bigger cars is that theyre incredibly fun to drive. To date, the 2016 Smart fortwo was the most gloriously entertaining car Ive ever driven in a city. Its 0.9-litre engine puffed out 89 horsepower. In a car weighing 900 kg, about half that of a typical SUV, it turns out thats all the power you could want. As cheap as they were to run it sipped fuel like a hybrid the Smart wasnt as affordable as postwar micro-cars. In 2016, the gas-powered Smart started at $17,300. Thats a lot for a car with only two seats, especially when you could get a four-door Toyota Corolla for roughly the same price. Roughly 87 per cent of people who drive to work do so alone, according to 2016 Statistics Canada data. But most people, if theyre spending $20,000 on a car, will also need it to carry more than two people on weekends, holidays and occasional errands. Thinking small Open this photo in gallery The New York Police Department replaced its three-wheeled scooters with Smart cars. Daimler AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars We rarely reward automakers for radical new ideas. Maybe the Smart car was just too weird for most people. BMWs brilliant-but-strange i3 hasnt found the sales success the company hoped for, at least not in North America. Its tempting to think these are cars ahead of their time, but maybe their time will never come. Uber exists now, as do car-share subscriptions and who knows what else in the future. Why, exactly, bigger cars are always better is a question that goes beyond simple practicality to the core of our collective psyche. The answer is about status and freedom, its psychosexual, its the prisoners dilemma, its practically manifest destiny. I had never even thought of that, that there must be something wrong if I drive a little car, Kolano said. Hes heard quips from co-workers about his clown car but it doesnt bother him. He thought younger buyers would take to the Smart, but they didnt. Story continues below advertisement Kolano says he hopes to keep driving his Smart for the rest of his life. I guess Im not mainstream, he said. Neither was the Smart car. Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price. Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up for the weekly Drive newsletter, delivered to your inbox for free. Follow us on Instagram, @globedrive. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-were-we-just-not-smart-enough-for-the-smart-car/ |
Will Kyle Turris stay with Predators or will he go? | CLOSE Predators forward Kyle Turris talks about confidence Paul Skrbina, The Tennessean The curious case of Kyle Turris continued during the 2018-19 season, leaving the summer of 2019 with more questions than answers. Turris carried a $6 million price tag this season. The Predators are on the hook for $30 million more over the next five years, the work of a contract extension he signed when he was dealt to Nashville in a three-way trade in November 2017. Turris' numbers on the stat sheet haven't matched up with those on his contract, though. He had just seven goals and 16 assists in 55 games this season. Foot and rib injuries cost him 25 games, which bruised his confidence, he said. "Hes a skilled player that can help out in a lot of different situations, a veteran player," coach Peter Laviolette said before Turris returned in February. "Certainly capable of providing some offense, giving us a nice balance to our lines." Turris' ego was bruised in March when he missed two games as a healthy scratch and said there was nothing to be gained from it. Turris provided an immediate boost to the Predators' second line when he was acquired from the Senators, recording 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in his first 17 games with the team. He managed zero goals and just three assists in 13 postseason games in 2018, though. General manager David Poile has bordered on being critical of the second line, which Turris was supposed to anchor. "He doesn't have to say that for us to know that," Turris said earlier this season. "It's something I know without anybody saying. It's something I'm working on. It will come eventually." NEWSLETTERS Get the Sports newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Top and trending sports headlines you need to know for your busy day. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. There are several options the team has this summer when it comes to Turris. The Predators could chalk up Turris' season to injuries and give it another go next season. He had a goal and an assist during the team's first-round loss to the Stars in the playoffs. He showed some signs of returning to the form the Predators thought he had when they traded for him. But they don't want to be paying a fourth-line center second-line center money. Turris used some variation of the word "frustrated" countless times after the season ended. He spoke of starting anew next season. | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2019/05/17/predators-kyle-turris-next-season/3621888002/ |
What's behind the Kansas City Chiefs' brutal history of domestic violence? | CLOSE SportsPulse: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the new face of Madden. Trysta Krick sits down with him to discuss his meteoric rise and if next year's game should include no-look passes. USA TODAY Editor's note: This story is updated from what appears in Friday's newspaper editions, with comments made by the Kansas City Chiefs late Thursday night. No other franchise in the NFL has compiled a record of domestic violence quite as brutal as the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2012 alone, the organization had two domestic murder-suicides, one at the hands of a player, Jovan Belcher, and the other at the hands of another employee. Since November 2017, three players have been suspended for alleged violence against women or children during their time with the team. The latest is wide receiver Tyreek Hill, whose status in the NFL has been in limbo since an audio recording aired on local TV last month suggesting he broke the arm of his 3-year-old son. Since 2015, the team also acquired at least three players who were kicked off of college teams for alleged domestic violence, most recently in April with the trade for defensive end Frank Clark. The other two are Hill and defensive back Justin Cox, who then was released by the team after another arrest. Tyreek Hill has been suspended indefinitely as the Chiefs and the league decide how to handle allegations that he abused his son. (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports) With this many issues in recent years, questions about the franchise's culture and its efforts to address domestic abuse issues have come to a head again. At some point, its going to be bad for the Kansas City Chiefs bottom line if they keep ignoring domestic violence and if they continue to select players with those kinds of histories, said Kim Gandy, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. On Thursday, Chiefs president Mark Donovan met with domestic violence groups, including the parents of Jamie Kimble, who was fatally shot in 2012 by her ex-boyfriend, a Chiefs stadium operations employee who then shot himself. In her memory, her parents started a foundation that promotes building domestic violence policies in the workplace, among other endeavors. NFL DATABASE: Players arrested since 2000, including outcome of charges OPINION: Teams don't care about domestic violence. Losing picks would change that. Their goal is to stop it. In the case of the Chiefs, such issues go back decades, all under the ownership of Lamar and Clark Hunt. The Kimble family didnt return messages seeking comment. Donovan said the meeting covered "education and creating best-in-class awareness of what people can do to help address the issue." He disputes the notion the Chiefs are an "outlier" in the NFL with domestic violence, at least in the past 10 years. It depends on how the problem is measured. Only two teams Denver and Miami have recorded more domestic violence arrests or charges since January 2000 than the Chiefs, who have seven with the Belcher murder included, according to USA TODAY Sports' NFL player arrest database. By comparison, Denver and Miami haven't had nearly the same trouble as the Chiefs since the Belcher tragedy, which helped raise awareness of domestic problems in the league, along with the 2014 video footage of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice assaulting his then-fiancee. The database includes more than 110 domestic citations and more than 930 citations overall but doesnt count incidents that dont result in charges or arrests, such as the recent cases involving Hill and running back Kareem Hunt, who was shown on video last year shoving and kicking a woman before the team released him. In his case, the Chiefs had no tolerance for it, unlike with other ugly cases in team history. Extended family There has been a common denominator in all the Chiefs successes and failures, on and off the field, through six head coaches over the past 20 years. Since its first year of existence in 1960, the franchise has been owned by the descendants of the former richest man in America, H.L. Hunt, a Texas oil wildcatter and bigamist who sired 15 children with three wives before his death in 1974. One of those children, Lamar Hunt Sr., founded the franchise in Dallas, relocated it to Kansas City in 1963 and passed along ownership of the team to his children before his own death in 2006. H.L. Hunt shown with one of his wives in 1972. (Photo: AP) His son Clark Hunt, 54, is the teams current controlling owner. He couldn't be reached for comment. "It's one of the most respected families in all of sports," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. McCarthy added that Chiefs players have done exemplary work off the field and lead the league with five NFL "Man of the Year" recipients since 1970. Donovan also stresses the high esteem of the Hunt family in Kansas City and the fact that the Chiefs have one of the best programs in the league for player engagement, according to the NFL. The extended Hunt family still has its own complicated history with domestic abuse which has claimed about one in four women in the U.S. as victims, according to research cited by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. In 1999, Chiefs co-owner Lamar Hunt Jr. was sued in civil court for allegedly sexually assaulting his mentally disabled sister-in-law two years earlier. The case was settled for around $2 million, according to the Dallas Morning News. Hunt Jr. didnt return messages seeking comment. In 2002, Al Hill Jr., H.L. Hunts eldest grandson, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault. Hill, a former business partner of his uncle Lamar Hunt Sr., was required to attend 24 weeks of batterer intervention counseling, the Morning News reported. He died in 2017. Another offspring of H.L. Hunt, daughter June Hunt, has made the issue a personal cause as a Christian counselor who teaches about recovery from abuse. She has written books called How to Rise Above Abuse and How to Deal with Difficult Relationships. A representative said she wanted to talk to her family before commenting. Lamar Hunt, left, with his son Clark, who now runs the Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo: David Eulitt, The Kansas City Star, via AP) In Kansas City, Clark Hunt has taken a more corporate approach to the problem, similar to other NFL owners who have faced varying degrees of domestic cases. The difference with the Chiefs is the severity of recent incidents and their number of domestic cases, which is double the league average, according to the database. The list includes former running back Larry Johnson, who faced two domestic cases and two others involving alleged abuse against women during his time with the team from 2003 to 2009. "They were more upset about the image it cast," Johnson told USA TODAY Sports this month about Chiefs ownerships response to his incidents. Regarding Clark Hunt, Johnson said, "Hes always been business, business, business, and he only cares about the guys he cares about." Former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson appears in court to face assault charges in 2005. (Photo: David Eulitt, The Kansas City Star via AP) The first time he was arrested with the Chiefs, in 2003, Johnson was accused of slapping his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun. That case led him into anger-management classes and a diversion program, his first test of tolerance with the franchise. At the time of his arrest, head coach Dick Vermeil said in the Kansas City Star that "I've been told his side of it, and I believe him ... (I) always believe the player. You know him so well. I always go on that side." Johnson, now 39 and retired, since has watched how the team has dealt with the cases of Kareem Hunt and Hill. "I dont think theyre really equipped to handle these kids," Johnson said. "You have old men who dont hang around young black kids the majority of their lives. They only look at us as far as stock or employees. Thats all they know of us." That dynamic is not exclusive to the Chiefs. It also wasnt the first time the Chiefs gave multiple chances to a talented young player, as shown in a sequence in 1994 that would be shocking by todays standards. On Jan. 4 of that year, wide receiver Tim Barnett was sentenced in court to 10 days in jail after pleading guilty to assault and battery against his wife the previous year his second domestic case in about 15 months. Former Chiefs wide receiver Tim Barnett celebrates scoring a touchdown in a 1993 playoff game. (Photo: Joseph Patronite, Getty Images) Four days later, the Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game at home. The team and a judge allowed Barnett to play despite his jail sentence, and he ended up catching a dramatic touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Montana in the fourth quarter to help force overtime and eventually win. It was the last time the Chiefs won a playoff game at home until this year, but it wasnt a happy ending for Barnett. About five months later, he was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old hotel maid in Milwaukee. The Chiefs finally released him afterward. He later was sentenced to three years in prison for the incident and never played in the NFL again. "Its not that they gave me chances," Barnett told USA TODAY Sports recently. "They made me go through the things I had to go through. It wasnt like they just turned their heads, and said, 'OK, no problem.' Thats not the case. You have to go through the counseling and all the procedures." McCarthy said the Chiefs were one of the first teams to have a full-time licensed clinician on hand to address mental health issues. Asked about what the team does to support players who join the Chiefs with prior domestic histories, Donovan said every situation is different. "Without going through the specifics ... I would say confidently that we do as much, if not more, than any other team in the National Football League," Donovan told USA TODAY Sports. Domestic violence experts still are alarmed by the recent history. 'Scares the hell out of me Gandy, the domestic violence expert, is particularly worried about two aspects in the case involving Tyreek Hill. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to assaulting and choking his girlfriend at Oklahoma State. He was kicked off the team, put on probation and required to complete a batterers intervention program. "It was a strangulation case, which is a significant predictor for lethal violence in the future and homicide," Gandy noted, citing research that shows that if domestic violence victims have been strangled in the past by a domestic partner, their risk of being killed by them is 10 times higher. Gandy also referenced the audio recording that aired last month in which his fiancee the same women he assaulted in college is heard talking about how their young son is terrified of him. "You need to be terrified of me, too, (expletive)," Hill replies on the audio. Combined with his prior strangulation case, "that scares the hell out of me," Gandy said. Two murder-suicides already haunt the franchise the one that cost 31-year-old Jamie Kimble her life in September 2012 and the one that overshadowed it three months later. Thats when Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to the team training facility and killing himself. Police said then the team had been aware of the couples problems and provided counseling. Friends and relatives of former linebacker Jovan Belcher grieve outside his home after the player shot and killed his girlfriend before killing himself in 2012. (Photo: Frank Eltman, AP) At the time, it seemed like a seminal moment for the team and the NFL. But it wasnt. It wasnt until the rise of social media and easy video-sharing that the NFL got significantly tougher on punishing domestic offenders in direct response to public outrage over seeing what domestic violence actually looked like. Before 2014, such offenders often got no more than two-game suspensions from the NFL, which largely deferred to the judicial system, where such crimes can be difficult to prosecute because of uncooperative witnesses. That all changed in 2014, when Rice was arrested for hitting his then-fianc at an Atlantic City casino. The NFL initially gave him a two-game suspension after he entered a pretrial intervention program through the court. Then came the video. TMZ aired it later that year, showing Rice knocking the woman unconscious in an elevator. Rice never played again after that. The NFL since has issued longer suspensions even in cases without charges or arrests, such as with Kareem Hunt, now with the Cleveland Browns and suspended for eight games. He likewise might never have been released by the Chiefs without TMZ airing the video of him at a hotel in February 2018. After that aired in November, Clark Hunt (no relation to Kareem Hunt) told reporters "our scouting staff does a really good job of vetting players, and part of that analysis is their character. Obviously its very hard to learn everything about somebody. ... Were certainly going to try to get better but I dont think you can ever be perfect in that regard." The child abuse investigation soon followed with Hill, a Pro Bowl player who also appeared to have escaped trouble until the audio recording aired last month. An attorney for Hill has disputed the claims in the recording, but Hill since has been suspended indefinitely as the team and the league decide what to do next. Ruth Glenn, president of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the public visibility of NFL teams should make them wary of acquiring or keeping players with domestic histories, and not just because domestic assailants often re-offend. Its also because putting up with it sends a public message that its not a big deal. This is why the NFL has tougher standards than the regular judicial system for alleged perpetrators even though data shows that NFL players are arrested with less frequency than the general population. "It may hurt the bottom line, which is money ... but if you really care about this culture and this nation, you will listen to your values and say, 'Hes a great player, but do we really want him representing our team, to really put that message out there that its OK?' " Glenn said. Like other teams, the Chiefs consider background checks on player prospects and weigh personnel decisions on a sliding scale of risk vs. investment and talent. The better the player, the harder the decision can be to cut ties with him, unless theres powerful video of the incident. There was no video of Larry Johnsons incidents, for example. "I was a first-round pick," Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. "They werent going to just release me because youre just not going to release me almost the same as Tyreek Hill situation. Itd hit newspaper, go to court, case would drop, Id plead no contest, never do jail time. The decision wasnt as hard for the Chiefs in November 2017, when Roy Miller, a backup defensive lineman, was arrested after a domestic incident with his wife, who had marks on her face and neck, according to the police report in Jacksonville, Florida. The Chiefs cut him two days later. He later entered a diversion program and was suspended by the NFL for six games. He never played in the league again but was back in the news last month when he was arrested on a child-abuse charge. He has pleaded not guilty. His ex-wife didnt return a message seeking comment. A decision is still pending on Hill. "We havent made a decision on the Tyreek stuff, and thats because we havent gathered all the information, and I think the league is still in the process of that," Donovan said. "We gathered the information on Kareem Hunt, and we made a decision. And we go through the same process. Its a process thats important to our culture. Its important to our organization. Its important to being a member of this community." Contributing: A.J. Perez Follow sports reporter Schrotenboer on Twitter @Schrotenboer. E-mail: [email protected] | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/chiefs/2019/05/17/whats-behind-kansas-city-chiefs-brutal-history-domestic-violence/3683231002/ |
What's behind the belief in a soulmate? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Bradley Onishi, Skidmore College (THE CONVERSATION) The United States appears to be in a romantic slump. Marriage rates have plummeted over the last decade. And compared to previous generations, young single people today are perhaps spending more time on social media than actual dating. They are also having less sex. Despite these trends, a yearning for a soulmate remains a common thread across the generations. Most Americans, it seems, are still looking for one. According to a 2017 poll two-thirds of Americans believe in soulmates. That number far surpasses the percentage of Americans who believe in the biblical God. The idea that there is a person out there who can make each of us happy and whole is constantly conveyed through portrayals in films,books,magazines and television. Origins of the soulmate myth Ten years ago, after a hard breakup, I decided to investigate. As a scholar of religion and culture who was trained in the history of ideas, I was interested in connecting the various iterations of the soulmate ideal through time. One early use of the word soulmate comes from the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in a letter from 1822: To be happy in Married Life you must have a Soul-mate. For Coleridge, a successful marriage needed to be about more than economic or social compatibility. It required a spiritual connection. Several centuries prior to Coleridge, the Greek philosopher Plato, in his text Symposium, wrote about the reasons behind the human yearning for a soulmate. Plato quotes the poet Aristophanes as saying that all humans were once united with their other half, but Zeus split them apart out of fear and jealousy. Aristophanes explains the transcendent experience of two soulmates reuniting in the following way: " And when one of them meets with his other half, the actual half of himself the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and one will not be out of the others sight, as I may say, even for a moment. The religious sources These references arent limited to Coleridge and Plato. In numerous religious traditions, the human souls connection to God has been envisioned in similar ways. While the examples from religious traditions are numerous, I will mention just two from Judaism and Christianity. At different points in the history of these these two faith traditions, mystics and theologians employed erotic and marital metaphors to understand their relationships with God. Despite important differences, they both envision amorous union with the one divine force as the pathway to true selfhood, happiness and wholeness. This idea is expressed in the Hebrew Bible, where God is consistently seen as the one to whom his chosen people, Israel, are betrothed. For your Maker is your husband, a passage in the Hebrew Bible says. Israel the ancient kingdom, not the modern nation-state plays the role of Gods spouse. Throughout Israelite history this idea frames the relationship between the people of Israel and God, whom they know as Yahweh. When Yahweh ratifies his covenant with Israel, his chosen people, he is often referred to as Israels husband. In turn, Israel is envisioned as Yahwehs wife. For the Israelites, the divine one is also their romantic soulmate. This is illustrated in the Song of Songs, an erotic love poem with a female narrator. The Song of Songs is written from the perspective of a woman longing to be with her male lover. Its filled with vivid physical descriptions of the two characters and the delights they take in each others bodies. Your channel is an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, the narrator recounts her man saying to her, before proclaiming that her garden is a fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon. Song of Songs is not only an unquestioned part of Jewish and Christian scripture, its been understood for millennia by Jewish sages as the key to understanding the most important events in Israelite history. Erotic mysticism By the second century A.D., Christians too began framing their relationship with the divine in erotic terms through the Song of Songs. One of the first, and most influential, was Origen of Alexandria, a second-century mystic who became the first great Christian theologian. According to him, the Song is the key to understanding the souls relationship to Christ. Origen calls it an epithalamium, which is a poem written for a bride on the way to the bridal chamber. For him, the Song is a drama and sang under the figure of the Bride, who is about to wed her groom, the Word of God. Origen views Jesus as his divine soulmate. He anticipates the end of time when his soul will cleave to Christ, so that he will never be apart from him again and he does this by using erotic terms. His writings on the Song founded a rich and expansive tradition of Christian mystical texts based on the souls erotic and marital union with Christ. The power of the myth By tracing the soulmate ideal to these religious sources its possible to gain fresh perspective on its power and function in an age when more Americans identify as having no religious affiliation. The soulmate myth informs the reality show The Bachelor, where young women wait for the attention of one chosen bachelor in hopes of finding true love. It is the same in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks novel The Notebook, which follows the path of two lovers separated at various times by war, family and illness. And then there are the Tinder users wading through an excess of possible romantic partners, perhaps hoping that their one and only will eventually make them whole and happy. In light of the myths history, its not surprising that even at a time when fewer Americans may be turning to God, they are still looking for their one true soulmate. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-belief-in-a-soulmate-113906. | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/What-s-behind-the-belief-in-a-soulmate-13853019.php |
Why is the Pentagon interested in UFOs? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Iain Boyd, University of Michigan (THE CONVERSATION) U.S. Navy pilots and sailors wont be considered crazy for reporting unidentified flying objects, under new rules meant to encourage them to keep track of what they see. Yet just a few years ago, the Pentagon reportedly shut down another official program that investigated UFO sightings. The answer to that question is almost certainly no. Humans misinterpretation of observations of natural phenomena are as old as time and include examples such as manatees being seen as mermaids and driftwood in a Scottish loch being interpreted as a monster. A more recent and relevant example is the strange luminescent structure in the sky caused by a SpaceX rocket launch. In these types of cases, incorrect interpretations occur because people have incomplete information or misunderstand what theyre seeing. Based on my prior experience as a science advisor to the Air Force, I believe that the Pentagon wants to avoid this type of confusion, so it needs to better understand flying objects that it cant now identify. Fortunately, the military can use advanced technologies to try to identify strange things in the sky. Taking the U out of UFO Situational awareness is the military term for having complete understanding of the environment in which you are operating. A UFO represents a gap in situational awareness. At the moment, when a Navy pilot sees something strange during flight, just about the only thing he or she can do is ask other pilots and air traffic control what they saw in that place at that time. Globally, the number of UFO reportings in a year has peaked at more than 8,000. Its not known how many the military experiences. Even the most heavily documented incidents end up unresolved, despite interviewing dozens of witnesses and reviewing many written documents, as well as lots of audio and video recordings. UFOs represent an opportunity for the military to improve its identification processes. At least some of that work could be done in the future by automated systems, and potentially in real time as an incident unfolds. Military vehicles Humvees, battleships, airplanes and satellites alike are covered in sensors. Its not just passive devices like radio receivers, video cameras and infrared imagers, but active systems like radar, sonar and lidar. In addition, a military vehicle is rarely alone vehicles travel in convoys, sail in fleets and fly in formations. Above them all are satellites watching from overhead. Drawing a complete picture Sensors can provide a wealth of information on UFOs including range, speed, heading, shape, size and temperature. With so many sensors and so much data, though, it is a challenge to merge the information into something useful. However, the military is stepping up its work on autonomy and artificial intelligence. One possible use of these new technologies could be to combine them to analyze all the many signals as they come in from sensors, separating any observations that it cant identify. In those cases, the system could even assign sensors on nearby vehicles or orbiting satellites to collect additional information in real time. Then it could assemble an even more complete picture. For the moment, though, people will need to weigh in on what all the data reveal. Thats because a key challenge for any successful use of artificial intelligence is building trust or confidence in the system. For example, in a famous experiment by Google scientists, an advanced image recognition algorithm based on artificial intelligence was fooled into wrongly identifying a photo of a panda as a gibbon simply by distorting a small number of the original pixels. So, until humans understand UFOs better, we wont be able to teach computers about them. In my view, the Navys new approach to reporting UFO encounters is a good first step. This may eventually lead to a comprehensive, fully integrated approach for object identification involving the fusion of data from many sensors through the application of artificial intelligence and autonomy. Only then will there be fewer and fewer UFOs in the sky because they wont be unidentified anymore. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/why-is-the-pentagon-interested-in-ufos-116714. | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Why-is-the-Pentagon-interested-in-UFOs-13853018.php |
Are specialty travel clothes worth the extra cost? | Maybe. Travel clothes are specialty attire belts, dresses, hats, pants and vests designed for the jet set. With the busy summer travel season just around the corner, travelers may be tempted to buy this attire, which typically costs anywhere from 30% to 50% more than comparable department store clothes. I say "maybe" because there are travelers and there are travelers. If you take a few trips a year, you might not need all of the features travel clothing offers, like fast-dry or wrinkle-free fabric. But if you're on the road more often, you should consider it. When travel clothing isn't worth it "I have never paid those premiums," says Patti Worsham, a retired travel agent from Long Beach, California. She says she's thought about buying those pants "where the bottom zips off" but in all of her travels, she never really needed a pair. Worsham also likes the designer hats, with mesh fabric and water-resistant fabric. But she buys those at the mall, not at an online specialty store. "I wore a pink floppy hat in Costa Rica," she says. "I blended in beautifully." Donna Pucciani, a retired English teacher from Wheaton, Illinois, also avoids travel-branded clothes. "But I do purchase practical clothing specifically for travel," she says. That includes nylon pants that drip-dry fast, and jogger cotton-polyester blend pants, which take a little longer to dry but are not as heavy as jeans. For her, the premium to pay for travel-branded clothes just isn't affordable. "I would love to be able to afford some of the pricey catalog or retail store pieces," she says. "But then I'd have no funds left for travel." When you should buy travel clothes For other travelers and I include myself in this group travel clothes make perfect sense. "Having a collection of travel clothing is the only way to go," says Barbara Howell, a retired registered nurse from Carpinteria, California. All of her shirts and long pants are easy-wash and fast-dry. When she's on the road, she washes them in the shower and hangs them to dry overnight. Her travel jacket can be worn three different ways, depending on the conditions. She bought everything through the Magellan's travel gear site (magellans.com). Gary Arndt, a Minneapolis photographer who spent years traveling the world, says some specialty travel attire is definitely worth the money. For him, that includes Scottevest jackets, which have multiple pockets. "They're pretty handy for carrying things with you if you don't want a backpack," he says. He also likes his Bluffworks sports coat, which is "very wrinkle-resistant." "I can fold it into a carry-on suitcase, and it still looks good after I unpack," he says. I agree. I'm on the road for more than 300 days a year, and special travel clothes are a lifesaver. Like Arndt, I've used travel clothes to keep wrinkle-free and pack extra stuff. If you're a serious traveler, you'll probably want to consider paying a little more for your threads. CLOSE Pack lean and clean, and arrive at your destination with exactly the clothes you need, wrinkle-free with these tips from an experienced jet setter. 10Best Editors, USA TODAY 10Best What to look for when you buy travel clothes If you're thinking of switching to specialty travel clothes, look for something machine-washable, wrinkle-resistant, odor-resistant and lightweight, with features specially designed for travelers, such as hidden or zippered pockets. That's the advice of Stefan Loble, who founded Bluffworks. "Historically, garments with those qualities aren't always the most fashionable or stand out as technical gear," he says. That's where travel clothes come in, taking materials used for technical purposes, like fishing vests, and turning them into something elegant. In the end, though, it's function over form, says Dima Zelikman, co-founder of travel clothing manufacturer Unbound Merino. "Most clothing in the category comes with a lot of gimmicks, false claims, frills and solutions to problems that don't really benefit the traveler," he says. "Gimmicks like a secret battery pack to charge your phone, a blow-up neck pillow in the hood of a hoodie, or a bottle-opener zipper tab." Zelikman says it makes more sense to have a hoodie that's so light and packable, you have room to take your favorite neck pillow. If you don't have the budget for travel clothes, you can make smarter shopping decisions. Avoid cotton and denim, which don't travel well. Find a polyester or spandex blend that will withstand the rigors of the road. But if you do have the money, don't just rely on the travel label. Look for something practical. You and your clothing will go far. For example, UV-protective clothes and bug-repellent clothes are great if youre going on an African safari or any other trip where youll be exposed to the sun for long periods, says Chris Wain, a sales director at Africa Travel. "However, many people buy these unnecessarily," he adds. On an average beach vacation, your regular clothes and bug-repellent sprays should do the job. A lot of travel clothing does the opposite: There are logos, bright colors, flashy designs. "Many travelers want to blend into local communities, not necessarily announce that they are the foreigners who stand out from afar with their branded travel outfits," says Nicos Hadjicostis, an author who spent more than six years traveling the world and who now lives in Nafplio, Greece. The most experienced travelers have just one set of clothes what fashion expert Andrea Pflaumer calls a "preset" wardrobe. "You won't have to recreate it every time you pack," says Pflaumer, who wrote the book "Shopping for the Real You." "And when you return home, you know which pieces have to be cleaned, which should be replaced, and you are aware of any gaps that might need filling for the next trip." Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate. Contact him at [email protected] or visit elliott.org. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2019/05/17/travel-clothing/3691313002/ | https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2019/05/17/travel-clothing/3691313002/ |
Is the long run up in D-FW home prices over? | Prices were down in Dallas-Fort Worth, too. The drop in prices - while very small - adds to growing evidence of changes in the housing sector "The widespread decline in home value growth in April - the first in many years - will turn heads," Zillow economic research director Skylar Olsen said in the new report. "But it's too early to say if we've hit another national home value peak and are at the beginning of a sustained downturn, or if this is just a bump in the road. "Month-over-month numbers are volatile, and this small decline could reverse itself before the year is out and before national home values go negative on a year-over-year basis," Olsen said. "That said, the likelihood that home values have peaked in several local markets is real. The price correction in these areas should continue after years of significant home value growth that substantially outpaced income growth." Home prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area fell 0.3% in April from March - the first such decline Zillow has reported since January 2012. Data from local real estate agents has previously shown month-to-month declines in median home sales prices which can be influenced by the types of houses trading, not just their values. Most home price surveys compare year-over-year values to reduce volatility and seasonal changes in the market. Zillow says D-FW home prices are still up more than 7% from last year - a higher appreciation estimate than most recent value studies. So far in 2019, the median sales price of single-family homes sold by agents in North Texas is up 2% from the first four months of 2018. Zillow said that in April the "typical U.S. home is worth $226,800." That's less than the $243,900 value in the D-FW area, according to Zillow. With more houses on the market this year in North Texas and declining sales in some neighborhoods, housings analysts are closely watching the local market where home prices are now more than 50% higher than they were before the Great Recession. The story is much the same across the U.S., where years of home price hikes appear to be easing. "Home values have likely peaked in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Portland and San Jose," Zillow says. | https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2019/05/17/long-run-d-fw-home-prices |
Why do Blondie, the Strokes and Gucci love punk band Surfbort? | When Beyonc brought surfbort into popular parlance on her 2013 single Drunk in Love, she was referring to coitus in the bath (see also: the bathtub boogie). Dani Miller, effervescent singer with the Brooklyn riot punks who took it as their name, has since widened the term to include the act of surfing on nude Frenchmen. This guy got ass naked and was going insane for two whole songs, she recalls of a recent gig in Le Havre. The third song, I put him on the ground and stood on top of him, surfing and screaming. He was having a blast. Feted by Blondie, signed by Julian Casablancass Cult Records, unlikely stars of a 2019 Gucci campaign and famed for their uninhibited displays of wildfire garage punk, Surfbort are the combination of one Californian former wild child (Miller) and three survivors of the 90s Texas punk scene (drummer Sean Powell and guitarists David Head and Alex Kilgore), on a mission to splatter visceral responses to the worlds most terrifying subjects. Friendship Music is a collection of our immediate reactions to Trump coming into office, says Miller of their debut album. In the video for Trash, she vomits on a TV showing a picture of the president. Its a dark time. The systems always been set up to keep people poor and in the dark, but when its put out on the table even more, it makes you fucking depressed and feel insane. Friendship Musics 17 quickfire attacks thrum with the spirit of Bikini Kill, Pussy Galore, Patti Smith and X, and you will find tracks about the rightwing resurgence, capitalism and modern narcissism. Plus some deeply personal revelations: High Anxiety tackles the mental health issues that Miller now channels to spur on her delirious performances. Then there is Dope, a song about kicking hard drugs aged 21 because one day I snapped and realised: I dont either wanna be in jail, dead on the street or have these crazy, horrible things keep happening to me. A partial turning point was her rape when she was 19. It kinda turned my mindset to: I dont wanna be surrounded by evil people, she recalls. Instead of searching for drugs I should be searching for health and people that make me feel good and healing my past traumas with other things. The memory is particularly raw as her rapist showed up at a recent gig. I just turned all the energy in the show to releasing all my sadness from that experience. I did yell: Fuck rapists! Healing through positivity; a very Surfbort mentality. Even though people like Trump and his cabinet are in charge, Miller says, we have the power to be happy and promote love and change in a positive way. Aspiring surfboards: sign up here. Friendship Music is out 7 June via Cult/Fat Possum | https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/17/why-do-blondie-the-strokes-and-gucci-love-punk-band-surfbort |
Why Do Schools Read Everyones Name at Graduation? | The problem, though, is that everyone in the audience cares about their graduates brief moment of gloryand no one elses. When the name of a loved one isnt being called, the audience might as well be listening to someone read from a phone book. George Loewenstein, a behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University, suggested to me that graduation ceremonies are designed for long-term meaning-making, at the cost of short-term discomfort. He invoked a theory outlined by the Nobel-winning behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman that describes how people retroactively assess extended episodes. The basic idea is that peoples memories of an experience are shaped most by its peakthe most emotionally intense partand its ending. The peak of these ceremonies (which certainly qualify as extended) is usually the moment the graduate walks across the stage, and the ending is often a celebratory tossing of hats. According to this model, when audience members and participants reflect back on graduation ceremonies, memory should downplay the dullness and focus on the triumph, however brief. Perhaps that dullness is even useful. Its true that these are excruciatingly boring, Loewenstein says of graduation ceremonies. But maybe the boredom serves a kind of functionthat is, your child walking across the stage becomes a more peak moment against the backdrop of the boredom. Thats about as generous as I can be. Still, its worth the wait, says Loewenstein. How often do you get such an extreme emotional experience of seeing your offspring bookending an important period of their life? There might be a long-term logic to graduation ceremonies, but that still leaves the discomfort of the present. The names of every student at Rice University, in Houston, used to be read at the school-wide commencement, but after the student population grew in the mid-2000s, this became unsustainable. Its Houston, its May, we do our ceremony outside, says Marcia OMalley, a professor at Rice and its commencements chief marshal. And as the number of students got larger and larger, our ceremony, which was starting at about 8 or 8:30 in the morning, was going until after 11 a.m. We were having some issues of students in these black robes sitting out in the sun. We were having EMS cases of people fainting. Its a long time. The organizers of Rices commencement started analyzing video of past ceremonies to see what might be streamlined without compromising the real sense of community that OMalley says characterizes Rice and arises in part from reading every graduates name. There's only so much shortening you can doyou have to say the person's name and they've got to walk, she observes. So, as of 2014, like at many other colleges, the names of Rice graduates are read at school-specific ceremonies, but not at the university-wide commencement. | https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/05/commencement-graduation-names-long/589639/?utm_source=feed |
How long can tenants have guests? | With summer on its way, and the possibility of out-of-town guests draws nearer, questions can arise for tenants and landlords about whats allowed when it comes to tenants having guests. Its not something people often think about when they take a rental property, or that landlords consider when they rent out a home, but there are questions worth considering. And is there a limit as to how long a guest can stay in a rental property?. Andrew Sakamoto, executive director of B.C.s Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, says the answers to these questions are not clear cut, but generally boil down to what feels fair and reasonable to both parties. Sakamoto says Residential Tenancy Regulation in B.C. says landlords must not stop the tenant from having guests under reasonable circumstances in the rental unit or impose restrictions on guests (what amenities they can use or parts of the property they can access), and must not require or accept any extra charge for daytime visits or overnight accommodation of guests. The same regulation says if landlords feel the number of occupants in the rental unit is unreasonable, they may discuss the issue with the tenant and may serve a notice to end a tenancy. This notice can be disputed, says Sakamoto, and ultimately resolved by applying for dispute resolution under the Residential Tenancy Act. If a landlord believes that a guest has become an occupant, they can try to provide a one-month eviction notice for cause, at which point the tenant would have the right to challenge the notice through dispute resolution at the Residential Tenancy Branch, says Sakamoto. An arbitrator would then weigh all the evidence provided and make a decision. To further muddy the waters, previous dispute-resolution decisions dont form a precedent for future decisions. Two arbitrators may come to two different conclusions for two similar situations, which is all the more reason I cant give you a definitive answer on this. One factor that could play into an arbitrators decision, says Sakamoto, is whether or not the landlord outlined any rules about guests in the tenancy agreement. Related Although, even then, the landlord cannot contract out of the law or force a tenant to follow an unconscionable term, he says. For example, we sometimes hear about landlords including a term saying tenants can only have guests for a total of 14 days per year. In my opinion, this term should be unconscionable and unenforceable. I suppose, however, an arbitrator could disagree. The long and the short of it seems to be that as a tenant, your landlord cannot stop you from having guests, as long as its a reasonable number of people and theyre there for a reasonable amount of time and not damaging the property. Landlords might be wise to put something in their tenancy agreement about what feels fair in terms of how long guests can stay, but this can be contested and ultimately the decision rests with an arbitrator. As with any relations, it seems that if people are acting fair and decently, and treating a property with care, disputes can probably be avoided, and youll probably be ready for your guests to leave long before your landlord wants to get involved. | https://vancouversun.com/homes/buying-selling/how-long-can-tenants-have-guests |
Is South Beach going to host Ultra Music Festival? | Tens of thousands leave Ultra and walk miles across Rickenbacker in Miami Tens of thousands of festival goers make their way out of the 2019 Ultra Music Festival in Virginia Key, Florida on Saturday, March 30, 2019. Up Next SHARE COPY LINK Tens of thousands of festival goers make their way out of the 2019 Ultra Music Festival in Virginia Key, Florida on Saturday, March 30, 2019. At first, we thought we were imagining things. Yes. Its true. Commish Ricky Arriola proposed a plan to bring the EDM extravaganza to Lummus Park in 2020. Seems unlikely that the city that hates fun except when its for rich people would do such a thing. South Beach loathes Spring Break. It really dislikes the hip hop fans who come to party on Memorial Day Weekend. We cannot imagine why it wouldnt hate Ultra goers, too, unless there is a marked difference between fans who enjoy EDM and those who prefer hip hop. We cant figure out what that difference might be, but perhaps you can. Ultra was by all accounts a disaster on Virginia Key last March, what with shuttle bus mayhem, 20somethings reduced to actually having to walk a whole mile and angry comparisons to the Fyre Festival debacle minus the cheese sandwiches. Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month Get full access to Miami Herald content across all your devices. SAVE NOW This would be a good look for South Beach. After all that, we figured Ultra would never return to Virginia Key. We thought there were plenty of good places to put Ultra. South Beach had not occurred to us, and its not a done deal yet, but now we think its a brilliant idea. Heres why. Unlike Virginia Key, Miami Beach is not an island so getting there would be easy Oh wait. The MacArthur Causeway offers easy access We are sure the ongoing 100-year construction plan will be finished by then. There is ample parking Osmany Torres Martin CITY OF MIAMI BEACH There are one or two garages available. One of them is attractive. Nobody will freak out over drug use Ocean Drive is already fragrant with the scent of weed. Were sure its medical. EDM fans still less annoying than people pretending they care about art We see you, Basel fakers. We can smell your FOMO. | https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/article230517594.html |
What is happening with Britney Spears right now? | While huge swaths of the Internet coalesce to collectively fight for the legal autonomy of Britney Spears, shes busy dancing. At least, thats what the pop stars latest Instagram video suggests. The Toxic singer posted a video on Thursday featuring, in typical Spears style, a snippet of a tightly choreographed dance to Michael and Janet Jacksons 1995 hit Scream. The post comes one day after her manager, Larry Rudolph, said the singer may never perform again. From what I have gathered, its clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again, said Rudolph. Spears pulled out of her latest Las Vegas residency just one month prior to its scheduled February debut following news that her father, 66-year-old Jamie Spears, was in failing health. Jamie has been Britneys sole legal conservator since 2008, managing his daughters finances and daily affairs. Then, in early April, the 37-year-old singer checked into a mental health facility, but she is now alleging her stint there wasnt as therapeutic as originally intended. TMZ reported this week that Britney, during a hearing in which the singer requested changes to her conservatorship, accused her father of forcing her to check into the facility against her will. A judge ordered a full investigation into Spears conservatorship Thursday. The ongoing melodrama has spurred forth the #FreeBritney movement a fan-driven social media campaign which seeks to grant the singer full legal autonomy. Britney sought to quell fan concerns in an April 23 Instagram video: My family has been going through a lot of stress and anxiety lately, so I just need time to deal, said Spears. But dont worry, Ill be back very soon. Of course, nothing is that simple when it comes to Spears. Some fans are alleging on Twitter that the video posted by Spears yesterday is a clip from another video posted to her account from last April 2018. She is wearing the exact same outfit in both videos, and the lighting and background are exactly the same. pic.twitter.com/WFqqpbucyF van Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) May 16, 2019 These fans say the new video is an attempt by Spearss team to distract from the legal drama shes currently embroiled in. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/what-is-happening-with-britney-spears-right-now |
Does the Mississippi River really start in Minnesota's tiny Lake Itasca? | As a child, Edward Murzyn remembers piling into his familys car to head Up North nearly every summer. A stop at Lake Itasca almost always made it into their road trip itinerary. During their visits, Murzyn and his brother would race back and forth across the rocks that span the stream that flows out of the lake. The two even had matching Lake Itasca T-shirts. Murzyn remembers learning early on that this small stream fed the mighty Mississippi River that rushed near his elementary school in northeast Minneapolis. Thats the latest question for Curious Minnesota, our community-driven reporting project that invites readers into the newsroom to ask questions they want answered. Readers then vote on which query we should investigate and Murzyns was the winner of a recent round. Theres two parts to the answer, said Connie Cox, the lead interpretive naturalist at Itasca State Park. One is a cultural story. The other one is a science story. The rivers cultural story spans decades of exploration by travelers who followed the Mississippi north into Minnesota in search of its source. It wasnt just an exercise in geography. It was an international and political question, said Patrick Coleman, an acquisitions librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society. If the source of the Mississippi is up in Canada, then the Brits have control of this major highway, the Mississippi River. If its lower, the Americans walk away with it. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, explorers identified a range of Minnesota lakes as potential sources, but it wasnt until Ozaawindib, a prominent Ojibwe, led explorer Henry Schoolcraft to Lake Itasca in 1832 that Americans began calling it the Mississippis source. Schoolcraft reinforced his claim by renaming the lake Itasca, meaning true source. The name combines the Latin words veritas (truth) and caput (head). Later, explorer Joseph Nicollet verified Itasca as the source, using the eras scientific and surveying tools. That could have been the end of the story, but in 1881, Willard Glazier, a self-promoting traveler, claimed Glazier Lake as the rivers source. As word spread, the conflicting claims required new scientific verifications. Jacob V. Brower surveyed the area and again identified Itasca as the Mississippis source because of the areas bowl-shaped topography. What he had concluded is Lake Itasca is that bottommost reservoir and that all of these other lakes and rivers do contribute water, but the ultimate source is Lake Itasca, where it pools and collects, Cox said. Brower discounted Itasca tributaries as the source because they disappeared during droughts, while Itasca had a continual flow. Nevertheless, doubters still remain. Wendell Duffield, a geologist and native Minnesotan, argues that the Minnesota River should be considered an alternative source. By following the Minnesota River, Duffield has traced the source of the Mississippi to the northeast corner of South Dakota. Hydrologists the people who study water and its movement have varied interpretations of the term headwaters, said Mark Brigham, deputy director at the United States Geological Surveys Upper Midwest Water Science Center. While some argue a rivers source should be traced to its longest tributary, others trace it to the stream that contributes the most water. According to these definitions, the Mississippis source should be the Missouri or Ohio rivers, respectively. Despite its detractors, Lake Itasca has become culturally recognized as the Mississippis source by tourists, mapmakers and Minnesota natives like Murzyn. There is something that just brings out the youthful joy and excitement of adventure and discovery, Cox said about the headwaters. Its just hard to describe for each individual person, but it does have some magic to it. Emma Dill is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune. | http://www.startribune.com/does-the-mississippi-river-really-start-in-minnesota-s-tiny-lake-itasca/508757631/ |
What happened to the poster children of OxyContin? | CLOSE Videos of patient testimonials sent to doctors in the late 1990s reveal how marketing trumped science as more and more prescriptions for chronic pain were written. MedPage Today Note: This story is a Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report that first ran on Sept. 8, 2012. Driving home from a hunting trip in 2008, Johnny Sullivan called his wife to say he was having trouble staying awake. It was early afternoon, but Mary Lou Sullivan wasn't surprised. Her husband was a longtime user of the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and frequently dozed off as a side effect, sometimes in the middle of chewing his food. About 10 years earlier, Sullivan and six other chronic pain sufferers had been featured in a promotional video for OxyContin that was put out by the drug company Purdue Pharma. In the video, Sullivan stood at a construction site and talked about how the powerful narcotic eased his back pain and enabled him to run his company again. But a few years after being prescribed OxyContin, Sullivan became addicted to it and other prescription opioids, his family said. "I told my sons one day, 'That medicine is going to kill him,' " his wife said. Minutes after calling his wife that afternoon in 2008, Sullivan, 52, fell asleep while driving, flipped his truck and died instantly. "Purdue used Johnny to sort of speak like a poster child," Mary Lou Sullivan said. "He was really promoting that OxyContin." Purdue Pharma's aggressive marketing of OxyContin in the late 1990s marked the beginning of the industry's push of narcotic painkillers to treat long-term chronic pain - an area where the safety and effectiveness of the drugs remain unproven. Sales of OxyContin have reached nearly $3 billion a year, making it the top-selling prescription pain pill in the country. Sales of all prescription opioids have quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. Health and regulatory officials have declared a national epidemic as addictions to prescription painkillers have skyrocketed and fatal overdoses have more than tripled in the past decade. A U.S. Senate investigation - prompted in part by Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today reports - is probing financial relationships of drug companies and the doctors and organizations that have advocated for use of the drugs. NEWSLETTERS Get the NewsWatch Delivered newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Todays top news delivered to your inbox Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-844-900-7103. Delivery: Mon - Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for NewsWatch Delivered Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters The story of the video is an example of how marketing trumped science and helped fuel the rapid increase in opioid use throughout the country. The subjects who spoke glowingly of their experiences with OxyContin in the video 14 years ago offer a case history of sorts. Two of the seven patients were active opioid abusers when they died. A third became addicted, suffered greatly, and quit after realizing she was headed for an overdose. Three patients still say the drug helped them cope with their pain and improved their quality of life. A seventh patient declined to answer questions. The doctor who enlisted his patients for the video and played a starring role, now says some of the statements went too far. In the video, Alan Spanos, a pain specialist in North Carolina - a paid speaker for Purdue Pharma at the time - urged doctors to consider prescribing opioids more often. He says now the point of the video was to explain that some patients could take opioids and not turn into "classic drug addicts." But it was unclear then, and remains unclear now, what percentage of chronic pain patients benefit from the drugs. "We don't know whether success stories like this are one in five, one in 15, one in 100, one in a thousand," Spanos said in an interview. "They may be quite rare." The video was meant to be one teaching aid used in lectures by experienced doctors, Spanos says today. But it was distributed to 15,000 doctors in a marketing campaign by Purdue, which claimed, among other things, that the drug was less addictive and less subject to abuse than other drugs. That wasn't true, and in 2007 The Purdue Frederick Co., an affiliate of Purdue Pharma, agreed to pay $634.5 million in penalties for misbranding the drug as part of a U.S. Justice Department investigation. The sanctions didn't stop the pharmaceutical industry from promoting OxyContin and other narcotics for people with chronic, long-term pain - a much larger group of potential patients than just those being treated with opioids for cancer and end-of-life suffering, as well as short-term pain caused by injuries or surgeries. Promotion eases concerns At the time the video was produced, many doctors were reluctant to prescribe narcotic drugs for chronic pain, fearing the risk of addiction and having little evidence of the drugs' long-term safety and effectiveness. That changed as Purdue Pharma and other opioid companies began funding promotional talks and courses that doctors could take to fulfill education requirements for medical license renewals. At the same time, the organizations and associations that write treatment guidelines began endorsing opioids for chronic pain. Many of the people writing those guidelines had financial ties to the drug companies. Over time, doctors began writing more and more prescriptions for opioids - including OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet - for more and more chronic conditions, such as back pain, fibromyalgia and arthritis. Part of OxyContin's appeal was that it was a time-release version of the generic painkiller, oxycodone. Patients had to take only two pills a day, instead of getting up at night to take more medicine. In the 1998 video, Spanos said opioids "don't wear out," meaning patients won't need stronger doses over time. However, experts say it's common for opioid medications to lose their painkilling effect as patients develop tolerance, leading doctors to increase doses. "Humans develop tolerance to opioids and - pharmacologically and physiologically - this is a well-known fact that was also well-known in the 1990s," said Beth Darnall, president of the Pain Society of Oregon and an associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University. Consider Lauren Cambra, one of the seven patients in the video. She was in her mid-40s and suffering from severe low-back pain until she went to see Spanos, who prescribed OxyContin. It worked well at first. "I was pain-free," she said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel and MedPageToday. "I was able to get up. I could walk up a flight of stairs. I was very happy with the therapy." Then her dose had to be doubled. Eventually it was doubled again. She lost her job in the dot-com collapse and could no longer afford the $600 a month she needed for OxyContin. When she tried to do without, she spent days on the couch curled up with horrible withdrawal symptoms. "The next month, I knew I was going to figure out how to get the money," she said. Instead of paying her bills or her mortgage, Cambra bought OxyContin. She lost her car and her home. She filed for bankruptcy. Eventually, over a period of months, she weaned herself off the drug. "I thought that if I didn't stop doing this, if I didn't get off this medicine, I'd probably end up dead," she said. Today she is managing her back pain the way she did before she went on OxyContin. If she has a flare-up, she gets a prescription for a few days of a different opioid, such as Vicodin. Then she stays off the drugs completely for weeks or months. "You could not get me to take another OxyContin," she said. Looking back on his claim that opioids didn't wear out, Spanos said he wanted to address a 1990s stereotype that all patients would develop tolerance and need higher doses. "I would hope that what was conveyed in the video is that there are patients in whom tolerance doesn't happen," Spanos said. In an email, Purdue spokesman James Heins said that OxyContin labels have always included warnings about side effects and tolerance, and they're updated when new medical evidence emerges. He noted the video was made 14 years ago and has not been shown in a decade. He also said he could not comment on what happened to the patients in the video without obtaining their permission. Heins said statements made in the video reflected the medical consensus regarding opioids at the time. In fact, Spanos said in the video that the rate of addiction among pain patients was much less than 1%. Spanos acknowledged in a July interview that the 1% addiction figure did not come from long-term studies of chronic pain patients. He said he regretted it if doctors got the wrong message. It has since become clear that the percentage of patients in individual clinics who are addicts or will become addicted is "all over the place," Spanos said. "Those of us who were impressed by the clear benefits for patients did not have a big enough eye on the possible unintended consequences of our enthusiasm rubbing off onto some of our colleagues," Spanos said of opioid painkillers. "They should be reserved for people for whom the benefits justify the risks and baggage that come with the drug, and the most tricky problem is that we do not know the size of the risks." Today, the National Institute on Drug Abuse says studies among chronic pain patients have found addiction rates from 3% to 40%. Purdue Pharma spokesman Heins said the rate of addictive disorders among chronic pain patients has not been established by prospective studies. He said the current literature suggests it ranges from less than 1% to 24% At least part of the discrepancy in addiction estimates has occurred because many studies exclude patients with prior substance abuse problems. However, real-world pain treatment does not. When OxyContin was introduced in 1996, there was less concern about addiction because opioids mainly were being used to treat cancer and short-term pain, said Mark Sullivan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. "They just didn't have the relevant addiction data," Sullivan said. At least three of the seven patients in the video, including Johnny Sullivan, struggled with addiction. Ira Pitchal, who had fibromyalgia, said in the video that OxyContin allowed him to exercise and do physical therapy, which reduced his cholesterol and returned his blood pressure to a healthy level. A few years later, Pitchal was found dead in his Florida apartment at age 62. The cause of death was listed as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, though lab tests showed the presence of two opioids, nalbuphine and oxycodone, the generic drug in OxyContin. Numerous medications were found in his kitchen cabinet, and he had pills in his pocket, according to a sheriff's department report. Pitchal had a history of alcohol and narcotic painkiller abuse, the report said. He had been released from a detox center a month before his death. A cousin, Marilyn Frey, said Pitchal had suffered from mental health problems for years and may have doctor-shopped for pills. "He was on gobs of medicines, probably a whole bunch at the same time that he should not have been on," she said. "So many folks who use lots of drugs, perhaps would be better off with ibuprofen and some really good (psychological) therapy. I think he was one of them." Limited research suggests that about 30% of pain clinic patients may benefit from using opioids for long-term pain, according to Ed Covington, director of the Neurological Center for Pain at the Cleveland Clinic. For those best-case patients, the average pain level is reduced by an estimated 30%, he said. Rigorous clinical trials still have not been done to measure the long-term safety and effectiveness of opioids for various kinds of chronic pain. Without such research, it is difficult to know who is likely to benefit and who is likely to be harmed. "My biggest complaint is that they (opioids) were pushed by all the zealots in a misleading way," Covington said. "So we were given a false choice - agony without opioids, comfort with." Some benefit from drug Three patients in the video say they have greatly benefited from taking OxyContin to manage their long-term pain. Two of the women had severe, debilitating conditions, while the third has taken the powerful painkiller for nearly 15 years to deal with back pain. Mary Dell, who asked that her last name not be used, said in the video that she felt normal for the first time in a decade after taking OxyContin. She had undergone spinal surgery and suffered from back pain for years. Mary Dell, now 73 and a biotechnology researcher, said not much has changed for her since the video was filmed. She still takes Oxy Contin every day. "I would not be able to do the work that I love here if I did not take the medicine," she said. "I would be lying on my bed with a heating pad." OxyContin also made life livable for Dorothy, a patient who asked that she be identified only by her first name. Dorothy appeared in the video wearing a neck brace. She had been in a car accident five years earlier and had spent the time since trying to control her neck and back pain. At times, she was in so much pain she felt like a "badly injured animal" with no appetite. She remembered staring at a salad one day, unable to move to put the food in her mouth. Riding in a car was unbearable, she said. Dorothy said Spanos monitored her medication closely and made it clear she shouldn't get narcotics from other doctors in addition to him. After a while, the drugs helped her recover from her injury. She was able to move around more and strengthen her muscles. She could keep appointments with friends and not just live hour-to-hour in her house, she said. "As the pain got better, I got out more," she said. "Life became more predictable." The drugs were strong, Dorothy said, and the thought of withdrawal frightened her. Her mouth was often very dry, a common side effect of opioids. But she never felt out of control and the side effects were worth it, she said. Dorothy said she stopped taking OxyContin in 2004 or 2005 because the pain wasn't as bad anymore. OxyContin was "a lifesaver" for Susan, another patient in the video who asked that her last name not be used because she is still taking the medication. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 25, Susan had undergone more than a dozen surgeries, including several on her hip as well as knee replacements, wrist surgery, ankle surgery, fusing of her neck and a hysterectomy. Susan had tried for years to manage her pain. Some doctors thought she was an addict seeking pain pills, she said. The pain was so bad that she discussed suicide with her husband. Before finding Spanos and OxyContin, she was required to pick up one day's worth of medicine at a pharmacy each morning. In the video, Susan said finding the right medicine made her life "wonderful again." "I have found life again, and it is worth living now. And I'm so grateful," she said. Fourteen years later, Susan is still taking OxyContin. She had been taking a massive dose when the video was filmed. Now her dose is about one-tenth of that and she still deals with major pain. She can barely turn her head because her neck is fused, and her wrists are permanently crooked. Her husband, Kevin, has to help her stand up, and she walks slowly, often grimacing in pain. "If Susan didn't have the painkillers, she couldn't function at all," Kevin said. For a few years after the video, Susan worked as a paid speaker for Purdue, giving talks to doctors. The three patients in the video who say they've been helped by OxyContin are worried that additional restrictions on prescribing narcotics might prevent people like them from getting the pain relief they need. In July, a group of nearly 40 doctors, researchers and public health officials petitioned the FDA to change the labeling on opioids in ways that would make it more difficult for drug companies to market the medications for chronic, non-cancer pain lasting longer than 90 days. The recommended changes, if approved, might prompt Medicaid, Medicare and many private insurers to impose restrictions on paying for opioids - hurdles that would hurt patients who benefit from the potent painkillers, according to doctors who advocate use of the drugs for long-term care. A better approach would be to improve doctor education, especially in the area of monitoring patients for early signs of addiction, said a statement from Lynn Webster, president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Sedative effect In the video, Spanos downplayed the risk of sedation and doctors' concerns that patients on narcotics seem "sleepy and vague" and "look stoned all the time." "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said, noting that sedation usually settles to "little or nothing within two weeks." Numerous papers in medical journals - published both before and after the video - warn of the sedative effect of opioids like OxyContin. Doctors say drowsiness can lessen in two weeks in some patients but remain an ongoing problem for others, especially when on high doses. Such sedation can lead to respiratory depression and even fatal overdoses. "Enough opioids can make you sleepy to the point of dead," said Deborah Grady, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Spanos said in an interview that he agrees high doses can cause sedation but that those who have long-term effects are being "over-treated." Spanos said it remains unknown how many patients will have a "stellar response" from taking opioids. "Back then, we all just assumed that someone, somewhere was doing rigorous studies . . . and so we'd know the numbers pretty soon," he said. "And we still don't." Opioids didn't just make Johnny Sullivan sleepy. They overpowered him, said his widow, Mary Lou. "He would fall asleep while we were eating," she said. "I'd hear him gasping for breath." Early on, the drug seemed to help Sullivan, his wife said. But then his doses had to be increased. Sullivan had been prescribed both OxyContin and morphine. He alternated between the drugs and made sure they were never out of reach. He kept a pouch filled with pills hidden under the seat of his pickup truck. Mary Lou said she did not know which drug he was taking at the time of the accident, and a blood test was never done. At least twice he was taken to the hospital because of an accidental overdose, Mary Lou said. One trip to the hospital began with a strange incident at a restaurant. "He had a hamburger, but instead of biting the hamburger he would actually be biting his hand," she said. Mary Lou took him to the emergency room and he was put in intensive care for 24 hours, but he never remembered the incident. As time went on, the drugs had more profound affects, Mary Lou said. She had to put on his socks and shoes, shave him and wash his hair. Sullivan's family said they were hesitant to confront him about his addiction because they knew he was in pain. He didn't acknowledge having problems either, and still painted a positive picture in a second video that Purdue distributed in 1999. "Never a drowsy moment around here," Johnny Sullivan said, his voice slurred and his eyes heavy. This story was reported as a joint project of the Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today. MedPage Today provides a clinical perspective for physicians on breaking medical news at medpagetoday.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2019/05/17/what-happened-poster-children-oxycontin/3705244002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2019/05/17/what-happened-poster-children-oxycontin/3705244002/ |
Did the Trump admin seek taxpayer funds to reimburse the Taliban? | When American and Taliban negotiators began the latest round of negotiations a couple of weeks ago in Qatar, it was the latest step in a lengthy diplomatic process. There may have been a point in years past at which direct talks between U.S. officials and the Taliban wouldve been politically controversial, especially on the right, but thats clearly no longer the case. What is new, however, is the idea that the United States would reimburse the Taliban for its travel expenses. Roll Call raised a few eyebrows with this report late yesterday: The Trump administration asked Congress earlier this year for funds to reimburse Afghanistans Taliban for expenses the insurgent group incurs attending peace talks, according to a spokesman for the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The money would cover the Talibans costs for expenses such as transportation, lodging, food and supplies, said Kevin Spicer, spokesman for Indiana Democrat Peter J. Visclosky, in a statement for CQ Roll Call. The Defense Department requested fiscal 2020 funding to support certain reconciliation activities, including logistic support for members of the Taliban and, in March 2019, they sent a notification letter to the Committee on using fiscal year 2019 funds for similar activities, Spicer said. This reporting has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News. That said, I think its probably fair to say talking to the Taliban about how best to end an 18-year war is one thing, while using taxpayer funds to reimburse the Taliban for its travel expenses is something else. Indeed, if the Roll Call report is correct, the Trump administrations request was not well received on Capitol Hill. In fact, the House Appropriations panel yesterday approved its Defense spending bill that did the opposite of what the Pentagon requested. Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind. | http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/did-the-trump-admin-seek-taxpayer-funds-reimburse-the-taliban |
Why were officials so afraid of the beaded border on LaRissa Waln's graduation cap? | Opinion: Valley Vista High School made a ridiculous decision in not allowing LaRissa Waln to wear traditional beads on her graduation cap. LaRissa Waln holds her cap she decorated as she protests outside State Farm Stadium where Valley Vista High School holds their graduation in Glendale, Ariz., on May 16, 2019. The school would not allow any decorations on their caps or gowns. (Photo: Patrick Breen/The Republic) Every few years, it seems, a student is banned from participating in a schools graduation ceremony usually for something that would have made the ceremony more special, had it been allowed. Schools use the excuse that they dont want students standing out, that showing class unity is somehow more important than fudging the rules for a few. But thats bull. The latest absurd decision involves LaRissa Waln, a member of a Sioux tribe who had sewn a small border of beads and attached a feather to her purple graduation cap. Her family had explained to Valley Vista High School officials that it wasnt just a decoration, that in their culture beads and feathers are worn to signify important milestones. High-school graduation, they said, is a celebration of moving into adulthood. CLOSE LaRissa Waln, a senior at Valley Vista High School, protests outside her graduation after not being allowed to walk over a cap she decorated. Patrick Breen, Arizona Republic But the Surprise school refused to relent. Officials said no beads, though they would allow her to wear traditional clothing under her gown. Waln balked. Why do I have to cover up my culture underneath a gown? she asked The Arizona Republic as she and her family stood outside the ceremony in protest. Exactly. There were hundreds of students graduating that day. Its doubtful that anyone in the crowd would have seen Walns tiny beaded border much less been offended that she was wearing it. Most spend the ceremony trying to locate their graduate in a sea of billowing gowns. I get it. They are afraid students will show up with a giant middle finger or flashing strobe lights affixed to their caps. But their rigid adherence to the rules sends ridiculous messages about what they value most. Consider Mesas East Valley Academy, which in 2011 banned students from wearing cords from outside honor societies. Thats right cords from the school were OK. Wearing their cords clearly would have devolved the ceremony into chaos. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Or Mesas Dobson High School, which in 2016 decided a kid who had been battling Leukemia couldn't walk with his class because he was 2.5 credits shy of graduating. Yep, sorry, kid. We know youve overcome a lot. But the rules are the rules. (The district later changed its policy to accommodate sick students.) Glendales Mountain Ridge High School did something similar in 1999 with a student who had been battling Hodgkins disease, though it later let him participate after students walked out in protest and a "Baywatch" actress offered to take him to lunch. Waln's cap, for whatever reason, didn't elicit the same kind of public uproar. Her father told The Republic that while most people were supportive, some questioned why he was fighting so hard to change the policy. I can tell you why. Because graduations aren't about the school. They're about honoring students. Standing resolute on such meaningless rules only cheapens the ceremony. Reach Allhands at [email protected]. On Twitter: @joannaallhands. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/joannaallhands/2019/05/17/larissa-waln-wear-native-american-beaded-graduation-cap/3705685002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/joannaallhands/2019/05/17/larissa-waln-wear-native-american-beaded-graduation-cap/3705685002/ |
How do we prove Keanu Reeves is the greatest action star in Hollywood history? | Attempt #1 Even if you sit down to watch a Keanu Reeves movie with the express intent of watching Keanu Reeves, of noticing all the incisive details of performance and presence that make Keanu Reeves so, well, Keanu Reeves, of jotting down those details in your Professional Reporters Notebook and using them to create a moving and definitive portrait of a man, Keanu Reeves, you intend to claim is The Greatest Action Hero in Hollywood History, you will fail. You will fail even if you are a salaried employee at a national newspaper in a mid-sized country, a mid-sized country that probably punches below its weight culturally, but isnt a backwater exactly, the same mid-sized country, not incidentally, that Keanu Reeves is, at least, sort of from, the one that gave him his strange, placeless accent and his air of being from nowhere at all. You will fail even if you are a Professional Noticer of Detail, a person, in other words, who comes equipped with what you would imagine to be the precise skills necessary to mine the telling details of craft from, say, Speed (1994). You will fail. You will fail to make the notes necessary to mount your argument. You will fail, eventually, to take notes at all. You will sink instead into your futon, the one caked in a cats generation of fur overlaid with a toddlers potpourri of Play-Doh and liquid prunes, and you will watch. And as you watch, you will catch yourself and you will realize that you have failed. You will fail, reader. You will fail. But in that failure you will find success. For you will come to realize that Keanu Reeves defies detail. He simply exists. And in that existence is a self-evident truth: Keanu Reeves is the Greatest Action Hero in Hollywood History. Your failure is telling you why. Attempt #2 Let us start again with a proposition: According to GQ, Every generation gets its own Keanu Reeves, except every generations Keanu Reeves is this Keanu Reeves. He has aged. The video evidence on that is clear. And yet, he remains the same. The Keanu Reeves who appeared recently on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert the one with the pitted cheeks and the greying, chaotic beard is somehow identical, in essence if not appearance, to the impossibly young Keanu Reeves of Speed. That Reeves has the perfect skin of youth and a haircut about a half-inch clipped evenly across his skull that only the beautiful and the frightening can ever pull off. Reeves was beautiful, too. Not handsome, beautiful. When almost shaved bald, he had the look of a young Sinead OConnor, the one forever blinking away tears in the video for Nothing Compares 2 You. He isnt that anymore. With his aging dad-rock hair and his perpetually sad eyes the ones that launched a thousand memes hes more craggy than beautiful today. But this Keanu Reeves is still that Keanu Reeves. Something beyond the physical has remained the same. You can imagine the younger version, at a house party, away from the main crowd, in the room with all the books, lightly high on pot he grew himself, giving the same answer to Colberts final question that the current one did last week. What do you think happens when we die, Keanu Reeves? In answer, Reeves inhaled sharply through his teeth then blew out a long breath through pursed lips. He folded his hands, kept his body squared then turned his head to Colbert. I know that the ones who love us, he said, with deep sincerity, will miss us. Colbert whispered a quiet wow. Attempt #3 Keanu Reeves is the Greatest Action Hero in Hollywood History because he has aged into an affect that earlier critics mistook for stupidity or blankness. What he is, and always has been, is sincere. Its what makes his deeply improbable roster of action hits work. Reeves has made a generational smash out of at least four of the dumbest ideas ever proposed in American cinema. The elevator pitches for Point Break, Speed and The Matrix the Holy Trinity of 1990s Keanu all read like they were reconstructed at random from the waste basket below a shredder in an all-boys middle school creative writing class. Those are all really dumb! And yet, Keanu doesnt just make them work. He makes them last. And he does it, more than anything else, with sincerity. Reeves appears in each of those movies to be just as confused by the premise as the audience. He is the physical manifestation of an audible whoa. Unlike his rivals for the all-time action crown Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Cruise, Jean Claude Van Damme Reeves has always been the hero-as-audience stand in. His genuine air of befuddlement is what makes those unlikely worlds work. With each eyes-squinting, open-mouthed gasp, Reeves is telling the audience, I get it. This is weird. But stay with me. And we do. He does the same in the John Wick series, the third instalment of which opens on Friday. In the first film, Wick, a retired assassin played by Reeves, loses his wife to natural causes. She leaves him a puppy, which a Russian gangster murders, spurring a two-hour killing spree. Thats not the elevator pitch. Thats basically the whole script. And yet, with Reeves, it works. This is only true because Reeves played the part completely straight. Even as hes storming through the stylized New York streets, killing even more people in ever more elaborate ways, hes giving off an air of slight bafflement. He cant quite believe where hes found himself. Hes operating in a daze. Attempt #4 That daze is one of the things I really love about what you do, the writer Dennis Cooper told Reeves in a long interview published in 1990, before Reeves was established as an action star. For years, that daze was written off as bad acting. Its why, even today, its hard to sit down with one of his action films and really focus on him. Hes always clearing the floor for his more showy co-stars Dennis Hopper in Speed, Willem Dafoe in John Wick. As an actor, hes generous. Thats part of it. But that generosity extends to the audience, too. Its what separates him from other action stars. Its what makes him the best. Its why were only realizing it now. Keanu Reeves is an action hero who doesnt need to be an alpha. Think about how unusual that is. Hes a star who makes hits that arent all about him. Thats why the details of performance and delivery dont matter. Thats why analysis is beside the point. Unlike any other action star, Keanu Reeves can kill people on screen for two hours and still somehow give off an air of concern. Hes always inviting the audience in. Are you watching? hes asking. This is cool, right? And with him, it always is. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/how-do-we-prove-keanu-reeves-is-the-greatest-action-star-in-hollywood-history |
Are we witnessing the death of liberal democracy? | This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Author: Ian McKay, Director of the Wilson Institute for Canadian History, McMaster University All over the world, alarm bells are ringing for democracy. Everywhere we find strongmen in charge, enraged citizens and a desperate search for explanations and remedies. Rodrigo Dutertes Philippines. Viktor Orbans Hungary. Benjamin Netanyahus Israel. Maybe somethings even going wrong in the United States. In 1992, political theorist Francis Fukuyama declared there was finally a solution to the riddle: Who should rule, and why? The answer: liberal democracy. A generation later, Fukuyamas declaration is not wearing well. As it turns out, the structural flaw that would hobble liberal democracy had actually been identified 30 years earlier, in a study called Possessive Individualism by University of Toronto political scientist Crawford Brough Macpherson. He pointed out that liberal democracy was a contradiction in terms. From the 16th century to the 20th, classical liberals of the British tradition had argued for the rights of the individual. In theory and practice, though, they only counted a person as an individual (almost always male) who had command over himself and his possessions, including human ones. For all his inspiring words about government created by and responsive to the people, supposedly liberal philosopher John Locke, investor in the slave trade, had a narrow view of who got to be considered a rights-bearing individual. The key was property. Society was little more than an agreement among the privileged to respect each others property rights. Hardly pro-democracy These liberals were not democrats, but after the rise of industrial capitalism, they had to respond to growing populations of working people with their own, often democratic, ideas. Generations of liberals, with John Stuart Mill at the helm, struggled to reconcile their assumptions about free-standing individuals who owned property with the democratic demands of the exploited and excluded. Until the 1960s, a softer, gentler liberalism seemed to gain ground. The privileges of propertied individuals were preserved, but at a price: welfare programs, unions, public education, housing and health and, worst of all, taxes. Still, liberals ultimately had to choose between democracy and capitalism. They might find themselves defending both the rights of workers to unionize and of factory owners to fire them, for example. Macpherson feared the fall-back answer for liberals, whatever their democratic posturing, would often be the owners. Macphersons prescience Today, more than three decades after his death, Macphersons diagnosis that the acquisitive drive of unfettered capitalism poses a stark challenge to liberty and democracy seems very prescient. Liberal democracy has fallen into a world crisis. Liberal democrats were working to make democracy safe for property, but to their right were hard-nosed businessmen, economists and politicians working on an extreme makeover of liberal democracy that came to be called neo-liberalism. Outraged by infringements on capital, determined to roll back socialism and seeing the market as near-infallible, this determined cadre of conservative intellectuals created a movement of reactionary resistance. Regulations impeding the free flow of capital were demolished. Once-powerful labour movements were eviscerated. Liberated from effective regulation, financial institutions developed global chains of indebtedness and speculation which, even after the crisis of 2007, have attained pervasive influence. After three decades of pious liberal hand-wringing, the world is set to warm by three to five degrees Celsius by 2100, a catastrophe attributable to unregulated capitalism. Liberal toolbox of no use The propertied patterns underlying these civilization-threatening developments cannot be grasped, let alone resisted, using a liberal toolbox. In the possessive individualism of classical liberalism, we find the seeds of todays democracy crisis. A devotion to property over people is democracy in chains and a planet in peril. Countless people experience the precariousness wrought by this extreme makeover of the worlds liberal order. A neoliberal world, by design, offers minimal security in employment, social stability, even in reliable networks of knowledge helping us reach reasoned understandings about the world in the company of our fellow citizens. People longing for security confront, instead, an unintelligible, turbulent world seemingly bent on destroying any prospect of it. Insecurity breeds acute and often angry anxiety. It prompts a search for sanctuary in anti-depressants, opioids and alcohol. A deliberately starved state sector leaves only a few short steps between you and social and economic ruin. Even the reasoned consideration of factual evidence recedes in a neoliberal world where every institution newspapers, universities, the state itself is rethinking itself in neoliberal terms. This very precariousness is represented, not as culturally and psychologically damaging, but as freedom itself. In this climate, a pervasive culture of militarism offers beleaguered individuals at least the solace of an imagined national community. Our daily work may be regimented, pointless and insecure, but at least we can imagine, beyond it, a world of collective noble endeavour and selfless courage in defence of the nation. In this militarized culture, many people are plainly looking for strongmen who can stand up for the nation. And around the world, including our corner of it, theyre finding them. Responding to nationalism The sovereign political paradox of our time is that a global army of people precarious, harried, anxious, angry, disenfranchised and above all divested of all social rights to reasonably secure and prosperous livelihoods is responding avidly to nationalist movements that, on closer inspection, are likely offer them more extreme versions of the hardships they are already enduring. The Macpherson challenge to liberate democracy from its neoliberal chains by rethinking property relations right down to their foundations is daunting, but not unprecedented. There will be conflict, pain and sacrifice in the long revolution to retrieve democracy and the liberties once sincerely defended by liberals. There will also be excitement and energy. The 21st century is already echoing with cries of dynamic, often youthful participants in such struggles, as they challenge the extreme makeover that has so convulsed contemporary life and placed liberal democracy in question. They know the hour is late. The stakes could not be higher. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-liberal-d https://theconv | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-liberal-democracy |
When will Dancing With the Stars return? | DANCING WITH THE STARS - "Finale" - After weeks of stunning competitive dancing, the final four couples advance to the season finale of "Dancing with the Stars," live, MONDAY, NOV. 19 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network. Joyce Matt Roush: The network held Dancing back because of American Idols increased presence on the midseason schedule, but it will be back in the fall. No one wanted a replay of the four-week, all-athlete condensed spring season, which left many fans dissatisfied. Aaron Roush: Fox just renewed The Orville for a third season. Its not on the new 2019 fall schedule so it will probably have a midseason premiere. My own calendar shows a projected late July premiere date for the seventh and final season of Orange Is the New Black, which I dont think has been confirmed or announced yet. No word yet on whether Lost in Space will be back later this year or early next. Question: The male star of Ransom and one of the male stars in The Fix look alike to me. Shelley Roush: Besides the fact that Luke Roberts (star of Ransom) and Adam Rayner (Matthew on The Fix) share many handsome physical attributes, Im not aware of any connection between them. To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to tvinsider.com. | https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/tv/when-will-dancing-with-the-stars-return-1666606/ |
Is reading crime fiction written by women a feminist act? | Every woman crime writer I know calls herself a feminist. Many of the male writers I know do too. Crime fiction has moved on from the common tropes established mostly by male writers in the last century, where a woman dies in order that the men who investigate her death can be heroes. The blonde femme fatales with their hourglass figures and rapier nails who populate the novels of Raymond Chandler and Micky Spillane exist only as historical souvenirs or else in heavily ironic contemporary parodies. But reading crime fiction written by women remains a powerfully feminist act. Because crime fiction written by women often reflects parts of the female experience which remain taboo and are frequently neglected, both in other genres and by male writers. Women have long turned to crime fiction, both as readers and writers, because it explores the place male writers and readers often fear to tread where female power, terror and rage intersect. In womens crime fiction, what might seem on the surface to be a story about women aggressed by men is often a cover for a deeper more disturbing truth. Take Gillian Flynns 2012 international blockbuster Gone Girl, the book that kick-started the current popularity of psychological thrillers in domestic settings. On the surface its a revenge thriller of a scorned woman against her feckless husband but look a bit deeper and youll see that the protagonist Amys real rebellion is against the parents who ruthlessly pressured their little girl into becoming the perfect daughter, then exploited their confection for financial gain in a series of Amazing Amy childrens books. The plot of Flynns first novel, Sharp Objects, may revolve around a serial killer of young girls, but the story it tells is of a rage-filled power struggle between mother and daughter. In my own psychological thriller, The Guilty Party, a group of frenemies witness an attack on a stranger and fail to intervene. The novel explores questions about whether doing nothing makes you culpable. Women do not live our lives for, or in the shadow of, men, and we want our stories to reflect that reality. If youre looking for a read that passes the Bechdel test, where two women talk to each other about something besides a man, then crime fiction written by women can be the place to find it. We know how deep and complex our relationships with other females can be. And while plenty of contemporary male crime writers wisely reach beyond the misogynistic femme fatale/Madonna-whore tropes of old school noir, few are able convincingly to portray the myriad ways women exert power over and betray each other with the brilliance and dark wit of, say Liz Nugent or Megan Abbott. Belinda Bauer writes about children caught up in violence in a way that few authors in any genre can match. Domestic doesnt have to mean domesticated. Like Celia Fremlin and Barbara Vine, Margaret Millar and Patricia Highsmith before us, many contemporary female crime writers use the domestic arena to write about money, power, emotional violence, politics and the slim pickings often offered to women living in mens worlds. In my Edie Kiglatuk series, set in the Canadian Arctic, amateur sleuth Edie confronts resource development, environmental degradation, multinational capitalism and geopolitics as much as she does murder or, for that matter, how to make a decent caribou head stew in a microwave. By virtue of their historical position, women crime writers have always had a particularly keen nose for the layered, intersectional kinds of injustice where gender meets age, socio-economic position, race and class. Im thinking here specifically of Barbara Neely and Eleanor Bland, who both tackled the myriad ways in which black women are excluded from power and wrote stories where their characters, and, by extension, their readers, fight back and gain agency and control over their lives. Perhaps more than any others, those two words agency and control lie at the heart of why reading crime fiction written by women is feminism in action. Through these books readers explore the uniquely female experience of vulnerability, of living with the daily experience of fear; the female sense of injustice, of having to negotiate the bewildering reality of being unheard and unseen but forever watched. The gap between the law and justice has a gendered component that any woman who has been sexually harassed or assaulted is likely to be familiar with. Crime fiction by women celebrates female resilience. The ability of women like Lynda La Plantes tough-nut Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, Stella Rimmingtons dogged spy Liz Carlyle, Tess Gerritsens flashily brash Detective Jane Rizzoli or Ann Cleeves quietly steely Vera Stanhope, to be actors in their own lives, and, by virtue of their smarts and the hard-won authority that comes with their positions as cops, private eyes, forensic scientists and intelligence operatives, seek justice for others, often women. Its not that men cant write women but after so many centuries of men telling womens stories, there is a particular power in women writing and reading our own. Stories where we get to be the actors, to make the decisions, to put the wrongs right and, yes, to act as bitches. There is a female solidarity in women reading crime fiction written by women. In the act of writing and reading crime, we finally get to be the villains and the heroes that, as human beings, we truly are. Mel McGrath is the author of The Guilty Party. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/is-reading-crime-fiction-written-by-women-a-feminist-act |
When is Cuba Nostalgia 2019 in Miami? | Cuban music, food showcased at CubaNostalgia festival The 17th Annual Cuba Nostalgia event draws a crowd to the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition center on Sunday, May 22, 2016. Up Next SHARE COPY LINK The 17th Annual Cuba Nostalgia event draws a crowd to the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition center on Sunday, May 22, 2016. Cuba Nostalgia reawakens the longing for Cuba through music, dance, visual arts, gastronomy and all the cultural manifestations it has offered at the Fair Expo Center of Miami for 21 years. Cuba Nostalgia opens its doors this Saturday and Sunday on the eve of the islands Independence Day, to pay tribute to Cubans who have helped to preserve their traditions from generation to generation. This edition of Cuba Nostalgia is very important, since we intend to pay tribute to our longtime fans that have been with us for two decades. At the same time, we want inspire the new generations of Cuban-Americans who, though born in the United States, live and feel their Cuban heritage with great pride, said Peter Regalado, executive producer of the event. Visitors will make an imaginary trip to the most emblematic places of Havana at Cuba Nostalgia. The replicas of the facades of La Catedral, Bodeguita del Medio, El Floridita, Malecn, Castillo del Morro, Teatro Payret, Paseo del Prado and the famous Tropicana cabaret will be spread throughout the 50,000 square-foot area of the exhibition, where a collection of cars from the 1940s and 1950s will be on display. Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month Get full access to Miami Herald content across all your devices. SAVE NOW El cabaret Tropicana figura entre los lugares emblemticos de La Habana que recrear Cuba Nostalgia. En la foto, las bailarinas Narelys Brown (izq) y Betsab Romero. / Pedro Portal [email protected] The program on Saturday includes presentations by Pedro Luis Ferrer (2:30 p.m.), Amaury Gutirrez and Jorge Luis Barba (3 p.m.), Ramn Fabin Veloz (4 p.m.), Carlos Manuel (4:30 p.m.), Idania lvarez (6 p.m.) and Albite (8 p.m.). Sunday line up includes El Gallito del Son, Grupo Palo! (1:30 p.m.), lvaro Torres with his son Astor (3 p.m.), Alfredito Rodrguez (4 p.m.), Luis Bofill (4:30 p.m.), Jorge Luis Rojas (6 p.m.) and comedian Alexis Valds (7:30 p.m). Keeping our roots alive is part of what I always do with my music. Therefore, participating in an event like this is an honor and a party for my soul. Cuba is always a caress of love in the heart, said Albita, who will perform Ta bueno, Qu manera de quererte and El chico chvere, among other hits. For his part, Bofill confessed that he has always had the desire to return to Cuba, but he has never done it for obvious reasons. Fortunately there is Cuba Nostalgia, which gives us the opportunity to visit it through the imagination, said the singer, who chose a selection from Arsenio Essential, the tribute album to the legendary composer Arsenio Rodrguez, which debuted recently. The cinema will be present with the premiere of Ajedrez a lo cubano (Full Galaxy, 2019), a documentary by Ren lvarez on the history of the chess on the island. The short film refers to the career of the champions Jos Ral Capablanca, Mara Teresa Mora, one of the first women to stand out at the national level, and Juan Gonzlez, who died in exile. Also included are stories about American champions Paul Morphy and Bobby Fisher, who visited Havana at the end of the 19th century and during the 1966 Olympics, respectively. The documentary reveals that Cuba was the first country in America, including the United States, where chess was played. It will be shown on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Payret Theater area. The poster for the event was made by the Cuban-American artist Carlos A. Navarro. It shows a Cuban dressed as a guayabera savoring a coffee in front of a domino while thinking of Tropicana. Within the concept of design, I highlighted a gentleman from Miami who remembers his youth in Cuba, Navarro said. My inspiration comes from the many people who have experienced a true nostalgia for their country. The artist, along with Humberto Bentez, Marlene Gasiva, Jos Mrquez and a score of colleagues, will exhibit their works in one of the fairs halls. The event has prepared a reading of poems by Azael Daz, Oniesis Gil, Juan Antonio Daz, Iran Fundora, Robertico Garca, Manuel Soriano, Efran Revern and Luis Quintana. The group will join the sextet Clave Guajira on stage with an illustration of the Valley of Viales as a backdrop. This poetic musical event will take place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Books & Books is in charge of the literary calendar with author events on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. Memorabilia and traditional Cuban cuisine dishes will be on sale, such as croquetas, black beans and roast suckling pig. The mojitos and the daiquiris will be flowing in the six bars that have been set up for this purpose. The closing of the party will be hosted by actor and comic Alexis Valds with a one-man show full of humor, songs and nostalgia. Our main goal is for the South Florida community to enjoy a quality event. We hope to fulfill it, said Stephanie de Quesada, president of Cuba Nostalgia. IF YOU GO: What: Cuba Nostalgia. When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday 18 and Sunday May 19 Where: Fair Expo Center, 10901 Coral Way, Miami Cost: $ 12. Free for the elderly and children under 8 Info: 305-902-5500 and www.cubanostalgia.org. | https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/article230538204.html |
Did Justin Trudeau win a trade war, or a friend? | Justin Trudeau and Conrad Black dont have much in common, but both of them have had a pretty good week with President Donald Trump. While Black got a presidential pardon, Trudeau won what he and his government were boasting was a full lift of steel and aluminum tariffs. On both counts, the good news came in no small measure because of relationships forged with the unpredictable U.S. president. In Blacks case, the allegiance is not a big surprise. As Black himself said, he and Trump go back a long way. Trump, then a private citizen, had even offered to come and testify on Blacks behalf in the 2007 trial that sent the former newspaper magnate to a U.S. prison for 42 months. When he gave the pardon, Trump reportedly told Black that he got a bad rap. With Trudeau, Trump also seems to be wanting to help out a friend north of the Canada-U.S. border whos getting a bad rap with China. The two leaders are currently embroiled in their own intense, high-stakes fights with China, which have spun unexpectedly off into a deepened bond at least for now between Trump and Trudeau. They have had three long phone calls within the past week, each lasting 20 to 25 minutes, according to government sources. Trudeau initiated this latest series of calls as Canada was watching U.S.-China talks get stalled over tariffs last week. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Government sources say it was a good time to remind Trump of the Canada-U.S. friendship, and the huge sticking points remaining in it namely, the new free-trade deal that remains unratified here and in Washington, and, of course, the steel and aluminum tariffs that Trump levelled on Canada nearly a year ago. It was those very tariffs, and Trudeaus open criticism of them at a news conference after a G7 summit in Charlevoix in June 2018, which famously sent Trump into an anti-Trudeau tantrum in public and on social media. One Trump tweet from that time would become permanently burned into the history of Canada-U.S. relations, prompting many to wonder whether some irreparable harm had been done. PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, US Tariffs were kind of insulting and he will not be pushed around. Very dishonest & weak. Trudeau didnt reply in kind. He told me in a December interview hed been tempted, but restrained himself. No. So I put that aside. Now, a year later, the two are apparently on very friendly terms again, sources say, and their phone calls include conversations of business and friendship. Trump reportedly chats to Trudeau about his family, including his mother Margaret Trudeau, who he knows, as well as about the items on the Canada-U.S. to-do list, which were focused on trade and tariffs this past week. Trudeau said on Friday that there was no breakthrough moment that led to the tariffs being lifted, but from all accounts, the escalating tension with China for both countries has broken down some barriers between Trump and Trudeau. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW All together, the two have spoken about 40 times in the 35 months that Trump has been president, Canadian government sources say, and the latest three last Thursday and Friday and again this Friday were among the longest and most complex. While Trump and Trudeau couldnt be farther apart politically, they do share some personal traits that help them get along, say those who have witnessed their dealings. They both experienced fame before they came to elected office, for instance, and are seasoned to the ups and downs of celebrity. They both believe they were elected to shake up the status quo in their respective capitals, although its a matter of very polarized debate at the moment whether either has done so. In a couple of weeks, former U.S. president Barack Obama will be in Ottawa for a big speech to thousands of Canadian political junkies, no doubt feeling wistful about those heady days of the Trudeau-Obama bromance. As it happens, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence will also be in town that week, as he announced on Twitter on Friday. No ones ever going to call Trump and Trudeaus relationship a bromance, or even an old friendship, like the one Trump has with Conrad Black. But out of their mutual interests on China at the moment, Trump and Trudeau have forged something that worked enough to get them past last years turmoil over tariffs. Susan Delacourt is the Star's Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: | https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2019/05/17/did-justin-trudeau-win-a-trade-war-or-a-friend.html |
Will Alabamas war on abortion come to Canada? | Women and women alone have the right to make decisions concerning their own bodies, Maryam Monsef, the minister for women and gender equality, says flatly in a letter to a dozen Conservative MPs who she said appeared at an anti-choice rally last week. Its a right that has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada for more than 30 years, she told them. Monsef, who is young, indomitable and very much in the style of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Octavio-Cortez, was firm with Harold, Ted, David, Glen, Dane, Phil, Kevin, Brad, Arnold and Dave. These men will never be pregnant and suffer childbirth, miscarriage, fetal abnormality leading to death (or not), postpartum depression, suicidal ideation, sore nipples, poverty and exhaustion. They wont need to pump breast milk and bring it to work, find affordable daycare and a partner willing to do half the work, or endure a potentially devastating delay to a career. Since abortion is a personal issue, I think we can talk on a first-name basis. Please, call me Heather. I exclude Conservative MPs Rachel and Bev because their female-on-female vengeance is a phenomenon that pops up in every industry including politics. You know, like Gov. Kay Ivey, 74, an Aunt Lydia who could have killed that scorched earth Alabama ban, but did not. When women want abortions, they really want them. When I was a teenager, I comforted myself that, in extremis, I could get an abortion from my father, an ob-gyn who was always sensible, and generous to his daughters. Men are our allies. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Abortion rights in Canada are being eaten away at the edges like a fish pedicure in smaller provinces where its easy to get away with bullying women. Women with money can escape and Im happy for them. But New Brunswick and P.E.I. wont pay for abortions in private clinics, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba are taking their time funding mifegymiso, a two-pill method for safely ending a pregnancy. What saves us is the Supreme Court of Canada and a Liberal government with its many male allies that take womens rights into account. I would stick with the Liberals and the NDP on this one. I concentrate on the matters of greatest cruelty: children being taken from their migrant parents and held in camps, and Alabama women being denied abortions even in pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Women and children first. Their doctors would be imprisoned for life and the law offers ways to prosecute women as well say, a woman without the cash to travel out of state or to buy mifegymiso or to escape a murderous husband. The law is so extreme that even anti-choice conservative males dont like it. It gives them a bad name, they say. Imagine that. Imagine if Judge Roy Moore had impregnated one of the teen girls he targeted in shopping malls. Missouri followed. Louisiana is next. Georgia imprisons women who self-induce abortions by, say, shooting themselves in the stomach. Texas hopes to execute them. The armpit Southern states are aiming these laws at Washington. They hope for a U.S. Supreme Court decision banning abortion, courtesy of a trio of hate males: crying Brett Kavanaugh, creepy Neil Gorsuch and madman Trump. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Remember, an anti-abortion law wont stop abortions. Women will try to perform their own, as they always have, and many will die in agony. Every child a wanted child, said the late Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who survived the Nazis, fought for abortion rights and won freedom for Canadian women. Every unwanted child a child is the rallying cry in the U.S. Those primitive men are dog-whistling to Canadians and there will always be a few hateful punitive men ready to hear it. Andrew Scheers Conservative Party is alleged to be reluctant to re-open the abortion matter but Scheer seems weak and biddable. In many polls, most Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Canadians overwhelmingly support abortion rights, and many men and women again, natural allies agree on this. This wave of authoritarianism, led by men who were born of women they loved and who presumably loved them, is a psychological aberration. Morally, its unspeakable. But again, these things come from the fetid American south: guns for everyone, government ownership of womens bodies, criminalizing medicine, crude and violent racism, and other horrors. I think a Liberal or Liberal minority government would forestall this. Govern yourselves accordingly, Canada. Heather Mallick is a columnist based in Toronto covering current affairs. Follow her on Twitter: @HeatherMallick Read more about: | https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2019/05/17/will-alabamas-war-on-abortion-come-to-canada.html |
Has British Columbias fire season already begun? | A vehicle fire off of Highway 3 in British Columbias Okanagan triggered a large wildfire this week. With record-breaking temperatures and little rainfall since last fall, the grass adjacent to the road ignited easily, sending flames up a steep mountainside. More than 500 hectares of grassland and sparse forest were consumed before the fire was contained. It was the second aggressive wildfire in B.C. within days. The early start to this years wildfire season could be a harbinger of another challenging summer for the province. The devastating fires in the summer of 2017 were unprecedented in scale and cost. More than 1.2 million hectares burned and 65,000 people were evacuated. The province called up crews from Mexico and Australia to help battle the fires, and paid out a record-shattering $650-million in firefighting costs. Story continues below advertisement Then, last summer, things got worse. For the second year in a row, a state of emergency was declared, as wildfires blazed in almost all regions of the province. A new record was set 1,354,284 hectares of land were consumed by fire. People realize this may be the new norm, said Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey, whose community in central B.C. faced evacuations last weekend because of the Lejac fire. Fraser Lake was hard-hit by wildfires last summer, and residents are bracing for what could be another frightening summer ahead. You can never be prepared for this, you hope for the best each day," Ms. Storey said. But we have to make sure we are focused on preparing the community. What is different this year is that B.C. is mobilizing its wildfire-fighting teams earlier. The Lejac fire was reported at 3 p.m. on May 11, and by 3:40, Ms. Storey said, a helicopter was overhead to assess the blaze. They really bombed the fire hard." Open this photo in gallery The BC Wildfire Service responds to a new wildfire five kilometers east of the community of Fraser Lake. BC Wildfire Service/Handout Thats the strategy, said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. The province has almost doubled its base budget for firefighting so that it can bring people and air support on earlier to hit these fires much harder than we have ever hit them, he said in an interview. More than 1,600 firefighters and support staff are available for the 2019 wildfire season. In addition to its own crews, the province expects to double the number of highly skilled contract firefighters, and for a longer stretch of the season. Firefighting aircraft contracts will be longer in 2019 as well the Fire Boss skimmer aircraft group (which includes four air tankers and a spotter plane) has been increased from 100 to 120 days. By summertime, the BC Wildfire Service will have access to 32 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, about 80 ground-attack vehicles and additional short-term contractors. Its a recognition of the conditions, the climate weve had in the last couple of years. If you dont get on the fires quickly, its really difficult to keep them under control," Mr. Donaldson said. Story continues below advertisement One of last summers most destructive fires measured by structures lost occurred in Mr. Donaldsons riding. Twenty-five homes were lost after two large fires merged, engulfing more than 120,000 hectares of land east of Telegraph Creek last August. It is those interface fires when wildfires collide with communities that create the demand for change. The 2003 wildfires around Kelowna led to the largest-scale evacuations in B.C. history. Former Manitoba premier Gary Filmon was brought in to review what happened, and how the province could do better. Open this photo in gallery The South Stikine River fire burns in an Aug. 6, 2018. The Canadian Press His top recommendation was to reduce fuel build up, especially in high fire-risk areas where wild forests and urban areas meet. At that time, the province identified 1.7 million hectares of interface land, including 685,000 hectares that are deemed to be high-risk. Today, it is not clear how much has been done to reduce that risk. The most recent threat analysis by the province was done at the end of 2016. At that point, about 90,000 hectares had been treated to reduce the risk of interface fires. Thats just 13 per cent of the land that was supposed to be treated, more than a decade after the Filmon Report. Story continues below advertisement But the past two summers have burnt up 2.5 million hectares of the land base, including some of the treated areas. The land that has been burnt, however, now poses a reduced wildfire risk. B.C. Fire Danger index As of May 16, 2019 Fire Danger is a relative index of how easy it is to ignite vegetation, how difficult a fire may be to control and how much damage a fire may do. FORT NELSON FORT ST. JOHN PRINCE RUPERT PRINCE GEORGE WILLIAMS LAKE Low Moderate KAMLOOPS High Very high Extreme VANCOUVER MURAT YKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA B.C. Fire Danger index As of May 16, 2019 Fire Danger is a relative index of how easy it is to ignite vegetation, how difficult a fire may be to control and how much damage a fire may do. Low Moderate FORT NELSON High Very high Extreme FORT ST. JOHN PRINCE GEORGE PRINCE RUPERT WILLIAMS LAKE KAMLOOPS VANCOUVER MURAT YKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA B.C. Fire Danger index As of May 16, 2019 Low Moderate FORT NELSON High Very high Extreme FORT ST. JOHN PRINCE GEORGE PRINCE RUPERT WILLIAMS LAKE Fire Danger is a relative index of how easy it is to ignite vegetation, how difficult a fire may be to control and how much damage a fire may do. KAMLOOPS VANCOUVER MURAT YKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA A new threat analysis is under way, but Mr. Donaldson expects that a lot of work has yet to be done. Much of what was recommended in the Filmon Report in 2003 wasnt undertaken, he said. The NDP government that took power just at the start of the 2017 fire season has promised to work to catch up. Mr. Donaldson pointed to the $60-million community resilience initiative fund announced in the February budget. That money is just starting to roll out now, however. In the meantime, residents are being encouraged to take responsibility for their own properties, as well. B.C. offers a fire smart guide to encourage homeowners to reduce risk of interface fire destruction. Kevin Skrepnek isnt making predictions yet on what this summer will bring. Story continues below advertisement The chief fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, Mr. Skrepnek said the two unusually aggressive fires this month at Leja and Richter Creek are alarming. Earlier this week, before temperatures cooled and some rain arrived, half of the province was deemed to be at high risk of fire. Open this photo in gallery The Richter Creek wildfire in B.C. BC Wildfire Service/Handout The Wildfire Service predicts that the north and a large swath of the central interior will be at higher-than-average risk this summer, but the next few weeks could change that. June typically brings rain to B.C., and that would be a good thing. But weather patterns are increasingly fickle, and the province still needs to prepare for the worst. We didnt have anything in our forecasts at this time in 2017 or 2018 that would have suggested what was coming at that point," Mr. Skrepnek noted. Just ahead of this Victoria Day long weekend, which typically brings throngs of travellers out for camping and backcountry recreation, Premier John Horgan issued a call for caution. We are urging people to take precautions to be fire and emergency safe, he said in a statement. Most of the 176 fires that have been recorded in B.C. since April 1 are likely human-caused, and thats a disturbing trend. The province is now launching a public-awareness campaign to urge caution with open fires or cigarette butts. Story continues below advertisement Open this photo in gallery A wildfire burns near Osoyoos, B.C., in this undated handout photo. HO/The Canadian Press Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth wants to remind people that they can be held accountable for careless behaviour. You could say you cant legislate [against] stupid, but the fact is, there are significant penalties in place up to $1-million," he said. People need to be aware that careless activity, whether it is a campfire or a cigarette butt out the window, can cause extraordinary damage. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-has-british-columbias-fire-season-already-begun/ |
How much is the Conservatives fundraising dominance really worth? | Turn on a television this spring, and youre liable to see Andrew Scheer flexing. That is not, thankfully, an actual image that his Conservatives have opted to go with in a spate of advertisements airing in heavy rotation. In most of the spots, which carry the message that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not what he presented himself as four years ago, Mr. Scheer does not appear at all. But the ads are unmistakably a show of strength. Courtesy of their extremely robust fundraising, the Conservatives have much more money than their rivals. So before pre-election spending limits kick in at the end of June and level the playing field at least between them and the Liberals, the other party likely positioned to spend the maximum allowed the Tories are pressing their advantage. Story continues below advertisement They are also providing an interesting test of how much fundraising dominance which has, to some extent, shaped their partys identity is worth in modern Canadian politics. Under Stephen Harpers leadership, the Conservatives were the first party to master soliciting small donations, as required under modern political financing rules that ban corporate, union and large personal contributions. And they have solidified their edge since returning to opposition. Their $8-million haul in 2019s first quarter was more than double the $3.8-million that the Liberals brought in, consistent with general patterns. (Likewise the NDP managing just $1.2-million, and the Greens about $800,000.) What may be getting harder is maximizing the benefit of that advantage. Its biggest upside, in elections past, was prewrit advertising spending of the sort the Tories are doing now. Until the campaign officially began, usually little more than a month before election day, the Tories could go a long way toward setting its narrative by flooding the airwaves while opponents saved their pennies for crunch time. Sometimes it worked (defining Stphane Dion as a weak Liberal leader) and sometimes it didnt (striking a not ready line against Mr. Trudeau that he was able to turn on its head). But it always felt like a potential difference-maker. For a couple of reasons, it might now be less so. One is a pre-election spending rule in a broader elections bill by Mr. Trudeaus government. Advertising is capped at about $2-million a party from June 30 until the campaign officially begins, which will likely be in September. So there is less room to take advantage of summer months when the October election is close enough that voters pay increased attention. What might be changing the equation more is the declining value of traditional advertising. Television remains the most expensive medium, which means its where the gap between the Tories and the other parties is most pronounced at the moment. But its an increasingly unreliable way to reach voters because of less-monolithic viewing habits. Story continues below advertisement The more that digital media is where the action is, the more the gap between relatively rich and poor parties might shrink. A relatively small amount of well-placed money can reach target voters, and in some cases messaging can spread organically with no money behind it at all. Plainly, more money to spend is still preferable to less and not just when it comes to advertising, traditional or digital. The Tories can afford more staff and other resources between elections. They dont have to worry much about taking on debt while spending the campaign maximum. And there are ways that they can effectively outspend their rivals even once spending limits kick in, including transfers from the party to the riding level. But whether fundraising should be the litmus test that some Tories hold it up as, including when asked how party building has gone since losing power, is a more open question. In government and especially in opposition, the Conservatives choices of positions they adopt or issues they emphasize from gun rights to matters of foreign policy have often seemed heavily influenced by fundraising. On occasion, party insiders have responded to questions about more hard-line messaging choices, such as on the governments handling of asylum seekers, by citing how well theyve played with donors. Such considerations are not unique to them. (Consider the Liberals attempts this week to fundraise off of Alabamas new anti-abortion law, and a claim that something similar could happen here.) But among Canadian parties, the Conservatives have had both the largest support base and the least inclination to play to voters outside it. And at times its felt as though their success appealing to people who already like them enough to consider giving them money has reinforced that instinct. Pre-election ad spending is where they want to get to the harder part of reaching the broader electorate. Otherwise, theyre just flexing for the benefit of existing supporters pleased to see their money being put to use, and it all gets a bit circular. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-how-much-is-the-conservatives-fundraising-dominance-really-worth/ |
What does the menopause do to the body? | Image copyright Getty Images The menopause is when women's periods stop and they can no longer become pregnant naturally. The menopause is a natural part of ageing which normally happens between the ages of 45 and 55, but can also be brought on by surgery to remove the ovaries or the womb (hysterectomy). In the UK, the average age of menopause is 51. Hormones, specifically one called oestrogen. It is crucial to the whole monthly reproductive cycle - the development and release of an egg from the ovaries each month for fertilisation and the thickening of the lining of the womb ready to accept the fertilised egg. But as women age and their store of eggs declines, ovulation, periods and pregnancies stop. And the body gradually stops producing oestrogen, which controls the whole process. This doesn't happen overnight though. It can take several years for this crucial hormone to fall to low levels - and then it stays that way. Massive ones. The brain, skin, muscles and emotions are all affected by falling levels of oestrogen. The body can start to behave very differently and many women experience symptoms long before their periods actually stop - during what is called the peri-menopause. Hot flushes, night sweats, sleep problems, anxiety, low mood and loss of interest in sex are common. Bladder problems and vaginal dryness are also normal during this time. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Bones become weaker after the menopause, increasing the risk of osteoporosis When oestrogen production stops altogether, there is a long-term effect on the bones and heart. Bones can weaken, making fractures more likely, and women can become more vulnerable to heart disease and stroke. That's why women are offered hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, which boosts oestrogen levels and helps to relieve symptoms. But not all women experience symptoms. They can also vary in their severity and how long they last - from a few months to several years. A lack of oestrogen. It is involved in the workings of the body's thermostat in the brain. Normally, the body copes well with temperature changes, but when oestrogen is lacking, the thermostat goes wonky and the brain thinks the body is overheating when it's not. Yes, it can do. The hormone interacts with chemicals in brain receptors which control mood, and at low levels it can cause anxiety and low mood. A lack of oestrogen can also affect the skin, making it feel dry or as if insects are crawling under the skin. Yes, progesterone and testosterone - but they don't have the same impact as low levels of oestrogen. Progesterone helps to prepare the body for pregnancy every month, and it declines when periods stop. Testosterone, which women produce in low levels, has been linked to sex drive and energy levels. It declines from the 30s onwards, and small numbers of women need it topped up. It is possible to take a blood test to levels of a hormone called FSH (follicle-stimulating hormones) but it's not very accurate, particularly over the age of 45. Experts say hormone levels go up and down all the time, during the course of a day, so the test can't really pin down what's going on. A better way is to talk to a GP or nurse about the pattern of your periods and any symptoms you are experiencing. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Hot flushes are a common symptom in the run-up to the menopause Knowing what symptoms to look out for is important - feeling low and irritable needs to be recognised as much as hot flushes and night sweats. A change in periods - becoming more heavy or more irregular - is one of the first signs of the menopause approaching. Until you are period-free for a year, you won't know you've actually gone through the menopause. Well, oestrogen levels in the body don't recover after the menopause. With rising life expectancy, women are now living more than a third of their lives with oestrogen deficiency. But there is no reason to be cowed, says Dr Heather Currie, gynaecologist, menopause expert and past chairwoman of the British Menopause Society. "Women are continuing to work later in life, they still look amazing - the image of the menopause is changing." Her advice: "If you're affected, go and visit your GP surgery armed with information. "Women should know what symptoms to look out for." Image copyright Getty Images She says there is plenty of support and information to help women cope with the physical and emotional changes which the menopause brings. Hormone replacement therapy is seen as the most effective treatment available for menopausal symptoms. There has been debate over its long-term safety, and it can cause some side-effects, but it has been shown that "the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks", Dr Currie says. Talking to other women going through the menopause and experiencing the same symptoms is also a real help, she adds. And the menopause is another good reason for women to lead a healthy lifestyle by: eating a balanced diet, low in fat and high in calcium to strengthen bones and protect the heart exercising regularly, to reduce anxiety, stress and guard against heart disease stopping smoking, to prevent heart disease and hot flushes not drinking too much, to reduce hot flushes Doing these things will help to reduce the effects of the menopause on the body. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48258910 |
Where in the world is Bitcoin's mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto? | This week, "60 Minutes" reports on the rise and fall of bitcoin over the past decade. Andy Court, the producer of the story, talked with 60 Minutes Overtime's Ann Silvio about how difficult it was to explain bitcoin and the mystery behind the cryptocurrency's creator. Below is a transcript. NEHA NARULA: A cryptocurrency is a -- let's see. ANDERSON COOPER: Because if you can't describe it (LAUGH)-- NEHA NARULA: I know, I'm trying-- ANDERSON COOPER: --I'm sunk. ANN SILVIO: Andy, you and Anderson Cooper reported on the cryptocurrency, bitcoin. Reporting this story, as I understand it, was sort of an odyssey. ANDY COURT: Yeah. Almost everyone knows the word. And it's amazing it's kind of become part of our lexicon now. But we still-- most of us don't really know what it is. ANN SILVIO: Anderson's trying to figure out what it is (LAUGHTER) in your interviews. He's sort of-- ANDY COURT: One of the joys was kind of watching Anderson (LAUGH) try to wrap his mind around this thing. Anderson Cooper interviews Neha Narula ANDERSON COOPER: There's no actual coin. NEHA NARULA: That is true. That is something that trips people up-- ANDERSON COOPER: I know this is a dumb question, but I can't-- NEHA NARULA: No, no. ANDERSON COOPER: --get past that. NEHA NARULA: It took me a little while too. ANDERSON COOPER: I'm so antiquated, I can't imagine things that do not have a physical component. MARCUS STRENG: It's really abstract for a lot of people-- ANDERSON COOPER: Don't patronize me. (LAUGHTER) ANN SILVIO: You spoke with an MIT professor, Neha Narula. Did she help clear some things up for you-- ANDY COURT: Yeah, I mean, I think Neha is very good at ex-- bringin' things back to earth. NEHA NARULA: Oh yeah. You can buy a v-- you can buy a very small amount of a Bitcoin, yes. ANDERSON COOPER: You don't have-- NEHA NARULA: One ten-millionth of a Bitcoin. It's called a Satoshi. ANDERSON COOPER: Named after the person who d-- NEHA NARULA: Named after the creator. ANDY COURT: When you ask about the creator, who created this, who invented this, they must be a real genius, everyone's like, we have no idea. ANN SILVIO: Satoshi Nakamoto, right-- ANDY COURT: Satoshi Nakamoto. ANDY COURT: It's the name that appears on the paper. ANDY COURT: No. ANDY COURT: A little. But really, I mean, it-- it's just mission impossible. NEHA NARULA: He's a myth. I mean, he-- he doesn't-- no one knows who he is. Some people have claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto. But we have not seen any definitive proof. Laszlo Hanyecz, Andy Court and Anderson Cooper ANDY COURT: People communicated by email with Satoshi. Laszlo Hanyecz, one of the people in our story, communicates-- has told us he communicated by email with Satoshi. LASZLO HANYECZ: Yes, I did. I corresponded with-- with the inventor. LASZLO HANYECZ: I do not. LASZLO HANYECZ: Just-- just talked shop, really. You know, "Hey, I -- you know, I can't get this code to work." ANDY COURT: So, there was a period when people were talking to Satoshi. They were working out the technical problems. They were revising the code. ANDY COURT: No. There was a point where Satoshi just stopped. Just faded away. ANN SILVIO: I understand Satoshi is sitting on a small fortune that has not been redeemed-- ANDY COURT: Right. Beyond the mystery of who it-- this person actually is, Satoshi Nakamoto, is the question of why not touch any of this money. LASZLO HANYECZ: Well, I mean people are keeping track of his Bitcoins. You know, because they know that he mined all the early blocks. And-- he hasn't spent them. LASZLO HANYECZ: Yeah. They're-- they're still there. None of them have been touched. So-- you know, some people think he's dead. Some people think he's just laying low. But because it's-- it's not owned or controlled by anyone-- it's-- it truly belongs to the internet. It belongs to-- to everyone. And it's almost like Satoshi came and gave us Bitcoin as a present and just kinda left. The video above was produced by Ann Silvio and Lisa Orlando. It was edited by Lisa Orlando. | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/where-in-the-world-is-bitcoins-mysterious-creator-satoshi-nakamoto-60-minutes-2019-05-17/ |
Who ripped out 2,000 cherry trees from former 49er players Brentwood orchard? | Two thousand newly-planted cherry trees were plucked from their roots and snapped beyond salvation this week at a Brentwood orchard owned and operated by former San Francisco 49ers football center, Jeremy Newberry. Just five weeks ago, Newberry said he planted 4,100 new trees on his familys 40-acre orchard, the Newberry Cherry Farm. When the Newberrys bought the land in October, there were 15 acres of cherry trees already planted. The cherry season kicked off for the family farm on Monday. Customers carried 2-and 5-gallon buckets and filled them to the brim with deep red cherries. Everything was going great, Newberry said. But on Wednesday morning, one of the Newberrys colleagues started his shift at the orchard at 7 a.m. to find roughly half of the newly-planted trees destroyed. The ordinarily uniform rows of leafy trees, each between 2.5 or 3 feet tall, were just piles of snapped branches and leaves. Newberry told The Chronicle he rushed to the farm from training young budding football players after receiving the call from his colleague. He found half of the orchard tore up. It would take two grown men, literally, and probably 6 or 7 hours, to tear up those trees, Newberry said. Just the sheer amount of time it takes to do this. It was a heartbreak. He believes vandals made their way onto the orchard late Tuesday night or early Wednesday, knowing the family doesnt live on the land while their new home is under construction. He estimates the act resulted in about $30,000 worth of damage. The farm still lacks electric power at the moment, so the Newberrys havent set up a video surveillance system, which could have offered insight on what happened overnight. The orchards irrigation system is powered by a generator, he said. He called Contra Costa County Sheriffs deputies on Wednesday morning to make a report, and he gathered the remains of 2,000 trees into a pile destined to be burned. Sheriffs deputies responded to the orchard and took a report, according to Jimmy Lee, the sheriffs office spokesman. Newberry said if the trees had not been snapped in half, it would have been possible to replant them, and some of them could have even yielded cherries. Now, his family is forced to order new trees, which will be planted in February. He said the incident has shaken up his family so much that he plans on sleeping in a motor home on the land to monitor any suspicious movement amid the remaining acres of trees. Its crazy that I even have to do that, Newberry said. Its disheartening, but were going to have to continue to move forward and not let it discourage us. The farm is still open for customers to pick cherries by the bucketful for purchase. Lauren Hernndez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor | https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Who-ripped-out-2-000-cherry-trees-from-former-13855593.php |
Why has Toronto failed to provide affordable housing? | Every Canadian should be entitled to clean, warm shelter as a matter of basic human rights, states the Canadian Federal Task Force on Housing and Urban Development Report. Homelessness is an old, old story that governments at all levels promise to fix. Throughout all those years, countless national, provincial and city projects have been built, occupied and allowed to crumble. There has been inadequate supervision and maintenance. Garbage has mounted everywhere, along with insect invasions, filth and personal dangers. There has been some limited success. The St. Lawrence Project, built in former mayor John Sewells time, is still intact and happily occupied. Why, with a city full of new apartment buildings and condos, have we been unable to provide adequate housing for the homeless. That 50-year-old federal task force statement was absolutely clear about shelter being a basic human right. But while it sounded great at the time, it has become a sad lost cause for the homeless. I am a senior, born in Toronto, and truly love my city, but I find difficulty understanding how any politician can see people die on the streets without springing into action. Perhaps it would help if that federal report was reprinted and distributed to politicians at all levels. In addition, some books I have found interesting and inspiring are: Houses and Homes, The Shape of the City and How We Changed Toronto, all by John Sewell, and The New Urban Agenda and Democracy Risin by Bill Freeman. | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/05/18/why-has-toronto-failed-to-provide-affordable-housing.html |
Is free college really free? | Its all in response to a growing sentiment that cost has put college degrees out of reach for too many students. Yet theres often a big gap between free college rhetoric and the reality that boosting higher education success is a complex puzzle. Ultimately, it comes down to a certain amount of trial and error and persistence both for the students and the public college systems. Free college scholarships have been proliferating in the United States. Currently, 24 states offer college promises, as they are often called, though their eligibility and scope vary widely. Some Democratic presidential contenders also champion the idea as a national solution. But hes taking out loans for room and board at SUNY Cobleskill, which averages about $13,000 a year. Halfway through college, Mr. Bixby doesnt know exactly how much hes borrowed. I try not to think about it too much just because I dont want it to bring me down, he says. Brenden Bixby chose college over working full time on the apple orchard that his dad manages in Poughkeepsie, New York. He receives the states Excelsior Scholarship and other grants to cover his tuition. Tufayel Ahmed is leading an ordinary college life with an extraordinary price tag for tuition: $0. Zero. The first in his Bengali-immigrant family to attend college, hes the beneficiary of a statewide program that will cover four years of tuition so he can earn a bachelors degree in computer science at the public City College of New York (CCNY), an oasis in Upper Manhattan where the quads chunky neo-Gothic buildings remind him of castles. The lean freshman with a thick wave of black hair atop his forehead lives at home in Queens, and he doesnt anticipate needing any loans. That was actually one of my goals, to make sure that Im able to finish college without having to have a huge debt on my shoulder, Mr. Ahmed says. His fathers income from working at a hotel disqualifies him for federal Pell grants and the states tuition assistance program for low-income students. But in 2017, New York state rolled out its Excelsior Scholarship with families like Mr. Ahmeds in mind. It expands help from the state to much of the middle class, covering public tuition not already paid for by other grants for students with a household income under $125,000. Recipients need to be state residents for a year before college, enroll as full-time undergraduates, and stay on track to finish on time. The offer is a bold step that people often refer to with an even bolder shorthand: free college. Ann Hermes/Staff Tufayel Ahmed poses for a portrait on campus on April 25, 2019, in New York. Mr. Ahmed says he doesnt take his freedom from financial concerns for granted. Its a huge opportunity for kids like me, he says, because it gives us more time to actually do things that we love, which in his case is coding. Free college isnt as simple as the hyperbolic label makes it sound. Living expenses on or off campus and other non-tuition costs are often higher than public tuition, and arent covered by most programs. But the catchy phrase represents a growing sentiment that cost has put college degrees out of reach for too many students and has led to a national load of student debt topping $1.5 trillion, nearly the size of Russias economy. Politically popular These scholarships, also referred to as college promises, have been proliferating in recent years throughout the United States. Hundreds of programs serve a local pool of high school graduates, often with philanthropic support. Twenty-four states offer college promises, though their eligibility and scope vary widely. (See map.) SOURCE: College Promise Campaign, data as of May 10, 2019 | Jacob Turcotte and Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/Staff On the national level, free college is a prominent talking point for many Democratic presidential candidates. Earlier, President Barack Obama called for free community college, and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, became a magnet to youth voters in 2016 when he included four-year degrees in his free college plan. In Congress last year, Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, pushed the envelope even further with his Debt-Free College Act, which would cover more than just tuition for those who need aid at public colleges, through a federal-state partnership. He reintroduced it in March. As long as Republicans control the U.S. Senate, such expensive ideas are unlikely to gain traction. But state plans already underway offer a more concrete story. After years of post-recession cuts to higher education budgets, many states have finally turned the corner and begun reinvesting. And college promise plans are making a real difference in family balance sheets from Oklahoma to Rhode Island. They are demonstrating that a desire to shore up higher educations role in promoting social mobility and the economy can transcend partisanship. Weve seen both Democratic and Republican [state] leaders embrace this issue because it is politically popular, says Tiffany Jones, director of higher education policy for The Education Trust in Washington, D.C., which advocates for educational equity. Even as alternative pathways such as apprenticeships are growing, theres no ignoring the critical importance that [higher education] continues to play in students ability to participate in the economy. Whether making college free for large swaths of the population is a good idea is still a point of debate, however. A number of conservatives argue that it wont produce a high enough rate of return and might even harm the economy by leading to higher taxes. They also see higher education as more of a private good than a public one. The predominant gainers from attending college are the people who go to college themselves, says Richard Vedder, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif., and author of the new book Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America. Since college graduates tend to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more over the course of their lifetime, why should not someone making those kinds of gains pay for it, just like they would pay for any other investment they make? he says. Even some Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, for instance have come out against free public four-year colleges. Trial and error in execution But among those who support more comprehensive free college, theres also a lot to hash out about how to structure it to be fair and effective. The Tennessee Promise, covering community college tuition and offering various other supports for students since 2015, is often looked to as a model. The governor of Washington state is expected to sign into law next week an expanded college promise that some experts consider the most progressive in the nation. New York made its splash in 2017, because Excelsior was the first statewide program to cover not just community colleges, but also four-year schools for students beyond the lowest income level and regardless of high school GPA. So far, 20,000 students have received Excelsior, with the state budgeting $92.4 million for the 2018-19 school year. Thanks to a combination of state and federal aid, tuition is now free for 55 percent of in-state, full-time undergraduates at State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) campuses, says Daniel Fuller, Gov. Andrew Cuomos deputy secretary for education, in a phone interview. Yet theres often a big gap between free college rhetoric and the reality that boosting higher education success is a complex puzzle. Ultimately, it comes down to a certain amount of trial and error and persistence both for the students and the public college systems. A closer look at such experiments can help inform policy debates and even kitchen-table conversations about how to target higher education aid to give both students and taxpayers the biggest bang for their buck. Were happy to see so much energy around this big investment, says Ms. Jones of The Education Trust. We just want to make sure those investments are made in the best ways, and that means actually impacting the ability of low-income students to pay for college. College promise plans are one way to give wings to students educational aspirations. By communicating in K-12 schools that tuition will be covered, they can motivate more students to complete high school, take a college-prep curriculum, and enroll. The promise in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been around long enough to also show a boost in college completion. But if policymakers dont get the right formula for support, they may not generate the hoped-for gains. In New York, advocates for more investment in higher education say too many people are left out of the Excelsior Scholarship, and that its requirement of full-time attendance and on-time graduation may result in the most disadvantaged students losing eligibility partway through school. Nationwide, only about 6 out of 10 full-time students at public institutions complete a bachelors degree within six years, let alone four. So if students heed the call to stretch themselves and dream beyond a high school diploma or associate degree, and then they trip over the strings attached, it can feel like the promise has fallen flat, too. One example: stymied by credits Yerania Aguilar embodies both the promise and the pitfalls. Shes the first in her family to earn an associate degree from Queensborough Community College in New York and it was virtually free. A special program there covered not only tuition, but also transportation and books, and helped her keep on track with strong advisement. Ann Hermes/Staff Yerania Aguilar, a junior at Queens College, part the City University of New York system, poses for a portrait on campus in May. Shes the first in her family to earn an associates degree, which was virtually free. Now, at a four-year college, a misunderstanding with her schedule and credits changed her Excelsior Scholarship eligibility. She arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at age 3, and still lives with her sister and their single mother in Queens. By some markers, she is living the American Dream. I was definitely thankful for free community college, which is maybe why it got to my head: If it could happen to me the first two years, it could happen to me the second two years. But no, it didnt work like that, Ms. Aguilar says, sitting on a saggy couch in the basement of the student union at Queens College, where shes pursuing a bachelors degree in exercise science. Last spring, at the end of her second semester here, she found out that dropping a class in her first semester had thrown her off track. She thought she had a green light for her schedule. By her count, she was still earning 31 credits for the year, she says, and Excelsior requires 30. But then a college official told her she hadnt earned enough credits related to her major. For that spring semester I had to pay back $639, she says, the amount of her Excelsior Scholarship after other aid covered the rest. Tuition at CUNY four-year campuses, including Queens College and Mr. Ahmeds CCNY, is $6,730 per year. Her questions to campus officials were never satisfactorily answered, she says, but she paid it and moved forward without the scholarship. She had also lost future eligibility by declaring a minor, which would make it impossible to finish her degree on time. She chose psychology as her minor, to prepare for graduate school on her way to becoming a pediatric physical therapist. She knew that would be a good career when she assisted Sebastian, a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy, during an assignment at her community college. He said he couldnt put on a sock, and then [we found] other ways for him to put on a sock without it being such a hassle. And at the end of the day he was able to put it on, and it just felt so heartwarming, she says. She babysits and tutors, and her mother, who works in housekeeping, helps cover nearly $1,000 in expenses each semester. She knows thats relatively cheap for college, but says that because of Excelsior, the cost was unexpected. When they first introduce you to the scholarship, it sounds very easy, ... but then the contract itself is very confusing, she says. Many students struggle to line up the right courses to graduate on time, especially when campus resources are stretched thin, so Excelsiors 30-credits-per-year rule is placing the onus on the student for a problem thats really systemic, says Emily Skydel, issue coordinator for higher education affordability at New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), which has a chapter at Queens College. Ann Hermes/Staff Students walk in and out of the North Academic Center at the City College of New York in May. Tuition at CCNY is $6,730 per year. The Monitor spoke with several CUNY Excelsior scholars who are taking extra-heavy course loads or considering summer classes to stay on track, but state scholarships can be used only in the spring and fall semesters, so they would have to pay out of pocket. Funding for CUNY and SUNY has essentially been flat after accounting for inflation in recent years, Ms. Skydel says. You cant just waive the cost but not invest in the system. The states Higher Education Services Corp. plans to track how many students lose eligibility for Excelsior, but doesnt yet have a number, Mr. Fuller says. As for students being shut out of needed classes, he says, we have not had that problem reported to us from either SUNY or CUNY. ... They were very clear to us that ... kids will not be denied their scholarship because they cant get into a class in their major, he says. Students can appeal through HESC. Several campus leaders say the 30-credit rule is a plus, bolstering a broader set of efforts to keep students on an efficient path toward graduation. At CUNYs 25 campuses, the share of full-time students earning 30 credits in their first year rose from 45 percent in 2013-14 to 55 percent in 2017-18. The 3,300 Excelsior scholars appear to be contributing to the rise, says senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer Matthew Sapienza. But the four-year timeline doesnt take into account the relationship between the racial wealth gap and college completion, and can further disadvantage black and Hispanic students, says Alan Aja, associate professor in Puerto Rican and Latino studies at CUNYs Brooklyn College. College progress is affected not just by income, but also by whether a family has a financial safety net to lean on during hard times, he says. Nationally, while 39 percent of white students complete public four-year schools within four years, only 19 percent of blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics do, the National Center on Education Statistics reports. Why not just have tuition free for all?, which CUNY did for many decades before 1976, Professor Aja says. The strings attached are like a form of workfare, and its something that we unfairly do to communities of color. That approach is like saying the person needs fixing in order to work harder, he says, but poor people are already working hard, and its the institutional inequality that needs fixing. Hes also concerned about the fact that if students dont work in the state after graduation for the same number of years that they receive the scholarship, it will convert into a no-interest loan that they have to pay back (with exceptions, like military service). While the fine print of free tuition looks onerous to some advocates, to other observers, its simply a fiscal and political reality, at least for now. States are trying to figure out how to pay for these programs, so theyre adding cost-containment measures, says Jen Mishory, a senior fellow in the Washington, D.C., office of The Century Foundation, which seeks to reduce inequality. Ann Hermes/Staff Information about scholarships on display in May at the North Academic Center at the City College of New York. The school is one of many in New York State whose students are using the Excelsior Scholarship. So far, 20,000 students have received Excelsior with the state budgeting $92.4 million for the 2018-19 school year. The Education Trust favors plans like Oklahomas and Indianas. They are limited to lower-income families, but instead of just covering tuition thats not paid for by other aid, their scholarships can be layered on top of other funds to cover some additional expenses such as books or room and board that otherwise might prove a barrier. Thats important because it directs more assistance to those who need it most, Ms. Jones says. Universal plans that include middle-class families are often touted as easier sells politically, but some state programs that target low-income students have survived and thrived, even as lawmakers cut other higher education spending, she notes. Free vs. debt-free Even for students who get free tuition, room and board can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Thats one reason some Democrats want to go beyond free tuition and offer ways for students to avoid debt, or even wipe out already accumulated debt as presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts recently proposed. Voters are receptive to these ideas. When asked if they support raising taxes on the wealthiest to make public colleges tuition-free, 55 percent said yes; 56 percent support wiping out up to $50,000 in student debt for those making under $100,000, according to a May Politico/Morning Consult poll. Excelsior and other scholarships cover Brenden Bixbys tuition, but hes taking out loans for room and board at SUNY Cobleskill, which averages about $13,000 a year. Right out of high school, Mr. Bixby could have worked full time on the apple orchard that his father manages in Poughkeepsie, New York. I really wanted to get a degree just to have behind me, because nowadays you cant get anything without a degree, he says. He chose Cobleskill in rural central New York, about two hours from home, because it offers an environmental management major and great spots to go fly fishing. Halfway through college, Mr. Bixby doesnt know exactly how much hes borrowed. I try not to think about it too much just because I dont want it to bring me down, he says. I need to focus on getting good grades because I will come out with a better job, and that job will make it way easier to pay for over time. At CCNY, Mr. Ahmed says he doesnt take his freedom from financial concerns for granted. Its a huge opportunity for kids like me, he says, because it gives us more time to actually do things that we love, which in his case is coding. His older cousins had to juggle work and college to help get the extended family established in the U.S. Now he hopes his three younger siblings can take advantage of the easier path hes found. But he also hopes the states and the federal government can do more to make college affordable. I feel like education shouldnt have a huge price to it, where its like selling your life just to learn something, he says. Some people, theyre not able to make as much as others, but they still want to give their child the best education that they can receive. Hes applied for a leadership and public service fellowship next year. Hes looking forward to the internships that will bring, and can someday envision turning his love for computer science into a project that will make a positive difference for many people. I always wanted to do something that will give back to the community, he says before heading up the wide slate-gray stairs and disappearing into the massive North Academic Center for a class on writing for engineers. Despite the challenges shes faced, Ms. Aguilar, too, is determined to use her experience to help others. She counsels students at her former community college, telling them, This is where I went wrong; this is where you could go right, she says. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy All of them want to show their parents that the sacrifices to enable them to attend college will bear fruit. Sometimes it was so easy to say, Never mind, I quit. ... Its fine to just do a high school degree, Ms. Aguilar says. But then shed think about her mothers hopes: She wants something more. | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2019/0516/Is-free-college-really-free |
Can Indie Social Media Save Us? | In the summer of 2016, I gave a talk at a small TEDx conference in northern Virginia. I began by admitting that Ive never had a social-media account; I then outlined arguments for why other people should consider eliminating social media from their lives. The event organizers uploaded the video of my talk to YouTube, where it languished for a few months. Then, for unknowable reasons, it entered the viral slipstream. It was shared repeatedly on Facebook and Instagram and, eventually, viewed more than five million times. I was both pleased and chagrined by the irony of the fact that my anti-social-media talk had found such a large audience on social media. I think of this episode as typical of the conflicted relationships many of us have with Facebook, Instagram, and other social-media platforms. On the one hand, weve grown wary of the so-called attention economy, which, in the name of corporate profits, exploits our psychological vulnerabilities in ways that corrode social life, diminish privacy, weaken civic cohesion, and make us vulnerable to manipulation. But we also benefit from social media and hesitate to disengage from it completely. Not long ago, I met a partner at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., who told me that she keeps Instagram on her phone because she misses her kids when she travels; browsing pictures of them makes her feel better. Meanwhile, because she also worries about her phone usage, shes instituted a rule that requires her, before looking at Instagram, to read for at least thirty minutes. Last year, she read fifty-five books. Many of us have similar stories. Even as we dream of abandoning social media, we search for ways to redeem it. In recent months, some of the biggest social-media companies have begun searching for this redemption, too. Facebook and Twitter, in particular, have promised various reforms. In March, Mark Zuckerberg announced a plan to move his platform toward private communication protected by end-to-end encryption; later that month, he proposed the establishment of a third-party group to set standards for acceptable content. Around the same time, Jack Dorsey brought one of Twitters head lawyers onto Joe Rogans podcast to better explain the platforms evolving standards for banning users. Legislators are also getting involved. Elizabeth Warren shared a plan for breaking up tech giants like Facebook; others admire the European Unions sweeping and byzantine General Data Protection Regulation, which deploys aggressive fines to coerce companies into better protecting user privacy. All of these approaches assume that the reformation of social media will be an intricate, lengthy, and incremental process involving lawyers, Ph.D.s, and government experts. But not everyone sees it that way. Alongside these official responses, a loose collective of developers and techno-utopians that calls itself the IndieWeb has been creating another alternative. The movements affiliates are developing their own social-media platforms, which they say will preserve whats good about social media while jettisoning whats bad. They hope to rebuild social media according to principles that are less corporate and more humane. Proponents of the IndieWeb offer a fairly straightforward analysis of our current social-media crisis. The bulk of our online activity takes places on servers owned by a small number of massive companies. Servers cost money to run. If youre using a companys servers without paying for the privilege, then that company must be finding other ways to extract value from youand its that quest for large-scale value extraction, they argue, that leads directly to the crises of compromised privacy and engineered addictiveness with which were currently grappling. In their view, freedom of expression is also affected by server ownership. When you confine your online activities to so-called walled-garden networks, you end up using interfaces that benefit the owners of those networks; on social media, this means that you are forced to choose among what the techno-philosopher Jaron Lanier has called multiple-choice identities. According to this way of thinking, sites like Facebook and Instagram encourage conformism because it makes your data easier to process and monetize. This creates the exhausting sense that youre a worker in a data factory rather than a three-dimensional individual trying to express yourself and connect with other real people in an organic way online. When the problem is framed this way, the solution promoted by the IndieWeb movement becomes obvious: own your own servers. On a smaller scale, this is an old idea. For the past twelve years, Ive hosted my personal blog using a server that I lease in a Michigan data center; Ive enjoyed knowing that I own what I post there and that no one is trying to monetize my data or exploit my attention. And yet, running a personal blog that you write yourself is quite different from running a social network. To create social platforms that work on servers owned by users rather than big corporations, the IndieWeb developers have had to solve a tricky technical problem: decentralization. | https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us |
Is the Air Force Really Testing an Earth-Penetrating Nuclear Bomb? | Aaron Miles Security, Nope. And here is why. In a recent article, Eryn Macdonald repeated the stubbornly persistent misconception that the Air Force is developing a new earth-penetrating nuclear bomb. Similar analysis last summer followed a drop test of the B61-12 nuclear bombor mod 12, meaning twelfth modification or variantfrom a stealth bomber. Drop tests verify the operation of various weapon subsystems, but do not include the nuclear components. The Defense and Energy Departments are developing the B61-12 to replace several old B61 variants that are slated for retirement, but the new weapon is not an earth penetrator. Currently, the United States deploys four B61 variants. The B61-7 is considered a strategic weapon because it is carried by the B-2 bomber and can, therefore, travel intercontinental distances. Two nonstrategic variants are carried by shorter-range fighter aircraft and are deployed in Europe as part of the U.S. security commitment to NATO. The fourth existing variant, the B61-11, does actually possess an earth-penetration capability, and in this respect is unique within Americas nuclear deterrent force. Read full article | https://news.yahoo.com/air-force-really-testing-earth-043000614.html |
Will Game of Thrones Redeem Daenerys Targaryen? | LAUREN PIESTER: I've been watching the show since the day the first episode aired, and while I've never gone back and rewatched (to the point where I've forgotten a lot), I do feel like I've been living with these people for eight years. And as entertaining as last week's episode was and as much as I was waiting for Dany to snap, the way it happened just felt disappointing instead of shocking. She spent eight seasons desperately trying to rule things differently than anyone had before, and the idea that she'd take her anger and turn on the innocent people instead of the actual people who wronged her made it feel at the very least like we'd missed a whole season of episodes, or at the most like a carefully built character had just been totally destroyed over the course of 20 minutes. And then on top of that, Cersei, the greatest foe of the series, did nothing and died when a building fell on her, in the arms of her (equally ruined) twin brother, laying to waste all that time we spent betting on which deserving character would ultimately do her in. Now it just feels like the inevitable conclusion is everybody agreeing that Jon Snow, the sweetest, blandest boy, always should have been in charge, and that's just such a bummer after we just watched two powerful women destroy each other over that throne. At least my expectations are now so low that maybe I'll absolutely love the finale, but unless Dany abandoned that dragon (a theory I've been working on since we didn't even see her on its back for most of the last half of the episode), it's going to be really hard to ever feel the same way about this show again. | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1042462/will-game-of-thrones-redeem-daenerys-targaryen |
Whats Going on With Russias New Stealth Fighter? | From Popular Mechanics The Russian government has bumped up its first order for new Su-57 fighter bombers, commiting to five time as many planes as it had originally planned to purchase by 2028. The order comes after the fighters development has stalled and co-developer India has pulled out of the project. Moscow has also offered the jet to Istanbul if Turkey is kicked out of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The Su-57s first flight was on January 29, 2010, when it flew for 47 minutes from the Yuri Gagarin aircraft factory in Russias Far East. The fighter surprised Western observers who were unaware Russia was working on a new fighter program. The Su-57 is Russias first fifth generation fighter, in the same vein as the American F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and the Chinese J-20. Like other fifth generation fighters, the Su-57 is set apart from previous generation jets by a stealthy design, powerful radar, and the ability to cruise above the speed of sound. The Su-57 was supposed to enter production by 2020, but technical problems and a lack of funding has slowed development to a crawl. One of the biggest problems has been the development of new engines for the Sukhoi jet. The Izdeliye 30 engine developed for the Su-57 would deliver 41,000 pounds of thrust, for a combined 82,000 pounds of thrust. The engine proved difficult to develop however and is only now in testing. A full view of Izdeliye 30 turbofan engine for #Sukhoi-57 at Salyut Machine-Building Production Association. Hi-res source image: https://t.co/eoLjHuXEXw Image via Vector at paralay. pic.twitter.com/DhBLkzvtMk - RussianDefence.com (@Russian_Defence) November 14, 2017 As a result of these problems only nine prototype aircraft have been built, and until recently Moscow had committed to buying only 16 of the jets by 2027. This is in sharp contrast to a the original planned purchase of 400 to 450 planes between 2020 and 2040. India, which which had committed $6 billion to the project under a co-development program that would allow Delhi to buy the jets when they were complete, pulled out of the program entirely, frustrated by slow development and what it considered excessive secrecy. Now, according to FlightGlobal , Russia will buy 76 of the jets by 2028. Thats enough for three full air regiments of 24 fighters each, plus four spares. The purchase is buoyed by a promise by the manufacturer that the jet is now, for some reason, 20 percent cheaper. Moscow and Sukhoi have not explained how the Su-57 suddenly became cheaper. Russia, unfazed by Indias dropping of the Su-57, is now pitching the jet abroad. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered the Sukhoi to Turkey, which is embroiled in a spat with the United States over a missile purchase. Turkey was an early, key member of the F-35 development coalition but recently committed to purchasing the S-400 long range surface to air missile system from Russia. The U.S. says that the purchase of the S-400 is incompatible with Turkeys participation in the F-35 program and has threatened to kick Turkey out , and now Russia is rushing to offer Su-57 fighters in the F-35s place. Another development is that, according to Russian state media , the Su-57 will be equipped with hypersonic air-to-ground missiles. Hypersonic missiles, which fly at speeds exceeding Mach 5, are difficult for current air defense systems to defend against. The Su-57s hypersonic missiles will apparently fit internally with the fighters weapons bays, in order to preserve the fighters stealthy, anti-radar profile. | https://news.yahoo.com/going-russia-stealth-fighter-130000503.html |
What Happens When Wind Turbines Get Too Old? | Taylor Hays grew up watching her father fix wind turbines. She didn't consider herself to be very mechanical. But she knew she wanted to work with her hands. So she decided to follow in her father's footsteps. Hays is studying at Walla Walla Community College in southeast Washington to repair renewable energy equipment, like wind turbines. "This is my first wind application class, so I'm kind of excited because we haven't been able to work with actual wind turbine equipment yet," Hays said, standing in a large room filled with mechanical equipment. As a potential second-generation wind technician, Hays said she's ready to be part of an industry that's helping develop technology that will reduce fossil fuel dependence. Will I help develop new technologies and all of that?' It's exciting to think about," she said. The four students in this class huddle around a computer. Hays reads instructions from a large workbook. Various parts of a wind turbine hang from the wall in front of them. They punch commands into the computer, and the equipment whirs to life, rotating this way and that. "In this case, we're making things go wrong on purpose so that we can practice fixing them," Hays said. Fixing Turbines Down the road in Pasco, Washington, H&N Electric is in the business of fixing things that go wrong inside the turbines. Inside the company's shop, machinist Mike Byrd has a broken piece of equipment suspended on a hook. It's an essential part of the wind turbine generator called a slip ring. "These are one of the pieces of the generator that are designed that they wear out. And so we'll exchange them out for a one that's in good shape," Byrd said. Several of these heavy pieces of equipment sit next to his workstation. This particular piece he's working on is damaged beyond repair. "This one's junk now. So I'll put it in our recycling bin and it'll get recycled," he said. Nate Glessner, manager of H&N Electric's Pasco plant, used to work as a wind technician in the early 1990s. Now, he says, he's seeing more wind turbine generators break down before they are 5 years old. That's way earlier than their expected 20-year lifespan. "A lot of the manufacturers had to produce a huge volume of equipment to meet the demands of the market. And the wind when market has grown very rapidly. So basically lot there is a lot of design issues," Glessner said. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says wind power is set to outpace hydropower this year. Glessner said he's only seeing design issues getting worse. In the Northwest, some of the oldest wind farms were built in the early 2000s. When the turbines get too old, wind farm owners can either upgrade to newer technology or shut down the farms. Those processes are called re-powering or decommissioning, respectively. In H&N Electric's shop, Jose Gutierrez finishes up one of the last steps of repairing a part of a wind turbine generator. In Oregon, the oldest wind project under state jurisdiction is requesting to re-power its turbines. The Stateline Wind Project began operating in Umatilla County in 2001. The re-powering would increase the turbine height so that the farm can generate more energy. The Energy Facility Siting Council is expected to make a decision on the re-power request Friday, May 17. In the U.S., old turbine blades usually end up in the landfill. About 22,000 pounds each. Three blades per turbine. A New Way To Recycle Washington State University professor Karl Englund hopes to prevent that. He's helped develop a new recycling process for the fiberglass blades. "They're difficult material to handle, and there is not a clearcut path to say, 'This is really easy. We can recycle this,'" England said. Englund is working with Global Fiberglass Solutions, which is based in Bothell, Washington. The company has built a blade recycling plant in West Texas. It should be up and running by 2020. To recycle the blades, the plant breaks them down into quarter-inch pieces or smaller. Eventually, those chunks are turned into plastic pellets or panels similar to particleboard. Unlike wood, the fiberglass panels are water resistant. "So that has some very unique attributes of being able to go where wood falls short. That goes into places where there's high humidity water where fungi and deterioration and swelling occur with wood," Englund said. Eventually, the company hopes to recycle other fiberglass products - like boats and airplanes. They're also planning to expand across the globe. Right now, they're in talks to build a plant in the Midwest and, one day, in China and Europe. | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/What-Happens-When-Wind-Turbines-Get-Too-Old-13855958.php |
How cool was Ernie Johnson's return to his childhood home Thursday? Or Charles Barkley's $45K donation to Malcolm Brogdon? | TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson (white sweatshirt) visits his childhood home in Milwaukee on May 16, joined by (from left) current homeowner Kim Nelson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and current homeowner Pat Nelson. (Photo: Submitted photo by Michael J. Murphy) Following the TNT broadcast of Friday's Eastern Conference finals Game 2 battle between Milwaukee and Toronto, "Inside the NBA" aired video from Thursday night's visit to the Enderis Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, where studio host Ernie Johnson checked out his childhood home. Johnson has been back before to the home on N. 68th Street, just north of the Wauwatosa city limits bordered by Center Street, but this time, he was joined by co-hosts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, as well as a host of neighborhood residents. RELATED: 'For the homeboy:' Mayor Tom Barrett presents proclamation to TNT broadcaster and Milwaukee native Ernie Johnson Jr. Having the TNT team -- which also features former NBA player Kenny Smith -- was perhaps the best off-the-court story to emerge from the first two games of the series, with plenty to celebrate on the court, as well, as the Bucks took a 2-0 series lead. The home is owned today by Pat and Kim Nelson, and Johnson had a chance to reconnect with his old neighbors, as well. He moved with his family to Atlanta in his youth after the Milwaukee Braves relocated. Ernie Johnson's father, Ernie Sr., played for the Braves before becoming a member of the PR staff and the team broadcaster. Alderman Michael J. Murphy also stopped by for the impromptu event. "The Nelsons were so kind to open their home for Ernie and his guests, and it was especially fun watching a neighbor instruct Charles on the correct way to prepare and grill bratwurst!" Murphy said in a statement. Speaking of Barkley, Sir Charles showed off his charitable side during the postgame, when he pledged $45,000 to Malcolm Brogdon's initiative that brings clean water to Africa. Chuck gave Malcolm Brogdon $45,000 to build a well for his charity that helps bring clean water to Africa (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/bIqZWevc5o Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 18, 2019 Brogdon's "Hoops2o" program is an offshoot of the Waterboys initiative started by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long, and he's joined forces with a handful of other basketball players for this venture. Brogdon visited many nations in the summer and noticed how dire the need for clean water is in Tanzania. For me, personally, I feel like thats my duty while Im on this earth is to serve others and use my blessing to bless others," Brogdon said earlier this year. "If Im not doing that I feel like Im not serving my purpose. Thats my goal, thats my passion and thats what I intend to do for the rest of my life. Brogdon told Barkley that $45,000 is the cost of one clean well, at which point Barkley offered that sum. JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2019/05/18/how-cool-tnt-crews-visit-enderis-park-neighborhood-thursday/3719194002/ |
Will stripe rust reach Colorado winter wheat? | There are now numerous reports of stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. With the current cool and rainy weather conditions, the development of stripe rust in Colorado wheat could be possible. Stripe rust is one of the most challenging diseases of wheat because of its wide distribution, its capacity to form new races that can attack previously resistant cultivars, its ability to move long distances, and its potential to develop rapidly under optimal environmental conditions. The disease usually occurs in the spring, when temperature ranges from 55F to 75F. High humidity and rainfall are favorable conditions for increasing the infection. Stripe rust causes yellow, blister-like lesions arranged in long, narrow stripes on leaves, leaf sheaths and heads. Since many races of rust fungi exist, it is difficult to produce wheat varieties resistant to all of them. Growing resistant varieties is still the best and most economical method of minimizing yield losses. A number of cultural practices also can decrease disease incidence. Practices such as controlling grassy weeds and volunteer wheat, late planting and avoiding excessive water and fertilizer reduce the risk of infection. In addition, fungicide seed treatments and timely application of foliar fungicides to protect rust-susceptible varieties from severe infection are effective practices to managing stripe rust. Several factors should be considered when assessing the risk for your wheat to stripe rust infection. Use the following criteria to decide whether treatment is warranted: (1) susceptibility of the wheat variety, (2) quality of stand and yield potential, (3) presence of rust infection in the southern states, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas,(4) earliness or lateness of the crop, (5) weather conditions, and (6) price of wheat. In general, if trace amounts of rust are present on the flag leaf in the early boot stage of development, and infection below the flag leaf is moderate or moderately severe, it is likely that the flag leaf will become severely infected and a fungicide application should be cost effective. The best timing of a fungicide application to control foliar fungal diseases of wheat is when the flag leaf has emerged. Flag leaf timing is aimed at protecting the flag leaf because, compared to the other leaves, it contributes the most to grain fill. However, depending on how severe stripe rust is, an earlier application may be warranted Dr. Tessa Albrecht, a plant pathologist at Colorado State University (CSU), emphasizes the importance of knowing the yield potential and the susceptibility of your wheat varieties before applying any fungicide. Every year, Dr. Scott Haley, CSUs wheat breeder, rates wheat varieties according to their degree of susceptibility to stripe rust. (1) Varieties at relatively higher risk due to susceptibility are: Avery, Byrd, Byrd CL Plus, Denali, Snowmass and Sunshine; and (2) Varieties considered resistant or moderately resistant: Antero, Breck, Canvas, Langin. LCS Chrome, Long Branch, Monarch, Snowmass 2.0, SY Monumet, SY Rugged, SY Wolf, WB Grainfield and Whistler. A complete list of susceptibility ratings of wheat varieties to stripe rust and other diseases can be found in the CSU Crop Testing Programs report, Making Better Decision: 2018 Colorado Winter Wheat Variety Performance Trials or online at: https://webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/csucrops/reports/winterwheat/wheatreport_2018.pdf. Applying a foliar fungicide to wheat does not guarantee higher yields. In the event of serious disease pressure, timely application with the right product will protect yields and be worth the cost. However, if you treat the field and the disease levels never develop beyond light or moderate, the return on your investment will be less and could result in a break-even or loss scenario. At list of foliar fungicides, efficacy ratings and harvest restrictions can be accessed at https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/EP130.pdf. There are no reports of stripe rust in NE Colorado. Based on the current weather pattern, cool and wet, and the presence of the disease in the southern states, there is a significant chance it will develop in Colorado. Therefore, it is recommended that fields be scouted regularly for early detection of stripe rust and other diseases such as septoria tritici blotch, tan spot, and powdery mildew. If you think you may have disease symptoms in your wheat fields, contact the CSU Extension office in your area or send samples to the CSU Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic: https://plantclinic.agsci.colostate.edu/ for proper identification of the disease. Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Logan and Morgan Counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. | https://www.denverpost.com/2019/05/18/colorado-winter-wheat-stripe-rust/ |
Are our weddings too white? | Image copyright PA Image caption Harry and Meghan's wedding prompted a conversation about interracial marriage A year ago Meghan and Harry charmed the nation with their own, not entirely traditional, special day. Guests were addressed - at length - by the African-American bishop, Michael Curry. A gospel choir performed the soul classic Stand By Me. And yet there was still a horse-drawn carriage, a diamond tiara and veil, Schubert and the Philharmonic. It was, by general agreement, a beautiful wedding which honoured traditions in the families and backgrounds of both bride and groom. Of course a wedding on that scale isn't typical, but it did get people talking. While couples are increasingly choosing imaginative ways to celebrate, some argue the industry is still behaving as if everyone tying the knot is white. 'Ignored' When Assumpta Vitcu got engaged, a friend bought her a pile of wedding magazines. But the sight of them blunted her excitement. "It was very disheartening not to see myself reflected in the pages," says Nigerian-British Assumpta. She handed them to her fianc Horia, who is Romanian. But when he looked the only black face he could find was the tiny figure of a marriage officiant in a Caribbean wedding. Image copyright Becky Bailey Photography Image caption Black brides say they aren't being catered for by the mainstream industry It got worse. When she went to a wedding show, where hundreds of firms market their wares and services, she felt almost invisible. She stood at one stand while the jeweller attended a previous customer. "He didn't acknowledge me once," she says. "Then two Caucasian women walked over and he immediately said 'please give me a moment and I'll be right with you.'" She walked away infuriated. Perhaps, she says, he assumed that she had limited financial means. Spending power She had a similar experience at a bridal boutique in London's financial district of Canary Wharf, where she says the shop assistants automatically showed her the cheapest, entry-level options. Yet in the end, Assumpta had a bespoke designer dress with a huge train as well as two more dresses to wear at the Nigerian celebration she held alongside her "traditional" wedding. Horia dressed in bespoke suit and handmade shoes, as well as in Nigerian traditional dress. Image copyright AFP Image caption Horia and Assumpta had a separate ceremony where they wore traditional Nigerian dress There are strong ethical reasons why the bridal industry should reflect a greater diversity in the pages of magazines, and treat customers with equal respect. But there are sound financial reasons too. The typical UK wedding now costs around 30,000 and it's a vast industry of photographers, flowers, honeymoons, music, make-up, stationery, hair, clothes, catering and cake decorating. If firms are failing to appeal to a segment of their customers, they're missing out on business. 'Bizarre silence' Zoe Burke, an editor at the online wedding site Confetti.co.uk, says it is only gradually dawning on the industry that they could be doing better. "There's been a long overdue awakening," she says. "For a long time there's been a growing consciousness that the industry as a whole hasn't been reflective of the society that we live in." Confetti is trying to do its bit. Two out of three editions of its magazine have featured Asian and mixed-race cover models. "I think the wedding of Harry and Meghan made the industry pay more attention to the fact that there is a huge variety of couples out there and that they need to feel represented." Image copyright Rupa Photography Image caption Nova Reid reacted to the lack of diversity in the wedding industry by launching her own brand Nova Reid says she also noticed the "bizarre silence" around black brides when she began planning her wedding seven years ago. It didn't stop at magazines, it was show brochures, business portfolios and catwalk shows. At wedding shows, goody-bags are handed out containing tanning products designed for white brides. Make-up demonstrations didn't cater for black skin. Avoiding a car crash "It was as if these shows were not expecting black women to be coming through the door, not expecting us to be getting married," says Nova. In the end Nova launched her own bridal brand, Nu Bride, which earlier this year hosted the UK's first wedding show specifically celebrating diversity. The show aimed to cater for couples that wanted to fuse different traditions, races, religions and cultures. There were workshops on menus, in case guests were encountering food that was new to them, discussion of what symbols and colours might mean to different people, and how to honour different cultures "without looking like a car crash". Image copyright Becky Bailey Photography Image caption The Nu Bride was about encouraging a greater diversity in the wedding industry Nova says the industry would do well to pay closer attention to this market since African, Caribbean and Asian families tend to celebrate for several days, with more guests and more lavish events, spending around twice the general average. She says mixed couples in particular want to reflect their backgrounds in their weddings, because often they've faced extra hurdles; a wedding that celebrates both cultures can help to legitimise the union. "For some people getting married is about overcoming discrimination, so it is about being seen. And there is something about not being catered to that can make you feel you are valued less as a human being." Fusion Two years ago Sophia married Ayoola Olatunde, a British Nigerian, and since her Pakistani family didn't approve, many, including her parents and brother, chose not to attend. But she was still determined to reflect all the aspects of their joint heritage, including their Britishness. Image copyright Graham Hann Image caption Sophia and Ayoola Olatunde wanted a wedding that would reflect their Punjabi and Nigerian heritage While the industry catering to traditional South Asian weddings is huge and well-established, she found firms weren't prepared to provide things that veered from very traditional styles. She says although most of her friends seem to be in inter-racial partnerships, Asian wedding firms appear to be even more resistant to change than the mainstream wedding industry. Sophia couldn't find caterers that would fuse Asian and African food traditions. "They said there would have to be two caterers, two kitchens." So in the end they ate chicken in pastry with a dash of turmeric. "It was delicious," she says. "But very British." They managed to create a sense of mingled cultures with her in Punjabi dress and the groom in a green tailored jacket. Her bridesmaids wore saris. His family was in Nigerian dress. Since she is Muslim and her husband a Christian they asked a humanist celebrant to conduct a non-denominational service and the DJ provided a particularly successful blend of pop, Punjabi music and Afrobeat. But for the most part, she says, it felt like she was planning two parallel celebrations. "I wanted a balance of cultures, but in the end I had to find separate ways. I would love for someone to offer the fusion." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47632929 |
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