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Was Vincent Kompany lucky to escape a red card for lunge on Mohamed Salah? | With half hour played and the game at 0-0, Kompany flew into a challenge with Salah, who was motoring towards goal. The City skipper got nowhere near the ball and caught the striker with his studs showing. Co-commentator Gary Neville thought a yellow card was the correct punishment but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp disagreed, saying Kompany could have ended Salah's season with such a dangerous tackle and wanted him sent off. Kompany joked: "I thought it was a great challenge. "On the pitch I felt I got the ball, a bit of the man, I didn't try to injure him at all. It was that or either let him go through on goal. The decision was made very quickly in my head." Hit the video to watch Kompany's tackle. | https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11598297/was-vincent-kompany-lucky-to-escape-a-red-card-for-lunge-on-mohamed-salah |
Why is Cuomo suddenly allergic to oversight? | Looks like legislative Democrats have really struck a nerve with their own party leader, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor now insists he wasnt bullying anyone. This, after the new heads of the Senate and Assembly investigations committees said they would conduct full-time oversight into the executive branch. Such active legislative oversight has not happened in a very long time, if ever, said Senate committee chair James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley). And its long overdue. But not to Cuomo who throws a fit when anyone he cant control takes a close look at state business. Thats why he pushed the then-compliant Legislature back in 2011 to strip state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli of his authority to review in advance construction projects by SUNY and its nonprofit subsidiaries. Thats why he abruptly pulled the plug on his own anti-corruption Moreland Commission after members decided to take their jobs seriously and investigate the govs office. And thats why corruption flourished in Cuomos signature economic-development projects, sending some of his closest aides to prison and costing New Yorkers billions. Besides, as Skoufis notes, the governors agencies already review all grant applications, so if he wants to inspect them further, he can have it. But youve got to wonder, as does Skoufis, just what Cuomos afraid of. As his Assembly counterpart, Thomas Abinanti (D-Westchester), said: I havent even taken the position yet and hes firing a missile. Either way, says Skoufis, I look forward to chairing a very active investigations committee. So should all New Yorkers especially if it keeps Andrew Cuomo up nights. | https://nypost.com/2019/01/03/why-is-cuomo-suddenly-allergic-to-oversight/ |
What does Wanda Greene's settlement include? And how much hasn't been repaid? | CLOSE Three Buncombe County officials were indicted for, among other crimes, receiving bribes and kickbacks. Angeli Wright, [email protected] Then-Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene listens in at a county commissioners meeting June 7, 2016. (Photo: File photo) ASHEVILLE A settlement with former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene will bring the total amount officials have recovered amid a corruption investigation to more than $2.8 million, attorney Ron Payne said. And while the settlement approved by Buncombe County commissioners this week covers the financial damage alleged by prosecutors and then some, records obtained by the Citizen Times show there still are questionable and controversial expenses Greene made during her tenure. Here's how the numbers break down. 'Greed' Greene's settlement Greene has agreed to pay $750,000, covering the financial damage alleged by federal prosecutors as well as a retention incentive she received while county manager. Here is an approximate breakdown of the settlement, according to Payne, the county's outside attorney. $242,000: Retention incentive. Greene gave a so-called retention incentive to herself and other top employees, a payment that represented a year of the recipient's salary. While commissioners unknowingly approved the program in a budget ordinance, the county alleged in its suit that documents related to Greene's incentive included a forged signature for then-board Chairman David Gantt. $176,000: County credit card purchases. Greene admitted in a federal court filing Thursday that she began using county cards in 2007 for personal purchases, including shopping trips at retail stores, money for gift cards and payments for phone plans. $221,000: Life insurance. A $2.3 million life insurance program, which gave whole-life policies to Greene and others, was never approved by the Board of Commissioners. This payment covers the rest of what was spent on premiums but was not recovered under a separate settlement with Guardian Life Insurance Co., which sold the policies to Greene. $111,000: Trips and gifts from Joe Wiseman. All three county officials Greene and former managers Mandy Stone and Jon Creighton have admitted to participating in a kickbacks scheme with Joe Wiseman, then a county contractor. Prosecutors say the trio traveled across the U.S. and on some international trips, which were initially paid for by Wiseman before he would bill the cost of the kickbacks within his invoices to the county. How much the county has recovered Payne said Wednesday that the county has recovered about $2.8 million so far. $2,081,686: Guardian Life Insurance. The county never sued Guardian but in July, announced a settlement that recouped nearly all of what was spent on life insurance premiums for Greene and other employees. Buncombe officials have said the documentation provided to the company's insurance broker did not show proof that the purchase of policies was approved by commissioners. $40,000: Michael Greene. In his settlement with the county, the former business intelligence manager and Wanda Greene's adult son agreed to pay for county funds misspent, including expenditures for which he was indicted. Prosecutors said like his mother, he misused county-issued credit cards. $750,000: Wanda Greene. Payne said he expects her to pay her settlement this month. The money is being held in her attorney's trust account. What hasn't been repaid Buy Photo The welcome center at the Tryon International Equestrian Center. (Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize) Greene's settlement touches on all expenditures alleged by federal prosecutors. But it does not touch other controversial spending done during her tenure. $1.2 million: Retention incentives. Though the county has recovered Greene's own retention incentive, it still spent $1.2 million on those given other county employees. The perk boosted the pay for some of the already highest-paid officials, including former managers Mandy Stone and Jon Creighton. It's unclear whether the county will recoup any other incentives, as the program was approved by commissioners though they were unaware until after Greene's retirement. $590,000: Equestrian-related charges. In addition to $577,000 spent on sponsorships related to the Tryon International Equestrian Center, Greene also charged the county for a private dinner with equestrian mogul Mark Bellissimo and trips to his other facility in Wellington, Florida. It's unclear whether the county will pursue any of those charges, as Greene had the authority to make decisions on economic development spending a policy that has since been changed. $257,000: Greene's expense reports. Greene was reimbursed more than $257,000 in a nearly four-year period through expense reports. Some of those payments covered online retail shopping, additional gift cards purchases and payments originally covered by her son's credit card and some receipts were redacted to withhold information on the purchase, according to documents obtained by the Citizen Times through a public records request. These payments have not been publicly discussed by the county or federal officials. $118,000: Bonuses. Commissioners approved the disbursement of a 1.5 percent bonus to give to some of the county's lowest-paid employees. Greene instead gave the extra pay to herself and other high-paid staffers, including relatives who work for the county. The county has since raised the pay for those low-paid workers. Do that, plus support local journalists, by subscribing to the Asheville Citizen Times. Click here to sign up for a digital subscription. Read or Share this story: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/01/03/wanda-greene-settlement-what-covers-and-what-hasnt-been-repaid-buncombe-county-wnc-investigation/2471035002/ | https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/01/03/wanda-greene-settlement-what-covers-and-what-hasnt-been-repaid-buncombe-county-wnc-investigation/2471035002/ |
Is Marijuana Decriminalization in VA a Nonstarter? | Five companies are expected to open Virginia's first medical cannabis dispensaries in 2019. (gjbmiller/Pixabay) RICHMOND, Va. Virginia lawmakers have managed to rid the state of common restrictions around the approval of medical marijuana, but an effort to decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed might be a nonstarter for Republicans in control. Instead of being sentenced up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine for possessing a half ounce or less of marijuana, Alexandria Democrat Adam Ebbin's Senate bill would change current law to a simple $50 penalty for a first violation. However, it looks as though marijuana advocates will have to settle for the highs of policy reforms in 2018 because Republicans in charge of committees to hear the bill aren't willing to support decriminalization. "The writing is on the wall, says Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). These members are primarily prosecutors, former prosecutors, former law enforcement, and maintaining the status quo is something that works for them." Opponents are concerned that decriminalization would lead to more teens using as well as an increase in impaired driving. Pedini says her organization already is looking ahead to the 2020 legislative session when every member of the General Assembly is up for re-election at the end of the year. Public opinion polls show the majority of Virginians support the idea behind Senate Bill 997, and Pedini says she's not buying the excuses from Republicans in charge of the House and Senate Courts of Justice committees. "No, I don't think the reasons they provided are legitimate, like this isn't a priority for their constituents, which as we know from polling is in fact untrue, she states. Three quarters of Virginians support fines, not crimes, for simple marijuana possessions. The bill will have to gain the unlikely approval from those committees before it can get a floor vote. So advocates are hoping for additional Democratic shifts by the 2020 session to see advancement in proposed reforms. According to Pedini, 23 states have decriminalized or legalized marijuana and 33 states allow medical cannabis programs. Trimmel Gomes, Public News Service - VA | https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-01-03/budget-policy-and-priorities/is-marijuana-decriminalization-in-va-a-nonstarter/a65109-1 |
How Can State Lawmakers Craft Budget for WA Working Class? | An increased capital-gains tax plays a crucial part in Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed budget for the new legislative session. (Jon Stahl/Flickr) OLYMPIA, Wash. Washington state's long legislative session is around the corner, and budget concerns will be at the forefront. Misha Werschkul, executive director at the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, said she expects movement on fiscal policies she sees as key to working-class Washingtonians. She said the state needs to invest more in early learning - increasing options for kids age five and younger, and properly compensating educators. Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed investing more than $170 million in early learning over the next two years. Werschkul said mental health funding should be another priority. "We know that over the last many years, there's been a significant under-funding of mental health services, Werschkul said. And this year, one of the things that's going to be really important for the Legislature to look at is what is the funding level, both for those institutional settings like Western State Hospital, but also, how are we meeting people's needs in the community?" Inslee has proposed replacing Western State Hospital and also investing $675 million in the upcoming biennium. The governor's budget relies on an increase in the capital-gains tax. Republicans strongly oppose this proposal, saying it's an unconstitutional tax on income and it would hurt small businesses. Democrats come into the session with majorities in both chambers. Werschkul said the state needs to address tax revenue collection, too. A recent report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy called the Evergreen State's tax system the most regressive in the nation. Werschkul said many Washingtonians she's talked with feel they're falling behind financially. She believes that's due in part to the hidden costs of the state's upside-down tax system. "This session is a real opportunity for legislators to show that they're going to put the well-being of middle- and lower-income families at the forefront, and really do something to help people meet their basic needs, she said. Lawmakers head back to Olympia on January 14. Eric Tegethoff, Public News Service - WA | https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-01-02/livable-wages-working-families/how-can-state-lawmakers-craft-budget-for-wa-working-class/a65077-1 |
Could Oregon Become First State to End Single-Family Zoning? | A proposal to end single-family zoning could allow for denser housing in Oregon cities. (jonryanjohnson/Twenty20) PORTLAND, Ore. In an effort to tackle the affordable housing crisis, Oregon could end single-family zoning this legislative session. Oregon would be the first state to do so if lawmakers who support the idea succeed. Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek is drafting legislation that requires cities with more than 10,000 residents to allow up to four homes to be built on parcels currently zoned exclusively for single-family housing, according to Willamette Week reporters. Mary Kyle McCurdy is deputy director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, a watchdog group for Oregon's land-use planning program. She said such a proposal could meet the needs of more Oregon families in the places where affordability is an issue. "In areas that are largely already developed, those also tend to be the ones that have their infrastructure. They're near schools and parks. There may be transit, McCurdy said. Those are the areas where we should be providing more housing options so that people can more readily get to school, their jobs, the store." McCurdy noted Oregon is short about 155,000 housing units statewide, according to various studies. And most of that is housing for middle- and lower-income Oregonians. In December, Minneapolis became the first major city to eliminate single-family zoning. Portland is considering a similar plan. The city has the fourth-highest percentage of single-family home occupancy in the nation. McCurdy said zoning practices have historically been used as tools for segregation, and a plan to address single-family zoning could also deal with this issue. She said creating more diverse housing options within cities also prevents sprawl. "It's much more expensive to provide roads and pipes to new areas that aren't developed at all, and that makes the housing that might be built there pretty unaffordable, she said. And it also is usually not located near to transit or existing schools and parks and that sort of thing. And it causes people to have to drive more." Oregon lawmakers head to Salem on January 22. Eric Tegethoff, Public News Service - OR | https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-01-02/housing-homelessness/could-oregon-become-first-state-to-end-single-family-zoning/a65071-1 |
Is a potential health crisis smouldering away without us realising? | For Penny Lucas, it's one of the classic smells of an Aussie summer: the beefy waft from snags sizzling on the barbie on her deck, and the woody scent of smouldering mosquito coils. Like many, she wonders if the smoke is safe to breathe. Like many of us, Penny Lucas loves the smell of mosquito coils. Credit:Christopher Pearce We use them, but I do think about their safety. Im not sure which chemicals they use," she says. "I try and use a more natural product, an essential oil, when I can although I have not found the oil to be as effective as traditional treatments." | https://www.theage.com.au/national/is-a-potential-health-crisis-smouldering-away-without-us-realising-20190103-p50pd9.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed |
Should the Democratic House work with Republicans? | Democrats officially control the House of Representatives, with a healthy majority of 235 out of 435 total seats. They inherit an opposition-controlled Senate and an in-progress government shutdown. Some hope the Democrats -- many of whom swept into power on the strength of their fiercely liberal agendas -- will move more toward the center in order to pass more legislation and better run the country. Others see this as a chance for Democrats to push back on President Donald Trump's conservative agenda. PERSPECTIVES The Democrats are currently in a brutal fight with the president over passing legislation to fund the government. Trump is insisting on the inclusion of over $5 billion to fund the construction of a border wall, which Democrats refuse to add. As the resultant government shutdown drags on, newly reelected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has shown no indication she will do anything other than stand firm against Trump's border wall agenda. Per the New York Times: In her first legislative act as speaker, Ms. Pelosi plans on Thursday to bring up two bills to reopen the government. One would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8, providing a month to break the impasse over border security funding, and a second would provide money for the remaining shuttered agencies and departments through September. The homeland security measure would devote $1.3 billion to border security measures, such as enhanced surveillance and fortified fencing, but not the wall. Mr. Trump's rejection of those measures left the prospects of a resolution at their dimmest since the shutdown began on Dec. 22. It also highlighted the difficulty of the current situation, in which Democrats, Republicans and even some White House staff members have found themselves trying to anticipate what Mr. Trump will accept. Many see the election of so many liberal representatives as a clear sign the American people are looking for leaders who will fight back against the conservative agenda that has been pushed for the last two years. Per the Hill: "Americans overwhelmingly voted for Democratic control of the House to put a check on Trump on exactly this kind of reckless behavior," said Charles Chamberlain, chairman of Democracy for America, a grass-roots liberal advocacy group. "Democrats need to stand up for American values and a check on Trump, over and over again, as many times as they have to, to defeat the worst policies of this administration," he said. "That's what we're expecting them to do and if there's brinksmanship from Trump that causes damage to America, that's on Trump." Democratic activists see the current standoff over the border wall as a key test ahead a year of expected conflict with Trump on other issues, such as the debt ceiling and the new trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, Pelosi has made it clear she has no intention of becoming an opposition party like the Republicans who fought tooth and nail against all of President Obama's policy initiatives for so many years. The Washington Post reports that in several statements made shortly before she regained the speakership, Pelosi stated her party would not fight blindly against everything the president does. "We believe that we will not become them," she said in a New Year's Day phone interview during a visit to her native Baltimore. "We're not going to do to them what they did to President Obama. . . . It's really important for us not to become them and certainly not to become like the president of the United States in terms of how he speaks without any basis of fact, evidence, data or truth. "We will respect each other's opinions, and respect the truth." ...Pelosi also pushed back hard against the idea that, in holding Trump and his administration accountable, Democrats would be engaging in some sort of investigative orgy. On the contrary, she said, Article I of the Constitution grants Congress responsibility for "oversight over the agencies of government." She added pointedly: "We don't want the administration describing the traditional congressional responsibility for oversight to be labeled 'investigation.' There may be some investigations that spring from another purpose, but we will be strategic and not political when it comes to that." She senses no need to explain or elaborate on the meaning of the words "another purpose," even though they represent a potentially mortal threat to Trump's presidency. OPINION: Pelosi vows that House Democrats won't act like Republicans Recent history has also shown that a blind opposition to the president can backfire. Per Bloomberg: Even in very polarized times, win-win deals are still possible in Congress; just last month, Democrats and Republicans cooperated on criminal justice reform. House Democrats could give in to some Republican priorities in exchange for, say, citizenship for DACA recipients or an increased minimum wage. During Barack Obama's presidency, Republicans were willing to lose on their own policy preferences as long as they could keep the Democratic administration from chalking up wins. One might argue that their choice was good for the party, even if it was bad for the nation. We'll see what the Democrats do. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_the_democratic_house_wo.html |
Whos affected by the US federal shutdown? | Campsites at Yosemite National Park have been closed after 27 tons of rubbish built up and lavatory facilities were overwhelmed during the partial shutdown. The failure to pass a federal government funding bill has left 800,000 employees without pay and left parks, national monuments, museums and zoos relying on a skeleton staff and volunteers. Visitor numbers have soared while there is no one at work to collect entry fees $35 a car at Yosemite but there are also no staff to clean up or pump out the pit toilets. Yosemite remained partially open, limiting visitor numbers, but the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, also in California, were shut and campsites were closed at Joshua Tree. The Smithsonian museums managed to stay open | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-s-affected-by-the-us-federal-shutdown-h83m2kqv8 |
What Is a Corporate Bond? | A diverse portfolio is one that contains a variety of assets, including stocks and bonds. While bonds aren't necessarily the most lucrative investment out there, what they lack in higher returns, they make up for in stability. The bond market is actually made up of different types of bonds. There are Treasury bonds issued by the U.S. government, municipal bonds issued by states, cities, and counties, and corporate bonds issued by -- you guessed it -- corporations looking to raise capital. Here, we'll take a deep dive into corporate bonds to help you determine whether they're right for you. We'll review key terms you need to know, like maturity dates, interest rates, and credit ratings, so that you understand how corporate bonds work. We'll also show you how to evaluate bonds on a case-by-case basis and develop an investment strategy around them. A bond is a debt instrument issued by an entity to raise money. In the case of a corporate bond, the entity in question is a corporation looking to raise capital for a host of reasons, whether to expand, upgrade equipment, or invest in research and development. The best way to think about corporate bonds from an investor standpoint is to liken them to an I.O.U. When you buy bonds, you're essentially lending money to a company for a predetermined period of time, known as a bond's term. That period might be two years, five years, or 10 years, depending on the company's needs. The company, in turn, agrees to pay you a specific amount of interest on that loan, and then repay your initial investment, or principal, once your bond matures, or comes due, at the end of its term. For example, you might buy a 10-year, $20,000 bond paying 3% interest. The company that issues that bond will, in turn, promise to pay you interest on that $20,000 every six months, and then return your $20,000 after 10 years. Back in the day, bondholders actually had to submit the physical coupons attached to their original bond certificates in order to collect the interest payments that were due to them. Going through that process on a monthly basis would be burdensome, but waiting a full year would result in a long lag between collecting interest payments. Hence, semiannual payments seemed to make sense then, and the tradition has since continued even though the payment of interest has since been digitized. Advertisement However, this example is a basic representation of how corporate bonds work. Usually, when you buy corporate bonds, you'll lock in a fixed rate, and you'll collect the same interest payment annually (known as a coupon payment) until your bond matures. However, some bonds work differently. Floating-rate bonds are bonds with variable interest rates that change based on outside benchmarks like the U.S. Treasury bill rate or LIBOR (short for the London Inter-bank Offered Rate, it's the rate used by world banks when charging each other interest on short-term loans). Floating-rate bonds are usually issued by companies considered below investment grade, or "junk" status. This means their credit ratings are exceptionally low, and they're thus considered a higher-risk investment. There are also zero coupon bonds, which don't pay interest. Rather, you buy them below face value (meaning, the amount the issuer promises to ultimately repay) and receive their full value once they mature. For example, if you're looking at a zero coupon bond worth $5,000, you might pay just $4,000 for it, and then collect $5,000 once it comes due. Finally, there are convertible bonds. These work just like regular fixed-rate bonds in that they pay interest regularly, only they come with the option to be converted into shares of stock (hence the name). The benefit of buying convertible bonds is that if stock prices rise, so too do bond values. At the same time, if stock prices fall, there's the option to hold your bonds until maturity and recoup your principal. That said, convertible bonds can be difficult to come by, as not all companies issue them, and because they offer the flexibility of being converted to stock shares, their interest or coupon rates are generally lower than what you'd get with a fixed-rate corporate bond. How to buy corporate bonds Because stocks are traded on public exchanges, they're pretty easy to buy and sell. Corporate bonds, on the other hand, do not trade publicly. Rather, they trade in a manner known as over the counter, which means they're purchased through a third party, like a broker. As such, it can be challenging to determine whether you're getting a fair price for the bonds you're buying. It's not illegal for brokers to sell you a bond above its face value, or for a broker to sell you a bond at a price that's much higher than its going rate. The good news is that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulates the bond market so that transaction prices do become available to investors at some point. However, that information isn't always as up to date as it could be. None of this is a reason not to buy corporate bonds. However, it's something you, as an investor, should be aware of. It also speaks to the importance of working with a broker you can trust. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can buy corporate bonds individually, or in the form of shares of a bond fund. With the former, you choose a company and buy bonds it has issued. With the latter, you buy into a fund that invests in corporate bonds, thereby getting the benefit of instant diversification. Remember, if you buy bonds from a single company and it fails to meet its financial obligations under those bonds (which we'll get into in a bit), you stand to lose money. If you buy into a bond fund and one issuer of 30 runs into money problems, the bulk of your investment will remain unaffected. How to make money from corporate bonds For the most part, there are two ways to make money by investing in corporate bonds. The first is to hold your bonds until they mature, and collect interest payments on them along the way. The second is to sell your bonds for a price that's higher than what you bought them for. Going back to our example, say you buy a 10-year, $20,000 bond paying 3% interest for face value, or $20,000. In the first scenario, you'd hold that bond for 10 years, collect 3% interest a year, and get your $20,000 back after a decade. In the second scenario, you might have an opportunity to sell your bonds for $22,000, thereby banking the difference. As noted earlier, there are exceptions to this formula. If you buy zero coupon bonds, for example, you profit by paying less than face value for your bonds and getting their full face value once they mature. Similarly, if you buy shares of a bond fund that goes up in value, and you sell those shares for a price that's higher than what you paid for them, you can profit that way. Corporate bonds versus other bonds Corporate bonds aren't the only type of bond out there. Another popular investment choice is municipal bonds, which are those issued by cities, states, and other localities. Municipal bonds work just like corporate bonds, with one key difference: the tax treatment of the interest payments you collect. When you receive corporate bond interest, it's considered taxable income. But when you collect municipal bond interest, it's always tax-exempt at the federal level, and if you buy bonds issued by your home state, your interest payments are free of state and local taxes as well. That said, corporate bonds tend to offer higher interest rates than municipal bonds, which can, in many cases, more than compensate for that tax exemption. There are also Treasury bonds, which are bonds issued by the U.S. government. Also known as T-bonds, Treasury bonds have a maturity of 10 years or longer, and because they're backed by the credit of the U.S. government, they're considered virtually risk-free. T-bond interest is also tax-free at the state and local level, though you'll pay federal taxes on the interest you collect. And as is the case with municipal bonds, Treasury bonds tend to offer lower interest rates than corporate bonds. Corporate bonds versus stocks It's easy to lump stocks and bonds into the same category. After all, your goal in investing in either one is to make money. But in reality, the two are very different beasts. When you buy corporate bonds, you're making a loan to a company in exchange for interest payments or some other financial incentive. However, you receive no upside if the company performs exceptionally well. When you buy stocks, on the other hand, you actually own equity in the company in question, and in the case of common stock, you get voting rights on how that company operates. In some cases, you also get to collect dividends, which are essentially a share of a company's profits. But don't confuse interest payments and dividend payments -- with the former, you're getting a preset amount as per a contract, or bond agreement, and with the latter, you're benefiting when the company you've invested in does well. How to choose corporate bonds for your portfolio Once you make the decision to invest in corporate bonds, you'll need to make sure you're buying the right ones. You'll therefore need to look at the following factors: The term of your bonds The price of your bonds The credit rating of your bonds' issuer First, let's talk term. The longer you're willing to lock your money away, the higher an interest payment you'll generally receive. At the same time, longer bond terms come with more risk, so you'll need to weigh the upside of a higher interest rate against the possibility of not getting to use your money for however long it is until that bond comes due. If you're investing for a far-off goal, like retirement, then a bond with a 10-year term might be a good way to go, especially if its interest rate is higher than what you'd get with a five-year bond by the same issuer. But if you have reason to believe you'll need your money sooner, you're better off sticking to shorter-term bonds. Then there's the price of your bonds to consider. As stated above, it can be hard to know whether you're getting a fair price on your bonds, so as a general rule, be wary when you're being charged a price that's well above face value. At the same time, don't hesitate to ask your broker what his or her markup is on that bond. If you have a good relationship with your broker, that information should be easy enough to come by. At the same time, don't hesitate to comparison shop. If there's a specific bond you have in mind, get quotes from different brokers and see what's most competitive. Finally, there's the credit rating of a bond's issuer to consider. A credit rating is a measure of a company's ability to make good on its obligations. The higher the rating, the less likely the issuer is to default on its obligations and cause you to lose money. There are three well-known ratings agencies that rate bond issuers: Standard & Poor's (S&P) Moody's Fitch S&P and Fitch use a similar system that rates bond issuers from least to most risky as follows: AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC CC C D (refers to bonds that are already in default) The Moody's rating system differs slightly, as follows: Aaa Aa A Baa Ba B Caa Ca C From there, numbers or symbols are used to offer additional detail on an issuer's creditworthiness. S&P and Fitch use pluses and minuses for this purpose, while Moody's uses numbers. For example, a B+ rating from S&P is better than a B or B-, while a Ba1 from Moody's is a higher rating than Ba2 or Ba3. As a general rule, the lower a company's credit rating, the higher an interest rate you'll snag when buying its bonds. That's because investors need to be rewarded for taking on that risk. Therefore, if you're looking at two different bond issuers with the same credit rating and same bond term, but one is offering a higher interest rate than the other, it might pay to go with that higher rate, all other things being equal. Keep in mind that corporate bonds with a rating below BBB- by S&P and Fitch and Baa3 by Moody's are considered junk bonds. Also known as high-yield bonds, these bonds offer comparatively high interest rates, but with a substantially higher risk of default. While hedge funds are known to snatch up junk bonds, they're generally not an appropriate choice for the average investor, and they're certainly a dangerous move for newbies. Also, remember that bond ratings have the potential to change over time. A company might start out with a high credit rating but encounter financial difficulties that cause its rating to change. There's no need to panic if you buy bonds issued by a company that starts out with a Aaa Moody's rating but gets downgraded to Aa, as the latter is still a strong rating. Rather, be wary if the company issuing your bonds sees its rating drop to the point where it's hovering close to junk status. In some cases, it pays to sell bonds you own at a minimal loss rather than wait for an issuing company to completely default, thereby subjecting you to even greater losses. Benefits of corporate bonds One benefit of buying corporate bonds is that they're a relatively safe investment -- at least compared to stocks. Granted, the better job you do of researching the bonds you buy, the safer your investment will be, but know that on a general level, the bond market is far less volatile than the stock market. Another benefit of buying corporate bonds is that they give you a fairly reliable stream of income, at least in the case of fixed-rate bonds. For example, if you buy a 10-year, $20,000 bond paying 3% interest, you can look forward to $600 of income each year, assuming the bond issuer is able to meet all of its obligations. The dividends you might get from stocks, by contrast, are not guaranteed -- meaning, stock issuers aren't contractually obliged to pay dividends, even when they're doing well financially. Drawbacks of corporate bonds One major drawback of investing in corporate bonds is having to lock your money away for what could be a lengthy period of time. Stocks, by contrast, don't require you to commit to a specific timeframe. That said, you're always free to sell corporate bonds before they come due. If you're able to do so at a point when the market is strong, you might make money -- or at least avoid losing money. But if you sell at a bad time because you need to free up your cash, you could be forced to accept a price below face value, or below what you paid, thereby resulting in a loss. Another downside associated with corporate bonds is something called interest-rate risk. When you buy corporate bonds, you're agreeing to accept a certain interest rate for the entire term of that bond. But if the same company issues bonds later at a higher interest rate, your bonds automatically lose value because you're stuck with that lower, earlier rate, while new investors would rationally prefer to buy bonds from the same company (i.e., the same risk of default) that pay a higher interest rate. For example, you might buy a 10-year, $20,000 bond paying 3% interest. If the same company issues a 10-year, $20,000 bond paying 4% interest six months into your bond's term, your bond value starts to sink, and you're stuck in a scenario where you're collecting a lower rate for years. You generally won't see anywhere close to the same return you'd get with stocks. And over time, that could affect your ability to accumulate wealth. Between 1928 and 2010, stocks averaged an 11.3% return, while bonds averaged just 5.28%. That's quite the difference. Now let's say you invest $20,000 over a 10-year term at an average annual 5.28% return. After a decade, you'll have $33,457. But if you were to score an average annual 11.3% return instead, you'd be sitting on $58,342. Additionally, because bonds trade over the counter, it's hard to know whether you're buying them at a fair price, and overpaying for bonds can easily eat into your profits. Furthermore, bonds are generally sold in $1,000 denominations, which means if you're starting out with a limited amount of money to invest, you could get priced out of the market if your goal is to buy individual bonds (whereas you can easily find individual stocks for well less than $1,000 per share). Finally, although bonds are considered a safer investment than stocks, they're not without risk. If a company issues bonds, encounters financial difficulties, and doesn't have enough money to make its interest payments or repay your outstanding principal, you stand to lose money. Throw in the fact that you're losing a portion of your interest payments to taxes off the bat, and it's easy to see why some investors shy away from corporate bonds. Of course, there's no cookie-cutter answer here, because it will depend on your personal needs and goals. But know this: Bonds are a good way to diversify, whether you're first starting out in the world of investing or have been at it for years. Imagine you invest in stocks and bonds, and the stock market experiences an extended downturn. If, at that time, you continue to collect bond interest, that money could help offset some losses you might inevitably have to take on the stock side of your portfolio. That said, if you're relatively young, you might consider laddering your bonds so that you have different bonds coming due at different times. For example, rather than buy a 10-year, $20,000 bond, you might put $5,000 into a two-year bond, another $5,000 into a three-year bond, an additional $5,000 into a five-year bond, and your remaining $5,000 into a 10-year bond. This way, if interest rates go up during that 10-year window, or other investment opportunities arise, you'll have access to some of your money at various points throughout that decade. Furthermore, while younger investors are generally advised to put more of their money into stocks and less into bonds, the opposite holds true for near-retirees. If you're planning to cash out your investments in the near future to pay your living expenses once you stop working, you won't have a lot of time to ride out a stock market downturn. But since the bond market is relatively stable, you're less likely to face losses when you need to sell your corporate bonds to access cash. Along these lines, corporate bonds can be a smart investment for seniors during retirement. The regular interest payments you collect can serve as a welcome income stream at a time when you're no longer collecting a paycheck. Ultimately, there's a good chance corporate bonds have some place in your portfolio. Think about your tolerance for risk, as well as your immediate and long-term objectives, and you'll probably find that corporate bonds can benefit you in a number of ways. The $16,728 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,728 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/what-is-a-corporate-bond |
Can I have a telecoms mast moved? | I have a telecoms mast located in my garden. Telecoms operators have wide-ranging statutory powers under the Electronic Communications Code, which include the right to acquire rights on land to ensure that mobile and other communications networks are made available to the public. If you have a telecoms mast in your garden and the operator wants to keep it there, the chances of getting it removed are not in your favour. It is likely that a lease was granted to the operator at the time the mast was installed, setting out the rent and other commercial terms for the operators occupation and use of your property. The lease document will specify its duration and any rights | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-i-have-a-telecoms-mast-moved-t0m68k7n7 |
Is it crunch time for Apple as its new year gets off to a shaky start? | Apple has had an amazing run. Way back in the late 1970s it launched its first blockbuster product - the Apple II - which for a variety of reasons became, like all the Apple products to follow, the cool device. First, it wasnt just an enthusiasts play-thing. Not only did it look stylish and carefully considered, but it could run a spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, which put it in a sort of hybrid zone somewhere between the workplace and the home with everything. Then the Macintosh. Famously launched in 1984 by a woman hefting a sledge hammer into the face of an Orwellian dictator, its still with us, utterly physically changed but still sporting a graphical interface and icons and instantly recognisable by any refugee from the 1980s. Next the iPod (huge success) followed, of course, by the iPhone (mega success). Which is Apples problem. That amazing run seems to have ended. No blockbusters (apart from the semi-blockbuster iPad) since 2007. As a result Apple is now over-reliant on the iPhone which makes up 60 per cent of its sales total. A nice problem to have, you might say, but any little jag to the iPhones remorceless advance and Apple overall catches cold. The jag this time is China. So reliant is its valuation on the expectation of continued growth (more blockbusters) that what appears to be a relatively small dip in iPhone sales means crisis time. Apples CEO Tim Cook in his letter to shareholders (just issued, see - Letter from Tim Cook to Apple investors) blamed in the main a combination of a slowdown in Chinas economy and the continuing trade tensions between China and the US which together have squeezed sales. As a result Apple has downgraded revenue expectations for the most recent quarter from its former $89 billion to $92 billion guidance to $84 billion. That was enough to wipe $55 billion from Apples total capitalisation. Of course there are other factors at play, some of them directly impacting sales and others adding to a general unease about Apples vaunted position in the world. Perhaps not, especially when you bring in other factors weighing on Apples performance. These include a general slowdown in iPhone customer upgrades due to the iPhone already being plenty powerful enough for its applications, and Apple seemingly unable to load new models up with extra goodies to tempt customers. In addition, in the wake of accusations of Apple slowing down older models, it has been offering cheaper iPhone battery replacements (encouraging users to upgrade the battery rather than buy a new phone). Then theres competition. The iPhone can no longer be regarded as being well ahead in smartphone performance. Other makers, in particular Samsung and (ominously) Huawei are now providing real competition at the top end. Huawei in particular will surely further chip away at iPhone sales in Asia and China itself over the longer term - and those markets are by far and away the largest. Meanwhile the Apple Watch, its flagship in the emerging wearables segment, is not performing as an Apple product should. According to ABI Research while the overall smartwatch market is experiencing steady growth, Apples hold on share continues to slip. (see - Apples share of the smartwatch market drops below 45% in the second half of 2018). ), Tim Cook is right to feel pressure. | https://www.telecomtv.com/content/devices/is-it-crunch-time-for-apple-as-its-new-year-gets-off-to-a-shaky-start-33684/ |
Could Nick Foles' magic convince Eagles to change long-term plans? | originally appeared on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com I'm going to be honest. I'm wavering. Just a bit. And I wonder if Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson are wavering, too. I wrote last week that the only clear path for the Eagles to take long-term was to ride Foles for the rest of this year and then wish him well and turn the team over to Wentz (see story). And I still think that's a really sound option. You have a 25-year-old MVP candidate who'll be healthy next year, and even this year, while held back by injuries, still had the seventh-highest passer rating in football. Wentz can play. And he's going to have success wherever he plays. And it'll probably be here. But I have to admit, watching Foles complete 25 straight passes Sunday in Washington and lead the Eagles to a commanding 24-0 win over the Redskins in a game the Eagles had to win, I found myself wondering, "Do I really want to get rid of this guy?" Foles has already had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, back in 2013. He's thrown an NFL-record seven TDs in a game. He's led the Eagles on a wild playoff run and has been Super Bowl MVP. He has the highest passer rating in NFL postseason history. And the last three weeks, he's gone into L.A. and beaten the Rams, thrown a franchise-record 471 yards and beaten the Texans and tied an NFL-record with 25 straight passes to help clinch a playoff berth in Washington. He's revived a lifeless team. Story continues And we're no longer seeing the inconsistency we saw most of his career. He wasn't very good against the Falcons in the opener, but he won, which is what he always seems to do - 10-1 since returning to Philly last year and 24-6 in 30 meaningful games in an Eagles uniform since 2013. At some point, do they sit down together and say, "Hey, are we sure we're doing the right thing?" One thing we know about Roseman. He'll be creative and aggressive and think outside the box. If the Eagles, at some point, do decide organizationally that Foles gives this franchise the best long-term chance at sustained success, he will be just as aggressive moving Wentz as he was acquiring him. We all know how Roseman feels about draft picks. This is a crazy situation, an unprecedented situation. And we won't know for years whether the Eagles did the right thing. Pederson couldn't be clearer when he says: "Carson is our quarterback. He's our quarterback of the future." But as the weeks go by and the wins and records pile up, I think even the biggest Wentz supporter at some point would find themselves thinking, "Will Carson Wentz ever do what Nick is doing?" Personally, I think he can. Assuming he regains all his mobility and physically can once again be the guy he was last year. He really is a special talent. But I'd be lying - we'd all be lying - if I said there's no doubt in my mind. I've seen Foles win a Super Bowl. I've seen him standing at the 50-yard line at U.S. Bank Stadium holding the Super Bowl MVP trophy high in the air. It's happened. It's not a fluke. And nothing Foles does the rest of his career would surprise any of us. Get this call wrong and it could set the franchise back years. If you're the Eagles, you really have to be careful you don't cut ties with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. The trick is, figuring out which guy that is. Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device. More on the Eagles | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-nick-foles-magic-convince-154345881.html?src=rss |
Is Pacquiao shading Mayweather in his New Years resolution tweet? | Many Filipinos are greeting the new year by making resolutions, and Manny Pacquiao is no exception. The boxer and senator even made it public by tweeting about it on Jan. 1. But instead of keeping it light, he also did not miss the chance to throw some shade. Scroll to continue with content Ad Heres what Pacquiao wrote: Some of his fans took this as a reference to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who won a decisive victory versus kickboxing champion Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition match on Dec. 31 in Tokyo. The match ended after only two minutes and 19 seconds after Mayweather floored Nasukawa three times on the ring. Mayweather was so confident about winning that he claimed that he barely even trained for it. @darebirthonline joked that by tweeting his resolution, Pacquiao finally landed a punch on Mayweather. Story continues Wow. Finally landed a jab on Floyd Jamie (@darebirthonline) December 31, 2018 @SpeedGonzales1 wrote that after Mayweathers exhibition bout versus Nasukawa, fans need to see a real fight, referring to Pacquiaos match in January versus American Adrian Broner. Coincidentally, Broner is a former protg of Mayweather. After the last Mayweather exhibition we need a to see a real fight!!! Waiting for The Manny Show in january!!! Do it mannnn SpeedGonzales (@SpeedGonzales1) January 1, 2019 Another netizen felt that Pacquiao was shading Mayweather and tweeted this gif that shows the latter pretending to be spooked. On the other hand, someone asked if Pacquiao was ready to fight Jeff Horn, the Australian boxer who defeated Pacquiao in 2017. Orlando Martinez (@elhocicon77) December 31, 2018 Pacquiao has been open to the possibility of a rematch versus Mayweather, who defeated him in Las Vegas in 2015. Pacquiao earlier said that a rematch was scheduled in early December last year after a video went viral showing him and Mayweather chatting at a concert in Japan. But alas, nothing came out of it, and instead Pacquiao will fight Broner in a match which will reunite him with his coach Freddie Roach, whom he reportedly had a falling out after he lost to Horn. But a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch could still happen. Pacquiao told the BBC in November that a rematch was a big possibility and that he couldnt retire with peace of mind because of his 2015 defeat. Fight fans may have to wait, however, because Pacquiao hasnt given any specific dates as to when the much-anticipated fight is going to happen. This article, Is Pacquiao shading Mayweather in his New Years resolution tweet?, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. For more Coconuts stories, you can download our app, sign up for our newsletters, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. | https://sports.yahoo.com/pacquiao-shading-mayweather-resolution-tweet-061244193.html?src=rss |
Is Dropbox a Buy? | Cloud storage provider Dropbox (NASDAQ: DBX) was the second-biggest tech IPO of 2018, raising $756 million in March, and it was initially one of the more successful ones, as its shares nearly doubled in value. As the year wore on, however, the stock steadily declined, and Dropbox closed out 2018 up just 3% from its offer price -- but down 53% from its highs. With over 500 million registered users and more than 12 million paying ones, Dropbox is still formidable -- let's look at if it's a buy at this price point, or if investors would be better off storing this one away for some other time. Representation of computers connecting in the cloud More Collaborative tools for small- and medium-size businesses, as well as enterprise-level businesses, may hold the future for Dropbox's growth. Image source: Getty Images. An uphill battle Part of the concern surrounding Dropbox is that it competes against some of the biggest names in the industry, including Amazon.com, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, all of which provide free cloud storage solutions. The challenge for Dropbox is to scale its business while converting its free riders into paying customers, which analysts actually believe it can do over time. Analysts at JPMorgan Chase forecast Dropbox may be able to make good on its goal to convert as many as 300 million users to the paying side, though the cloud storage site admits it has fewer than its published number of users because some may have more than one account. That suggests there may be a little more optimism than is warranted, though the more users Dropbox converts, the lower its user costs will be. Dropbox also needs to make further inroads into the enterprise market if it wants to achieve profitability, but with Alphabet and Microsoft already offering enterprise-level collaboration tools, it's not an easy transition. Furthermore, Box (NYSE: BOX) is also competing in the space, and though it has only 63.5 million registered users, it has also converted nearly one-fifth of them into paying customers. While Dropbox does have enterprise-level partners like Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and Adobe, there may be more opportunity targeting small- and medium-sized businesses, which is arguably a market closer in nature to Dropbox's consumer-oriented roots and one which it is more familiar with. Doing what it does best Despite the competitive hurdles Dropbox faces and the challenge of broadening its customer perspective, the company looks to be executing on its promise. Third-quarter revenue rose 26% to $360 million as the number of paying customers increased by 18% year over year to 12.3 million. And revenue per user rose to $118.60 from $112.05 a year ago, an important advance. Margins also improved year over year as gross margin expanded by 690 basis points and GAAP operating and net losses shrunk. Adjusted operating margin widened to 12.8% and adjusted net income nearly doubled to $45 million. So even though Dropbox's current user-conversion ratio is pretty low, it's increasing its profitability despite having to drag the free riders along. Right now, Box generates orders of magnitude more revenue per customer than does Dropbox, but Dropbox is generating more total revenue than its rival and growing at a faster pace. The end user is mostly different for each -- Dropbox with a consumer focus and Box more geared towards enterprise businesses -- but that may narrow as time passes and each company seeks to diversify its user base. | https://news.yahoo.com/dropbox-buy-010600885.html |
Are the Bears Right About GNC Holdings? | GNC Holdings (NYSE: GNC) has lost over 90% of its market value over the past three years as competition from superstores, warehouse retailers, and e-tailers drained its sales and profits. Several lawsuits that questioned the safety and efficacy of its supplements tarnished the brand's reputation, and the suspension of its dividend in 2017 eliminated one of the last reasons to own the stock. GNC's steep sell-off reduced its price-to-sales ratio to just 0.08 and its EV-to-sales ratio to 0.6. Bottom-fishing investors might be drawn to those bargain bin valuations, but the bears are still betting heavily against the stock, as nearly 80% of GNC's float was being shorted as of Dec. 26. The shadow of a bear faces a man in a suit wearing a matador's hat and holding a red cape. More Image source: Getty Images. I've been bearish on GNC for a long time, but I still think it's important to evaluate the headwinds and potential tailwinds for this beaten-down retailer. After all, a single glimmer of hope at these levels might spark a big short-squeeze and a short-term rally. GNC sells its own vitamins and health supplements alongside third-party products at its retail stores, many of which are located in malls. This business model worked well when mall traffic was healthy and competitors like Walmart and Costco carried fewer supplements. But as mall visits declined and Walmart, Walmart's Sam's Club, and Costco offered more vitamins and supplements in cheaper bulk packages, GNC's business dried up. Here's how badly its same-store sales and top-line growth deteriorated over the past year. Metric Q4 2017 Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Comps (Company-owned) 5.7% 0.5% (0.4%) (2.1%) Comps (Franchised) (2%) 1.9% (4%) (4.1%) Total revenue (2.1%) (7.2%)* (5%) (5.4%) YOY growth; comps exclude international sales. Source: GNC quarterly reports. *Caused by the sale of its Lucky Vitamin brand. A rare bright spot was GNC's smaller international business, which reported a 1.5% increase in franchised comps last quarter. However, GNC's international revenues accounted for only 9% of its top line. Its revenue declines in the second and third quarters were exacerbated by the Lucky Vitamin sale in the first quarter, but GNC's negative comps indicate that its core business is still struggling. GNC's declining domestic comps were also exacerbated by the redemption of loyalty points over the past few quarters. But even excluding that impact, GNC's company-owned comps slipped 1.3% during the third quarter. GNC expects the impact from loyalty programs to be "negligible" in the fourth quarter and beyond, but it didn't provide any clear comps guidance for that quarter or the full year. Analysts expect GNC's revenue to fall 5% this fiscal year (which ended on Dec. 31) and drop another 2% next year. GNC's main direct competitor, Vitamin Shoppe (NYSE: VSI), which faces many similar headwinds, is expected to post a 5% sales decline this fiscal year (which ended on Dec. 30) followed by flat growth next year. Contracting margins and widening losses To buoy its sales growth, GNC used big markdowns and loyalty program promotions to drive sales. This has caused its gross margin to contract over the past few years. | https://news.yahoo.com/bears-gnc-holdings-003200003.html |
Why are there no smartwatches or fitness trackers at MWC 2018? | Smartwatches and fitness trackers are nowhere to be seen at 2018's biggest mobile tech show. Weve been scouring the floor and tapping our contacts to find interesting wearable tech announcements, but there's almost no presence of tech you can put on your body at the show. Read more: Huawei P20 Pro review Mobile World Congress has never had wearable tech as its main focus, but it's the show major brands have used to reveal smartwatches and fitness trackers in the past. Recent years at MWC have been quiet for smart wristwear announcements - last year's show only saw the reveal of the Huawei Watch 2 - but it's unheard of to, well hear nothing. The big names MyKronoz is by far the biggest sole wearable tech company at the show, but the firm isn't showing off any new products. Instead the booth for the brand is showing off the MyKronoz ZeTime Petite, a device it launched two months ago at CES 2018. But what about the big brands that provide wearable products alongside other largely more important offerings. Huawei chose a different tack this year compared to previous shows and announced computing devices like the Matebook X Pro as well as the MediaPad 5 tablet range instead of a flagship phone or smartwatch. We spoke to Huawei's CEO about the brand's choice not to reveal a watch at this year's show, and he confirmed a new smartwatch is coming but it's not ready just yet. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei, told TechRadar, "It will come later - there's no hurry - because Huawei Watch 2 sells well, so we're not in a hurry - so we're launching the new watch later." The most exciting piece of wearable tech at the show is by far Sony's Xperia Ear Duo device. Closer to headphones than a smartwatch, the Xperia Ear Duo allows you to both listen to music and hear your surroundings at the same time. It works by pumping rings of sound into your ear canal that allow enough space for you to hear those around you. The brand is experimenting with these new ideas rather than a follow-up to 2014's Sony Smartwatch 3. We spoke to Kaz Tajima, Sony's senior vice president of creative design and product planning, about whether Sony would ever look at releasing another smartwatch. "Once we have found the technological innovation - the big step up - we'd like to make a product. Currently, we see just kind of organic improvement of watch solutions, but we think there wasn't a reason to make a completely new product with current technology. "Once we have found the technological innovation, like connectivity, then we'd like to make a new product." We asked Tajima what he believes that technology will need to be like to tease the company back into the space. He said, "perhaps voice commands, or gestures would cover the limited display space. Then we can have a good product with connectivity and people don't have to carry their phone with them. "Just carry the watch, then we can make a new product." Speaking about the specific lack of announcements at MWC 2018 for wearable devices, Tajima said, "As an industry, we are in the learning process to keep giving the end user a reason to buy a smartwatch." The Sony Xperia Ear Duo Samsung also chose not to reveal a new watch alongside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus either. The company seems to be embracing a yearly upgrade cycle for its Tizen smartwatches, the latest being the Samsung Gear Sport announced in September last year. It makes sense the brand didn't bring a smartwatch - like the Gear S4 - to show off. It may be because the big names like Garmin and Fitbit seem to be pulling announcements out of major shows and to make separate reveals. Fitbit chose IFA to show off its Ionic smartwatch last year, but the company had already revealed the watch before the show with its own announcement schedule. Fitbit didn't need to hook its announcement onto a press show. The firm knew it'd garner enough excitement and attention just from announcing its first ever smartwatch, so it doesn't need to appear at the show and show off the same products at a stand for MWC. Likewise, Garmin has already revealed two new devices in the last three months with the Vivofit 4 fitness tracker announced separately in December and the Forerunner 645 Music following at CES 2018. Plus if you're looking for a more fashion led watch announcement, you may be in luck in a couple of weeks with Baselworld 2018 starting on March 22 and being the place for the slightly less tech focused and more premium smartwatch announcements. Even though MWC 2018 has been awful for smartwatch and fitness tracker news, that doesn't mean there's not more to come this year if you're a fan of wearable tech. | https://www.techradar.com/sg/news/why-are-there-no-smartwatches-or-fitness-trackers-at-mwc-2018 |
Should reverse mortgages be pulled from FHA's MMI Fund? | In November, the Federal Housing Administration issued its annual report to Congress on the health of its flagship insurance fund, and the results were not great for the reverse mortgage program. For the third consecutive year, the report highlighted the HECMs drain on the fund, this time to the tune of nearly $14 billion. The report has renewed calls from policy analysts and industry execs including former FHA Commissioner Carole Gallante and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who have been vocal about this idea in the past to remove the HECM program from the FHAs Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Sponsor Content HousingWire reached out to researchers Laurie Goodman and Edward Golding at the Urban Institute who have written about the subject to talk about why separating the two portfolios makes sense. Goodman and Golding highlighted three main reasons that support the removal of the HECM portfolio from the fund. No. 1: Reverse mortgages are volatile and need separate modeling instruments. The HECM program is volatile, with drastic swings in capital ratio that make its performance hard to predict, Golding and Goodman pointed out. In an article on the topic, the two noted that the capital ratio of the forward fund has shown predictable year-to-year growth of 0.5 to 1% since the Great Recession. Conversely, the HECM fund has varied by 8 to 14%. The researchers said the programs volatility stems from two issues that make it hard to model: the lack of data available after significant program changes were put into place, and the assumption-driven nature of the program, which includes the impact of home price appreciation and interest rates. The HECM program is very volatile, as even small changes in interest rates or in modeling assumptions can create big swings in the economic net worth of this program, Goodman said, also noting that there have been a number of HECM program changes which will affect the profitability of the fund going forward which are not reflected in the estimates. Golding said that estimates for the forward program are fairly stable and move in predictable ways based on significant historical data. But estimates for the reverse program, he said, are unstable and not intuitive. For example, the economic net worth of the reverse program was positive $0.8 billion in 2015 and three years later was negative $13.6 billion, even though house prices increased by over 20% during that period, Golding said, adding that the lack of historical data and the implementation of substantial program changes complicate matters even more. Put bluntly, no one knows how this program will perform and any estimate of economic net worth is little more than a guess, Golding said. The researchers said, though, that current modeling assumptions for the HECM are conservative and are likely exaggerating the its negative net worth. No. 2: The FHAs forward and reverse programs are too different to be lumped together. The researchers asserted the HECMs importance as a social policy that helps seniors age in place, and said that lumping its portfolio in with the FHAs forward book would cloud decisionmaking for both programs. These are very different products, with different missions, Goodman said. The forward program contains 94.3% of the insurance in force. It does not make sense to make decisions for this program because of the condition of the HECM program, a program which is very difficult to model. No. 3: HECMs may be keeping forward mortgage premiums high. Golding pointed out that the HECMs current drain is likely impacting the FHAs forward mortgage program, as the fund is required by statute to keep a 2% capital reserve. As it now stands, having the HECMs in the MMI Fund most likely has resulted in higher forward mortgage insurance premiums increasing the cost of homeownership, Golding said. It also allows critics of the forward program to exaggerate the risk to the taxpayers from the forward program. Goodman and Golding say putting the HECM portfolio back in the FHAs General Insurance/Special Risk Insurance Fund where it resided upon its inception in 1988 until it was removed following 2009s FHA Modernization Act makes more sense. Fundamental reform of the reverse program may be necessary, Golding said, but placing it back in the GI Fund would be a good first step. | https://www.housingwire.com/articles/47821-should-reverse-mortgages-be-pulled-from-fhas-mmi-fund |
When is 'Social Credit' Orwellian? | Here is a fascinating new development in the world of credit that affords fine fodder for reflection. China is in the process of fine-tuning and rolling out an electronically tracked social credit system that has some people pondering and other people shuddering. (Others, it should be noted, think the story overblown.) The idea is, in essence, to generalize the institution of the credit score, with which all of us are more or less familiar, into something rather broader what might be called a credibility score. Whereas the first kind of score is produced by application of an algorithm to ones net worth, earning potential, and financial history to ascertain her likelihood of paying off her debts before a lender lends to her, Chinas variant is aimed at ascertaining something more like just how orderly or socially conforming you are where sundry rules and social norms are concerned. The first kind of score, in other words, scores you as a market participant who might seek commercial credit of some kind, and aims to aid prospective lenders. The second scores you far more broadly, as a participant not only in a market, but also in society at large. Hence not only prior defaults or delinquencies on loan payments, but also illegal parking or smoking in nonsmoking areas will affect your social credit score. The sanctions brought by low scores differ in the two cases in a manner that tracks the different scopes of the two cases. A low credit score narrows your borrowing options: some wont lend to you at all, others will charge higher interest or demand collateral or back-up guarantors. A low social credit score, by contrast, might result in your being kept off of planes or of high-speed trains. It will also be publicized, presumably to facilitate shunning and shaming. Forget financial privacy under social credit scoring system, you dont enjoy financial or any form of privacy on matters that might be of interest to those thinking of interacting with you in any manner. If you are like me, youre probably made a little uneasy by this system that China is said to be implementing. If you think about it, youll soon see that any money system indeed any social system, if it is in fact a system is a kind of 'social credit' system, and probably few but the most defiant of hermits object to the maintenance of such systems in some form or other. Sociality itself would seem to presuppose and depend upon them. Moreover, the reduction of multifactorial social credit vectors to rough scalar measures of merit seems itself to be ubiquitous across social systems. We commonly 'sum' individuals 'up,' in both formal and informal settings, as variably 'good,' 'decent,' 'reliable,' 'trustworthy,' 'faithful,' etc. in families, clubs, workplaces, neighborhoods, you name it. And of course we permit entire industries of 'credit scorers' and other 'reputational intermediaries,' as noted above, to determine who among us gets temporary access to what resources for what purposes, etc. And lest there be any mistake here, this isnt just about scoring borrowers anymore, even here in the West. Algorithmic scoring is used now in making immigration decisions and traveler-screening decisions, in hiring decisions, in digital nudging, in smart city surveillance systems, in health insurance and health delivery systems, and in a rapidly growing host of additional applications. Some fintech firms are even now toying with the idea of issuing social capital scrip, which would amount to a sort of spendable social credit standing to social credit rather as currency stands to ordinary bank credit. Something tells me, however, that learning were doing it too now doesnt make you feel much better about the Chinese case or about ours. I think I see three possibilities. One source of our worry is presumably the anti-democratic provenance and use of the particular index in question in China. It is hard to see it as having been likely conceived, constructed, or deployed by the demos the people in any plausible sense. And so it looks as though people will be denied access to all manner of resource and access on the basis of assessments made not by one another, but by some unchosen supervisor that's thrust upon them. We might thus object to the index as being effectively little more than a fintech rendition of the old Tang Code, which like most of its successor codes in ancient China was essentially nothing more than a 'book of punishments' administered by an unchosen, unauthorized overlord. Call this the democratic objection. Note that the democratic objection, if coherent, would carry over to many of the Western cases listed above too, however. Democratic accountability is attenuated, if not altogether absent, in all of them. A second source of our worry might be the unusually large number, and perhaps some or many of the particular choices, of vector components that go into the scalar measure of social credit in question here, at least insofar as the measure is then employed formally by 'the state' or some other entity rather than informally by members of the community opining informally about one another's reliability. It grates upon liberal sensibilities, for example, to suggest that citizens might be denied the capacity to purchase rail tickets simply because at some point in the past they were caught smoking in non-smoking areas - and that they might subsequently regain that capacity by donating blood or engaging in other 'pro-social behaviors.' Surely those credit relations of which a state takes cognizance should be limited at the very least to our material productive and exchange relations, we might object, hence to our reliability as contractual payers-back of what is contractually lent to us. Other indicators of virtue, vice, merit or demerit, we might continue, should be 'off limits' to state functionaries. Call this the classical liberal objection. Here too the objection, if coherent, ought to occasion some worry about some of the Western cases noted above too. For some of them involve units of government at one level or another e.g., DHS, TSA, or municipal government. We might even worry, as classical liberals, about cases involving private entities doing the scoring, at least if they function as monopolists or oligopolists in the relevant industries, leaving us without alternatives. Finally, some might object to the 'reductiveness' involved in any chosen aggregation rule algorithm purporting to commensurate and convert a vector of social credit measures into a single scalar such measure. Depending on further specification of the ground of this objection, it might be a variation on either or both the democratic and the classical liberal objections just noted. Or it might be an objection to reductiveness as such. If the latter, call this the anti-reductionism objection. But in the latter case the objection should then carry over to our informal practices of 'sizing people up' and characterizing them in shorthand fashion as well. The objection in this case would be, in other words, an objection to the inherently reductive notion of putatively unitary 'social credit' as such - and therefore effectively a rejection of sociality itself inasmuch as sociality rests upon open-ended 'trust' formed on the basis of many distinct attributes of our fellow citizens and community members. I confess that I am unsure of just which of the three mentioned grounds of objection account for my unease with Chinas new social credit system. I do think, however, in light of the foregoing, that all three such grounds suggest we should be worried at home here as well. For while ours is perhaps slightly less centralized than Chinas, we seem to have a rapidly developing, algorithmic social credit system crystalizing here in our own society too. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/rhockett/2019/01/03/when-is-social-credit-orwellian/ |
Will Charli XCX drop a new album in 2019? | Charli XCX could release a new album in 2019. AFP pic LONDON, Jan 4 The British singer-songwriter may soon be the talk of the town with an all-new album, which she herself has alluded to on social networks. In the wake of a string of hits in 2018, which included 1999 with Troye Sivan, Girls with Rita Ora, Cardi B and Bebe Rexha, and bitches with Tove Lo, Icona Pop, Elliphant and ALMA, Charli XCX is not likely to be out of the news in 2019. The young woman tweeted her new resolutions for the year to come, and there are only two of them: Make a new album and Release it. Two years have gone by since the launch of Charli XCX's last album Pop 2 in 2017. The track list for the disc featured several collaborations, notably with Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Pabllo Vittar, Mykki Blanco and M. AFP-Relaxnews | https://www.malaymail.com/s/1708909/will-charli-xcx-drop-a-new-album-in-2019 |
Will east meet west on Blue Star Trail? | By Scott Sullivan Editor East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet unless it means the Blue Star Trail circumventing the Lake Street entrance to downtown Saugatuck. Douglas and Saugatuck Township with help from federal and state grants, plus the nonprofit Friends of the Blue Star Trail completed stretches of the nonmotorized path envisioned linking the area south to South Haven, on the west side of Blue Star Highway, last year. The City of Saugatuck has held out, voicing safety concerns about traversing the Lake Street intersection, spurring west to downtown, north of the Blue Star bridge, and legacy costs for maintaining the trail. With that gap remaining, and absent a resolution, the path may continue a trail to nowhere, some city officials say. To address those concerns and move forward, the Friends commissioned city engineers Fleis & Vandenbrink to conduct an $18,000 study to determine the safety, cost and functionality of the proposed trail traversing Saugatuck city limits on both Blue Stars west and east sides. Friends president John Adams and Fleis project manager Jonathan Moxey and Friends updated city council Dec. 26 on both options, first synopsized here Dec. 13 in a letter from planning commissioner Dan Fox, who favors an eastside passage. From the citys vantage, building on the east side of Blue Star would bypass the Lake Street corner entirely and make obvious sense from that safety standpoint. From another view, issues exist on either side for the paths full 20-mile duration, the Saugatuck east side option would involve crossing the highway twice as opposed to Lake Street once, and stands to cost twice as much. Study route comparisons shared with council the day after Christmas showed the east side option costing an estimated $1.9 million, not including private utility relocation costs, and the west side alternative $1.2 million. More details: East Side Under this option, the existing Blue Star Highway crossing at Main Street in Douglas would be enhanced. The trail would transition from behind the existing curb at Main to a widened sidewalk on the bridge, using slope grading, retaining wall, guardrail relocation and fencing where required. The existing 5-foot sidewalk on the bridge would be widened to 14 feet by reducing the lane and shoulder widths. Between the bridge and Lake Street, the trail would transition back behind the existing curb to allow the existing lane layout to be preserved. This would require significant retaining wall construction, and the guardrail would be relocated. At Lake Street, a crosswalk would be constructed to allow northbound trail users access to downtown Sauga-tuck. The existing stop-controlled intersection would remain. Between Lake Street and Bridge Street, retaining wall would be used to transition the trail from behind the curb to partially within the existing roadway. At Maple Street, a crosswalk would be installed to connect to the future portion of the trail between Maple and Old Allegan Road. A traffic signal or enhanced crossing would be provided at Old Allegan to connect to the existing trail. The estimated $1.9-million needed for this option (Main to Maple streets only) does not include potential private utility relocation costs, which could be significant. West Side Under this option, the existing island at Main and Washington Streets in Douglas and the Blue Star crossing would be removed to allow the trail and sidewalk to be merged. The existing sidewalk between Main Street and the bridge would be widened by narrowing the lanes and shoulders. The existing 7-foot sidewalk on the bridge would be widened to 14 feet by reducing the lane and shoulder widths. Between the bridge and Lake Street, the trail would transition from partially within the existing roadway to behind the existing tree line, continuing to widen the existing sidewalk. A new crosswalk would be installed across Lake Street, installing a traffic signal at Lake and Blue Star Highway. The northwest curb would be relocated to provide space for the trail between the road and the palette sign, leaving space for a landscape area around the sign. Between Lake and Maple streets, the trail would transition from partially within the existing roadway to outside the existing roadway using a combination of retaining wall and ditch enclosure. A crosswalk would be constructed across Maple to connect to the future portion of the trail between it and Old Allegan Road. The $1.2-million estimate for this approach would not require potential private utility relocation costs. Council did not comment on either proposal and plans to revisit trail talks at a yet-to-be-scheduled workshop. The first line of Rudyard Kiplings The Ballad of East and West cited here was criticized by some as racist, neglecting the third and fourth lines: But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth/When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth! Respect for each others worthiness prevails, those lines seem to say. | http://www.thecommercialrecord.com/will-east-meet-west-on-blue-star-trail/ |
Is Foxs The Masked Singer a good time or a sign of end times? | The promotional poster from The Masked Singer (Photo: Fox) Peacock versus Hippo. Monster versus Unicorn. Your better TV viewing judgment versus your worst instincts. Foxs The Masked Singer is a reality competition much like American Idol, minus whatever shred of self-respect that ABC show has or ever had. But its contestants are celebrities whose identities are hidden behind costumes until theyre voted off the stage, though after Wednesdays premiere its safe to assume the idea of celebrity is fairly elastic on this hourlong weekly series. Jay-Z and Beyonce were nowhere in sight as host Nick Cannon and judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger watched contestants compete in mask on face-offs. Their first loser was Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown after he failed to wow the panel and crowd performing Bobby Browns My Prerogative in a bulky hippo suit. Go figure. Whether its a reaction to the curated snobbery of prestige television or simply a new low in reality programming and its worship of B-list talent, The Masked Singer kicks off 2019 with such low expectations that everything else CSI reruns, pharmaceutical ads looks like sophisticated high art in its wake. The network teased the series as TVs wildest singing show! which is certainly catchier than The latest sign that weve hit rock bottom and End Times are near! But both could be true. The program, with its gyrating hippo and gold-sheathed lion, became the top-rated series premiere of 2018-19 so far, tying the This Is Us season opener and amassing 9.4 million viewers. The costumes are also apocalyptic a deer with a gas mask for a snout, a starched, clinical-white unicorn and feverishly zany a la Sid and Marty Krofft. For example, Peacock is scary but Monster is a fuzzy, endearing fellow with one eye who delivered a soulful rendition of Queens Dont Stop Me Now despite having just two teeth and no discernible neck. Before each cloaked contestant performs they are introduced with a video that reveals The Clues. They offer hints to their true identity while their speaking voice is disguised with what sounds like a healthy does of helium. Peacock said hes been on stage since childhood, may have graced a poster on your moms wall and was friends with Michael Jackson. After he strutted on stage in a feathery plume and began to belt The Greatest Show, the wildly imaginative panel of judges guessed he was Hugh Jackman or Zac Efron, both of whom starred in the songs film of origin, The Greatest Showman. (Peacock, your voice is like butter!) exclaimed one panelist. Another inexplicably suggested he might be Jimmy Kimmel. My guess: Its Donny Osmond under all those colorful plumes. Unless its Joey Fatone. Resistance is futile. So much for pursuing higher aspirations in the new year. Performers only unmask when one is voted off the show at the end of each episode or if they ultimately win the competition at the end of the season. The Whos single Who Are You was used as the shows opening music Wednesday. Its doubtful Pete Townshend envisioned such usage of the track when he wrote it in the late 1970s after a night of drinking with the Sex Pistols. Roger Daltrey might question why anyone would dress like a pineapple before performing a pop song (something to look forward to in a forthcoming episode). But its unlikely theyll ever appear on the show, which was adapted from an Asian TV competition in which famous contestants also checked their dignity at the door. Cannon asked after each set, Who do you think is behind the mask? Audiences were advised to tweet #TheMaskedSinger and choose #PeacockMask or #HippoMask, #DeerMask or #LionMask. No word yet if more folks voted Wednesday night than in the midterms, but absurd animal costumes may be the next step in motivating the electorate. The identities of Masked contestants are supposed to be TVs best-kept secret unless you live on the West Coast and get your broadcast three hours after the East Coast has debated whether Lion is Lady Gaga or a member of Destinys Child. And OMG, Hippo is not Allen Iverson! The shows panelists are the most entertaining aspect of the bizarre spectacle when they shoot high in gradings on the celebrity scale when estimating whos under the rack of antlers or giant insect head. Its more likely that the great reveal will be of the Flavor Flav or The Bachelorette variety. Unless Oprah really is considering a 2020 presidential bid now that bad reality competitions have proved to be the most direct path to the White House. Wednesday night, the audience shouted Take it off! Take it off! after Hippo was voted off the show and it was time for the great reveal. He lifted the giant headpiece and underneath was a grinning Antonio Brown. Not exactly Tom Brady or Matthew McConaughey or John Legend, but the crowd and panelists feigned such surprise it may as well have been Nelson Mandela back from the grave. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read or Share this story: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/entertainment/2019/01/03/foxs-masked-singer-good-time-sign-end-times/38839171/ | https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/entertainment/2019/01/03/foxs-masked-singer-good-time-sign-end-times/38839171/?from=new-cookie |
Is Prateik Babbar Getting Engaged to Girlfriend Sanya Sagar On January 22? | Prateik Babbar, son of Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, is reportedly getting hitched on January 22 in the city of Lucknow.The actor, who is known for his films like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa and Ek Deewana Tha, is getting engaged to long-time girlfriend Sanya Sagar. According to a report in Bombay Times , the engagement ceremony will only have family members and close friends in attendance as Prateik wanted to stay from the media glare unless it's related to his films.A source has been quoted as saying, "The engagement will be a close-knit affair. Their families are tight-lipped about it, as Prateik wants to go a little easy and stay away from the limelight unless it's work-related. While they have decided to get engaged in Lucknow, the date is subject to change as the families are yet to finalise a few things. "On the professional front, the actor will next be seen in Baaghi 2 alongside Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani. | https://www.news18.com/news/movies/is-prateik-babbar-getting-engaged-to-girlfriend-sanya-sagar-on-january-22-1623609.html |
Is Homeland on Netflix? | Emmy-Award-winning US thriller Homeland is hugely popular when its first series aired on US channel Showtime in 2011, it became the channels highest-rated drama premiere in eight years. Advertisement Based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War, the crime drama follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer with bipolar disorder who believes that US Marine Corps Sniper Nicholas Brody is a spy for al-Qaeda. The drama has progressed a lot since that original premise over six series. And theres more in store for the thriller. The seventh series will air in 2018. It stars Claire Danes as Carrie and Damian Lewis as Nicholas. The show was broadcast in the UK on Channel 4. Streamers can catch up on the action on Amazon Prime Video, where all episodes are available. Alternatively, they can catch the latest two episodes for free, on 4OD. Advertisement But if you need to update yourself on more than just those two episodes, all six series are available to stream on Netflix. In fact, the latest series was added on 16 January. Just in time to beat those January blues. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2019-01-04/is-homeland-on-netflix/ |
When is Death in Paradise back on TV? | Ardal OHanlon is reprising his role as DI Jack Mooney in the eighth series of BBC1s hit drama Death in Paradise, which will see the lead detective solving even more murder mysteries in the sunny climes of fictional island Saint Marie. Advertisement Hell be joined by some familiar faces including Josphine Jobert (DS Florence Cassell), Tobi Bakare (Officer JP Hooper), and Don Warrington (Commissioner Selwyn Patterson) and some new ones. The eighth series also marks the departure of Strictly star Danny John-Jules, wholl be handing in his badge as Officer Dwayne Myers. Heres everything you need to know about Death in Paradise series eight. The series will return on Thursday 10th January at 9pm on BBC1. Series eight will see the introduction of a brand new regular cast member: Officer Ruby Patterson (played by Shyko Amos), Commissioner Pattersons niece, whos fresh out of police college and eager to prove herself to the team. Amos says: There is nothing quite like Death in Paradise on TV and it hasnt quite sunk in yet that Ive joined such a massively popular show. Its given me a butterfly or two but Im very excited! Officer Ruby Patterson is a bundle of joy! I am very excited for Death in Paradise viewers to experience her as the new member of the already amazing law enforcement team of Saint Marie. Among the cases for series eight are a popular local DJ killed live on air and a group of friends celebrating their fiftieth birthdays when one of them meets their maker. Meanwhile, DS Cassell finds romance and Officer Hooper mentors new recruit Ruby. Series eight marks the departure of original cast member and series favourite, Danny John-Jules, who plays Officer Dwayne Myers. His two children Dant and Dana also played minor roles in the show. Were very sad to have said goodbye to Danny, whos brilliant performance as Dwayne has helped make the show such a success, said executive producer Tim Key. We wish Danny all the very best and look forward to working with him again. Production company Red Planet Pictures have previously said the actor wanted to leave the show on a high following seven series and 62 murders successfully solved. The idyllic, fictional island of Saint Marie is filmed in Guadeloupe, predominantly in the commune of Deshaies, which doubles for the town of Honorin. Advertisement But shooting scenes on a beach isnt always fun and games back in September 2017, filming had to be suspended because of Hurricane Irma. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-04/death-in-paradise-air-date-cast-bbc/ |
What Is Wrong With Tristan Thompson?? | You have everything and you just don't want it!!! I can't understand how in today's society, the ultimate goal for men is to bag a Kardashian. Yet this nobody, Tristan Thompson, not only lands a Kardashian but she actually wants him permanantly. And like any child that begs and begs mom and dad for a toy, he lost interest as soon as he got it. When the news broke that Tristan was caught cheating, just days before the birth of his daughter, I was heart broken for Khloe. I didn't understand why she gave him another chance. I didn't understand why she tried to continue the relationship when time and time again, he's spotted out with other women. I already felt like he didn't deserve her! So they were out celebrating the New Year and this video has surfaced of Khloe twerking it up for her man and when the camera pans up, you see that he didn't even notice her because he was busy talking to some other girl. Check out the evidence below: I mean, come on! GTFOH!!!!!! I am so mad about this! And Khloe, girl, there are millions of men out there that will literally worship the ground you walk on. Get yourself one of those!! I can't take it. | https://q104.radio.com/blogs/amanda-casey/what-wrong-tristan-thompson |
Who is SLO Countys new emergency services manager? | Theres a new man in charge of keeping San Luis Obispo County safe in disasters and large-scale emergencies. Joseph Joe Guzzardi is the countys new emergency services manager, effective Jan. 7, 2019 He replaces Ron Alsop, who recently retired from the position. Guzzardis job might look a bit different than his predecessors. Thats because the primary focus of the county Emergency Services Office has been the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. $20 for 365 Days of Unlimited Digital Access Last chance to take advantage of our best offer of the year! Act now! The office has a budget of $1.9 million that is currently funded by PG&E, and one of the managers primary roles is to prepare the county for nuclear power plant exercises and drills. The county has done a tremendous amount of emergency preparedness work around Diablo Canyon performing drills and writing and updating a 175-emergency response plan. It also maintains operating procedures for more than 50 agencies including the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, the Port San Luis Harbor District and the city of Pismo Beach. All that training and planning has been used as kind of a launchpad for preparing for other emergencies the county is more likely to face, such as wildfires and earthquakes. Part of Guzzardis job will be to help transition the office away from that and spearhead county efforts related to the power plants eventual closure before 2025, according to assistant county administrator Guy Savage. Today, most of the funding for emergency response comes from Diablo, Savage said. We develop plans primarily based on the power plant and leverage those plans to prepare for tsunamis, earthquakes and wildfires. We know in 2025, were not going to have that at our core. Its that kind of transition. Emergency preparedness will continue to be important after the power plant closes, as spent fuel rods will continue to stay on site for an unknown amount of time. PG&E is expected to continue to provide funding for emergency preparedness, but for how long is unknown. In a settlement agreement, its our expectation we will get continued funding until it gets to dry cast storage, Savage said. There will still be similar response, but not the level we have today with the active generation plant Guzzardi comes to the county from the Santa Clara Fire District, where hes served as emergency manager since 2015. Before that, he was emergency manager for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services. | https://www.sanluisobispo.com/latest-news/article223889270.html |
What to write about? | Well, here I sit on this Thursday in late December wondering what column material I have to write about. NONE! I have none, gentle readers, so I will take this time to tell ya what I could write about if I thought it would pass with your approval. I could write something about the government shut down and the border wall. Frankly, I have grown weary of politics and politicians and their refusal to grow up, act like adults and get something done for ALL OF US! I play the guitar and have since I was 16. I have had some really good Gibson, Martin and other reasonably decent instruments and grew tired of playing and traded them for pistols, shotguns or whatever. Presently I have a Larrivee French Canadian guitar. It's a little pricey but I bought it used and have had it for three years now. I absolutely love the tone and how it plays, however, I have a passion for the Gibson J 45 as I have had a six and 12 string in that model and am getting weaker by the moment to go look at another to purchase. They can be a little pricey also. You wouldn't be interested in that so we won't write about that either. Before I purchase anything of any value I have an issue with my teeth. I spent over $8,000 a couple of years ago getting caps on some of my teeth. I had my teeth cleaned a couple or three weeks back and the next time I flossed I snapped one of those capped teeth off at the gums. Back to the dentist (a different one) and it appears that I also have a cavity in another of the capped teeth and after spending a little over $3,000 I should be back to square one. Not much there of any interest! Frankly, I have grown weary of politics and politicians and their refusal to grow up, act like adults and get something done for ALL OF US! Recommended Stories For You Of course there is always the weather to discuss. The weather gal says tomorrow night it will be around four to five degrees above 0! It's DECEMBURRRR for sure and she also says we should expect a really cold winter for the remainder. How exciting. If you remember I told you about Nugget, one of my horses, turning over a large empty water tub and draggin' it out in the pen with his teeth. He gets bored I reckon or maybe he thought he would find additional oats in it since that is where his oats are dumped in the morning for him to eat. Both my ponies scatter their oats so they eat from separate empty water tubs that would hold 100 gallons of water. I didn't feed Nugget the last time he turned over his tub so he picks it up with his teeth and puts it back where it belongs. No issues with him until this morning. He decided to go into Howdy's stall and turn over his tub and drag it around to see if Howdy would get in trouble. Poor Howdy! When I saw his tub turned over he looked at me with pleading eyes as if to say, "I DIDN'T DO THAT! NUGGET DID"! That's funny! I did feed Howdy his oats in spite of it all. Well, I think I have just run out of subjects that I decided not to write about as to keep from boring you too much. I'll do better next week, I promise. Until then, stay tuned, check yer cinch on occasion, get ready to rumble if necessary and I'll c. y'all, all y'all. | https://www.thefencepost.com/news/opinion/what-to-write-about/ |
What Does Government Shutdown Mean for USDA and Iowa Farmers? | Please enable Javascript to watch this video DES MOINES, Iowa -- The government shutdown is impacting parts of the USDA and farmers say they have some concerns over what it could mean if the shutdown continues. The trade wars and the tariff wars and now this has kinda been piling on, and everyone I talked to over the holidays was just hoping 2019 would be a better and more optimistic year said farmer Morey Hill. Hill, a farmer just outside of Slater, says if the shutdown continues it could delay a major January report from the USDA. The January report has a lot to do with 2018's production in acres, and a lot of farmers and traders base a lot of what they're going to do in the coming year on what that report tells us he said. That includes how many acres they'll dedicate to each crop they grow. The Iowa Farm Bureau says without the USDA report farmers will either have to wait or make their decisions off of different information. I think that's where social media is a little bit of a benefit now, that other folks talking about that whether it's on Twitter, or Facebook, or other places, you can maybe glean some information from some private sources or other resources that may be out there to help them make those decisions without the USDA report said Tim Johnson, the Farm Bureaus Senior Research and Policy Analyst. Additionally, the loan and financial aid department of the USDA is also shuttered for the time being. Farmers say those who haven't filed their paperwork for the president's tariff assistance program may see delayed payments. Hill says luckily, he wont be impacted. I made sure I checked all the boxes before the end of the year and I assumed most of my neighbors are the same way. We've had time to get that paperwork submitted. Anecdotally I talked with my FSA person last Friday and she said it'd been very hectic at the office both electronically and people coming in trying to get that done said Hill. The state USDA was unable to comment on how the shutdown has impacted them internally. A furlough exempt employee tells Channel 13 that employees who are furloughed are not allowed to use their government phones, email, or conduct business on behalf of the USDA; and those breaking the rule would be subjected to thousands of dollars in fines or up to two years in prison. Areas of the USDA unimpacted by the shutdown include the conservation department, food inspection services, and food assistance programs. | https://whotv.com/2019/01/03/what-does-government-shutdown-mean-for-usda-and-iowa-farmers/ |
Will James Webb Be the Next Secretary of Defense? | One of the odd-but-positive political rumors at the start of this odd year is that Donald Trump is considering former Senator James Webb as a successor to James Mattis as secretary of defense. Among the reasons why this would be odd: Webb last held office as a Democrat, and even ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2016 race. Webb is a famously independent-minded character with no ability to suffer fools. (Knowing them both, I can say that Webb is much less willing to go with the organizational flow than Mattis has been.) In his early 40s, he was Ronald Reagans secretary of the Navy, but he resigned within less than a year because of disagreements with the defense secretary of that era, Frank Carlucci. Webb is a gifted novelist, essayist, and screenwriter, who has returned repeatedly to the self-directed literary life after his periods of public service. Reasons why it would be good news for the country, if it happened: | https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2019/01/jim-webb-secdef/579442/?utm_source=feed |
What do Marion officials say is in store for the New Year? | . (Photo: .) MARION The New Year isn't only a time for ordinary residents to set goals and resolutions, but for local government officials, too. The Marion Star asked local officials what is on their agenda for 2019. It's an election year for many city officials, including Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer, who said he wants to continue to focus on economic growth this year, as well as update the city's zoning codes, many of which have not been updated since the 1960s or 1970s. Schertzer said it is time to bring the city's zoning codes into the 21st century through a "comprehensive review" rather than a piecemeal approach. "Some of the fees and fines we have are literally 1969 fees and fines," he said. Schertzer said he would ask the Marion County Regional Planning Commission to review the city's zoning codes. Any proposed changes would be brought before the Marion City Planning Commission and then Marion City Council. The mayor also said he would explore hiring a code enforcement officer in 2019. As a member of the five-person board that governs the Marion County land bank, Schertzer said he plans to work to expand the land bank, which has torn down blighted and abandoned houses in the county, primarily through federal money that is expected to run out by the end of 2019. "We need to continue that good work of the county land bank to make sure there is revenue flowing in to it to continue to tear down the blighted homes," he said. For blighted houses that could be saved, Schertzer and other city officials have been exploring a legal remedy through which a court could declare a house a public nuisance and turn it over to someone called a "receiver" to fix it up. Schertzer said that information on six properties has been forwarded to a Columbus-based company called New Perspective Asset Management to develop a plan to move those properties through that legal process. Marion Sheriff's office moving At the top of the priority list for the Marion County Commissioners in 2019 is moving the Marion County Sheriff's Office into its new building at 100 Executive Drive. Last year, the county purchased the building; where META Solutions, which provides Internet and technology services to schools, is headquartered; for $1.2 million. There is still work to be done on the building to bring it in line with the needs of the sheriff's office, the commissioners said. The modifications will likely include surveillance cameras, soundproof interview rooms and new locks to secure certain parts of the building, such as the entrances and the evidence and armory rooms, Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey told the Star last year. "Probably around the first of the year, we're going to get together with the sheriff and the architect and see where we are," Commissioner Andy Appelfeller said. "I wanted a new building for the sheriff since I came in here in 2001, and we finally hopefully have got that out of the way." Marion County Commissioner Ken Stiverson said he expected the commissioners would take another look at courthouse security in 2019, as two new judges have taken the bench. The Marion County Courthouse is one of the few county courthouses in the state without metal detectors regularly screening visitors. "It's very little right now, but we have new judges, and they have new ideas so we might be working on that," he said. Other priorities for city officials A big construction project scheduled to wrap up later this year is the overpass on Ohio 309 just east of Pole Lane Road. The $11 million project got underway last year and is expected to relieve traffic tie-ups at the rail spur to the Marion Industrial Center's intermodal facility. Marion City Councilman Jason Schaber, R-3rd Ward, said among his primary goals this year are working with the city to create a way for residents to electronically report complaints about overgrown yards, junk cars and other issues to the city. The councilman also wants to make city council more transparent and communicate better with the public. "There's still a desire with council to get a Facebook page," he said. "We're still working on the records retention side of that, how that plays out." Marion City Councilman Josh Daniels, D-At-large, said he hoped to continue to work toward a more robust police department. He also expects council to vote this year in favor of a proposal that he drafted that would require building contractors to register with the city. A lot of decisions that went before council last year were unexpected or unplanned for, he said. "You just have to effectively solve problems as they come at us," he said. For Gus Comstock, director of Marion CAN DO, which supports local economic development, the New Year means new construction or expansion projects in the works, including the construction of a multi-million dollar distribution center between Victory Road and U.S. 23 north of Marion Williamsport Road. Comstock said it is a speculative building. "They know there's somebody looking that's going to need that building," he said. Comstock said expansions are planned at the Marion Industrial Center and at Mennel Milling in Caledonia. In downtown Marion, new businesses are expected to open this year, including the Explore-It-Torium children's museum, Amato's Woodfired Pizza restaurant, the Presidential Kitchen restaurant, the taproom Marion Brewing Company and a healthy food market. Also expected to re-open this year is the Harding Home, which has been closed to the public during work to restore the home to its state in 1920. [email protected] 740-375-5155 Tweet me @SarahVolp Read or Share this story: https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/local/2019/01/03/what-marion-officials-goals-new-year/2436103002/ | https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/local/2019/01/03/what-marion-officials-goals-new-year/2436103002/?from=new-cookie |
Why Is James Kennedy Lashing Out At The Vanderpump Rules Cast On Twitter? | James Kennedy feuded with nearly all of his Vanderpump Rules co-stars on Twitter earlier this week, and according to a new report, he may be doing so in an effort to remain relevant on the Bravo TV reality series. On January 3, Radar Online shared a report that suggested Kennedy was fighting with his co-stars because he is desperate to stay on the show. He knows that the more drama he causes while the showing is airing this season, the less chance that Lisa will get rid of him, the insider explained. Although Lisa Vanderpump fired Kennedy from his job at SUR Restaurant during production on Vanderpump Rules Season 7 due to his mean behavior towards waitress Katie Maloney, he has since been back to work at the restaurant and appears to be hosting his DJing events regularly. The show needs the drama and Lisa needs the ratings, the source continued. It is just sad because it is getting to the point where there are a lot of people legitimately concerned for his well-being and mental health. Earlier this week, after reading a series of tweets from Maloney in which the SUR Restaurant employee suggested shed been abused, Kennedy lashed out against her, labeling her a disgusting human and slamming her for lying about him publicly. He is just a sad man after his daddy died. Im the only brother that you dont like. Make peace with your dead father please so you can be set free. That goes for La La also, Kennedy continued. While James Kennedy first told his fans and followers he was hacked after tweeting and deleting his mean messages to Katie Maloney, Jax Taylor, and Lala Kent, he later apologized for his behavior, which Taylor claimed Bravo TV made him do. I am sorry for what I said about Jax and Lala and I apologize deeply to them and anyone I offended. I hope you guys also stop provoking me. Thank you and Happy New Year! he wrote. Kennedy has been having a rough season. In addition to his tension with his co-stars, hes also been accused of cheating on his girlfriend, Raquel Leviss, which he denies. To see more of James Kennedy and his co-stars, dont miss new episodes of Vanderpump Rules Season 7 on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV. | https://www.inquisitr.com/5234767/why-is-james-kennedy-lashing-out-at-the-vanderpump-rules-cast-on-twitter/ |
Can I Get a Business Credit Card With No Personal Guarantee? | If you own a small business, you are probably used to separating your business and personal finances. But the two may intertwine when you take out a business credit card if the issuer requires a If you own a small business, you are probably used to separating your business and personal finances. But the two may intertwine when you take out a business credit card if the issuer requires a personal guarantee. A personal guarantee is an agreement an owner or executive makes to pay back a debt if the business cannot. It acknowledges that youll personally pay for charges on the business credit card if your business doesnt have the cash flow to make on-time payments. If your business defaults, the issuer could go after your personal assets even if you leave the company. [Read: Best Business Credit Cards.] Some entrepreneurs are really attracted to the idea of getting credit without a personal guarantee, so if the business fails, they are not on the hook, says Gerri Detweiler, education director for Nav, a credit service for business owners. But the lender is going to want to make sure you have skin in the game. Thats why nearly all business credit cards require a personal guarantee. You may be able to get a business credit card without a personal guarantee, but it could be difficult, and you may have limited options. Heres what you need to know. How Personal Guarantees Work When you apply for a business credit card, the issuer may ask for an employer identification number and financial information for the business. If the card includes a personal guarantee, then youll also need to provide your Social Security number and allow a personal credit check. You can find out whether a business credit card requires a personal guarantee by reading the card agreement and searching for the term liable or personally responsible. Cards that need a personal guarantee will include a clause noting that both the business and the individual applying for the card on behalf of the business are liable for payment of the balance. If the clause says youre jointly and severally liable for the debt, that means as the cardholder youre responsible for 100 percent of the debt, even if you only own 50 percent of the company. Call the issuer, and ask for an explanation. Youll want to understand everything before you sign the cardholder agreement, as youre effectively co-signing the account. Business owners may dislike personal guarantees because of the liability involved. If you default on payments, the issuer could go after your personal assets. And your companys business structure cant protect you, whether its a sole proprietorship, a limited liability company or another type. Once you accept the personal guarantee agreement, it overrides any liability limits that come with the classification. Another reason business owners try to skirt personal guarantees: Business credit cards that come with these may affect personal credit. Applying for a card typically results in a hard inquiry on the owners personal credit report. For most people, a hard inquiry will temporarily knock off a few points from their credit score. The personal guarantee might also have an ongoing effect on the owners personal credit. Some business credit card issuers report all your account activity, such as utilization information and payment history, on your personal credit report. Others notify the consumer credit bureaus only when youre behind on payments. What Happens if You Default on the Business Credit Card You typically wont have to worry about the personal guarantee unless you fall behind on payments. In that case, the card issuer may write off the unpaid balance as bad debt and sell it to a collection agency. The collector will attempt to get payment and could even sue for it if the debt is within your states statute of limitations. If a judge rules against you and grants a court order, the collector may garnish your wages or take money from your bank account. Before getting to this point, try to get help from a credit counselor, who can explain options such as negotiating a payment plan. [Read: Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit.] If reported, missed payments, debt settlement and any other negative information related to the business credit card will damage your personal credit. Derogatory marks may remain on your report for up to seven years from the original delinquency date. In the intervening time, qualifying for credit, passing an employers credit check or renting an apartment may be more difficult. How to Get a Business Credit Card Without a Guarantee Theres a handful of ways to get a business credit card without the personal guarantee. Here are a few. Apply for a card with a store or a small bank. Some cards, like the ones listed below, are upfront about when theyll waive the personal guarantee. You may need to wait for your business to grow if there are size and revenue requirements. Sams Club Business Credit Card: According to the card application, you can choose to waive the personal guarantee if you meet the requirements to do so. You should provide a personal guarantee if your company has less than $5 million in annual sales or revenue, has been in business less than two years, has fewer than 10 employees, or is a partnership or proprietorship. Otherwise, you may not be approved. Bremer Bank Visa Signature Business Company Card: This card is available with no personal guarantee for medium- to large-size incorporated businesses, LLCs or LLPs. However, theres no specific guidance for what qualifies as medium or large. Speedway SuperFleet Mastercard: This business credit card can be used for gas at any Speedway location and anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Its available without a personal guarantee for businesses operating for more than two years and with more than five employees. Shell Fleet Plus Card and Shell Fleet Navigator Card: These business gas credit cards are available without a personal guarantee. Negotiate a waiver with the issuer. Some issuers may waive the credit card personal guarantee for businesses that fit revenue and longevity requirements. Specific requirements depend on the issuer, but an annual revenue of at least $1 million is a good baseline. Negotiation wont be a quick and easy process, says Ginger Siegel, North America small business lead at Mastercard. Before you approach the issuer, make sure your personal and business credit profiles are healthy. You should also be a pro at explaining the businesss finances, plans and resources. Things kind of fall down in the storytelling, Siegel says, if you cant communicate those points. If youre able to get the waiver, though, look for a trade-off. [Read: Best Rewards Credit Cards.] I think there is some give-and-take there, Siegel says. In other words, theres no free lunch. Get a corporate card. Companies may need to be open at least a year or two and maintain an annual revenue of $4 million or more. Although applications use the businesss credit history only, corporate cards may come with drawbacks: Rewards earnings may be lower than for small business or consumer credit cards. You may have to pay off the balance in full each month. You may need to provide a lot of financial information about the business. Youll be hard-pressed to find a business card without a personal guarantee, especially if your company doesnt meet certain requirements. Keep in mind that the guarantee will only hurt you if your company stops making payments. Accepting a personal guarantee opens up your business credit card options. Entrepreneurs should be realistic and understand that this probably is going to be a requirement, Detweiler says. Although its technically possible to get a business credit card without the personal guarantee, this agreement shouldnt be a deal breaker especially if youre confident in your companys future financial success. originally appeared on usnews.com | https://wtop.com/news/2018/12/can-i-get-a-business-credit-card-with-no-personal-guarantee/ |
Is the buffet a hot one? | Maybe a trip to a buffet restaurant is in order, but first let's talk food safety. An important safety factor on the buffet is temperature control. If food, like seafood, is piled up on the buffet, the temperature will not be consistent throughout. This can lead to bacterial growth. Along those same lines, give the soup a hearty stir before ladling. This will help to give a consistent temperature, and you'll get a good mix of veggies. Always get a fresh plate for each trip, and sample lots of different foods. One more thing: The handle of the serving tongs should not touch the surrounding foods. -- Heloise P.S. It should go without saying, but wash hands before and after dining. AN OLDIE BUT GOODY Dear Heloise: I am a retired antiques dealer, and I have found that keeping silver items clean and shiny is easy using baking soda. I set the item in warm water and rub the soda onto it with my fingers. If the piece is very dark, I use a soft toothbrush, rinse and dry. This works wonders on jewelry, and is even better on flatware because it is ready to use without any residue. -- Janice C., El Segundo, Calif. Janice, baking soda is a great, environmentally sound cleaner. A couple of caveats: Oxidized and heirloom pieces shouldn't be cleaned; it could diminish their value. Baking soda should be in everyone's cleaning closet: It's cheap, safe and readily available. I've compiled a collection of my best baking soda hints and recipes in a handy pamphlet. It's easy! Visit www.Heloise.com to order, or send $5, plus a stamped (71 cents), self-addressed, long envelope, to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. There are good commercial silver polishes on the market, but give baking soda a go first, and start saving money! -- Heloise IT'S A BIT STUFFY IN HERE Dear Heloise: When the holidays are over, I stuff the loops of my bows with newspaper sleeves and store them in a large bag. Next year, if the tails are a bit wrinkled, I touch them up with a warm iron. -- Sandra H., Mechanicsburg, Pa. P.S. I love your column. TONG TOTE Dear Heloise: I use paper towel cores to store kitchen tongs. I wrap the tube with packing tape or decorative contact paper for added strength and slide the closed tongs into the tube. Saves space and clutter in the drawer. -- Jerry in Okeechobee, Fla. HOOK 'EM Dear Heloise: I'm frustrated with public restrooms not having somewhere to put one's purse. Too often, there isn't a hook or a small shelf in the stall or room. It's uncomfortable to hold the purse while using the facilities, and it's gross to think about putting it on the floor. -- Karen B., Colorado Springs, Colo. Time to speak to management! -- Heloise | http://www.hdnews.net/news/20190103/is-buffet-hot-one |
Will 2019 Be A Better Year For Bitcoin? | In 2017 Bitcoin became a household name as the price went from below $1,000 per coin at the start of the year to well over $19,000 as the year came to an end. In 2018, the price of the most well-known cryptocurrency fell from its lofty heights to close the year below $4,000 per coin. As we roll into 2019, some cryptocurrency experts are predicting Bitcoin to break the 2017 record high and fulfill its destiny of going as high as $1,000,000 per coin by 2020. Other more modest expectations have Bitcoin at around the $50,000 range by year end 2019. But the mass consensus of Bitcoin experts has the crypto ending the year in that $20,000 range. I personally still believe that is way, way, way too high, and Ill go even as far as saying Bitcoin will end 2019 lower than where it starts the year. There are two reasons I believe Bitcoin will not perform well in the coming year. The first is because the Bitcoin hype train is out of steam. Some still believe that a Bitcoin ETF or other mass appeal investment will be approved by the SEC in 2019, but I again am not one that stands in that camp. Based on what the SEC has said in the past about a Bitcoin ETF or other investment, I find it hard to believe that we will actually see one get approved in the near future. On that same token, its widely believed that the NASDAQ will start trading Bitcoin futures in 2019. Some reports even have this as a major catalyst for the price of Bitcoin in the coming year. That very well may be true, but I would point to the fact that when Bitcoin futures began trading in Chicago, the price wasnt really affected. Thus, I would logically think, the same would happen if futures trading occurs on the NASDAQ. With no major catalyst such as a new Bitcoin investment vehicle, I dont see what would cause a new hype train to start when it comes to Bitcoin, especially since so many retail investors got burned the last time Bitcoin went on a big run. We can place a value on stocks based on free cash flow, growth rates, cash on hand, assets, etc. Commodities such as oil and gas, corn, sugar, can all have a less accurate value than stocks placed on them, but still somewhat accurate value. Even traditional currencies that the developed world uses have some semblance of value which is based on something since the issuing country itself and others that have large quantities of that form of cash would essentially act as a backstop for the currency and not allow it to lose too much value. Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, is entirely arbitrary, which largely explains is massive swings and the ridiculous price range investors are predicting for the price of Bitcoin in the future. This is what also makes it even more attractive to those investors who dont fully understand stock investing at its core. The worlds greatest investors, Graham, Buffet, Lynch, all showed us that investing is simply figuring out what the current value of a company is and determining whether or not the market is overpricing, underpricing and fairly pricing that company. Simply said, find undervalued stocks and buy them. Only sell when they are no longer undervalued. Rinse and repeat. With Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as a whole, this process is not just difficult to do, but essentially impossible since we cant truly value Bitcoin or any other crypto. But despite this fact that there is no way to determine the value of Bitcoin, people still say things like Bitcoin fundamentals are strengthening. Dont let the price distract you, an actual quote by Anthony Pompliano, the found of Morgan Creek. One fundamental that Anthony actually highlighted in the tweet which I pulled that quote from was a chart showing the number of Blockchain Wallet Users. Essentially the chart showed how the number of users for blockchain wallet has grown over the years. This sort of thinking follows the idea that the more users blockchain wallet has, the more the demand for Bitcoin and other currencies will increase. Thats really not terrible logic, but following that same logic thinking I would assume that if we tracked the number of actual, physical wallets sold year over year that we could predict the value of the dollar, euro, yuan, or the pound. But sadly, I think we would all agree that in reality, thats not an accurate way of predicting the value of physical currencies. The fact of the matter is, there is currently no way to determine a value of Bitcoin. It is a completely speculative investment. If you buy it, you are essentially gambling, not investing. The last thing is that I want to offer full disclosure to the readers. When Bitcoin was trading well below $1,000 at the start of 2017, I told investors to stay away from it. When the price climbed higher, I continued to urge people to avoid it. The summer of 2017 I repeated told investors to sell and stay as far away from the cryptocurrency industry as they could. I was wrong every time I spoke about Bitcoin in 2017. Investors who didnt listen to my advice would have likely made some money in Bitcoin. So, I have been wrong about Bitcoin in the past and will possibly be wrong about it in the future. But I challenge anyone reading this to find an accurate way to value Bitcoin and prove, without a doubt that I am wrong once again. And if you cant do that, I implore you to avoid Bitcoin and the industry; I certainly will be. Matt Thalman INO.com Contributor Follow me on Twitter @mthalman5513 Disclosure: This contributor did not hold a position in any investment mentioned above at the time this blog post was published. This article is the opinion of the contributor themselves. The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. This contributor is not receiving compensation (other than from INO.com) for their opinion. | https://www.ino.com/blog/2019/01/will-2019-be-a-better-year-for-bitcoin/ |
Should parents wait till a kid is 14 to give them a cell phone? | Its no secret that kids love electronic gizmos and some parents are giving cell phones to their children when they're as young as 7. But New Jersey child psychologist Steven Tobias believes this is a bad idea because cyber-predator dangers are real and younger kids can easily put themselves and others at risk without even realizing what theyre doing. There is a national movement for kids not to get cell phones until 8th grade and I certainly think thats reasonable, he said. Tobias noted there may be some exceptions to this but barring that, if they want it for social purposes, 8th grade I think is a reasonable time. He believes waiting until a child is in the 8th grade to get a cell phone, when theyre 13 or 14 years old, makes a lot of sense. They tend to be more social at that age; they certainly use the phone to contact friends. Theyre becoming more independent from their parents," he said. Around age 14, kids usually have a little more responsibility and are able to hopefully use good judgment. But even if parents do wait to give a cell phone to their child until they are 14, Tobias strongly advises them to review the rules before handing it over and make sure everyone understands it always needs to be the parents phone that theyre lending to the kid. He stressed that kids have no right to privacy: Parents should feel free to check their kids phone at any time. Tobias said it would be great if the different telecommunication carriers took some responsibility for their product and embraced the idea of age limits for cell phones because there are potential dangers with advanced technology in the hands of young people. He also acknowledged some companies are beginning to make it easier for parents to keep tabs on their kids cyber behavior, which is a positive step in the right direction. He pointed out in todays world, with the growing threat of cyber predators, using a cell phone takes as much responsibility and judgment as drinking alcohol, and also I think it can be even more addictive." You can contact reporter David Matthau at [email protected] | http://nj1015.com/should-parents-wait-till-a-kid-is-14-to-give-them-a-cell-phone/ |
Where is BBC drama Howards End filmed? | EM Forsters Howards End is one of the most famous homes in English literature. It represents a rural Britain lingering in the past and struggling to keep up with the comparative chaos of urban life at the beginning of the 20th century. Advertisement The novelists inspiration for Howards End came from his childhood home, Rooks Nest. After his father died from tuberculosis, Forsters mother took him to the countryside in the hope that they could lead a healthier life there. He lived at the house, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, from around the age of two to 12 years old. In the Oscar-winning 1992 film adaptation starring Emma Thompson, Howards End was reimagined at Peppard Cottage in Oxfordshire. Now, the BBC has adapted the novel for television, with Hayley Atwell playing Margaret Schlegel and Matthew Macfadyen as Henry Wilcox. The expansive residence of the Wilcox family was filmed at a property in Hambledon, near Godalming, Surrey. The house which dates back to the 16th century is private, but the property is renowned for its five-acres worth of gardens which are open to the public. The exterior of the Schlegels London home (Wickham Place) is filmed in Myddelton Square in Clerkenwell. All of the Georgian houses on the square are Grade II listed. The beautiful home with steps leading up to arch windows, and vast gardens resplendent with a lake is undoubtedly one of the Wilcoxs most beautiful properties. Evie gets married there in episode three, and her wedding was filmed at West Wycombe House in Buckinghamshire. The Palladian house is a National Trust site and has been home to the Dashwood family for over 300 years. It is surrounded by 45 acres of landscaped park. Both the house and park are open to the public. The Schlegel siblings and Henry Wilcox journey down to Aunt Juleys for a holiday by the coast, and her stone house looks out onto grass verges which lead to white cliffs and wild sea. Harry Warren House on Studland Bay in Dorset was the filming location for these scenes. It is a 19th century country house set in four acres of seaside grounds. The ornate pier that Margaret and Henry go walking along is in fact Swanage Pier, it has been restored from the Victorian era and is located in Dorset. This scene was filmed at the ruins of Waverley Abbey in Surrey, where a group of monks founded a monastery almost 900 years ago that sits alongside the River Wey. The abbey has previously been used as a backdrop to the films Elizabeth (1998) and Disneys Into the Woods (2014). Advertisement Waverley Abbey is open to the public free of charge. | https://www.radiotimes.com/travel/2019-01-01/where-is-bbc1-drama-howards-end-filmed/ |
When Will San Francisco Get an Earthquake Alert App? | Los Angeles officials on Thursday unveiled the first app anywhere in California that taps into the state's shake alert system, sending users a message straight to their smartphones ahead of large earthquakes. NBC Bay Area's Sam Brock examines when a similar app will come to San Francisco. Los Angeles officials on Thursday unveiled the first app anywhere in California that taps into the state's shake alert system, sending users a message straight to their smartphones ahead of large earthquakes. The app, Shake Alert LA, is free and will give users 5 to 10 seconds warning if they live in Los Angeles. San Francisco, meanwhile, is taking a wait-and-see approach. For Bay Area seismologists, who have been developing an earthquake detection system for more than a decade, Thursday's unveiling in LA marks a huge step. "It will save lives by giving precious seconds to you and to your family, to take action and protect yourself when the next 5.0 magnitude or greater earthquake hits," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said. Dr. Robert Allen with the University of California, Berkeley seismology lab said BART linked into the alert system back in October when it opened for business. Some hospital and utilities, like PG&E, also linked into the alert system, but not the City of San Francisco. "We're certainly interested in the pilot program that they have in Los Angeles," said Francis Zemora, SF Department of Emergency Services. "And we look forward to evaluating the results." Zemora said San Francisco studied mobile alerts a few years ago and was not overwhelmed by the results. "One of the things we found was there simply wasn't going to be enough time -- to send out an alert through the mobile systems, to make it useful for people," Zemora said. "So what we focused on instead was a more direct connection -- automated alerts to critical facilities." For now, San Franciscans are left to wonder if they want, or need, an LA-like app. | https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Will-San-Francisco-Unveil-an-Earthquake-Alert-App-503878341.html |
Did North Korea's Top Diplomat in Italy Defect? | (ROME) North Koreas top diplomat in Italy has gone into hiding along with his wife, according to a South Korean lawmaker, raising the possibility of a defection of a senior North Korean official. The news came from South Koreas spy agency, which briefed lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday on the status of North Koreas acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil. It said he went into hiding with his wife in November before his posting to Italy ended late that month. A high-profile defection by one of North Koreas elite would be a huge embarrassment for leader Kim Jong Un as he pursues diplomacy with Seoul and Washington and seeks to portray himself as a geopolitical player. South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki said an official from Seouls National Intelligence Service shared the information during a closed-door briefing. Kim did not say whether the spy agency revealed anything about Jos current whereabouts or whether he had plans to defect to South Korea. The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now Kim said the NIS said it has not been contacted by Jo. According to Kim, the NIS official said Jo and his wife left the official residence in early November, weeks before his term was to end. Kim said he couldnt confirm if the NIS official revealed whether Jo and his wife were accompanied by any children. The NIS earlier said it couldnt confirm a South Korean media report that Jo was under Italian government protection as he seeks asylum in a Western nation. North Korea has not yet commented on Jos status. An official with the Italian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Jo hadnt requested asylum from Italy. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with standard practice, also said Jo no longer held diplomatic status in Italy, presumably since his assignment had ended. Without citing any sources, Italian daily La Repubblica raised the possibility that while the Foreign Ministry was saying Jo hadnt sought asylum from Italy, that didnt rule out that the North Korean might have turned to other offices, such as Italian intelligence agencies for assistance from Italy in order not to return to his country. North Korea, which touts itself as a socialist paradise, is extremely sensitive about defections, especially among its elite diplomatic corps, and has previously insisted that they are South Korean or U.S. plots to undermine its government. About 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to South Korean government figures. Many defectors have said they wanted to leave North Koreas harsh political system and widespread poverty. North Korea often accuses the South of deceiving or paying people to defect, or claims that they have been kidnapped. North Korea may publicly ignore Jos possible defection or hold back harsh criticism to avoid highlighting the vulnerability of its government as it tries to engage Washington and Seoul in negotiations, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seouls Dongguk University. Jo had been North Koreas acting ambassador to Rome after Italy expelled then-Ambassador Mun Jong Nam in October 2017 to protest a North Korean nuclear test and long-range missile launch. Jo seemed comfortable moving around Italy. In March 2018, accompanied by another embassy official, Pak Myong Gil, he visited two factories in Italys northeastern Veneto region with an eye on eventual trade, according to La Tribuna di Treviso, a local daily. One factory produced bathroom furnishings and another made accessories from marble. The newspaper quoted the local businessmen as assuming at first the delegation consisted of South Koreans, not North Koreans, given the economic sanctions against North Korea. Among the Italians accompanying the North Koreans was a former Italian senator for what is now the League party, which in general opposes economic embargoes as bad for business. The politician, Valentino Perin, told AP he had spoken with Jo many times, including about preparations for the visit to the Veneto region. Perin said he last met with Jo on Sept. 5, at an official reception organized by the North Korean embassy in Rome. Showing Jos business card, Perin said the North Korean was very proud of his people and of his country. The last senior North Korean diplomat known to have defected is Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, who fled to South Korea in 2016. In an interview on South Korean television, Thae said he worked with Jo for more than a decade in the North Korean Foreign Ministrys Europe bureau and that Jo had a child when Thae last saw him in 2013. Thae said Jo comes from a family of diplomats, with his father and father-in-law both serving as ambassadors. The embassy in Italy is critical for North Korea because it handles annual negotiations with the Rome-based World Food Program over aid to North Korea, Thae said. He also said Italy has been a hub for smuggling luxury items to the North Korean elite, and Jo would have been involved in those activities. Thae said Jo would have been North Koreas main diplomat for the Vatican and would have also handled discussions involving a possible visit to the North by Pope Francis if such talks had taken place. South Korea said in October that North Korean leader Kim mentioned during a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he would welcome a papal visit. Thae said he believes Jo was to be replaced by incoming ambassador Kim Chon in November but did not reveal how he obtained such information. While not identifying him by name, North Koreas state media described Thae as human scum after his defection in London, and claimed he was trying to escape punishment for serious crimes. Thae, who has been an outspoken critic of Kim while living in South Korea, denied the accusation and said he defected because he didnt want his children to live miserable lives in the North. Its possible that Jo is trying to defect because of similar reasons, said Koh, a policy adviser for South Koreas president. It could be difficult for some diplomats to accept being called back to the North after enjoying years living in the free West. They could want their children to live in a different system and receive better education, he told The Associated Press. The highest-level North Korean to seek asylum in South Korea is Hwang Jang-yop, a senior ruling Workers Party official who once tutored Kim Jong Uns late father, dictator Kim Jong Il. Hwangs 1997 defection was hailed by many South Koreans as an intelligence bonanza. Hwang died in 2010. Also in 1997, the North Korean ambassador to Egypt fled and resettled in the United States. Contact us at [email protected]. | http://time.com/5493797/north-korea-itlay-defection/ |
Where is Death in Paradise filmed? | Its called Death in Paradise for a reason: Saint Marie is a heavenly island of sun, sea, sand and sunsets. In fact it looks so gorgeous (and so hot!) that its hard to see how anyone works up enough anger (or energy!) to actually murder someone. Advertisement But Saint Marie doesnt exactly exist in real life the show is shot in Guadeloupe. Heres everything you need to know about filming locations, from the shack to the police station to the town of Honor. Death in Paradise is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, in the town of Honor. This imaginary pretty island is supposed to be about a tenth of the size of neighbouring Guadeloupe. Saint Marie may be a British Overseas territory, but the islands history and location means around 30% of its inhabitants are French: it only came under British control in the seventies. The main religions on the island are apparently Catholicism and Voodoo which means there are some exciting local festivals every year. The BBC1 drama is filmed in Guadeloupe, a butterfly-shaped collection of islands in the Caribbean. It is an overseas region of France, which explains all the French-speaking locals who appear as extras on the show. Bien Sur! In Death in Paradise we spend most of our time in the town of Honor where DI Jack Mooney (Ardal OHanlon) heads up the police force. Much of the filming takes place in the commune of Deshaies, which doubles for the fictional Honor. Deshaies is located on the northwest tip of Basse-Terre Island (the other wing of the butterfly is Grande-Terre Island). Honors farmers market can be constructed for filming when required, and local sites are often used for key scenes for example, Death in Paradises first Detective Richard Poole (Ben Miller) was killed in the beautiful botanical gardens. Nearby resort Langley Fort Royal Hotel is used as a base during filming. For almost six months each year it is home to Death in Paradises crew and guest stars and actors, although some of the core cast prefer to live in local villas with their families. Unsurprisingly, the hotel has made plenty of guest appearances, too: murder victims have tumbled from convenient balconies, and the beach and the bar have appeared in many scenes throughout the years. DI Jack Mooney has now inherited DI Humphrey Goodmans beach-front shack complete with a hungry lizard named Harry. This rickety structure is assembled on Anse La Perle (or La Perle Beach), one of the most beautiful spots in Guadeloupe with miles of unspoiled sand and palm trees. Between shoots, the shack is taken down so its not washed away when the tide comes in during the winter months. The production company takes over a church hall in Deshaies to use as the police station, with the priests office becoming the incident room. The detective and his team like to grab a drink after work at Catherines Bar, where the owner is always on hand with unusual cocktails and life advice. These scenes are filmed on a wooden deck on the town beach at Deshaies. Until youre actually there and youve experienced it yourself, you really dont know, OHanlon says. The heat and humidity can be overpowering, especially in the middle of the day: Nothing really prepares you for that. Sometimes people think youre on holiday because youre filming in Guadeloupe, says Tobi Bakare, who plays cheeky Officer JP Hooper. But filming on a beach is not that easy just so people know! When youre in swimsuits and having a cocktail its just perfect being on the beach, but when youre filming its very hard, its very long, its five months away from family and friends. But the thing is we have so many beautiful beaches and the place is amazing and the crew is like a small family, you get to see year after year. So its long, its difficult, but its very enjoyable. Beautiful view of the harbour this afternoon! #paradise pic.twitter.com/49lyeTnBNN Death in Paradise (@deathinparadise) May 25, 2017 Not that its all hard graft: theres still time for a dip in the pool or some time on the beach. Bakare assures us: In Guadeloupe theres so much to do, theres a waterfalls and volcanoes and all sorts of things there that you can explore. And then on top of that theres a hotel that has a bar! With alcohol! The people in the country are fantastic as well, they also employ a lot of Guadeloupeans, local people, so the way they will have fun or their past-time will be fishing. So you find yourself fishing in the Caribbean with a local who happens to be on the same crew as you and you think, God this is fantastic' And while Kris Marshall eventually quit the show because he was spending too much time away from his young family, OHanlon says its worth it. The actor has three teenage children (Emily, Rebecca and Red) with his wife, Melanie. Describing Death in Paradise as a dream job, he explains: I think being separated from family for long periods is always a drawback. But I mean that can happen here [in the UK], it can happen anyway. No good bookshops! But no I mean not really, no the compensations far outweigh the drawbacks. In September 2017, filming for Death in Paradise series seven had to be suspended because of Hurricane Irma, shortly followed by Hurricane Maria. The government in Guadeloupe issued a red alert due to dangerously high winds and rain as hurricanes battered the Caribbean. Guadeloupe escaped most of the damage, but it was quite an experience for the stars of Death in Paradise. It was scary, its a scenario that Ive never been involved in before so kind of just have to do what you can to cope, Bakare says. Me, Im a man of faith so I prayed, I just asked for God to guide me and also prayed for the neighbouring islands as well man because they were really hit by it and it affected Guadeloupe, yes, but what it done to the neighbouring islands, its catastrophic. We were well looked after, our houses were assessed to see if they were stable, they kept people close together, the hotels were fantastic, if there was places that they felt was even a tiny bit unsafe they would move people. The production kept people up to date, we had this WhatsApp group that was like a mini radio station. All night long. Ardal adds: It was a little bit daunting, insofar as we knew there was a big hurricane coming. And we obviously had two of them, we had Hurricane Maria as well. So yeah it was kind of worrying. We were very aware of the devastation that they could cause and the devastation that they did cause in other places. Advertisement But its all part of the job: You want to make this show in a Caribbean island, this is one of the things you have to contend with, you know what I mean? | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-04/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed/ |
How would Hunter Henry impact Chargers offense in possible playoff return? | COSTA MESA The playoffs are no time to play it safe, but in the case of Hunter Henry and his long-awaited return, the Chargers may have no other choice. The talented young tight end is expected to make his season debut on Sunday in Baltimore, at the most critical juncture in the Chargers season. Up against an aggressive Ravens defense which bludgeoned them in their first meeting, its tempting to think a playmaker like Henry has the potential to spark a slumping offense. Well, 60, 70 plays, maybe, Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt deadpanned, with a grin. Every special team rep. You know, we maybe we use him on defense. I dont know. I think some of it is how he feels. Youll have a certain number of package plays that youll use him for. I think you kind of go from there. Hyperbole aside, the uncertainty surrounding Henrys status is likely to extend into Sunday morning, if only to force the Ravens to prepare for the possibility of another potent pass-catcher. But for weeks, all signs have been pointing to the postseason for Henrys debut. The Chargers hinted of his return as early as the first week of November, clearly confident that their tight ends knee was recovering ahead of schedule. Henry participated in his first practice on Dec. 17, fueling further hope that he might be ready for a possible playoff run, and he told reporters then that he never considered his season to be over. On Monday, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said Henrys knee was stable. Still, this week, Chargers staff have done their best to tamp down expectations for the talented tight end. The team has yet to officially add Henry to the active roster, leaving the public and the Ravens in the dark about his practice status. In a radio interview earlier this week, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco suggested that its not a slam dunk that he would play. And even if he did, Lynn noted hed be on a pitch count. I like the progress that hes been making, Lynn said on Monday, but he hasnt played football for a long time since last December. Its been a while. Hes going to need to really show us that hes ready (to play). In his two seasons with the Chargers, Henry shared the lead tight end role with Antonio Gates and still managed to rack up 12 touchdowns, tied for fourth-most in the league at the position over that span. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, hes proven to be a serious weapon in the red zone and a better-than-expected blocker elsewhere. Lynn called him one of the better combo tight ends in the game, and without him, the Chargers havent gotten all that much out of the position. Gates and Virgil Green have combined for just 543 yards and 3 touchdowns. But the Chargers have proven potent in other ways through the air, and in the red zone, second-year wideout Mike Williams has emerged as a serious threat, with 10 touchdowns to his name this season. Theres also no telling at this point just how far removed from his previous form Henry is right now, eight months out from an ACL tear. At 24, in just his third season, theres reason to wonder if its worth rushing Henry back, even in a matchup as tightly contested as this one. Chargers offense needs fixing before rematch against Ravens In recent years, the Chargers have leaned conservative in their dealings with similar injuries. Young offensive lineman Forrest Lamp was brought back at an excruciatingly slow pace from a knee injury that claimed his rookie season. Hes barely played in 2018. The better corollary, though, may be from 2013, when Melvin Ingram returned in December from an offseason ACL tear and played a limited role, before starting the Chargers two playoff games. But even Ingram had a few games to ramp up before the playoffs. His first week back, he played just 13 snaps. By the wild-card round, it was Ingrams fourth-quarter interception that iced the Bengals most promising comeback attempt. At any other point in the season, the Chargers would probably play it as safe as possible with a piece as important to the future as Henry. But in the franchises first playoff game since that 2013 season, against a Ravens defense that requires as many weapons as possible, the Chargers will have to toe that line on Sunday, with their season on the line and their young tight end already raring to return. | https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2019/01/03/how-would-hunter-henry-impact-the-chargers-offense-in-possible-playoff-return/ |
Is The Smartphone Era Over? | NEW YORK (AP) Behind Apples disconcerting news of weak iPhone sales lies a more sobering truth: The tech industry has hit Peak Smartphone, a tipping point when everyone who can afford one already owns one and no breakthroughs are compelling them to upgrade as frequently as they once did. Some manufacturers have boosted prices to keep up profit. But Apples shortfall highlights the limits of that strategy. The company said demand for iPhones is waning and revenue for the last quarter of 2018 will fall well below projections, a decrease traced mainly to China. Apples shares dropped 10 percent Thursday on the news its worst loss since 2013. The company shed $74.6 billion in market value, amid a broader sell-off among technology companies , which suffered their worst loss in seven years. Apples news is a wakeup call for the industry, said analyst Dan Ives of research firm Wedbush Securities. And its not just Apple. Demand has been lackluster across the board, Ives said. Samsung, long the leading seller of smartphones, has been hit even harder, as its phone shipments dropped 8 percent during the 12 months ending in September. The smartphone industry is going through significant headwinds, Ives said. Smartphone makers used to be like teenagers, and the industry was on fire. Now it feels like theyre more like senior citizens in terms of maturity. Tech innovations in phones grew in leaps and bounds earlier in the 2010s, with dramatic improvements in screen size, screen resolution, battery life, cameras and processor speed every year. But the industry is a victim of its own success. Innovation began to slow down around 2014, once Apple boosted the screen size with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models. While phones kept improving, new features tended to be incremental, such as a new flash technique to already excellent phone cameras. Its the stuff consumers wont typically notice or want to shell out for. Since the iPhone 6 youve seen it has been tough to innovate to continue to raise the bar, Ives said. Apple customers now upgrade every 33 months on average, longer than the 24 or 25 months three years ago, he said. Apples diminished growth projections, fueled by plummeting sales in China, have reinforced fears the worlds second-largest economy is losing steam. Its $1,000 iPhone is a tough sell to Chinese consumers unnerved by an economic slump and the trade war with the U.S. They also have a slew of cheaper smartphones from homegrown competitors such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo to choose from. The fact that even Apples iPhone juggernaut is suffering cements a larger trend for all major smartphone makers. After a steady rise for a decade, worldwide smartphone shipments fell 3 percent to 1.42 billion in 2018, the first annual drop, according to International Data Corp., which tracks such movements. IDC estimates that shipments will rebound 3 percent in 2019 to 1.46 billion, but that still falls short of 2017 levels. It doesnt help that top phones come with four-digit price tags $1,100 for the iPhone XS Max and $1,000 for Samsunga Galaxy Note 9. The top-end Max model sells for $1,450 in the U.S. Theyre getting more and more expensive while offering fewer and fewer new, innovative features that Ill actually use, said Zachary Pardes, a tech-savvy 31-year-old in Fairfield, Connecticut. Ill upgrade when the battery stops working. When Im forced to buy a new phone, Ill buy a new phone. Vivian Yang, a manager at a Beijing technology company, also balked at the price. Nobody needs such a phone, she said. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said the cycle might bottom out and start growing again in 2021 or 2022, when peoples current phones start reaching the end of their useful life. People will still replace their phones. Its going to happen eventually, he said. But theres no silver bullet that will spur growth to levels seen in the past when the industry was less mature. Foldable smartphones , with screens that unfold like a wallet to increase display size, are one thing that could spur excitement, but theyre expensive and not due out until at least the end of the year. Another thing that might spur growth: 5G, the next-generation that telecom companies are currently in the process of building, expected to be faster and more reliable than the current 4G network. The first 5G compatible phones are due out this year. Theres more pressure on 5G as the next-wave smartphone, since sales are so lackluster, said Ives. There will be a battle royale for 5G phones. But 5G will take years for broad, nationwide deployment, so the new 5G smartphones coming out this year are not likely to make much of a splash immediately either. Analysts say smartphone makers need to push into under-saturated areas like Africa and elsewhere, and also sell more services like cloud storage, streaming music and phone software. But the glory days of untrammeled growth appear to be over. Its going to be a slow slog, Llamas said. By no means is this the end of the smartphone market. But this is an indication that the smartphone market can be a victim of its own success. HEAD BACK TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE Also On Black America Web: | https://blackamericaweb.com/2019/01/03/is-the-smartphone-era-over/ |
Is the Road to Success Always Lonely? | Solitude and great accomplishments go hand in hand as is evident from the lives of many successful people January 3, 2019 4 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The lonely road to greatness is better than the crowded road to mediocrity. Matshona Dhliwayo You have a goal, a vision, and an end game. You can see yourself already possessing it; your mind has already understood it as a reality. You might dream of running a company that youre passionate about or being a millionaire by the age of 30. Maybe even simply having that financial and time freedom to travel across the world. Achieving these great things will be daunting and come with some eerily lonely episodes. As entrepreneurs, we need to enjoy being alone for many reasons. But its highly unlikely that anyone in the right state of mind relishes in the thought of bleak loneliness. Being alone is not the same as feeling lonely. The answer: Yes, it can get lonely. Its not a must, however, to feel lonely. Worry not Although you may be working in a room with people (like Starbucks), sometimes you still feel like youre alone in this. Its hard to find a group of people where you can safely bounce off ideas, experience, and knowledge with. Not many will understand your vision, and fewer will give their genuine heartfelt support. Thus, you feel lonely in this journey, because its hard to share with someone who gets you. Based on a research by John Cacioppo, Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor and the founder and director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, co-founder of the field of social neuroscience, these are the top causes of loneliness: genetics, physical isolation, moving to a new location, divorce, death of someone dear and low self-esteem. Good Reasons for Being Alone Your inner voice is the voice of divinity. To hear it, we need to be in solitude, even in crowded places. A.R. Rahman You should know this well. The fact that you had the guts to hop on to the path less travelled shows that you didnt let the worlds system deter you from doing what you believe is right for yourself. Listening to that voice of one, and ensuring that noises from external audiences arent affecting your judgment and decision-making process is of paramount importance. Apart from decision-making, which can either advance your business or cause it to head south, having others expectations loaded on you is also counter-productive. Not only can it hinder you from focusing on what truly matters, it has the potential to become a yoke that ties you down too. To stay focused Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed. Paulo Coelho One habit that can make or break any business is the ability to stay focused. Staying focused isnt the easiest thing to do. We, humans, need to have a darn good conviction and a goal to constantly keep us on track. As an entrepreneur, you have the freedom to do work as and when you wish. Discipline alone wont cut it. What we need is to have tunnel vision on the big goals; laser-sharp focus on achieving the things that matter. And this can be much easier when we arent distracted by people and the drama that comes with every relationship (even non-romantic ones). Choose Your Circle Wisely Many things can only be caught, not taught. The people we surround ourselves with will influence us greatly, for the better or worse. If were so meticulous in choosing apples at the grocery store, one should ponder about how much more careful we should be when it comes to choosing our friends. The influence of friends goes far beyond the way we dress, talk, or behave. You will definitely experience pangs of loneliness but you can learn to overcome them as you concertedly tune your focus back to the things that matter again and again. | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325620 |
Are Machines Taking Away Our Jobs? | The recent report by World Bank clearly brings up this "question" that has been haunting the economy of humanity ever since technology made its advent into the world January 3, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. The world looked forward to technology comfortably making its way. They thought their work was going to get easy. Technology swept the world off its feet. Apart from making lives easier what it did was to bring immense prosperity. The world was uplifted as a whole economically. However, according to human nature, when something is afar, it seems like a distant, simple and unharmful object. The moment the object comes closer does one recognize the grandiosity or danger associated with it. The recently released report by the World Bank raises many such arguments about technology, innovation and how it is impacting the nature of businesses. The Tech Tide It is true that the tide of technology has completely and irrevocably gripped the globe. The report clearly states that technology has blurred the boundaries of the firm. It states that technology has definitely given companies an edge and so many of them have gone global or achieved global dominance with the aid of technology. The instances of IKEA and Alibaba provide weight to this argument. IKEA started expanding within Europe after 30 years of its existence. The annual sales revenue of it today is a monstrous US$ 42 billion. Today, it has come to East including India. Similarly, is the case with Jack Mas Chinese conglomerate. The report says that Alibaba reached 1 million users in two years and accumulated more than 9 million online merchants and annual sales of $700 billion in 15 years. Thus, technology has given the world the lense to explore and reach territories beyond human imagination or perhaps break the limitations that the human mind conveniently constructs. The report recognizes India-based start-up and Walmart acquired Flipkart has definitely pulled the correct strings nationally and internationally in the arena of virtual marketing Robots v/s Human: Changes but No Regrets The report recognizes that robots are the new obsession of the world. That, the robots have caught the fantasy of technocrats and their role is getting redefined is not an incorrect statement. Contrary to the belief that robots replacing workers is striking a nerve, the threat to humanity from technology, is actually an exaggerated perception. It is true that by far, history has been the biggest teacher to make us realize that the world cannot function merely on robots and that the human capital is inevitably required. It is true that technological shift is changing the nature of work but whatever the future holds, investment in human capital is a no-regrets policy that prepares people for the challenges ahead. The Rise and Influence of Social Media The report is so accurately dealing with the issue of technology and innovation that it points out how with the advent of social media, the world is becoming a smaller place yet one that has cracks and gaps. Perception. The social media creates a heightened sense of self-leading to inequalities or feeling inferior. When a developing country sees the progress in a developed country, it inevitably makes them degrade their own soil no matter how unreasonable the comparison may be. The refugee crises in Europe, the war-pushed migrants from the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Arab Spring are notable manifestations of this perception, says the report. This report clears the air around many perceptions, pre-conceived notions and misinterpretations that the world has. It gives an insight into how the firms are relying on technology and yet they need humans to rely on! | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325614 |
Whats going on here? | This historic home at the corner of Lakeshore Road and Balsam Drive in Oakville is on steel beams, ready to be moved some 50 feet. Just the facts: Historical home dating back to 1878 on the move House awaits its new foundation and basement Large two-storey yellow house once sat at 114 Balsam Dr. Was once the home of William and Mary Wass Was built by William Lee for William Wass in 1878 Wass and his wife lived in the house until their deaths in 1892 and 1903 respectively Their daughter, Rebecca, lived there until her death in 1925 Theres an Oakville Historical Society plaque near the front door | https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/9108515-what-s-going-on-here-/ |
Is Innovation Possible in Latin America? | There is little doubt that the overall quality of higher education in Latin America has improved during the last several decades. This is not to say that the garage universities or fake universities that will offer a degree to any student who can pay the fees are entirely gone, but fewer remain. Accreditation programs, greater accountability to external entities, and regular evaluations have motivated institutions to collect and track data more effectively, to consider how they might do better, and produce improvement plans. Herein lies the problem. Improvement builds on what has been done in the past without fully stopping to question whether the past is still appropriate or relevant. Higher education in Latin America builds on a mix of the French and German tradition, emphasizing the focused preparation of professionals or the cultivation of academic researchers who will most likely dedicate themselves to scholarship at research centers. Preparing individuals for a future career through lectures that impart professionally-relevant content prevails as the predominant model. This pattern might be reasonable if the world around us hadnt changed. Cell phones and other portable electronics now ensure that all kinds of information are readily available; we no longer need to cram the human brain with information; many employment opportunities that exist today will be gone tomorrow. Reform is urgently needed but a complex pattern of practically intractable circumstances conspires against. Isolation With few exceptions, most of higher education in Latin America focuses inward with limited focus on international trends, best international practice or the needs of the social or economic environment. There is little attention paid to the research and science informing us about how students learn, particularly the generation currently enrolled or about to enter higher education. If there is any concern with international practice, it tends to focus on rankings and how to improve a countrys (or institutions position). The result is a largely isolated region of scholarship and practice. There is too little communication between higher education and the job market. Considering that most university graduates will pursue employment rather than further study upon graduation, this is a serious problem. Although this situation is not unique to Latin America, many universities in countries outside of the region have developed internship and co-op programs that allow undergraduates to have exposure to the job market before completing their studies, the opportunity to apply classroom experience to a different environment and to recognize the skills and knowledge they will need to be successful later. The process of establishing sites for this type of experience creates an important communication link between the university and future employers. Although some of my Latin American colleagues will argue that since many students work while studying and since many professors are part-time teachers and full-time professionals that a strong link to the professional labor market exists, but it is not the same thing as the intentional connection of study to practice. Rigidity The region continues to adhere to rigid, narrowly-focused, content-laden degree programs. With only a handful of exceptions, every university in the region requires students to make a career choice at age 17 or 18. This situation is made worse due to the lack of career orientation and guidance in secondary school. It is unlikely that many 18-year olds can name more than a dozen professionsdoctor, lawyer, engineer, dentist, psychologist, etc.yet we know that opportunities in many traditional fields are diminishing or (at least) changing, and that many new jobs that we cant quite imagine will be created as a result of advances in science and technology. We also know that todays graduates will change jobs frequently, often to different fields of practice. There is a growing body of evidence that we need to prepare students with less field-related content in favor of a broader base of skillswith some essential content knowledgeand the ability to adapt to change. These results will not come from a five-year degree that focuses exclusively on content for a specific career but rather a varied educational foundation that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Interdisciplinary study has yet to arrive in Latin America. Combining fields of study not only enriches an individuals education, but also expands ways of thinking and the capacity for analysis from different perspectives. A broader education ultimately provides a stronger base for future adaptability. Challenges The older public institutions throughout the region have defined what a university should be and the standards by which most (if not all) other institutions are judged, limiting latitude for innovation. As a result, while the private sector has grown exponentially almost everywhere, it duplicates what the public sector offerssometimes less, sometimes equally, and sometimes more effectively. Improving higher education requires extensive involvement and commitment from faculty. Another handicap that constrains higher education reform in the region is the dependence on part-time teachers. This is problematic on many levels. With professors juggling complicated schedules that combine teaching at multiple institutions or teaching combined with other remunerative activities, dedicating time to thoughtful, coherent strategies for educational reform is a luxury few can consider. When individuals are only paid for the classes they teach, there are few incentives to spend time focusing on international trends, the research on teaching and learning or other areas of personal professional development. The reliance on part-time faculty creates an additional dilemma that works against the kind of curriculum overhaul needed. Each class taught provides necessary income to an individual. Removing classes from the course-laden degree programs has economic consequences for many. The Consejos Superiores, the governing bodies at public institutions have the authority to undertake serious reform, but this is an elected group and may or may not persist long enough to undertake significant change. Unfortunately, these Consejos also tend give priority to decisions that benefit their individual political constituents over long-term educational goals. Private sector institutions should be expected to be more responsive to labor market needs since they complete for income from student fees, and students are likely to be attracted to fields of study with the best prospects for future employment. This dynamic operates with only minimal efficiency; it assumes that employers make good hiring decisions. While employers throughout the region complain that university graduates do not possess necessary skills, they continue to hire students with traditional profiles. When regional employers begin to follow Googles lead and hire individuals based on their knowledge, skills, and talentswhether or not they have a university degreehigher education will have to respond. Conclusion Higher education throughout Latin America is in need of dramatic transformation. In a few instances progressive and visionary leaders have attempted reform through the creation of new institutions or programs, or through the introduction of new strategies at existing institutions. Innovation has been stymied at many levelseither by faculty and staff without incentives or adequate support to adapt or by external regulatory bodies locked into rigid traditional models. Reform is necessary and urgent, but its difficult to see how it will occur. | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/world-view/innovation-possible-latin-america |
Why would someone say that about Bundy's single mums? | I DON'T know Matty Sharp from Bundaberg. I'm not sure I want to. Mr Sharp posted a controversial comment on a Facebook page called Bundaberg Forum UNCENSORED earlier this week. READ: Man attacks single mums for going out on NYE His post attacked single mums on welfare and their motives for going out to celebrate the new year. It was offensive. The post generated more than 60 comments and 50 reactions. The group, which has more than 11,000 members, has some very simple rules. Don't bring kids into the conversation/argument, you must be over 18 years old, you can't block any of the administrators or moderators, don't act like a peanut, etc. Rule 6 focuses on "being a snitch. "If you don't like a post...scroll on!! ! the rule says. "If you report a post, be prepared for your very own tagged post asking why you reported it! ! At the NewsMail we have a Facebook page where we try to engage with the community. We highlight reports we have done that we think people are interested in and also, from time to time, start conversations. It's the comments in this space that give me more sleepless nights than anything. We do our best to police these, but the reality is the online world is 24-7. I'm not sure why people make nasty comments online and what it is they hope to achieve. Maybe. But in this space of extreme opinions, people are being less considerate of others and there are risks to this, both for individuals and the community. What may appear little more than harmless commentary can easily turn into a problem. We should control social media, rather than allowing it to control us. | https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/why-would-someone-say-that-about-bundys-single-mum/3614737/ |
Are PAs Part of the Solution to the Physician Shortage? | Lately, theres been a lot of talk about the growing shortage of doctors in a variety of specialty fields. From primary care to rheumatology and every other corner of medicine in between, it seems there Lately, theres been a lot of talk about the growing shortage of doctors in a variety of specialty fields. From primary care to rheumatology and every other corner of medicine in between, it seems there are just not enough physicians available to treat every patient who wants and needs care. Fueled by an aging population, these shortages are projected to get worse in coming years. New data released in April 2018 by the Association of American Medical Colleges notes that the shortage could climb as high as 120,000 doctors by 2030. The good news is that physicians arent the only clinicians who can care for patients. Other members of the health care team are able to manage many aspects of patient health, and physician assistants may be able to help ease the growing shortage of physicians in primary care and other fields. PAs are clinicians trained to at least the masters degree level using whats essentially a condensed medical school model, explains Jonathan Sobel, president and chair of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of PAs. PAs came out of a concept from Dr. Eugene Stead Jr. at Duke University in the 1960s. He had the concept of a fast-track clinician who could fill shortages predicted in the physician arena at that time as well. He took returning military corpsmen and trained them to run specialty units at Duke. The two-year program graduated its first class of PAs in 1967. The education model was standardized, and the profession expanded across the country. Dawn Morton-Rias, president and CEO of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the only organization that certifies PAs in the United States, says that PAs are health providers educated in the medical model. Were educated like physicians, in that PAs have a four-year college degree before entering a PA program. [See: Which Practitioner Do I See, and When?] Because PAs are clinicians trained to at least the masters degree level, they first need a bachelors degree. Then, they attend PA school. There are more than 250 highly competitive PA programs and they all require a bachelors degree for entry, Sobel says. Typically, this degree will be in a health or basic sciences field, so when they enter PA school, these students have a comparable background to students entering medical school. If you lined them up to med students, you would see theyd be very similar if not identical, he says. In addition to having the right educational background, Sobel says PA students bring with them an average of more than 3,000 hours of direct patient contact experience that theyve gained working as paramedics, medical assistants, medical scribes, nursing assistants, athletic trainers and all types of other health care experiences. PA school takes an average of 27 months to complete, and these programs involve intensive, full-time study. The first year or so is spent in the classroom, and after that, more than 2,000 hours are spent doing clinical rotations through all the different areas of medicine, Sobel says, including pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopedics, mental health care and so on. Just like physicians, PAs learn about all the different aspects of medicine and medical care. Those rotations give the PA a broad base, and thats important because when the PA graduates theyre trained as a generalist and theyre able to go out and fill those gaps in health care wherever theres a need. After completing their education, PAs enter the workforce and continue learning on the job in an apprenticeship model. Sobel says PA fellowships and residencies that provide additional specialty training to PAs are cropping up and usually last about a year, but thats an optional approach and different from the apprenticeship model that is more commonly how PAs continue to learn and grow as professionals. The vast majority of PAs really become specialized in a particular discipline from years of experience in an apprenticeship-type of model where theyve worked with a team, Morton-Rias says. PAs and NPs got their start around the same time, and while they are sometimes lumped together and address similar care needs, NPs and PAs are different types of providers. At the practice level, theres likely to be more similarities than differences between PAs and NPs, Sobel says, but there are two key differences: PAs are educated in general medicine, which offers a very comprehensive view of all aspects of medical care, whereas NPs choose a population focus. So, youll see pediatric NPs or womens health NPs or gerontology NPs, whereas PAs remain in that general model. Secondly, because the PA curriculum was designed as a fast-track medical training program, its modeled on medical school education. NPs are trained in the advance practice of nursing, which is why youll hear them referred to as advanced practice registered nurses. This difference in educational philosophy between the medical and nursing models may not be all that noticeable to the average patient who simply needs to see a health care provider for help managing a common problem such as diabetes. Being educated in the medical model means our focus, like for physicians, is to diagnose, treat and manage disease, Morton-Rias says. While we do provide health promotion and disease prevention and we do provide patient education and counseling, our first and foremost responsibility, like physicians, is to diagnose, treat and manage. Thats a little different from a nursing philosophy or a nursing model where the care is more supportive, related to health promotion and disease prevention. [See: How Hospitals Are Using Technology to Become More Patient-Centered.] In addition, to become a nurse practitioner you have to have been a nurse first, whereas for PAs they come into PA school looking academically very much like pre-med students, Morton-Rias says. To get into PA school, students need to have some clinical experience, and many would-be PAs have also worked as nurses, nursing assistants, paramedics, EMTs, lab technicians, radiography technologists, pharmacy techs or elsewhere in health care prior to entering PA school. All PAs who wish to practice must first become certified by the NCCPA and then apply for a license in their state. Practice laws governing what PAs can do vary from state to state, but all states require that they have their certification in order to obtain a license to practice medicine as a PA, Morton-Rias says. Once theyre licensed, PAs provide 80 to 90 percent of the services ordinarily provided by physicians, she says. For the average person who goes in to see a provider, youre not going to notice much of a difference whether youre seeing a physician or a PA or perhaps even an NP, Sobel says, because PAs do the same type of work. Its very similar to what youre getting from your physician provider that you can expect to receive from your PA provider. This means we obtain patient histories. We perform physical exams. We order and interpret lab tests. We make diagnoses. We prescribe medications. We assist in surgery. We work in the emergency room. We treat and manage patients in every clinical setting in which patients are seen, Morton-Rias says, adding that on the rare occasion where the patient has a very complex or unique situation or condition presenting in an unusual way, then we consult with physicians on care and management of that patient. PAs work everywhere. This flexibility means that PAs are increasingly being viewed as a big part of the solution to the physician shortage, Sobel says. But he says not all PAs are able to work to the full extent of their training and experiences because of outdated state practice laws and regulations in some states. For example, many dictate how PAs and collaborating physicians work together, including where and how often the physician must consult with each PA and how many PAs the physician can collaborate with. And over time those requirements have made it difficult for PAs to really practice at the top of their education and experience. Instead of setting stringent parameters at the state level, Sobel says PAs, physicians and patients would be better served if those decisions were handled at the practice level. In every medical setting, theres going to be different challenges and different patient populations and different levels of comorbidities. Enabling PAs and physicians and other members of the health care team to make those decisions at the practice level will allow health care teams to better harness the time and talents of each clinician and ultimately increase the access for patients and the quality of outcomes. Still, PAs typically work in a team-based environment alongside physicians, NPs, other PAs and other providers. The PAs will see patients that theyre comfortable handling and there may be a clinical question that comes up where they feel that they want to bounce that off other members of the team, which is often the physician. Similarly, the physician may feel that they want to get the PAs opinion on something, Sobel says. This collaborative approach may be helpful for getting the best care, he says, because medical knowledge is doubling so fast that its really impossible for one person to keep abreast of it. Today, Sobel says there are more than 123,000 PAs practicing in the U.S., and that number is expected to increase by 37 percent between 2016 and 2026, with 24 percent of those PAs expected to practice in primary care settings. Sixteen percent are going to practice in rural health care settings across the country. Its definitely going to be making an impact on that shortage, Sobel says. And visits to these providers are on the rise. A report released last month by the Health Care Cost Institute shows that, between 2012 and 2016, visits to nurse practitioners and physician assistants soared 129 percent, while office visits to primary care physicians dropped 18 percent. The report doesnt separate the data on visits to NPs compared to PAs, but its clear that visits to these similar but distinct types of providers are on the rise. The NCCPA reports that in 2017, the average salary of certified PAs was $107,718 and the median salary was $105,000. PAs who work in pathology and dermatology reported the highest wages. The average salary has increased 12.7 percent in the last five years, which may also be helping to drive the growth of this profession. U.S. News ranked it as a top health care job. [See: 8 Ways to Reduce Hospital Readmissions.] Studies have shown that PAs are able to deliver high-quality health care to patients, particularly when theyre working in teams. A 2016 study conducted by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Stanford Universitys Clinical Excellence Research Center ranked the best primary care practices in the country and found that the top practices ensure PAs can work to the full extent of their education and experience, Sobel says. Another study, published in 2017 by the American Journal of Medicine found that after four years of consistent care, outcomes for diabetes patients at the Veterans Health Administration were similar whether patients were treated by a PA or a physician. And a 2018 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found no significant clinical variation in the care and treatment of diabetes when provided by NPs, PAs or physicians, Sobel says. Certainly, around some of the biggest diseases that are plaguing our country and our population, PAs and NPs are able to make that impact that were looking for and thats important to note. Were positioned as a good alternative and complement to the physician workforce across all disciplines, he says. originally appeared on usnews.com Correction 12/26/18: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the medical college association. | https://wtop.com/news/2018/12/are-pas-part-of-the-solution-to-the-physician-shortage/ |
What if Natalya starts an all-female Hart Foundation? | Mike Chin FOLLOW ANALYST Top 5 / Top 10 1.09K // 04 Jan 2019, 08:31 IST SHARE Share Options Facebook Twitter Flipboard Reddit Google+ Email Natalya could have one last, epic storyline in store. Natalyas legacy looked set. She was a very good worker whose prime came and went too soon for her to fully benefit from the Womens Revolution, but who would nonetheless go down as one of the stars who paved the way for the next generation. Natalya had more left in the tank than most critics gave her credit for, though, first in her tenure as the lead heel on SmackDown, then as Ronda Rouseys ally on Raw. Her father, Jim Neidhart, has figured into her recent storylines, and WWE has never shied away from her relationship to Bret Hart. This article looks at the possibilities. #5 War with Ronda Rousey Natalya and Ronda Rousey could have a proper feud based around one or more factions. If Natalya were to start a stable, there is no chance that Ronda Rousey would play second fiddle to her. No, the far more likely scenario would be for the Baddest Woman on the Planet to be re-cast as Natalyas nemesis. If Rousey remains a face, the new Hart Foundation could be Natalyas means of posing a challenge to her with the numbers advantage at her disposal. Alternatively, at this point, one of the more convincing ways for Rousey to turn heel may be to victimize her friend. Maybe thats as an individual villain, but theres also every possibility of Rouseys real-life friends from the Four Horsewomen of MMA saddling up with her. The Hart Foundation would make sense as the first major obstacle for this imposing unit, led by Rousey and top heel from NXT, Shayna Baszler. Theres little chance of the Hart Foundation beating Rousey in the long run, but they could pose a compelling threat. 1 / 5 NEXT Advertisement | https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/what-if-natalya-starts-an-all-female-hart-foundation-ss |
Can US colonize moon by 2030? | If God had intended for humanity to become a space-faring species, he would have given the earth a moon. Krafft Ehricke. If God had intended for humanity to become a space-faring species, he would have given the earth a moon. Krafft Ehricke. John Mankins, formerly chief technologist for human exploration and space development at NASA headquarters, called for the U.S. leadership that enabled the Apollo moon missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s to be re-energized. He sees our moon as the stepping stone to human exploration and settlement of our solar systems asteroids, planets and moons. He noted that far less energy is required to send humans from our moon into space than from Earth. Mankins argued that the U.S., which is not playing a leadership role in the world at this time, should establish a human settlement on the moon, which is known to have water and other resources. Then, Americans should begin extracting, processing and using the moons resources to make propellants for and components of a spaceship that can be launched from a lunar base to Mars, the next stepping stone to Jupiter and beyond. From the 1950s through the 1970s, the U.S. developed many transformational space capabilities such as Saturn rockets, Apollo moon missions, probes for planetary explorations, the space shuttle, the International Space Station and orbiting artificial satellites for observing the Earth, surveilling enemy nations, weather forecasting, conducting climate research, enhancing communications and providing GPS for position locations and navigation. Just as American developments in consumer electronics made tremendous progress in the past 20 years, Mankins believes that the U.S. government and companies can develop just as aggressively new propulsion and other space technologies that are safe, affordable, reliable, effective, sustainable and capable of advancing the U.S. economy. The Chinese plan to put a lander and rover on the moon in roughly 18 months, and Japan and India will likely have a presence on the moon in six to seven years, Mankins said. I wish I could tell you when the Americans will send a lander and rover to the moon, but I cant, because the program is in reformulation. | https://www.oakridger.com/news/20190103/can-us-colonize-moon-by-2030 |
Will Facebook's 2019 continue the failings of 2018? | To keep working on the unfinished business of 2018 Published 10:32 AM, January 04, 2019 At the start of 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckeberg made it his resolution to "fix" the social network. "The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do," Zuckerberg wrote. He promised to tackle the social network's problems, which included abuse, cyberbullying, and hatred, as well as interference by nation states in the functioning of other countries. "My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues," he said. 2018 was a year of tumult for the social network, 365 days in which Zuckerberg's now-complex yearly resolutions were not met. Below is an overview of Facebook's past year. The shifting news feed Facebook started off the year with changes to the news feed that would attempt to focus on friends over news. The changes were meant to allow users to focus on relationships with people rather than with the news cycle. The changes were expected to make people spend less time on Facebook and the social network did take a hit from the changes to the tune of nearly $25 billion in market capitalization, according to Business Insider. Cambridge Analytica In March, the Cambridge Analytica data scandal occurred. The personal data of up to 87 million users was improperly shared with British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica and may have been used to influence public opinion. Facebook took on fines and public scrutiny following the scandal. The Facebook hearings In April, Zuckerberg faced two panels: a US Senate panel hearing on data privacy and a second panel with the US House of Representatives committee on energy and commerce. During the panels, Zuckerberg apologized as best he could for the data scandal. Said Zuckerberg, "It's clear now that we didn't do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy." Zuckerberg promised other applications were also being investigated to determine if they did anything wrong given the scope of the scandal. He added his personal information was also affected as part of the Cambridge Analytica data leak. Election influencers Across July and August, Facebook was in the news for its attempts to stamp out campaigns to influence elections in various parts of the world. In July, Facebook removed 32 pages suspected of stoking hot-button issues likely of Russian origin. In August, the social network removed another 650 pages identified as "networks of accounts misleading people about what they were doing," according to Mark Zuckerberg. The pages were linked not only to Russia, but to Iran state-owned entities as well, with behavior strategically similar to the Russian campaigns. In September Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, alongside Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, stepped up to the plate to give their own testimony to the US Senate, in part to tackle the issue of election influencing and interference in the US. The security breach In October, Facebook admitted a breach which occurred in September and bade Facebook to forcibly log out some 50 million users affected 29 million accounts. The attackers accessed the names, phone numbers and email addresses of 15 million users, and for another 14 million people additional information including gender, religion, hometown, birth date and places they had recently "checked in" to as visiting were also accessed. Discrediting critics Facebook also dealt with another controversy in November, this time over its use of a PR firm to attack the social network's critics. Facebook hired a conservative consulting firm, Definers, to diversify its advisors in Washington, but the role of Definers expanded, with one task being looking into Facebook's competitors and researching George Soros. Facebook's outgoing communications chief, Elliot Schrage, took the heat for the scandal. Additionally, a piece made by The New York Times said Facebook misled the public regarding its knowledge of Russian election meddling. It also said it used a PR firm to spread negative stories about other Silicon Valley companies to deflect anger from itself. Executives bid their leave Across 2018, at least 10 executives from Facebook or Facebook-owned companies left the company. Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, left in late April. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the co-founders of Instagram, made their exit in September. Meanwhile, Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe left in October. Additionally, the following Facebook executives left during the year: Elliot Schrage, head of communications and public policy Colin Stretch, Facebook's top lawyer Alex Stamos, chief security officer Dan Rose, vice president of partnership Rachel Whetstone, one of the company's top communications executives Alex Hardiman, head of news products 2018 was not a good year for Facebook. Despite this, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg took the time to, as he put it, be "proud of the rest of the progress we've made this year." He also did not formally state a 2019 resolution, but rather promised to keep working on the unfinished business of 2018. "Addressing these issues is more than a one-year challenge," Zuckerberg wrote, outlining the ways in Facebook has changed for the better. Rappler.com | https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/220195-facebook-failings-2018-continue-2019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rappler+%28Rappler%29 |
What Was The Most Important Breakthrough In Nanotechnology In 2018? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Nathan Donahue, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, on Quora: As a young field, one single research endeavor does not encompass the whole scientific corpus of nanotechnology. To that end (and in my opinion), nanotechnology can be divided into three sub-fields that directly impact: computer science, materials science, and the biological sciences. The following examples are among the biggest accomplishments in the respective nano-related fields in 2018. In the world of nanotechnology with computational applications, one of the biggest accomplishments was the study of plasmon dissipation across graphene[1] The greater significance of their work outlines specific parameters that are responsible for transmitting optical signals at the nano-scale. This is huge for scientists who are seeking to improve sensor technologies data transfer processes! In the realm of nanomaterials, a team of researchers harnessed sunlight to purify water [2]. By using a hierarchically nanostructured gel, they exploited solar energy to distill water at a record rate of 1823 liters per hour per square meter! As water becomes a coveted commodity with our growing global population, the importance of such advancements cannot be overstated. Last but certainly not least, this year in bio-nanotechnology, researchers were able to examine the efficacy of a nanoparticle vaccine for influenza [3][4]. The nanoparticle vaccine successfully elicited strong antibody responses against the virus in patients who received the formulation. In fact, such clinical success led to the efficacy trial of their trivalent nanoparticle influenza vaccine this flu season (20182019). Perhaps similar formulations with different antigens can be used to develop potent vaccines against other viruses. In conclusion, nanotechnology is a vast scientific discipline that spans many areas. There have been great strides and breakthroughs in all facets of nanotechnology this year. Heres to 2019! Footnotes [1] Fundamental limits to graphene plasmonics [2] Highly efficient solar vapour generation via hierarchically nanostructured gels [3] Improved Titers against Influenza Drift Variants with a Nanoparticle Vaccine | NEJM [4] Evaluation of the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Trivalent Nanoparticle Influenza Vaccine With Matrix M-1 Adjuvant (NanoFlu) - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/01/03/what-was-the-most-important-breakthrough-in-nanotechnology-in-2018/ |
Could the US adopt its own version of GDPR? | Ellen is a Verdict staff writer and reporter. You can reach her at [email protected] 2018 was undoubtedly the year that data privacy took centre stage, with the questionable practices of several social media giants concerning the use of user data held up for public scrutiny. Facebook was at the heart of this, with the sharing of user data with third parties repeatedly called into question. Just before Christmas, it emerged that Facebook had allowed third-party advertisers, including Spotify and Netflix, access to users private Facebook messages. This revelation, as well as many others, has not only tarnished the reputation of social media giants, but some are predicting that it could spark debate this year over US privacy law and its shortcomings. GDPR and the US Introduced in May, the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) allows individuals better access to the data companies have on them, and requires companies to obtain consent before collecting such data, risking hefty fines if they do not comply. Although US companies have to comply with GDPR if they have any data on European Union citizens, data protection regulations on the same scale for US citizens do not exist. The US does have some of its own privacy regulations, such as anti-spam legislation or the Federal Trade Commission Act. There is also state-level legislation such as Californias Consumer Privacy Act, which requires business to disclose what information they hold on individuals and is due to come into effect in 2020. However, this patchwork of legislation by no means as far-reaching as GDPR. President and CEO of non-profit organisation Center for Democracy and Technology Nuala OConnor explains that current US privacy law makes it difficult for individuals to understand what data companies have on them: Under the current patchwork of privacy laws in the US, it is impossible for individuals to understand, let alone manage, the many ways their data is used. The rise in public awareness of online data privacy may mean that legislative change is welcome. According to Diginomica, a study commissioned by the SAS last year revealed that 67% of US citizens believe that the US government should do more to protect data privacy. IAITAM President and CEO Barbara Rembiesa believes that Facebook has gone beyond what most people would deem an appropriate use of user data: 3 Things That Will Change the World Today Get the Verdict morning email The year 2018 has been a difficult one for Facebook. Between testifying before both domestic and international courts as well as the bad publicity surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, one would think that Facebook would be careful how it handles and distributes personal information. This time, it turns out Facebook was selling access to your personal data. This includes private conversations. Initially it looked unlikely that the US would adopt its own version of GDPR, with GDPR compliance expensive and time consuming, as well as raising the issue of commercial freedom, but the actions of Facebook and others highlight shortcomings in existing US privacy regulation. In other words, Facebook may have overstepped the mark for what is considered an acceptable use of data enough times for the public to support legislative change. Some have gone so far to predict that 2019 may see the introduction of legislation that bears some resemblance to GDPR. Rembiesa believes that the negative publicity received by the likes of Facebook may kickstart calls for greater regulation: Advertisers and marketers used their wide-open access to harvest PII [Personally identifiable information] from Facebook users without the knowledge of the individual. As a result, some users of Facebook and other social media platforms are now looking for a solution to protect their data as well as their digital identity. Those same people have looked at the EU and their sweeping regulation that turned the power and authority of protecting PII back to the individual: the GDPR. Some are calling for legislative change Rembiesa believes that scandals such as Cambridge Analytica may speed up legislative change: The recent Facebook discovery has people looking for the adoption of something like GDPR in the US faster than anticipated. It seems that people feel they are able to make decisions about their personal data better than any company or organisation would. There are also some people within Silcone Valley calling for tougher privacy legislation on a federal level, with Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly stating that regulators should have more control over the weaponisation of personal data at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners earlier this year. The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has also set out a draft federal privacy bill, a framework for new US privacy laws that would grant citizens the right to access their data, have it removed from an organisations database and addresses third-party data sharing. There has also been lobbying from some Democratic senators, proposing a Data Care Act that would hold large tech companies responsible for ensuring that user data is stored securely. Companies may already be preparing for the extensive legwork needed to ensure compliance. According to the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers, many US based companies are actively recruiting data protection officers in preparation for possible new regulations. Although it is worth noting that new legislation could not be brought in overnight, with GDPR first proposed back in 2012, the conversation surrounding data privacy has changed. Michelle Richardson, Director of CDTs Privacy and Data Project believes that changes to regulation need to be made in order to reflect this: | https://www.verdict.co.uk/us-gdpr-laws-facebook/ |
Is Bryson DeChambeau's flagstick putting method about to go mainstream? | KAPALUA, Hawaii Justin Thomas said he couldnt really take himself seriously if he ever holed a winning putt with the flagstick in. Doesnt like how it looks. Its obvious Bryson DeChambeau has never cared about optics, which is why he said he was going to putt with the flagstick in all the time once the modern rules of golf went into effect this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Some people laughed but DeChambeau was serious, and he backed it up Thursday while leaving the flagstick in the majority of the time in Round 1. He also topped the field at 3.868 strokes gained putting Thursday and suddenly this whole flagstick thing doesnt look so ridiculous anymore. It looked like it might have helped on at least one or two birdie putts as DeChambeau shot 4-under 69 to move to T-6. He wasnt the only player in the field to do it. Just the most frequent and outspoken. I feel like I maximized my potential on that, DeChambeau said. Especially on 16 today, where its kind of blowing downwind, five percent slope, straight downhill, you want that pin in to help. So thats what I kind of did and utilized it to my advantage. So I felt like for the most part I needed the pin to be in and it went in and it was a very nice help. He was playing with Dustin Johnson, who probably spent less time studying the modern rules than DeChambeau spent picking his shirt this morning. Johnson told him before the round he was cool with the whole flagstick thing and to have DeChambeaus caddie Tim Tucker just handle the flag all day to avoid confusion. Its definitely weird. Well, not weird, its just different watching someone putt with the flag in, Johnson said. It actually worked out where it wasnt a big deal. It didnt slow us down or anything. DeChambeau left it in about half of the time, including for birdie makes on 11, 14 and 16 on the back nine. The crowds are pretty small at Kapaluas Plantation Course and there were a few comments in the gallery, but it didnt really seem to impact anything. DeChambeau said he only took about 20 putts with the flagstick in to prepare for this tournament. Its not difficult. People make it too complicated, DeChambeau said. Im still learning in competition when its the right thing to do. Im gonna be courteous to the player Im playing with as well. Im not gonna be one of those guys thats not me. Im trying to be courteous to all the players out here and respectful. Thats my opinion and its been a help so far. Theres no way to know how much it helped DeChambeau or if it helped at all Thursday. But with studies suggesting its beneficial in every single situation and DeChambeau coming out of the gates with the best putting day in Maui, its easy to see other players on Tour following suit in the near future. | https://golfweek.com/2019/01/03/is-bryson-dechambeaus-flagstick-putting-method-about-to-go-mainstream/ |
When is Dracula coming to TV? Whos writing it? And whos in the cast? | While we may be a way off from any new episodes of Sherlock, its creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have been keeping busy, with the pair working on a new literary adaptation Dracula. Advertisement The new take on the iconic vampire wont be on TV for a while yet but heres what we know about it so far. This article will be regularly updated Its been revealed that Danish actor Claes Bang will play the bloodsucker, with Bang describing himself as thrilled by the opportunity. I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Dracula, especially when the script is in the hands of the incredible talents of Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and the team responsible for Sherlock, he said in a release. Im so excited that I get to dig in to this iconic and super-interesting character. Yes hes evil, but theres also so much more to him, hes charismatic, intelligent, witty and sexy. I realise that theres a lot to live up to with all the amazing people that have played him over the years, but I feel so privileged, to be taking on this incredible character. It was one of those moments who else could it be than Claes? added production company Hartswood Films and writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. He has it all. Brilliant, gorgeous, charismatic, lethal. Tall, dark and gruesome all at once. Hell has a new boss. Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, continued: Hell has a new boss and BBC One has an outstanding new leading man. To say we have lucked out with Claes would be to underestimate the supreme talents of Steven, Mark and the team at Hartswood and their knack for choosing the right actor to redefine an iconic role. Seriously exciting stuff Claes will bring Dracula to life with chilling charm and evil elegance, concluded Larry Tanz of Netflix. I dont know yet [if Ill be in it], he said in 2017. The part Id like is obviously Renfield, the mad man. Thats the best part. Well see. At time of writing, no other casting has been confirmed. Well, Dracula of course! Moffat and Gatiss are set to bring a new take to one of the most iconic characters in fiction, the blood-sucking vampire created by Bram Stoker for his 1897 novel, and who has informed the popular culture image of vampires ever since. And a short description of the series has now been revealed, confirming that the three-part drama wont be modernising the Victorian tale like Moffat and Gatiss did for Sherlock. Three feature length episodes will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy. In Transylvania in 1897, the blood-drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast. Apart from that, Moffat and Gatiss are keeping the series fairly under wraps for now. Im really not telling you anything about what weve got, Moffat told us in January. Definitely not for a long while, with filming set to begin in 2019. This could mean the series will air in late 2019 or early 2020. Gatiss and Moffat revealed they were due to start writing the series in early 2018, with the pair starting work on the scripts in March for three feature-length episodes. Weve got a lot of ideas, we need to go and sit down now and really talk about it, Moffat told us at the Radio Times Covers Party in January 2018. As noted above, the series is created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and produced by Hartswood Films thats the company run by Moffats wife and creative partner Sue Vertue who also made Sherlock. Advertisement And when its finished the series will air on the BBC who broadcast Sherlock in the UK and Netflix internationally, with the two broadcasters cooperating in the production of the supernatural drama. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-04/dracula-tv-air-date-cast-plot-mark-gatiss-steven-moffat-sherlock/ |
Is a potential health danger smouldering away without us realising? | For Penny Lucas, it's one of the classic smells of an Aussie summer: the beefy waft from snags sizzling on the barbie on her deck, and the woody scent of smouldering mosquito coils. Like many, she wonders if the smoke is safe to breathe. Like many of us, Penny Lucas loves the smell of mosquito coils. Credit:Christopher Pearce We use them but I do think about their safety. Im not sure which chemicals they use," she says. "I try and use a more natural product, an essential oil, when I can although I have not found the oil to be as effective as traditional treatments." | https://www.smh.com.au/national/is-a-potential-health-danger-smouldering-away-without-us-realising-20190103-p50pd9.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national |
Why Should Israelis Vote if their Vote is Meaningless? | In a recent conversation with a European ambassador, I asked about the possible consequences of the elections to the European parliament, which are scheduled to take place in May 2019. According to current polls, rightist, pro-Israel parties from a host of EU member nations are projected to win the vote in May. I was curious about the impact the projected results may have on European Union policies towards Israel. His answer was straightforward. European parliamentary election results arent particularly significant, he said with a shrug. Its true that pro-Israel rightist parties are expected to do very well. But their victories wont impact the EUs foreign policies or any of its substantive policies. All the substantive policy decisions are made by the European Commission in Brussels. The European parliament doesnt have influence over what happens in Brussels. Its decisions are basically declarative resolutions and opinions. They have no force of law, he explained. Formally, the situation in Israel is quite different from the situation in the EU. Unlike the European parliament, the Knesset has the power to legislate laws. And the government, which is comprised mainly of members of Knesset, implements policies it was empowered to adopt by the mandate it received from the voters at the polls. But in practice, with each passing day, the situation in Israel is becoming more and more similar to the situation in the EU. Every day, Israels bureaucracy, led by the legal system, seizes more and more powers from the countrys elected leaders. THIS WEEK, we received a glimpse of how this seizure of powers takes place behind closed doors, far from the eyes of the public. On Sunday, Jerusalem District Police commander Maj.-Gen. Yoram Halevy abruptly submitted his resignation to Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan. Halevy was the likeliest candidate to serve as the next inspector general, after Erdans first choice, Police Maj.-Gen. Moshe Edris candidacy was rejected by the Appointments Committee run by former Supreme Court justice Eliezer Goldberg. On Monday, Hadashot news reported that Halevy resigned following a meeting last week with attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit. Also in attendance at the fateful encounter were Erdan, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan and Deputy Attorney-General Dina Zilber. Halevy had been under the impression that Mandelblit would defend his appointment before the Goldberg Committee, and if necessary, before the Supreme Court. In his legal opinion regarding Halevys suitability for the job, Mandelblit concluded that there is no legal basis for preventing Halevy from serving as Police inspector general. At the meeting, Mandelblit explained to Halevy that law was not the issue. Despite the absence of legal justification for rejecting his appointment, Mandelblit said he would not defend Halevy both before the Goldberg Committee and before the Supreme Court. Erdan and Halevy asked. Mandelblits reasoning should distress all Israelis who care about democracy. MANY YEARS ago, Halevy committed a serious disciplinary infraction. An inspector general, Mandelblit argued, needs to be as pure as the driven snow. Halevys past infraction made him impure. So no dice. There is a legitimate debate to be had about the sort of character you would want in a police chief. On the one hand, you could argue that it is better to have a chief of police with a checkered past. The chief law enforcement officer is well served with some bad behavior in his rearview mirror. It makes him more likely to treat accused lawbreakers with humility. An equally legitimate argument can be made for having a straight-as-an-arrow lawman fill the top spot in the police. If you want the law enforced without prejudice, hire a chief with unstinting respect for the law who cuts no corners with crooks. However you come down on the question of the suitable character for a police chief, the question itself has nothing to do with the law. Israeli law is devoid of any mention that the inspector general of police must be as pure as the driven snow. The issue of character is a normative matter, not a legal one. The attorney-general has no special qualifications to determine proper norms for public officials. Certainly, he is no better qualified to decide the proper character of the police chief than the Internal Security minister. And Erdan has the advantage of being an elected official. The public empowered Erdan to make his decisions. Mandelblit, in contrast, was chosen by an appointments committee led by a former Supreme Court justice after the committee rejected several other candidates the government had asked it to screen. Mandelblits extralegal indeed lawless decision on Halevy didnt occur in a vacuum. It occurred in the context of a full-blown bid by Israels legal fraternity from the attorney-general and his subordinates to the Supreme Court justices to seize the governing and legislative prerogatives of Israels elected officials in every sector of public life. Supreme Court justices have arrogated to themselves the power to cancel duly promulgated laws and government decisions. The justices have seized the power to dictate economic and military policies from government ministries and from the IDF. Indeed, the governments decision to move to early elections in April, rather than wait to hold elections in November was fomented by the Supreme Courts seizure of the IDFs power to set draft policies. SPEAKING AT a conference this week, Mandelblit insisted that his legal opinions have the force of law and that ministers are required to abide by them. Given that Mandelblit has also asserted the power to cancel laws and reject the legitimacy of legislative initiatives he doesnt like, his statement signaled that as far as he is concerned, he is Israels sole legislator. Knesset laws can only be enforced if he agrees to enforce them. His decisions, on the other hand, are final. Mandelblit strengthened his position this week through his unbridled criticism of government ministers for advancing a bill to expel the families of terrorists from their homes. Mandelblit said, The proposed law to expel families of terrorists inside the territories is unconstitutional. But Israel has no constitution. He said the bill, raises difficulties in the international arena. But the attorney-general has no particular diplomatic qualifications. The government is in a much better position to judge Israels diplomatic interests than the attorney-general. Mandelblit insisted: The argument that my objection [to the proposed law] harms national security is devoid of all foundation. But the attorney-general has no professional claim to expertise in national security issues. He has no way of knowing that his assertion is true. Indeed, his opinion is no better than that of the average man on the street. Through his actions and statements, Mandelblit has demonstrated over and over that he believes that as the attorney-general, he is the ultimate arbiter of all national policies. He gets to decide normative standards. He gets to decide which laws can pass or be defended. He gets to decide who can serve in senior executive positions. He gets to decide on Israels foreign and defense policies. And he gets to promulgate laws with a stroke of his pen. What he says goes. What everyone else says, only goes if he says it goes. And for all of that, making law out of legal briefs and interfering in all aspects of government and Knesset operations is only one part of the attorney-generals job. The other part involves presiding over the state prosecution. THERE ARE two ways to choose a cabinet minister in Israel through elections and through prosecutions. In 1993, the Supreme Court made what has become known as the Pinchasi ruling. The justices ruled that government ministers must resign if the attorney-general indicts them. The Pinchasi ruling transformed the attorney-general from the governments legal adviser into the ultimate boss of elected leaders. With his power to indict elected officials, Mandelblit wields the power to decide who gets to serve in government. In the years since the Pinchasi ruling, Mandelblits predecessors repeatedly abused this power. As former justice minister Daniel Friedman wrote in his book, The Purse and the Sword: The Trials of Israels Legal Revolution, attorneys general wrongly indicted then justice minister Yaakov Neeman, then agriculture minister Rafael Eitan and then justice minister Haim Ramon. This then brings us to the attorney-generals outsized power in the upcoming elections and the coalition talks which will follow them. Currently, Mandelblit is sitting on three criminal probes of dubious quality against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a signal to both the public and to the politicians running for office, right after Netanyahu announced Monday that the party heads in his governing coalition had unanimously decided to hold the next elections in April, the State Prosecution announced that the elections will not affect their ongoing investigations of Netanyahu. Most of the discussions of Mandelblits likely moves involve the question of whether or not they will impact Netanyahus ability to win the elections. But the real question is how Mandelblits decision, whenever he makes it, will impact Netanyahus ability to govern in accordance with the will of the voters. If, as widely anticipated, Netanyahu and the Likud win in April, he will need to form a coalition with several smaller parties. Although Likuds natural coalition partners in the right-wing and religious parties have stated that they will join a coalition with Likud even if Netanyahu is indicted, those parties together are polling fewer than 61 mandates out of a total of 120. If this remains the case after the elections, then to form a government, Netanyahu will need to bring in populist or left-leaning parties. And the leaders of populist parties and center-left parties have signaled or stated outright that they will not join a coalition with Netanyahu if he is indicted. In other words, by dangling the Netanyahu probes over the heads of politicians like a sword of Damocles, Mandelblit is effectively threatening to nullify the results of the elections if the public doesnt vote as he and his fellow attorneys wish. And so we return to the European ambassadors dim assessment of the European parliament. It works out that European voters agree with him. Since 1999, voter turnout has never reached 50% and it has dwindled from election to election. A mere 42% of voters showed up in 2014. The Europeans are right. In April, Israelis will choose which party to vote for based on any number of considerations. But in the end, only one central question will be decided on April 9. Reprinted with authors permission from The Jerusalem Post | https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/119793/why-should-israelis-vote-if-their-vote-is-meaningless-opinion/ |
Where Are the Body Cameras? | ALBERT LEA, Minn. - In October, The Freeborn County Sheriff's Department announced they would buy body cameras for deputies to wear with hopes of using them in early January. However, they have been noticeably absent from the officers. Sheriff Kurt Freitag says the onboarding and training process for the cameras has gotten tied up. "Some things have taken a little bit of time, there's our retention schedule and then coordinating between us and IT," Freitag said. But he is already thinking about how the new technology will serve the community. "The combination between onboard video and the cars and our watchguard body worn cameras is just going to increase our abilities to get things recorded that otherwise we wouldn't have been able to record them," Freitag said. The Sheriff anticipates the Department will start using the cameras at the beginning of next month. | https://www.kimt.com/content/news/wherearebodycameras-503887251.html?ref=251 |
Where are the body cameras? | Below is the closed-captioning text associated with this video. Since this uses automated speech to text spelling and grammar may not be accurate. while body cameras are budgeted for the 2018/2019 year for the albert lea police department... officers were not wearing cameras. the department's goal is to roll out the new gear between march and june. the freeborn county sheriff will add body cams too. in the meantime unless dash cameras captured the incident there won't be any video evidence to help in the investigation./// in october... the freeborn county sheriff announced the department would be equipping all deputies on duty with body cameras. they were hoping to add the cameras by early january... but the process is taking longer. kimt news 3's isabella basco joins us now... isabella what's the reason for the delay?xxx katie and george... sheriff kurt freitag tells me all of the body cameras arrived at the beginning of december but before they deploy them... they have to start the training process.xxx "it actually captures quite a bit of activity at a wide angle." sheriff kurt freitag is excited about the 23 body cameras that just arrived. he's already thinking about the role the new technology will play in serving freeborn county. "hopefully in most situations it captures most of the event so we can determine what took place." freitag is picturing how the cameras will help. "it will certainly help us review cases where we used force on somebody, and in the case of today lethal force." incorporating the new gear has taken somewhat longer than freitag expected. "some things have taken a little bit of time, there's our retention schedule and then coordinating between us and it." once his deputies get trained on the equipment the sheriff believes the cameras will provide another set of muchneeded eyes. "the combination between onboard video and the cars and our watchguard body worn cameras is just going to increase our abilities to get things recorded that otherwise we wouldn't have been able to record them." katie and george... sheriff freitag tells me he anticipates the department will start using the cameras at the beginning of | https://www.kimt.com/content/video/503884862.html?ref=862 |
Is Blockchain Solving An Elusive Or Non-Existent Problem In Electricity Markets? | Theres a famous piece of dialogue attributed to the Prime Minister of Britain William Gladstone and Michael Faraday. Faraday had just invented the electric generator and was showing Gladstone what it could do. Gladstone remarks, Yes but what the devil use is it? To which Faraday says Ive no idea, but I warrant one day youll tax it. Such an exchange, whether true or apocryphal shows the huge mystery and incomprehension new technology often brings to any society. And its true that distributed electricity paired with blockchain and crypto based technology is baffling to many, even highly tech savvy commentators in the industry. Indeed, judging by some articles appearing in the digital press there is widespread lack of understanding of the potential of distributed energy resources (DERs) when coupled with blockchain. Some quite serious analysts have openly professed a lack of understanding of what problem this technology is trying to solve. Maybe this is the fault of technology companies that havent set out their stall clearly enough. But the charge that the value proposition isnt clear is a valid one and does need addressing. Thats not surprising because to understand the proposition fully you have to go beyond the crypto and blockchain elements and understand the foibles of the legacy electrical industry. Essentially you can sum it up as this. As more and more people go solar, the price doesnt go down. In fact, to some extent it goes the other way and becomes more expensive. This is quite a counter intuitive state of affairs and it reflects the complexity of the electricity market. The Sun is Free, But Its Making Things Expensive As more and more people come off the grid it leaves the people left behind to shoulder more of the costs. You can look at this in terms of fixed and marginal costs, but either way the upshot is clear. More defectors from the grid means more of the rest have to pay for keeping the system going. This means of course that grid prices rise and more and more defectors buy into solar and out of the grid. This becomes a vicious circle and in economics it is called a utility death spiral; its one of the reasons electricity is getting more expensive. It is also one of the issues DERs and blockchain can eventually sort out. By providing an alternative to what is essentially overpriced infrastructure, it will help distributed solar and wind do what they eventually must do - bring down the price. But this isnt the only piece of dysfunctional status quo that DERs are challenging. A Curious Differential Depending on whom you ask, theres a substantial gap in pricing that reflects a huge market asymmetry. As an example in some places in Australia theres a 7 cent feed-in price to the grid (selling price) and a 26 cent buy back rate. Or as some see it, a shocking amount of profiteering on the part of the energy companies. Now theres a lot of debate about what this feed-in-to-buy difference actually is. Some commentators say its much smaller than 19 cents, depending on what assumptions are made about network costs and daily fixed charges. But no one disputes the general point. The established energy companies charge substantially more for consumers to buy their electricity than they do to take it off your hands. And that high wholesale electrical prices are the new normal, a fact not lost on the Grattan report published in July 2018. Now you might think that as renewable kilowatt production levels climb, and we build more and more low cost solar and wind farms, eventually that differential, whatever it is exactly, will be eroded, and that the wholesale price will come down. However, this doesnt appear to be the case. In fact, you could double, triple, even multiply by ten, the amount of renewable kilowatts pumped out by solar and wind farms, and although good from a carbon perspective, unless you change the market dynamics the price differential would probably remain in place. One of the reasons is that as you produce more electricity, you actually create a problem for the grid managing your oversupply. Many wind farmers around the world are paid more to avoid supplying the grid when supply is high and power demand is low. The price gap reflects the fact that the main suppliers have a difficult job to do. They have to manage the supply of electricity and demand in a world where unlike any other good or commodity you cant really store it economically. Sure, batteries have become better in recent years and even months, but for the most part storing electricity is neither easy nor cheap. So unlike grain or cocoa beans, where you can warehouse huge supplies, electricity has to be very actively managed to protect against spikes and troughs. This is part of the reason for the buy-sell differential. And this is where the real distributed renewable electricity proposition comes in. And its another way of thinking about and managing demand spikes. Hold The Storage, Were Managing The Price If you can have a very responsive agile price mechanism, so that individual players, or rather their computer algorithms can choose their price, the problem of storage starts to go away. If electricity is expensive at 20.33 one evening because everyone is taking a shower, the price mechanism kicks in and manages the system so that it heats the water up a little later when the spike is over, at 20.35. If you want to cool your house down by a few degrees, your active pricing helps you pick the minutes on the distributed grid where electricity is plentiful and cheap. Thermal applications lend themselves to time shifting and they can be big guzzlers of electricity. So essentially distributed electricity coupled with technology can solve a vitally important problem, even if many experts cant see it. Its a problem thats deeply embedded and priced into our legacy electrical networks and predicated on fossil-fuel based electricity. Maybe this is why it seems like a nebulous solution, because its a problem were not very clear about. But theres no doubt the problem exists. Its this problem that explains part of the feed-in tariff to buy price differential. Far from it. When you look at how disruption happens in real markets you come to the conclusion that they will likely happen in places like Thailand where the legacy systems arent as profitable and where countries which are better placed to leapfrog their technology. Technologies that can enable this transactive grid, using the blockchain, are starting to demonstrate how these new marketplaces will work there. As Clayton Christensen, Professor of Economics at Harvard observed, disruption first comes to the markets where the big players cant be bothered to play. This will be especially true in the uptake of DERs. So perhaps its no surprise that these are the countries where you find the first large scale commercial uptake of DERs using the blockchain. How long it takes for this technology to jump over to the developed world players and really disrupt existing markets remains to be seen. Some retailers and utilities are trialling peer to peer trading, using new daily fixed supply charges and wholesale energy prices and using blockchain to manage transactions, to offer more attractive options to their customers, but we can take this model a step further. The differential of 7, 12 or 19 cents per kilowatt hour depending on who youre talking to will come under pressure. So too will the daily fixed costs electricity companies can charge. And when the history of energy is written it will be the change in the market paradigm rather than the political posturing that makes the difference and enables change. Whether the energy commentators will eventually get their head around the concepts before then is another matter. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemmagreen/2019/01/04/is-blockchain-solving-an-elusive-or-non-existent-problem-in-electricity-markets/ |
Is it rude to apply makeup on public transit? | I ride the subway to work every day and Im happy about that for the most part: It means the time is useful and saves me the hassle of traffic. In fact, I often spend the ride doing my makeup, which means I dont have to do it at home. The other day I noticed someone rolling their eyes at me though. I got worried. Can you sort this out for me since I dont want to be offending anyone. Anne, Etobicoke Lets just take a second to pat ourselves on the back. I also ride the train into work and would argue that, at its best, its the most peaceful part of my day. No one has any demands on your time and, instead, you can just be shuttled through space, letting another driver take control which is rare for most adult women who always need to have a foot pushed firmly down on the gas pedal of productivity, lest our infinite to-do lists not get completed. (Spoiler alert: Those tasks will never be completed, so its best to make peace with that now.) At its worst, the commute can bring you into too-close-for-comfort contact with strangers who roll their eyes, man-spread or sit in the aisle seat, forcing innocent people to clamber over their laps to score an empty seat. (The selfishness of it all!) Lets recall those nasal Seth Rogen announcements from the summer in which he begged TTC riders not to clip their nails whilst riding The Rocket. I think we can all agree that that is well beyond the boundary of normal behaviour. But a perusal of travel forums (ever the journalist, I dove into the darkest corners of the internet to get a consensus on your question) most transit-takers reserved their grooming-related complaints for hair-brushing, which makes a great deal of sense once you give it a moment of thought. I once interviewed a pop star (I wont mention her name, but shes something of a firework, baby) who spent the entire interview twirling her hair and inadvertently dropping the loose strands on the floor. It was not cute. A handy rule of thumb: Never leave DNA behind. To get further clarity, I reached out to Hayley Waldman, who, as a spokesperson for the TTC, knows first-hand what commuters complain about. We know from customer feedback that things like personal grooming and excessive perfume can irritate fellow passengers, she explained. In this case, however, there was only one complaint filed this year specifically regarding makeup. | https://www.thestar.com/life/fashion_style/2019/01/04/is-it-rude-to-apply-makeup-on-public-transit.html |
Is Sony ditching Android for its own OS? | The news this morning that Sony is considering its own OS for phones and tablets, based on the Vita system it's developed for its new handheld console, will be worrying a fair few people up at Google HQ. Not because it will be better (let's face it: Sony isn't suddenly going to come up with an ecosystem that betters the app opportunities found with Android) but the notion that Sony could move wholesale to this new platform and drop Google's OS altogether isn't as crazy as it sounds. The main point is Android is no longer the safe bet it used to be, thanks to the reams and reams of patent violations being lodged by Apple. The most recent attack on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is a thinly veiled assault on Google's Ice Cream Sandwich and, should Apple prevail, every company using Android 4.0 will have to skin it to within an inch of its life or stop selling the device altogether to avoid legal action. Cost on top of cost That's before other royalties are brought into the picture: Sony is one of the few Android making companies that hasn't yet been targeted by Microsoft as it looks to nab royalties for each Android smartphone sold. But unless Sony has some special Android IP ninja powers, you have to assume that these conversations are already happening, even if it's at an informal level. Other manufacturers have hinted at Android exit strategies too: Samsung has partnered with Intel on the Tizen OS and HTC has long been rumoured to be looking at its own smartphone ecosystem. HTC has even been linked with buying RIM out with a view to leveraging a forthcoming operating system - drastic measures. Sony is keen to send a holistic message about its products: that's why it bought Ericsson out, so it could wholly own the smartphone division. Therefore, an OS that runs on everything form tablets to phones to TVs may well have been part of the design brief for the new Vita platform. Plan C Of course, the quote stating a Vita OS on smartphones "is possible" could mean that Sony wants to simply overlay a consistent user interface on its gaming products and they'll still run Android as happily as ever. The huge bank of apps is something that's keeping manufacturers happy for now and would be a hard thing to give up. But should the patent war swing heavily in Apple's favour, it may make it impossible to create smartphones cost-effectively on Google's platform - then we could see a swift return to the days when each manufacturer had its own OS and consumers were forced to consider how each one works before making a smartphone decision. | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/is-sony-ditching-android-for-its-own-os-1062995 |
Why is Rafa Benitez refusing to answer questions on Newcastle United transfers? | Get Newcastle United FC updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Rafa Benitez is set to continue his media stance when it comes to January transfers. The Spaniard has now refused to talk about transfer business in the last FOUR Press conferences and the spotlight is now firmly on the powers that be to respond to questions about winter signings. With the club's strategy for January unclear, Benitez has gently played the ball back into the court of Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley - but neither of them are renowned for talking in public about club politics. But some things are clear when looking through the history books. Benitez has not been afforded a single penny for a permanent deal in a January window since taking over as manager three years ago. United's stay in the Championship resulted in Ashley withdrawing funds from Benitez in early 2017 while last year was also a struggle with Benitez having to rely on loan arrivals. Benitez was asked about transfers by radio, TV and the written Press last night but would only say: "No. "I told you in general that I can talk, but I have decided not to talk about the transfer window." Benitez was also asked a straight question on whether he knew his budget or not but he replied: "I will not talk about the transfer window." The uncertainty over the club's takeover situation is also playing a part and if Ashley is ready to sell the club, it is logical to wonder why he would splash out on players that may not be his problem in just a few months. Sources at United continue to insist that Benitez will get money to spend, but that will only be if a transfer deal is right for the club. Benitez has lined up a host of loan deals with targets around Europe and a repeat of last season's window could be on the cards. Back then United signed loanees such as Kenedy, Martin Dubravka and Islam Slimani with mixed success, however, while the performances of the goalkeeper and the Brazilian winger helped save the season, there is no guarantee bringing in players that are struggling for game-time this season will definitely do the job. Benitez will field a host of questions on transfers again today but is likely to deflect them and focus on talking about the FA Cup clash against Blackburn. | https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rafa-benitez-refusing-answer-questions-15625491 |
Could Widely Used Food Additive Cause Celiac Disease? | By Eurasia Review Myths about gluten are hard to bust. Intolerance, allergy, sensitivity, hypersensitivity. Celiac disease is none of these things. It is an autoimmune disorder, where gluten triggers the immune system to attack the gut. It is common, lifelong, and can seriously harm health but nobody knows for sure what causes it. Now a review in Frontiers in Pediatrics says a common food additive could both cause and trigger these autoimmune attacks, and calls for warnings on food labels pending further tests. Environment causes celiac disease but only in susceptible individuals Gluten-free diets have become popular despite little or no evidence of benefit for most people. But for the 1 in 100 with celiac disease, even a mouthful of bread can trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine, impairing nutrient absorption. Exactly what causes this autoimmune reaction to gluten a protein found in wheat, rye and barley is uncertain. Specific mutations in an important immunity-related gene called HLA-DQ seem to be necessary for developing celiac disease, with one of two HLA-DQ variants present in virtually every sufferer but insufficient, as these variants are also present in about 30% of the general population. As a result, myriad environmental factors have proposed to interact with genetic risk to cause celiac disease. These span infections, food and toxins; vaccination, drugs and surgery. Most recently, food additives have been suggested to contribute. Among these, microbial transglutaminase a bacterial enzyme heavily used in industrial processing of meat, dairy, baked and other food products has emerged as a likely culprit, according to the new review. How a food binder could be our undoing Microbial transglutaminase can glue together proteins, so its used to improve food texture, palatability and shelf-life, says co-author Aaron Lerner, visiting professor at the Aesku.Kipp Institute in Germany. This enzyme functions like the transglutaminase produced by our body, which is known to be the target of autoimmunity in celiac disease. There is a direct positive correlation between rising use of industrial enzymes in bakery products and rising incidence of celiac disease in the last four decades, according to Lerner and co-author Dr Matthias Torsten of the Aesku.KIPP Insritute, Germany. This is mostly a question of scale, argues Lerner. Our own transglutaminase has a different structure to the microbial sort, which allows its activity to be tightly controlled. Gluten is tough to break down completely. This is useful for helping baked goods to rise and keep their shape, but in celiac sufferers presents a problem. The gluten protein fragments or peptides that remain after digestion are highly susceptible to transglutaminase, which modifies them to make a variety of new peptides Lerner explains. These unusual peptides are particularly likely to resist further breakdown, and to be recognized as foreign by HLA-DQ immune receptors inside the gut wall but only in those carrying the HLA-DQ variants associated with celiac disease. Compounding this, components of gluten also loosen the connections between cells lining the gut, allowing more gluten-derived proteins as well as microbial transglutaminase to breach this barrier and interact with immune cells. Microbial transglutaminase itself could also increase intestinal permeability by directly modifying proteins that hold together the intestinal barrier, adds Lerner. In one of our own studies, we tested antibodies from the blood of celiac patients. We found that more antibodies were active against complexes of transglutaminase bound to gluten fragments, than against either component alone. The anti-complex antibody count was also the best predictor of intestinal damage in these patients. This was true of both microbial and human transglutaminase complexes, for which there were similar antibody counts. In other words, microbial transglutaminase (bound to gluten fragments) could in fact be the target of the immune response in celiac disease and the attack on our own transglutaminase merely a case of mistaken identity. Microbial transglutaminase present in processed foods is therefore a potential environmental cause of celiac disease. But according to Lerner, the jury is still out. Ultimately all we have so far are associations between microbial transglutaminase and celiac disease. To test whether this enzyme causes or triggers immune damage in celiac disease will require experimenting with exposure in animal models, intestinal cell lines or biopsies. Nevertheless, with no known cure for celiac disease, treatment depends on preventive measures namely, adhering to a gluten-free diet. Until there is a clearer answer, we recommend transparency and vigilance with regards to labeling of foods processed using microbial transglutaminase. In Switzerland for example, such products must be labelled as unsuitable for persons with celiac disease. | http://www.eurasiareview.com/04012019-could-widely-used-food-additive-cause-celiac-disease/ |
Does the end of Bumblebee ruin the original Transformers? | WARNING: There are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Bumblebee. So please dont read ahead if youre yet to see the latest Transformers film. Instead, bookmark this article, go and help out its rather disappointing box office, and then return to see what producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura had to say about its conclusion. While Bumblebee is intended to take the Transformers franchise in a new direction, the film was still designed to line up with its predecessors. So with that in mind, it was rather odd to see the titular character reunite with Optimus Prime and several other Autobots at the end of the blockbuster. Thats because Bumblebee is set in 1987, while in the original Transformers, which unfolds in 2007, it appears as though the Robots In Disguise have just arrived on Earth. But producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is keen to stress that Bumblebee doesnt contradict any of the Transformers films that have come before. Someone described Bumblebee to me as, 99% prequel, 1% not, Di Bonaventura tells Metro. I was like, What was the 1%? He said, It is the scene where Optimus and all the other guys come to Earth at the end. I was like, That doesnt contradict anything we have said before. Who is to say they havent been around Robots In Disguise since then. But while this sequence was always bound to cause a little controversy, Di Bonaventura was adamant that it be included for a very important reason. That scene was always imagined but in many different versions. We didnt do that scene until wed shot the movie. Because we felt the movie was going to dictate that scene a little bit. What happened is that you got to see Haliee return to her family. Bumblebee needs to return to his family. That was our thinking. Plus Optimus said we are going to go to Earth. We are gonna regroup. And then we are gonna go back. In our minds they went back out. It had nothing to do with the other films, and was completely about the emotional journey of Bumblebee. | https://www.metro.us/entertainment/movies/bumblebee-transformers-lorenzo-dibonaventura |
What is Keto Trim Diet Essentials? Is it safe to daily use? | Visualize being a full time mother that has a part-time task as well as making time to work out or prepare well balanced meals for yourself. It almost appears difficult. There are many individuals similar to this who just can not appear to find a single n=minute in their day to treat themselves. This is when supplements are available in as they have quick impact and also they can be quickly utilized without much prep work for anything. Today, we are going to be talking about Keto Trim diet regimen which is the latest feeling in the field of consider toss.Order for free trial of Keto Trim in canada from here https://skinhealthcanada.ca/ketotrim-keto-essentials/ | http://waneenterprises.com/forum/topics/what-is-keto-trim-diet-essentials-is-it-safe-to-daily-use |
Was wurde aus dem Reserverad? | Lange gab es das Gercht, dass jedes Auto ein Reserverad mitfhren msse. Bis es keine Reserverder mehr in Autos gab. Dann war das mit dem Gercht auch geklrt. Speichenrder und Ersatzreifen gehrten in der guten alten Zeit zusammen wie Zndversteller und Lenkrder. Damals, als noch nicht jede Einfahrt asphaltiert war, waren Reifenschden fast schon ein Teil vom Autofahren so wie das Tanken. Reifenpannen waren keine Abenteuer wie heute. Die Reserverder gehrten sogar zur ueren Erscheinung eines Automobils. Denn sie waren meist auen angebracht eh klar, weil man nicht alle naselang allzu viel Zeit damit vertun wollte, sie aus einem Staufach zu kletzeln. Immerhin hatte Ihre Lordschaft es eilig und der Chauffeur auch so genug Mhe und eh schon dicke rmel vom Kurbeln am Lenkrad. foto: istockphoto Ein Auto aus einer Zeit, als Reservereifen so wichtig waren wie Sprit. Die Idee, Reserverder gar nicht lange zu verstecken, sondern dort zu montieren, wo sie schnell zur Hand sind, halten die Offroad-Profis bis heute hoch. Dabei ist fast jedes Platzerl recht. Bei den Safari-Range-Rover montierte man die Ersatzpneus gerne auf die Motorhaube, wo dann auch manch Wildhter mitunter ein Extraplatzerl zum Sitzen fand. USA gegen GB Die Konkurrenz von noch weiter bern Wasser, Jeep, montierte den Reifen ans Heck. Das wurde berhaupt lange Zeit Mode. Da strte er nicht den Blick ins Gelnde. Und fahrtechnisch war es schon wurscht, ob man den Reifen auf die Haube oder hoch am Heck montierte, weil einen wirklich niedrigen Schwerpunkt hatte weder der Wrangler noch der Range. foto: istockphoto Wenn Sie bei dem Bild leise geseufzt haben, dann machen Sie sich nichts draus. Haben wir auch. Weil die Gelndewagen und vor allem spter die SUVs immer seltener im Gelnde waren, dafr fter in der Stadt herumfuhren, tat sich ein anderes Problem auf. Nein, nicht Reifen mordende Gehsteigkanten der Geistesblitz, auf einen Wagen mit Gelndeeignung Niederquerschnittreifen zu montieren, traf die Geniedesigner erst spter. Auf einmal hat die Sonne dem Reserverad schneller zugesetzt als spitze Steine einem der Reifen mit Bodenkontakt. Die Ersatzradl verwitterten also schneller als sie gebraucht wurden. Abenteuer Stadt Jeep hat darum beim Cherokee das Reserverad hinten im Kofferraum aufgestellt und abgedeckt. Sicher ist sicher. Da reden wir noch von einem Wagen mit Leiterrahmen, Allradantrieb und Untersetzungsgetriebe. Das war eine Lsung, die den Soccer-Mums und Grostadt-Cowboys nicht dienlich sein sollte, denn die brauchen ja den Kofferraum fr Alltglicheres. Also lie man bei manch einem SUV das Reserverad an der Heckklappe, schtzte es aber durch eine Abdeckung vor der Sonne. foto: istockphoto Das Reserverad am Heck, das kennt man von Offroadern und solchen, die es gerne wren. Eine schne Blte hielt dann mit der Erfindung von Airbrush-Systemen fr Hinz und Kunz Einzug. Auf einmal konnte man mit seinem SUV seine Verbundenheit mit der rauen Natur auf der Reserveradabdeckung zeigen. Man lie sich sein Pferderl draufbrushen. Boah schn. Oder wenigstens den Pudel der Nachbarin. Eine Augenweide waren diese Autos damals. Das fand krzlich auch Ford und spendierte seinem kleinsten SUV, dem EcoSport nicht nur eine Hecktr statt einer nach oben aufschwingenden Klappe, sondern auch so einen abgedeckten Ersatzpneu. Das war halt in der Stadt genau so praktisch, dass man sich mit dem Facelift von dieser Idee wieder verabschiedete. Oder man muss sagen, man konnte das Rad ab dann wieder optional abbestellen, wenn ich mich richtig erinnere. Dabei gab es frher einmal auch wahrlich schne Abdeckungen, mit denen der Ersatzreifen weniger versteckt, wohl geschtzt, aber fast schon prsentiert wurde. Denken wir an die ganzen alten Ami-Schsseln, mit den fetten Motoren, den scharfen Finnen und dem Kranzl am Heck. foto: istockphoto Ein Anblick, bei dem sofort der Blutzuckerspiegel steigt. Unvergessen, weil extravagant, ist auch der T2, die zweite Generation des VW-Bus, der sein Reserverad vor sich hertrug. Da hatten ein paar Hersteller eine hnliche, aber doch ganz andere Idee. Die hatten und haben das Reserverad im Motorraum verbaut. Die paar Spritzer Motorl, die mancher Reifen Zeit seines Lebens da vorne abbekommen hat, waren kein Schaden. Wohl aber die stndigen Temperaturschwankungen. Die Reifen alterten unter der Hitze des Motors genauso gerne wie durch das UV-Licht der Sonne. Noch dazu fluchten die Mechaniker fast jedes Mal, wenn so ein Wagen in die Werksatt kam, weil man Murphy sei Dank sicher so gut wie immer erst das Rad ausbauen musste, bevor man berhaupt das fand, was man suchte. Der lustig-listige Kfer Eine geniale Idee hatte VW beim Kfer. Dort nutzte man die Luft aus dem Ersatzrad als Treibmittel fr die Wischwaschanlage. Sptestens wenn die Scheiben dreckig waren, weil der Reifen ohne Luft keine Kraft mehr hatte, das Wischwasser auf die Scheibe zu pumpen, fuhr man mit etwas Glck irgendwo an und hatte zwei platte Reifen. Gleich einen luftleeren Reifen verbaute Porsche. Um Platz zu sparen. Faltrad nannte man das. Obwohl, eigentlich war ja nur der Reifen und nicht das ganze Rad gefaltet. Das Problem, dass man das Rad erst mit einem Kompressor aufblasen musste, sollte spter noch einmal fast allen Herstellern viel Gewicht und Geld sparen. Aber dazu kommen wir gleich. Denn die gngigste Methode, ein Reserverad zu transportieren, war eine andere. foto: istockphoto So schn ist ein Reserverad unter einem Auto wenn der Wagen a, frisch restauriert, oder b, nigelnagelneu ist. Bei den meisten Fahrzeugen wanderte das Reserverad in oder unter das Heck. Unter dem Kofferraum montiert, hatte man das Problem, dass der Pneu sicher komplett eingesaut war, wenn man ihn doch einmal brauchte. Im Kofferraum, in einer Mulde unter dem Ladeboden, hingegen blieb er sauber, dafr konnte man sich sicher sein, dass einem nur dann ein Reifenschaden passierte, wenn der Kofferraum eben voll war. Aber wer genug Geduld bewies, der konnte ja warten, bis das Radl nach unten durchgerostet war. Denn die Mulde war seit jeher der Lieblingsplatz fr die Treffen der Neigungsgruppe Kondenswasser. foto: istockphoto So schaut eine Reserveradmulde aus, wenn der Rost noch nicht zum Hauptmieter wurde. Mit der Zeit wurden nicht nur die Straen besser. Auch die Gummis. Die Reifenschden wurden weniger, die Lust, selbst Rder zu wechseln, nahm ab. Man rief den Pannenfahrer, der sich des Problems annehmen sollte, bevor man selbst irgendwas falsch machte. Also berlegten Autohersteller, wie man auch hier sparen knnte. Die Kunden Platz, sie selber Geld. Das Notrad war die Lsung. Ein Asphaltschneider, wie man sagt, fr geringe Geschwindigkeiten gebaut. Der schmale Reifen war leicht, gnstig, brauchte wenig Platz und schaffte den Weg in die nchste Werkstatt genauso gut wie zuvor die runtergerockten Ersatzrder, die entweder holzhart und luftlos, weil alt waren, oder glatzert, weil man das gute Reserverad schon vor Zeiten gegen den alten Schlapfen am Anhnger tauschte. Ein Wunder der Chemie und der Technik Heute bekommt man bei kaum einem Neuwagen einfach so ein Reserverad mehr. Das kostet extra. Die Mulde fr das Rad ist aber meist noch da. Dort drinnen befindet sich viel Styropor, ein Pannendreieck, ein Wagenheber der zumindest den Wagen ramponiert, wenn er einem nicht den Arm bricht und ein Reifenflickwunderdoserl samt Kompressor. Bei einem Reifenschaden sprht man die milchige Flssigkeit ber das Reifenventil in den Pneu, dann schliet man den Kompressor an. An einem Ende an den Zigarettenanznder, am anderen ans Ventil. Eine gefhlte halbe Ewigkeit und einen Gehrsturz spter wei man dann, ob die Flssigkeit das Loch im Reifen abdichten konnte oder nicht. Danach ruft man den Pannendienst an. Und damit endlich zur Auflsung: Aus dem Reserverad wurde eine neue Berufsgruppe. Und den Rest vom Erbe traten Run-flat-Reifen an. (Guido Gluschitsch, 4.1.2019) | https://derstandard.at/2000095296782/Was-wurde-aus-dem-Reserverad?ref=rss |
Is Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Netflix? | If you enjoyed Friends but thought its characters were just a little too nice and the humour was all just a little too clean, then youll love Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Advertisement The show centres around brother and sister Dennis and Dee Reynolds and their friends Charlie and Mac who all co-own the bar Paddys Pub in Philadelphia. Together, along with Frank Reynolds, played by a brilliant Danny DeVito, they form a gang of the worst people in America. In one particular episode, the gang takes a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles with the express purpose of seeing which one can drink the most beers on the duration of the journey. What ensues is a hilarious in-flight drink-off that dredges the darkest depths of comedy to create a sitcom like no other on TV. Currently 12 seasons in, the gang are going stronger than ever and are about to become one of the longest running sitcoms American TV history. Advertisement All seasons of the show are available on Netflix now. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2019-01-04/is-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-on-netflix/ |
Why does Belarus President Lukashenko take son Kolya to work? | Image copyright Presidential website Image caption President Alexander Lukashenko took his son, Kolya, to meet the US president and his wife Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko surprised some onlookers by taking his 11-year-old son to the UN General Assembly in New York. Kolya was photographed posing with his father alongside Barack and Michelle Obama at a reception for the summit on Monday. But he was not just there for the sandwiches. Kolya also joined world leaders in the seats of the general assembly hall as his father addressed delegates from around the world. Image copyright AP Image caption Smartly dressed Kolya sat with his father's colleagues as the Belarusian president addressed the General Assembly But it was not a one-off "take your child to work day" for Belarus's ruling family. The little boy in a suit often accompanies his father on official business, including a visit to Beijing for China's World War Two commemorations on 3 September. Kolya was pictured watching Beijing's massive military parade alongside the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and lining up for a photo shoot with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Image copyright Presidential website Image caption The pair (centre) watched China's display of military might with other delegates in Tiananmen square Image copyright Presidential website Image caption Kolya lined up with his father in the front row, fifth from right There are claims Mr Lukashenko is grooming his youngest son to be his successor. Speaking to the BBC in 2012, Mr Lukashenko denied this and insisted the boy was so attached to him that he would not go to sleep without him. Among other recent trips, Kolya went with his father to the United Arab Emirates in October 2014 where they visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Image copyright Belarus embassy Image caption The proud father took his son on his official visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi He may be extraordinarily well travelled for an 11-year-old, but some critics have begun to question the increasing impact of all these appearances on his education. Kolya missed a week of school in September this year - the same amount of time that he missed during six months of 2014, according to the Polish-funded, Belarusian-language TV station Belsat. Image copyright Presidential website Image caption Kolya and his father planted a tree in the Memorial Garden of Shakarparian during an official visit to Pakistan in May 2015 Mr Lukashenko's tight grip on power has brought criticism from the West - with the US Bush administration describing him in 2005 as the "last dictator in Europe" at the head of an "outpost of tyranny". Human rights groups accuse him of widespread abuses. Meanwhile most Belarusian media channels are controlled by the government. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Belarus elected a parliament filled with supporters of President Alexander Lukashenko in 2012 after a boycott by the main opposition parties Kolya, short for Nikolai, is the youngest of the president's three sons. It has been widely reported in Western media that he was born in 2004 as a result of an extra-marital affair between the president and his personal doctor. Whatever the circumstances of his birth, Kolya has certainly received special attention in recent years - attending numerous world events and meeting global leaders. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Five-year-old Kolya proved a hit with Russia's then President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34411326 |
Is the Death of Brick-and-Mortar Retail a Myth? | September 8, 2014 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The endless headlines about the wheezing death of brick-and-mortar retail -- about how Americans are surely barreling towards a virtual world dominated by online shopping -- make me want to tattoo a picture of Chicken Little on my forehead. The sky is not falling despite the following facts: Ecommerce, which turned 20 years old this year, has captured sizable market share. Recent research by Forrester reveals that not only do about 69 percent of Americans regularly buy products online but these consumers also generally do 16 percent of their shopping on the Internet. ShopperTrak reported that during the last holiday season, retailers received about half the holiday foot traffic of 2010. While statistics such as these, especially those citing double-digit ecommerce growth, could inspire a flurry of panic, portend crises, cause tectonic shifts and compel pundits to cluck hysterically, the claim that brick-and-mortar retail is dead is simply ridiculous. In fact, it's dead wrong. Related: Why the Future of Retail Will Blow Your Mind Brick-and-mortar retail was still a $4 trillion market in the United States last year. Absolutely not. Walk through most big-box stores today and it's possible to find innumerable inefficiencies. A radical transformation is taking place and managers are engaging in intense soul-searching. They are attempting to best meet the demands of what I label everywhere commerce. Today's consumers are digital, mobile and physical consumers. They expect retailers to be everywhere as they are. Thus, retailers should be willing and able to adopt technologies, pricing and merchandising to match the desire by consumers to research and buy as they please. Retailers seeking to successfully survive this transformation should shift their tactics in four ways: Related: 5 Tips to Stand Out When Selling on an Online Marketplace 1. Adopt omni-pricing and eliminate the price differential between online and inside stores. The days of offering 40 percent to 50 percent off the in-store retail price if the shopper will buy online should disappear. 2. Create easy return policies for online purchases. It should be as easy to return an item, no matter the point of purchase, in store or via mail. The post-purchase experience is a critical element when consumers have so many options. 3. Define the role of the physical store. Since anything can be bought online, stores must adopt a wow shopping-experience strategy to entice consumers to buy when they are in a store regardless of where they researched the product. And stores should offer some unique experience that consumers cannot get online. Whether its the ability to touch and feel merchandise, see how components can fit together or gain expert advice from customer service reps or kiosks, the retail store must offer a compelling reason to exist. 4. Stop measuring online sales against in-store results. Retailers should track overall sales and learn how customers shop in all stores. Then they should apply what's working, eliminate what's not and constantly seek to increase sales and brand loyalty. Those who take this advice seriously will continue to flourish and stand as vital members of the market. For the record, Ive found a talented tattoo artist. And his parlor, a physical space where he does actual face-to-face, hands-on business, is fabulous. Related: 4 Things Shoppers Want in an Online Retailer's Return Policy (Infographic) | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236998 |
What if Osama bin Laden Had Legitimate Grievances? | This article originally appeared at TruthDig. Youre not supposed to utter these words, but what the heck: Osama bin Laden had a point. No, his grievances, as well as those of his followers and sympathizers, didnt excuse the mass murder of 9/11 not by a long shot. After all, I am a native New Yorker whose family and neighborhood were directly touched by the horror of those inexcusable attacks. Still, more than 17 years after the attacks on the Pentagon and twin towers, its worth reflecting on bin Ladens motives and discussing the stark fact that the United States government has made no moves to address his gripes. Now is as good a time as any. The U.S. military remains mired in wars across the Greater Middle East that have now entered their 18th year. The cost: $5.9 trillion, 7,000 dead American soldiers, at least 480,000 locals killed and 21 million refugees created. The outcome: more instability, more violence, more global terror attacks and a US reputation ruined for at least a generation in the Islamic world. Consider the regular polling that indicates that the US is considered the greatest threat to world peace. Not China, Russia, Iran or even North Korea. The United States of America. This can be explained in part by the mere presence sustained, at that of US troops in the region. As a historian, I can assure you that folks dont usually take well to being occupied. Nevertheless, its more than that. And heres the rub: Washington, unwilling to even consider the grievances bin Laden and his acolytes clearly communicated, has instead doubled down on militarism in the region thereby turning al-Qaidas fringe complaints into a mainstream sense of injustice throughout the Muslim world. Lets review the three core grievances in bin Ladens 1996 fatwa essentially a declaration of war against the US, and then look over Washingtons contemporary policies on the issues: Bin Laden objected to the presence of US bases in Saudi Arabia specifically and across the region more generally, due to their proximity to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Furthermore, bin Laden criticized the US backing of Saudi Arabias despotic royal regime. But rather than pull its troops offshore, the US military has expanded its empire of bases, both in the Mideast and throughout the world. Despite the slaughter in Yemen and the murder of a Washington Post journalist, Washington still inflexibly backs the Saudi monarchy. The US has even negotiated record arms contracts with the kingdom, to the tune of $110 billion. Clearly, Washington has only doubled down on this front. The al-Qaida chief lamented the starvation blockade that the West led by Washington imposed on Saddam Husseins regime in Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. Make no mistake: Saddam was no friend of bin Laden in fact, they were mortal enemies. But the well-reported deaths of some 500,000 Iraqi children, victims of the sanctions during that period, are what motivated bin Ladens concern. The blockade was so hard and its civilian toll so gruesome that the United Nations aid chief, Denis Halliday, resigned in protest in 1998. Optically, the US government response came across as both coarse and callous. When Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked in a 60 Minutes interview in 1996 whether the price of a half-million dead children was worth the benefits of the sanctions, she cold-heartedly replied, I think this is a very hard choice, but the price we think the price is worth it. Today, in addition to the unwarranted 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which caused at least another 200,000 civilian casualties, the US is complicit in a new blockade, this one imposed by Washingtons Saudi allies in Yemen. Recent reports indicate that some 85,000 Yemeni children have already starved to death in the 3year-old war on the poorest Arab country. Undeterred, the US continues to provide munitions, intelligence and in-flight refueling to the Saudi military. This veritable war crime has galvanized an increasing anti-American regional public just as intensely as the 1990s sanctions on Iraq once did. Bin Laden, like many global Muslims, felt sympathy for the generations-long plight of the occupied Palestinians and abhorred Americas one-sided support for Israels military and governing apparatus. The US has been almost alone in its willingness to flout international law, U.N. resolutions and a basic sense of humanity in its backing of Israel since 1948. Here again, nothing has changed. Washington has simply doubled down. Israel remains the principal recipient of US military aid, with almost no strings attached. US media and Washington policymakers rarely mention the slaughter of mostly unarmed Palestinian demonstrators protesting along the Gaza fence line in the past eight months. The results have been striking: 5,800 wounded and at least 180 killed since March. A couple of million Muslim citizens worldwide. In fact, the ongoing protests kicked off partly in response to President Trumps near unilateral decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that essentially announced that in American eyes, the Holy City belongs to the Jews alone. The reasons behind American intransigence and obtuseness in Mideast affairs should come as no surprise. The US is a nation built on a millenarian, exceptionalist ideology and has long been driven by a mission to spread its message across the globe. A populace and government infused with these ideas is unlikely to demonstrate the humility to take a proverbial look in the mirror and admit fault. This became especially unlikely in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when passions reached a fever pitch and chauvinistic nationalism became the name of the game. Even then, however, credible voices questioned Americas rush to war, including scholars such as Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk, and even comedians like Bill Maher. Seventeen years into the nations longest war, there are plenty of crucial reasons to review bin Ladens grievances, consider his arguments and show the strength of character to acquiesce on certain points. This is sobriety, not surrender. After all, self-awareness is a sign of strength and maturity in nations, as well as in individuals. After years of counterproductive US policies and Mideast interventions, the nation is left with a stark choice: admit error and alter policy, or wage an indefinite worldwide war on a significant portion of the Islamic population. The former option would lessen violence and ultimately lead to a safer homeland, but it would require confronting an uncomfortable truth that most Americans simply cant face: Bin Laden was a monster, but that doesnt mean he was wrong on all fronts. Major Danny Sjursen, an Antiwar.com regular, is a US Army officer and former history instructor at West Point. He served tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has written a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge. He lives with his wife and four sons in Lawrence, Kansas. Follow him on Twitter at @SkepticalVet and check out his new podcast Fortress on a Hill, co-hosted with fellow vet Chris Henri Henrikson. [Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.] Copyright 2018 Danny Sjursen Read more by Maj. Danny Sjursen | https://original.antiwar.com/danny_sjursen/2019/01/03/what-if-osama-bin-laden-had-legitimate-grievances/ |
Is Facebook Stock the Best FANG Stock to Buy? | Shares of Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) stock have been under tremendous pressure over the past year, but the stock has weathered the recent storm surprisingly well. In fact, over the past month, Facebook stock is the best performing FANG stock. Over the past three months, its the second-best just behind Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG , NASDAQ: GOOGL ). However, that doesnt hide the fact that FB is the second-worst performing FANG stock over the past six months. Its 32% decline is only slightly better than Netflixs (NASDAQ: NFLX ) 33.8% drop. Over the last 12 months, FB stock sits at the bottom of the barrel, falling more than 26%. Surprisingly, NFLX is the best performer over that time, rising almost 33%. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) is a runner up with its 27.5% gain. Now that were coming into 2019 though, 2018 is in the rearview mirror something Facebook couldnt be happier about. We now need the social media juggernaut to put together a few good quarters for Wall Street and for the negative news flow to stop. It has been one bombshell after another and rather than be excited by Facebooks future, investors are starting to dread it. Facebooks Moat Im not a Facebook user, but I spend some time on the companys other asset, Instagram. Not only is Instagram driving serious user growth to Facebooks overall position, but it is driving ad growth as well. Given Facebooks immense user data, its able to offer precision ad-targeting to advertisers. I actually dont think so. From a business perspective, this gives Facebook more pricing power vs. its competition like Twitter (NYSE: TWTR ). It also gives Facebook advertisers more accuracy when placing ads in users feeds, helping to convert more sales. Thats a boon for Facebook, as these advertisers want to spend more on this approach. From a user standpoint, this is also a benefit. Id rather get advertisements for Architectural Digest rather the Oprah Magazine. I dont have any issues with the latter, but I have a real passion for the former. Seeing ads for its magazine is more relevant to me and so rather than dismissing it without a thought, I mull the decision of whether I want to subscribe. I consider this a win-win, although many users are taking issue with how Facebook handles their data. That makes total sense and FB will need to find a way to get back in the good graces of its users. Ultimately, they are what drive the bottom line. No users equals no revenue, simple as that. With that being said, social media is here to stay. Whether its Twitter, Snap (NYSE: SNAP ), Instagram or something else. Its FBs job to make sure it stays No. 1. Valuing Facebook Stock Currently trading near $133 a share, Facebook stock would be worth a lot less without its other assets. After snatching up Instagram for $1 billion, estimates put its value at more than $100 billion now. Thats not surprising, given that it hit the 1 billion user mark during the summer. Facebooks other large asset (aside from its legacy platform) is WhatsApp. FB acquired the company for $19 billion and many investors are wondering if or how it will ever make money. According to management, they will begin monetizing WhatsApp in 2019. In the meantime, use remains robust, with 1.5 billion active users and 60 billion messages sent per day on the platform. The July earnings report was a disaster, but Facebook stock seemed back on track in October. If the company can maintain that momentum, it should setup for a decent finish to 2018 and a stable 2019. Current expectations call for earnings of $7.38 per share this year, up almost 37% from the prior year. It leaves FB stock trading at just 18 times this years earnings. That goes along with 36% sales growth for the year. In 2019, consensus expectations call for 24.5% sales growth, but just 1% earnings growth. That valuation is attractive based on 2018 earnings, but less so in 2019. That makes FB a prove-it story. If the company can grow earnings at a faster pace, shares can bottom and start to rally. If not, a lower stock price may be in store. Last but not least, dont forget FB is a balance sheet titan. Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, he was long AMZN and GOOGL. | https://investorplace.com/2019/01/facebook-stock-best-fang-stock-to-buy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestorPlace+%28InvestorPlace%29 |
Are White Sox offering anyone a ten-year deal or not? | Yesterday morning Jeff Passan, who is now at ESPN, wrote this: The Phillies and White Sox are the other two teams known to be willing to guarantee Harper the decade-plus-long deal he and Machado, each 26 years old, are seeking. Yesterday evening Bruce Levine, of 670 The Score in Chicago, reported this: Reports of the White Sox offering ten plus years for Manny Machado or Bryce Harper are Without any substance and flat out wrong according to high ranking industry sources . Wh Sox will not be giving offer of more than 7 years for either player. Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) January 2, 2019 Someones got some bad information. No, I have no idea who. There are reasons why someone may embellish a teams willingness to do or not do something and there are reasons for them to deny things that are, in fact true. The entire public-facing part of the hot stove season is an exercise in spin, p.r. and leverage-creation. Never let anyone tell you different. While were on this general subject, lets also remember something about reports of what a team is or is not doing and why. We often hear that so-and-so team cant afford so-and-so player. That may be true and it may not be true, but we have no idea if it is or not because baseball is the only place where people talk putatively intelligently about what teams budgets and financial limitations are with no real knowledge and zero disclosure of what teams actual budgets and financial limitations are. Every story you see about a team being unable to afford a player is either rank speculation or is sourced to a team saying that, likely for self-serving reasons. We never see teams actual financials and, the luxury tax notwithstanding, we never know how high they can/will go financially. We have just as much insight into the actual bottom line and budget of most teams as we do into the bottom line and budget of a strip mall carpet store. Sure, we can guess fairly intelligently, based on past history, what a team is willing to do the Nationals, generally, will offer a Scott Boras client a big contract, the Rays will not but we have no idea what they are actually able to do. We simply do not know and are never told what the denominator is in their calculations. I think that distinction matters. The willing vs. able thing. Its not just semantics. So much of what is written about the business of baseball, large markets and small markets and so on assumes its all about able and not about willing. Teams want you to assume that so that, if and when they do not spend a lot of money on players, they cannot be blamed for making a choice. Theyd prefer you to believe they did everything within their power. Sure, there are limits to what teams can spend. But we dont know those limits because they wont tell us. Unless and until they do, they shouldnt get the benefit of the doubt. Follow @craigcalcaterra | https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2019/01/03/are-white-sox-offering-anyone-a-ten-year-deal-or-not/ |
Has Taapsee Pannu walked out of Anurag Basus next? | We had earlier informed you that Taapsee Pannu has been roped in for Anurag Basus next which is a multi-starrer. The film reportedly is on the lines of his earlier film Life In A Metro and the rumoured cast includes Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aditya Roy Kapur and Abhishek Bachchan along with Taapsee Pannu. The gossip further suggested that Taapsee will be seen opposite Aditya Roy in the film but looks like nothing of this happening now. According to the latest report in a leading portal, Taapsee is no more a part of the project. It all happened when Taapsee asked the director for exact dates of the project but he failed to do so. Pannu, who had to begin shooting for her next, Womaniya eventually then walked out of the film. The actress was last seen in Manmarziyaan alongside Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan. Taapsee will also be seen in Sujoy Ghoshs Badla this year which is a remake of the 2016 Spanish thriller film Contratiempo. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan and hits the screens in March this year. | https://www.filmfare.com/news/bollywood/has-taapsee-pannu-walked-out-of-anurag-basus-next-31970.html |
Did Dakota Fanning Chop Off Her Hair? | Now that's a hair makeover! Dakota Fanning was spotted with a brand-new, super-short pixie cut on the set of her latest movie, "Now Is Good," in London on Monday. RELATED: PHOTOS: Celebs who chopped off their hair In the film the actress, 17, plays a girl who is dying of leukemia and compiles a list of things to do before she dies (including lose her virginity). RELATED: PHOTOS: Kid stars all grown up Although her cropped 'do is quite convincing, her rep tells People that she's actually wearing a wig. Dakota isn't the only Fanning making style news right now. It was just announced that her younger sister Elle, 13, is the new face of Marc by Marc Jacobs and will appear in the label's fall 2011 ad campaign. She follows in the footsteps of Dakota, who has been modeling for the designer since she was 13 and is currently the face of his new Oh Lola fragrance. RELATED: PHOTOS: See Dakota all glammed up on the red carpet RELATED ON WONDERWALL & MSN: See who else in Hollywood has pixie cuts Celebs who've changed their names Dakota and more celebs out and about | https://www.wonderwall.com/entertainment/did-dakota-fanning-chop-off-her-hair-1629566.article |
Where should I work to get the biggest company bonus? | Subscribe to our email newsletter When it comes to getting the biggest company bonus it pays to be a man as incentive pay for the average male is more than double the amount offered to females. The 2,613 average bonus for men and 1,158 for women was revealed in a new report using data from the Office for National Statistics. Businesses of a certain size were forced to disclose the difference in pay between sexes in the gender pay gap revelations. Even among companies where mean salaries were close to one another such as Facebook which had a mean difference in salary between men and women of 0.8% in favour of men the bias towards men in regards to bonuses was much greater. In Facebooks case, women were paid 39.8% less incentive pay. Employees seeking a large company bonus at the end of 2019 are better off working in the private sector, according to the research by sales recruitment firm Aaron Wallis which found the average bonus for full-time workers in the UK is 2,242. Managing director Rob Scott said: Particularly in private sector roles like sales or recruitment, incentive pay forms a key part of workers annual income and its important for both employers and workers to make sure theyre keeping up with the trends of bonus pay in the market. Encouragingly, our research suggests that bonus pay is on the rise with average private sector bonuses seeing consistent growth since 2015. However, this is still a long way off the bonuses which UK workers were receiving before 2009. Middle-aged employees in London are more likely to be paid a bigger company bonus The company bonus system also disproportionately benefits full-time employees in London, who make three-times the national average in bonus payments receiving 6,912. Workers in the South East and East of England were paid the second and third best bonuses on average at 2,213 and 1,772. Employees in the East Midlands and Wales receive the lowest average bonuses at 1,424 and 1,101. Age is another factor, with middle-aged employees most likely to receive the best financial benefits. Those between 40 and 49 could expect a company bonus in the region of 2,879, while younger employees (22-29) and older (60+) received just over 1,200 on average. Best jobs for a company bonus Unsurprisingly, corporate managers and directors were top of the bonus pay scale, receiving average bonuses of 7,878. This was followed by professionals in business, media and public service, who enjoy a 2,271 company bonus on average, and those working in science, research, engineering and technology who can earn an extra 2,197 each year. Occupation Average Bonus Jobs in the UK Corporate managers and directors 7,878 1,988,000 Business, media and public service professionals 2,271 1,220,000 Science, research, engineering and technology professionals 2,197 1,119,000 Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades 946 861,000 Customer service occupations 866 464,000 Skilled construction and building trades 689 280,000 Sales occupations 616 1,313,000 Administrative occupations 582 2,040,000 Process, plant and machine operatives 531 1,356,000 Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations 519 331,000 Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives 453 704,000 Secretarial and related occupations 415 530,000 Elementary trades and related occupations 368 289,000 Elementary administration and service occupations 232 1,992,000 Health professionals 180 1,273,000 Caring personal service occupations 37 1,721,000 Health professionals and employees in personal care services received the least with an average of 180 and 37 in additional pay going into their pay packet respectively. Earlier in the week, the UK government announced executive pay gap regulations will be coming into force requiring Britains largest listed businesses to disclose the difference in pay between their top-level executives and wider staff, including bonuses. | https://www.compelo.com/where-work-biggest-company-bonus/ |
Why Should Kids Have Maggi Noodles with Lead? | In a setback to Nestle, the Supreme Court (SC) revived the class action suit of the Central government against Nestle India in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). The apex consumer court lifted the stay on the proceedings of the case against Nestle which seeks compensation for damages worth Rs.640 crore on charges of unfair trade practices, false labeling, and misleading advertisements. Nestle India claims that the lead content in Maggi noodles within the permissible limit. The Supreme Court asked, Why should kids have Maggi noodles with lead?. Read More.. While Nestle India, the makers of Maggi, claimed that the lead content in Maggi noodles was below detectable limits. During the hearing, the Justice Chandrachud asked: "Why should we eat Maggi with lead in it?". Senior lawyer AM Singhvi, appearing for Nestle, said: "The lead content was found to be within the permissible limit, and there is some amount of lead in lots of products." Source: Medindia The apex consumer court lifted the stay on the proceedings of the case against Nestle which seeks compensation for damages worth Rs.640 crore on charges of unfair trade practices, false labeling, and misleading advertisements.While Nestle India, the makers of Maggi, claimed that theDuring the hearing, the Justice Chandrachud asked: "".Senior lawyer AM Singhvi, appearing for Nestle, said: "The lead content was found to be within the permissible limit, and. "Source: Medindia Post a Comment Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. The editorial team reserves the right to review and moderate the comments posted on the site. Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the I agree to the terms and conditions Post Comment Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished.Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Advertisement More News on: by Adeline Dorcas on January 4, 2019 at 12:51 PM Diet & Nutrition News | https://www.medindia.net/news/why-should-kids-have-maggi-noodles-with-lead-184881-1.htm |
Will a British show ever match The Sopranos? | On January 10 1999, a new series began in the US that was to change the landscape of television forever. The Sopranos, a drama about an Italian American gangster, torn between a life of crime and the demands of his family was, on the surface, not groundbreaking. After all, we had seen depictions of the mob for decades, in films such as The Godfather and GoodFellas. Yet from the outset it was clear that The Sopranos was different. David Chases series said much about what it meant to live in America at the turn of the millennium and, through the eyes of Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini), it was an acute study of masculinity in crisis, depicted cleverly in scenes with Tony and his therapist,... | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/will-british-show-ever-match-sopranos/ |
Did Madonna get butt implants? | NEW YORK - Fans are hoping to get to the bottom of things but Madonna is not telling just yet. The superstar singer got netizens speculating about whether she had had buttock implants after she gave a surprise performance at a club in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, on New Year's Eve. The crowd was treated to Like A Prayer (1989) and Elvis Presley standard Can't Help Falling In Love (1961), with Madonna backed by her 13-year-old son David Banda on guitar. Photographs of her impromptu gig showed a more pronounced backside, suggesting that the 60-year-old could have had surgery, reported Fox News. While some netizens defended her right to do anything, one person wrote: "I think the saddest ending to 2018 is finding out that Madonna got butt implants." Hating that she was now the butt of jokes about her looks, with some bringing up Nicki Minaj comparisons, Madonna posted on Thursday, writing: "Desperately seeking no one's approval. And entitled to free agency over my body like everyone else. "It's going to be an amazing year. #2019 #freedom#respect #nofear #nodiscrimination." At the club, she had dared attendees to be brave: "In this new year, let's commit to disarming people with unexpected acts of kindness. Get outside your comfort zone. Related Story Madonna defends herself after backlash over Aretha Franklin tribute at VMAs Related Story Madonna loses bid to stop auction of intimate items "Maybe we will find an opening to let the light come in. Let's close up the distance between one human being and another. "Are you ready to do that?" | https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/did-madonna-get-butt-implants |
Could snow be on the way for East Anglia with late January Arctic blast? | Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN Archant The next few days are expected to be rather chilly. But after its warmed up at the start of next week dont hide your woolies away too efficiently we could be hit by an Arctic blast of snow! Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Suffolk Highways gritters are ready if the temperature falls. Picture: SUFFOLK HIGHWAYS Suffolk Highways gritters are ready if the temperature falls. Picture: SUFFOLK HIGHWAYS There is some warming of the stratosphere predicted in the second half of the month and that could change weather patterns to bring us snow like last year. However experts Norwich-based Weatherquest said it is too early to predict an icy blast and there is nothing particularly unusual about this weather phenomenon. Forecaster Dan Holley said: It is a possibility that we could get some cold weather in the second half of January, but these kind of warming events happen every other year or so and quite often it doesnt have any major effect on the weather. So we will have to wait and see what happens before we get too worried about a snow event. Heavy snow is still relatively unusual in East Anglia last winter was the first time there had been widespread disruption because of snowed-up roads for several years. And before the risk of snow hits the county, the weather is expected to remain typical for January in East Anglia for the next 14 or so days. The weather is expected to be colder this weekend but is then expected to get milder again at the start of next week, with temperatures rising to 8C or 9C. That is the average daytime temperature for January in East Anglia. A spokesman for Suffolk Highways said they were monitoring the weather over the next few days and may be doing gritting runs for the first time since Christmas Eve. He added: Weve heard the reports about the end of the month. We have detailed forecasts that come in and are ready for whatever is thrown at us. We are fully stocked with grit and our team of drivers is ready to go out whenever they are needed so far it has been quite mild but were ready for whatever we get. Last years snow did not hit East Anglia until later in the winter. January was windy and wetter than usual but apart from a few frosts, cold was not a serious problem. The Beast from East arrived in late February and continued into early March but only caused problems for a few days before the snow disappeared. | https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/could-snow-come-to-east-anglia-1-5839395 |
Why is Kader Khans son upset with Govinda? | Bollywood stars are still mourning the tragic demise of veteran actor Kader Khan who passed away on Monday in Canada following a prolonged illness. Upon his passing, renowned actor Govinda expressed grief saying that Kader Khan was like a father-figure to him. However, Kader Khans son Sarfaraz is not very pleased with the actors statement. In an interview, he said, Please ask Govinda how many times he inquired about his father figures health. This is the way our film industry has become. There are no real feelings for those who have contributed to Indian cinema when theyre no longer active. Govinda and Kader Khan had a profound connection as they had worked on a number of films together including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Coolie No 1, Hero No 1 and Dulhe Raja among many others in the 1990s. After learning about the death of the legendary actor, Govinda had stated, Kader Khan sir is no more with us. He was not just a mentor but also a father figure to me. He had such finesse that whichever artiste he worked with or collaborated with, became a star, in fact a superstar. The entire film industry and my family cannot express the loss in words. I pray to God to grant peace to his soul, and may he find a place in heaven. Ksders son Sarfaraz Khan had earlier confirmed the news of his passing to indianexpress.com. He had said, Yes, my dad has left us this morning. He was unwell from last few months and in the hospital from last few days. We tried everything we could, but it was time. He was a very loving man and he loved everyone who was a part of his life. | https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/414673-kader-khans-son-upset-with-govinda |
Who Is Deal or No Deal Contestant Robert Evans? | Robert Evans, a speech pathologist from Clemmons, North Carolina, competes on tonights episode of Deal or No Deal. When promoting Evans episode, Deal or No Deal teased that it was An unpredictable game with the biggest surprise yet! This post contains spoilers from the January 2 episode, which aired on CNBC at 9pm ET. The bubbly 46-year-old who lives on Booger Swamp Road captured fans of the shows hearts from his first introduction, donning a bright blue button-down, plaid bowtie, gray vest, and matching hat. The show played up his southern roots and charms, introducing his aunt in the audience as she sat in a rocking chair. When hes not teaching, he enjoys acting in community theater; he revealed on the show that his love of theater came from his love of watching Soap Operas when he was younger. In addition to his aunt, Evans brought his speech pathologist colleagues with him, and they gushed about how great and caring he is at his job (as well as his big mouth of the South). In Broadway Worlds description of the episode, aptly named Southern Charm, they said Its the ultimate television cliff-hangeras soap opera fan Robert Evans fills the stage with SOUTHERN CHARM in his quest to defeat The Banker. This selfless speech therapist has sacrificed it all for his community and now risks it all in [a] game full of surprises that wont leave a dry eye in the house! The big surprise was Evans student Xavier, of whom he shared stories about earlier in the episode. The boy, who could not speak a word when Evans first started working with him, showed up in the audience with his mom; both came on stage to show their support of Evans. Not only does Evans have a big heart for his students, he is also an animal lover. He told Mandel at the start of the episode and persisted throughout his consideration of the bankers deals that a good portion of the money he won would be donated to a humane society to support animal rescue. Although the results of his try at $1,000,000 on the show are top-secret until after the episode airs (since that is, of course, the entire point of the show), Evans told the Winston-Salem Journal I have always wanted to be on TV and finally got the chance to do it, he said by email. I can say it was the experience of a lifetime. He later added Meeting Howie and the models was surreal. Lots of emotions were left on that stage. Its hard to turn down large amounts of money! At the end of the episode, after counteroffering with the banker, Evans walked away with $185,000. He said he intends to use that money to buy a house and help abused animals. Tune in to CNBC to watch new episodes of Deal or No Deal on Wednesday nights at 9 & 10pm ET. | https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/deal-or-no-deal-contestant-robert-evans/ |
Who Is Deal or No Deal Contestant Ally Teixeira? | Ally Teixeira, an entrepreneur from Southern California, competes on tonights new episode of CNBCs Deal or No Deal. The episode is entitled Ice Cream Dreams, because Teixeira came to the show with a dream of winning enough money to launch her gluten-free and dairy-free ice cream brand, Karma Ice Kreme. This post contains spoilers from the January 2 episode, which aired on CNBC at 10pm ET. Texeira graduated from Pepperdine University and was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. In addition to being an entrepreneur with an MBA, Teixeira is also an actress. Though some Deal or No Deal promo spells her name Allie Texeira, her IMDB page spells it Ally Teixeira, and her Ice Cream Dreams episode of Deal or No Deal is listed as one of her credits. She previously appeared as Belladonna on a 2017 episode of Catfish and has a handful of short film credits. Her husband Jacob, who appeared on the episode to show support for his wife, is on IMDB as an editor and producer; he worked as an assistant editor for the reality television competition Survivor. During the show, she was also supported on stage by her friend and her Karma Ice Kreme co-founder. Later in the episode, her rescue dog Bellini also made an appearance as Teixeiras good luck charm. On Instagram, Teixeira advertises that she is also the host of the YouTube show Vegan on a Jet Plane, which her husband edits. The shows description reads Join Ally Teixeira as she travels the world meeting with chefs, healers, and local food experts. Vegan on a Jet Plane will give you a window into exotic cultures while bringing you the best healthy food this world has to offer! Teixeiras ice cream company, Karma Ice Kreme, is described as provid[ing] organic, healthy indulgent frozen desserts. She co-founded the business with Jeanette Murillo. We strive to push the boundaries of traditional ice cream flavors. We want to revolutionize the healthy dessert industry with flavors that leave a blossom of flowers, happiness, and good vibrations throughout your body and mind! On the episode, host Howie Mandel sampled one of the flavors and told the audience (and viewers) that it really was delicious. Toward the end of the episode, the banker offered $108,000 to Teixeira, but with a twist. Sitting in the audience was Ben Van Leeuwen of the very successful Van Leeuwen ice cream company. Ben introduced himself to Teixeira before praising her vegan ice cream and offering her mentorship to help her company get off the ground, if she made a deal with the banker right then and there. After consulting her business partner, Murillo, and her husband, Teixeira took the deal, coupled with Bens invaluable mentorship. Tune in to CNBC to watch new episodes of Deal or No Deal on Wednesday nights at 9 & 10pm ET. | https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/deal-or-no-deal-contestant-ally-teixeira/ |
Is Jack Nicklaus too heavy-handed at the Bear's Club? | A lawsuit claims Jack Nicklaus improperly fired members of a property association board and saddled residents of his Jupiter golf community with extra maintenance costs. The year is new, the weather is warm, and the greens are pristine over at the Bears Club, a Jupiter golf course community built by golf great Jack Nicklaus. But for some residents of this luxury enclave, life is not good. Some residents are angry at the way Nicklaus is running the community, which is home to numerous professional athletes including NBA great Michael Jordan and pro golfer Michelle Wie. Through the years, more of the cost of maintaining the community has shifted to the homeowners from the golf club, with no say from the homeowners, according to a lawsuit filed last month by a Bear's Club resident. >>RELATED: Residents voice opposition to Jack Nicklaus' Bear's Club land swap The final straw was a decision on Nov. 2 by Nicklaus to fire homeowner Gary L. Sellers as association board president and install his own people on the board, "as retaliation" for disagreements about the way the association was being run, the lawsuit said. The dispute could seem like any other homeowners association battle, except this one features very wealthy residents against a developer who has won the most majors of any golfer -- and who regularly hits the links with President Donald Trump when he is town. The Bears Club community, east of Interstate 95 just north of Donald Ross Road, was created in 1999. It features an 18-hole golf course and a 40,000-square foot clubhouse. The 400-acre community consist of about 80 homes, villas and cottages, with average home values in the millions of dollars, according to the lawsuit. >>RELATED: Why Gardens officials worry about Bear's Club land swap in Jupiter In a letter Jack Nicklaus sent to residents on Nov. 6, he defended his decision to fire the old board and appoint a new one. Nicklaus said he wanted the Bear's Club to avoid the disputes that afflict other residential communities, and that's why the the property association gave the club majority voting power, to resolve disputes and "refuse coercion." The golf club is not owned by the residents or the property association, Nicklaus wrote. Instead, it is owned by 35 founding partners. As such, Nicklaus wrote that the Bears Club is not a typical residential golf community but a golf club where a small number of properties bask in the glory of adjacency to a spectacular golf facility. Nicklaus' imperious tone upset many residents, said Boca Raton lawyer Spencer Sax, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Nissen and Bear's Club residents. Nicklaus' letter "sets Nicklaus up as the king and residents should be lucky they are his minions, Sax said. But its not OK for Jack to eliminate the old board and install people who are affiliated with him, or who work for him. The five-person board now features Nicklaus son, Gary, as well as Bear's Club general manager Bob Weselman, who was named president of the association even though he doesn't live there. In fact, according to the complaint, of the five people on the board, only Gary Nicklaus lives in the community, and hes been trying to sell his home for years. In his letter, Nicklaus wrote that membership in the club "is not a right but a privilege" by people who must respect "the need to abide by rules of conduct." Sax said residents fear if they challenge Nicklaus further on their own, they will be banned from the club. That is why they are seeking help from the court. On Dec. 27, Nissen sued the Bears Club Property Owners Association, GBR Properties Ltd., Golden Bear Properties Ltd., The Bear's Club Founding Partners Ltd. and other related entities in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. The lawsuit was filed by Nissen individually and on behalf of the homeowners as a member's derivative lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks to force the Bears Club homeowners association to turn control of the association over to the homeowners, as required by Florida law; and to recoup assessments improperly paid by the homeowners for the care of the community, a figure described as millions of dollars in the complaint. The lawsuit also seeks the appointment of a receiver for the association to protect the interests of the homeowners, pending a court determination on the lawsuit. Nicklaus could not be reached for comment, and an email to a spokesman said the office was closed for the holiday season. Efforts to reach a lawyer for the Nicklaus companies were not successful. In the letter to residents, Nicklaus said people who bought at Bear's Club knew what they were signing on to when they bought their homes and read and accepted the Declaration of Master Covenants. But Sax said the Declaration violates Florida law, specifically Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes, which requires that homeowners have control over the governance of their community association. The Bear's Club recently was in the news over a failed effort to swap habitat land on a conservation easement it owns, in exchange for a $1 million contribution to a fund that maintains the county's natural areas. The Bear's Club wanted to build more homes on the 15-acre easement, but a public uproar halted the effort in October. [email protected] | https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20190103/is-jack-nicklaus-too-heavy-handed-at-bears-club |
Is The End Of The Brutal War In Yemen Finally At Hand? | Authored by Gareth Porter via TruthDig.com, When the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, it is expected to pass a House resolution upholding congressional war powers and ending all direct U.S. involvement in the Saudi coalitions war in Yemen. But hopes remain high that H. Con. Res. 138 will help to end the Yemen war itself. Congressional strategists and activists who have been working on the issue believe passage of the war powers measure will force Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the negotiating table. Together, they are challenging the position of some former Obama administration officials who have warned the war powers resolution alone cannot bring the conflict to a close. Those former officials, led by Brookings Institution fellow Bruce Riedel, say that cutting off the Saudi pipeline of spare parts is the only way to prevent further airstrikes, which have been central to the Saudi war strategy. Proponents of the war powers resolution, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, argue the Saudis will not be able to continue the war without the political-diplomatic support of the United States, and the Yemen resolution will make dramatically clear the Saudis can no longer count on U.S. support. How the Senate came to pass a version of the Yemen resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and ratified in December by a vote of 56 to 41, would appear to lend support to their argument. The Khashoggi Effect Until 2018, the Obama and Trump administrations had successfully avoided any congressional move to block U.S. support of the Saudi-Emirati bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, or the countrys air and naval blockade. That success was possible, at least in part, because the U.S. media largely ignored the mass starvation of the Yemeni people and unprecedented cholera epidemic these acts of aggression had wrought. The media also failed to report on the United States direct role in that conflict. From mid-2017 to mid-2018, MSNBC ran only a single story that mentioned the United States in-flight refueling of Saudi planes and its provision of intelligence for Yemeni bombing targets. Nevertheless, some key members of Congress were well informed about the United States complicity in the Saudi coalitions crimes. As early as March 2018, when Sens. Sanders and Lee first introduced the Yemen war powers resolution, a head count by the office of co-sponsor Chris Murphy indicated it would pass the Senate with a narrow majority. Several of those votes were lost in May to legislation by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., which required the secretary of state to certify that Saudi Arabia was making efforts to end the war, increase access to humanitarian goods and reduce harm to civilians. But this fall, a tragic event and dramatic revelations created new impetus for a Yemen war powers resolution: Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and hard evidence emerged that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government had ordered his murder and dismemberment over his critical coverage. The political impact of that story can hardly be exaggerated. Whereas before the media had been reluctant to report on the war, they were suddenly eager to document its myriad atrocities, including the ongoing starvation of Yemeni children. The pressure on President Donald Trump to abandon his unflinching support of the Saudi regime intensified. Administration officials knew full well the Saudi coalition was already planning to capture the key Yemeni port of Hodeidathe countrys lifeline for food imports and humanitarian goods. That assault was scheduled to begin on Nov. 3, and it would have further weakened the administrations case against a war powers resolution if one were brought to the Senate floor. The administration also knew by late October that Democrats likely would be taking control of the House of Representatives, where Republican leadership had successfully employed legislative tactics to prevent even a congressional debate on the Saudi-led war efforts. The Administration Adjusts Its Yemen Policy Between Kushners personal ties to Crown Prince Mohammed and the lure of tens of billions of dollars in arms sales, the Trump administration remained wedded to the Saudi regime. But it was now forced to make adjustments in its policy to try to shore up the collapsing congressional support for the war. So Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a call on Oct. 30 for a cease-fire in Yemen and peace negotiations within 30 days. A careful reading of Pompeos statement, however, reveals two key giveaways to the Saudi regime: It did not require the Saudis to halt their bombing until after the Houthis had halted missile strikes on Saudi and United Arab Emirates targets, and the Saudi coalition was only required to cease bombing populated areas, evidently leaving it free to hit targets outside urban concentrations. There would be more to come. After discussions with the Trump administration, the Saudi government officially requested on Nov. 9 that the U.S. end the refueling of the coalitions aircraft for its Yemen operations. The Saudi statement said the coalition had increased its capability to independently conduct in-flight refueling in Yemen, and had therefore requested, in consultation with the United States, the cessation of in-flight refueling support. Experts maintained the Trump administration had compelled the Saudis and their UAE allies to accept less capabilityespecially as it pertained to longer-range strikes by UAE aircraftfor domestic U.S. political reasons. Former National Security Council official Riedel, for one, commented that giving up U.S. refueling would make it harder for the Saudi coalition to carry out strikes deep into Yemeni territory. All that elaborate maneuvering with the Saudis failed to influence the Senate, which voted, 63-37, in November to advance the Yemen war powers joint resolution. Prior to that vote, Pompeo and Mattis had briefed the Senate in an attempt to tamp down anger over the Khashoggi murder, attempting to sell the idea that American interests required U.S. support for the Saudi coalitions war in Yemen. But senators who attended the briefing told reporters their argumentsespecially regarding the crown prince and Khashoggihad not been credible. If anything, Pompeo and Mattis had strengthened their determination to support the resolution. In December, seven Republicans joined 49 Democrats in approving the Sanders-Lee resolution, 56-41, in a major rebuff to the entire foreign policy establishment. That vote was followed moments later with the unanimous approval of a separate resolution condemning the Saudi crown prince by name for Khashoggis grisly murder. In a clear indication the Trump administration aimed to hold the line against a Yemen resolution, the Saudi coalition abruptly halted the Hodeida offensive it had begun 12 days earlier, almost certainly under U.S. pressure. The Saudis also agreed to participate in U.N.-brokered consultation that began in Sweden on Dec. 6 led by the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. Even before the conference had officially begun, Griffiths negotiated a swap of 2,000 to 3,000 prisoners held by the two sides. And on Dec. 13, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a cease-fire in Hodeida, where the fighting had been concentrated, although it soon broke down with mutual recriminations. The Trump administrations official position, based on the notion that limited support to member countries of the Emirati and Saudi-led coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics, and, until recently, aerial refueling did not constitute being engaged in hostilities, was that the resolution had no legal effect. But the activists and congressional staff who worked on the resolution are convinced that the administrations frantic efforts to prevent its passage reveal just how powerful it will prove. One Democratic congressional strategist involved in promoting the resolution acknowledged as much in an interview with Truthdig. At the same time the Pentagon and the Trump administration were saying it would have no impact, they were scrambling to change the facts on the ground by unilaterally suspending air refueling, the strategist said. The strategist also admitted this first assertion of war authorities by Congress would force the administration to retreat, and when the U.S. is no longer the steadfast patron of the Saudi coalition campaign, the Saudi coalition will be compelled to seek an urgent and immediate peace settlement. Robert Naiman, policy director at Just Foreign Policy, an activist membership organization that has been working to support the eventual passage of the Yemen resolution in both houses of Congress, agrees the resolution is bound to push the Saudis toward ending the war. Ive always believed any kind of congressional vote that says no in a toothy way like the war powers resolution would be enough to force the administration and the Saudis to change policy, he told Truthdig. Naiman called the administrations gambit to head off passage of the resolution a political signal the whole world sees. He said he believes the political-diplomatic signal is even more important than direct military participation. The wars swift conclusion appears all but inevitable. While Crown Prince Mohammed may be committed to final victory, the Saudi regime remains heavily dependent on U.S. political-diplomatic cover, as it has since the beginning of the bombing campaign in Yemen. Ironically, that political reality could now tip the balance toward peace. | https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-03/end-brutal-war-yemen-finally-hand?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29 |
Is There NFL Thursday Night Football Game on TV Tonight? | Football fans will have to wait until the weekend for NFL playoff action as there is no Thursday Night Football game on TV tonight. The NFL playoffs get started on Saturday, January 5th with a total of four Wild Card games this weekend. The final game of the college football season takes place on Monday, January 7 as Clemson takes on Alabama in the title game. Be sure to check out our NFL predictions for the playoffs including our 2019 Super Bowl pick. The Texans-Colts kickoff the postseason on Saturday on ABC at 4:35 p.m. Eastern. The Texans are the slight favorite as they look to slow down a Colts team that finished the second half of the season red-hot. For Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson it is a dream come to true. For sure, but it honestly didnt come until high school, Watson told 247 Sports. Growing up as a young kid I never thought I would be in this position. I was just trying to make it out of the hood and trying to get a high school degree and try to play football as long as I can. Never really thought about being in the NFL until I got to high school and my high school coach told me that I could be special and make something out of this career. Thats when I started believing that. Ever since high school, Ive been dreaming for moments like this, and the time is here now. Seattle and Dallas close out the first day of playoff action at 8:15 p.m. Eastern on Fox. The Cowboys lost their earlier meeting on the road, but Dak Prescott is hoping the home crowd can give them a push on Saturday night. An epic environment, Prescott told the Dallas News. I can only just think back to two years ago, obviously my rookie year, playing the Packers and just how crazy that atmosphere was. Going down early like we did but then being able to come back and have that game be close right there at the end, and just remembering the crowd and everyone going crazy. The Chargers and Ravens are the first NFL game on Sunday as the two AFC teams begin at 1:05 p.m. on CBS. Finally, the Eagles and Bears close out Wild Card weekend at 4:40 p.m. on NBC. The Chiefs, Patriots, Saints and Rams all have first-round byes. They will be watching this weekends games to find out their opponents for next week. Heres this weekends NFL playoff schedule with a look ahead to the Divisional Round. NFL Playoff Schedule 2019: Wild Card Round DATE TEAMS TIME (ET)/TV CHANNEL Saturday, January 5 AFC: No. 6 Indianapolis Colts vs. No. 3 Houston Texans 4:35 p.m. ESPN/ABC Saturday, January 5 NFC: No. 5 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 4 Dallas Cowboys 8:15 p.m. Fox Sunday, January 6 AFC: No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 4 Baltimore Ravens 1:05 p.m. CBS Sunday, January 6 NFC: No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 3 Chicago Bears 4:40 p.m. NBC NFL Playoff Schedule: Divisional Round DATE TEAMS TIME(ET)/TV CHANNEL Saturday, January 12 AFC: Lowest Seed vs. No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs 4:35 p.m. NBC Saturday, January 12 NFC: Highest Seed vs. No. 2 L.A. Rams 8:15 p.m. Fox Sunday, January 13 AFC: Highest Seed vs. No. 2 New England Patriots 1:05 p.m. CBS Sunday, January 13 NFC: Lowest Seed vs. No. 1 New Orleans Saints 4:40 p.m. Fox READ NEXT: NFL Playoff Predictions 2019: Wild Card & Super Bowl Picks | https://heavy.com/sports/2019/01/nfl-thursday-night-football-schedule-tonight-what-teams/ |
Is Juan Gabriel Still Alive? | Juan Gabriel died in August 2016 but many of his fans refuse to believe that the Mexican crooner is really gone. Gabriel passed away at the age of 66 in Santa Monica, California, after suffering a heart attack. It was widely reported at the time of his death that no autopsy was performed on the singer. Gabriels body was cremated and his ashes were kept at his home in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, after a funeral in Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Heres what you need to know: A Post Saying We Will Never Die Appeared on Gabriels Facebook Page on New Years Eve On December 31, 2018, two posts appeared on Gabriels official Facebook page that fuelled the speculation that the singer isnt really dead. The first read, via Google Translate, Today, the brightness and prosperity of a new beginning flood your homes with love, faith, and above all, a lot of good health. Congratulations on having a Happy New Year in the company of all your loved ones. The second read, Life gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves and if we become great, then we will never die. #JuanGabriel #PorLosSiglos. Gabriels Friend Said that the Singer Would Reappear on December 15 In November 2018, Gabriels former manager, Joaquin Munoz, told Televisas Intrusos program, [Gabriel] fakes his death Hes at home; hes well, comfortable and everything. Next month everyone will know. Hes preparing so that after the 15 [of December] he can appear in public. Hes bored with the way [his life] is the situation hes living in is a horrible situation that I dont wish upon anyone. Munoz also said that he last saw Gabriel in Jule 2018 and said that the singer was being treated with issues in his feet due to his diabetes. There are no indications that Gabriel made any public appearance on December 15. Gabriels Family Are Considering Taking Legal Action About Those Saying the Singer Is Still Alive Shortly after Munoz made those comments, Gabriels son, Ivan, told TMZ that there was no truth to the conspiracy theory. Ivan had served as his fathers manager for the last eight years of the singers life. Also speaking to TMZ, Gabriels former lawyer, Guillermo Pous, said that Munoz never even managed the singer and that the pair were just friends. Pous went on to say that Gabriels family were considering legal action against Munoz. Pous added that Munoz was in the media in attempts to promote a book he had written about his friendship with Gabriel. Gabriel Family Are In the Process of Several Lawsuits Against People Making Claims About the Singer Ivan, Gabriels son, is already involved in a $100 million lawsuits against Univision and Telemundo over the networks alleged reporting of fictitious, defamatory stories. The family were upset over the channels publishing the story of Joao Aguilera, a man who says he is Gabriels biological son. Ivan is also accusing the Univision and Telemundo of insinuating that Ivan and his wife, Simona, were involved in stealing from Gabriels estate. Another claim from the family is that the channels reported a false story that Ivan and Simona met in a strip club and that Gabriels cremation was so that Joao Aguilera could not have a DNA test performed. Another man, Luis Aguilera, has also come forward to claim that he is Gabriels biological son, reports El Pais. READ NEXT: Michigan School Teachers Admit to Being Porn Stars on the Side | https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/juan-gabriel-alive/ |
Who lost China? And how was Canada supposed to win it? | This op-ed by Gordon Ritchie, the legendary Canadian trade negotiator, is a doorway into a terrifying parallel dimension. It assumes a tone of great certainty about one of the modern worlds hardest questionshow should the rest of the world deal with China?but its prescriptions are not as self-evidently wise as its author seems to think. The headline is agreeably categoric: Canada blunders and dithers its way to a failing grade on China relations. Ritchie kicks off his argument by asserting that Canada has clearly failed to make the grade in handling China. Ritchies articles of indictment are less persuasive. The stage was set when the World Trade Organization admitted China as a member in 2001, Ritchie writes. This let China flood richer markets with cheap stuff while importing, borrowing or stealing technologies from more developed countries. Theres concern that this one-way bargain is unsustainable. This is trueif anything it understates Chinas recent disruptive influence in the Asia-Pacific region and further afieldbut its definitely bad enough. Enter the Justin Trudeau government, Ritchie writes. Trudeau mused about a trade agreement with China, then landed in Beijing ready to make a deal. But the Chinese rejected Trudeaus progressive trade agendagender, Indigenous, labour-union and environmental protectionsso a deal was off. This isnt the crux of Ritchies argument, but already I have questions. Ive criticized Trudeaus trade trips before (at the bottom of this, for instance) but its actually not true that all he did before that Beijing trip was muse. Much of 2017 was given over to preliminary trade talks at the level of officials. I was told some time ago that they went nowhere: China wanted to hand Canada an off-the-rack deal, massively to Chinas advantage, and the Canadian officials had no mandate to accept such a deal and no clout to improve it. So Trudeau went to Beijing to see whether he could get a better offer. An improvisation, to be sure. It didnt workit probably couldnt have workedbut I dont see the harm in trying. Indeed, if the Beijing cold shoulder has soured Trudeau on the whole prospect of a trade deal, its probably a good thing. But Ritchie isnt really mad about the trade talks. Hes mad about Huawei. Meng Wanzhou, a top-ranking executive at the telecomms giant, was passing through Vancouver, and the United States wanted her arrested and extradited. You know the story. This inspires from Ritchie a sentiment that I would find astonishing if I hadnt heard it already several times in recent weeks. A competent government would have found a way, as former deputy prime minister John Manley has suggested, to discreetly warn Ms. Meng off. What Ritchie is suggesting is that Canadas treaty obligations to its closest neighbour should be discreetly betrayed if keeping them would anger a sufficiently large third country. It would certainly have to be done discreetly. If word ever got out, it would confirm not only the Americans suspicion, but many others, that a Canadian can be relied upon to provide all assistance short of help. It would, arguably, constitute obstruction of justice, and it would certainly endanger the career of any civil servant who passed along the discreet warning. In fact, its fair to wonder who, specifically, would be expected to quietly inform a citizen of a quasi-belligerent country that she needed to skip town to avoid arrest. Whats especially striking about Ritchies advicejust snitch, it simplifies everythingis that Im hearing it a lot around town lately. Manley, Jean Chrtiens former foreign minister, offered the same advice, as Ritchie points out. So, in informal conversations, have two very senior former staffers in Chrtiens government. Both took Ritchies tone, which isnt Hear me out, I know this is a bit unorthodox, but rather What kind of a fool would honour an extradition treaty with our closest ally? Im left wondering what sort of town Ottawa used to be, if so many of its old hands are sure that carrying out Canadas treaty obligations constitutes breathtaking ineptitude. Im tempted to say it was a town that was basically run by people friendly to Power Corporation for the purposes of safeguarding its business investments in China. And that leads me to offer a hypothesis to explain the foreign-policy differences between the Harper and Trudeau governmentsyes, the two of them togetherand their predecessors. Its that Chrtien and Stephen Harper, in quick succession, put successively lower caps on the amounts corporations could donate to political parties. These reforms sharply reduce the difference between the amount of clout you or I have in Ottawa, and the amount the member companies of the Business Council of Canada have. Both the Harper and post-Harper Conservatives and the Trudeau Liberals have had to adjust to getting by in a much more ground-level fundraising environment. A lot has been written about how this forces both parties to embrace crowd-pleasing populism. Perhaps not enough has been written about how it frees both from the go-along-to-get-along complacency that seems once to have been all the rage around here. Taken together, Ritchies three bits of advice for the Trudeau government are: (1) dont bother to negotiate a big free trade deal, but go for a bunch of smaller deals to meet Chinese requirements, yet another interesting turn of phrase; (2) skip out on treaty obligations when convenient; (3) on Huaweis access to 5G networks, apply in Canada any decision made by Canadas Five Eyes security allies for their own domestic markets. The answer, apparently, is that we are to do so, except when we would be too conspicuous in doing so. Its surprising how often, when an old Ottawa hand accuses a sitting government of screwing up on a given file, the real complaint is that the government has failed to keep its head down far enough. Its a big old world, the veterans say. Hide. Compromise. MORE BY PAUL WELLS: | https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/who-lost-china-and-how-was-canada-supposed-to-win-it/ |
Can Asus Intel 9th gen ProArt PA90 mini PCs slay the Mac Mini? | Asus has announced a new line of ProArt PA90 mini PCs, all featuring Intel 9th gen CPUs and Nvidia Quadro GPUs. Aimed at professional designers, video editors and content creators wholl want a lightweight modular PC they can run and gun with between the office and home, the ProArt P90 range will start at 2499 when they go on sale this March. CPU options include Core i7-9700K and Core i9-9900K processors and all models will feature an all-in-one CPU liquid cooler and a ventilation system that sees the top cover extending whenever the temperature exceeds 80C, which apparently increases airflow by 38%. Related: Intel Core i9-9900K review All models come with one 1TB 2.5-inch 7200rpm hard drive and the option of a 256GB or 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD, as well as the option up to take two 512GB SSDs, if you need more storage, thanks to a triple-storage design. You get 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM as standard, as well as the option to take up to 64GB. Full pricing information for the range has yet to be published, but heres what Asus has shared so far: PA90-M7017ZN-OSS PA90-M7018ZN-OSS PA90-M9019ZN-OSS Processor Intel i7-9700K Intel i7-9700K Intel i9-9900K GPU Nvidia Quadro P2000 5GB Nvidia Quadro P4000 8GB Nvidia Quadro P4000 8GB Memory 32GB DDR4 2666MHz 32GB DDR4 2666MHz 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Storage 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD / 1TB 2.5-inch 7200rpm HDD 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD / 1TB 2.5-inch 7200rpm HDD 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD / 1TB 2.5-inch 7200rpm HDD Motherboard Asus Z390 Asus Z390 Asus Z390 Ports 2 x USB ports supporting Thunderbolt 3 2 x USB ports supporting Thunderbolt 3 2 x USB ports supporting Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0 RRP 2499.99 2,999.99 3,199.99 At those prices, it appears to be a less competitive option on paper than Apples new Mac Mini offerings, which start at 799. Although youll be able to daisy-chain multiple devices on the via a single port thanks to a reversible USB-C connector with the new ProArt PA90s theyre perhaps not as peripheral-friendly as the four Thunderbolt 3 ports you get on the 2018 Mac Minis. That said, the Mac Minis integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU doesnt promise the same heft of a dedicated Nvidia Quadro P2000 graphics card. Of course, until weve reviewed them both we cant say for sure which is the better value for money option. Let us know the sum of your thoughts in 280 characters or less @TrustedReviews. | https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/asus-proart-vs-mac-mini-3640809 |
Was ist in Luxemburg teurer geworden? | Vor 20 Jahren am 1. Januar 1999 wurden die ersten berweisungen mit dem Euro gettigt. Drei Jahre spter wanderte das erste Euro-Bargeld ber den Tresen. Nicht nur fr Banker ein groer Einschnitt, auch der Otto-Normal-Verbraucher rechnete ab dann tglich Preise von der neuen in die alte Whrung, den Luxemburgischen Frang (LUF), zurck. Was nicht ganz einfach war, denn 40 LUF waren 1 Euro wert. Die lteren werden sich noch erinnern, das ein Besuch beim Hausarzt damals etwa 800 LUF gekostet hat, was 20 Euro entsprach. Wer heute zum Arzt geht, bezahlt 46,10 Euro, was mehr als 1800 LUF entspricht. Teils deutliche Preiserhhungen hat es noch in anderen Bereichen gegeben. Ein Croissant kostete 25 LUF, also 0,60 Euro. Heute bekommt man die Gebckstcke meist nicht unter 1,20 Euro. Auch bei den Kraftstoffen wurden die Preise angezogen. Whrend der Liter Benzin 95 heute 1,112 Euro kostet, waren es 1999 noch 0,615 Euro. Eine 250 Gramm Packung gemahlenen Kaffees (Kapseln lagen damals natrlich noch nicht im Trend) kostete 2,50 Euro (100 LUF). Heute sind es knapp 4 Euro. Doch nicht alles ist teurer geworden. Trotz Inflation kostet ein Kilo Mehl immer noch weniger als 1 Euro. Eine eineinhalb Liter Flasche Wasser gibt es fr etwa 60 Cent, je nach Marke. Auch das Kilo Bananen ist preislich bei etwa 2 Euro geblieben wie vor 20 Jahren. (Patrick Thry/L'essentiel) | http://www.lessentiel.lu/de/luxemburg/story/18493611 |
Has Netflix just poached Activision Blizzards CFO? | Corporate game of thrones playing out between US digital media giants. Spencer Neumann, the chief financial officer (CFO) in the process of being dismissed by games publisher Activision Blizzard, is reportedly joining Netflix. Activision Blizzard said in a recent regulatory filing that it intended to terminate the employment of Neumann, who is currently on paid leave, for cause unrelated to the companys financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures. It subsequently emerged that Neumann is to be snapped up by Netflix, which is currently on a massive drive to make more of its own films and boxset series, and thereby reduce its dependency on licensed material. As such, the streaming media giant wants its next CFO to be in Los Angeles at the heart of the Hollywood entertainment industry. The outgoing CFO of Netflix, David Wells, who lives in northern California, revealed plans to step down from his role at Netflix after 14 years with the company. Wells led the expansion of Netflixs streaming platform across the world, including brokering deals for debt-financed spending on original shows and movies. It is understood that he plans to focus on philanthropy. Neumann came to Activision Blizzard after a career that saw him play leading roles at Walt Disney. It is unclear what the precise reasons for his dismissal from the company are. He is still under an 18-month term contract with the gaming publishing giant and it may be that the news of his new job didnt go down very well. Neumanns arrival comes at an interesting time for Netflix, which needs to steady its ship, grow subscriber numbers and embrace its future as a provider of original content. It also comes at a time when convergence between traditional TV and the internet is at full tilt, and gaming is about to embrace streaming in a big way. | https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/netflix-cfo-activision-blizzard-spencer-neumann |
What makes Star Plus' Yeh Hai Mohabbatein a VISUAL TREAT? | Yeh Hai Mohabbatein is one of the most loved TV shows on television today. It's mix of melodrama and reality makes it an interesting experience and a visual treat. The show has been running for a few years now and we list down the probable reasons which keep the viewers hooked to the show till date. Ishita and Raman's bond is the first thing which comes to our mind. What started as a hate story ended up being strongly in love. Ruhi brought the two closer and we love the way they feel for each other in happiness and distress., what we love watching is that Ishita is not a demure 'bahu' clad in a saree bearing her mother in law's atrocities. She is strong and independent. Has a vision of her own and is most of the times the one saving her family from the negativity. Yeh Hai Mohabbatein also presents interesting vamps and villains. They are not out and out negative. To enact a character which has a transition from a negative to grey and back with a scope of feeling guilty is a visual delight! And lastly, a family that eats together, prays together... Stays together. We love the way the Bhalla and Iyer family stick around in difficult times of the family. List them below and if you are a fan of the show, don't forget to retweet and share the article. | http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/what-makes-star-plus-yeh-hai-mohabbatein-visual-treat-190104 |
Is Pillowfort the new alternative to Tumblr? | Tumblr users leaving the site after it introduced a recent ban on porn and other smutty stuff may have just found their new online home. Pillowfort bills itself as a hybrid of Twitter, Tumblr and LiveJournal and allows people to join communities and curate news feeds related to their interests. Crucially, theres a very laid-back attitude to NSFW content. Tumblr members are flocking to Pillowfort Members can post text, images and GIFs and can spread their work either publicly or privately. Pillowfort is still in a closed beta platform but the team behind it say theyve been flooded with requests since Tumblr announced its new porn ban. Of course wed prefer if we could welcome everyone whos going to be leaving Tumblr over the next couple weeks, but we decided it wouldnt benefit anyone for us to bring more users onto the site when our infrastructure wouldnt be able to support that large a user base yet. Pillowfort.io (@Pillowfort_io) December 13, 2018 The site was originally started by founder Julia Baritz in February 2017 and was being comfortably run by her and a couple of developers as an online journaling and micro-blogging site. Since then it has had to scale considerably to meet the demand from millions of displaced Tumblr users looking to share and comment on explicit content. Advertisement Advertisement In fact, a post from the sites staff explains that explicit content is okay as long as its used with the correct tags and warning mechanisms. When it comes to fictional depictions or descriptions of divisive subjects such as incest, rape, abuse, etc., we do not intend to restrict that content, for largely the same reasons as discussed above with regards to gray-area underage content. We understand these subjects can be distressing for many, and we do request that people posting content that is potentially upsetting tag such posts with the relevant terms so that it can be avoided by those who dont wish to view such content, the site explained The Pillowfort home feed (Image: Metro.co.uk) The only situation we foresee penalizing the posting of this content would be a case already covered in our ToS, where a bad-faith user appears to be intentionally spamming completely unrelated tags or communities with violent or sexual content with the intent or result of disrupting the usual functioning of that tag or community. Baritz told tech site The Verge last month: I want our users to be able to create whatever they want and not have to worry about having their content moved or censored. In the future, the site plans to launch a mobile app and allow users to fully import their Tumblr blogs directly onto it. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/04/pillowfort-new-alternative-tumblr-8307080/ |
Did state GOP chair just warn Sen. Martha McSally not to criticize Donald Trump? | Opinion: If you read between the lines in the party's recent newsletter it sure sounds like it. Recently appointed Sen. Martha McSally (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic) In a recent Arizona Republican Party newsletter, Chairman Jonathan Lines issued marching orders for elected Republican officials in clear, concise, mildly threatening terms: Lines declared that office holders must "stand with President Donald Trump. And that it is "non-negotiable." Non-negotiable. I kinda think he's talking to you Because while no names were mentioned, it sounds like the chairman might just be talking to you. After all, you're now the only Arizona Republican in the U.S. Senate. And you have an election coming up in 2020. Chairman Lines was in a tizzy over an essay written by newly elected Utah Sen. Mitt Romney in which Romney was critical of Trump. Among other things Romney said that Trump had not risen to the mantle of the office. He added, I do not intend to comment on every tweet or fault. But I will speak out against significant statements or actions that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions. It's what the late Sen. John McCain was doing and would have continued to do. A demand to 'stand with our president' Lines said Romney's essay was "very critical of our President, and Republicans rightly have criticized both his words, and the fact that he used the pages of the Washington Post, one of the most anti-Trump newspapers in the country, to deliver them. He added and part of this is hilarious: One of the things Ive always loved about our party is that we are a big tent. We have room for everyone. Thats why, as your Chairman, Ive done my best to welcome as many different viewpoints and coalitions as possible into our party However, while we are accepting of different viewpoints, it is essential that we stay true to our conservative values. Maybe the tent isn't actually that big Its the part where Lines says we have room for everyone and welcomes many different viewpoints but says that standing with Trump is non-negotiable. In other words, you can have any viewpoint you wantas long as you agree with Trump. Lines really REALLY reinforces this point. He says that he is strongly supportive of President Donald J. Trump. And that in 2020 he plans to deliver our state once again for President Trump. And that the Arizona GOP will be doing everything in its power to continue to stand up for President Trump and win in 2020! During her campaign for the senate McSally alternated between calling Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who defeated her, a traitor and kowtowing to Trump, even to the point of disrespectfully snubbing the Sen. McCain. Kowtowing to Trump didn't work, but... That strategy failed. McSally has stuck a more conciliatory tone since being appointed to the senate by Gov. Doug Ducey. She says shell work with Sinema and that they share a lot of common ground. I'd guess that isn't a message Trump voters want to hear. McSally would like to carve out a reputation as a centrist, but she knows she can't win without those Trump voters, who live way to the right of center. The newly-appointed senator, already gearing up for another election, needs some wiggle room. But the state GOP chairman says standing with Trump is "non-negotiable." MORE BY MONTINI: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/01/04/martha-mcsally-donald-trump-arizona-republican-party/2480287002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2019/01/04/martha-mcsally-donald-trump-arizona-republican-party/2480287002/ |
Was bringen Zahnspangen und Co.? | Hier kostenlos registrieren Zugang erwerben Einzel-Pass Zugriff auf diesen Artikel Zahlart whlen einmalig 0,49 Per Handy bezahlen Tages-Pass 24 Stunden Zugriff auf Rhein-Zeitung.de Zahlart whlen einmalig 1,00 Per Handy bezahlen Per PayPal bezahlen Monats-Pass 30 Tage Zugriff auf Rhein-Zeitung.de Zahlart whlen einmalig 11,90 Per Handy bezahlen Per PayPal bezahlen Jahres-Pass 12 Monate Zugriff auf Rhein-Zeitung.de und RZmobil-App Zahlart whlen monatlich 10,90 Per Lastschrift bezahlen Digital-Abo 4 Wochen Zugriff auf Rhein-Zeitung.de, RZmobil-App, E-Paper und E-Paper-App Zahlart whlen 29,00 monatlich zum Testen 0 29,00 Per Lastschrift bezahlen Um einen Zugang zu erwerben muss JavaScript aktiviert sein. Alle Angebote im berblick. Wir helfen gerne weiter: Telefonisch unter 0261/9836-2000 oder per E-Mail an: [email protected] | https://www.rhein-zeitung.de/startseite_artikel,-was-bringen-zahnspangen-und-co-_arid,1917850.html |
Is it a car? Is it a robotic spider? | We're no stranger to the unique concept vehicles that show up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) every year; it's not very often, though, that a company creates a completely new vehicle category to show off like Hyundai plans to this year. On Thursday Hyundai announced that the company will be using next week's CES 2019 to present a robotic EV prototype that will "take people where no vehicle has been before." To satisfy this claim, Hyundai developed Elevate, a vehicle with four robotic legs complete with wheels as feet to drive, walk, and even climb across and over treacherous terrain. From the image provided, the vehicle's legs look to have a nearly full range of motion which allows it to be stable on rocky terrain. To simplify, the EV, intended by Hyundai to "redefine our perception of vehicular mobility," looks more like a four-legged spider with a couple extra joints in its extremities than an ATV. Elevate will be featured during Hyundai's CES 2019 press conference on Monday January 7 at 3pm | https://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/news/2019-01-04-hyundai-is-literally-walking-into-ces-2019/ |
Will SP-PSPL cross swords in Firozabad? | Firozabad, the bangle and glasswork capital of India, is emerging as the first socialist battleground in the state where Yadav family feud is likely to spill on to the streets. The Firozabad Lok Sabha seat is held by Samajwadi Party (SP) rebel and the chief of newly-founded Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) Shivpal Yadav, who is likely to contest elections from the seat. Shivpal had begun his political campaign from Firozabad by holding a road show. When the word was out that Shivpal might contest from this seat, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav held this poll seasons first rally here. Now, Shivpal is scheduled to hold another rally in the constituency on January 20. There is a strong reason why Shivpal has zeroed in on Firozabad. Within the SP strongholds, Firozabad has the weakest link. The SP had won Mainpuri, Kannauj, Badaun, Firozabad, and Azamgarh. Azamgarh has not been a traditional seat of the Yadav family, the other four have been. Moreover, Azamgarh may go to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the proposed SP-BSP seat sharing. Picture this: In Mainpuri, the SP has never lost an election since 1996 (eight elections) while in Kannauj, it has not been defeated since 1998 (seven elections). Likewise in Badaun, it has been a consistent winner since 1996 (six elections). However, the party lost the Firozabad seat to Congress Raj Babbar in 2009 by-polls. Shivpal has been saying that if people of Firozabad wish him to contest polls from the constituency, he will do so. Addressing a press conference in Firozabad in November, Akshaya Yadav had said: I respect chacha (Shivpal). Family relations apart, if the situation arises (if Shivpal contests Firozabad), then I will follow my rajnaitik dharma (political duty). While Firozabad is not a citadel of SP, Akshaya compared to other SP MPs is not a heavyweight unlike Mulayam (Mainpuri), Dharmendra (Badaun), or Akhilesh Yadav or Dimple Yadav (either of them may contest from Kannauj). Shivpal also has an axe to grind with his cousin and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav. Shivpal considers Ramgopal as the chief architect of the transfer of power in the SP to Akhilesh Yadav during the Yadav family feud between Shivpal and his nephew Akhilesh for the control of the party. Mulayam too had blamed Ramgopal for the feud but at the December 7 rally in Firozabad, both Ramgopal and Mulayam shared the dais and Mulayam went up to the extent of raising Akshayas hand seeking support for him. Shivpal had already said that barring Mainpuri (if Mulayam contests), his party will field strong candidates on all other seats (of family members). Box: The SP has never lost in Manipuri since 1996 (eight elections). In Kannauj, it has never lost since 1998 (seven elections); In Badaun, it has been a consistent winner since 1996 (six elections); The party lost Firozabad to Congresss Raj Babbar in 2009 by-polls. First Published: Jan 04, 2019 13:27 IST | https://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/will-sp-pspl-cross-swords-in-firozabad/story-8lgQRTu2j49LhRauVBXjsL.html |
Was the decision on Vande Matram taken in haste in MP? | India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Jan 4: The Congress has won Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh with a very tenuous margin over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which was ruling the state for three terms. The role of NOTA has played an important role in the state as the victory margin on several seats was much less than the vote caste for NOTA. Actually the anger of upper caste community has played very important role in the victory of the Congress in the state but recent decisions taken by the Congress may harm the party in the Lok Sabha election which is not too far. Also Read | BJP appoints observers for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Decision of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath to discontinue with singing of Vande Mataram was an unprovoked decision. Though the state government has revisited its decision and decided that along with Vande Matram, national anthem will also be sung. Political analysts feel that this will infuriate such people who were angry with the BJP for its symbolism. They will feel that the Congress will resort to the same tactics when in power. But despite the government retracting its decision, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has decided to go ahead with his decision of Singing Vande Matram along with his 109 MLAs in Vallabh Bhai Patel Garden and march up the state Assembly. He tweeted that the Congress must understand that Vande Matram is above caste politics. This should not be impacted with the governments coming and going. Retracting on any issue shows the weakness of the government that the BJP government wants to ensure to happen. However, the government has been of the view that singing Vande Matram has become just a formality so this decision was taken. In another decision of the government buckling under pressure of Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati and announcing to withdraw cases of caste violence that had happened during the Bharat Bandh on April 2, 2018 has also not gone down well with the people. Also Read | Threat of Mayawati works as MP and Rajasthan get into action to withdraw cases against Dalits It is not only Samanya, Pichda, Alpsankhyak Kalyan Samaj Sanstha (SAPAKS) that has expressed its anger over the decision of the Madhya Pradesh government of withdrawing cases against people involved in the violence but common people are also not pleased with this decision. Sources in Madhya Pradesh said that the impact of such decision goes into the subconscious of the minds of the people. The politics has its own compulsions but such decision can be deferred for some period at least till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. | https://www.oneindia.com/india/was-the-decision-on-vande-matram-taken-in-haste-in-mp-2831833.html?utm_source=/rss/news-india-fb.xml&utm_medium=23.50.225.237&utm_campaign=client-rss |
Do parents worry too much about their childrens screen time? | Child health experts say there's little evidence that screen use is harmful for children. Picture: Getty Images YakobchukOlena Parents should worry less about the amount of screen time their child is getting, according to new guidelines. Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Experts say there is little evidence that screen use is harmful for children but that screen time in the hour before bed should be avoided. As well as a curfew, the first official guidelines on screen time from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recommended time limits on screen use for children. Research shows that using screens such as phones, tablets or computers in the hour before bed can disrupt sleep and impact childrens health and wellbeing, and paediatricians also warned that the devices should not replace sleep, exercising or spending time with family. But the college emphasised that using devices was not in itself harmful and went so far as to say that they could be a valuable tool for children to explore the world. Dr Max Davie, the colleges officer for health promotion, said: When it comes to screen time I think it is important to encourage parents to do what is right by their family. However, we know this is a grey area and parents want support and thats why we have produced this guide. We suggest that age-appropriate boundaries are established, negotiated by parent and child that everyone in the family understands. When these boundaries are not respected, consequences need to be put in place. It is also important that adults in the family reflect on their own level of screen time in order to have a positive influence on younger members. The college recommended that screens are not used for an hour before bedtime due to evidence that the devices stimulate the brain, while the blue light they produce disrupts the bodys creation of the sleep hormone melatonin. They also warned that watching screens can distract children from feeling full which, paired with advertising, can lead to higher intake of unhealthy foods. The college issued the advice as a review published by the British Medical Journal found considerable evidence of an association between obesity and depression and higher levels of screen time. However it said evidence for impacts on other health issues was largely weak or absent. The studys authors said: Given the rapid increase in screen use by children and young people internationally over the past decade, particularly for new content areas such as social media, further research is urgently needed to understand the impact of the contexts and content of screen use on children and young peoples health and well-being, particularly in relationship to mobile digital devices. | https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/childrens-screen-time-guidelines-royal-college-paediatrics-1-5839600 |
What is Fat Cat Friday and the average UK salary? | Were barely into January right now, and many of us are still skint after the excesses of Christmas and New Year. There are certain people, however, who are very flush indeed: The UKs top CEOs. Today is Fat Cat Friday, which is the day of the year that their salary exceeds the average UK annual wage. Fantastic. By 1pm today, bosses of FTSE 100 companies will have made more money than the average British person does in a year, according to a report by the High Pay Centre think tank and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The report found that these CEOs make roughly 3.9 million a year, which works out at around 1,020 per hour. This is in contrast to the average for staff across Britain which is 29,574 , and the national living wage which is 7.83 hourly. The figure for chief exec pay is up 11% since last year, compared to generally stagnating wages for a large number of workers. Advertisement Advertisement These numbers which see FTSE CEOs taking home 133 times what many people do show just how large the gap between the richest and poorest in our society has become. On top of that, only 6 of these 100 executives are women, which has highlighted the gender pay gap once again. Union bosses have waded in with criticisms, with GMB general secretary, Tim Roache, saying: Its not fair, and it makes no sense in how we value peoples contribution to society and it makes no sense for the economy I dont know any care workers who squirrel their wages away in offshore accounts, they spend it in their local areas and on paying their bills. Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, also said: Excessive pay packages awarded by remuneration committees represent a significant failure in corporate governance and perpetuate the idea of a superstar business leader when business is a collective endeavour and reward should be shared more fairly. Stakeholders of all kinds, including many shareholders, are looking for significant shifts in corporate cultures and behaviours. MORE: Worlds most useless guard dog found sleeping with drunk intruder MORE: A Premier Inn has become the first battery-powered hotel in the UK | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/04/fat-cat-friday-annual-uk-salary-8308566/ |
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