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When is Susan Boyle performing next on Americas Got Talent The Champions? | Susan Boyle wont the golden buzzer on Americas Got Talent (Picture: NBC/Metro) As Americans Got Talent: The Champions kicked off this week, Susan Boyle returned to the stage and was awarded a Golden Buzzer for her trouble. Dancing On Ice launches with 'lowest ratings in the show's history' SuBo made quite a splash in her season of Britains Got Talent, no doubt about it. Now the singer is back with a vengeance after returning to compete in Americans Got Talent: The Champions. Americas Got Talent: The Champions is a spin off from Americas Got Talent, which takes those who have gone far in AGT, BGT and other Got Talent series past, including semi-finalists, finalists and winners, and pitts them against each other. Advertisement Advertisement Since Susan earned a coveted Golden Buzzer from Mel B for her performance in episode one, that means that she gets to go straight to the semi-final without worrying about elimination in the meantime. So the next time youll see Susan perform will be the semi-final. This will air in the US on 11 February, and itll reach the UK two days later on 13 February. Following that, youll be able to find out the winner in the grand final on 18 February in the US, and 20 February in the UK. The first AGT: The Champions episode aired on Monday 7 January on NBC in America. If you want to catch the show in the UK, youll be able to watch it on Netflix. The streaming service has confirmed that the new season will drop on Wednesday 9 January. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/when-is-susan-boyle-performing-next-on-americas-got-talent-the-champions-8321124/ |
Could Mike McCarthy Be The Right Fit For The Jets? | The backdrop was quite fitting. As Christopher Johnson spoke to the media on a gray New Years Eve in a second-floor conference room at the Jets complex, the empty, barren practice fields outside were visible behind him, a stark reminder of why he was talking to reporters in the first place. Although he spoke in a low-volume voice, the determined Johnsons message was clear. The Jets' acting owner intends to find the head coach that will make sure those practice fields are buzzing with activity and anticipation in future Januarys, as opposed to being deserted until the spring. The Jets previous four head coaches, including the just-fired Todd Bowles, had no head-coaching experience before coming to the Jets. When asked what he wanted in a coach, Johnson didnt rule out candidates with no such experience, although he admitted that having been an NFL coach cant hurt. That might be why the Jets thus far have interviewed several ex-NFL coaches. It is known that they have conducted interviews with McCarthy, former Indianapolis and Detroit coach Jim Caldwell, and Adam Gase, recently fired by Miami. But what Johnson kept emphasizing the most about prospective candidates was something the Jets had long since made clear by their words and actions--developing Sam Darnold into a franchise quarterback is priority No. 1 for whoever ultimately gets the job. Were going to build with Sam, build around Sam, Johnson said, and with some great players we have on this team already. Somebody who has developed a young quarterback would be a plus, but thats not the whole story, he added. This is about finding someone who can develop a young team. We have some great, young talent on this team and its more than just developing a quarterback. But somebody whos developed a young quarterback would be a plus. Enter McCarthy, who interviewed with the Jets on Saturday. McCarthy was fired by Green Bay last month with four games left in the season and the Packers en route to a second straight year of missing the playoffs, the first time that had happened since they failed to qualify in both 2005 and 2006, McCarthys first year as coach. Two years into that tenure, the Packers pulled the plug on the Brett Favre Era by trading the quarterback to the Jets, opening the door for Aaron Rodgers to become the starter. McCarthy had pushed for the move, and Rodgers has been the teams starter ever since and one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. So, yes, one can argue that McCarthy helped develop Rodgers. The two led Green Bay to a Super Bowl win in Rodgers second year as the starter. Rodgers later won NFL MVP awards in 2011 and 2014 and the Packers reached the NFC championship game in 2016, where they lost to Atlanta in the franchises most recent playoff game. But injuries (including one that coast Rodgers nine games in 2017) and personnel moves derailed the Packer offense in the last two seasons, and there also are questions about whether McCarthys play-calling is good enough to win in todays NFL. They are still running the 1997 Brett Favre West Coast offense, NBC Sports and Bleacher Report analyst Chris Simms said recently on The Peter King Podcast, adding that Green Bays offense under McCarthy was as basic as it gets. Simms compared the bulk of the Packers offensive schemes to a first- or second-day installation in a rookie mini-camp, saying, That is really the meat and potatoes of the Green Bay offense. So, Simms said, opposing coaches in Green Bays division know that offense just as good as Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. Perhaps thats why, according to what tight end Marcedes Lewis told Yahoo! Sports, Rodgers junked one of McCarthys play calls before even getting to the line of scrimmage. "We were in the huddle," Lewis said. "I guess McCarthy called in a play, and Aaron was kind of like, Nah.' He gave a direction and a protection to the line, and went. It was a four-minute offense, he threw a 40-yard bomb for a completion. Im like, Whats really going on? Ive never seen anything like that before in my life. It will be up to Johnson and his advisors, general manager Mike Maccagnan and vice president of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger, to decide if McCarthy still has it as an NFL playcaller and thus would be a good fit to help mold the talented and coachable Darnold. The search, now in its second week, also has seen the team interview Dallas defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Kris Richard, former Texas Tech coach and current USC offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The Jets are expected to interview Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Tuesday and reportedly also are interested in Baylor coach Matt Rhule. Monken formerly was the Southern Miss head coach, so its clear that Johnson is focusing on candidates with head coaching experience at either the NFL or major-college level. Remember, it was his older brother Woody, currently the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who was largely responsible for hiring all those coordinators who hadnt been head coaches before. Maybe Woody's younger brother has a different approach in mind. Woody has been out of the day-to-day operations of the team since being appointed to that post by President Donald Trump, but Christopher said he would be consulted on the decision. But Christopher Johnson will have the final say. Johnsons focus on head coaches could be a sign that he realizes the teams culture was broken under Bowles, who almost never benched players and rarely held players accountable. McCarthy could provide that, and the type of clashes he had with Rodgers almost certainly would be less plentiful with the even-keel, still-learning Darnold. And also consider that Green Bay finished fourth in the NFL in points scored and eighth in total offense as recently as 2016 under McCarthy. Not surprisingly, McCarthy has drawn interest from other teams with coaching vacancies. Its unknown how much of a say, if any, he would want in player procurement. Well find out soon. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jppelzman/2019/01/08/could-mike-mccarthy-be-the-right-fit-for-the-jets/ |
Is PML-Ns prodigal son returning? | In an exclusive interview with SAMAAs Naeem Ashraf Butt, Zaeems wife, Uzma Qadri, hinted at the return of her husband to PML-N saying that if Shehbaz Sharif can sit with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari why cant he sit with Zaeem.Uzma revealed that at Kulsom Nawazs funeral, Nawaz Sharif took Zaeem to the family area. Nawaz even asked him to help with Kulsoom's burial, she said.She also said that Nawaz telephoned and said Shehbaz wanted to visit their home. If anyone can respect us, then its fine otherwise theres no need to visit our home, she said.PML-N got her elected as an MPA on a reserved seat. The MPA said that the assembly seat is not anyones favour to her as they have sacrificed a lot for the party. "I worked for the party with an infant in my arms," Uzma said.Talking about the difference between Shehbazs son Hamza Shahbaz and her husband, Uzma said that Hamza should have respected the older brother Zaeem.Just over a month before the 2018 elections, Zaeem Qadri parted ways with the PML-N and contested the elections as an independent candidate from NA-133.Zaeem was at loggerheads with Hamza Shahbaz over distribution of election tickets. During a press conference in June 21, he lashed out at his former party leaders and said that he will not polish Hamza Shahbazs shoes.Lahore is not your or your fathers property, the disgruntled PML-N leader said, referring to Hamza. | https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/01/is-pml-ns-prodigal-son-returning/ |
Is good regional transit planning impossible? | Image: Christof Spieler, Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of U.S. Transit, Island Press. The recent news from Vancouver is driving some to despair. A regional transit plan, agreed upon just last year, has been scuttled by TransLinks Mayors Council. They have agreed to replace a planned surface LRT line in the outlying suburb of Surrey with a SkyTrain (heavy-rail line) extension, and cancel another LRT line in Surrey altogether. Vancouver?! Im sorry to rain on the parade, but the reality is good regional planning is almost impossible, and it requires much more rigorous governance than we haveand frankly, much more honesty. Planning regional transit in Canada and the United States has some particularly awful aspects to it. The high degree of automobilization of our urban development has left us with landscapes of sprawl, riddled with large pockets of exclusively residential suburbs. This leaves people having to travel significant distances for their daily needs, especially to get to their places of employment. Such weak land-use planning is a feature of most metropolitan regions in Canada and the US, and it is hard to solve land-use problems with even the best of transit planning. In many areas, every trip seems to require a car: the short trip to the store, a visit to the doctor, a visit to a friend, the longer trip into the city centre. One of the reasons travel seems to require a car is that the landscape was built around driving, to the exclusion of other forms of mobility. But the car is an inefficient and dangerous mode of transportation in an urban environment. It drags down a citys economy. Our regional landscapes are also racialized, divided by income inequality, and unevenly served in terms of transportation options. Mobility is a question of equity and social justice. No matter how rational or efficient our choices of transit corridors and stop locations are, ignoring the social differences in our citys geographies will likely worsen inequality. Partisan political divides map on to those landscape differences. The divides between urban, suburban and rural voters are well documented. The politicization of regional planning through weak governance models, particularly in places that lack independent transit agencies, multiplies the difficulties. Regional cooperation can help, but those landscape and political differences dont go away. Vancouver is a case in point. Surreys population is almost as large as the city of Vancouvers, and right now it is throwing its weight around. This is easier to do on TransLinks Mayors Council, where one can request that a vote be weighted by each municipalitys population. Vancouver has 631,000 residents; Surrey has 518,000. Yet only one is a big city. Surreys land area is almost three times the size of Vancouvers and thus the latters population density is 5493 persons per square kilometre, while Surreys is 1637 persons per square kilometre. That big difference in density matters a great deal for transit planning. Despite its comparable population, Surrey doesnt have sufficient density for heavy rail. Moreover, transit is a key pillar of Surreys Poverty Reduction Plan, and the cancelled LRT route would have run through many more low-income areas than the SkyTrain line, which is eating up the whole budget and then some. The cooperative governance structure of the Mayors Council balances some things better than others. Another challenge with regional transit planning is that most of the time were dealing in megaprojects. These large-scale, multi-million- or multi-billion-dollar projects are the common answer to transportation problems at the regional scale. Their literal footprint is huge, particularly for rail projects. The more territory a project snakes through, the more complex it becomes: more topography, more residents, more spatial disruption, more environmental issues, etc. Megaprojects and regional planning also encourage a specific kind of thinking: we can fix everything! We can make everything run smoothly! Surely with enough roads or rails or data or the right app, no one need ever sit in traffic again! We all live in the constant wreckage of these projects and their politics. Projects run over time and over budget, and dont deliver on their promises. Decision reversals are common. Well, no. Not entirely. But we can make it better. A recent book, Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit, offers some insight. The author, Christof Spieler, is an engineer, planner and academic, who also served on the Board of Directors of Houstons transit agency for eight years. His book has a lot to teach us, and he and I also had a long chat about his book a few weeks ago. Spieler looks at dozens of transit networks in great detail, in cities across the US. These cities have different histories, different topographies and different politics. His purpose is to see how we can work within such diverse contexts to understand how decisions get made about what gets built where. And, ideally, make better decisions. He writes of how important it is to have the right conversations about transit. This means focusing on actual service delivery rather than obsessing about technology; it means considering existing and potential transit riders in all their diversity; it means situating transit in its larger pedestrian realm and making it all work. Above all, Spieler says, we need to talk about getting transit in the right places. Spieler has some broad recommendations, but I want to emphasize they are derived extraordinarily small-scale, detailed study. As he says, when you are planning transit, where something goes the bus stop, the subway station really matters. You have to get right down to the user level to do it right. Part of all transit, at any scale, has to be planned at the scale of 500-1000 metres. Sometimes a difference of a 100 metres is the difference between attracting or actively deterring riders. What this teaches us is that good regional transit planning must be rooted in strong local transit and strong pedestrian realms. Spieler points out that if someone needs a car for any one part of their day, they will use a car for their whole trip. If the local transit isnt frequent, reliable and accessible, the regional will never be effective. The station has to be in the right place. Regional lines need to connect well with local routes. That means local authority and control, too, because only local knowledge can answer the critical questions. Regional cooperation is good and we especially need to think about building a network with good connectivity. But regional cooperation has to be the product of a chorus of local voices, not governance from a birds-eye view. One of the problems Spieler specifically identifies is that we think at too large a scale. A region is not a single place. It only looks that way on a map. As Spieler says, a regional map can set the view, and long lines look impressive. But as soon as you are looking at a regional map, you can literally no longer see the details of what will make transit successful. Regions are constellations of places, and each of those places has to work well for the region as a whole to thrive. Most people within regions still live locally. Regional planning, because it necessarily employs regional maps, imagines people moving across the entire region, but thats not the norm. I sometimes wonder if this perspective isnt exacerbated by the individuals who do this planning. Many planners, politicians and business people who get involved in regional planning live highly mobile lives. They regularly travel from city to city, country to country, and imagine this kind of mobility and economy is typical and efficient. It is neither. If we plan transit for a region from the top down, it will not connect with peoples daily lives. If we rush those plans at the expense of local consultation, we will miss the detailed knowledge we need to get the locations of lines and stations right. If we think of regions as singular places, we will fail to understand the importance of nodes that make a network effective. If we dont improve and diversify land use, we will continue to get poor returns for the billions we invest in transit infrastructure. Urban regions in Canada and the United States are starting from a difficult position for developing regional transit. There is no skirting around the physical, social and political landscapes we have. The impulse is to squash these problems under the weight of the Big Perfect Regional Project. But regional planning and its megaprojects need strong local transit, walkable landscapes that support it, and local and transparent governance to succeednot just more money and technology. | http://spacing.ca/toronto/2018/12/21/is-good-regional-transit-planning-impossible/ |
Can Trump declare national emergency to build his wall? | WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is weighing using a national emergency declaration to circumvent Congress and the budget stalemate and force construction of the presidents long-promised southern border wall. "We're looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency," President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday amid stalled negotiations. He said during a press conference Friday that he would prefer to win the money he's demanding via Congress, but could "absolutely" call an emergency "and build it very quickly." Such a move would be a dramatic escalation of the current showdown, which has forced a partial government shutdown that's now in its third week. The administration has spent months trying to figure out how the president might be able to move forward with the wall the central promise of his 2016 campaign if Congress refuses to give him the money. As early as last March, Trump was publicly floating the idea of using the military for the task. "Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!" he tweeted then. But it's Congress not the president that controls the country's purse strings and must appropriate money he wants to spend. Enter the emergency declaration, an option the White House counsel's office is currently reviewing. Among the laws Trump could turn to is Section 2808 of the Title 10 U.S. Code pertaining to military construction. According to the statute, if the president declares an emergency "that requires use of the armed forces," the Defense secretary "may undertake military construction projects, and may authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to undertake military construction projects, not otherwise authorized by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces." Pentagon budget officials are analyzing the 2019 construction budget to determine how many unobligated dollars would be available to use for the wall if Trump settles on a declaration. Under the provision, only those construction budget funds that are not already obligated to other construction projects could be used for the wall. There are more than 100 such provisions giving the president access to special powers in emergencies. And Congress has typically afforded the president broad authority to determine what constitutes an emergency and what does not, said Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice. "Absolutely it's an abuse of power for the president to declare a national emergency when none exists and to use it to try to get around the democratic process," she said. "But we are in a situation where our legal system for emergency powers almost invites that kind of abuse." Such a move is sure to spark a flood of legal challenges questioning the president's authority as well as whether the situation at the border really constitutes an emergency. Trump has been trying to press that case in recent days, insisting the situation qualifies as a security and humanitarian "crisis." He'll also run into other questions. "The problem for the Trump administration is that border security is fundamentally a law enforcement issue that does not require the use of the military," said Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, via email. "So I think they would be on shaking legal ground trying to use emergency authorities this way, and it is almost certain that they would end up in court." Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it would be inappropriate for Trump to use Section 2808. "We are not at war with Mexico, and the proposed border wall has no core (Defense Department) function. Indeed, the Pentagon's most recent National Defense Strategy doesn't mention the southern border as a national defense priority," said Reed, D-R.I. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, speaking on CNN, said that even if Trump could declare an emergency, it would be a "huge mistake." "There clearly is no national emergency. But they asked me, 'Can he do it?' Yeah he can. It would be wrong, it would be horrible policy and I'm totally and completely against it. But from a legal standpoint he can do it," said Smith, D-Wash. He and others agreed that any declaration would surely be challenged in court. It's unclear. Back when Trump dispatched active-duty troops to the southern border ahead of the midterm elections in what critics panned as a politically-motivated abuse of power, he described the situation as a "national emergency," but never signed an official proclamation. But Trump is now under growing pressure to find a way to end the shutdown without appearing as though he's caved on the wall. Trump "needs to use every tool available to him as the commander-in-chief of our armed services to go and enforce our laws by putting the military on our southern border, by having them build the wall if they need to," his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski urged on Fox News. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president remains "prepared to do what it takes to protect our borders, to protect the people of this country." Were looking and exploring every option available that the president has, she said. | https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2019/01/can-trump-declare-national-emergency-to-build-his-wall.html |
How will Duke handle playing on the road (at last)? | Duke is about to play its first true road game of the 2018-19 season, at Wake Forest (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). This is a big deal for a couple of reasons. For one thing, every other team in Division I has already played at least one road game. The Blue Devils are the last program in the country to play a game on an opponent's home floor. (They have played five games on neutral courts.) This is very much Mike Krzyzewski's usual way of doing things. Not counting the occasional ACC/Big Ten Challenge pairing, Duke hasn't played a true road game before the start of ACC play since 2012. Secondly, life on the road is difficult, even for the top-ranked team in the country. History plus a close study of this season's Blue Devils afford us grounds to hazard some educated and provisional answers to such questions. Here's what we think we know as we get set to watch Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Tre Jones & Co. take this fateful step and play basketball on opponent's home floors for a change. | http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/25708890/how-duke-handle-playing-road-last |
Has Georgia's 'Hands Free' law changed driving behavior? | GEORGIA - Georgias Hands Free" law has been in effect for the last six months but some people arent convinced the crackdown has put the brakes on distracted driving. Carol Story is among those who dont believe the law has changed peoples behaviors with using their phone while driving. "I see the signs everywhere. But they still drive with their phone in their hand," Story said. Since the law went into effect July 1, state police said they have issued thousands of citations to drivers they say were caught violating the Hands Free law. The Waycross Police Department has issued 103 citations and 87 warnings between Jul. 1st and Dec. 31 for distracted driving. As of last week, the Kingsland Police Department has issued 55 citations. In Brunswick, the police department has written 35 citations. Three citations were issued in St. Marys. News4Jax has reached out to the Glynn County Police Department for its numbers. This article will be updated once theyre available. Georgia's Hands Free Law bans drivers from holding any electronic devices, like a cellphone. Drivers cannot send text messages or emails, watch video, surf the web or record video. Drivers are allowed to talk or using hands-free technology to text, use a GPS app or use an earpiece to talk on the phone. While many people appear to be heeding the warning, others say drivers still need to do better. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. | https://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia/has-the-hands-free-law-in-georgia-changed-driving-behavior |
Which are the Most Popular Male and Female Names in Bulgaria? | Since the beginning of the 21st century along with the traditional names in Bulgaria people choose more often names that are popular all over the world - Aleksandar, Martin, Viktor, Viktoria, Nikol, Sofia. From 2007 to 2015, Georgi led the list of most popular names for newborn boys in Bulgaria. In 2016 and 2017 Aleksandar became the most common boys name, although in 2018 Georgi is back on the top. Since 2007 Viktoria keeps the championship among female names as the first three names in the rank remain for the fourth year Sofia and Daria, who were on 20th and 48th place respectively 10 years ago, replaced two of the 10 most common names of girls in 2008 - Teodora and Gergana, in 2018. Compared to 2008, when Nikolay, Viktor and Kristiyan were among the top 10 male names, they now retreat to Kaloyan, Teodor and Boris, as Boris from the 20th position goes to the fourth. | https://www.novinite.com/articles/194326/Which+are+the+Most+Popular+Male+and+Female+Names+in+Bulgaria |
Was wurde aus "Hochzeit auf den ersten Blick"-Hottie Aron? | Erst kam die Hochzeit, dann die Scheidung! In der SAT.1-Kuppelshow Hochzeit auf den ersten Blick wagte Aron Schweizer das TV-Experiment und heiratete eine Frau, die er zuvor noch nie gesehen hatte. Anfangs wirkte alles super die Chemie zwischen dem 26-Jhrigen und seiner Gattin Selina schien zu stimmen. Doch sechs Wochen spter sah das anders aus: Aron verlangte die Scheidung und wurde damit vom Liebling zum Buhmann der Zuschauer. "Es war turbulent. Der Tag der Entscheidung, da konnte man schon absehen, dass man nicht so gut wegkommen wird", erzhlt er im Interview mit Bunte. Als er dann verkndete, dass er nicht mehr lnger mit Selina verheiratet sein mchte, hagelte es massive Kritik seitens des Publikums. Doch Aron gibt zu, dass er den Shitstorm, den er nach der Show erhalten habe, gut verstehen knne. "Ich verstehe die Sicht der Leute. Ich bin in der Sendung kalt rbergekommen, das war aber auch teilweise Absicht [] Ich habe bewusst die Stellung des Buhmanns eingenommen. Ich dachte mir, ich ertrag es am besten, wenn ich mich abschirme", so der Ex-Teilnehmer. Aron ist mittlerweile nicht nur ein geschiedener Mann, er ist auch leidenschaftlicher Musiker. Bse Zungen behaupteten nach seinem Liebes-Aus, er habe nur an dem Format teilgenommen, um bekannter zu werden diesen Vorwurf bestreitet Aron jedoch entschieden. Einfach E-Mail an: [email protected] | https://www.promiflash.de/news/2019/01/08/was-wurde-aus-hochzeit-auf-den-ersten-blick-hottie-aron.html |
Should Duane Holmes start for Derby County against Leeds United? | Get Weekday Derby County 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 Derby County return to Sky Bet Championship action this week when they travel to face Leeds United. The Rams take on the league leaders at Elland Road on Friday night in their first match after their FA Cup exploits. Frank Lampards men drew 2-2 with Premier League side Southampton at Pride Park on Saturday, and will take on League One outfit Accrington Stanley in the fourth round should they beat the Saints in the replay. For now, the attention is firmly on the league, and Derby have a chance to strengthen their sixth-place position when they take on Marcelo Bielsas side. Leeds are currently two points clear of Norwich City at the top of the Championship table, and they themselves have ambitions of automatic promotion to the Premier League this season. Derby will be looking for revenge when they face Leeds, after they lost the reverse fixture 4-1 back in August in what was Lampards first competitive fixture in charge of the Rams at Pride Park. Ahead of Friday nights showdown under the Elland Road lights, we want to know what team you think Lampard should pick. Use our custom-designed widget to select your Derby team, and let us know what line-up you pick by tweeting us @dcfc_live or joining the conversation on Facebook. You can also leave us a comment below. | https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/should-duane-holmes-start-derby-2404391 |
When is repair work to Spondon Post Office going to start? | The video will start in 8 Cancel Get Daily 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 Work to repair the destroyed Spondon Post Office will begin by the end of this month. Postmaster Sandeep Sarda confirmed that, despite delays over the Christmas period, work will begin soon. However, he was unable to confirm a re-opening date at this time. The Post Office in Spondon was subject to a powerful explosion that destroyed it in October last year. Thieves targeted the building to try and access its cash machine. At the time, Mr Sarda let three of his employees go so that they could find other employment. (Image: Derby Telegraph) In a post to their Facebook page, Spondon ward councillors said: Following residents concerns raised regarding whats happening with the post office Councillor Roulstone invited Sandeep to join Tea Tuesdays at the Vernon Arms to give residents an update. In the interim they have considered a number of alternatives including old Derbyshire, rooms within the village hall and portable cabin however due to security issues none have been deemed feasible. However he has requested the post office mobile unit be considered but he has not heard anything at this stage. We spoke to residents at the Vernon Arms to gage the appetite to consider a shuttle bus to a near post office once a week, but the numbers needed to make this viable were not interested. However, if you know anyone who would consider using such a service please inbox us as if we do get the numbers we would like to support this option or any others you may have. Related stories: | https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/repair-work-spondon-post-office-2406741 |
Will I Always Face The Threat Of A Peanut-Laden Kiss Of Death? | This story can be republished for free ( details ). This story also ran on The Washington Post Whenever I see a report touting possible new peanut allergy treatments, I devour it. I cant help it. Its an occupational hazard for any health journalist whose reporting specialty and medical history intertwine. I write about the business of health care, focusing on how consumers interact with the system what we pay, what we get and why American care costs so much. But in this particular instance, I have another kind of authority: 26 years of life-threatening allergies to nuts and peanuts. Aimmune is just one company eyeing the prize. Childhood peanut allergy diagnoses increased more than 20 percent in the United States from 2010 to 2017. The global market for relief is worth as much as $2 billion. The French drugmaker DBV Technologies is also working to commercialize a peanut allergy patch. Other companies, including industry giant Sanofi, are following their lead. If any one of them succeeds, it could change my life. My friends call nuts Shefali poison. My allergies first surfaced when, as a 15-month-old, I picked Thai noodles off an aunts plate and developed hives on my face, and then a few months later when I tasted my moms kaju barfi an Indian dessert with cashews and ended up in the hospital. Nobody in my family had ever heard of peanut allergies. Ive carried epinephrine since I was 7 years old. My friends are trained to inject it in my leg, the standard procedure for an emergency allergen exposure. though I luckily havent had to take a shot of it since I was 4. (Another child in my Montessori class had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.) My mom also recalls another incident when she had to pick me up early from day care because the class was making peanut butter bird feeders. And I spent too many years of pre-adolescence eating lunch at the designated peanut-free table. Now, I can only dream of flying to visit my parents for Christmas without worrying about whether my seatmates snacks might induce anaphylaxis. And yes, kissing someone who has just eaten peanut butter would put my life in danger. I approached the question as I would any other assignment. I read the research, called immunologists, and spoke with economists and drug pricing experts about whether these treatments offer meaningful benefit. One of the first things I heard: We are still in the infancy of these treatments, said Dr. Corinne Keet, a pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins University. Medically, theres a lot we dont know about the risks, how much these drugs could help and how long any effects would last. None of these treatments have been shown to prevent fatal reaction, Keet emphasized. The idea behind them is to desensitize people. Aimmunes peanut pill is modeled on the oral therapies some specialists use to wean allergic kids back on to nuts. This approach has gained popularity in recent years, especially for children with multiple allergies, or when its a substance particularly hard to avoid. A colleagues young daughter, who was born with multiple allergies, used that very treatment, as did a younger cousin of mine who, for the first several years of her life, was allergic to not joking almost everything but fruits and vegetables. In my case, this therapy came into vogue after I was too old to have a good chance of it weakening my sensitivities. How it works: Kids ingest tiny, escalating doses of peanut protein. They then stay on peanut protein Aimmune recommends the pill, though other doctors I spoke to suggested a little bit of peanut as a maintenance drug. But its unclear how much the new therapies would improve upon that ad hoc oral immunotherapy allergists are already offering. Instead of drugs, they use store-bought peanut protein, usually de-fatted peanut flour available online for as little as $1 a pound. This method isnt approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and often isnt covered by insurance though doctors visits can be billed as food challenges or other visits that are typically covered. Email Sign-Up Subscribe to KHNs free Morning Briefing. In contrast, Aimmunes product is expected to cost between $5,000 and $10,000 for the first six months of use, and $300 to $400 per month after. Analysts predict DBVs will cost more than $6,000 for a years supply, though the company says it has not yet determined a price. DBV, Aimmunes chief rival, has come up with a wearable skin patch that would transmit tiny, desensitizing protein doses. It declined to estimate a price, but it does not view oral immunotherapy as a competitor, said Joseph Becker, a company spokesman. Theres excitement, theres caution and a lot of unanswered questions, warned Dr. Erwin Gelfand, a pediatrics and immunology professor at the University of Colorado. According to Aimmunes results, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, two-thirds of allergic children could ingest 600 milligrams of peanut without harm after going through treatment. To be clear, even with Aimmunes help, someone like me still couldnt safely eat PB&J. But it would desensitize me enough that I could taste a friends wine even if he recently ate pad thai. Still, the treatment comes with caveats. While 496 children started the trial, only 372 completed it. Of the 20 percent who backed out, half did so because of adverse events. About 14 percent of kids getting treatment still had to take epinephrine, and one experienced anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that can involve rashes, vomiting, a tightening throat and difficulty breathing. (For an allergic kid, even the possibility is maybe one of the most terrifying things you can imagine.) Children who completed the regimen still had to take small doses of peanut protein daily, either the Aimmune drug or a controlled peanut serving. Statistically significant benefits were clear only in patients through age 17, though Dr. Daniel Adelman, the companys chief medical officer, said Aimmune plans to do a follow-up trial for adults. And the results dont indicate who is likely to benefit, or how long improvements would last. Thats impossible to know, Adelman said, though he suggested accidental peanut exposure is scary enough and pure avoidance ineffective enough that the treatment is still worth it. But all this means that anyone who has gone through Aimmunes regimen would still want to carry epinephrine, and try to avoid peanuts. Not everybody responds well, Gelfand said. When you factor in those details, the results are not all that impressive, he argued. Dr. Tina Sindher, a pediatric allergist at Stanford University, pointed out that the Aimmune pill is a repackaged, clinically tested version of that homegrown oral therapy many allergists have already been using. DBVs peanut patch, Viaskin, to a lesser extent, is the same more convenient, perhaps, and more regulated, but still a variation on the existing medical approach. This concept has been around for a long time, she said. Whats new is the addition of labor, standardization and federal oversight which companies then say demonstrates increased value. It highlights a pattern Ive noticed from my reporting: Drugmakers develop medication that refines a low-tech remedy, run a clinical trial to secure FDA approval, and then sell it at a higher price. For pharma, its a logical way to profit. But it puts patients in a bind. The hard outcome is we have these new products and theyre just about as good or slightly better than what we have, said Nicholson Price, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School, who studies drug pricing. The closest authority I know: my mother, who raised me with peanut allergies when they were more or less unheard of, and is now doing it all over again for my 10-year-old brother. (My other brother, my twin, was allergy-free until about a year ago.) Its not worth it, my mom told me. Getting any of us to maintain a peanut dose without knowing how long that reduced sensitivity would last could induce what she called a false sense of security. This thinking isnt out of line, Sindher suggested. The way these studies are touted, she said, often gloss over the fact that theres a lot we dont know. So for now, Ill have to maintain my distance from the newsroom stash of Reeses Pieces. My epinephrine and I arent parting ways anytime soon. This story can be republished for free ( details ). This story also ran on The Washington Post KHNs coverage of childrens health care issues is supported in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation. | https://khn.org/news/will-i-always-face-the-threat-of-a-peanut-laden-kiss-of-death/ |
Are podcasts helping to solve crimes? | Image copyright SUPPLIED Image caption Lynette Dawson, a mother of two, was last seen in 1982 On paper it was an old story, told many times over the years. In the early 1980s, Sydney housewife and mother-of-two Lynette Dawson suddenly disappeared. Over the next 30 years, police searched fruitlessly for her. But now, exactly 37 years after her husband Chris Dawson said he last saw her, investigators may finally be closer to finding out the truth. Last month, police finally made an arrest in the case: Lynette's husband. He has always denied any involvement. It is hard to say exactly what prompted this latest development, but more than a few people have pointed towards a podcast released in May 2018. The Australian's series The Teacher's Pet - which reinvestigated the case in huge detail and uncovered new witnesses and evidence - caught the attention of millions of people around the globe. As yet, it is unclear exactly what role, if any, the podcast played. After all, police had been conducting their own reinvestigation for the past three years. 'We're not law enforcement' It is not the first time it's been suggested that a wildly-successful podcast has had an impact on the justice system. Years before The Teacher's Pet became a must-hear, Serial was essential listening. It focused on the conviction of Adnan Syed, who was jailed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee back in 2000, and ended with a retrial being ordered. In 2018, it was the turn of another US podcast, In the Dark, to raise questions about a murder conviction. The show's second season told the story of Curtis Flowers, a black Mississippi man tried six times for the same crime by the same white prosecutor. That a man could be tried six times for the same crime seems shocking in itself, but more shocking still were the allegations of racial bias, and shifting witness statements - which kept listeners hooked. Image copyright In The Dark Image caption Curtis Flowers has been in prison since 1997 The US Supreme Court is now due to hear Flowers' sixth appeal. If that fails, his lawyers will take the case back to the Mississippi Supreme Court - this time aided by the podcast's discoveries. However, In the Dark's Madeleine Baran says she and her team were not - and had never been - "trying to solve the crime". "We are not law enforcement," she stresses. It may be for just that reason that podcasts do manage to turn up evidence - or pull apart what were once believed to be cast-iron truths - missed by officials. "We have an advantage in that we're not the prosecutor and we are not the defence," Baran says. "That is really important - you need to be calm with factors going either way." You also, of course, need to tell a good story - good enough to capture the attention of everyone from truck drivers to joggers. Last hope There was no suggestion Police Scotland had done anything wrong in its investigation into the murder of Alistair Wilson, the father-of-two shot dead on his doorstep in the sleepy seaside town of Nairn 13 years ago. But the fact it remained unsolved so many years later caught the attention of BBC journalist Fiona Walker, the reporter behind last year's hit podcast The Doorstep Murder. "I think everybody wants the crime to be solved, but after 13 years people had lost faith in the official process," she explained. "They felt our investigations unit was a way of taking another serious look at it." Image copyright PA Image caption The mystery of why Alistair Wilson, pictured with his wife Veronica, was killed remains unsolved Baran recognises this loss of trust in the authorities: she certainly saw it in Mississippi. "The people talking to us had been really treated poorly by the whole process," she said. "They did not want to talk. They were not easy to get to talk." In fact, Baran and her team would spend a year living in the town, building trust, returning over and over to speak to people, teasing out their recollections. For Walker, a tip-off from a source who did not trust the police was the opening she needed to get started on her own investigation. Read more: "The source had this breadth of information and he needed to off-load it," she said. "He had knowledge, a social conscience. But at the same time, he was genuinely scared for his life." This access to people who might otherwise not speak to officials connected with the case can give these podcasts an edge. "People have felt they can come forward to me who are not coming forward to the police," Walker acknowledges. "It is easier to approach me. I've invited them to approach me." But both journalists point to other factors as well: time, and a determination to leave no stone unturned. Image copyright Ben Depp for APM Reports Image caption Curtis Flowers' parents Archie and Lola spoke at length to the Baran and her team For Walker, that meant having patience during "months and months" of little to no movement as she waited for people to decide to talk. For Baran, it meant re-treading old ground, pushing every contact, and - at one point - digging through piles of prison booking-in cards in an abandoned plastic factory on the off-chance it might contain the one piece of information she was missing. It was only later, looking at photos, they discovered they had hit the jackpot. "We realised one of these cards was this name that we have been trying to find for a year - among all these mouse droppings." Of course, there are pitfalls too: the potential for a so-called "trial by media", as thousands of armchair detectives try to work out exactly whodunit, is not insignificant. Turning the tide And yet, even the police have cottoned onto the medium as a way solve crimes. In California, Newport Police Department's Jennifer Manzella hit on the idea as a way to help them track down Peter Chadwick - a millionaire property developer they allege killed his wife back in 2012. He skipped bail in January 2015. Mr Chadwick presented Newport PD with a relatively unique problem, in that his wealth meant "he has the resources to be anywhere in the world", Manzella explained. Image copyright Newport Police Department Image caption Peter Chadwick (left) allegedly killed his wife Quee Choo in 2014, before fleeing on bail So getting the story out far and wide was imperative - and there was only one medium Manzella could think of with the power to do just that: a podcast. And it worked. The afternoon Newport PD unveiled Countdown to Capture, there were "dozens" of tips. More followed, and continue to drip in even now, months later. "We could never have anticipated the amount of interest. They came forward in their droves," Manzella says. "We have gone years without getting any tips. We had done national television appeals and got no tips, or maybe one." It has given everyone hope - not least the his wife's family. "He is living in somebody's community somewhere," Manzella told the BBC. "We just need people to tell us." Her words are almost echoed by Det Supt Gary Cunningham, the man leading the investigation into Alistair Wilson's death back in Scotland: "Someone out there knows why Alistair Wilson was killed and who was involved in his murder." Neither Newport PD nor the BBC's podcasts have helped solve the case - yet. There is still the chance they may prove key. "The podcast is not fleeting: it is continuing to reach new people and at any point there might be that one person with the information to solve it," Walker points out. But that also means any further developments will also be scrutinised closely by millions who now feel they have a stake in the story - and there is nothing like the expectation of millions to focus the mind. | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46453084 |
Where does Kentucky football rank in final top 25 polls? | CLOSE UK coach Mark Stoops and Penn State coach James Franklin talk about the importance of getting their 10th wins of the season. Jon Hale, Louisville Courier Journal Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops is doused with Gatorade after defeating the against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2019 Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo: Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports) LEXINGTON, Ky. Kentucky football's historic season has been recognized with one of the best finishes in the final top 25 polls in program history. The Wildcats checked in at No. 12 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll released Tuesday morning following Clemson's national championship win. The ranking marks Kentucky's fourth-highest finish ever in the final AP poll, behind 1977 (6th), 1950 (7th) and 1949 (11th). It marked just the ninth time Kentucky has ever been ranked in the final AP poll. The 1949 and 1950 final AP polls were released after the regular season but before the bowl games. Kentucky upset No. 1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl after the 1950 regular season and claims a national championship for that season thanks to a computer ranking released by Jeff Sagarin in 1990. Kentucky's 1977 squad was ineligible for a bowl game due to NCAA probation. At 10-3, Kentucky is the fourth-highest ranked three-loss team in the final poll, with LSU (10-3) checking in at No. 6 and Georgia (11-3) and Florida (10-3) tying at No. 7. The Wildcats' Citrus Bowl win over Penn State leaped UK ahead of the Nittany Lions, Michigan, Washington and West Virginia from the final regular-season poll. More headlines: Allen, Snell key special end to magical UK football season Kentucky finishes the season with a 2-2 record against the AP top 25, with wins against Florida and Penn State and losses to Georgia and No. 16 Texas A&M. Despite the lofty ranking in the final AP poll, Kentucky was not included in the early 2019 top 25 rankings released by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Athlon or Yahoo Sports. UK must replace 16 contributing seniors, including National Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen and star running back Benny Snell, who is forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Kentucky in the final AP poll 1949 (9-3)* -- 11th 1950 (11-1)* -- 7th 1951 (8-4)* -- 15th 1952 (5-4-2)* -- 20th 1953 (7-2-1)* -- 16th 1976 (9-3) -- 18th 1977 (11-1) -- 6th 1984 (9-3) -- 19th 2018 (10-3) -- 12th * -- Final poll was released after the regular season but before the bowl games Jon Hale: [email protected]; Twitter: @JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jonh. | https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2019/01/08/kentucky-football-where-wildcats-rank-final-top-25-poll/2418024002/ |
Why is there such so much backlash against the Bears for picking Mitchell Trubisky? | WGN Bears Insider Adam Hoge joins Justin to break down the Bears performance at the 2017 NFL Draft. Adam clears up some of the false narratives surrounding the Bears moving up one spot in the draft to snag Mitchell Trubisky, Trubiskys skill set that should make him a good NFL quarterback, the national and local backlash that the team is getting about picking Trubisky and what we should expect from the Bears other picks including second rounder Adam Shaheen. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through Friday from 7 pm. to 11 pm on @WGNRadio | https://wgnradio.com/2017/05/02/why-is-there-such-so-much-backlash-against-the-bears-for-picking-mitchell-trubisky/ |
Why are kids turning their backs on sports? | This story is part of Amy Bell's column Parental Guidance that airs on CBC Radio One's The Early Edition. A study conducted by charitable foundation True Sport shows 70 per cent of Canadian youth athletes are leaving team sports by the time they enter high school and a lot of them are leaving sports for good. They're not enjoying the sport anymore. With a focus on early specialization where a child plays one sport exclusively for more than nine months out of the year it's easy to see where a lot of kids are burning out physically and emotionally. Athletics have been a part of Emily Cordonier Carroll's life. She grew up in Vancouver playing a variety of sports before focusing on volleyball for her post secondary career. Five years playing for UBC led to five years playing for Canada's national volleyball team. She now coaches and commentates on the game while raising a young family. She says sports and being active in general should be an integral part of childhood, but that focusing too much time, money and energy on any one sport from an early age can backfire. Emily Cordonier Carroll grew up playing a variety of sports before focusing on volleyball. (Emily Cordon) Cordonier Carroll recommends parents step back from the sidelines and let their kids play and try new sports without the pressure to go pro. "Let's make sure that they're happy, that they're healthy, that they're not hitting burnout, so that they hate it, because you're pushing them so much." You can't make someone a champion - Chris Lutes, golf coach New Westminster golf coach Chris Lutes echoes the sentiment of letting kids relax and "play the field" when it comes to sports. "Wayne Gretzky did not play hockey all year long," said Lutes. "You can't make someone a champion ... you have to make sure you don't screw them up." Stella Smith is a typical East Vancouver kid, but, at 12 years old, she's been in soccer nine years and also runs track and plays volleyball and basketball. Not necessarily, but she does know that being part of a team is important to her body and her mind and, most importantly, makes her happy. "Being with your team and having those moments after a really good game ... just the feeling of being in a community. I love that." said Smith. A subsidized ride to a great school and maybe even a career in the majors is a great fantasy, and with skyrocketing tuitions and super-sized sports contracts, you can see the appeal. But the chances of your little one turning into the next big thing are slim to none. With those odds, lets make sure we keep our focus on endorphins rather than endorsements. | https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sports-athletics-kids-giving-up-1.4968723?cmp=rss |
Will we finally see next-gen metal in the iPhone 6S? | A Liquidmetal phone has almost become the stuff of legend, so often rumoured yet so far never coming to pass. But there's a sign that it could still be on the cards and it may even form the basis of the iPhone 6S. Apple has had a relationship with Liquidmetal for years now but done little with it, yet in a surprise move MacRumors has spotted that the Cupertino company has renewed its exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal. So far when it comes to consumer products all Apple has actually used Liquidmetal for is a SIM ejector tool for the iPhone 3G, so it seems odd that the company would extend its agreement if it didn't have some new plans for the technology. Avoiding another bendgate Given the bendgate issues Apple faced last year it's bound to be more focussed on durability than ever and if Liquidmetal is one thing it's durable. Actually, it's more than that: it's also lightweight, malleable and corrosion resistant. There are already rumours that Apple is using Series 7000 aluminium to strengthen the iPhone 6S, but given this news it's possible that it could use Liquidmetal instead. Even if we don't get a full Liquidmetal iPhone though there must be some reason for Apple's continued interest in it. In the past we've seen patents for 3D printed Liquidmetal parts and for wraparound displays using a powder Liquidmetal process, so those are always possibilities. Then again maybe it's nothing to do with the iPhone. Maybe instead Apple will be using Liquidmetal for the next generation Apple Watch. Hopefully we'll find out soon and Apple won't just sit on the tech for years again. | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/will-we-finally-see-next-gen-metal-in-the-iphone-6s-1297703 |
Did The North Face Just Make the Most Breathable Waterproof Fabric Ever? | The North Face might be a clothing brand, but calling it just that would be doing a disservice to one of the company's most important contributions: fabric innovation. You see, outdoor gear prioritizes function: If you're climbing Mount Everest, no one really cares if your jacket looks coolthey care that you don't freeze to death. And functional gear can always improve with more research, technology, and product options. The North Face is about to up the bar with Futurelight, a fabric that is both waterproof and breathable. The brand announced the new innovation and is demonstrating its efficacy at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Clint Helander LEARN MORE thenorthface.com If you've ever worn something completely waterproofnot just water-resistantyou'll know that while it works, it also tends to get hot. Very hot. That's because it's hard to make something both waterproof and breathable. Think about it: If you're keeping water out, you're also keeping water (read: sweat) in. That's why you'll see things like "water-resistant" or "water-repellent" instead; with these, there's still a little room to breathe. Futurelight is, in The North Face's terms, going to change all of that. Courtesy While we haven't tested the fabric yet ourselves, it certainly sounds promising: It uses a "nanospinning" process, which creates nano-sized holes in the fabric. This allows for air to flow through without sacrificing the waterproof exterior. That could make your standard hiking, skiing, or rain jacket a lot more comfortable to wear. Right now, the expectation from a waterproof product is something loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable," says Scott Mellin, Global General Manager of Mountain Sports at The North Face. "With Futurelight, we can theoretically use the technology to make anything breathable, waterproof and for the first time, comfortable. Imagine a waterproof T-shirt, sweater or even denim that you actually want to wear. Today we start with jackets, tents and gloves, but the possibilities could be endless. Courtesy The North Face will start selling products using the fabric in the fall, just in time to gear up for rain and snow. Pricing on the products isn't available yet. But either way, we're marking our calendars. | https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a25780984/the-north-face-futurelight-waterproof-breathable-jacket/ |
When is Ramadan 2019 and why is it on different dates each year? | Get daily 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 Muslims across the world will again observe the holy month of Ramadan in 2019. Ramadan is a period of fasting observed by Muslim adults - that means abstaining from food and drink, and, water, from sunrise to sunset. The annual event is meant to help those observing it focus on prayer, purification and charitable acts. Muslims believe that the physical ritual allows them to understand the suffering of others as well as increasing their closeness to God. A celebration and feast, known as Eid ul-Fitr, marks the breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan. The date for Ramadan can change each year though so here is everything you need to know. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm). The month also marks the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to their belief. Observance of it is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It lasts 29-30 days based on the lunar calendar. (Image: AP) The Quran says: The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful. This year Ramadan is expected to start on Sunday 5 May. In many countries, official confirmation comes from Saudi Arabias Supreme Court. It will continue for 30 days until Tuesday 4 June. This means that the first day of the next month, Shawwal, is expected to begin on Thursday 5 June. The first day of Shawwal also marks the date of Eid al-Fitr, the festival celebrating breaking the fast. The Islamic calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, but the Gregorian calendar largely used in the western world is based on the sun. Because the two calendars dont align exactly, the Islamic dates move back by 11 days a year. It comes from the Arabic word ramia or ar-rama which means scorching heat or dryness. It normally falls in a hot time of year. Muslims must wake up before sunrise in order to pray, eat and drink to fuel their bodies ahead of the day. After sundown, also known as iftar, most Muslims break their fast with a traditional family meal which often starts with dates. Fasting is done out of the love for Allah (God) and shows devotion, willpower, discipline, patience, selflessness, adaptability, unity, and closeness to the supreme being. During Ramadan, fasting is compulsory for every Muslim who is mentally and physically fit and healthy. But not everyone can take part. There are some exceptions, including the severely mentally ill, those who are sick or elderly, and people who are away from home on a journey of 50 miles or more. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or having their period are not expected to fast. Children who haven't yet reached puberty, usually around 14, are also exempt - but are encouraged to gradually start giving up some food and drink during Ramdan so they are better prepared when they reach the age of full fasting. And while they are exempt from fasting, elderly or frail people are still expected to offer a meal (or its value) to one needy or poor Muslim every day of Ramadan. For those who are too ill to fast during Ramadan must make up for every day of missed fasting at a later date. | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/when-is-ramadan-2019-uk-14654295 |
Could Stocks Still Be Early in the Bull Market? | Depending on who you ask, stocks may or may not have have entered a bear market in late 2018. On an intraday basis, the S&P 500 , represented by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA: SPY ), did drop 20% off its recent highs in December. But, on a closing price basis, the index narrowly avoided a 20% drop, and has rebounded strongly ever since. Regardless, concerns about a bear market have been swirling around financial markets for several months now. Against that backdrop, it was interesting to see a Barrons article over the weekend which essentially said that stocks despite being in the midst of the longest bull market ever are on their worst 20-year stretch in terms of compounded returns since the Great Depression. Because of such, the article proposed that stocks could actually be in store for a big boom over the next 20 years. Yes and no. On the yes side, valuations are low, the economy is healthy, earnings growth is strong and the outlook for the bull market to persist in 2019 and 2020 is favorable. On the no side, trailing compounded returns in every other window beside the 20-year window imply that we are due for a correction soon. Thus, the broad takeaway here is that the bull market still has runway over the next few quarters and years. But, the prospects of this bull market lasting another five-plus years lack visibility and are historically unsupported. As such, investors have every reason to be bullish in 2019, but should exercise caution and carefully monitor the fundamentals thereafter. What The Data Says About a Bull Market Click to Enlarge As the Barrons article correctly points out, stocks are on a bad 20-year stretch in terms of compounded returns. This is true even on an inflation adjusted basis. Over the past twenty years, inflation-adjusted compounded annual returns for the S&P 500 measure out to 1.5%. Since 1890, the average mark is 2.1%. Moreover, as the chart illustrates, trailing 20 year compounded returns run in cycles, and we are currently in a trough in that cycle. But, this analysis misses one critical point. Twenty years ago, stocks were entering the peak of the Dot Com Bubble. Thus, the comparison year is artificially inflated by one of the biggest valuation bubbles in the history of the stock market. Naturally, that will dilute trailing-20-year returns. Indeed, if we look at trailing compounded returns through any other time period, the outlook is less bullish. On a trailing-10-year basis, inflation-adjusted compounded annual returns are just below 10% and at a peak. On a trailing-15-year basis, that mark is above 3% and also near a peak. Same is true on a trailing-25-year basis. Click to Enlarge Thus, if you look at essentially any other time frame beyond the trailing-20-year horizon, theres no reason to believe that the next x years will be better than the past x years. Instead, the conclusion is that the next x years will likely be worse than the past x years. How It Lines Up With Fundamentals The aforementioned trailing compounded annual return analysis lines up with the fundamentals underlying financial markets at the current moment. Heading into 2019, the outlook for the bull market to live on is quite favorable. Valuations are as low as theyve been in several years, and are essentially pricing in a sizable economic slowdown. But earnings havent come off their all-time highs, nor are they projected to fall in the foreseeable future. The U.S. economy continues to add hundreds of thousands of jobs per month and sport a near-record-low unemployment rate. Consumer and business confidence remain very high. The rate hike headwind is backing off. Progress is being made on the trade war front. All together, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about stocks in 2019. Stocks sold off in preparation of a recession. That recession isnt coming anytime soon. As such, stocks should rebound. Eventually, though, some black swan will emerge to kill this bull market. History says this black swan will come sooner rather than later. As such, after 2019, the outlook for stocks lacks visibility. Bottom Line Investors have every reason to bullish on stocks in 2019, but the idea that this bull market will live on forever is a pipe dream. Eventually, this bull market will be killed like all bull markets, and history says that will happen sooner rather than later. As of this writing, Luke Lango did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. | https://investorplace.com/2019/01/could-stocks-still-be-early-in-the-bull-market/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestorPlace+%28InvestorPlace%29 |
Are India brilliant? Are Australia shit? | Cheteshwar Pujara (via BT Sport) Looking back on a 2-1 home series defeat to India, Australia captain Tim Paine said that his team couldnt quite get through the big moments. Paine was a little vague about what those big moments were. We can exclusively reveal that 1,251 of them were deliveries bowled to Cheteshwar Pujara that didnt result in his dismissal. But while Pujara was a very big part of Indias success, wearing Australias four-man attack down to a little nub over the course of the series (he bought team-mates further down the order a lot of runs), its also true that India simply had more depth albeit so do most puddles. Here are some points to dwell on. Indias batsmen made five hundreds. Australias batsmen hit five sixes. Only three Australia batsmen averaged over 30. Marnus Labuschagne topped the table of home batsmen with 38 runs per dismissal. Marnus Labuschagne made 38 runs in the series. The other two semi-competent Aussie batsmen were Marcus Harris and Travis Head who were playing despite averaging 35 and 36 in first-class cricket. Fox Sports commentator Kerry OKeeffe recently made light of Mayank Agarwals first-class performances, suggesting that, he got his triple-century against Jalandhar Railways Canteen Staff. Agarwal made two fifties in three innings this series. We eagerly await an Australia tour match against Jalandhar Railways Canteen Staff to see what Harris and Head can do. Pat Cummins was the only Australia bowler to average under 30. While the worst average Mitchell Starcs 34 isnt too horrifying, its striking that only four Australia bowlers took a wicket. Hell of a workload for those guys. In contrast, India shared their bowling labour out rather better. Much has been made of the effectiveness of their pace bowlers and its true they took the bulk of the wickets but three of the six India bowlers to average under 30 were spinners and all of them took at least five wickets in a match. Well, they have the best overseas attack theyve ever had, while the presence of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja means theyre as strong as ever at home. Maybe the batting is a bit, but that kind of thing tends to be much more apparent when you come up against a very strong opponent in a decently-long Test series. | https://www.kingcricket.co.uk/are-india-brilliant-are-australia-shit/2019/01/08/ |
What's the point of a carbon tax rebate? | DUBLIN, Ireland -- The Irish government is proposing rebates to a carbon tax it recently imposed to households that comply with what it considers "low-carbon lifestyles." The rebate, according to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, might be in the form of a check, an increase in welfare benefits or a tax credit for people who live the way the government thinks they should. Some believe that if implemented, the rebate could reduce tensions seen in many parts of Europe, but especially in France, where the "yellow vest" movement that began as a protest against President Emmanuel Macron's big tax increase on gasoline, since rescinded, made a gallon of petrol among the most expensive in Europe with the tax accounting for more than half the cost. I'm doubtful. People don't like their governments forcing them to accept a lesser lifestyle because of an ideology some believe has yet to be definitively proved, while the elites continue to live as they like. So strong is the faith of the climate change cult that McDonald's, the world's largest purchaser of beef, is considering "meat alternatives" because of alleged environmental damage from traditional farming methods, according to a story in the Financial Times. In the United States, Chuck Todd, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," resembled the media in totalitarian countries when he announced that henceforth he would not give air time to climate change deniers. Todd says that's because climate change is "settled science." The many legitimate scientists with knowledge and experience in climate who disagree are to be isolated in an ideological gulag for not toeing the party line. Roy Spencer is a meteorologist, a research scientist for the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the U.S. Science Team Leader for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) on NASA's Aqua satellite. Writing for the Global Warming Policy Forum, a London-based think tank, Spencer says "2018 marked the second straight year when global temperatures declined and that last year was the sixth warmest year globally since El Nino peaked in February, 2016." Plastics may soon eclipse climate change as the latest "crisis" only government can solve. Here, as well as in other parts of Europe and the U.S., there's a war on plastic straws. Starbucks plans to stop using plastic straws in all its restaurants, the proposed ban going into effect by 2020. They'll still use plastic lids, though, because the lids, supposedly, are widely recyclable. This illustrates the stupidity behind many of these tree huggers. It's all about feeling good and "making a difference," not about truth. Forty House Democrats and at least three prominent Senate Democrats are backing a "Green New Deal" touted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-NY), a freshman member of Congress. It would, reports The Washington Examiner, "eliminate virtually all fossil fuels from the electric grid and force everyone in the country to buy from power companies selling only renewable energy." In a recent appearance on Fox News Channel, Marc Morano, the creator of climatedepot.org, said of the New Green Deal: "We're going to treat now carbon dioxide a trace essential gas -- humans inhale oxygen and we exhale CO2 -- as somehow akin to the Nazi party and World War II initiative, which is what they are claiming. The Democrats and climate activists want a mobilization like World War II." As the Irish Times writes, recent projections by Ireland's Economic and Social Justice Institute found that the carbon tax would have to increase substantially -- from 100 euros per person annually to 1,500 euros if the country is to meet legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Let's see how that will go down with the Irish, who have only recently begun to emerge from a long economic recession. Readers may email Cal Thomas at [email protected]. | http://www.hdnews.net/news/20190108/whats-point-of-carbon-tax-rebate |
Which of Pennsylvania's federal lawmakers won't accept paychecks for the shutdown? | A growing number of Pennsylvanias congressional delegation say they will not accept pay for the days when the federal government has been partially shut down. Among them is Republican U.S. Brian Fitzpatrick, who cut a check to the U.S. Treasury after last Januarys much shorter shutdown. Fitzpatrick said during a rally Tuesday morning in Philadelphia organized by a federal workers union that some members of Congress are rejecting their pay so that we can feel the pain that unpaid government employees are experiencing. Having lived through a shutdown in 2013 as an FBI agent, I can tell you it harms national security, Fitzpatrick said, adding that three entities in charge of border security are currently unfunded. This is no way, no place to debate these issues. At least three other Philadelphia-area members of Congress arent accepting pay for the shutdown period, according to WHYY-FM. They include Democratic Reps. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia, Mary Gay Scanlon of Delaware County, and Chrissy Houlahan of Chester County. Republican Reps. Scott Perry of York and John Joyce of Blair County also say they will forego their paychecks, according to PennLive. Joyces spokesman told The Morning Call that the freshman lawmaker will donate his pay for the shutdown period to three organizations: the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial, the Gettysburg Foundation, and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. A spokeswoman for Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, did not immediately respond to a message about whether the congresswoman will forego her pay. The partial shutdown does not affect the legislative branchs finances because its funding already was approved in a separate spending bill. Fitzpatrick previously introduced a bill to prevent members of Congress from being paid if theres a government shutdown. Following last years three-day January shutdown, Fitzpatrick still received his pay. So he wrote the Treasury a check for $1,450. The annual salary for rank-and-file congressional lawmakers is $174,000. Thats $476.71 for each day of the year, or $1,430.14 for three days. [email protected] Twitter @LauraOlson 202-780-9540 | https://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/capitol-ideas/mc-nws-pa-congress-shutdown-paycheck-20190108-story.html |
How hard is it to sell luxury property in Dubai? | For the past six months Cummings says he has been communicating with a client in France through Google Translate about a Dh24-million penthouse on the Palm. Now he wants me to physically walk through it as I air it live for him to see every bit of the property, he says. Cummings is also in touch with a client from Germany since February last year about purchasing a Dubai property valued between Dh50 million and Dh80 million. [The client] is finally due to arrive in Dubai for the first time this month. Patience is the key as it can really take a while for things to get going. | https://gulfnews.com/business/property/how-hard-is-it-to-sell-luxury-property-in-dubai-1.61315962 |
How does Saints' home playoff record with Payton and Brees compare with rest of the league? | Before last season, Mark Ingram could only tell most teammates what it was like to have a home playoff game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He was one of five New Orleans Saints to have experienced one. This season, they all know. Thats like we got 13 people on the field, said running back Alvin Kamara, whose rookie 2017 season included a wild-card win against the Panthers inside the Dome. The Dome is that much of an advantage with the noise and the energy and the atmosphere that comes from just playing at home. I think we got a little bit of confidence when we play at home. The Saints came into the 2018 season wanting to replicate that feeling as much as possible. Doing so meant earning the No. 1 conference seed and home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs. They earned it by winning 13 of the first 15 games before resting Drew Brees and other key players in the Week 17 finale. To be home is what every team desires when it reaches the postseason. Of the 10 teams to play in the last five Super Bowls, nine of them entered the playoffs with the No. 1 conference seed. Clearly, being home for the post season matters. Its significant, Saints coach Sean Payton said. For the Saints, it has been an ingredient for postseason success. With Payton as coach and Drew Brees at quarterback, the Saints are 5-0 in home playoff games. The franchise streak extends to six games when including the 2000 victory against the St. Louis Rams. On the road since 2006, the Saints are 1-5 in the postseason. Thats the poorest record of any team to have played at least four road postseason games during that span. Being at home also was part of what helped the Saints to the only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. That season marked the only other time the Saints held a No. 1 conference seed. That year, the Saints won a divisional game against the Cardinals and then beat the Vikings in overtime to win the NFC championship. The other two home playoff wins with Payton and Brees came in 2006 and 2011. After those wins, the Saints lost on the road, just as they did in stunning fashion last season against the Vikings in the divisional round. Knowing that youre going to have a chance to defend your own field in your environment, its been a big plus for us, Payton said. If you went all the way back even to 2006, our record at home has been significant. Since 2006, only three teams have more home playoff wins than the Saints, with the Patriots at 14-3, the Seahawks at 8-0 and the Colts at 6-2. In the NFC, only the Seahawks and Packers have hosted more playoff games than the Saints. The Packers are 4-3 in those games. During that span, home teams in the divisional round are 31-17 and the No. 1 seeds in that round are 15-9. In the NFC, the top seeds are 7-5 in the divisional round, with the Cowboys accounting for two of those loses and the Falcons, Packers and Giants accounting for one each. The Saints certainly want to avoid being added to that list. In all playoff games since 2006, the home teams have won nearly two-thirds of the time. After Thanksgiving, the Saints played a string of three consecutive road games with underwhelming offensive showings. Once back in the Dome against the Steelers, those offensive marks improved with 329 passing yards in a 31-28 victory. One big difference for the Saints at home and away this season is in the passing game. The Saints at home gain more than two yards per pass attempt at home and have twice as many passing touchdowns (22) as on the road (11). Next, the Saints will face an Eagles team they defeated 48-7 in Week 11. Although those Eagles have since turned around their season by winning six of the last seven games, including last weeks 16-15 victory against the Bears, the Saints should feel an edge being at home. I thought we got pretty loud (against the Steelers) and I know well be louder in the postseason, Payton said. Its what you work for at the beginning of the season. | https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/how-does-saints-playoff-record-with-payton-and-brees-compare-with-rest-of-the-league.html |
What Price PC? | More than just the price you pay, consider technology's total cost of ownership. October 1, 1997 8 min read This story appears in the October 1997 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe The price tag on that brand-new Pentium II PC looks pretty tempting. In fact, you decide, you can fit the expense into your business's budget rather easily. More than just the equipment's original cost, TCO looks at the big picture, taking into consideration information technology (IT) costs incurred throughout the life of your business. These costs include everything from technical support to training--even administrative expenses for procuring technology. Analyzing your equipment's TCO has become increasingly important because the additional costs you incur throughout the equipment's lifetime, especially when it comes to PCs, can add up to much more than the cash you laid out upfront. Where The Money Goes In the majority of cases, PCs make up the lion's share of a company's IT expenses. Years ago, when equipment was more centralized in the MIS department, it was easier to track and control these costs. But as computers migrated to the desktop, costs have decentralized, making it more difficult to get a handle on a business's TCO. Surprisingly, capital costs for your business's hardware and software make up a fairly modest portion of your investment over time, says Bill Kirwin, vice president and research director for the Gartner Group, an IT research firm in Stamford, Connecticut. While it's always a good idea to negotiate the best deal you can with retailers and resellers, this isn't where the bulk of your IT costs come from. And even though businesses could be taking advantage of the savings from today's falling computer prices, many are choosing to spend more money in this area, buying bigger and faster PCs to stay on the cutting edge. Technical support costs make up a substantial portion of TCO. According to the Gartner Group, the annual cost for software training, technical support and repair on a Windows 95 PC adds up to about $1,300 per user. Then there are administrative costs, which include purchasing technology, the labor costs of managing IT assets and developing policies for equipment usage. But it's user operations that eat up the largest amount of your IT budget by far. What's even trickier is that these costs are difficult to quantify. They're those things that all employees do while sitting in front of a PC that sap their time, indirectly costing you money in lost productivity. These activities include time spent on PC management tasks, such as installing software, creating and moving files, and learning new technology. A big chunk of TCO comes from time wasted when the office's unofficial techie stands over an employee's shoulder offering PC advice. Plus, there's always the "futz factor," in which employees spend time on nonbusiness-related tasks, such as creating screen savers, sending personal e-mail and checking their horoscopes on the Web. Beyond hardware and software, there's a number of additional costs associated with computer and high-tech equipment, which add to your TCO. These include expenses for printer ink and paper, software upgrades, fax transmission costs--even the electricity it takes to run PCs and keep your office cool, since they generate a fair amount of heat. Trimming The Fat While all these expenses may seem staggering, take heart. Many vendors are placing added emphasis on TCO and the ways their technologies can reduce it. Lexmark International, for instance, has printer management software that remotely identifies problems like low toner, which they claim can save companies an average of $734 per printer annually. Features like the Registry in Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system hope to reduce administrative costs by offering easy, centralized access to hardware and software configuration files. There are also new, inexpensive devices such as Net PCs aimed at shrinking your capital and system management costs, just as network computers do. (See September "Business Bytes.") There are several other strategies you can implement to put a dent in your TCO. Since most technical support budgets are seriously underfunded, this is often a good place to start. First, look into system management tools that help your tech support staff do their jobs more efficiently, says Kirwin. These might include inventory configuration management software to easily gather detailed information about networked PCs or electronic software distribution products that allow you to install software over the entire network rather than on each individual PC. Remote system management tools can also drive down your tech support costs, allowing internal staff to diagnose PC problems from a central location or outside vendors to dial into a PC (with your permission), assess its condition and then fix the problem from afar. You should also find ways to get the most use out of your tech support staff. Because most small businesses can't afford more than one, or even just one, full-time tech support person, consider hiring part-time help. In many small organizations that lack in-house staff, outsourcing certain technical support functions, such as remote tape backup or custom software development, may also make sense. Take a closer look at your costs for procuring technology, as well. One way to decrease them is through electronic commerce. Technology vendors can lower your costs for procurement by setting up a system to handle purchasing and inventory management electronically. The downside is that this strategy locks you into using the same vendors. Keep in mind, however, that it's not very cost-efficient to always be calling around for the best price; the best strategy may be to choose one vendor and work with them to find ways to reduce your administrative costs. When it comes to cutting costs, one of your first instincts may be to hold on to your PCs as long as you can, thinking the less money you spend on new technology, the better. In the long run, warn experts, keeping a PC too long actually raises your costs. Having several generations of hardware, software and operating systems increases the complexity of your PC environment, thus increasing your costs. Not only do you have to maintain technical expertise in older technologies, but you also have to find ways for older equipment to work with the new technologies and develop all your custom applications to support multiple environments. According to the Gartner Group, upgrading from a Windows 3.x or DOS environment to a Windows 95, Windows NT or OS/2 operating system can reduce your annual costs by about $1,000. Current operating systems have improved memory management features, and their user interfaces are easier to learn, thus reducing employee training time and tech support. The majority of new PCs are also Desktop Management Interface (DMI)-compliant. The DMI is a standard for remote management of desktop computers and server hardware. DMI-compliant machines communicate their requirements with a DMI management application, making it easier to diagnose and avoid problems. In the near future, don't be surprised if your machine senses its hard drive is going to fail in 48 hours and notifies a systems operator, who can switch out the failing drive before it blows. Technologies like these that forecast problems before they occur can save you money in both repairs and employee downtime. Standardization is also key. Strive to make all hardware, applications and operating systems uniform in your business. Also, develop standard procedures for buying and retiring technology. Finally, look at ways to improve employees' technology use. Although it's costly, make sure all personnel receive some type of formal computer training, whether through classroom or computer-based instruction. Because the majority of tech support is usually supplied by co-workers--leading to frequent misdiagnoses of problems and, ultimately, wasted time--you should provide the power users in your office with the training, tools and technology they need to assist other employees. Make sure your "tech support staff" has access to help-desk information. Consider cutting back a few of their responsibilities to make their tech support role an official part of their job descriptions. Because studies show that employees waste one hour a week on personal tasks on their computers (most likely a conservative estimate), be sure to establish policies for the appropriate use of computer equipment, software and the Internet. On The Flip Side With all the recent emphasis on TCO, some believe the real value new technologies bring to businesses is being left behind. When considering a new technology, your first concern shouldn't be cost savings but what the equipment can bring to your business, says John MacGilvary, chief analyst with Datapro Information Services Group, an information technology research and analysis firm in Delran, New Jersey. Buy new technology because it enables you to do something you couldn't do before or because it gives your business added flexibility or a competitive edge. In fact, the best solutions may not be the cheapest. Consider the case of the notebook computer. True, they're much more expensive to implement than desktop computers. But the high initial costs often pale in comparison to the benefits companies receive: added flexibility and increased productivity. Once you've purchased the right technology, you can truly begin to find effective ways to trim your TCO. What it all boils down to is looking beyond the typical information systems areas to find the waste. Then, chances are the opportunities to cut TCO will land right in your lap. Contact Sources Datapro, (800) 328-2776, http://www.datapro.com Gartner Group, 56 Top Gallant Rd., Stamford, CT 06904, (203) 964-0096 Lexmark International Inc., 740 New Circle Rd. N.W., Lexington, KY 40550, http://www.lexmark.com | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/14674 |
Will Magellan Midstream Partners Bounce Back in 2019? | Like many stocks, Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP) slumped in 2018. Overall, the midstream MLP's unit price declined 19.6% last year, though the company's high-yielding dividend did help cushion that blow a little bit by trimming the total return to a negative 14.9%. Driving that decline was a sell-off in the stock and oil markets amid fears of a slowing global economy. While last year was a tough one due to market volatility, 2019 could be a much better one for investors. Here's why Magellan Midstream Partners could bounce back sharply this year. A dollar bill folded into an arrow that goes down and back up higher More Image source: Getty Images. If it weren't for the steep decline in its unit price, last year would have been considered an excellent one for Magellan Midstream Partners. That's because while volatility in the stock and oil markets weighed on Magellan's valuation, it didn't have any impact on the company's financial results. Quite the contrary -- the company was on pace to generate $1.12 billion in distributable cash flow (DCF), up 9.7% from 2018 and ahead of its initial guidance of $1.05 billion. What makes that outperformance even more impressive is that Magellan achieved it while selling a stake in the BridgeTex Pipeline, which gave it funds to reinvest into its growing backlog of growth projects. That money will come in handy because Magellan added several new projects to its pipeline last year. One of those is a $500 million project to increase the capacity of its Texas refined petroleum products pipeline system from 100,000 barrels per day (BPD) up to 175,000 BPD, which should be in service and generating cash flow by mid-2020. In addition to that, the company is partnering with several energy companies to build a new long-haul oil pipeline out of the Permian Basin that should also start up by the middle of next year. With those projects, Magellan had about $2.5 billion of expansions under way at the end of last year. Meanwhile, the company's rising cash flow and visible growth from expansion projects enabled it to increase its high-yielding distribution to investors by 8% last year. That increase, when combined with Magellan's lower unit price following last year's sell-off, pushed its current yield up to an attractive 6.5%. What to expect from Magellan in 2019 Magellan Midstream Partners anticipates that it will continue growing because it's on track to complete several expansion projects this year, which, along with those finished in 2018, should provide a further boost to cash flow in 2019. One of the biggest is a joint venture with Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) to construct a new marine terminal in Pasadena, Texas, which should start operations this month. Valero and Magellan are investing about $820 million into the two-phase project, with the second phase scheduled to be in service by next January. In addition to that, Valero and Magellan are spending $425 million to build a new refined products pipeline in Texas, which should start up by mid-year. Finally, the company has a smaller $60 million storage and export dock expansion in Texas that should start up in late 2019. Because long-term, fee-based contracts underpin these expansions -- and more than 85% of the company's earnings overall -- they'll provide Magellan Midstream with a steady stream of cash flow when they come online over time. That leads the company to believe it can increase its distribution by another 5% to 8% this year even as it maintains a conservative coverage ratio of about 1.2 times cash flow. Meanwhile, it estimates that it has enough fuel in the tank to also increase its payout by that same rate in 2020. Adding further support to that view is that Magellan has one of the strongest balance sheets among MLPs, which gives it the financial flexibility to fund expansions even if market conditions continue deteriorating. | https://news.yahoo.com/magellan-midstream-partners-bounce-back-154800857.html |
Where will the deluge of dairy bull calves go this spring? | With calving season just around the corner, concerns are mounting that calf rings in marts will soon swell with dairy bull calves. However, as significant levels of uncertainty continue to linger over the profitability of beef enterprises, some farmers have suggested alternative options for the incoming dairy calves. Spokesperson for the Beef Plan Movement, Eamon Corley, explained to AgriLand what he believes are viable alternatives for dairy bull calves. The establishment of a grass-fed veal industry in Ireland; The introduction of a 14-day-old slaughter option for the lowest quality calves; The easing of export regulations for calves. The Beef Plan Movements view is that there are three possible solutions: Irish veal units For the better quality Holstein Friesian calves, the establishment of veal-type units similar to the ones in Holland would be an option, said Corley. He also suggested that a special brand of grass-fed veal is developed. This should be attractive because one of the big hangups about veal units in Holland is that the animals are inside and dont get to see daylight. The aim would be that the calf spends the first three months of its life getting milk replacer and ad-lib meal. After that, it would go out on grass and continue to get meal but also have access to a supply of fresh green grass. This would be an appealing product to customers and would be a unique marketing opportunity, explained Corley. He added that work on marketing needs to be done. Slaughter option Corley explained: Lower quality jersey-bred calves that really dont have a market value going forward could be slaughtered in a licenced abattoir. The meat produced can be used to produce dishes such as kebabs. It would be more humane than putting them down at birth and they would be out of the system so they wouldnt cause an issue later on. The spokesperson for the Beef Plan Movement added that he believes there is no export market for these types of calves. Advertisement However, Corley outlined that this system could be met with some issues also. Currently, if a calf was slaughtered in the factory, the same department levy would apply to it as an older beast. We suggest that this could be brought down to the level of a sheep which would be 0.80/head as opposed to 5.00/head. Ease export regulations The third option Corley suggested was to ease the regulations that are currently in place with regards to exporting cattle, calves and weanlings. We are suggesting the introduction of an export refund or an export subsidy. Holstien calves could then be exported to the veal units thats in Holland. He drew attention to an extra problem that is in place when exporting calves this year. Boats must now take a reduced number of calves. This is because once they arrive in France, the calves have to be loaded into lairages that dont have an adequate capacity to hold the number that could potentially be exported. | https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/where-will-the-deluge-of-dairy-bull-calves-go-this-spring/ |
Are the people of Norwich dining out less? | Armin Hess, Jenny Dark and Jane Crowland. Photo: Fiona McNally Archant Although Norwich has an abundance of great restaurants, the general consensus among the people of Norwich seems to be that people of all ages are eating out less and less due to high prices in restaurants. Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Bridget Gardner. Photo: Fiona McNally Bridget Gardner. Photo: Fiona McNally In light of the news that Jamies Italian will soon be closing, I conducted some research and found that eating out is clearly viewed as a special occasion and is often a rare occurrence for the people of Norwich - surely raising prices will only worsen the situation. Heres a sample of Norwichs eating habits when it comes to eating out. Name: Bridget Gardner From: Norwich Occupation: Retired Eats out: Twice a month Jenny Dark. Photo: Fiona McNally Jenny Dark. Photo: Fiona McNally Bridget sometimes eats in pubs around Norfolk after long walks along the coast and enjoys eating at The Bicycle Shop and Pulse as she is a vegetarian. Name: Jenny Dark From: Norwich Occupation: Nurse Eats out: Once a week Jenny enjoys eating in restaurants such as Wetherspoons and Turtle Bay and regularly eats out in Norwich. Bridget Gardner. Photo: Fiona McNally Bridget Gardner. Photo: Fiona McNally Name: Godfrey Brown From: Norwich Occupation: Retired Eats out: Twice a year Godfrey rarely eats out in Norwich and has no preferences to where he goes when he occasionally does choose to eat in a restaurant. Name: Tia Roberts Armin Hess. Photo: Fiona McNally Armin Hess. Photo: Fiona McNally From: Norwich Occupation: Student Eats out: Once a week Tia eats out rather regularly in cheaper restaurants such as Wetherspoon and would like to eat in different restaurants but finds herself limited by a student budget and high restaurant prices. All three girls were disappointed to discover that Jamies Italian will be closing in February as they are all big fans. Name: Armin Hess Tia Roberts (pictured middle). Photo: Fiona McNally Tia Roberts (pictured middle). Photo: Fiona McNally From: Norwich Occupation: Retired Eats out: Once a week Since retiring, Armin has found it easier to go out to eat as he has more time to do so. He enjoys eating in Jarrold restaurants and cafs and also likes going to Middletons which he finds is a bit hit and miss. Name: Jane Crowland From: Norwich Jane Crowland. Photo: Fiona McNally Jane Crowland. Photo: Fiona McNally Occupation: Retired Eats out: On special occasions When eating out on special occasions, Jane enjoys eating Italian and French food but rarely eats out since having retired due to the high prices in restaurants. | https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norwich-dining-out-restaurant-vox-pop-1-5844385 |
Is an annuity a great idea? Or a tax time bomb? | Q.: A friend of mine bought an annuity and raves about how much tax-free income he is getting and that it is guaranteed for life. Another friend of mine says annuities are a tax time bomb. Lester in Omaha A.: Well, Lester I think the time bomb friend is more correct. Based on the description, I think they are talking about two entirely different types of annuities. It sounds like your income friend has an immediate annuity. He is NOT getting tax-free interest income. He is getting a monthly annuity payment of which a portion is not taxed. It is not taxed because it is considered a return of his investment principal. He traded a lump sum for a lifetime of steady checks. Those checks can stop before he gets all his money back. For example, an online illustrator indicates a 65-year-old male that buys an immediate annuity for $100,000 can get a monthly payment of $565 until his death. Versions that would make any payments beyond his death payout less. So $565 a month equates to 6.78% a year of his investment but he is not getting anywhere near 6.78% in interest or earnings. He doesnt net any investment return until he gets back $100,000 in payments which will take until he reaches age 79 and nine months. If he dies before this time, his internal rate of return (IRR) will be negative. By law, the insurer must be conservative with the funds so the actual interest is going to be quite modest. The amount of each payment that is nontaxable is based on an exclusion ratio (see IRS Publication 939). The exclusion ratio table expects a 20-year lifespan for our hypothetical 65 year-old and spreads the return of principal over that period. The result is that the IRS consider $417 of the $565 as tax-free return of principal and only $148 as interest taxed as ordinary income. Once he has received 20 years of payments (age 85), he has received back all of his initial investment and all of his payments are fully taxable for the remainder of his life. Immediate annuities can be a very helpful part of ones retirement plan because nothing else is guaranteed to payout regardless of how long one lives. That guarantee has a lot of value for many people but from a purely rate of return perspective, these arrangements only pay off well if the annuitant has above-average longevity. The longer one lives, the better. If our 65-year-old lives to age 90, the IRR is about 4.6%, a strong result given no market risk. Your time bomb friend may be talking about the point where the payments become fully taxable but he is more likely describing a deferred annuity rather than an immediate annuity. With a deferred annuity, you put in your cash and you are not taxed on earnings until you take money out. It is like an IRA in that respect but there are no contribution limits or Required Minimum Distributions. The time bomb comes over time as the contract continues to accrue earnings. Taxes are only deferred not avoided. Put $100,000 in one of these and have it grow to $200,000. The first $40,000 out comes from the earnings and is taxable as ordinary income, not at the lower capital-gains rates. If you never need any of the $200,000, when your heirs inherit it, the earnings come out and are taxed at their ordinary income rates. Contrast that to an investment in a traditional taxable account worth $200,000 with a basis of $100,000. Sell for $40,000 in proceeds. $20,000 is your gain ($100,000/$200,000 = . Half of $40,000 is $20,000). Regardless of income level, capital gain rates are lower than the rates on ordinary income. That $20,000 gain is taxed at anywhere from 0 to 23.8% and the other $20,000 is not taxed at all. If the $200,000 in the taxable account is left to your heirs, it gets a step up in basis. When the inheritors sell, they will compare their proceeds to $200,000, not $100,000 so any gain should be minimal. Thus your time bomb friend may be lamenting that while you are avoiding some current taxation, an annuity can create a large future tax bill for you or someone else. If you have a question for Dan, please email him with MarketWatch Q&A on the subject line. Dan Moisands comments are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for personalized advice. Consult your adviser about what is best for you. Some questions are edited for brevity. | https://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-an-annuity-a-great-idea-or-a-tax-time-bomb-2019-01-08?siteid=rss&rss=1 |
Will It Work? | Find out how to turn your business dream into reality. January 1, 1998 4 min read This story appears in the January 1998 issue of . Subscribe Nancy Drescher has been a dentist, a teacher, an entrepreneur and a small-business advocate. She was also a business broker who helped people buy and sell small businesses. Now Drescher is in the process of starting her own multimedia company, which produces CD-ROMs, videos and a Web site that provides interactive skills training. Help in Selecting Your New Venture (Oasis Press, $18.95, 800-228-2275), a book designed to help others make their own decisions. We asked her to explain how someone can tell whether a business idea is just a dream or a viable venture. Nancy Drescher: It should be something you really want to do. Make sure you're not just following the advice of a friend or being influenced by something you read. Those are all good sources for ideas, but you really need to decide if this is something you want to do. Your business has to be something you feel you can commit to and pursue with passion. Drescher: The very first thing is to make sure your service or product has a market; you have to have customers who want what you provide. If your customers don't value it a the price you need to charge, they're not going to buy it from you. In addition, you should look at the business's profit potential and overhead costs. Also identify your competitors. Almost all businesses have competition, even when they're unique, never-been-done-before businesses. If you're going to go up against a very large, well-capitalized company, you need to redefine your idea and find a unique niche you can call your own. Talk to competitors' customers and suppliers. From the customers, you'll find out how satisfied they are with their current product or service and what can be done to improve it. Suppliers can be a really good source of information as well. They know who's really doing well in the field. You can find plenty of suppliers at trade shows, or you can read trade magazines for your particular field. Drescher: Talk to your potential customers. You need to know who these people are in order to orient your business toward serving their needs. Drescher: There are really so many. That's one thing that's really fantastic at this point in time. I think Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are the absolute best community resources. They're usually associated with local colleges. They often utilize small-business owners within the community, so the people who are mentoring you are already in business. The SBDCs can usually refer you to other small-business organizations in your community. I also think the Small Business Administration (SBA) is a good resource, as well as the SBA's Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Places such as chambers of commerce are good, too, and some communities have business incubators that help fledgling businesses get on their feet. (See "Way To Grow") Often, just going to similar businesses outside your local community for advice is a good idea if you're not going to be competing with them. Contact Source Nancy Drescher, P.O. Box 779, Mesa, AZ 85211, [email protected] | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/14938 |
Why does Cyntoia Brown have to wait until August to leave prison? | Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslams decision to grant clemency on Monday to Cyntoia Brown garnered national attention. Brown, now 30, was convicted for fatally shooting a man in 2004. The man, 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allen, had hired 16-year-old Brown for sex. Brown testified she killed Allen out of fear he was going to shoot her. Although the clemency was met with joy by her supporters, many are wondering why Brown has to wait until August to leave prison. Tennessee governor grants clemency to Cyntoia Brown, woman serving life sentence for murder Aug. 7 will mark 15 years since the day Brown killed Allen. Her attorneys said 15 years is the typical sentence for second-degree murder, the Tennesseean reported. According to Charles Bone, Browns lawyer, Haslam wanted Brown to fulfill a full 15 years of her sentence. Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16, Haslam said in a statement. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. Transformation should be accompanied by hope. So, I am commuting Ms. Browns sentence, subject to certain conditions. A Care2 petition has begun asking Haslam and incoming Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to release Brown now. So far, the petition has more than 7,000 signatures toward its goal of 10,000. I was supposed to get out when I was 67 years old.' " "Thank you, Governor Haslam, for your act of mercy in giving me a second chance. I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me," Cyntoia Brown said in a statement Monday. https://t.co/MdwkG4ex1J Tennessean (@Tennessean) January 7, 2019 Here's why people are talking about Cyntoia Brown 13 years after she was sentenced to life in prison for murder Browns case gained renewed attention in 2011 when a PBS documentary titled "Me Facing Life: Cyntoias Story" premiered. It detailed how she was forced to be a teen prostitute, and the day of the fatal shooting of Allen, who Brown thought was reaching for a gun. A re-airing of the documentary likely sparked a social media movement to free Brown, with celebrities joining the movement and sharing the story. Nashville lawmakers urge clemency for Cyntoia Brown, trafficking victim imprisoned for murder Earlier this month, the Nashville City Council appealed to Haslam to grant Brown clemency, saying her conviction gave seemingly little consideration to the horrors of her childhood and the repeated sexual abuse she endured. Haslam agreed during the final days of being in office. 2019 Cox Media Group. | https://www.wsbtv.com/living/why-does-cyntoia-brown-have-to-wait-until-august-to-leave-prison/901071127 |
Does a leaked injury report point to Apple's augmented reality glasses? | Take the following with a hearty heap of salt, but a newly leaked incident report may further confirm Apple has an augmented reality device in the works. The report, issued on April 14 by an Environment Health and Safety contractor working on behalf of Apple, was accidentally sent to a few hundred employees before making its way to Gizmodo. It describes in limited detail more than 70 incidents in which Apple employees had some kind of safety-related issue at work. These include an employee running into a door, someone burning his hand when taking fish out of an oven (likely at an on-campus cafe), a woman feeling lightheaded and employees encountering hazardous materials. In what sounds like a fairly routine report are a pair of incidents that potentially point to an Apple AR product in testing: two people experienced eye injuries when using prototypes. One person required "medical treatment beyond first aid" after she experienced eye discomfort while using a "prototype unit". "After BT4 user study, user advised study lead, that she experienced discomfort in her eye and said she was able to see the laser flash at several points during the study," the report reads. "Study lead referred her to optometrist and secured prototype unit for analysis." "See the laser flash" is a phrase that leads us to think the tester was looking through something when she developed an eye issue, though that's our speculation. In another incident, an employee "reported eye pain after working with new prototype, thought it may be associated with use." The prototype in question was potentially tampered with, the report notes. Gizmodo spoke to a source at Apple who mused the second incident may involve an AR device Apple is possibly testing, though this person didn't offer any hard evidence. The publication notes the device is "something like glasses with an overhead display." Of course, without knowing what kind of prototypes the employees were using, we can't know for certain it had anything to do with augmented reality, let alone are devices worn like eyeglasses or a visor that goes on the face. It's even possible the prototypes are versions of the iPhone 8 , which is rumored to have augmented reality features when it launches later this year. Months of reports have indicated Apple is working on some kind of augmented reality product, and CEO Tim Cook has spoken on numerous occasions about his preference for AR over virtual reality . He has hinted, however, that the iPhone could be in for augmented reality features first. The leaked report provides some back up to the cacophony of rumors that Apple is developing an AR device, but it's likely we won't see what the tech giant has made for at least a few more months. Apple's next major event is the WWDC 2017 developer conference in June, followed by the expected iPhone 8 launch event in September. If Apple is ready to release its AR device this year, it will likely unveil the product at one of these two gatherings. Let's just hope those eye injury problems are remedied before that happens. | https://www.techradar.com/sg/news/does-a-leaked-report-point-to-apples-augmented-reality-glasses |
What Makes Yoo Ah In A Star To Take Note Of? | When Yoo Ah In appeared on the New York Times Best Actors of 2018 list, some of the papers readers may have wondered who he was or why the South Korean actor was listed alongside familiar celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Glenn Close. His inclusion on that list is due to his performance in the film Burning, which is nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards and likely to introduce the actor to an even wider American audience. That performance managed not only to impress New York Times film critics, but landed Yoo in eighth place in Esquire Magazines 13 Great Movie Performances of 2018 and has already contributed to his film earning best foreign language honors at the LA Film Critics and Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. Burning is based on a Haruki Murakami short story, Barn Burning, and directed by award-winning screenwriter and director Lee Chang Dong. Yoo plays Jong Soo, a poor loner who wants to be a writer rather than work his fathers farm. He is seduced by Hae Mi, a girl who claims to know him, played by Jeon Hong Seo. She eventually introduces him to Ben, a mysterious young man, whose wealth gives him the kind of power Jong Soo can never hope to achieve. Jong Soo is fascinated by Ben, played by Steven Yeun, but then ultimately, without concrete evidence, concludes hes a killer. There is some arson in Burning but what really burns white hot is Jong Soos frustration and jealousy, hidden deftly beneath a seemingly passive exterior. Yoo lets viewers see Jong Soo as awkward, adrift, powerless, with only whispered hints of the resentment and fury that eventually emboldens him. The actor is well known in Korea for his film and drama work. Only 27, he recently received his third nomination for Koreas annual Blue Dragon Film Awards, thanks to his appearance in Burning. He won Best Actor in 2015 for playing the doomed Crown Prince Sado in the historical tragedy Sado, also known as The Throne. Hes also the first actor to have two movies, Veteran and The Throne, make the Blue Dragon Film Awards' final nominations in one year. The cop caper Veteran, one of the highest grossing films in Korean cinema history, gave Yoo his first chance to play a hardcore villain. His character, Jo Tae Oh, is an entitled heir rampaging through life with no compunctions. Unlike Jong Soo, his position allows his rage to explode without consequences. Cartoonishly cruel, Jo is hardly a person to emulate, and yet Yoo played him with so much charisma that the character attracted his own fans. Yoo is also known for playing the doomed Crown Prince Sado (1735 to 1762) in The Throne, based on the true story of a crown prince that history has judged insane and dangerous, but who may have been maligned by a palace conspiracy. Ultimately the princes own father ordered him sealed in a box until he died. Yoo won praise for capturing the terror of a kind-hearted prince driven to the edge of insanity. Fifteen years have passed since the actor first appeared in a television drama, Sharp 1. In the interim hes had roles in more than a dozen films but also a dozen multi-episode television dramas, most recently the nostalgic Chicago Typewriter. He earned praise for his role in the 2014 melodrama Secret Love Affair. His character was a poor piano prodigy in love with his married teacher and the world of music she symbolized. From awkward loner to cartoon villain, to prince and prodigy, Yoos roles have been unusually diverse for so young an actor. While Burning waits for its chance at the 91st Academy Awards, Yoo can already be seen playing a very different role in a new film, Sovereign Default, also known as Default. In the financial thriller, which also stars Kim Hye Soo, he plays a financier during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, just before South Korea agreed to a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund. Betting on the crisis, while his country hovers on the brink of bankruptcy, Yoos financier character is a driven and complicated predator. The film premiered on Nov. 28 and within 24 hours hit first place in Koreas advance booking sites. In Default, Yoos character talks about moments that change your life forever. Taking the role in Burning, which introduced him to a wider American audience, may prove to be one of those moments. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/01/08/what-makes-yoo-ah-in-a-star-to-take-note-of/ |
Can Housing Make Small Sexy? | In so many major markets across the country, leaders have their heads down, penciling solutions to the lack of affordable housing. They are changing zoning regulations and removing other hurdles that are making it difficult for developers to feasibly provide adequate, affordable housing for growing demand. Not only are regulators getting creative, so are designers. New home product is popping up, like accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that because of new legislation can now be plugged into backyards, and tiny homes. We want what we want and the inconvenience of small living just doesnt fit into the world of Amazon Prime and Starbucks on every corner. This cultural resistance to new, smaller product has been proven in numbers. In June 2018, home buying research site Trulia published survey results of 2,000 adults that showed that 44% of homeowners have some regrets about their current residence. The survey showed the top regret (at 42%) as not choosing the correct home size, including one-third of homeowners who wished they'd bought a larger home. Even 16% of wealthier households with upwards of $100,000 in incomes still regretted not getting more space. Buying a home is a big deal to most Americans, usually the biggest purchase they ever make, so it makes sense that there are some mixed emotions. The human psyche, the part of being American that is so American, is the independence to ask for anything and everything, regardless of the cost. We have created this socioeconomic model that now were trying to untangle. And, now, advertising in all its new forms and formats is fueling that further, using psychological techniques that we are completely unaware of, and making us yearn for more and more. In some cases, maybe it will take the insights of more in-touch global brands. Leading consumer brands like Facebook and Google have joined groups like CASA, the Committee to House the Bay Area organized by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, that is looking at new policies and designs to improve affordable housing locally. Leslie Zane, founder and president at Triggers Growth Strategy posted to Quora, an online question and answer center, that consumer behavior needs to be changed subconsciously where instinctive, automatic decisions are made. She suggests that brands need to build a positive impression that reaches them on a subconscious level. Quoras article goes on to say its about a positive emotional connection. Many states are in the midst of changing building codes and adopting to a tiny home future. California has legislative tiny home enthusiasts and buyers in line. Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and, surprisingly, Texas, also are becoming supporters. In an infographic by CustomMade, only 8% would definitely choose to live in a tiny home, while 46% of all those surveyed said they definitely would not. However, data from Hanley Wood shows that plans with less than 1,000 square feet saw a 16% increase from 2017 to 2018, where most of the sales occurred in California, Texas and Washington, showing this 600-square-foot plan as the most popular. We are programmed to want more. Psychologists would argue for a variety of reasons, some of them being evolutionary, to being ego-driven, or simply because we can think and we can imagine possibilities. Another article in The Oregonian, where tiny homes are gaining popularity, lists 77 reasons why they are a bad idea, moving from the space economics to the return on investment, even saying they dont cost less. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercastenson/2019/01/08/can-housing-make-small-sexy/ |
What TV shows did Ant McPartlin work on in 2018 to qualify for NTA nomination? | Ant and Dec have won many, many, many National Television Awards over the years (Picture: Rex) Theres been a mixed reaction to the news that Ant McPartlin has been nominated for two National Television Awards, despite taking the majority of the year off. Kit Harington says Game Of Thrones final season was 'designed to break us' Ant regularly hosts Britains Got Talent, Saturday Night Takeaway and Im A CelebrityGet Me Out Of Here! with his TV sidekick Declan Donnelly. However, midway through the 2018 series of Saturday Night Takeaway, which aired from February to April, he was arrested for drink-driving and causing a car crash. He then pulled out of all scheduled TV work for the rest of the year. Dec was left hosting Saturday Night Takeaway alone in 2018 (Picture: Rex Features) The answer is two, but even then he didnt host two shows in their entirety he didnt finish Saturday Night Takeaway due to his rehab stint and he didnt appear in the live shows for BGT. Advertisement Advertisement Ants Saturday Night Takeaway absence happened following the fourth episode of the series and resulted in the following weekends episode being cancelled and the final two in the series being hosted by Dec alone. After heading straight to rehab, it was soon confirmed by ITV that Ant wouldnt be returning to his scheduled TV work for the rest of the year. My recovery is going very well and for that to continue having spoken to Dec and ITV, I have made the decision to take the rest of the year off, he said in a statement in August. Britains Got Talent then kicked off in April and while Ant featured in pre-recorded segments, he wasnt present at the live shows, again leaving Dec to host alone. The next scheduled series for Ant and Dec was Im A CelebrityGet Me Out Of Here!, which began in November and saw Ant being replaced by This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby. This years series of Britains Got Talent, due to start in April, is Ants first hosting duties since his rehab stint last year. Holly replaced Ant on Im A Celeb in 2018 (Picture: Rex Features) Hes already been seen back at work filming and is expected to be returning to Im A Celeb later in the year, too. Saturday Night Takeaway has been delayed until 2020 as filming would have had to have started last year, when Ant was still in recovery. Advertisement Advertisement So when the nominations for this years National Television Awards were revealed this week, it may be understandable that there have been questions raised over why Ant features in two of the categories the best TV presenter and The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award. In fact, his former BGT co-star Piers Morgan was one of the more vocal critics of Ants two nods. It is believed he was helping with some of the decisions behind the scenes for his TV shows, but hes never gone on record to say this. Ant and Dec face Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield, Bradley Walsh and Graham Norton in the TV Host category. Ant and Dec will also face off against Holly in the Talent Show category, as Britains Got Talent is up against Dancing On Ice. Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway are both up for the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, while This Morning is up for the Daytime gong. It is highly likely the boys will take home the TV Host award, given theyve won that exact gong for the last 17 consecutive years. However, the Geordie duo may not even appear at the NTAs as, according to the Daily Star, Simon Cowell has booked BGT auditions for the same night as the NTAs although seeing as Simon is up for Best TV Judge, this may be rescheduled. Advertisement The National Television Awards will take place on 22 January at Londons O2 Arena. You can vote for free online on the NTAs website. National Television Awards nominations 2019 Quiz Show 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown A League Of Their Own Catchphrase Pointless The Chase New Drama A Discovery Of Witches Bodyguard Girlfriends Killing Eve The Cry Talent Show Britains Got Talent Dancing On Ice Strictly Come Dancing The Voice UK The X Factor Drama Call The Midwife Casualty Doctor Who Our Girl Peaky Blinders TV Presenter Ant & Dec Bradley Walsh Graham Norton Holly Willoughby Phillip Schofield Factual Entertainment Ambulance DIY SOS: The Big Build Gogglebox Paul OGrady: For The Love Of Dogs The Great British Bake Off Drama Performance Cillian Murphy: Thomas Shelby, Peaky Blinders Jodie Comer: Villanelle, Killing Eve Jodie Whittaker: The Doctor, Doctor Who Michelle Keegan: L. Cpl Georgie Lane, Our Girl Richard Madden: Sgt David Budd, Bodyguard The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award All Round To Mrs Browns Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! MORE: Emmerdale stars reveal who they want to win National Television Awards | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/tv-shows-ant-mcpartlin-work-2018-qualify-national-television-award-8322821/ |
What time is Catastrophe season four on tonight and who is in the cast? | The black comedy is back for a fourth season (Picture: Channel 4) Hit Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe is primed and ready to hit our screens once again. Catastrophe is helmed by the shows two co-creators, Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney. Theyve both written and starred in all of the seasons so far. With season four almost ready to drop, heres what you need to know about whos in it and where to watch it. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Catastrophe cast Sharan Horgan plays Sharon Morris, an Irish primary school teacher, while Rob Delaney plays Rob Norris, an American advertising executive. In the first season, Morris accidentally falls pregnant by Norris after a few days of casual love making, and the pair decide to make a go of having a serious relationship and raising their child together in London. Advertisement Advertisement Other cast members include: Fran, Sharons frenemy, played by Ashley Jensen. Chris, Frans estranged husband, played by Mark Bonnar. Mia, Robs mother, played by the late, great Carrie Fisher. Sadly, Catastrophe turned out to be her final television role. Catastrophe season four begins tonight, Tuesday 8 January, on Channel 4 at 10pm. It will air every Tuesday until 12 February. Rob Delaney has said that this will be the last series, for now. Such a tease. If you want to catch up on older episodes, all 18 from seasons one to three are available on demand on All 4 now. MORE: Rob Delaneys wife gives birth to baby boy seven months after death of son Henry MORE: Rob Delaney posts heartbreaking photo of son Henry, who died of a brain tumour, over Christmas | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/what-time-is-catastrophe-season-four-on-tonight-and-who-is-in-the-cast-8322656/ |
How many times have Ant and Dec won best presenter at the NTAs? | (Picture: Getty Images) Its almost that time of year again, when the great and good of the small screen line up on the red carpet for the National Television awards. This year the gongs voted for by the public are being handed out at Londons o2 Arena on Tuesday January 22, with Dermot OLeary once again hosting. And thats not the only thing thats a little bit familiar about this years ceremony. Because once again Ant and Dec have found themselves on the shortlist in the best presenter category. Advertisement Advertisement Well, theyve actually taken the award for the past 17 years, including last year, when they not only won that prize but also took home the first ever Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award. Although Ant has not been seen on screen since the spring, in the pre-recorded audition footage on Britains Got Talent, he is still in with a chance of bagging the gold for the 18th time. However theres speculation Holly Willoughby could put an end to the pairs winning streak following her stint alongside Dec on Im A Celebrity. Hollys time standing in for Ant on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! resulted in the highest ratings ever for the jungle reality show. The star is also a beloved host of This Morning and Dancing On Ice alongside Phillip Schofield. (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/REX) Ant and Dec will also face off against Holly in the Talent Show category, as Britains Got Talent is up against Dancing On Ice. Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway are both up for the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, while This Morning is up for the Daytime gong. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Susanna Reid promises to get absolutely hammered and host Good Morning Britain drunk if show wins NTA MORE: Killing Eve, Bodyguard and Doctor Who battle it out at National Television Awards | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/many-times-ant-dec-won-national-television-award-best-presenter-8322812/ |
Did ABC pick the wrong guy to be 'The Bachelor'? | "The Bachelor" is back on ABC, and fans are excited for the series to return but are confused about bachelor Colton Underwood. He was featured on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" and also appeared on the spin-off "Bachelor in Paradise." After Kufrin's season came to an end, the Bachelor Nation deliberated on Twitter about who should snag "The Bachelor" spot, and it wasn't Underwood. PERSPECTIVES Check out the trailer here. #BachelorNation will still tune in for the series, but they are disappointed about Colton Underwood. Yes. Absolutely. -- Katie Schaffstall (@kschaffstall13) January 6, 2019 Low key not that excited for the new season of the Bachelor. Like they coulda picked someone way better than Colton -- Tal (@Tali_Hull) January 7, 2019 Underwood is getting a lot of hate, but at the same time, he is getting a lot of love! can't wait to watch an entire season of the bachelor with @colton!!!!!![?] [?] -- tallo (@CourtneyTallo) January 7, 2019 the bachelor returns tonight!!! colton the VIRGIN!!! relatable content!!! cant wait to tune in!!!!! -- Jules (@family__jules) January 7, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2019/01/did_abc_pick_the_wrong_guy_to_be_the_bachelor_1.html |
Is Disneyland repeating Apple's mistake? | It will cost you a lot more the next time you want to visit Disney's original theme park resort. Disneyland raised its prices on Sunday, and this isn't just a token inflation-adjusted nudge higher. One-day ticket prices are now 7.2% to 10.4% higher, depending on the travel season. A single day at Disneyland or the adjacent California Adventure park will now set a visitor back between $104 and $149. Continue Reading Below Ticker Security Last Change %Chg AAPL APPLE INC. 150.04 +2.11 +1.43% DIS WALT DISNEY COMPANY 111.72 +1.16 +1.05% Annual passes are getting 8% to 10% more expensive, with the high-tier Premier Pass that offers no blackout restrictions for Disneyland and Disney World admissions soaring a mind-numbing 23%, to $1,949 per person. Even higher-percentage gains are kicking in for other amenities, including parking and Disneyland's MaxPass digital ride-reservation service, which are moving 25% and 50% higher, respectively. Disney's theme parks segment had a record showing in fiscal 2018, so one can argue that Disneyland has the pricing elasticity to keep boosting admission fees. The sticker shock was too much for smartphone shoppers, and iPhone sales have fallen over the past year. Disney could be the next iconic company to price its way out of growth. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP Advertisement It's a maul world after all There may seem to be a method to Disney's madness. The highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge -- the 14-acre expansion themed to the media giant's most potent theatrical franchise -- opens this summer. The problem here is that Disneyland rolled out an unusually steep increase last year. One-day tickets rose as much as 9% last February, with annual prices getting a boost as large as 18%. We're talking about one-day ticket prices going up nearly 20% over the past 12 months, with annual-pass prices moving substantially higher. An obvious response here is that Disney is just pushing through what the market will bear. Disneyland is still routinely slammed with visitors, particularly on weekends and in peak travel seasons. Disney's shift to demand-based tiered pricing three years ago hasn't helped spread out the crowds, despite reserving the largest increases for admission during the busiest times of the year. The rub here is that there is no experience that has complete pricing elasticity. Folks used to think that Apple could keep slapping higher price tags on updated iPhones, sentiment that made the tech bellwether the world's most valuable company by market cap until just a couple of months ago. It's a whole new world now. Apple stock has plummeted 36% since peaking three months ago, surrendering its trillion-dollar market cap. The latest dagger came last week when the class act of Cupertino warned that revenue declined during the seasonally potent holiday quarter. The latest iPhones cost as much as $1,449 for the XS Max with the largest storage capacity. Apple and wireless carriers are now scrambling for promotional offers to make the new smartphones more accessible. There are other factors at play with Apple. Carriers have been weaning customers off wireless-provider subsidies that used to shave hundreds of dollars off new devices in exchange for two-year contracts. Apple is also facing some stiff headwinds in Asia, where rival smartphones are available for considerably less with some pretty nifty features. Disney isn't facing those kinds of hurdles, but its business model makes it more susceptible than Apple in a slowdown. When sales go soft, Apple can just curb production. Disney's theme parks don't have the same kind of variable cost structure. The number of resort hotel rooms and park attractions are fixed. The only levers Disneyland can use when business goes soft is to offer markdowns to drum up traffic, or trim back operating hours to save on labor, and both routes ultimately devalue the experience for guests. Apple is learning the hard way that it can't keep raising prices forever, and you're highly unlikely to see an increase when the next wave of iPhones hits the market later this year. Disneyland could be in for a rude awakening if there's a little more elbow room at its California parks now, unless Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge truly raises the bar in the experience that a theme park can offer. Rick Munarriz owns shares of Apple and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/is-disneyland-repeating-apples-mistake |
Can Lindsay Lohan and Khlo Kardashian even see through their sunglasses? | Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Lindsay Lohan and Khlo Kardashian have both come down with a blinding case of logomania. In fact, the two stars are so in love with their luxe designer goods, theyre even willing to sacrifice their 20/20 vision in favor of squeezing in a little more branding. Lohan, 32, visited the set of Good Morning America on Monday, arriving in a sequined striped button-up, black peacoat and white skinny jeans. She accessorized with a $2,995 Valentino studded bag emblazoned with the labels VLTN logo and $680 aviator shades from Louis Vuitton with lenses completely covered in the houses signature LV logo. Kardashian, 34, also proved herself a fan of sight-obscuring sunglasses in a series of pictures she posted to Instagram in November. The reality star posed in a Louis Vuitton LV-print bikini top, black spandex bike shorts and her own logo-covered aviators, a $515 pair from Fendi. While both stars sunglasses might save them from being blinded by the light, those logos are a whole other story. | https://pagesix.com/2019/01/08/can-lindsay-lohan-and-khloe-kardashian-even-see-through-their-sunglasses/ |
Where will Cian Kelleher fit in the Leinster back three pecking order next season? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Connacht's Cian Kelleher will return to Leinster next season. Kelleher has blossomed into a star since his move, notching 14 tries in 44 appearances and turning into a fan favourite of the Sportsgrounds - but an offer to rejoin the Blues to compete for top honours has proven too strong for the 24-year-old to turn down, according to the Irish Times. Kelleher left Leinster after seven PRO14 appearances, highlighted by an impressive running try against Zebre, back in 2015 to join Connacht, seeking game time for his development. He's got that and a whole lot more, going from promising Leinster Academy star to a lynchpin in the Westerners' back line. The Leinster he returns to is one coming off a historic double, and one, on the surface, that looks deeper than ever - except perhaps, in the back line, where a combination of injuries, familiarity, and age leave them juggling some interesting pieces with all their own issues heading into next season. We take a look at all the players involved, and where we think they'll shake out next season. The starters Jordan Larmour As nailed on a starter as you can be in the strongest version of this team, Larmour is all set to take over the Leinster back rotation and make it all his own. Capable of playing 14 or 15, the 21-year-old has been unbelievably impressive since his breakthrough last season. His magic feet, finishing, and agility make him a danger wherever he picks up the ball, and his kick returns have provided some electric moments over the past year-and-a-half. He's lit it up consistently in blue and in green, and will be someone the province lean on for years to come - especially at full-back, where the Dubliner looks predestined to eventually usurp Rob Kearney for club and country. James Lowe The devastating New Zealander has become another impossible to drop since his switch from the Chiefs in the summer of 2017. 17 tries in just 23 appearances since making the trip over the Atlantic have bookmarked Lowe as can't miss once he becomes Ireland-eligible, and the 26-year-old's game has evolved to a more complete one under the tutelage of Felipe Contepomi. But the sheer try-scoring force remains, and the tricky Lowe will be sorely missed this weekend against Toulouse. Another that can deputise at full-back if needs be. The rotation Barry Daly Daly returned to Leinster action for the first time since August when he took to the field against Ulster. Injuries have been a near-consistent worry for the ex-Gonzaga man since his breakthrough at the beginning of last season - missing a period of action in the autumn of 2017 with an ankle problem, and a recent knee injury sidelining him since this year's PRO!4 opener. But Daly has been irresistible at the times he's been fit. The PRO14's top try scorer last season with 12, he was also Leinster's total top try scorer with 13. The 26-year-old will likely be Kelleher's main barrier to an immediate starting spot. His play on the wrong side of the ball is far ahead of Kelleher's at the moment, he's stronger, and he's absolutely rapid too. Cian Kelleher The new boy fits in best currently as the back five replacement in a strongest XV, but there's no reason to suggest that'll be Kelleher's lot for life. Kelleher, like Daly, has had his fair share of injury interruptions since his own senior career kicked off in 2015. Mere months after hitting the ground running for Connacht, a hamstring tear took him out of action in December 2016. He managed to re-injure it in recovery, while then also managing to tear both quads in the summer of 2017 and had last season ended with an ankle problem. But Kelleher has blossomed into more than just a solid contributor in Galway. He's been a consistent pick in the back three all season long - as he has been whenever fully-fit - and has crossed for an impressive six tries this season, including recently against Munster. There's no doubt his game has come on since his move. His finishing is top-drawer, his acceleration excellent - but question marks do still remain when it comes to the nastier side of the game. That's why Daly probably still starts ahead of Kelleher, with everyone fit, next season in a strongest XV. But Kelleher, as previously stated, is only 24 - two years Daly's junior. And he still has a lot of scope for growth, and will be doing it in the colours of Europe's top team, playing consistent minutes on the wing and likely at full-back as well. Not a bad situation to find yourself in. Adam Byrne The cross-kick claiming king may not have made the impact that many expected when he made his debut in blue aged just 18 in 2012, but he's still a valuable piece in this Leinster rotation. Standing 6 foot 4, Byrne provides a physical outlet his competition - both in his own side and on the opposition - usually cannot match, and his near-telepathic understanding with Ross Byrne has put more than a fair share of his 16 tries on a plate for him. Byrne will likely continue as a solid contributor in the PRO14 looking towards next season, and will continue his recovery from his knee surgery back to his physical peak. Adding to his one Ireland cap remains a goal as well. Joe Tomane It's been difficult to fully evaluate Tomane's opening season in blue after he was struck down by the injury bug back in November. The 28-year-old, who was signed as a replacement for the retired Isa Nacewa, was ruled out for five months with a hamstring injury suffered against the Southern Kings. But up until then, the Aussie's first season had been a bit of a defensive disaster. Regularly torched on the wrong side of the ball, the versatile back's debut against Cardiff Blues was an infamously leaky display that he never fully seemed to recover from, he repeated the trick against Montpellier in the Champions Cup with another frantic and lost effort, and now his natural bedding in process has been halted by his injury woes. Tomane could easily surge up this list upon his return, but if his previous form is any indicator, it'll take a lot for him to do so. Hugo Keenan Academy winger/full-back Keenan had been called upon twice from the bench before this season, but three PRO14 starts has him tentatively established in this list. The 22-year-old scored his first senior try against the Dragons back in December in an impressive display. Keenan could soon provide Leo Cullen with a valuable asset in years to come as Larmour steps up to Kearney's current level. The back-up 15 slot is his to fill in years to come. For next season, though, opportunities may continue to be limited. Rory O'Loughlin (emergency) O'Loughlin has jumped into wide positions late in games and as an emergency starter earlier in the season, but there's no doubt that the 24-year-old's future primarily lies at centre. He's performed admirably through the middle, to the point that Six Nations consideration doesn't seem like too mad of a shout. But a strong contingent of young centres across the country could see O'Loughlin moved out wide in the national consideration as well in years to come. "Locko" will stick to where he is more than likely, in a Blue shirt at least, making him competing directly with Kelleher a rare occurence. Dave Kearney The man most are tipping Kelleher to be the direct replacement for, Kearney's contract is up in the summer and, if he's looking for a big payday, Donnybrook may not the be place for it. The 29-year-old has fallen out of Ireland contention, likely capping him at his current 17 appearances - no mean feat of course, but the likelihood of any more is slim. And the younger brother of Rob has been through the injury wars himself - except, unlike his compatriots listed above, Tomane aside, he doesn't have quite as much time to get it all going again after the bug bites. If he is to leave, Kearney could provide an experienced, dependable alternative wing for a host of English Premiership clubs - there would likely be no shortage of interest from clubs in mid-table like Leicester, Bristol, and Northampton. Fergus McFadden Ferg will be 33 next year, is looking to rebound off his second-successive hamstring injury in a very short space of time, and will surely only play very selectively, if at all, from here on out. McFadden has stated his desire to remain a one-club man previously, but opportunities may become naturally limited by his age and injury past once next August rolls around. The greatest counter to all of this is simple - before his latest setback, McFadden was playing absolutely out of his skin. Probably the most defensively solid wing Leinster possessed last year, McFadden's experience and nous was top notch as youngsters like Larmour and Daly and new recruits like Lowe bedded in around him. His dressing-room presence is also a big factor in the case to keep him - but even if he stays, he may not feature too much. Kelleher wouldn't be joining without some game time assurances - that's why he left Leinster in the first place. Rob Kearney This one may be a bit of a stretch. Currently, Kearney is in the starters bracket without question. The 32-year-old is a defensive mastermind a high-ball specialist, and an organisational expert on the field. "Future coach" is written all over the Dundalk man. But this is looking towards the future, and by the time Kelleher shows up in Dublin Kearney will be preparing for the World Cup in Japan. Perhaps if Kearney hadn't already done so much for the province this one would be a non-issue. Indeed, it could prove to be. He's made no public inclination recently that he wants out. But the big money in France will likely be lobbed his way if he made a decision to leave, and at 32, and with the major club honours all already secured, that's certainly a more attractive way to wind down a glittering career than a slate of PRO14 dead rubbers. | https://www.dublinlive.ie/sport/cian-kelleher-leinster-rugby-connacht-15647830 |
Where did it go wrong for Chelsea's Alvaro Morata and would move to Sevilla be good? | Sevilla want Alvaro Morata. Chelsea are happy to sell Alvaro Morata. And Alvaro Morata wants to move to Sevilla. Only the three parties failing to reach a financial agreement now seems to stand between the deal being done this January. Alvaro Morata (right) has been heavily linked with a move to Sevilla in the January window Morata has failed to hit the heights since his move from Real Madrid to Chelsea in July 2017 Great expectations it doesn't seem to long ago he was being talked about as a great signing. We were all guilty of it. Sky Sports football expert Terry Gibson said at the time: 'I think this may prove to be a mistake on Madrid's part. Morata is a dynamic striker who works the channels. 'He's got a great first touch. And he'll control the ball where it is knocked up to him and he's good at attacking crosses.' Those sentiments were echoed by everyone who had followed his career in Spain. The prediction that Real Madrid would regret the sale have also been proved right because Morata's goals (largely from the bench) have been missed and this season he would have played a big part in filling the Cristiano Ronaldo void. But it just hasn't worked for him at Chelsea. His attitude has perhaps been the biggest problem. That and the unenviable task of replacing Diego Costa. Hopes that he had developed since his days at Juventus when Gianluigi Buffon took him to one side and told him he needed to project a more combustible image and not be so willing to allow the world to see his softer weaker side, have not been realised. The social media soft focus shots of him enjoying life away from football have maybe not helped. Some Chelsea fans took to Twitter last season to draw the comparison between Costa and Morata. It was images of the former grabbing defenders by the throat versus pictures of the latter drying his wife's hair. His biggest fan was Antonio Conte who requested his signing, but even he became exasperated. Last season when asked when the player would return from a back injury he said he wasn't sure if it would rule him out for one more day or the rest of the season. If he joins he will be going to a side that already boasts probably the second best strike partnership in La Liga behind Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Andre Silva has eight goals and Wissam Ben Yedder has 15. They will be hard to shift but Silva is only 23, and only on loan. There will be a queue of clubs that want him in the summer and there is no guarantee that Sevilla will be able to make his one season loan permanent. Morata would be back in Spain where those close to him say he wants to be and if Silva does not stay he would be Sevilla's No 9 for next season. They are having their best season for years under Pablo Machin and look certs for at the very least a Champions League place next season. They also have Chinese buyers considering trying to buy the club. But their big money signings tend to come in at around the 20m mark and it's more likely that Sevilla will ask to loan him until the summer and buy him in June when they are safely back in the Champions League money pit. That will depend on what they can bring in this January. If he starts scoring goals at Sevilla then his value will rise. That can only be positive in terms of the club getting back some they 60m investment made when they signed him. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6569473/The-curious-case-Alvaro-Morata-gone-wrong-Chelsea.html |
Is a Pediatric Doctors Firearm Storage Discussion With Parents Wrong? | Due to the increasing number of teenage suicidal cases, the scientists have suggested that physicians discuss firearm safety checks with the parents. Essentially, a positive response was recorded among the people of the industry about the importance of gun safety storage conversation. Distributing free gun safety locks was also one of the suggestion. There is some support for promoting firearm safety in pediatric primary care to prevent teen suicide.In a recent study exploring the feasibility of introducing gun safety discussions and interventions into routine health care settings, investigators suggest that there is some support for promoting firearm safety in pediatric primary care as a universal suicide prevention strategy for adolescents.John Zeber, a mental health services researcher and associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with team leader Rinad Beidas at the University of Pennsylvania and other co-investigators, assessed the needs of stakeholders who would implement a new approach to promoting a program the researchers call Firearm Safety Check. This program is designed for physicians to ask families about the presence of firearms in the home, offer information on safe gun storage and provide free gun locks.As Zeber explains, "We're not taking a position on gun ownership, but if you have a gun and a child in the home, we believe safe storage will greatly reduce the risk of a tragedy. We're finding that it would be a new role for many physicians, though we previously found the majority do at least discuss guns with their patients. We're looking for fairly simple solutions that don't take a lot of time, and that seem feasible. All the stakeholders recognize the problem; they just differ on what to do about it. "He adds, "Some critics say to those of us in public health, 'Stay in your lane, don't get involved,' but we see this as a major problem to be addressed." Zeber and co-investigators point out that youth suicide has increased steadily over the past several decades due in part to an increase in suicide by firearm. Their recent paper on the topic is featured in the American Medical Association's open access online journal JAMA Network Open.The authors point out, "There is a clear consensus that promoting firearm safety in pediatric primary care is essential in reducing youth suicide. Physician groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Academy of Medicine, recommend that physicians discuss firearm safety with parents." However, "physicians can be reluctant to discuss firearm safety in primary care," and existing strategies "remain underused," they add.To explore this, Beidas, Zeber, and colleagues conducted qualitative interviews with nearly 60 stakeholders in nine groups such as parents of youth, physicians, nurses, other clinical providers, and health system leaders of pediatric primary care and behavioral health practices.Interviews were conducted over a span of seven months at two large health systems, Henry Ford Hospital in inner-city Detroit, and Baylor Scott & White Health in the rural central Texas town of Temple. They also talked with gun owner constituents, third-party payers and members of national credentialing bodies.In this study, Beidas, Zeber and colleagues found that stakeholders "indicated that firearm safety promotion is a health system priority and generally reported favorable perceptions of the Firearm Safety Check approach for suicide prevention." Respondents frequently noted the need for patient interactions about firearms to be brief, and that existing infrastructures such as electronic health record systems should be used. They also identified the distribution of firearm locks as "likely the most complex and underutilized component to implement. "Zeber, the site lead co-investigator at the Texas location, says, "We asked how comfortable physicians, for example, would be about counseling patients about gun safety and the danger that a gun in the home may pose. We asked if they'd feel comfortable offering their patients a gun lock, in addition to screening about the presence of a firearm. Each stakeholder group has different perspectives, and doctors understand this, but they also are the ones who see higher risk adolescents in their offices. "He adds, "There was a broad consensus about the importance of the conversation and that some intervention would be welcome and helpful in addressing this public health crisis. Reducing access to guns while promoting safe storage was a central theme that emerged. But the details of what that intervention would look like, and what might be feasible to try, remain to be determined. People across the health care spectrum agree it is important to talk about this topic with patients, but what we do next and the best approach is still being discussed. "Overall, the authors state that their results "support the development of implementation strategies to support clinician and organizational behaviors around firearm safety." Zeber says their findings will drive an implementation proposal that they are still developing.Source: Eurekalert | https://www.medindia.net/news/is-a-pediatric-doctors-firearm-storage-discussion-with-parents-wrong-184978-1.htm |
Why Do We Obsess Over Whats Relatable? | Relatability is the chief psychological lubricant that glides you thoughtlessly down the curated, endless scroll of your feed. It is the coin of the digital-media realm, a mealy concept that delights advertisers and publishers alike because it all but guarantees to garner a readers attention. Whether its attached to cats jumping into and out of cardboard boxes or Ariana Grande saying that she hates America or Beto ORourkes own Instagram stories, which the website Mashable says are so relatable that often people have no choice but to screenshot his posts and literally write MOOD, relatable can encompass it all. The word is now so pervasive that the #relatable hashtag has become a kind of winking gesture at its own utter meaninglessness as a form of social connection. The familiar has been funneled into our eyes so constantly for the last few years that even it has been rendered alien. The French critic and philosopher Ren Girard suggested that all desire is mimetic, that we like things simply because we observe other people our friends, Rihanna liking those same things, too. The California rock star and lay philosopher David Lee Roth touched on a similar idea when he suggested that music critics enjoy Elvis Costello because they all look like Costello. He wasnt exactly wrong. Even the critics who turned up their nose at the bombast of Van Halen in favor of the bookish pop-rock of Armed Forces werent exactly innocent of such blinkered, ego-driven pathology. Relatability is a desire for a connection to the world, to want what we see in others especially if what we see in others is ourselves. Though it now feels as common as air, the modern meaning of relatable is a relatively new addition to the lexicon, first used in education journals in the late 1940s. Before that, the word meant something more like comprehensible. This new definition that which you can relate to entered mainstream circulation as television-industry jargon in the 1980s. It was a metric for quiz shows like The Newlywed Game, whose host, Bob Eubanks, praised it in a 1981 Washington Post article for its relatable humor, the kind that takes place in every home. As shows like Hill Street Blues and, later, Twin Peaks began to elevate the medium of TV, the word helped signify the stuff that would play in Peoria. In marketing language for movies and television, relatable became the go-to word when you wanted something that created a stronger relationship with the show than simply likable. This was you on the screen, beaming into millions of homes. In 1996, the head of marketing for Fox Filmed Entertainment spoke to The Times about trying to expand that relationship to a younger generation through their new MTV-ified Baz Luhrmann adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The zip-bang style of the movie was all part of a targeted campaign, and the goal was to make Shakespeares play tremendously relatable to young people. Eighteen years later, it was Shakespeare again who inspired Rebecca Mead to write in The New Yorker about the scourge of relatability after Ira Glass, host of This American Life, complained that Shakespeares plays were not relatable. | https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/magazine/the-scourge-of-relatable-in-art-and-politics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss |
Is Screen Time Bad for Kids Brains? | [Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.] Not convincingly. More than 100 scientific reports and surveys have studied screen habits and well-being in young people, looking for emotional and behavioral differences, as well as changes in attitude, such as in body image. In 2014, scientists from Queens University Belfast reviewed 43 of the best designed such studies. The studies found that social networking allows people to broaden their circle of social contacts in ways that could be both good and bad, for instance by exposing young people to abusive content. The reviews authors concluded that there was an absence of robust causal research regarding the impact of social media on the mental well-being of young people. In short: results have been mixed, and sometimes contradictory. Psychologists have also examined whether playing violent video games is connected to aggressive behavior. More than 200 such studies have been carried out; some researchers found links, others have not. Even if scientists found strong evidence of a single, measurable effect if, say, three hours of daily screen time was associated with a heightened risk of being diagnosed with A.D.H.D. such a clear association wouldnt necessarily suggest there were any consistent, measurable differences in brain structure. Individual variation is the rule in brain development. The size of specific brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex, the rate at which those regions edit and consolidate their networks, and the variations in these parameters from person to person make it very difficult to interpret findings. To address such obstacles, scientists need huge numbers of research subjects and a far better understanding of the brain. Isnt that what the N.I.H. Yes. The ongoing A.B.C.D. study expects to follow 11,800 children through adolescence, with annual magnetic resonance imaging, to see if changes in the brain are linked to behavior or health. The study began in 2013, recruiting 21 academic research centers, and initially focused on the effects of drug and alcohol use on the adolescent brain. Since then, the project has expanded, and now includes other targets such as the effects of brain injury, screen time, genetics, and an array of other environmental factors. | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/10/health/screen-time-kids-psychology.html?partner=rss&emc=rss |
Did 'The Bachelor' Take a Shot at the National Title Game Attendance? | ABC airs the premiere of The Bachelor against the college football national championship game on ESPN every year. Marriages across the country are tested as the fight for the good television becomes very important. And look, both programs have their share of drama, intrigue, and unpaid actors. Disney would prefer you watch either as all eyeballs are important for the bottom line. That said, there is sort of a weird rivalry between the two events. So maybe thats whats causing me to read into this comment by Chris Harrison at the beginning of Coltons season. To me, it seems like an obvious jab at the predicted sparse attendance at the Alabama-Clemson clash in Santa Clara. Open to other interpretations here. Only Harrison knows and I dont think he reads the site. Would love an answer, though, because if this was a zinger at the college football, its such a bizarre choice. In more important news, its a safe prediction that Colton Underwood will not be one of the more memorable football-playing bachelors. He simply lacks the charisma that seeps out of every perfectly placed Jesse Palmer follicle. | https://thebiglead.com/2019/01/08/did-the-bachelor-take-a-shot-at-the-national-title-game-attendance/ |
Can a Set of Equations Keep U.S. Census Data Private? | [...] Differential privacy, first described in 2006, isn't a substitute for swapping and other ways to perturb the data. Rather, it allows someonein this case, the Census Bureauto measure the likelihood that enough information will "leak" from a public data set to open the door to reconstruction. "Any time you release a statistic, you're leaking something," explains Jerry Reiter, a professor of statistics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who has worked on differential privacy as a consultant with the Census Bureau. "The only way to absolutely ensure confidentiality is to release no data. Differential privacy allows you to put a boundary" on that risk. A database can be considered differentially protected if the information it yields about someone doesn't depend on whether that person is part of the database. Differential privacy was originally designed to apply to situations in which outsiders make a series of queries to extract information from a database. In that scenario, each query consumes a little bit of what the experts call a "privacy budget." After that budget is exhausted, queries are halted in order to prevent database reconstruction. In the case of census data, however, the agency has already decided what information it will release, and the number of queries is unlimited. So its challenge is to calculate how much the data must be perturbed to prevent reconstruction. | https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=19/01/08/0440213&from=rss |
Will a Flannels be good for Exeter? | Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email If the rumours are true, there could be good news for Exeter's House of Fraser store. The department store is closing down at the end of the month - but instead of a massive empty shopfront on the High Street, hopes are high that a Flannels store could take its place. Flannels is a premium brand which, like House of Fraser, is also owned by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct empire. It sells expensive designer brands, some of which are owned by Mike Ashley, and stocks dresses topping 1,000 by the likes of Victoria Beckham and Vivienne Westwood. Part of the group's premium brands, it is on a big expansion drive with plans to open 12 stores across the UK. And unlike House of Fraser, which suffered a slump in sales by 7.4% in 2017 with operating profits down nearly 40% to 19.8m, Sport's Direct premium retail brands, including Flannels have seen an upsurge in sales to 161.1million in 2018. Steve Hughes, Chief Executive of Plymouth City Centre Company, said that the Flannels store in Plymouth, which opened in 2016, had been good for the city, and if the rumours are true, would be good for Exeter's city centre too. He said: "From conversations I've had with the manager, the store is doing pretty well in Plymouth. We all know the challenges that the High Street is facing at the moment and some businesses are finding it really tough and others seem to have hit a bit of a sweet spot, like Flannels. It is upmarket and all about the brands and clearly there is a clientele with a disposable income for that kind of shopping experience." (Image: Penny Cross) Shoppers at Flannels tend to be younger and focused on fashion while the House of Fraser brand is a mix of everything, from perfume to homewares. John Kinsey, retail and leisure expert at JLL in Exeter, said that Flannels was more relevant to the modern consumer. He said: "Flannels feels well suited to the consumer of today while House of Fraser feels like where your Mum and Dad shopped.. "This will be great for Exeter if it's true, it shows there's life still very much in the High Street." Tim Jones, chairman of the South West Business Council said that the creation of a Flannels in the House of Fraser store would save a prime retail site. He said: "It would be great to see that building have a new life because the building itself has been long overdue a refresh for many years. "Flannels feels like the face of modern retail both in the High Street and online and highlights a failure by House of Fraser to adapt to market demand quickly enough." | https://www.devonlive.com/news/business/flannels-good-exeter-2406191 |
Who has the best case to win the FIFA Team of the Year 12th player vote? | While Mohamed Salah, Neymar Jr., Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard, and Paul Pogba did not make it to the FIFA 19 Team of the Year the first time, they got another chance to make the team through the 12th man fan vote. We take a quick look into who has the best chance to take that last spot. Both Pogba and Griezmann were instrumental in the French National Teams run to the championship in the 2018 World Cup, but just that was seemingly not enough for them to make it to the Team of the Year. Their teammate in the French National team, Kylian Mbappe, bagged his spot by virtue of his starring role in their World Cup victory and his own tour de force with Paris Saint-Germain. Perhaps Griezzmans case is best encapsulated by his most recent match with Atletico Madrid against Sevilla, which ended with a 1-1 draw. Sevilla scored the first goal in that match, but a stunning free-kick by Griezmann let Atletico equalize. Griezmann would have won the match for Atletico in a later goal attempt when he was wide open, but he couldnt get past Sevillas goalkeeper. Griezmann is already one of the best players in the world, but there are others still a cut above him. Hes still on his way up, maybe this just isnt his year yet. As for Pogba, his reputation as one of the finest midfielders in the world has been unfortunately undercut by his spats with former Manchester United Jose Mourinho. As Man U struggled early in the season, there were questions over whether it was Pogba or Mourinho that was dragging the team down. Now that Mourinhon has been sacked however, Pogba has seen a return to form. But the shadow of his clashes with his former manager still loom over him, Pogba will have to show fans that his personal brilliance can shine through that first. Hazard would be one of the nominees for the 12th player that I think would have fans really top to think. The attacking midfielder, who just turned 28, has been on a tear with Chelsea to the tune of two titles since 2014 with the Blues. Hazards moody magnificence was on display as well with the Belgian National Team, which he led to a bronze medal finish in the World Cup last year. Hazard is sure to turn a lot of heads for that 12th man spot. With all that said, I think the vote will just boil down to whether Salah or Neymar can outshine the other in the eyes of the fans. Neymar has continued to flash his exceptional skill (and awful fake dreadlocks) that has long earned him comparisons to all-time greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Zico, one of the heroes of Brazils great 1982 side, even went so far as to say his countryman deserves to be in the discussion for the worlds best player. But Neymar has had his fair share of speed bumps recently, failing to make the top 10 of the 2018 Ballon dOr after struggling to make an impact at the World Cup due to a fractured metatarsal. Meanwhile, Salah has been scorching nets left and right, to be crowned the PFA Player of the Year after he scored 32 goals in the Premier League and 10 in the Champions League. The Egyptian star ended 2018 in brilliant form as well, scoring six goals to lead Liverpool to victories in all seven Premier League games they played during that span, for which he won the PFA Player of the Month for December award as well. The fact he missed out of making it to FIFAs Team of the Year despite what he has done signals that people may still be expecting even more from him. Salah and Neymar were arguably the biggest snubs of the Team of the Year, and the fact that only one of them can take that last 12th player spot is a huge bummer. With that said, its all up to the fans now, as their votes will fully determine who ends up squeaking through to the team in the end. You can vote online or in-game in FIFA 19 through a special Player Pick item until January 10. | https://www.foxsportsasia.com/esports/fifa19/1014731/who-has-the-best-case-to-win-the-fifa-team-of-the-year-12th-player-vote/ |
Is having five children really a middle-class status symbol? | The birth of singer Sophie Ellis-Bextors fifth child has prompted media attention on a trend for larger families among famous parents. At this rate, the world may be populated exclusively by the offspring of celebrities Name: The five kids club. Age: Varied. Appearance: Mixed-ability indoor football side. No, its a club. It doesnt have a central location as such. I see. OK, its not an actual club its more of a snide Daily Mail designation. For celebrities who have five children. If the headline Ellis-Bextor joins the 5 kids club makes it a thing, then yes, its a thing. Thats right: the pop star has just given birth to her fifth boy, Mickey, prompting the paper to proclaim that a large brood seems to be the latest middle-class status symbol. I could just about afford coconut oil. If you have to be able to afford it, you cant ask. About 150,000 a child according to some estimates, although there will obviously be economies of scale. Paul McCartney was a member before the club had a name. Jamie and Jools Oliver will only be members for a few months more, as they are expecting their sixth child. However, Gordon and Tana Ramsay will keep the numbers up: they have announced they have a fifth child on the way. With six children apiece, theyre both disqualified. Its a very personal choice; most parents just stop when they realise they have got one too many. Obviously, it would be tricky if everybody decided to have five children, but the overall birthrate in the UK is much lower. I know, its 2.4 children. Its lower than that these days: women who turned 45 in 2016 had, on average, 1.9 children. At this rate, well soon be an island populated exclusively by the offspring of celebrities. Some days, it can feel like that already. Do say: I would never belong to a club that would allow my children to be members. Dont say: I dont have any kids myself, but I used to be in S Club Juniors. Can I still use the pool? | https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2019/jan/08/five-kids-club-status-symbol-celebrity-sophie-ellis-bextor |
Is AMD's Mantle really worth it? | Since AMD announced its Mantle initiative in September last year, we've been excitedly hypothesising what it could really mean for AMD, its graphics cards, our processors and PC gaming in general. And now it's finally here with a beta release of Catalyst and a couple of Mantle-enabled apps giving us an insight into what it's actually going to do for our machines. Thankfully, one of those Mantle-enabled apps happens to be a favourite, Battlefield 4. Therefore, we've finally got a tangible idea of what performance boost AMD's Mantle API is going to give our rigs in a real gaming environment. DICE has been instrumental in getting Mantle up to speed; without its support, Mantle would be just another tantalising tech demo. it's essentially a new graphics application programming interface (API) to replace Microsoft's DirectX for AMD GCN cards in compatible games. "When we originally approached Mantle and I was there the day we decided to do this we thought: 'y'know, we just want to make games faster.' Here's a way to give developers access as close as possible to the metal like they can do on the consoles," AMD's Neal Robison told us at CES. Without all the layers of legacy programming and cross-vendor support in DirectX, Mantle ensures there is little to get in the way of programmers and the hardware for which they are writing code. The interesting thing is that, despite being a graphics API, it's the CPU that's set to feel the real benefit. DirectX introduced lots of processor overhead into games and where they're CPU-bound Mantle will deliver a pretty decent performance boost. We've taken a look at three different motherboard/processor combinations with a high-end and more mainstream GPU to see what Mantle can do for you. AMD APU: AMD A10-7850K The first system we've looked is built around AMD's new APU, the A10-7850K. Despite being its latest silicon, the APU doesn't make a particularly effective basis for a gaming PC. Using the same R9 290 graphics card, the AMD APU is almost 45 per cent slower in Battlefield 4 compared with the similarly-priced Intel Core i5-4570 CPU. However, as soon as you throw Mantle into the mix, the lower CPU overhead closes the gap between the Intel and AMD processors. While running both machines on Ultra at 1080p in Battlefield 4, the Intel chip still retains a lead, but it's slashed in half. Now the APU is only around 20 per cent behind the straight CPU silicon of the Core i5. At 1080p, this Kaveri system saw the biggest boost in gaming performance. At Ultra settings, it gets some 36 per cent extra frame rate performance, and at High it gets 45 per cent. For a software update that's a great return. The Star Swarm benchmark also displays some huge improvement gains for Mantle over the DirectX codepath. We also saw some improvements at both 2560 x 1600 and 4K resolutions with Kaveri, though that was only 10 per cent at best. Still, it shows that even when the system is primarily GPU bound it can get a performance boost when it's kitted out with the right card. With the wrong card, though, things aren't so rosy. When the lower-end HD 7870 card is used, the system is GPU bound even at 1080p in Battlefield 4. In fact, it actually negatively impacts performance rather than simply not giving the system a boost. Performance on the AMD Radeon R9 290 - 1080p (FPS, higher is better) Battlefield 4 - Mantle (min/avg): 23/68 Battlefield 4 - DirectX (min/avg): 28/50 StarSwarm - Mantle: 50 StarSwarm - DirectX: 26 Performance on the AMD Radeon HD 7870 - 1080p (FPS, higher is better) Battlefield 4 Ultra - Mantle (min/avg): 9/43 Battlefield 4 Ultra - DirectX (min/avg): 25/45 StarSwarm - Mantle: 40 StarSwarm - DirectX: 24 AMD Gamer: AMD FX-8350 We were hoping to see the benefits of Mantle giving heavily multi-threaded processors their time in the gaming sunshine with the top-end AMD FX CPU. It is, after all, the cheapest CPU to offer a full eight threads. Sadly, even with Mantle, those eight threads aren't able to push performance past the mighty Intel chips. Still, the FX-8350 is incredibly consistent, even if it can't post the sort of percentage improvements that the A10-7850K offers. Using the same Radeon R9 290 card, the FX-8350 sees at least a 20 per cent frame rate boost at both Ultra and High settings in Battlefield 4. And that's counting both 1080p and 2560 x 1600 resolutions. This FX CPU displays both the best and worst of Mantle. The Hawaii powered 290 brings the FX up to almost the same sort of levels of gaming performance as the Intel chip at 1080p, 1600p and 4K the FX-8350 offers average frame rates only slightly behind Intel. When you bring the HD 7870 into the equation, however, the gaming performance becomes a disaster at best, Mantle offers a 10 per cent degradation in BF4 frame rates. The GCN cores of the Pitcairn GPU simply don't sit well with the Mantle update in Battlefield 4. Yet Star Swarm shows that it's just a problem with the BF4 code. As you can see, the Star Swarm benchmark can still deliver a 63 per cent performance boost even with the HD 7870. With the R9 290 that increase is a pretty startling 104 per cent, though it is coming from a pretty lowly start point. Performance on the AMD Radeon R9 290 - 1080p (FPS, higher is better) Battlefield 4 - Mantle (min/avg): 26/78 Battlefield 4 - DirectX (min/avg): 40/64 StarSwarm - Mantle: 47 StarSwarm - DirectX: 23 Performance on the AMD Radeon HD 7870 - 1080p (FPS, higher is better) | https://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/graphics-cards/is-amd-s-mantle-really-worth-it-1248608 |
Is Apple to launch a new Mac mini? | Apple has tentatively announced that it is to update its Mac mini range in one of the strangest and roundabout ways possible. The company sent an email to a worried Apple user about the Mac mini situation, telling them to "be patient" about a pending release of the company's "popular machine". Read into that what you will, but speculation is now rife that we will see a new Mini hit shelves in Q1 of next year. Mini adventure There's been no update to the Mac Mini range for over a year now, and this has sparked rumours that Apple was to stop producing the machine. In a blog, however, by a trusted entrepreneur who operates a server farm of over 400 Mac minis, it is stated that plans are in place to overhaul the computer and that his company, Macminicolo, has 100 per cent confirmation that the new Mac mini will offer the following: Join all other Macs in being able to address 4GB of RAM. The Mac mini optical drive will be changed to a SATA connection. The Mac mini will use the new Mini DisplayPort that was recently showcased on the Macbook line. future ahead. | https://www.techradar.com/sg/news/apple/computing/is-apple-to-launch-a-new-mac-mini-482672 |
Can Trump declare a national emergency to build a wall? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Five questions about Trump's border wall Donald Trump has warned that he could declare a "national emergency" on the US-Mexico border, where a row over the funding for his proposed wall has triggered a US government shutdown. Tapping into emergency presidential powers could enable Mr Trump to bypass Congress and access the money and resources needed to complete the project. A state of emergency is declared in times of crisis. In this case, Mr Trump says the crisis is being caused by migrants arriving on the US-Mexico border. According to Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program, declaring a national emergency gives the president "access to special powers that are contained in more than 100 other laws". Those powers effectively allow the president to bypass the usual political process. "Obviously, the intent is to provide for badly needed flexibility when there are urgent crisis which Congress does not have time to address," she explained. While both sides agree it is a problem, whether it constitutes an emergency is a point of debate. On the one hand, more than 2,000 people were turned away or arrested at the border each day during November alone. Supporters say this equals an emergency. Others argue the figure is far lower than a decade ago, and many of the thousands of people who travelled north from countries like Honduras are presenting themselves as asylum seekers, looking to enter the country legally. Ms Goitein, an expert on the president's emergency powers, does not believe it reaches the bar. "It needs to be something fast-moving, totally unforeseen," she argued. "It is meant to be a stopgap measure. "This is not such a thing and it would be a tremendous abuse of power to invoke just to short circuit the political process." She does, however, point to two sections of the law which Mr Trump - who aims to use the power to free up the money needed for the wall - could possibly use. One will allow the redirection of funds for military projects already approved by Congress. The other would require the administration to prove the wall amounts to a military construction. Neither, Ms Goitein notes, are a "slam dunk" for the president, who must cite one of the laws as the legal basis for his declaration. It is technically possible. However, Mr Trump's opponents and civil liberties groups are unlikely to submit to it without a fight. First of all, Congress could vote against the move. It is unclear. But Chris Stirewalt, the political editor of Fox News, the US channel which has thrown itself behind the border wall, said he could not see Congress allowing it to pass when asked about the situation on Monday. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Harry Truman, pictured in 1953, tried - unsuccessfully - to use the powers If it does get through, there is still the option of blocking the move through the courts - which is what happened when President Harry Truman tried to nationalise the steel industry during the Korean War, setting a legal precedent. As Adam Schiff, the House intelligence committee chairman, told CNN: "If Harry Truman couldn't nationalise the steel industry during wartime, this president doesn't have the power to declare an emergency and build a multibillion-dollar wall on the border." Surprisingly often. For example, Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, used it 13 times, while his predecessor George W Bush used it 12 times. If Mr Trump goes ahead with declaring a national emergency, it would be the fourth of his administration. Some uses were for issues like the H1N1 influenza epidemic, and have since ended. Others are more general and continue to this day, like blocking the property of people "engaging in significant malicious cyber-enabled activities". Perhaps the most well-known occasion a president used his powers was in the case of Franklin D Roosevelt, who used them to order the internment of more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans in the months after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour. George W Bush, meanwhile, used emergency powers to sign off wiretapping and controversial interrogation methods decried as torture following the 9/11 attacks, Ms Goitein said. Well, for a start it could mean the US has to find billions of dollars to pay for the wall in the not-too-distant future. Despite Mr Trump's earlier assurances, it doesn't seem like Mexico is about to offer up the cash. But it could also serve as a wake up call to Congress about the level of power granted to presidents through the 1976 National Emergencies Act. "All this shows is why the legislation cannot place such unfettered trust in a president," Ms Goitein said. | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46784315 |
Why do broadcasters use College Green? | MPs say they now fear for their personal safety when they go to be interviewed by the media on a green opposite the Houses of Parliament. For decades now, College Green has been used as a venue for broadcast interviews. For MPs, it has the advantage of being convenient - they simply have to stroll across the road from the House of Commons to be guaranteed a bigger audience for their views than they would ever get from speaking in the chamber. For broadcasters, College Green provides the all-important sense of being at the heart the action, and gives them access to a steady stream of willing interviewees. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Anti-Brexit demonstrator Steve Bray talks to officers on College Green It has traditionally been seen as a haven for backbenchers eager to get on the airwaves. Broadcast insiders call it the "honeypot" - MPs booked to do an interview by one outlet are collared by producers from rival outlets as soon as they come off air and ushered towards another microphone. Some MPs and ministers prefer to be interviewed in the more controlled, and less muddy, environment of the TV studio. Most broadcasters, including the BBC, have studios at Westminster, not far from College Green - where they can be interviewed "down the line" by presenters in another location. College Green has traditionally tended to be pressed into action on big Parliamentary occasions such as budgets or general elections. On really big occasions, the main evening news bulletins will be presented from an elevated platform on College Green, offering a commanding view of the Palace of Westminster all lit up at night for added drama. News presenters don't always have parliamentary passes, so hosting bulletins or news channel segments from within the building itself is not possible. But the extra space and freedom of the open-air studio makes the green a more desirable location anyway. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pro-Brexit demonstrators are also making their voice heard TV cameras were not allowed in the Commons chamber until 1998 - and broadcasters were allowed to film interviews with MPs in the building in only 2000, initially from a glass booth in the central lobby. Strict rules remain about where cameras can be placed. Filming on the green gives broadcasters more control, as well as allowing guests without parliamentary passes to take part in live debates. One thing the broadcasters can't control, of course, is what goes on in the back of their shots. Interruptions by placard-waving protesters are an occupational hazard for anyone filming outside Parliament. People have every right to stage protests - the roads and greens around Parliament are public rights of way - and, in normal times, there is little real friction. Brexit has changed that dynamic, however. The media has set up what is starting to feel like a permanent tented village, as the story continues to dominate the news bulletins. They might not broadcast from there every day but it has become a focal point for demonstrators. The site is now ringed by metal barriers and the police have increased their presence. The BBC has no plans to stop broadcasting from College Green but does not intend to report from there every day. A BBC spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with authorities and other broadcasters to ensure the safety of our reporters and interviewees at all times." The Parliamentary authorities have issued revised safety advice to MPs planning to take part in media interviews on the green. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Brexit protesters chant 'Nazi and scum' at Conservative MP Anna Soubry Most demonstrators - including the small group of anti-Brexit campaigners who set up their banners and flags outside Parliament every day and the pro-Brexit Leave Means Leave group who join them on occasions - are peaceful, although they have had occasional run-ins with the police and each other. The most dogged of the anti-Brexit protesters, Steve Bray, engages in a daily game of cat and mouse with the broadcasters as he tries to get his slogan in shot. In recent weeks, however, a more aggressive brand of demonstrators, from the pro-Brexit side, have started showing up to harangue and intimidate certain MPs as they make the short journey from the Commons to the green and back again. Commons Speaker John Bercow has described them, in a letter to the Metropolitan Police, as a "regular coterie of burly white men who are effectively targeting and denouncing members whom they recognise and dislike - most notably female and those from ethnic minority backgrounds". Journalists, such as the Guardian's Owen Jones, have also been targeted. Sky News's Kay Burley says she has been interviewed three times by police investigating alleged incidents of abuse amid "the chaos that is College Green at the moment". She told BBC Radio 5 Live she supported the right of people to protest but "it has become increasingly vile and aggressive and, yes, intimidating as well", specifically targeting anti-Brexit Conservative MP Anna Soubry, when she was on air. More than 100 MPs have now called on the Metropolitan Police to do more to protect MPs - the police say they are ready to "deal robustly" with any instances of criminal harassment but they have to "strike a balance" that allows for protesters to exercise their democratic rights. | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46795958 |
Should we say farewell to the Arctic's unique nature? | Most land areas in the Arctic are covered by tundra, but the beautiful and rich plant life is threatened by global warming. Credit: Shutterstock Temperatures are rising faster in the Arctic than any other place on Earth. If these changes continue, it is likely that the unique and diverse Arctic tundra will change into a more uniform vegetation dominated by shrubs. And such a change in vegetation could cause additional changes to local and perhaps even the global climate. I reached this conclusion during my Ph.D. by studying plants in Greenland and producing models of future plant communities, in collaboration with researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark, and the Swiss Federal Research Institute, Switzerland. Our results are now published in the Journal of Biogeography, and they show that when the climate changes, the conditions in Northeast Greenland will no longer be optimal for many of the unique Arctic species that live here. Unique Arctic tundra Most land in the Arctic is covered by tundra a unique composition of small low growing herbs, grasses, mosses, and lichens, as well as a few dwarf shrubs that have developed due to the permanently frozen soil (permafrost) and a very short growth season. The arctic bluegrass almost shimmers like northern lights in yellow-green, turquoise, and blue-lilac colours. The nodding campion points cheerfully with its bloated striped sepals, while the arctic bell-heather's fine white bells collect the morning dew. The yellow marsh saxifrage shines in competition with the midnight sun, and the red-tipped lousewort stretches its flaming flowers towards the great open sky. These small and seemingly fragile flowers have adapted to survive in a climate where the annual average temperature is below zero, where the soil is permanently frozen, and there is total darkness for up to six months of the year. Diverse Arctic vegetation. From top left: White cottongrass, cushion pink, white bluegrass, dwarf fireweed, alpine bluegrass, northern catchfly, bearberries, cinquefoils, Arctic white heather, fringed sandwort, red rattle, Arctic willow, purple saxifrage, mountain aven, yellow rockfoil. Credit: Lrke Stewart These plants have defied all reason and create the foundation for a whole ecosystem in the far north. White Arctic hares, playing Arctic foxes, buzzing insects, grazing muskoxen, small snow buntings, and majestic snowy owls, are just some of the species that are dependent on the Arctic vegetation. A changing world This whole ecosystem is in danger of change when the temperature rises. But climate change does not only affect the temperature. The amounts of snow and rain also change and the permafrost becomes less stable. These conditions cause the water content of the soil to change. Temperature, soil moisture, and the amount of snow are all vital for the survival of the tundra plants. Each and every one has adapted to grow under certain temperatures, snow, and water levels. When these conditions change, it could lead to species that are adapted to the Arctic climate no longer able to survive, while other Arctic species can expand their range northwards. Fieldwork in the world's greatest national park Hoping to find answers to this question, I took the long journey north several years in a row to one of the most deserted land areas on Earththe northeastern part of Greenland. Lrke Stewart, the author of this article, collecting data in Northeast Greenland. Credit: Lrke Stewart Here the tundra extends across the world's largest national park. Deep in the middle, lies a small research station where international scientists are developing a deep understanding of all the components of an Arctic ecosystem and how they interact. I spent several summers here collecting data on plant distribution, measuring the soil's water content and temperature, and using data collected at the research station of snow distribution. Once home, all these data were analysed and transformed into statistical models. From diversity to uniformity The results showed that changing climatic conditions will mean that this area of Northeast Greenland is no longer optimal for many of the unique species that currently live here. On the other hand, there will be optimal conditions for a few species of dwarf shrubs that can easily spread and outcompete the smaller herbs and grasses. If the climate continues to change, it is likely that the unique and diverse Arctic tundra landscape will change to a more uniform vegetation, dominated by shrubs as shown in the photo below. Changing Arctic vegetation can reinforce climate change Such a change in vegetation will have a great impact on the local ecosystem and for all of the species that live here. If this change is representative of other parts of the Arctic, it will lead to additional climate changes. The structure of the plant communities influence the water balance, how the snow is distributed in the landscape, the permafrost, the amount of solar radiation that is reflected into the atmosphere and how much is absorbed by the soil. All these factors together affect the climate. A warmer Arctic, where the current diverse vegetation is taken over by dwarf shrubs, will not only lead to a world poorer in many of the unique species that are adapted to the Arctic climate, but potentially also reinforce global warming. Explore further: Taller plants moving into Arctic because of climate change More information: Laerke Stewart et al. Forecasted homogenization of high Arctic vegetation communities under climate change, Journal of Biogeography (2018). DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13434 | https://phys.org/news/2019-01-farewell-arctic-unique-nature.html |
Did Chris Messinas New Blonde Do Take Him From Danny to Daddy? | As the saying goes: New year, new doand celebrities take that really seriously. Whether theyre re-inventing themselves for a role, post-baby, pre-wedding or just pulling a Kylie Jenner (a.k.a. changing their hair colour the way some people change underwear), celebs from the A to Z list are sure to make some big hair decisions in 2019. And we cant wait. Kicking things off, two celeb new hair transformations at the Golden Globes 2019 red carpet caught our eyeand blew up our timeline. Yes, were talking about Chris Messina and Mother Monster herself. Here is the low down on their new looks and stay tuned (and make sure to save for your stylist) as we continue to update the best celeb hairstyles of 2019. Chris Messina Actor Chris Messina (of The Mindy Project and Sharp Objects fame) surprised fans at the 2019 Golden Globes, stepping out with platinum locks. With his new look, the normally brunette actor joins a growing list of celebs, including Kylie Jenner, Hilary Duff and Pete Davidson, testing out the theory that blondes have more fun. The moment Messina walked out on the carpet, the internet was shook, and hella thirsty. Some people in the FLARE office were in full support of Messinas golden locks, saying that dear sexy Danny can pull off anything. Others were convinced that this is the look of a Zayn Malik-inspired mid-life crisis. According to a tweet by Good Morning America producer Tony Morrison, Messinas switch up is most likely work related. The actor is set to star in the upcoming DC film Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) as villain Victor Zsasz. If thats the case, lets just say he makes being bad look real good. Lady Gaga Were gaga over this look! The A Star Is Born actor opted for a bold new do for her first walk on the Golden Globes red carpet, taking her normally blonde mane from frosted to frosty blue. Never one to shy away from a bold fashion statement, the singer matched her new blue locks to her periwinkle gown, which gave everyone major Judy Garland vibes, completing a head-to-toe look worthy of a star. Related: The Best Celebrity Hairstyles of 2018 All the Best Looks on the Golden Globes 2019 Red Carpet When Kendall Was Accused of Wearing and Afro + Other Dubious Kardashian Decisions | https://www.flare.com/beauty/celebrity-hairstyles-2019/ |
Is Roma echt veel beter in de bios? | Roma, de veelgeprezen autobiografische film van de Mexicaanse regisseur Alfonso Cuarn, kan een zichzelf respecterende filmliefhebber in gewetensnood brengen. De film is momenteel te zien op Netflix, die de film voor zon 20 miljoen dollar heeft gefinancierd, en draait tegelijk in zon twintig bioscopen. Natuurlijk komt de film gedraaid in majestueus zwart-wit het best tot zijn recht in de bioscoopzaal. De verleiding is levensgroot om de film toch maar thuis aan te klikken vanaf de bank. Wie de proef op de som neemt en Roma twee keer bekijkt eerst in een goed geoutilleerde bioscoop en vervolgens thuis op een eenvoudige laptop kan tot verrassende conclusies komen. Het beeld blijft eigenlijk verrassend goed overeind voor de thuiskijker. Cuarns zwenkende, kalme en lange shots en zijn lucide, kraakheldere belichting blijven imposant. Maar van het geluid van Roma blijft niet zoveel over. Cuarn maakte gebruik van het Dolby Atmos-systeem en kan daardoor in bioscoopzaal het geluid van alle kanten laten komen. Het indringende, soms extreme geluidsontwerp vormt een essentieel contrapunt bij de objectiverende visuele stijl van de film. Vrijwel niemand heeft een geluidsysteem in huis dat kan tippen aan een goede bioscoop. Je kunt Roma thuis dus wel heel behoorlijk zien, maar niet horen. De verschillen gaan verder. Roma is een film met twee gezichten. Voor Cuarn is de film een zeer persoonlijke onderneming. De film verwijst niet alleen met de titel, maar ook met de nodige surrealistische momenten naar het werk van Federico Fellini: de uitvinder van de persoonlijke, autobiografische film. Cuarn reconstrueerde minutieus zijn ouderlijk huis in de vroege jaren zeventig. De film gaat over de lotgevallen van het dienstmeisje dat hem opvoedde ze heet Cleo in de film en de echtscheiding van zijn ouders. Tegelijkertijd kijkt hij bijna met de onderkoelde, analytische blik van een historicus naar zijn eigen verleden en het verleden van zijn land: de kloof tussen arm en rijk, de echtscheidingsgolf die in de jaren zeventig de wereld overspoelde, het contrast tussen stad en platteland, het bloedbad dat rechtse knokploegen bij een studentendemonstratie in Mexico-Stad aanrichtten in 1971. Cruciaal is dat hij voor het perspectief koos van Cleo, en niet alleen zijn eigen ervaringen als kind centraal laat staan. Roma zoekt steeds een balans tussen de geschiedenis en het intieme, alledaagse gezinsleven. Omdat de epische kant van Roma de grote geschiedenis beter tot zijn recht komt op een bioscoopscherm. De kijker krijgt dan meer mee van wat Cuarn allemaal in zijn lange, gecompliceerde shots wil laten zien. Maar de tederheid en intimiteit van de dagelijkse omgang tussen Cleo en het gezin voor wie ze werkt komt thuis beter over het voetlicht. De intimiteit van de eigen omgeving versterkt het intieme karakter van de film. Roma is in de bioscoop een andere film dan thuis. Peter de Bruijn is filmrecensent | https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2019/01/08/is-roma-echt-veel-beter-in-de-bios-a3157752 |
Could human remains found near an abandoned truck stop in Colorado be Kelsey Berreth? | Locals stumbled across human remains near an abandoned truck stop the day before Kelsey Berreth's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against their daughter's fianc Patrick Frazee. On Monday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Department of Public Safety reveled they were investigating body parts discovered near the town of Aguilar on Sunday. The Las Animas County Sheriffs Office (LACSO) received a call from people walking near exit 34 on Interstate 25 just after 3pm, which prompted the CBI Crime Scene Response team to process the area located 20 miles north of Trinidad. On Monday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Department of Public Safety was investigating remains discovered near the town of Aguilar on Sunday. Her partner Patrick Frazee remained in jail Locals stumbled across human remains near an abandoned truck stop. Cops got a call from people walking near exit 34 on Interstate 25 just after 3pm A coroner was working to identify the remains and determine a cause of death by Tuesday afternoon. Monday's news came as Frazee was served notice that a complaint had been filed by Cheryl and Darrell Berreth claiming he 'enacted physical, mental, and emotional acts of violence upon Kelsey Berreth prior to her death.' The complaint goes on to state that 'when Frazee acted as either the perpetrator or accessory to the murder of Kelsey Berreth, Frazee breached the duty of care with which a reasonable person should conduct himself toward another human being.' The Berreths, who currently have temporary custody of their daughter's 15-month-old child with Frazee, are demanding a jury trial to determine 'compensatory and general damages, interest from the date of Kelsey Berreths death', as provided by law.' They have retained Perry Sanders to represent them in the case, the same man who represented Katherine Jackson after the death of her son Michael. The body of their daughter Kelsey has not yet officially been found, and it is still unclear how she may have been killed. Broken family: Cheryl and Darrell Berreth are suing Patrick Frazee for the death of their daughter Kelsey, who was last seen on November 22 (the Berreths above in 2014) Down to business: They have hired Perry Sanders, the same who represented Katherine Jackson (above with Sanders in 2011) after the death of her son Michael Frazee will not be in court again until February, but there were a few new developments in the case last week. This included a friend of Patrick Frazee, whose granddaughter was a frequent playmate of the accused killer's daughter Kaylee, shared details about his relationship with Berreth. Tamra Freeman told CNN that Frazee and Berreth had split back on New Year's Day in 2018, just three months after the couple welcomed daughter Kaylee. That contradicts comments made by Berreth's aunt suggesting that her niece had broken up with Frazee on November 22, the day she was last seen in public. Authorities have since charged Frazee with first-degree murder despite the fact that Berreth's body and remains have yet to be found. Frazee was in court on Thursday for a custody hearing regarding his daughter Kaylee, and both his mother Sheila and sister Erin stood by his side in a show of support. The two women were seen exiting the courthouse, and did not stop to speak with any of the media assembled outside. Frazee also has an older brother Sean who is a law enforcement officer with the El Paso Sheriff's Office. Frazee was served notice of the complaint (above) on Monday while awaiting trial at the Teller County Jail At the same time, a woman from Idaho has reportedly become a person of interest in the investigation. Two individuals who have worked with that Idaho woman - who is being investigated for disposing of Kelsey Berreth's cell phone- say that she and Frazee had been in a romantic relationship for months. DailyMail.com spoke with two people who know the nurse professionally, and they both said that they had been told that Frazee was having an affair with the woman. The woman, who DailyMail.com identified as Krystal Lee last week, was divorced from her husband a few years back, they explained, and had met Frazee at a rodeo. Neither of those individuals knew exactly when the relationship started, but they believed it could have been as early as 2016 - prior to the birth of Frazee's daughter with Kelsey Berreth. One of the the people DailyMail.com spoke with also said that the nurse was in Colorado around Thanksgiving. That would explain how Frazee was able to get the cell phone to Idaho while never leaving the state. It was reported last month that police in Idaho had discovered information pertaining to the missing mom's cell phone. Her parents currently have temporary custody of her daughter's 15-month-old child Kaylee with Patrick Frazee (left) The Twin Falls Police Department revealed that officers from the force played a role in the investigation by obtaining search warrants and examining evidence in the case. Berreth's cell phone pinged off a tower in Gooding, Idaho, on November 25, three days after she went missing and around the same time her employer received a text stating that she would not be in for work that week. The location it pinged is about 800 miles from where Berreth was last seen. The complaint filed by prosecutors stated that Frazee had plotted the murder of Berreth with at least one other individual in the three months before she went missing. They claim that the investigation has yielded enough evidence to suggest the two ways in which the 29-year-old mother was killed by her fiance. The three counts of Solicitation to Commit Murder in the First Degree all state that 'between and including September 1, 2018 and November 1, 2018, Patrick Frazee unlawfully and feloniously commanded, induced, entreated, or otherwise attempted to persuade another person to commit the felony of murder in the first degree'. That would have been just a few months after Berreth purchased a home in Woodland Park for her and infant daughter Kaylee. She spent $184,900 on a two-bedroom property about 15 miles away from the ranch where Frazee lived with his mother despite the fact that the two were engaged. That home is where authorities believe Berreth was murdered on or around November 22. Berreth was last seen at a Safeway store in Woodland Park on Thanksgiving. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6569847/Could-human-remains-near-abandoned-truck-stop-Colorado-Kelsey-Berreth.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 |
Wheres my house? | Almost 30 years ago, in 1989, the CDA held computerised ballot for the allotment of plots in Islamabads Sector E12/4 to the public. It issued allotment letters to the successful applicants in October, 1990. Applicants who were 40-year-old then are now in the last phase of their life, while several have died, but the sector is yet to be constructed. Since 1989, numerous housing societies have been established in the country, but the relevant authorities didnt think of handing over the land to those declared successful in the E12/4 sector balloting. One thing is common among past and present Pakistani governments: no one likes to give priority to the problems faced by law-abiding citizens. Malik T Ali Lahore | https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/415933-where-s-my-house |
Can Trump declare a national emergency on his wall? | The Trump administration is weighing using a national emergency declaration to circumvent Congress and the budget stalemate and force construction of the presidents long-promised southern border wall. Were looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency, President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday amid stalled negotiations. He said during a press conference Friday that he would prefer to win the money hes demanding via Congress, but could absolutely call an emergency and build it very quickly. Such a move would be a dramatic escalation of the current showdown, which has forced a partial government shutdown thats now in its third week. The administration has spent months trying to figure out how the president might be able to move forward with the wall the central promise of his 2016 campaign if Congress refuses to give him the money. As early as last March, Trump was publicly floating the idea of using the military for the task. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M! he tweeted then. But its Congress not the president that controls the countrys purse strings and must appropriate money he wants to spend. Enter the emergency declaration, an option the White House counsels office is currently reviewing. Among the laws Trump could turn to is Section 2808 of the Title 10 U.S. Code pertaining to military construction. According to the statute, if the president declares an emergency that requires use of the armed forces, the Defense secretary may undertake military construction projects, and may authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to undertake military construction projects, not otherwise authorized by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces. Pentagon budget officials are analyzing the 2019 construction budget to determine how many unobligated dollars would be available to use for the wall if Trump settles on a declaration. Under the provision, only those construction budget funds that are not already obligated to other construction projects could be used for the wall. There are more than 100 such provisions giving the president access to special powers in emergencies. And Congress has typically afforded the president broad authority to determine what constitutes an emergency and what does not, said Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Absolutely its an abuse of power for the president to declare a national emergency when none exists and to use it to try to get around the democratic process, she said. Such a move is sure to spark a flood of legal challenges questioning the presidents authority as well as whether the situation at the border really constitutes an emergency. Trump has been trying to press that case in recent days, insisting the situation qualifies as a security and humanitarian crisis. Hell also run into other questions. The problem for the Trump administration is that border security is fundamentally a law enforcement issue that does not require the use of the military, said Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, via email. So I think they would be on shaking legal ground trying to use emergency authorities this way, and it is almost certain that they would end up in court. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it would be inappropriate for Trump to use Section 2808. We are not at war with Mexico, and the proposed border wall has no core (Defense Department) function. Indeed, the Pentagons most recent National Defense Strategy doesnt mention the southern border as a national defense priority, said Reed, D-R.I. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, speaking on CNN, said that even if Trump could declare an emergency, it would be a huge mistake. There clearly is no national emergency. But they asked me, Can he do it? Yeah he can. It would be wrong, it would be horrible policy and Im totally and completely against it. But from a legal standpoint he can do it, said Smith, D-Wash. He and others agreed that any declaration would surely be challenged in court. Its unclear. Back when Trump dispatched active-duty troops to the southern border ahead of the midterm elections in what critics panned as a politically-motivated abuse of power, he described the situation as a national emergency, but never signed an official proclamation. But Trump is now under growing pressure to find a way to end the shutdown without appearing as though hes caved on the wall. Trump needs to use every tool available to him as the commander-in-chief of our armed services to go and enforce our laws by putting the military on our southern border, by having them build the wall if they need to, his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski urged on Fox News. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president remains prepared to do what it takes to protect our borders, to protect the people of this country. Were looking and exploring every option available that the president has, she said. ___ Associated Press National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report. ___ Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj _______________________________________________________ Copyright 2018 Capitol Hill Blue Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Google Like this: Like Loading... | https://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/75675 |
What ever happened to the Selena Gomez look-alike of Sinulog 2017? | Cebu City, Philippines Gerhicka Carcueva created a buzz online in the 2017 edition of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan. The lead dancer of Tribu Ginatilanon from the Municipality of Ginatilan, southwestern Cebu rose to fame for her striking resemblance to international singer and actress Selena Gomez. The Cebuana-Swiss Carcueva, now 19 years old, is currently concentrating on her studies and on her modelling stint under B&B Models Cebu. Carcueva said not much changed since 2017. I can not say that there are changes in my life since then. I just grew older, I guess, she told Cebu Daily News Digital. Carcueva is taking up Bachelor of Science (BS) in Airline Management at the Indiana Aerospace University in Lapu-Lapu City. Nice and peaceful Apart from her balanced features that make her a promising model, Carcueva is actually doing good in school. As a matter of fact, last semester, she was on the Deans List. And despite her online popularity, Carcueva revealed that she has ironically taken a break from social media. In summer of 2018, she deactivated all her social media accounts. She recently reactivated it but only for school purposes. Napul-an lang siguro. I thought I needed time sad for myself nga walay mang judge and all, she said. It is nice and peaceful. If dili pa lang needed sa school, I am sure inactive pa ko until now, she said. /bjo | https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/211410/what-ever-happened-to-the-selena-gomez-look-alike-of-sinulog-2017 |
Are Democrats Beginning To Turn On Mueller? | Some congressional Democrats appear concerned that special counsel Robert S. Mueller isnt being thorough enough in his investigation into President Donald Trump. Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff, Muellers No. 1 defender on Capitol Hill, believes Mueller could decline an investigation into the presidents businesses, he told the Los Angeles Times editorial board. One issue of particular interest to Democrats, Schiff said Monday, was the ongoing negotiations between Trumps allies and representatives from the Russian government over a skyscraper in Moscow during the 2016 election. (RELATED: Schiff Says Trump May Face The Very Real Prospect Of Jail Time) Anyone who engaged in anything like that, anything remotely like that, would never get a security clearance, but this is the president of the United States, Schiff told the LA Times. If the financial entanglement goes beyond that, and includes money laundering and criminal activity that the Russians could expose at a time and place of their choosing, thats compromising. The California representative later expressed concern that Mueller may not be looking at this, and said that House Democrats may have to take up the cause. These concerns could also be why a number of Democrats are supporting impeachment proceedings against Trump before the release of Muellers final report. Democratic Reps. Al Green of Texas and Steve Cohen of Tennessee said on Jan. 3 they would reintroduce articles of impeachment against the president, accusing him of obstructing justice. Other Democrats, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, told CNN on Jan. 4 that members of his party would not wait for Mueller to release his final report before beginning their own investigations. Despite the presidents criticisms of the special counsels investigation, there remains no evidence that Mueller has received resistance from the White House. Yet Democrats have placed a tremendous amount of political capital into the idea Mueller will eventually uncover damning information that would prove Trump, or those in his inner circle, colluded with the Russian government to change the outcome of the 2016 election. Should that not happen, the president would seem at least partially vindicated in his attacks on Muellers investigation. Democrats, particularly those in the House, have good reason to start their own investigations into the presidents business dealings in order to keep up the pressure should Mueller eventually clear him in his final report. As the investigation continues, Democrats may also feel pressure to deliver some sort of smoking gun. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who has generally deferred to the special counsel, recently implied some restlessness among Democrats. We wont interfere, Pelosi told Politico in October. We shouldnt. We wont. But we do have to have one thing that we should all agree on: the truth for the American people and where the truth leads us is another thing. Follow Joe on Twitter. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. | https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/08/democrats-turn-on-mueller/ |
Will Trump Declare a National Emergency Tonight To Build Wall? | President Trump will address the nation tonight at 9 p.m. to discuss the crisis at the border, and perhaps discuss a forthcoming declaration of a national emergency that would enable the administration to build a border wall without help from Congress. Open-borders Democrats have refused to fund a wall to stop the illegal-alien invasion that shows no signs of abating, which led to a government shutdown now in its 17th day. The president says inaction must end, and has, for weeks, threatened an emergency declaration. And, undoubtedly, the radical Left is preparing lawsuits to declare any presidential action to defend the country either unlawful, unconstitutional, or both. Address at 9 I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern, the president tweeted yesterday. Trump will likely reiterate what he has said since he began campaigning for president: Its time to close the border with Mexico to the tens of thousands of illegals who cross every year. Open-borders leftists in Congress, of course, dont see the illegal-alien invasion as a crisis. To them, its an opportunity to import future Democratic voters who will change the demographic balance of the country and cement leftist control for the foreseeable future. Thus, they oppose building a wall, and wont give Trump the money he needs for it. Thats why the government shut down, and Trump will probably reiterate that point tonight. Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen met with intransigent Democrats yesterday to resolve the impasse. They wasted their time. And hoping to convince Americans that open borders are a good thing, that tens of thousands of illiterate, unhealthy, and unemployed migrants crossing the border to file bogus asylum claims helps the country, Democrats demanded, and received, equal time on the networks. Now that the television networks have decided to air the Presidents address, which if his past statements are any indication will be full of malice and misinformation, Democrats must immediately be given equal airtime, the leftist pair wrote. Yes, Its a Crisis at the Border Opinions are mixed about the presidents power to declare a national emergency and build the wall with money Congress OKd for other purposes. The fundamental principle is that no president or official may spend funds that were not appropriated for that purpose, legal scholar William Banks told the Times. But I think that its possible that the president could declare a national emergency and then rely on authority Congress has historically granted for exigencies to free up some funds to support constructing a barrier along the border. As well, the Times reported, even if the president faces a court challenge, the administration might argue that Congress has effectively preapproved a wall-like barrier under other laws, including one that authorizes the military to construct border fences blocking drug-smuggling corridors, and another, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, that empowers the Department of Homeland Security to build physical infrastructure enhancements along the border. The presidents powers and leftist lawfare regardless, the bigger question is whether illegal immigration is a crisis. The open-borders Left in Congress and the media say no, for obvious reasons. They the number has decreased far down from its peak of nearly two decades ago, as the Times put it. And technically, the Times is right that the recent caravans from Central America primarily consist of migrants who are not trying to sneak across the border but instead are presenting themselves to border officials and requesting asylum. But regardless of what the numbers were two decades ago or what recent caravans include now, illegals still flood the country at unimaginable rates. In the first two months of fiscal 2019, as the data to which the Times points show, border agents collared 102,857 illegals crossing the Southwest border between legal ports of entry. In fiscal 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement collared 158,581 illegals, 66 percent of whom had criminal convictions, 21 percent had pending criminal charges, and three percent had previously issued final orders. Removals increased about 13 percent to 256,086. Fifty-seven percent were convicted criminals, and 5,914 of the removed illegal aliens were either known or suspected gang members or terrorists. So ICE fights a never-ending battle against trying to deport illegal-alien criminals. As well, those migrants so beloved of the Left have twice rushed the border, using women and children as human shields, and sanctuary states and localities are protecting illegal-alien criminals who murder cops and American citizens. Image: idesignimages via iStock / Getty Images Plus | https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/31135-will-trump-declare-a-national-emergency-tonight-to-build-wall |
Whats going on with Deltas Comfort Plus? | Carrier reverses course on extra-legroom seats Delta's new Airbus A350s will eventually be refitted with Comfort+ seating. Delta's new Airbus A350s will eventually be refitted with Comfort+ seating. 1 / 17 Back to Gallery TravelSkills on SFGate is brought to you by Visa . Delta's more-legroom Comfort Plus (Comfort+) seat is getting a new lease on life in Delta's international fleet, which is causing some confusion among customers. When Delta rolled out its first Airbus A350-900 in late 2017, the long-haul wide-body was positioned as the introduction of the airline's new international in-flight product, including a Delta One cabin with passenger suites, a new premium economy option called Premium Select, and regular economy seating but no more extra-legroom Comfort+ seats in the front of the economy cabin. Now that plan has changed, with Comfort+ coming back to Delta's international fleet. The airline has been working on a refit of its 777 fleet to match the new international product of the A350s, but it said this week that the overhauled 777s will now offer "all four branded seat products," including Comfort+. (Comfort+ seats are regular economy seats with more legroom; Premium Select seats are true premium economy- a larger, wider seat and section.) When it first announced the 777 refit last year, Delta said the aircraft would come out of it with Delta One suites and the new Premium Select cabin, and would retain nine-across seating in the main cabin but made no mention of Comfort+. This week, however, the carrier said "Delta Comfort+ will be added to the four 777s already modified, and the remaining 14 777s will embark on their four-seat product transformation in 2019." A Delta official confirmed to SFGate that the airline is indeed changing course from its earlier decision to drop Comfort+ from its widebodies. "While Delta Premium Select continues to be very popular, we recognize that offering Delta Comfort+ in addition to Delta Premium Select will meet a greater number of customer needs," she said. The spokesperson added: "Our goal is for every widebody in Delta's fleet to be fitted with all four seat products by 2021 including the A350s." Delta said the first modified 777s with all four seating options will be available for sale this week for flights beginning March 1 from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Tokyo Haneda, Atlanta to Tokyo Narita, Minneapolis-St. Paul to Paris, and Atlanta to Paris. That will be followed by reconfigured 777s flying between MSP and Seoul as of April 1, and Los Angeles-Sydney starting April 5. Photo: Tim Jue Delta A350 regular economy class- bulkhead and exit row seats are... While Delta's Comfort+ seats offer extra legroom, they are a step down from the Premium Select product, which provides more personal space (seating is eight-across vs. nine in economy) and upgraded in-flight amenities and service. Delta may have decided that Comfort+ needed a place in its long-haul fleet if it wants to remain competitive with rivals American and United. Both of those airlines have also introduced a premium economy section in their widebody fleets, but they are retaining the extra-legroom option in the economy cabins American's Main Cabin Extra and United's Economy Plus. Don't Miss: United's purple Premium Plus seat now on sale For example, United's brand-new 787-10 Dreamliners, which entered service for the first time this week on the LAX-Newark route, have 44 fully-reclining Polaris seats in the front cabin along with 21 seven-across Premium Plus premium economy seats, 54 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats and 199 regular economy seats. (United will start flying 787-10s between San Francisco and Newark next month, and on select transatlantic routes out of Newark this spring.) American's premium economy cabin is now available in A330-200s, some 777-200s, 777-300ERs and 787-9s, according to Seatguru.com, but they also still offer Main Cabin Extra seating in economy. Meanwhile, there seems to be a bit of initial confusion about booking Delta's four-class 777s for travel starting in March. One reader told us: "They released information that the four classes can now be booked, but in the new grouping (not sure which class), you can't book through typical channels (on line specifically). There is a way to do it for now, but until they change it, you have to book one class, then upgrade by calling or something." The Delta official confirmed that for now, Comfort+ seats on the overhauled 777s "must currently be purchased via the seat map on delta.com or as a post-purchase upgrade." She said the airline "is now investing in the work needed to display Delta Comfort+ and Delta Premium Select on the same aircraft, which is expected to be visible later this year alongside next-gen delta.com upgrades." Tell us what you think about it in the comments. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at [email protected] or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. | https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Delta-Comfort-plus-13515402.php |
Will new allergy treatments quiet the fears of sworn peanut avoiders like me? | This is a Kaiser Health News story. Whenever I see a report touting possible new peanut allergy treatments, I devour it. I cant help it. Its an occupational hazard for any health journalist whose reporting specialty and medical history intertwine. I write about the business of health care, focusing on how consumers interact with the system what we pay, what we get and why American care costs so much. But in this particular instance, I have another kind of authority: 26 years of life-threatening allergies to nuts and peanuts. Aimmune is just one company eyeing the prize. Childhood peanut allergy diagnoses increased more than 20 percent in the United States from 2010 to 2017. The global market for relief is worth as much as $2 billion. The French drugmaker DBV Technologies is also working to commercialize a peanut allergy patch. Other companies, including industry giant Sanofi, are following their lead. If any one of them succeeds, it could change my life. My friends call nuts Shefali poison. My allergies first surfaced when, as a 15-month-old, I picked Thai noodles off an aunts plate and developed hives on my face, and then a few months later when I tasted my moms kaju barfi an Indian dessert with cashews and ended up in the hospital. Nobody in my family had ever heard of peanut allergies. Ive carried epinephrine since I was 7 years old. My friends are trained to inject it in my leg, the standard procedure for an emergency allergen exposure. though I luckily havent had to take a shot of it since I was 4. (Another child in my Montessori class had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.) My mom also recalls another incident when she had to pick me up early from day care because the class was making peanut butter bird feeders. And I spent too many years of pre-adolescence eating lunch at the designated peanut-free table. Now, I can only dream of flying to visit my parents for Christmas without worrying about whether my seatmates snacks might induce anaphylaxis. And yes, kissing someone who has just eaten peanut butter would put my life in danger. I approached the question as I would any other assignment. I read the research, called immunologists, and spoke with economists and drug pricing experts about whether these treatments offer meaningful benefit. One of the first things I heard: We are still in the infancy of these treatments, said Dr. Corinne Keet, a pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins University. Courtesy the Luthra Family Medically, theres a lot we dont know about the risks, how much these drugs could help and how long any effects would last. None of these treatments have been shown to prevent fatal reaction, Keet emphasized. The idea behind them is to desensitize people. Aimmunes peanut pill is modeled on the oral therapies some specialists use to wean allergic kids back on to nuts. This approach has gained popularity in recent years, especially for children with multiple allergies, or when its a substance particularly hard to avoid. A colleagues young daughter, who was born with multiple allergies, used that very treatment, as did a younger cousin of mine who, for the first several years of her life, was allergic to not joking almost everything but fruits and vegetables. In my case, this therapy came into vogue after I was too old to have a good chance of it weakening my sensitivities. How it works: Kids ingest tiny, escalating doses of peanut protein. They then stay on peanut protein Aimmune recommends the pill, though other doctors I spoke to suggested a little bit of peanut as a maintenance drug. But its unclear how much the new therapies would improve upon that ad hoc oral immunotherapy allergists are already offering. Instead of drugs, they use store-bought peanut protein, usually de-fatted peanut flour available online for as little as $1 a pound. This method isnt approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and often isnt covered by insurance though doctors visits can be billed as food challenges or other visits that are typically covered. In contrast, Aimmunes product is expected to cost between $5,000 and $10,000 for the first six months of use, and $300 to $400 per month after. Analysts predict DBVs will cost more than $6,000 for a years supply, though the company says it has not yet determined a price. DBV, Aimmunes chief rival, has come up with a wearable skin patch that would transmit tiny, desensitizing protein doses. It declined to estimate a price, but it does not view oral immunotherapy as a competitor, said Joseph Becker, a company spokesman. Theres excitement, theres caution and a lot of unanswered questions, warned Dr. Erwin Gelfand, a pediatrics and immunology professor at the University of Colorado. According to Aimmunes results, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, two-thirds of allergic children could ingest 600 milligrams of peanut without harm after going through treatment. To be clear, even with Aimmunes help, someone like me still couldnt safely eat PB&J. But it would desensitize me enough that I could taste a friends wine even if he recently ate pad thai. Still, the treatment comes with caveats. While 496 children started the trial, only 372 completed it. Of the 20 percent who backed out, half did so because of adverse events. About 14 percent of kids getting treatment still had to take epinephrine, and one experienced anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that can involve rashes, vomiting, a tightening throat and difficulty breathing. (For an allergic kid, even the possibility is maybe one of the most terrifying things you can imagine.) Children who completed the regimen still had to take small doses of peanut protein daily, either the Aimmune drug or a controlled peanut serving. Statistically significant benefits were clear only in patients through age 17, though Dr. Daniel Adelman, the companys chief medical officer, said Aimmune plans to do a follow-up trial for adults. And the results dont indicate who is likely to benefit, or how long improvements would last. Thats impossible to know, Adelman said, though he suggested accidental peanut exposure is scary enough and pure avoidance ineffective enough that the treatment is still worth it. But all this means that anyone who has gone through Aimmunes regimen would still want to carry epinephrine, and try to avoid peanuts. Not everybody responds well, Gelfand said. When you factor in those details, the results are not all that impressive, he argued. Dr. Tina Sindher, a pediatric allergist at Stanford University, pointed out that the Aimmune pill is a repackaged, clinically tested version of that homegrown oral therapy many allergists have already been using. DBVs peanut patch, Viaskin, to a lesser extent, is the same more convenient, perhaps, and more regulated, but still a variation on the existing medical approach. This concept has been around for a long time, she said. Whats new is the addition of labor, standardization and federal oversight which companies then say demonstrates increased value. It highlights a pattern Ive noticed from my reporting: Drugmakers develop medication that refines a low-tech remedy, run a clinical trial to secure FDA approval, and then sell it at a higher price. For pharma, its a logical way to profit. But it puts patients in a bind. The hard outcome is we have these new products and theyre just about as good or slightly better than what we have, said Nicholson Price, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School, who studies drug pricing. The closest authority I know: my mother, who raised me with peanut allergies when they were more or less unheard of, and is now doing it all over again for my 10-year-old brother. (My other brother, my twin, was allergy-free until about a year ago.) Its not worth it, my mom told me. Getting any of us to maintain a peanut dose without knowing how long that reduced sensitivity would last could induce what she called a false sense of security. This thinking isnt out of line, Sindher suggested. The way these studies are touted, she said, often gloss over the fact that theres a lot we dont know. So for now, Ill have to maintain my distance from the newsroom stash of Reeses Pieces. My epinephrine and I arent parting ways anytime soon. KHNs coverage of childrens health care issues is supported in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation. Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. | https://abcnews.go.com/Health/allergy-treatments-quiet-fears-sworn-peanut-avoiders/story?id=60233324 |
Is Microsoft going to invest in Pakistan? | Looks like Microsoft is interested in investing in Pakistan. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Microsoft Corporation Founder Bill Gates wrote that Microsoft could look for investment opportunities in Pakistan. Bill Gates Foundation President Chris Elias called on PM Khan on Tuesday and handed over the letter to him. The Bill Gates Foundation will continue to invest in efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan, the letter read. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been helping Pakistans polio eradication programme for years. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was also present on the occasion. Related: Bill Gates calls PM Imran Khan but doesnt talk about chickens or eggs Both the visiting dignitaries appreciated efforts of government of Pakistan in eradicating polio from the country, saying that they want to see Pakistan polio-free in the future. A month ago, billionaire philanthropist Gates had called PM Khan and discussed the steps the government had taken to eradicate polio from the country. The prime ministers focal person on polio eradication, Babar Atta, had said that the premier told Gates that traces of polio virus had been found in three cities Karachi, Peshawar and Chaman, a town near the Pak-Afghan border. PM Khan had also told Gates that the government is facing some difficulties eradicating polio due to the movement of people between Pakistan and Afghanistan but that his government is working on a new strategy to counter this. Gates appreciated PM Khans anti-polio efforts. During the 30-minute conversation, the two also discussed how technology can be used to increase the effectiveness of polio eradication, said Atta. The issue of poverty alleviation also came under discussion. | https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/01/is-microsoft-going-to-invest-in-pakistan/ |
How Many Silly Voices Will Tom Hardy Try in *Venom 2*? | The sequel is officially a go. Variety reports that there's probably going to be a new director in the mix though, as Ruben Fleischer is finally getting underway on that Zombieland sequel we all definitely want and asked for. The real mystery, though, remains just how many wild voices Tom Hardy is going to try out for the sequel. There could be a scene in which Eddie, intrepid journalist that he is, has to do an accent to butter up a lead. Maybe Venom can dress up in a big trench coat and try to get into an R-rated movie, posing as a hulking older gentleman. These are very much just first draft ideas, but if Sony is interested in seeing where this goes, I am available for script consultant work. | https://www.gq.com/story/how-many-silly-voices-is-tom-hardy-going-to-try-in-venom-2 |
Could Smartphone Apps Help Curb Teen Depression? | Psychiatrists and parents have long been worried about the psychological and emotional risks of high rates of social media use among teens, with so much time spent on their phones limiting face-to-face interaction, the development of social skills, and potentially contributing to depression and anxiety. But now, researchers are trying to find ways to use the fact that teens are on their phones so much to track possible signs of depression and intervene. The goal of our work aims to turn smartphones into fitness trackers for the human brain, Dr. Alex Leow, an app developer and associate professor in psychiatry, bioengineering and computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, tells Rolling Stone. The app shes working on, BiAffect, uses iPhone metadata, such as proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer, Touch ID and pressure-sensitive display, to track users mood and mental health, and is one of several similar projects in development. Several recent studies show a correlation between social media and smartphone use and depression, anxiety, and loneliness: One showed that the more people used Facebook in a given time period, the more likely they were to be unhappy. Another recent study showed that in addition to total time spent on one social media site, people who used multiple networking sites or apps were more likely to be depressed. And yet another showed that among young adults, those who used social media for more than two hours per day were more likely to deal with feelings of social isolation than those who used it less. And teens and young adults are, notoriously, the heaviest social media and smartphone users 88 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 reported that they use social media, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, and 92 percent of teens and young adults owned a smartphone as of 2015. The same demographic has seen a spike in depression and anxiety in recent years. A 2017 study of over half a million 8 to 12th graders found that depressive symptoms among that group increased by 33 percent between the years of 2010 and 2015, and matched that increase to the spread of smartphone adoption, year by year. Suicide rates in teens have skyrocketed in the last several years, increasing by over 70 percent between 2006 and 2016, and several experts point to social media as a contributing factor. Experts in adolescent mental health generally advise parents to limit their kids social media use, monitor their online activity, and model good habits by limiting their own screen time. But as smartphones become more and more ubiquitous, these tactics can feel increasingly futile and insufficient. So, some researchers decided, if teens are going to be on their phones all day anyway, maybe thats the place to intervene and spot signs of depression before they escalate to dangerous levels. BiAffect analyzes data streams generated by a users interaction with their smartphone to create insights about their mood and cognition, Dr. Leow says. From these data, patterns associated with particular moods or cognitive states are identified which can be used to inform the care of people with mental health disorders and promote improved outcomes. BiAffect and other apps like it are currently in the research stage, and experts estimate were likely still a few years away from mood-sensing apps being widely available and effective. In addition to perfecting the science, there are also ethical questions involved in tracking such intimate information, and the general public is already wary of data-collecting apps since they often exist to sell personal data to corporations for profit. Critically ensur[ing] data security and participant privacy is the biggest challenge thus far, Dr. Leow says. | https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/teen-depression-smartphone-app-776227/ |
What Is Mike Pence Even Doing? | Way back in December, when the government was still functioning, President Trump met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the Oval Office to discuss border security. The meeting was an unmitigated disaster, with the three party leaders sparring in front of cameras before Trump ultimately took responsibility for a potential government shutdown over border-wall funding. If not for the memes responding to the comic lack of vibrancy he brought to the heated exchange, it would have been hard to notice that Mike Pence was there, too. As Trump, Schumer and Pelosi argued, the vice president sat motionless in his chair, his eyes fixed in the middle distance, his mind somewhere else entirely, perhaps home in Indiana. The government entered a partial shutdown 10 days later, and Pence has since been tasked with leading the administrations negotiations with Democrats over border security. He hasnt been much more useful than he was during that Oval Office meeting last month. On both Saturday and Sunday, the vice president met with Democratic leaders to try to make progress regarding a resolution to re-open the government, an all but impossible task considering Democrats have maintained they will not support a spending bill that includes the $5 billion in border wall funding Trump has demanded. If that wasnt enough, Pence did not have the presidents blessing to float new or specific numbers that would have been necessary to reach some any sort of agreement, according to the Washington Post. Even Trump acknowledged the negotiations were futile, telling reporters that he didnt expect to have anything happen at that meeting, before absconding to Camp David for the weekend. Ultimately, its going to be solved by the principals, he added, a tacit admission that Pence has no real authority. The Atlantic reported as much on Tuesday, noting that Pences sway has taken a hit as the politics surrounding the border situation have spiraled out of control. Hes been undermined by Trump on several occasions in the past month alone, leaving Democrats without any reason to take negotiations with the vice president seriously. If you were Nancy or Chuck, why would you spend time cutting a deal that may be dismissed out of hand by the ultimate decider? a former senior White House official told the Atlantic. Negotiations with Pences boss havent gone very well, either. The president has been hung up on whether a potential wall would be built from concrete or steel (as of Tuesday, its steel), and doesnt seem to have any issue with keeping the government shut down indefinitely. Absent any semblance of progress, the duo has decided to try appealing directly to the American people. To warm the nation up for Trumps Oval Office address on Tuesday night, Pence appeared on the Today Show to defend his bosss position. Hallie Jackson asked him about Trumps lie that previous presidents have told him they should have built a border wall. The vice president stammered for a while it was the presidents impression, he managed before trying to explain that people ultimately dont care. Look, honestly, the American people want us to address this issue, he said vaguely. All their representatives have denied that that was the case. @halliejackson to @VP Mike Pence pic.twitter.com/7xAH05aheE TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 8, 2019 The vice president also gave ABC some love, appearing on Good Morning America for a near-identical interview. As did Jackson, Jonathan Karl brought up Trumps lie about previous presidents calling for a border wall, asking Pence why Americans should trust the president when he has shoveled so many false statements about the situation at the border. Again, Pence essentially said that it doesnt matter. Look, the American people arent as concerned about the political debate as they are concerned about whats really happening at the border, he said. Vice Pres. Pence talks to @jonkarl on shutdown stalemate: "We need new resources. We need to build a wall. We need Congress to come to the table and work with this president." pic.twitter.com/Ncbx55dkSd Good Morning America (@GMA) January 8, 2019 Pence continued: The passion you hear from president Trump, his determination to take his case to the American people, as he will tonight in his national broadcast from the Oval Office, comes from this presidents deep desire to do his job to protect the American people. Were going to continue to carry that case forward until Democrats in Congress come to the table and start negotiating not just to end the government shutdown, but to address what is an undeniable crisis at the southern border. Trump will speak to the American public from the Oval Office on Tuesday night, where he will certainly peddle more of the same lies and mischaracterizations that Jackson and Karl pressed Pence to explain Tuesday morning. Both of their networks will air the speech live. | https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-pence-border-trump-776164/ |
Whats shaping consumer behaviour in 2019? | From embracing new challenges to rethinking plastic, a Mintel report lays out its predictions for the year ahead. In a new global consumer trends report, market research firm Mintel says privacy, individuality, wellness, convenience and connectivity are just some of the big themes shaping the consumer landscape in 2019. Over the next year, Mintel expects these forces will see consumers begin to treat their bodies like ecosystems, as a result of increased focus on wellness. Moreover, consumers will begin to put themselves more on display, in an effort to nurture their digital personas, creating an environment in which everyone is scrutinized (and making employee social media training all the more important). At the same time, the increased connectivity will lead to consumers feeling more socially isolated. Here are some of the other trends shaping the year ahead. Challenge accepted Overall, consumers are feeling more keen to take on new challenges, enabling them to discover new passions and interests, whether its protesting, volunteering or being more environmentally conscious. Whats more, theyre looking to inspire others as they do so. Social media inspiration is blurring the line between reality and #lifegoals, the reports authors write, but at the end of the day, its exposing consumers to adventures that previously felt out of reach, for better or worse, so companies and brands should proceed with caution. In Canada, 32% of consumers who have attended a live event say they have learned about them from social media. Overall, Mintel says brands are encouraging consumers to step outside of their comfort zone, while helping them see everyday activities in new light. Rethink Plastic As environmental concerns come to the fore, consumers are rethinking their use of plastics. But they often dont know where to start. In response to concerns over recycling and wasteful packaging, brands need to reconsider how to help consumers meet those everyday challenges. Mintel reports that while focusing on innovative packaging solutions that are convenient for customers is critical, so too is looking at other initiatives that can help consumers reduce their eco footprint, such as reverse vending machines and bring-your-mug programs. Here in Canada, companies are increasing their sustainability efforts in a bid to help protect the environment. Maple Leaf-owned Greenfield Natural Meat, which launched a campaign promising to go meatless on Mondays, and A&W, which became the first company to end its use of plastic straws, are just two examples from the last year. Rethinking adulthood According to Mintels research, 46% of millennials (aged 23-40) in Canada feel very confident when it comes to interacting with tech; however, the number who feel comfortable doing so face-to-face with people they dont know is decisively lower, at 25%. This is part of a trend Mintel identifies as rethinking adulthood. As millennials prioritize experiences over material things, consumers perception of what constitutes adult life has changed considerably, and brands would be wise to focus on efforts that help make life more memorable for them. Part of the answer may lie in tech, Mintel suggests, as more consumers have started using tech-driven solutions to manage the aspects of their lives that people typically associate with adulthood. | http://strategyonline.ca/2019/01/08/whats-shaping-the-consumer-landscape-in-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-shaping-the-consumer-landscape-in-2019 |
How Much Longer Can Dollar Tree Keep Everything at Strictly $1? | Dollar Tree, the 32-year-old discount retail chain where everything is strictly $1 or less, may soon face a branding crisis, as a new powerful investor wants it to start selling stuff for more than a buck. On Monday, New York-based hedge fund Starboard Value disclosed in a public note that the firm had recently bought $370 million worth of shares, or 1.7 percent, of Dollar Tree. As part of the investment announcement, Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith also included a few suggestions to help fix Dollar Trees troubling business at the moment. Start with the most drastic: a price hike. Dollar Tree has kept its prices at $1.00 since its founding 30 years ago, despite the fact that $1.00 in 1986 is worth approximately $2.30 today, due to inflation, Smith argued in the public letter. The value that Dollar Tree has offered its customers has deteriorated because of the need to fit everything into a $1.00 price point, he wrote. Products today are smaller or of lower quality than they were five, ten and certainly thirty years ago. Smith proposed that Dollar Tree should introduce a few low-priced categories that are more than $1, while keeping the majority of products at $1 so the brand can offer a larger product assortment. Dollar Tree has a great customer base, and we believe its loyalty stems from the fantastic value customers find at Dollar Tree, not merely because everything in the store is the same price, he explained. However, raising prices, even partially, at a discount store that has sticked to its strict pricing for three decades is easier said than done. Dollar Tree is perfectly aware of the fact that a dollar doesnt buy as much as it did 30 years ago. And yet, its strategy to tackle inflation and other economic factors has been to reduce costs by opening fewer stores and pulling certain products off the shelves, rather than increasing retail prices. The bargain shop was most recently hit by President Donald Trumps trade war with China. In September of last year, Trump slapped a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese consumer goods, which directly affected about 10 percent of Dollar Trees merchandise, or several thousand items, the companys CEO Gary Philbin said at a hearing before the U.S. trade representative in late August. Dollar Tree imports 42 percent of its products, mostly from China, according third-party consultants estimates reported by USA Today. Per Trumps original plan, tariffs on these product categories were expected to increase by another 15 percent to 25 percent starting January 1 of this year. But the second-round hikes have temporarily been put on hold thanks to a trade truce Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed upon at the G20 summit. In a letter to the U.S. trade representative in August last year, Philbin said Dollar Tree simply couldnt raise prices, despite the devastating impact tariffs would have on its costs. The same answer may be given to its new investor. In response to Smiths proposal on Monday, Dollar Tree said it appreciated his funds investment and the suggestions, but stressed that the company is focused on ensuring our brands are the premier shopping destination for value and convenience. | https://observer.com/2019/01/dollar-tree-investor-urge-raising-prices/ |
Will HP Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | HP (NYSE: HPQ) isn't the sexiest tech stock on the planet. After all, it sells PCs and printers -- certainly not the kinds of products that excite growth-hungry investors. However, the company is a leading player in its market and, as such, manages to generate a significant amount of free cash flow. A large chunk of that free cash flow makes it into the pockets of HP's shareholders through a robust capital return program that includes both dividends and share repurchases. If you're an HP shareholder, then I think the odds are pretty good that the fairly large dividend -- the stock currently offers a dividend yield just north of 3% -- is one of the things that attracted you to the stock. Not only is the size of the dividend today something that's attractive, but I'd imagine that the promise of continued dividend increases over time is a key consideration, too. A mannequin with computer code superimposed on it More Image source: Getty Images. I think the answer to that is "yes." Here's why. The trend is your friend The Hewlett-Packard Company split into two companies back in 2015, giving us HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE). Since it was formed, HP has boosted its dividend every four quarters without fail. HPQ Dividend Chart More HPQ Dividend data by YCharts. I realize that's a fairly short track record, but if it helps, before the Hewlett-Packard Company split into two, it also delivered consistent annual dividend increases to its shareholders. The fact that HP has done a good job of giving its shareholders annual raises should be a good sign that the company's management and its board of directors is committed to boosting the dividend each year. Although it's clear that HP intends to boost its dividend each year, intent isn't worth much without the ability to act on it. Fortunately, an examination of the company's current financial situation, coupled with what analysts currently expect the company's financial performance to look like over the next year, tells us what we need to know: HP can easily support a dividend boost in 2019. Over the last 12 months, HP generated $2.44 per share in free cash flow. The company's current quarterly dividend payment is $0.16 per share, which, on an annualized basis, translates into $0.64 per share. This means that the company's trailing-12-month free cash flow is more than enough to cover this annual dividend multiple times over. So, unless HP's business completely falls apart in fiscal 2019 -- something that doesn't seem likely -- the company should be more than capable of giving its investors a sizable dividend boost this year. Now, keep in mind that HP just raised its dividend back in December, so investors should expect the company to continue to pay a $0.16-per-share dividend for another three quarters. However, if all goes as planned, investors should see a dividend bump at the end of the year. More From The Motley Fool Ashraf Eassa has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/hp-raise-dividend-2019-180900717.html |
Can Lindsay Lohan Find Redemption on Reality TV? | Photo: MTV Between 1998, when Lindsay Lohan gave a prodigious double performance as twins in The Parent Trap, and 2007, when she became so reliably unreliable that major studios all but stopped casting her in movies, she grossed nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. The collective mental image of Lohan is not the actress glowing with one arm confidently akimbo on the red carpet, but portrait gallerys worth of paparazzi photos of her accruing DUIs, theft charges, probation violations, and rehab stays. In shots of her head lolling back in a gray hoodie, her scarab green eyes dull and overwhelmed by dilated pupils under police station fluorescents, her teeth like chipped and tea-stained china, her arm twisted behind her back at the wrong angle by her then-fianc, Lohan seemed to be publicly begging for help. Hangers-on, ranging from employees to immediate family members, seemed to feed on Lohans need. In 2014, Lindsay, Lohans post-rehab Oprah Winfrey Network docuseries, was supposed to turn everything around, serving as a commercial for a refurbished, sober-and-ready-to-get-back-to-work movie star. Instead, the disturbing, voyeuristic show documented a troubled recovery and made the case that Lohan was too screwed up to be saved even by Oprah. Its surprising, then, to find Lohan once again seeking redemption on reality TV. The upcoming MTV series Lindsay Lohans Beach Club showcases Lohan in her new life as a promoter and part-owner of Greek clubs. And instead of chronicling what Lohan no longer is an A-list star and her desperation to be that person again, the slick series theoretically encourages you to root for her to succeed in a new way, on her terms, elevating her to the role of confident, put-together mentor/boss to other aspiring club promoters. Taped after she left rehab in 2013, the eight-part series Lindsay follows Lohan as she attempts to reach milestones of stability: Understanding how things went wrong. Getting healthy. Making amends. Reviving her career. Finding a place to live. Actually showing up for her obligations. Photo: OWN The premise is that Lohan is able to move forward with her life because shes finally acknowledging her past difficulty upholding these basic tenets of personhood, at least partially due to her substance abuse. The series begins with an interview with Oprah in which Lohan promises that, starting now, shes telling the truth. Honest! Are you an addict? Oprah asks, testing her. Yeah, Lohan unequivocally replies. As the series wears on, Lohans brand-new integrity abrades as she insists to increasingly doubtful cast and crew members that she has not been drinking. (She later admits that she has, but blames people who were imbibing around her.) Lohan stops working with an Oprah-appointed life coach, A.J. Johnson, because Johnson tells her on camera that Lohans mother said shed had wine, which Lohan denies. While getting a veneer glued back on during filming, Lohan is administered a cocktail of Valium, Propofol (the anesthesia that killed Michael Jackson), and fentanyl (one of the drugs involved in Lil Peep and Mac Millers deaths), which she insists does not affect her sobriety. Lindsays Lohan reveals how hungry she is for love, for approval, for trust and how incapable she is of picking the people who can provide it. Lohans unwillingness to reconcile her actions with how people perceive her leads to a disconnect between what she thinks she deserves professionally and where she actually is: on a reality show and definitely no longer auditioning for never mind booking the kinds of acting projects she wants. Its just so frustrating, she says about DeVon Franklin, a thenColumbia Pictures executive who is now a Christian movie mogul. He says, Your name always comes up for every movie because we think youre the most talented actress there is. Life coach Johnson repeatedly, and with unimaginable reserves of patience, explains to Lohan why she is not getting the parts (and money and accolades and sort of attention) she wants: She is not working for it. Lohan parries the feedback, demanding, Do you think I deserve someone who has that fire and passion? I think you deserve to give yourself that fire and passion and then look for help with it, Johnson responds. You cant even say that I deserve that, Lohan says, betrayed. I asked you a yes-or-no question. Lindsays Lohan reveals how hungry she is for love, for approval, for trust and how incapable she is of picking the people who can provide it. Theres her wretched, abusive father, Michael, welcomed back whenever an assistant or producer needs to bully Lohan into fulfilling an obligation. Theres her mother, Dina, coasting on her daughters fame. (Not to mention downplaying her substance use. When Lohan drinks, she didnt relapse. She had some wine.) There are employees, who Lohan seems to hire at least partly to always have someone around, and who are incompetent or corrupt or driven to quit in frustration. But unlike Lindsay, Lindsay Lohans Beach Club doesnt just sit back and document Lohan. The reality-TV show intervenes, providing a venue for Lohan to interact with people who cant hurt her. It erects desperately needed boundaries. And it successfully makes the case that Lohan was doing all right before MTVs cameras came along. Today, it seems like Lohan has reached a certain, Lohan-specific stasis. She spends much of her time in Dubai, where her family doesnt live and drinking without a license is illegal for non-citizens and paparazzi are curtailed by strict laws about where photographs can be taken. (Think about it: have you seen any photos of Lohan in the United Arab Emirates?) When she feels comfortable receiving public attention, Lohan can go to Greece, where she maintains an amorphous ownership role in nightclubs in Athens and Rhodes and co-owns Lohan Beach Club in Mykonos. On Lindsay Lohans Beach Club, which premieres January 8, Lohan has nothing to prove. She looks fantastic and has a job that allows her to frequently not be at work and all of the adoration of the kind of people who would go to a club specifically because its owned by Lindsay Lohan. When I spoke to MTVs Head of Development Lily Neumeyer in November, she agreed that Lohans role at the club is best described as head brand ambassador. Neumeyer, who is also an executive producer of Beach Club, went on to explain, She knows her name is on the door, so everything reflects ultimately on her. She makes sure everything from dcor to the music is up to her standards. In a November conversation with Lohans business partner Panos, he confirmed that Lohan invested money in the franchise and said, The whole interior design and the idea of the nightclub was Lindsays idea, though he was compelled to add, I delivered it. In Panos, the mononymous Greek club aficionado prone to wearing Blake Lively floppy hats and the kind of round sunglasses that typically indicate blindness, Lohan has improbably found a man she can depend on. Photo: MTV Lindsay Lohans Beach Clubs genesis came in June 2018, when MTVs VP of Talent and Series Development and Beach Club EP Jessica Zalkin was sent an Instagram post in which Lohan said she was opening a club in Mykonos. Zalkin correctly diagnosed the situation: This is genius. Since it was already summer, they knew they would only have weeks to put the series together if they wanted to film that year. They also knew they were dealing with someone who had been less than dependable in the past. A late-night Skype conversation assuaged whatever fears they may have had. At, like, three in the morning we got her on Skype, Zalkin told me. She was adorable. She had lighting, full makeup. We said, Its not just about following a docuseries about Lindsay Lohan. Its really showing a different side of you. We are about lifting people up, Zalkin recalled, in what is a fairly generous assessment of a lineup that includes two of the best-ever shows about the depravity of lovable degenerates, Jersey Shore and The Challenge. And she is like, Done. I want to do it. Once we did that interview with her and to see how enthusiastic she was about the idea of the show and about what she was doing it was clear to us that she would be committed to this project. Lohan flew to Mykonos and stayed for the full month of filming. She was in the club the whole time and working all the time, Neumeyer told me of the shoot. Shes so available, Zalkin added. Even on days when she didnt have to shoot with us, she was there. She was just beyond. It was during production of Lindsay Lohans Beach Club that Lohan went viral. In the widely shared footage, she is onstage at the beach club wearing an elegant silky jumpsuit as she steps from side to side, her arms pointing toward Mount Olympus before she bows down and flips her long red hair behind her. The nubile backup dancers behind her are the mentees America will get to know when Beach Club premieres this week. Lohans evident confidence and embrace of the warmly teasing hashtag #DoTheLilo felt like a reclamation of her image. In the first episode of Beach Club, Lohan tells a weeping ambassador, only half-jokingly, that crying is her thing. Everybody has this idea that Lindsay goes out all the time, Panos, who clearly adores Lohan, told me, Thats not her. Her normal life standard is staying at home. She cooks this recipe called borscht that is delicious. She introduced the series Pose to me and we watched the whole thing in two days. Were like family. But when it comes to business, Panos said, Lohan is still appropriately wary: Its true she trusts me, but that doesnt mean that she doesnt keep her eyes on me all the time. Of course, Panos also added, And I have my eyes on her all the time. This guarded trust extends to Lohans interactions with the lower-level cast members on Lindsay Lohans Beach Club. In conversations about their work at her club, Lohan appears much more secure than when she talks about her acting career, for now limited to a supporting role on the British series Sick Note. By signing on to Beach Club, the brand ambassadors have agreed that Lohan is in charge her chyron simply reads LINDSAY LOHAN, BOSS and they frequently verbalize their desire to impress her. Theyre doing a less lucrative version of her business: going overseas to make money on their own image. This mixture of ingrained status and club-born common ground allows Lohan to be vulnerable in a place its safe to do so: a televised exchange with an employee at a club she owns. She would relate to the brand ambassadors, Zalkin said over the phone. She was very, very honest and open about her past and willing to really shed a lot of layers of herself and empathize with them. In the first episode of Beach Club, Lohan tells a weeping ambassador, only half-jokingly, that crying is her thing. Its the kind of confessional repudiation along with chiding the ambassadors for the kind of partying she admits shes done that comes close to making you feel like Lohan is finally reckoning with her own role in what people think of her. Of course, Lohans new world is inherently an artificial one. Panos is the one left running the clubs when Lohan leaves town. The relationships of Lindsay Lohans Beach Club were constructed by MTV. Lohan Beach Club has shut down for the winter. Lohan has retreated to a billionaire-made oasis where no one can take her photo if she doesnt want them to. But we keep Faberg eggs inside glass cases and put bouquets out of the reach of toddlers. When youre displaying something precious and fragile, of course you want to protect it. And Lohan finally, once again, has a life shes proud to show off. Stay in touch. 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Why Is Every Beauty Product a Stick Now? | Photo: Courtesy of the Retailers Canned tuna, napkins, sex. Millennials have been accused of killing a lot of things, and soon, beauty products that come in liquid or cream form might be added to that list. In the era of millennial beauty empires and makeovers, products like cleansers, masks, and body lotion that have nothing obvious to do with drawing on faces are increasingly being produced in solid, stick form. What does it all mean?! Its easy to fall back on the cliche theory that millennials are just lazy (its also why we dont eat cereal), but its probably true in this scenario. I know from first-hand experience testing many a beauty product: Squeezing things is annoying. Pumping things then rubbing them in is annoying. The gunk that builds up under caps is annoying. Spatulas are cute, but annoying. Triple-checking that products in your recycled Glossier pink pouch are definitely under 3.1 ounces before they go through the TSA scanny-thing is annoying! Sticks get rid of all these problems and make it a lot easier to haul a lazy, multi-step skin-care routine from place to place. Other stick-related benefits include: Elimination of spills. A mini massage built into every application (automatic qualification as self-care). Suddenly having lots of products that are like really big versions of ChapSticks, which is fun for some reason. Excellent on-the-go spot treating if youre too lazy to moisturize from head-to-toe. Like only moisturizing dry knees while wearing ripped jeans, only moisturizing your elbows when your sleeves are rolled, or only moisturizing the upper pubic-bone area when we all start wearing low-rise jeans again. Im sure there are at least three more perks I have yet to discover on this journey, but in the meantime, here are nine beauty products that come in convenient solid and stick form for those who cant be bothered, millennial or otherwise. A Cleanser in Stick Form $8 at Target St. Ives Rosewater And Bamboo Stick Facial Cleanser This stick gets you a nice facial massage, shine-free skin, and a heavenly rose scent, all for under $10. The solid is also made with natural coconut oil so your skin gets a gentle cleanse without any stripping. $8 at Target Buy An Eye Cream in Stick Form $26 at Sephora Boscia Super-Cool De-Puffing Eye Balm You can skip visible under-eye masks and defuse hangover face incognito with this cooling stick that soothes on contact ( while also reducing puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, and all that other good stuff youd except from a traditionally creamy eye cream). $26 at Sephora Buy A Clay Mask in Stick Form $14 at Ulta Olay Glow Boost White Charcoal Clay Mask Stick White charcoal helps bring new, healthy skin cells to the surface by enhancing exfoliation, and this stick mask makes it easier to cleanly target the areas of your face that need those turnover powers the most. $14 at Ulta Buy A Face and Body Oil in Stick Form $24 at Sephora MILK Makeup Hydrating Oil Stick This quick-absorbing oil makes it easy to moisturize easy-to-forget areas in public. For extra credit, swipe it over your makeup to make it look like youve been hydrating all week. $24 at Sephora Buy A Body Lotion in Stick Form $15 at Ulta H20 Plus On the Move Body Butter Stick Teak Rose If youre looking for a little less glimmer with your hydration, this rose-scented body butter in a stick moisturizes without the shine. $15 at Ulta Buy A Perfume in Stick Form $38 at Urban Outfitters Derek Lam 10 Crosby Parfum Stick If dabbing your fingers in a Diptyque perfume solid is too messy, and rolling on a rollerball perfume feels too cold, glide any one of five Derek Lam scent balms onto your pulse pints and toss it back into your fanny pack. $38 at Urban Outfitters Buy An Exfoliator in Stick Form $22 at Sephora Tarte FRXXXTION Stick Exfoliating Cleanser I am still not entirely sure what this stick is trying to say with its dirty name, but its very good at making faces feel extra clean. This solid exfoliating gel gently polishes away dead skin that an everyday cleanser cant get rid of. $22 at Sephora Buy A Makeup Remover in Stick Form A Hair Pomade in Stick Form $19 at Bloomingdales SPACE.NK.apothecary R+Co Dart Pomade Stick If youve always wondered what itd be like to swipe deodorant in your hair, nows your chance. Swipe this styling stick all over to add bed-head texture throughout, or zero in on flyaways to keep them laying flat. $19 at Bloomingdales Buy f you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. | https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/the-best-beauty-makeup-and-skin-care-sticks.html?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=f1&utm_campaign=feed-part |
Should the Broncos re-sign nose tackle Domata Peko? | Denver Broncos defensive tackle Domata Peko will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Peko is a fan favorite after spending the last two seasons in Denver following an 11-year run with the Cincinnati Bengals. Hes aging at 34 years old but has been productive the last two seasons, playing in 30 games for the Broncos. He also wants to stay in Denver and finish his career in the Mile High City. Domata Peko: "I know I'm on year 13 and all but I am from Samoa and we are grown men there. I feel like I can go a couple more years and I hope the Broncos sign me back." Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 31, 2018 Similar to the case of Jared Veldheer, the Broncos will need to strongly consider bringing Peko back due to a lack of depth behind him. However, unlike Veldheer, there may not be a huge market for Peko. That should give the Broncos a great chance to retain his services, should they want him back. In fact, hed likely take even less money than he might elsewhere in order to stay with the team. Peko was one of the big reasons the Broncos were so stout against the run in 2017 and has posted 69 tackles in his two seasons with the team. Hes even registered 1.5 sacks in that time. The Broncos were much worse against the run in 2018 and that could prompt the team to look for big changes along the defensive line. However, since Peko could likely be brought back without much of a bidding war, the Broncos should do so. Peko signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal in 2017. The team could sign him to another similar, short-term deal to allow him to retire as a Bronco. | https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/08/should-denver-broncos-re-sign-defensive-tackle-domata-peko/ |
What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Gig Economy? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Peter Swaniker, Founder and CEO at Ximble, on Quora: The explosion of the gig economy continues unabated. Last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 55 million people in the U.S. are gig workers, which is more than 35% of the U.S. workforce. That number is projected to jump to 43% by 2020. If youve never heard the term, gig work is basically just a buzzy way of describing an independent contract or part-time job, like driving for Uber or freelance copywriting. Millennials, the generation credited with disrupting everything from housing to marriage, are gravitating towards gig work for the promise of greater work-life balance. Boomers and other generations on the brink of retirement are drawn to gig work because it brings in a little extra income without a major time commitment. And recent technologies like Skype, Slack, and DropBox have made the gig life a reality, giving you maximum freedom, an ideal work-life balance, and the chance to pursue your passions. If youre thinking of joining the gig economy, its never been easier. But freelance work also comes with challenges, like unsteady workloads and pay schedules, lack of benefits, and a ton of self-discipline. Heres what you need to know before you make the jump: Youre your own boss, so discipline is key. One of the great things about the gig economy is that you dont have a boss breathing down your neck. As a freelancer, you no longer have to cater to a company culture or work schedule that might cause physical or emotional stress. Instead, you get to choose the type of work you do and who you work with. Plus, you get to make your own decisions about when to wake up, when to work, when to exercise, when to run errands, and how much work you take on. Youre able to make choices that suit your personality and unique needs. But this degree of freedom requires a corresponding amount of discipline, and that doesnt come easily to everybody. With no boss to make sure youre on task, its all on you. If you wake up late and miss a client call, no one else can help smooth things over. It's your responsibility to apologize, call to reschedule or lose the client altogether. Not everybody is suited to be his or her own timekeeper. Some people need structure and the pressure of an authority figure to stay motivated. But if youre a self-starter who chafes at being told what to do, the gig life could be a perfect fit. The gig economy is great for creatives. The other day, I asked my Uber driver if driving was his full-time job or a side gig. He said hes a freelance graphic designer and works on projects for clients roughly three hours a day. The rest of his working hours, he drives Uber to keep himself occupied. When youre a young creative just starting out, and your resume is more or less a blank slate, gig work can help you get a foot in the door. The gig economy allows creatives to pay the bills while also giving them time to pursue their passions. Visual artists like my Uber driver can supplement freelance design work by driving for rideshare services. Aspiring novelists can freelance as copywriters to make their rent payments. Plus, you can do these jobs from almost anywhere. You could be in the North Pole as long as you have internet access. You can find work wherever you feel inspired. Just make sure your artists late nights dont keep you from turning projects around on time. You have to continuously up-level your skills and industry knowledge. The workforce is becoming more advanced and educated by the day. Theres a high volume of overqualified candidates entering the job market every single year, so landing a job in a competitive field is tough. The idea that you can get a degree and expect to land your dream job right out of college is a thing of the past. You have to keep learning and keep up with industry trends to maintain a competitive edge. This is true even for people in traditional office settings, but its critical if youre your own boss. When you go solo, you basically have to sell yourself. And to do that, you have to stay relevant. This means constantly educating yourselfsuch as by taking online classes or buying the newest trade books relevant to your industry. There is no boss and no established rules to force you to stay up-to-date. The onus is on you. And if you want to keep landing gigs, you have to keep up. The marketplace wont wait for you. You have to get crafty when it comes to traditional work benefits. Traditional jobs often provide employees with a lot of protectionslike health benefits and a 401k. But if youre a freelancer, you need to figure out your own retirement plan and buy your own healthcare, both of which can be time-consuming and expensive. Going freelance also means you no longer have paid sick days or vacation time. Every day you dont work is a day you wont get paid. And if you want to take a vacation, you have to save up and make arrangements, or otherwise work while you travel. What Im saying is, gig work isnt some magical solution to the tedious office life of the past. It comes with hurdles. If you have health concerns or kids to feed, freelance might not be ideal for you. But you arent without options. "Multiple Employer" plans, in which a single 401(k) plan is sponsored by multiple employers, is a retirement plan option for gig workers. These plans could be sponsored by states or a group of gig economy companies. Oregon is working on developing a state-sponsored retirement plan that will apply to freelance workers. Both Uber and Lyft offer retirement options to their drivers. So despite the drawbacks, there are ways to swing itespecially as legislators and companies alike start taking the gig economy more seriously. It may take longer to build a depth of experience. Gone are the days where you had a job that lasted a whole lifetime. Fifty years ago, youd land your first (and often last) job at a stable company, clock in and out for several decades, and then retire. You usually didnt have to worry about when your next paycheck would be coming. If you were especially good at what you did, youd move through the ranks until you climbed to the level of managermaybe even higher. And theres something to be said for having years of experience in a particular industry and developing expertise in that space. But young people today go into the workforce knowing that their career will likely be in flux. They have to be prepared to keep learning and anticipating trends so they dont find themselves unexpectedly out of work. A lot of gig workers start their careers by hopping on a project because the employer is desperate and in need of help now. An aspiring chef may fill in when a restaurants head chef is out sick. But its difficult to develop the skills to become a head chef without stability and mentorship. In any field, climbing the ranks requires a lot of years of practice and growth. And on the employers end, its tough to recruit people for higher management positions when the pool of talent is full of gig workers who havent been given an opportunity to hone their skills. Businesses have to evolve to learn how to account for an influx of temporary workers. This means employers must invest in that mentorship and trainingsuch as by having established protocol for gig workers to help them move up the ladder. When companies learn how to thrive with gig workers, everyone wins. The pace of change in the global workforce is accelerating. To succeed, we have to adapt just as quickly. 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/2019/01/08/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-gig-economy/ |
What Are Some Of The Biggest Climate Change Myths People Still Believe? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on Quora: Im a climate scientist, and Im on social media: so nearly every day, often multiple times a day, I have someone telling me that climate change is just a natural cycle (its not); or that a warmer planet will be better for us (it wont); or that we climate scientists are faking the data for personal gain or to further a nefarious agenda of world domination (were not: but if we were, honestly were doing a terrible job of it). For that reason, we often think the biggest myths are science-y myths; and because of that, we believe that if we just re-double our efforts to explain the science to people, surely they will change their minds (they wont). Thats because the biggest and most dangerous myths that many of us in developed countries have bought into arent that the science isnt real or its somehow a matter of opinion. No, its the myths that: Climate impacts pose a distant, far-off threat: one that only matters to future generations, or people who live far away, on low-lying islands in the South Pacific, or animals that live even further, like polar bears in the Arctic. They dont affect me. Climate solutions pose an imminent, immediate threat: they go against everything I believe and stand for, they will destroy the economy, they will rob me of my freedom, or simply they will make our lives much more miserable and less comfortable. They do affect me, and not in a good way. Thats why, when we talk about climate change, the most important things to talk about are how climate change is already affecting us, right here in the places where we live, like the US National Climate Assessment does; and how there are viable, practical solutions from across the political spectrum - libertarian, free market, bipartisan, regulatory and more. By doing so, we directly address these two myths, showing us that yes, climate change matters and even more importantly, yes, we can fix it. But if youre looking for more answers to common science-y sounding myths, we absolutely have them! Check out my PBS Digital YouTube series, Global Weirding, where each short episode answers a question Ive been asked; Skeptical Sciences enormous list of answers to all the most frequent arguments; and this FAQ I helped write for the US federal government. But keep in mind, when you hear these myths, theyre usually a smokescreen for the real issue: I dont think it matters, and I dont want to fix it. 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/2019/01/08/what-are-some-of-the-biggest-climate-change-myths-people-still-believe/ |
Could Annie Lf become Sweden's first female prime minister? | As the Nordic country enters an unprecedented fifth month without a government, the leader of the Centre party is emerging as someone who could break the deadlock Swedens inconclusive September election saw a record 161 women take their seats in the 349-member Riksdag the highest proportion of female MPs in Europe (ahead of two other Nordic countries, Finland and Norway) and the seventh highest in the world. But the country that in 2014 proudly declared that it had the first feminist government in the world has never had a female prime minister, and is about to enter an unprecedented fifth month under a caretaker administration. The key to resolving the latter problem could well lie with 35-year-old Annie Lf, a former business minister and, since 2011, the youngest ever leader of the tax-cutting, business-promoting, immigrant-welcoming Centre party. Neither is it inconceivable that Lf, Swedens most trusted politician in a host of polls since 2017, could also find herself rectifying the former problem although most analysts think it unlikely and she herself has said the top job is not her focus. The election left the two dominant centre-right and centre-left blocs separated by a single seat, deadlocked and facing a major problem in the form of the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, the countrys third biggest party. Lfs Centre, the fourth largest party with 31 seats, a sharp increase on its tally in the previous parliament, is part of the four-member centre-right Alliance, and has sworn never to be a part of, or support, a government backed by the Sweden Democrats. Centres votes could give a majority to Stefan Lfven, the outgoing Social Democrat prime minister and leader of the three-party centre-left bloc except that Lf campaigned on a promise not to govern with the Social Democrats either. Both Lfven and the Alliance leader, Ulf Kristersson, have tried and failed to form a new government. Lf was also asked to explore coalition options, but soon gave up, blaming the Social Democrats reluctance to accept liberal reforms. Only two more formal attempts to form a coalition are allowed before fresh elections must be called on 23 January. If Lfven tacks right and wins Lfs support, she could demand high office as a reward, perhaps even very high office. Whether she would get it, of course, is another matter. | https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2019/jan/08/could-annie-loof-become-swedens-first-female-prime-minister |
Are Michelle Williams and Jason Segel Engaged? | Jason Segel sure is a romantic guy, at least according to the tabloids. A swoon-worthy story retold this week in both Star magazine and Australia's Woman's Day claims the funnyman arranged an elaborate proposal for Michelle Williams, his girlfriend of about five months. His purported accomplice in the would-be question-popping, which the tabs believe took place a couple weeks back as the actress promoted "Oz: The Great and Powerful" at the San Diego Comic-Con: her 6-year-old daughter, Matilda. Take it away, anonymous Star source: "Jason arranged to have Michelle's hotel suite covered in purple flowers -- her favorite color. He also had Matilda sitting on Michelle's bed, holding a lavender bouquet for her mom." Like something out of one of Segel's movies, only in his version, there wouldn't be a kid around, and he'd be caught off guard and awkwardly naked. "When Michelle came in and picked up Matilda to give her a kiss, she saw a little note from Jason attached to the bouquet," continues the snitch. "It simply said, 'Will you marry me?' And that was that! Pure and simple, just the way they like it." "He flew in from New Jersey with Matilda on Michelle's last day at Comic-Con. It was tough making it a surprise because he's been telling her from day one that he was going to marry her." Alas, as adorable and "totally in love" as Michelle and Jason are, and as much as we're rooting for them, the flowery proposal reports aren't true, say sources close to both stars (via E! News and Gossip Cop). But the pair are still very much an item, and Segel looks to have bonded with Matilda, who lost dad Heath Ledger in 2008. Plus, the National Enquirer (we know, we know) is confident a bigger commitment is in the cards. "Heath was 24/7 intensity, but Jason lives to make Michelle laugh, and that's pretty hard for a gal to resist," opines a source. "Plus, he's shown he'd make a great daddy. Bet on a marriage by the end of the year." RELATED ON WONDERWALL: Michelle on Jason: He's his own man | https://www.wonderwall.com/entertainment/gossip-romance-rumor-du-jour-are-michelle-williams-and-jason-segel-engaged-1695796.article |
Why is the Modi govt lagging in auto reforms? | As the tenure of the Narendra Modi-led government comes to a close later this year, several of its promises aimed towards reforming the automotive sector remains a pipe dream. National Automotive Board (NAB), is one such initiative that is stuck since its proposal during the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) rule in 2011. Though taken up by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime, the quasi-public corporation, which was to steer, coordinate and synergise efforts of the government in on-going and new initiatives, is yet to take off completely. Instead of steering core issues in automotive testing, collaborative R&D, suggest policy and regulations, develop technology platforms and implementing recommendations of the Automotive Mission Plan, NAB has become a programme manager for electric mobility and intelligent transport system. As per the government's definition, NAB would work as a nerve centre of organisational interactions between the government, industry and the academia functioning under the Department of Heavy Industry. The post of a Chairman at NAB is yet to be filled even four years after the NDA government floated the vacancy. NAB was supposed to be the channel through which the automotive industry would coordinate with the government. At present, there is no synergy and one feels that all departments of the government gives directives to the auto sector unilaterally. In all the interactions with the government, it was reminded of NAB and there seems to be no urgency to get the unit up and running. The NAB is in a cold storage, said a senior person from a lobby body of the automotive companies. The absence of NAB has allowed even the Oil & Gas Ministry to issue directives to the automotive sector which is otherwise the job of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways or the Department of Heavy Industries. The Oil Ministry had informed the Supreme Court that vehicles not complying with Bharat Stage-VI standards wont be allowed to ply on Indian roads. Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (BNVSAP), the India version of Europe-based GNCAP (The Global New Car Assessment Programme) is yet to take off fully. Issues about the governing body for the BNVSAP remains in question. Under the programme, cars were to be awarded star ratings based on their safety performance. While crash test norms for new cars have been implemented since October 1, 2018 all other cars will have to be upgraded to this standard from October 1. From July 1, all cars will have to be equipped with a driver-side airbag, speed warning system, seat belt reminder and rear parking sensor. CV Raman, Senior Executive Director (Engineering), Maruti Suzuki, said, Seat belt reminder, airbag and ABS (anti-lock braking system) will now be made mandatory. No movement (on any of these). We have started the dialogue with the test agencies and the government. We need to have the BNVSAP in practice. Who has to be the governing body to look over BNVSAP is a question that is not clear with the government. Scrappage policy for old vehicles to get rid of high vehicular pollution and vehicle recall order for safeguarding the interests of the consumer were the final two policies announced by the government, but have not been implemented till date. While the issue of providing incentives for a successful scrappage scheme has been a hot topic with the government, with neither of the departments coming forward to bear the financial burden, the call for a vehicle recall order has been in the works for past several years. Unlike some of the developed markets -- US, Germany and UK, India does not have an official vehicle recall policy. Though a provision for it was made in the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2017, it never got enacted as it failed to go through the Rajya Sabha. | https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/auto/why-is-the-modi-govt-lagging-in-auto-reforms-3365721.html |
Are we alone in the universe? | LOS ANGELES The mantra of the Fox series "The X-Files" was the truth was out there, but then the production spent episode after episode dealing with out-of-this-world creatures and mythical characters from other worlds. The new History Channel series "Project Blue Book," which was to premire Tuesday, also looks at close encounters with UFOs, but everything is actually based on true events. The program's basis follows the experiences of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a college professor who was recruited by the U.S. air force to head a secret operation known as Project Blue Book. The government program looked into thousands of reports regarding unidentified flying objects, with more than 700 of those reports still classified as unsolved. Hynek's books were an inspiration for director Steven Spielberg to make the 1977 feature film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." "Project Blue Book" executive producer Sean Jablonski stresses there is no need to fictionalize the stories because the truth in the declassified reports is so compelling. "There's so many unanswered questions that we get to play around with," Jablonski says. "We're also making a great TV show, so we want to make sure that it's got some wonderful drama. And we have such great character interactions, too, that it's a nice dovetail." Among the reports featured in the 10-episode series include the Flatwoods Monster incident in West Virginia, the Gorman Dogfight of Fargo, N.D., the Lubbock Lights of Lubbock, Texas, and the Chiles-Whitted UFO encounter of Montgomery, Ala. "Project Blue Book" creator David O'Leary was inspired by the 12,000 cases the program looked into from 1952 to 1969. It wasn't just people sitting on their back porches who reported incidents, but also commercial airline pilots with trained eyes. Aidan Gillen ("Game of Thrones"), who plays Hynek, likes that the series is based on actual events because he knows the truth is often far stranger than fiction. And the truth that is revealed through "Project Blue Book" ends up being that actual events can take as many twists and turns as a work of fiction. Gillen's research into Hynek showed while his theories on alien visitation changed over the years, his basic opinion never wavered. "I think, certainly starting out, Hynek thought that the nuts and bolts the idea of this as an actual physical craft coming from somewhere else was pretty unlikely," Gillen says. "But he did have these other beliefs. And especially when he was younger. He was reading a lot of Rudolf Steiner and had an interest in the Rosicrucians and the idea that there are other dimensions or that there's a veil between this world and something else. I don't know. I don't know what they are either." | https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/9115090-are-we-alone-in-the-universe-/ |
Will Nissan Debut Long-Range LEAF e-Plus At CES? | 2 H BY ERIC LOVEDAY Nissan promised a January reveal, so its either CES or NAIAS. After a canceled debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, all eyes are on CES now to see if the longer range LEAF e-Plus debuts. The logical site to debut the new, longer-range Nissan LEAF e-Plus is at tech-heavy CES, as NAIAS is usually more focused on trucks and, muscle cars and sports cars. But with CES now upon us and not a peep from the show yet, we wonder if the LEAF e-Plus will be Nissans surprise reveal. Heres what Nissan states of its part at CES: Nissans CES display (6906), North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center will focus on Nissan Intelligent Mobility and includes: A new technology platform to See the Invisible, creating an entirely new driving experience through connected worlds The U.S. debut of the all-new, twin electric motor, all-wheel drive Nissan LEAF NISMO RC racing machine Nissan Energy demonstrations, including solutions that create a fully integrated electric vehicle ecosystem. A display of the IMx KURO concept crossover electric vehicle New vehicle introduction, displays and EV cafe Its that new vehicle introduction that leads us to believe the LEAF e-Plus may debut, but it could be some entirely unknown vehicle, too. Back in late 2017, InsideEVs obtained a slide detailing the e-Plus and we expect these specs to still largely hold true. As we later wrote in January 2018: | https://insideevs.com/will-nissan-debut-leaf-e-plus-at-ces/ |
When Does Big Little Lies Season 2 Premiere? | Where to Stream: Big Little Lies More Options The most glamorous and well-cast show about scheming mothers is coming back. For a while now weve known that Big Little Lies would be getting a Season 2. But thanks to a trailer HBO dropped during the Golden Globes, it seems like were going to be returning to Monterey sooner than we thought. Based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies follows a group of wealthy mothers all connected by their elementary school-aged children. However, when they become embroiled in a mysterious murder case, their secrets become less about who wasnt invited to a birthday party and more about which woman is hiding a secret past. Its an excellent and addictive story of gossip, manipulation, abuse, and deceptive appearances all told through some of the biggest names on television. When Big Little Lies first premiered in 2017 it became a nearly instant hit for HBO. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, and Alexander Skarsgrd were instantly huge draws for viewers. But it was Shailene Woodley, Zoey Kravitz, and Adam Scotts performances that rounded out the series, transforming into the gorgeous and oh-so-delicious acting dessert it came to be. First released as a miniseries, it more than delivered during awards season, bringing home four Golden Globes and eight Emmys. And now the ladies of Monterey are returning to our lives with more lies and more coverup stories about the murder they definitely committed. Heres everything we know about whats sure to be a scandalous Season 2. At the moment all we know about Season 2 is that its expected to be released sometime in 2019. You can bet Kidman is clearing out some space on her awards stand. Not yet. But HBO did release a commercial during the Golden Globes promoting all of its 2019 series. You can bet our favorite mega-rich and aspirational kindergarten moms made an appearance. You can expect all of the leads from the first season / original miniseries to be there. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoey Kravitz, and Laura Dern have all confirmed that they will be returning. Season 2 will also star Adam Scott, James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling, and Iain Armitage. Additonally Douglas Smith (Big Love) has signed on to this new season in a recurring role. But the biggest addition has to do with the queen of cinema herself, Meryl Streep. Streep will be playing Mary Louise Wright, the murdered Perrys (Skarsgrd) mother. Get ready for some heated confrontations between Streep and the rest of these California ladies and for Witherspoon to throw ice cream at her perfect face. This is another big unknown. Though the original series was based on Moriartys novel, it doesnt have a sequel novel. Season 2 will likely be less about the actual murder and more about how this collection of gorgeous and wealthy women can get away with killing an abusive monster. No matter what drama unfolds, were rooting for them. Now someone please get me the name of the company that makes all of Renatas sweaters. Watch Big Little Lies on HBO Go and HBO NOW | https://decider.com/2019/01/08/big-little-lies-season-2-premiere/ |
Is The Bachelor on Hulu? | Monday nights normally belong to The Bachelor, but many fans tuned in to watch Clemson defeat Alabama in the National Championship game. If you missed last nights three-hour season premiere, Deciders here to help you find a way to watch The Bachelor online. Much to the delight of Bachelor Nation, Season 23 of ABCs reality juggernaut finally premiered last night. Former Bachelorette contestant Colton Underwood is the man giving out the roses this season as the reality show veteran takes another shot at finding true love. Heres everything you need to know! New episodes of The Bachelor will air Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. HOW TO WATCH THE BACHELOR ONLINE: Yes! The season premiere of The Bachelor is now streaming on Hulu. New episodes of The Bachelor are scheduled to arrive on Hulu the morning after they air on ABC. No. You cant live stream The Bachelor on Hulu. You can, however, live stream The Bachelor with a subscription to Hulu With Live TV since the platform offers ABC in their package. Yes. New episodes of The Bachelor will also be available to stream on ABCs website the morning after they air, but youll need a proper cable login to access the episodes. HOW TO WATCH THE BACHELOR LIVE WITHOUT CABLE: The Bachelor airs on ABC, which means depending on your location, you may be able to live stream episodes on ABC.com or with the ABC app by signing in with a participating TV provider. Once you sign in, you can watch at abc.com/watch-live or you can select live TV in the ABC app. You can also find a Bachelor live stream if youre a DIRECTV NOW, YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV, or PlayStation Vue subscriber. Where to stream The Bachelor | https://decider.com/2019/01/08/is-the-bachelor-on-hulu/ |
Did Carlton Jones orchestrate the firing of former Tulare police chief? | Thats what retired Tulare County Judge Howard Broadman will decide on Thursday at a scheduled mediation hearing in Visalia. The mediation hearing is conducted outside of the normal civil court to give both sides a chance for the case to be settled without a long, costly legal battle. But in an unusual move, Hensley's attorney, Michael Lampe, posted a pre-mediation legal filing to Facebook, alleging Jones had anti-police bias, bullied both city staff and members of the public and improperly used a city-issued credit card. Most of the allegations against Jones have been previously reported by the Times-Delta/Advance-Register and other local media outlets. Jones says he used the city-issued credit card to buy a meal at a Selma restaurant during a meeting with a Tulare police union representative who had concerns about Hensley's leadership of the department. You can see a link to Lampe's legal filing at the end of this story. Mario Zamora, interim city attorney, said he plans to attend the Thursday hearing. Rob Hunt, interim city manager, may also attend. The city has prepared a response to Lampe's filing ahead of the mediation hearing and will present it at the Jan. 10 hearing, Zamora said. Because the response to Lampe's filing wont be filed in court, the citys prepared document is not subject to a public request, Zamora said. You go into the mediation hearing expecting that both sides are there to close the case, he said. You go with the idea (that) it is cheaper to settle than go to trial and other court procedures that you cant control. Previously, Lampe suggested Jones shouldn't be represented by the Tulare City attorney. But Zamora rejected that argument because Jones is not a plaintiff listed in the lawsuit the city of Tulare is. Jones has denied all the allegations and it isn't clear from the legal filings how Lampe's claims about Jones led to the firing of Hensley by former Tulare City Manager Joe Carlini. Hensley answered to Carlini, as do all police chiefs. He could not be fired by the city council, according to the city charter. After Carlini fired Hensley in March 2018, the city council fired Carlini on the same day. In his legal arguments, Lampe also used quotes Jones gave to the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register and Fresno Bee questioning police conduct after Tulare Police shot and killed an African-American man in March of 2018. Those quotes, Lampe argues, are evidence of Jones' anti-police bias, including bias against Hensley. At the time of the shooting, though, Hensely was on paid administrative leave. Lampe's legal filing also details Jones' alleged confrontation with Alex Gutierrez during a city council meeting. Gutierrez, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Tulare City Council, was also accused of assault in another unrelated incident in September 2017. Lampe's legal filing also includes a deposition in which Tulare City Clerk Roxanne Yoder agreed with Lampe when he asked her if Jones had a reputation of being a bully. It isn't clear how Yoder's deposition connects with Hensley's firing, though. Ahead of the mediation hearing, Lampe also took depositions from Carlini and Jones. And Lampe said he wants to depose Jones for a second time. More: Tulare Councilman Jones says he believed investigation report was public record Tulare changes credit card policy after former mayor accused of misuse Lawyer: Tulare chief was investigating mayor before being suspended City denies Wes Hensley 'full evidentiary hearing' Read or Share this story: https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/01/08/did-carlton-jones-orchestrate-firing-former-tulare-police-chief/2502473002/ | https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/01/08/did-carlton-jones-orchestrate-firing-former-tulare-police-chief/2502473002/ |
Where Does Marie Kondo Get Her Boxes From? | Where to Stream: Tidying Up With Marie Kondo More Options If Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has accomplished one thing, its gotten people very interested in reorganizing their livesand you cant reorganize your life without boxes! Marie Kondo knows whats up when it comes to storage solutions, and she enters every clutter battlefield well-armed to win the fight. Theres a box for that! Youll never be able to look at your drawers the same way again after watching just one episode of Tidying Up. Kinda like the Joker to Batman, youll be wondering to yourself, Where does she get those wonderful boxes? So lets talk about those boxes! The boxes Marie Kondo developed for her KonMari method of tidying are called Hikidashi Boxes and you can get the real deal sets of boxes from the official KonMari online store. Fun bit of trivia: hikidashi is the Japanese word for drawer. So Hikidashi Boxes literally means drawer boxes. Wow! What do these boxes within boxes even do?! They do this! They keep things separated, preventing them from getting all tangled together and impossible to easily use. Segmenting your belongings is a great way to see what you have and itll let you more easily determine what you dont need. Now you know where to get some! Stream Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix | https://decider.com/2019/01/08/tidying-up-marie-kondo-storage-boxes/ |
Is The Cyntoia Brown Documentary on Netflix? | One of the most devastating court cases in recent history is getting a happier ending. After serving over a decade in prison for killing one of her clients while working as an underage prostitute, Cyntoia Brown is getting a break in her case. This week a judge granted the young woman clemency, releasing her to a parole officer instead of forcing her to serve the remainder of her term in prison. Its difficult not to see Browns case as a gross miscarriage of justice. Brown was 16 years old at the time of Johnny Allens murder. Not only was she clearly underage but she later claimed to be the victim of a sex trafficking operation. Though she never denied shooting Allen, Brown claimed she only acted in self defense. Typically these details would be more than enough to grant someone a compassionate ruling. In Browns case she was given 51 years to life in prison. If you need a refresher about why this case is a big deal, we have you covered. And heres how you can watch PBS documentary on the case, Me Facing Life: Cyntoias Story. The reason why you know Browns name probably has to do with the worst moment in her life. In August of 2004, 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown agreed to meet one of her clients for sex, 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allen. The encounter ended with Brown shooting Allen in the back of his head and killing him. Later is court she claimed she shot Allen in self defense. Though she was underage and was the alleged victim of a sex trafficking operation, Brown was convicted for Allens murder. She was given a sentence of 51 years to life. This tragic case quickly sparked the interest of high-profile advocates. In 2011, director Daniel H. Birman released Me Facing Life: Cyntoias Story, a documentary that explored this complicated case and the young woman at its center. As the years have passed, pleas for a reduced sentence for Brown have come from U.S. congressmen and celebrities like Amy Schumer, Kim Kardashian West, and Rhianna. There is a silver lining to Browns story. After advocating for a less severe sentence for years, in January of 2019 a Tennessee judge granted Brown clemency. Under this extension of a more merciful sentence, Brown will be released to parole supervision. At the moment it doesnt seem as if it is. Though PBS lists Me Facing Life: Cyntoias Story as available to watch through its Thirteen Explore app, we were unable to find the documentary on streaming. Decider has reached out to PBS about how to stream this documentary. That said, there is at least one short film about Brown currently available online. You can watch Sentencing Children Part 1: Cyntoias Story on PBSs site. At the moment its not. But if youre in the mood for an ethically complicated case, check out Amanda Knox. Unfortunately, the full doc is not on there either. However, you can watch clips from the documentary on the site. Thats the one thing you can watch app-free. The trailer is at the top of this article, but you can also watch it on YouTube. | https://decider.com/2019/01/08/cyntoia-brown-documentary-netflix/ |
Is it safety in numbers for HTC with Proto and 5-inch phone sightings? | The HTC Proto and an unnamed 5-inch device may make an appearance later this year as the Taiwanese firm looks to strengthen its handset offering in light of hardened competition. HTC has struggled to gain traction in the mobile market this year with Samsung and Apple essentially the Bolt and Blake of the smartphone race, leaving the Taiwan-based firm witnessing falling revenues. Hello Proto Leaked specifications suggest the Proto will run a dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM and sport a 4-inch WVGA SLCD screen, 4GB of internal storage and 5MP camera. It's likely that HTC will bake Beats Audio technology into the handset, giving you more bang for your musical buck, and squeeze all the tech into a case which is 9.62mm in depth. If these details are true, then the Proto will slide in between the One V and One S in HTC's current range of handsets, as the firm looks to increase its mobile offering, which also includes the Desire C and One X, and claw back some vital market share. Look out Galaxy Note According to Digitimes, HTC is also working on another handset which will feature a full HD, 5-inch display, boasting an eye-popping resolution of 1794x1080. At that size, it's clear that HTC would be aiming the handset at the Samsung Galaxy Note and LG Optimus Vu, in the phone-come-tablet no-mans-land of the market. There's no word on a potential release date or prices for the super-sized handset, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for more information. From The Verge | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/is-it-safety-in-numbers-for-htc-with-proto-and-5-inch-phone-sightings-1091235 |
How do kids feel about helicopter parenting? | Whether it's their justification for guarding kids closely or a refreshing counter-argument about why the fears are statistically unfounded, it's all about the parents. Very little is ever said about the child and how he or she may feel about never experiencing independence. This could be due partly to age; many of the kids being helicoptered these days are too young to realize what's happening, but not all of them. Some are now capable of looking back and feeling a sense of outrage, loss, and grief at their (well-meaning) parents' determination to shield them from everything in the world, both good and bad. This sense of deep emotional loss is conveyed in a letter written by a young man to Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free Range Kids blog and its related Let Grow movement. The young man, Eric, wrote to her after stumbling across her work on the Internet and wanted to "send a massive thank you." Skenazy posted the young man's letter on her website a couple days ago and his words are enough to shake up any parent. An excerpt reads: "I was a bit of an overprotected kid. I remember when I was younger I was constantly feeling the urge to run, explore, and play, and that urge was frequently shut down outside of several very specific, very adult-run 'safe' environments. I think that affected me in a very negative way, leading me to put on weight I still haven't fully lost, and left me with an anxiety that never seems to go away. Living in a post 9/11, terrified, helicopter-parented world was terrible. I guess I just wish I had the opportunity to have more fun and make some more mistakes, and grow in the process." In her brief discussion of the letter afterward, Skenazy points out the unfortunate link between 9/11 and an overly coddled childhood: "How does letting a kid ride his bike to the 7-Eleven have anything to do with airplanes flying into buildings?" And yet this is a common problem, with parents jumbling fears of unrelated things together in such a way that they become incapable of letting their kid do anything. Take, for example, parents who are afraid to let a kid walk home alone from school. They are fearful of kidnappings that are statistically negligible, but because they are inundated with horrible stories on TV all the time, it conflates the two scenarios in bizarre ways. (Fear of car traffic is another very real and justifiable concern, but it's not the reason most parents cite for not wanting their kids to walk home alone.) Unfortunately, it's the kids who pay the lifelong price of this paranoia. Parents are largely immune to the fallout, other than maybe having an angry, resentful young adult on their hands (which is a big problem in itself). But today's helicopter parents are the last of a generation that did enjoy freedom, and so, no matter how much they helicopter their own kids, they will never go through life with the crippled sense of independence, the shrunken view of the world, and the fear of the unknown that they're instilling in their kids. As Eric's letter makes clear, this is a horrible and appalling legacy to leave to one's child. It's time for parents to stop making this about themselves and their own baseless fears. It's time to make this about the kids and doing what's best for them, even if it's uncomfortable for the parents. When I feel nervous about granting my kids the independence they crave and pushing them to take steps that I know they're capable of I remind myself of why it's important: Because they're smart. Because they deserve it. Because it will stand them in good stead. Because they'll be more confident, less victimized. Because I don't want them to be afraid. Because I want them to have tools to deal with uncertainty when it arises. And last but not least... Because I never want to grapple with the questions that Eric's parents are now facing: "Why did you do that to me?" | https://www.treehugger.com/family/what-do-kids-think-helicopter-parenting.html |
Can Trump declare a state of emergency over the border wall? | By Rebecca Taylor, news reporter Donald Trump is to demand money for his wall by saying there is a crisis on the US-Mexico border amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. The US president is said to be poised to use emergency powers to override Congress, who he has been in deadlock with for three weeks over the $5.6bn (4bn) he wants for the project. "We are looking at it very strongly," he told reporters recently. "We're looking at a national emergency, because we have a national emergency." Image: Donald Trump told reporters 'we have to build the wall' Mr Trump has been locked at an impasse with Congress over his commitment to building a wall along the Mexican border. Congress refuses to budget the amount Mr Trump says he requires and so he refuses to sign off the annual budget. The president is to make a speech on prime time US television at 9pm on Tuesday (2am Wednesday GMT) in which it is believed he will stand prepared to use emergency powers to bypass Congress and ensure the funding. The US president can declare a state of emergency which gives him more powers and are designed to help respond to a crisis. A president using emergency powers has to do so under the National Emergencies Act which was created after the Watergate scandal in an attempt to bring in reform. The president is at complete discretion to call for emergency powers, but he must cite which powers he intends to use and update the public should he add more to his list as the state of emergency continues. He does not have to use powers which directly relate to the crisis at hand. A state of emergency lasts for a year unless it is renewed by the president, but Congress must meet every six months to consider a vote on terminating it. Congressman Adam Smith, the new Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, just stated, Yes, there is a provision in law that says a president can declare an emergency. Its been done a number of times. No doubt, but lets get our deal done in Congress! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2019 Emergency powers cover dozens of pieces of legislation, including war powers, such as changing the size and composition of the armed forces and intercepting or preventing wire communications. Congress can reject the presidential claim of a state of emergency. However, the Senate is still controlled by the Republican party, so it would be down to legal action after the fact to challenge it. There is a possibility Mr Trump could interpret laws in order to suit building the wall, according to reports. Image: Mr Trump has said he would consider using emergency powers Under a statute called 33 US Code 2293, there is a provision for the president during a state of emergency to "terminate or defer the construction, operation, maintenance, or repair of any department of the army civil works project that he deems not essential to the national defence". This means he could redirect military from their current stations to build the wall. A second US statute, 10 US Code 2808, allows the president to direct military forces and spending onto new projects, using money that has not been ring-fenced. It states that the president "may undertake military construction projects, and may authorise the secretaries of the military departments to undertake military construction projects, not otherwise authorised by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces". But in doing any of this, Mr Trump is not assured of an easier route to his wall. He risks court action which will challenge his methods and his results. Elizabeth Goitein, from the Brennan Centre for Justice told news outlet NPR: "Emergency powers are intended to be used for emergencies, not to settle political disputes or to shortcut the political process." In a recent controversial use of emergency powers, George W Bush declared a state of emergency in the days after the September 11 attacks, in an attempt to disrupt any potential terrorist activity. The emergency order used a law which banned any US citizen from any transactions with anyone named as a suspected terrorist or with anyone suspected of helping one. It stopped people from selling so much as a loaf of bread to anyone named. Image: Franklin Roosevelt's emergency power led to the detention of thousands of Americans Franklin D Roosevelt used an emergency power when he issued an executive order in February 1942 which led to the incarceration of Americans of Japanese, German, and Italian descent in US concentration camps. Mr Roosevelt issued the order, number 9066, to "protect against espionage and sabotage" during a time of war. Tens of thousands of people were held for two years, with the order eventually suspended in 1944. The Supreme Court eventually decided the order had been correctly made at the time. Harry Truman was another president to use emergency powers, though the Supreme Court did not side with him. During the Korean War, Mr Truman seized steel mills in order to ensure enough steel was made to keep up with the demands of war. But the judiciary ruled no private property could ever be seized without the approval of Congress, saying there was no emergency power to cover the office of the president. | https://news.sky.com/story/can-trump-declare-a-state-of-emergency-over-the-border-wall-11601844 |
Are most people lonely? | According to a new study, if you're lonely, you're not alone. If you're feeling lonely, you're not alone. A group of researchers studied 340 people from the ages of 27-101 living in San Diego County. According to the scale they used, about 75 percent of the participants reported feeling moderate to high loneliness. "This is noteworthy because the participants in this study were not considered to be at high risk for moderate to severe loneliness. They didn't have major physical disorders. Nor did they suffer from significant mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia, in which you might expect loneliness to be problematic," said Dilip Jeste, one of the researchers. "Though there were clear demographic limitations to the group, these participants were, generally speaking, regular people." That means loneliness may be more common than previously thought, which is concerning (at least for San Diego residents). In addition to being terrible on its own, loneliness leads to plenty of health problems, including disrupted sleep and hypertension. I certainly have more questions. Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to these questions. But there's actually an uplifting side to all this. People like to give off the impression that their lives are perfect they have fun friends, loving families, wonderful jobs and exciting adventures. But studies like these show what we all probably suspect: this rosy impression is often a facade. Loneliness is depressing. But there's something even worse: being lonely and thinking everyone else is perfectly content. Humans tend to measure things by comparison. Thinking you're doing worse at life than everyone else is just kicking the horse while it's down. So next time you're feeling lonely, remember that most people you see walking down the street may be just as lonely as you. You might even work up the courage to say hi to one of them. | https://www.treehugger.com/health/most-people-lonely.html |
Do most people bike for work or fun? | I set out to settle a debate with a friend about biking. I recently got in an argument with a friend about cycling. I argued that, when you see someone biking in New York, they're usually trying to get somewhere workplaces, grocery stores, friends' apartments, etc. After all, there are plenty of delivery boys and bike messengers who ride all day, all year. Surely their many rides outweigh the occasional hobbyist bike trip. My friend, on the other hand, claimed most bike rides are recreational. It's no idle question. If he's right, then biking is just some pastime for the wealthy. On the other hand, if I'm right, then biking is an eco-friendly, inexpensive way for everyone to get around without all the pollution and resource-hogging of cars. So I reached out to Ralph Buehler, a professor of urban affairs at Virginia Tech who studies biking. And it turns out ... It's pretty 50/50. In urban areas, 46.9 percent of bike trips are recreational. (Since my friend and I were talking about New York City, I technically win the argument, whoo!) But in rural areas, 61.5 percent of trips are recreational. Most people biking to get somewhere are commuting, working, shopping or visiting friends. Kids are by far the best bikers; 5- to 15-year-olds are taking 39 percent of all bike trips. But that's down from 2001. Since then, adults have started biking way more than they used to. 40- to 64-year-olds used to take only 10 percent of trips, now they're taking 21 percent. "A bicycling renaissance has indeed been underway over the past two decades, with growing cycling levels and widespread interest in cycling in both the USA and Canada," Buehler and his colleagues wrote in a study. Income does make a difference, but it's not that rich people are making most of the bike trips. "Concerning income, there is an overall correlation in the US between cycling and income," Buehler told me, "but looking at it more closely, it is more likely U-shaped, with more cycling among those who are poor and high incomes." Poor people tend to bike to get to work, while rich people tend to bike for recreation. "Cycling levels have increased in both the USA and Canada, while cyclist fatalities have fallen," the scientists continued. "Almost all the growth in cycling in the USA has been among men between 2564 years old, while cycling rates have remained steady among women and fallen sharply for children." Cycling rates doubled in cities in the first decade of the millennium. Of course, cycling in the U.S. pales in comparison to cycling in Europe. In the Netherlands, bike rides make up nearly 30 percent of daily trips. So we've got a ways to go ... hopefully on bikes. | https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/do-most-people-bike-work-or-fun.html |
Will the Laureti DionX be Indias Longest Range Electric SUV..? | New electric vehicle brand, Laureti, will soon introduce their flagship SUV, the DionX, into the Indian market. The new full-size E-SUV boasts the longest range achievable, on a single charge, with a claimed 540 kilometres. Laureti are set to demonstrate these figures with an expedition starting from Leh in the north of India to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the country. The company plans on doing the 6,000-km journey with just 12 charging cycles, with an average range of 500 km from charging points. The DionX will also pass through seven major cities Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. In addition, Laureti will display live updates such as dashboard data, drive status, and trip highlights on online networks, including purpose-built digital display boards in some cities. Using a combination of specific battery technology and power systems gave us the key breakthrough results to bring forth DionX. This enables Laureti to produce highly efficient, long-range EVs that come with battery life guarantee up to 100,000 km, said Emmanuel Laurent, Managing Director of Laureti. Laureti will also be known for its safety aspect especially in the Indian market. We sourced a lot of data and research on road conditions and traffic behaviour in building our technology solutions to achieve the top mark in safety standards. We are looking forward to publishing further test results and demonstrating them live in the Endurance Trip this year, says Marcus Paleti, CEO of Laureti Automotive Corporation. Most of the breakthrough technologies used in making DionX sourced from cooperation and joint ventures with leading innovative companies in France who I think will be a major contributor for the success of Laureti. he added. Designed with an intention to please Her Majesty, Laureti have confirmed that the British-luxury inspired DionX will be produced in the companys plant in Puducherry. Laureti are also carrying out a number of joint ventures for technology advancements, funding, and infrastructure to set-up 100,000 charging points across the country. The company plans on being operational by 2020, adding to Indias strive towards electric mobility. Story: Zal Cursetji | http://carindia.in/will-the-laureti-dionx-be-indias-longest-range-electric-suv/ |
What is the Emergency that Donald Trump says he might declare to build the wall? | As the US government remains partially shut down over the standoff over $5.6 billion funding for Donald Trumps proposed wall along the countrys southern border, the President has said he is looking very strongly at invoking emergency powers to build the wall without permission from Congress. Media and analysts in the US have since been debating whether the President can indeed take that step, and whether that is within norms laid down by the Constitution. Emergency powers Advertising The US President does indeed, have the power to declare a national emergency when that happens, exceptions are triggered to rules that bind some of his executive powers, so that the government is enabled to react rapidly to a crisis. NPR quoted Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice as saying: Declaring the Emergency is pretty easy. There arent a lot of legal limits on his (Trumps) ability to do that, frankly, even if there isnt a real emergency happening. Congresss options Following the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s, Congress passed The National Emergencies Act, 1976, with the idea of putting some checks on the Presidents powers, while not hampering his ability to act in an emergency. The Act requires the President to formally inform Congress when he declares a national Emergency, and to provide lawmakers with a list of the powers being invoked. The administration is required to regularly update Congress, and lawmakers can, by a vote in both the House and Senate, end the Emergency. In the present case, Congress could, by a vote in both Houses, reject the declaration of Emergency. But Republicans control the Senate, and will likely not go that way. Building the wall The President has claimed there is a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border with Mexico, with criminals, human traffickers and drugs pouring in. The New York Times, which, too referred to the work of Goitein at the Brennan Center, said at least two laws could be invoked to start building the wall without explicit authorisation from Congress. There is a provision during an Emergency to divert troops and resources to build authorised civil works, military construction and civil defence projects that are essential to the national defence, and another that allows military construction projects not otherwise authorised by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces, using appropriated military construction funds that may still not have been given to specific projects. The legal position And yet, Trumps legal authority to invoke emergency powers to build a border wall is almost certain to invite a court battle, The NYT report said. It quoted Goitein as saying there (was) a nonfrivolous legal case to be made, and that there were arguments on both sides should a lawsuit emerge. While commentators have argued that a manufactured Emergency, essentially to settle a political standoff, will not pass legal muster, that possibility is in itself not likely to deter the President. And if that happens, with Congress split, a challenge in courts by opponents of Trump will follow. The Justice Department would argue then that judges cannot decide for the President on whether the nation does indeed face an emergency. The problem is that Congress has enabled abuse of power by putting virtually no limits on the Presidents ability to declare an Emergency, The NYT report quoted Goitein as saying. Situation on ground Advertising American media reports have underlined that the border situation has not deteriorated so much that an emergency to build the wall can be justified. The number of illegal aliens crossing over has fallen consistently for almost 20 years. The recent caravans of migrants have made no attempt to cross the border by stealth, rather they have approached the authorities seeking asylum. | https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-the-emergency-that-donald-trump-says-he-might-declare-to-build-the-wall-5529289/ |
What Is Maren Morris Trying to Tell Us? | Maren Morris has been leaving several very kryptic messages on her Instagram, and we're dying to know what it all means!!!! A post shared by Maren Morris (@marenmorris) on Jan 4, 2019 at 7:00am PST And this... A post shared by Maren Morris (@marenmorris) on Jan 4, 2019 at 7:00am PST And this one... A post shared by Maren Morris (@marenmorris) on Jan 4, 2019 at 7:00am PST And there's three more just like these! If we had to guess, Maren Morris is about to drop new music! Gosh we hope that's what it is! Because WE. ARE. READY MM! DO IT! :) By the way, we loved your NYE performance in New Orleans! You sassy diva! | https://seattlewolf.radio.com/blogs/deanna-lee/what-maren-morris-trying-tell-us |
Is Tony Soprano Dead or Not? | The Sopranos Sessions, by Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall, was published today. And while I have only skimmed early excerpts and fractions of the wholeI downloaded my copy in the wee, small hours of the morningit looks to be the definitional take on the show that many of us had anticipated. Careful dissections of every episode, extended interviews with the famously recalcitrant creator David Chase: Its all there. Heres the relevant interview exchange: Sepinwall: When you said there was an end point, you dont mean Tony at Holstens, you just meant, I think I have two more years worth of stories left in me. Chase: Yes, I think I had that death scene around two years before the end Tony was going to get called to a meeting with Johnny Sack in Manhattan, and he was going to go back through the Lincoln Tunnel for this meeting, and it was going to go black there and you never saw him again as he was heading back, the theory being that something bad happens to him at the meeting. But we didnt do that. Seitz: You realize, of course, that you just referred to that as a death scene. [A long pause follows] Chase: Fuck you guys. Theres plenty more sparring back and forth, and I think the exchange leaves open the question of Tonys fate. Or rather, it would if that fate were not so utterly self-evident. Chase devoted vastly too much attention to the meticulous construction of his Tony Got Whacked puzzle for it to possibly be unintentional. I recommend the obsessive and meticulously persuasive 20,000 words of The Sopranos: Definitive Explanation of The END. They are what convinced me, after several years of ambivalence, of precisely what Chase intended to do. The problem, of course, is that Chase continues to deny that this was his intention, and suggests that the finale is open to multiple competing interpretations. Bollocks. In a 2015 interview, he made this case unusually aggressively, and suggested that much of the culmination of The Sopranos was dictated by Journeys Dont Stop Believin, which scored the final scene. I wrote about the abject horror of this revelation at the time, and to my surprise and modest delight, Chase evidently read the piece. Again, from his interview with Seitz and Sepinwall: I was just reading something from The Atlantic that said, David Chase Just Ruined the Finale of The Sopranos, because Id said some kind of thing about how what I was trying to say was that life is very short and love is the only defense, so dont stop believing. The guy in The Atlantic said I ruined everything and I was better off when I kept my mouth shutwhich hes probably right about! Fans of the show may differ, and I recommend buying the book to see the full exchange, along with all its other extensive material and analysis. But you know which team Im on. I am proudly the guy in The Atlantic. Im just happy that Chase apparently bears no ill willand is even contemplating following my advice (with all possible respect) to keep his mouth shut. After the unintended confession that Seitz and Sepinwall seem to have coaxed out of him, it seems more relevant than ever. We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected]. | https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/01/tony-soprano-dead-or-not/579736/?utm_source=feed |
How wide is the gap between Florida State and national champion Clemson? | Buy Photo Florida State receiver Peter Warrick helped the Seminoles beat Virginia Tech for the national title in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Right now, we are a long way off, former Seminole All-American and NFL defensive lineman Corey Simon said, referring to Clemson. We did just come off a five-win season. Worrying about Clemson right now is a moot point. The Tigers became the first Division I/FBS team to finish 15-0 since Penn in 1897 with their 44-16 rout of No. 1 Alabama. Monday night. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said "there's no doubt" his team should be in the conversation for college football's best team ever. FSU, of course, is in that conversation. The Seminoles 2013 national-title team (14-0) averaged 51.6 points and won by a margin of 39.5 under coach Jimbo Fisher. They beat Auburn 34-31 in the BCS championship game as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left. The Seminoles 1999 national-title team (12-0) was the first in NCAA history to go wire-to-wire as the countrys top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. FSU averaged 37.1 points per game and throttled Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl behind sizzling receiver Peter Warrick. That same season coach Bobby Bowden won his 300th career game in the first father vs. son coaching matchup (Clemsons Tommy Bowden), celebrated his 70th birthday and 50th wedding anniversary and embraced his first season in 40 years as a coach. Bowden turns 90 this year. That fooled everybody, Bowden said of Clemsons performance. I felt like Clemson was capable of beating them but I didnt think it would. I thought the Alabama magic would somehow win. The Crimson Tide didnt have enough hats or rabbits. Some FSU fans may wince, but Clemson did the ACC proud Monday. The Tigers won 13 games by 20 points or more and the legend of quarterback Trevor Lawrence has just begun. Clemson certainly stands today as the nations preeminent program. They are a talented team, a lot similar to us in (1999), said former Seminole Snoop Minnis, a receiver on the 1999 team. They were a confident team. You can tell they have worked hard and are a disciplined football team. You could tell they have a real love for each other. We have to get that we attitude back. We have a lot of talented guys. But we have too many individuals on the team. Buy Photo FSU Head Coach Willie Taggart high-fives fans during the Seminoles Garnet and Gold Spring Game at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, April 14, 2018. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat) FSU coach Willie Taggarts first season in Tallahassee was a mixed-bag, and thats being polite. Taggart said the right things, but the underlying problems inside the program surfaced. Taggart is part of that equation, too, and there is significant pressure on him to make improvements. He has made one coaching change with the addition of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, and three others are in the works. This program needs to be better organized and managed across all levels. The "look-at-me" player mentality - while it's an issue nationally - must be curbed, somehow. Entitlement has chipped away at FSU's soul, soured fans and even angered former players. "Look at what I am sacrificing for the program," Simon - a member of the 1999 team - explained this generation's posturing. Clemson appears to be built for the future. Taggart's vision is a good one, but it must come into focus this season. He went into the offseason saying he would re-evaluate every facet of his program. Improving culture and developing players have to be fast tracked. I am not sure if FSU can afford to be patient - even if Clemson was with Swinney. Bowden pointed to Clemson's dominance along the offensive and defensive lines, Lawrence's passing touch and poise and Swinney's coaching. Bowden's son Tommy hired Swinney at Clemson - and Swinney served as the Tigers' interim head coach when Bowden was fired with six games remaining in the 2008 season. Bowden recommended Swinney as his replacement. There is so much history between these programs. Unfortunately, once a primetime showcase, FSU-Clemson is no longer on the national radar. It feels as if the Tigers are light years away after Monday's win over Alabama for their second national title in three years. Clemson has flipped the script on FSU, which had it going so good, for so long. The game is so further advanced now in terms of skill players and what players have to adapt to, said former Seminole and NFL offensive lineman Brett Williams, a freshman on the 1999 title team. I never knew how to pass block until I got to FSU. Its just a different game now. I am happy to see Clemson do well. They (Tigers) are unreal and that quarterback is special. He's on Jameis Winston's level in terms of his football IQ. But he (Taggart) doesnt need to focus on chasing Clemson. "We have to win more games. | https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/2019/01/08/how-wide-gap-between-fsu-and-clemson/2513804002/ |
How Did Matt Do With The #BirdBoxChallenge?? | Everyone seems to be taking part in the #BirdBoxChallenge so of course we had to try it too. If you dont know what the BirdBox challenge is, it comes from the Netflix movie. In the movie everyone has to wear blindfolds when they are outside, otherwise they will see something that makes them go crazy. Naturally after watching the movie (a reported 45 million people have watched it) people wanted to see if they could complete everyday tasks with a blindfold on (hence the challenge). Netflix has issued a warning not to try this challenge because you can get hurt doing it, so we are going to issue the same warning to you. We dont want you to hurt yourself trying this so Matt was willing to do it for you. Enjoy | https://seattlewolf.radio.com/blogs/morning-wolfpack-matt-mcallister/how-did-matt-do-birdboxchallenge |
What's inside Rugby World's February 2019 edition? | 2 Free Gifts with Rugby Worlds Six Nations 2019 issue Start 2019 with a bang by picking up Rugby Worlds new issue! The February 2019 edition is a Six Nations special and comes with not one but two free gifts. The championship kicks off in less than a month and there is an extra edge this year with players performances likely to be decisive when it comes to World Cup selection. This preview issue is packed with player interviews, big talking points and expert analysis. Here are a dozen reasons to pick up the February 2019 issue of Rugby World 1. FREE Six Nations wallchart Our double-sided wallchart features both the mens and womens Six Nations fixtures, complete with kick-off times and TV details, and you can fill in results as the championships progress 2. FREE 24-page Six Nations mini mag History, travel guides, standout players, stats and facts we have you covered with all you need to know about the championship since 2000 with our Six Nations compendium 3. Ireland analysis Ireland are a ruthless automaton. That is Stuart Barness verdict on the defending Six Nations champions. Read his in-depth analysis of Joe Schmidts team and his assessment of the other contenders 4. Gavin Mortimer dissects the issue 5. Mako Vunipola The England prop talks work-rate, scrummaging improvements and fatherhood and provides the lowdown on his team-mates 6. Warren Gatland This will be the Kiwis final Six Nations in charge of Wales, so we discover the coachs favourite memories during his decade at the helm and find out what the future might hold 7. My day off in Paris with Finn Russell and Simon Zebo The duo have already become fans favourites at Racing 92. RWs Alan Dymock has travelled to the French capital to discuss life in the Top 14 with the Scotland and Ireland internationals 8. A dozen ways to make rugby better With a new year upon us, RW columnist Stephen Jones lays out what hed like to see happen over the coming 12 months to improve the sport 9. Sergio Parisses life in pictures The Italy legend is in his 18th season of international rugby and there have been some special moments along the way. He talks through his memories 10. Rugby World Cup 2019 The line-up for this years World Cup is complete, with Canada the 20th team to qualify. We find out about the challenges that lie ahead as they prepare for Japan Related: Canada qualify for World Cup 11. Sean Holley analyses the contenders Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar and Rhys Patchell then makes his choice 12. Womens Six Nations We have the womens championship covered with interviews with Scotland No 8 Jade Konkel and Frances Safi NDiaye as well as Englands Amy Cokayne on juggling her rugby and RAF careers PLUS, THERES ALL THIS Owen Farrells tips on kicking out of hand Downtime with Sean Cronin Rising stars Ollie Lawrence and Manon Johnes Stephen Myler on London Irishs promotion bid Dragons and Wales hooker Elliot Dee Inside the mind of Will Addison Ben Ryan on Alivereti Raka Club Hero Semesa Rokoduguni Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. | https://www.rugbyworld.com/publication/rugby-world/rugby-world-february-2019-issue |
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