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Is Rosario Dawson dating Cory Booker as he considers presidential run? | Rosario Dawson was spotted singing I love you to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at a Broadway musical over the weekend, and she wasnt singing along to music from the show, a report said. Page Six, hearing from spies, reports that there is no doubt that Dawson and Booker considered to be a possible contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are an item. Page Six first reported that the 39-year-old movie star and the 49-year-old Booker, a 1992 Stanford University graduate, were spotted together last week, catching a movie at a theater in New York Citys Union Square. He literally almost ran me over when he was racing around the corner to get to the concession stand before the movie started, a source told Page Six. Page Six reported Tuesday that the Sin City actress and Booker were spotted at the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, a show about a teenager with social anxiety. They were accompanied by Dawsons daughter and Bookers niece. Dawson and Booker went backstage to meet the cast after the show, Page Six said. Thats when Dawson reportedly broke out into song. Sources told Page Six that Dawson was walking across the empty stage on her way to the exit, when she began joking around and singing a made-up song to Booker. It went I love you; te amo (as in, the Spanish for I love you). They were so cute together and seemed so flirtatious, a source backstage told Page Six. The two didnt kiss or engage in any other PDA, but it was clear they were an item, the source told Page Six. The cast was smitten with this apparently new glamorous power couple. They were fangirling over everyone in the cast, and the cast was fangirling over them, the source said. Cast members also thanked Sen. Booker for his work during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and for standing up to Trump. Dawson is politically active, endorsing the presidential bids of Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders. She previously was romantically linked to comedian Eric Andre, ending their relationship in 2017. She adopted her daughter in 2014. Meanwhile, Booker has never been married, but he has been linked to Chanda Gibson, executive director of the Council of Urban Professionals, TV personality Gayle King and Instagram poet Cleo Wade, Page Six reported. After getting his bachelors and masters degrees from Stanford University, the New Jersey-reared Booker received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, then a law degree at Yale. Before becoming a U.S. senator, he was mayor of Newark, N.J. NJ Advance Media reported Sunday that Steve Phillips, a San Francisco lawyer, civil rights activist and Stanford University classmate of Booker, has set up a super political action committee to raise at least $10 million to support him if he runs for president. There is nobody who has a better chance of being the next president than Cory in terms of what the country needs, Phillips, founder of Democracy in Color and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told the news outlet. Phillips said Booker has strong appeal to his fellow African-Americans, a major voting bloc in Democratic primaries. Bookers appeal is similar to that which helped elect Obama president in 2008, Phillips said. Booker has yet to decide whether he will run for president in 2020. Sen. Booker continues to weigh with his family and friends whether he should run for president, and any effort to draft him into the race is outside of his control and will not affect his decision, Booker spokesman Jeff Giertz told NJ Advance Media. There has been no activity on his part or that of his team to organize or endorse the creation of a super PAC. | https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/01/08/is-rosario-dawson-dating-cory-booker-as-he-considers-presidential-run/ |
What new coach could the Steelers add in the offseason? | According to Pittsburgh Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac, the Steelers are considering adding another full-time coaching position in the offseason. Steelers could expand their coaching staff. https://t.co/TY8wRSCQvc Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 8, 2019 The first thought was hiring a full-time staff member to assist with clock management. Head coach Mike Tomlin struggles at times with things like timeouts and making quick decisions in-game. But the more likely answer I think is to hire a coach to assist with challenges. No coach in the NFL is worse at winning challenges than Tomlin. He hasnt won a challenge in the last two seasons and he is six for his last 20. Many NFL teams put a staff member up in the booth just for challenges but the Steelers do not. If they want to spend some money somewhere, I cant think of any place better. | https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/08/what-new-coach-could-the-steelers-add-in-the-offseason/ |
Shall we chat? | A phone call Friday morning regarding property taxes in Canton prompted me to go to a source that could answer my questions AND explain it to me. A phone call Friday morning regarding property taxes in Canton prompted me to go to a source that could answer my questions AND explain it to me. Novel idea. Treasurer, Crystal Wilkinson, quickly did explain there was indeed a 1.5 percent increase adopted, but it is not an overall tax increase (meaning it is not 1.5 percent across the board). I remember attending the meeting and writing about it, but my memory had to be jogged, for sure. The increase, according to Wilkinson, will only gain the city about $41,851 in additional funding. She used the term only and I use it as well because when talking about municipalities and money, $41,851 is not a lot. As youre reading this dont think of this in terms of a household budget. It simply doesnt work that way and is in no way comparable. It is a difficult concept to grasp. Crystal used an analogy in an attempt to make the concept easier to understand. She described paying $100 for an item one year and then going back the following year to buy the same item. Upon returning to buy it again, you discover its gone up in price 1.5 percent so now instead of paying $100, youre going to have to pay $101.50 or $1.50 more than last year. This analogy wasnt about a pair of boots, for goodness sakes, it was about how minuscule the amount of property tax increase for the City of Canton is. Some said they would go to another store and buy a cheaper pair. This was SIMPLY an analogy. Unfortunately, when it comes to property taxes one cant shop around. Sure, you can move, but wherever you choose to go, if you are a homeowner, you are going to have property taxes. I feel taxed to death just as much as everyone else; more so on my paycheck than my property, but nonetheless. Heck, I dont even like to pay for gas. I have to if I want to go anywhere and get things done I need to get done, but I dont want to. The monies received from this increase will go to fund pensions; police and fire. The city is LEGALLY bound to fund these pensions. People have said hire less cops/firefighters. We have too many. They never do anything. I never see them on my street. I will always support our police and fire departments and I do not agree with these comments because I know theyre not true. Emotionally one may fully believe every statement is accurate, but emotion doesnt equal truth. Funny, though, a story I wrote after Wednesday nights council meeting regarding the swearing in of two new firefighters received no negative comments once posted on our Facebook as well as 66 positive reactions and four shares. March 5, 2018, a publication noted, Municipalities across the state are feeling the pension pinch. In fact, some are seeing most, if not all, of their share of property taxes going to police and fire pensions and theres not much relief expected from the state. Lt. Anthony Martin with the Chicago Fire Department said, Legislators must stop using the pension system as cash cows and finally end pension holidays. The failure to make the necessary payment to the systems as is bad public policy as the short term gains create long term fiscal problems. I should note, Lt. Martins comments were geared toward STATE legislators, not local, elected officials. Listen, it is so easy to be an armchair quarterback. I get it. After attending a truck ton of meetings over the course of almost 25 years its actually pretty difficult. Yeah, property taxes are a pain in the backside, but, personally I have a TON of other things I would rather spend time complaining about. And, if youre still really hung up about the 1.5 percent, heres a thought if you live in Ward 2. You cant officially be on the ballot, but you can run as a write-in candidate for the April 2 Consolidated Election. To do so, a write-in candidate must file a notarized Declaration of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate no later than 61 days prior to the election, which in this case would be Jan. 31. Instead of just talking about what they should do and what they arent doing, put yourself out there, get elected, make a difference! | http://www.aledotimesrecord.com/news/20190107/shall-we-chat |
How Did RHONYs Bethenny Frankel And Boyfriend Paul Bernon Ring In The New Year? | Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon began dating at the end of last year. Bethenny Frankel and her boyfriend, Paul Bernon, reportedly rang in the new year with their kids including his two children from his previous marriage, and her eight-year-old daughter Bryn, who she shares with ex-husband Jason Hoppy. The blended family celebrated the occasion in Mexico. On January 6, People magazine shared a report, one confirming that the Real Housewives of New York City star and her boyfriend of the past several months celebrated New Years Eve at the Rosewood Mayakoba resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. She seemed to be very happy, hanging out with her boyfriend and some friends, their source revealed. The kids were always out and about running around having fun, while Bethenny spent a lot of time hanging out on the beach, talking a lot and holding court with her group, the source added. She used the outdoor jacuzzi, spa steam room, and at one point, she and her boyfriend went for a walk and held hands. They seemed happy. Prior to Frankel and Bernons trip to Mexico, the couple enjoyed a healing retreat in the Dominican Republic and spent Christmas there as well. During their trip, Frankel went public with her relationship with Bernon for the very first time. She shared a couples photo on Instagram. Days before confirming her relationship with a photo, Frankel addressed her romance with Bernon for the first time by revealing that he saved her life after she suffered an allergic reaction to a fish entree while in Boston. Below is Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernons Instagram debut. On Twitter in December, after suffering from an allergic reaction to fish, Bethenny Frankel opened up to her fans and followers about the experience. She revealed that it was her boyfriend, Paul Bernon, who saved her life. I have a rare fish allergy. Sunday, I had soup, itched & was unconscious for 15 mins then to ER & ICU for 2 days w BP of 60/40, Frankel tweeted. I couldnt talk, see, thought I had a stroke & dying & told if 5 mins later Id be dead. 911 & EPI saved me. Ill never not carry an #epipen. According to People, sources confirmed Frankels relationship with Bernon in September of last year just weeks after Dennis Shields, Frankels former boyfriend, was found dead at his Trump Tower home in New York City. One month later, Frankel and Bernon were photographed together for the first time during an outing in Boston. Since then, the couple has been spotted together frequently, often in the Big Apple and in the Hamptons. | https://www.inquisitr.com/5240725/how-did-rhonys-bethenny-frankel-and-boyfriend-paul-bernon-ring-in-the-new-year/ |
Who placed a classified ad in The Washington Post looking for a flux capacitor? | A mock-up of a DeLorean time machine is parked on a Washington street on Back to the Future Day in 2015. The 1985 movie inspired a curious classified ad in The Washington Post. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Columnist A mysterious ad appeared over the weekend in The Washington Post Classifieds, under the Electronics category, sandwiched between Collectibles and Furniture. It took up three lines and it read: WANTED Flux Capacitor Needed to complete an important project. Must be in good condition. Youd never get your DeLorean to achieve time travel, as explained in Back to the Future, the documentary movie released in 1985. I called the number and got a recording. It was of a harried-sounding man saying, If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, were gonna see some serious [stuff]. I left a message and my cellphone number. An hour later my phone chimed, signaling a text: Do you have the item? I texted back: Do you have the money? Close readers of The Washington Post classified ads may have spotted something unusual on Jan. 5, 2019. A Virginia man placed a tongue-in-cheek ad looking for a flux capacitor, an item made famous by "Back to the Future." (John Kelly/The Washington Post) I was bluffing, but he didnt need to know that. As it turns out, he isnt. Hes a 35-year-old tech entrepreneur who lives in Loudoun County, Va. He doesnt want me to use his name because he does work with the government and thinks some clients might be freaked out that he occasionally puts silly ads in major newspapers. Lets call him Doc. Im just a big nerd, Doc said. He first ran the ad in The Post over April Fools Day in 2017. (Its also appeared in the Express.) He didnt get many responses that time, maybe because he used a California area code. (He has a service that allows him to use different phone numbers.) This time around, about a dozen people have called. After playing that bit of movie dialogue, the calls go directly to voice mail. Some people call and theyre just laughing, Doc said. Some people are like, Hey, this is cool. One person calling from what Doc said is a government agency left this message: I just wanted to thank you. I posted it to my Facebook page, so I hope you actually will get a call so that somebody who has a flux capacitor in good condition can provide it to you so you can complete your important project. Doc is from the Midwest. His family life wasnt that great, he said. No trauma or abuse, but when it came to raising kids, his parents were sort of clueless. He doesnt have fond memories of growing up. But things were different in the 1980s movies Doc came to watch over and over. He loved how in a 1980s movie, the problems that families have are resolved in 90 minutes. Doc has his own company now. He has a TV in his office that plays a constant rotation of Ghostbusters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future and other classics of their ilk. He collects replicas of movie props, including the hoverboard that Marty McFly rode and the self-lacing Nikes he wore. Doc even owns a DeLorean. (Im in one right now, waiting to go to lunch, he said.) Docs stunt placing Back to the Future-inspired ads reminded me of the 2014 movie Safety Not Guaranteed, based on a joke ad a writer placed inviting people to travel back in time with him. Yeah, it was okay, he said of that film. I asked Doc whether he put his flux capacitor ad on Craigslist too. No, he said. Craigslist is not for normal people. As for time travel itself, Doc doesnt believe in it. Im not crazy, he said. Its definitely not a thing. The way I look at it, we do have the ability to travel in time, but only in one direction: the future, one day at a time. My catch phrase is, the future is right now. (Thanks to reader Mitch Gerber for pointing the ad out to me.) The cameras could beam images to Beijing, microphones could capture the casual conversations of government officials on their commutes. I say, bring it on. Let the Chinese listen. Pick one, please.) They will hear both We are holding at this station. There is a train directly in front of us and Please do not crowd this train. They will hear inane phone conversations (I just left Takoma) and the tinny sounds of clueless riders listening to their crappy music without earphones. Just as the Soviet Union was brought down by its attempts to keep up with Ronald Reagans Star Wars program, so the annoyance and drudgery of transcribing hours and hours of Metro banality will bring the Chinese Communist Party to its knees. Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/john-kelly. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/who-placed-a-classified-ad-in-the-washington-post-looking-for-a-flux-capacitor/2019/01/08/5f1537b4-1360-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |
What's left for Leicester City to play for this season after FA Cup exit? | Get Weekday Leicester City 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 For those Leicester City fans who could bring themselves to watch, Monday nights FA Cup fourth round draw must have made for painful viewing. The sense that City have missed huge possibilities in the cups in the past two seasons will have been compounded by Citys FA Cup exit at Newport County on Sunday, their biggest early round FA Cup shock since they were knocked out by non-league Harlow Town in 1980. It has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many City fans who felt Claude Puels City could have had a real go at becoming the first City side to win the famous competition and claiming that elusive final piece of domestic silverware. Before Christmas Puel was coming under pressure from a section of the City fans and the national media as their inconsistent form sparked reports City were considering making a change. That pressure eased following a successful Christmas which brought wins at Chelsea and Everton, and a home win over champions Manchester City, albeit there was the disappointment of the home defeat to Cardiff City. However, all that good work has been undone by Citys defeat to League Two opposition, who are 74 places below City in the league rankings, and Puel has not helped himself in quelling the unrest with his gamble by making seven changes to his side for the trip to south Wales. Having been criticised for making the same amount of changes for the Carabao Cup quarter final against Manchester City, and having done the same last season at the same stage in the competition, Puel shuffled his pack again against Newport and it backed fired on him spectacularly. The team he sent out at Rodney Parade was still good enough to beat a Newport side that had won one of their previous eight fixtures and after a strange game, which saw City dominate and create a host of chances that were wasted, they should have booked their place in the fourth round comfortably. But they didnt and the cup threw up another dramatic twist with the Exiles late penalty. Maybe a full strength side would have suffered the same fate, who knows, but at least City could have said they gave it their best shot. The players who Puel sent out should take a large part of the blame, but Puel has bore the brunt in the national media and on television and radio. Other Premier League clubs have also exited the cup, but they all arguably have bigger fish to fry, whether it be Liverpool chasing the Premier League title, or Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City and Fulham fighting for survival. City have neither to play for this season. It is highly unlikely they can finish higher than their current position of seventh in the Premier League, and it would take a collapse in form of cataclysmic style for them to drift into the relegation picture, and that is why so many City fans have been left frustrated. They may have wanted to push for silverware in memory of late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, but they will have to wait until next season now. The best they can achieve is a seventh place finish, which might be good enough for Europa League qualification, as it was last season, depending on who wins the cups. That may not be the prize it seems, as Burnley will testify. Their early start to the season to go through the qualification stage has led to a problematic campaign for the Clarets, but it would still remain an achievement. It would be the second best finish to a Premier League season for City, after the title-winning campaign of course. It would give the travelling Blue Army another taste of European football, if seventh is to be good enough to qualify. More importantly, a strong second half to what has been a traumatic campaign following the tragic helicopter crash outside the stadium, that claimed the lives of Khun Vichai and four others, would help Puel atone for the FA Cup disaster. It would, perhaps, put the season in a bit more perspective and even ensure that Puel has more time to continue his transformation of his squad. Several of his youngsters have cemented themselves in his side and have gone on to earn international honours this season, while others have emerged from the under-23s. It may not win over his doubters and Puel will have to accept that, but at least he could then say his squad are making some progress. | https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-fa-cup-exit-2407724 |
What is gin made from? | Before you go out and drink all the gin and tonics this weekend, here are 12 things you should definitely know about your favourite tipple. The creation of the spirit involves distilling fermented grain and a number of different botanicals - predominantly juniper, but also coriander, citrus peel, cinnamon, almond or liquorice. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 2. A shot of gin has 110 calories, while the average glass of tonic has 55. 3. Tonic water is more sugary than most people realise, though, and one G&T roughly equates to 14% of your recommended daily allowance. 4. Britain drank the equivalent of 1.12 billion G&Ts in 2016, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said, reporting that the UK bought 283,000 hectolitres of gin last year - the equivalent of 40 million bottles. giphy 5. Oh, and they also said the UK spent over 1.12 billion a year on gin in 2016, before adding that sales had grown more than any other spirit sold in the country last year. 6. The Spirit Business say Gordon's is the UK's most popular gin, and sold over 4.6million cases last year. Since they announced pink gin last year, we've definitely contributed to this. 7. Choosing a cheap tonic water can ruin the taste of gin - even if it's an expensive one. As Greenalls gin Master Distiller told Good Housekeeping UK, "Distillers like myself put a lot of time, passion and effort into distilling our gins, so cheap tonics can really ruin the experience of a good G&T. Always try to match your tonic to the gin, and a lot of gin brands recommend suitable tonics." Giphy Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 8. Legally, gin has to have a 'predominant juniper flavour,' but there's no limit on how many other botanicals can be used, or how many juniper berries have to be added. 9. Nearly all juniper used to make gin is picked wild and it is rarely taken from cultivated sources, but it's not actually a berry at all. Rather, it's a type of seed cone. 10. At 2016's International Spirits Challenge, Asdas London Dry Gin and Waitrose London Dry Gin both came out on top with gold awards, while Aldis London Dry Gin won a silver award. Giphy 11. According to Sipsmith gin, the best way to taste gins for comparison is at room temperature diluted with an equal measure of water, as it reveals both the qualities and flaws. 12. The worlds most expensive gin costs 2,000 per bottle. You'll have to cough up 2k for a 700ml bottle of Watenshi, which means 'Japanese Angel' , which works out at 70 per measure of gin! 13. People reportedly drank tonic water before they drank gin, and later added gin to it to mask the taste. British soldiers stationed in India had to take quinine - used as malaria prevention - and would mask the powerful flavour with gin, lime juice, and sugar. | https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/a12844360/gin-and-tonic-facts/ |
What's the environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? | This aerial image of the oil spill was taken on May 6, 2010, just a few weeks after the initial disaster. AP Photo /U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. Watkins On April 20, 2010, a combination of mud, seawater and gas from methane hydrates erupted from the oil well of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. The Deepwater Horizon was a semisubmersible platform searching for oil deposits. Once it found oil, the workers on board the rig capped the newly-drilled well in preparation to move on in search of more oil. The oil rig floated in more than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The well itself went much deeper -- more than 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). The workers on the rig and the companies involved -- BP, Transocean and Halliburton -- say that there was some disagreement on the capping procedure. Normally, at least two cement plugs would be poured and hardened in the piping before removing the drilling mud from the well bore. The mud helps block sudden bursts of gas and oil. Ultimately, engineers decided to remove the mud before adding a second cement plug. A burst of gas rushed up the pipe and caused a massive explosion, killing 11 of the workers in the process. Oil began to pour out of the well in enormous volumes -- estimates of the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico range from 12,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil per day. A barrel of oil is equal to 42 gallons (159 liters). A BP document revealed that in a worst case scenario, the oil well could spill as much as 100,000 barrels of oil into the ocean per day. At the time of this writing, two months after the initial explosion, oil is still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil recovery efforts have reduced, but not eliminated, the total amount of oil hitting the environment. It's difficult to estimate. Because the oil spill happened in deep water miles from land, the oil spill isn't affecting the shore the same way the Exxon Valdez disaster did years ago. Some of the oil clumps together to form tar balls. These balls of tar can wash up on beaches and impact the local wildlife. Plumes of oil are drifting thousands of feet beneath the ocean's surface. The impact this oil might have on deep sea life isn't fully understood. There are complex ecosystems deep beneath the ocean that might die out as a result of being flooded with oil. State and federal governments are spending millions of dollars in an attempt to contain the oil spill while engineers try to find a way to stop it. BP abandoned an attempt to plug the oil well with mud -- the so-called top kill procedure -- when engineers began to worry about the integrity of the well bore itself. If the well bore has leaks along its length, oil could continue to spill even if the top is plugged with mud. Engineers estimate that a fix to the problem may not be possible until August -- four months after the initial explosion. With a permanent fix eluding BP and the government, the next response is to try to capture as much oil from the well as possible before it can spread throughout the environment. According to Admiral Thad W. Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard, the goal of the effort is to have systems in place capable of siphoning off 60,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil each day. It may be years or even decades before we know the extent of the environmental damage the Deepwater Horizon accident caused. While rescue efforts are working hard to minimize the effects, it's clear that there's no way to estimate the harm this oil spill will do to the environment. For more information on oil spills and other related topics, take a look at the links below. Related HowStuffWorks Articles More Great Links Sources | https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.htm |
Are Rosario Dawson and Cory Booker Dating? | In a very, very sweet and improvised moment on Saturday while attending Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, Rosario Dawson briefly serenaded New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker during a cast meet-and-greet, telling him, I love you, an onlooker confirms to PEOPLE. The source says Dawson sang, I love you, te amo Spanish for I love you to Booker in an impromptu, made-up-on-the-spot tune. Get push notifications with news, features and more. According to Page Six, which first reported the news, the two were meeting the cast after the show. The 39-year-old actress and the politician, 49, were joined by two special little guests: Bookers niece and Dawsons daughter, Lola. While it was Bookers second time seeing the show, it was Dawsons first and the first-ever Broadway production for Lola, according to the source. Dawson and Booker, whose relationship status is unclear, werent physically affectionate with each other, the source says. But they were a very effusive bunch, hugging every cast member, telling each one specific things about each performance, [being] really personable. Dawson also seemed to have a rapport with Bookers niece, according to the source. This isnt the first time Dawson and Booker have enjoyed each others company in recent days, Page Six reported: They attended a movie together on Thursday in New York City. The two have known each other for years, according to Page Six (and they seem to be fans of one anothers social media: each follows the other on Instagram and recently re-posted the same tweet to their Instagram Stories). RELATED VIDEO: Rosario Dawson Opens Up About Her Remarkable Path to Motherhood Reps for Booker and Dawson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE on Tuesday. This year Booker, a possible contender for the presidency in 2020, has been linked to the poet Cleo Wade and Chanda Gibson, who runs the Council of Urban Professionals, according to Page Six and the Washington Post. Dawson split from comedian Eric Andre in the fall of 2017. RELATED: Rosario Dawson on About Staying Healthy, Making Deals in the DMs & How Motherhood Changed Her Life She is at ease in political circles, lobbying for candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and working to turn out Latino voters. Booker, meanwhile, is no stranger to celebs: In March 2017, during a playful exchange on Twitter, Booker asked Mindy Kaling to have dinner with him. | https://people.com/politics/rosario-dawson-cory-booker-new-york-city-dates/ |
What is fight over Trumps border wall about? | Published on 08.01.2019 at 20h54 by AFP President Donald Trump has partially shut down the US government and is threatening to declare a national emergency as he pressures Congress for money to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to stem a surge in illegal immigrants. Trump, who is to make a national address Tuesday night on the crisis, says the country is being flooded with drugs and violent gangs. Trumps opponents say he is exaggerating the issue and that a massive wall is inefficient and not worth closing the government for. Illegal immigration from impoverished Central America mainly Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala has surged even as that from neighboring Mexico has slowed. Many migrants arrive as families or unaccompanied children, hoping to gain a foothold in the country. When caught, most are processed by the authorities and then released pending a court date. US authorities say they are mostly never seen again as they meld into US society. In the 2016 election, Trump promised voters to stop illegal immigration by building a wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) US-Mexico frontier. After a slowdown in 2017, migrant numbers surged last year, reaching their highest levels since 2014 in October and November, with 2,000 a day being caught sneaking into the country. Most of them request asylum based on the poverty and pervasive violence they face in their home countries. Their numbers have overwhelmed the ability of the Customs and Border Protection to house and process them, and many are just released. Meanwhile, some 15,000 unaccompanied children are held in resettlement camps while officials seek homes to place them in. Trump has said repeatedly that without a wall, drug smugglers and violent gangs like MS-13 easily cross into the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says a wall would help prevent potential terrorists from entering the country. She says the Border Patrol has intercepted some 3,000 suspicious migrants on the southern border. I am sure all Americans would agree that one terrorist reaching our borders is one too many, she said Monday. But narcotics experts say most drugs are shipped through official ports and the wall wont make much difference. And Nielsen would not say if any proven terrorists had been arrested at the southern border or had crossed it to successfully enter the country. Trump wants to make good on his promise to build a wall. Several hundred million dollars has already been spent to replace old fences and walls in some heavily-travelled areas, like the westernmost part of the border between Tijuana and San Diego. In addition, surveillance by patrols, cameras and drones has increased. Together they have helped reduce illegal crossings in the area. In a letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House demanded $5.7 billion for 234 miles (377 km) of new wall and fence, more than double the $2.5 billion Congressional leaders have offered in compromise. A physical barrier - wall - creates an enduring capability that helps field personnel stop, slow down, and/or contain illegal entries, said the letter. The White House also asked for hundreds of millions of dollars for more immigration judges, border and interior enforcement agents, shelter for detained migrants, and drug enforcement. Both Democrats and Republicans have regarded Trumps wall project as excessive, expensive and inefficient in dealing with the problem. They dismiss claims that a border without a wall is a major security threat. On terrorism and other threats, Ive received more briefings from FBI, CIA, and DHS than I could count, said Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday. How many times have any of them said we need a wall across the southern border? Democrats also say that any broader discussion on the illegal immigration problem should take place only after the government is reopened. They want a comprehensive deal that would include a plan to create a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, including the so-called DACA/Dreamer program for people who arrived in the country as children. | https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/what-is-fight-over-trumps-border-wall-about/ |
Could fired meteorologist Jeremy Kappell sue WHEC and win? | CLOSE Fired WHEC meteorologist Jeremy Kappell says he was talking too fast and made a mistake. Sal Maiorana, @salmaiorana Jeremy Kappell (Photo: provided) It was an accident. Former WHEC-TV Ch. 10 meteorologist Kappell said that he spoke too fast on the air and jumbled Martin Luther King Jr.'s name to Martin Luther Coon King Jr. "Im my mind, I knew I mispronounced but there was no malice nothing that I couldve I had no idea the way it came across to many people," Kappell said in a Facebook post. "That is not a word I said I promise you that. If you did feel that it hurt you in any way in any way I sincerely apologize. I would never want to tarnish the reputation of a such a great man as Dr. Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park, one of the greatest civic leaders of all time." The station says it fired Kappell on Sunday, according to Vice President and General Manager, Richard A. Reingold. "As a result of that broadcast, meteorologist Jeremy Kappell is no longer with News10NBC," Reingold said. "We believe strongly in holding our reporters and anchors to the highest standard." Kappell had been WHEC's chief meteorologist since October 2017. Rochester employment lawyer Nelson Thomas said it's highly unlikely that Kappell could win an employment lawsuit case. "It's hard to believe a pejorative use of a racial term could not face consequences from it," Thomas said. Even if it was an accident, he added. New York is an employment-at-will stat, which means an employer may generally terminate an employment relationship at any time and for any reason, unless a law or agreement provides otherwise. There are federal laws that aim at preventing discrimination against members of a protected class. Facing an uphill legal battle doesn't mean a person cannot sue as it is the person's right to file a lawsuit, Thomas said. Kappell declined to comment on whether he intends on pursuing legal action against his former employer. [email protected] Read or Share this story: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/01/08/jeremy-kappell-racist-slur-martin-luther-king-jr-sue-whec-lawsuit/2513739002/ | https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/01/08/jeremy-kappell-racist-slur-martin-luther-king-jr-sue-whec-lawsuit/2513739002/ |
Can The Meet Group Beat the Market Again in 2019? | One of last year's big winners was The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET). The social discovery and dating app developer saw its stock soar 64% in 2018, and it's kicking things off right in the new year by boosting its earlier projections. Preliminary financial results for the quarter that ended last week find revenue clocking in at $52.3 million, a year-over-year increase of 30% -- and well ahead of the $47.8 million to $48.8 million that it was targeting two months ago. The Meet Group is also naturally boosting its full-year guidance, something that it has now done four times over the past nine months for its 2018 performance. New products and features are gaining traction, and the stock was already on a recent roll ahead of Tuesday morning's rosier touch-up. The stock is moving higher for the ninth trading day in a row, up roughly 36% in that span of two weeks as of early Tuesday afternoon. MeetMe corporate office entrance. More Image source: The Meet Group. Winning the war with Battles Two key elements that are fueling The Meet Group's ascending popularity are Battles and streaming video. The Meet Group didn't introduce live-streaming until late 2016, but it's already moving the needle. Video revenue is on an annual run rate of $71 million based on last month's performance, a pretty big deal for an app developer with just $123.8 million in revenue in 2017 and now eyeing $178.5 million for all of 2018. Video revenue grew sequentially across all of its apps during the fourth quarter, and ad revenue also experienced a hearty 19% sequential boost. There could be some seasonal juice lifting the fourth quarter -- The Meet Group ran a promo emphasizing its virtual gifting feature over the holidays -- but it's hard to argue with the momentum here. Battles is the next evolutionary step for the live-streaming platform. A pair of live-streaming users and their respective audiences pair up to compete in anything from dancing to telling jokes. Viewers vote on the winner via virtual gifts. It may seem hokey and a transparent cash grab on The Meet Group's part, but the growing audiences are digging it. An average of 30,000 Battles a day are taking place across its social platforms. The Meet Group remains off of most investing radars despite its monster gain in 2018 and its head start on beating the market again in 2019. The Meet Group was the 2011 combination of myYearbook and Quepasa, and it continues to add small social hotbeds. It acquired global social discovery app Skout in 2016, following a year later with the purchase of German dating-app developer Lovoo. Assembling a collection of niche social discovery and dating sites and then introducing features including video and more recently Battles across the sites is brilliant. The Meet Group is leveraging its resources, and it's paying off with a story that keeps getting better with every passing quarter. It's already beating the market a few days into 2019, and the outlook remains encouraging for The Meet Group to keep the momentum going. More From The Motley Fool Rick Munarriz 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/meet-group-beat-market-again-192500034.html |
Is there a way to confirm if a used rental car has been in a crash? | Q. You were quoted in a local paper saying that rental companies lobbied successfully to be exempt from reporting collisions, with the corresponding conclusion that used rental vehicles may show a clean vehicle history report, even if the vehicle in question was in an accident. I am considering purchasing a used daily rental. Rob F. A. Car dealers know that daily rental companies dont report collision damage. Daily rental companies self-insure for collision damage and third parties like CarProof do not collect their collision data. The CFLA, the industry trade group that represents the daily rental companies and other auto lessors, lobbied successfully for their members to be exempted from collision reporting requirements applicable to used vehicle retailers in Ontario. A vehicle appraiser, auto body shop or an experienced car dealer can identify most body repairs visually fairly easily; nowadays many of them use a gauge to measure the paint finish on every panel against the factory finish to enhance the accuracy of their inspections. However, finding a person who will actually perform an inspection for you prior to a purchase is very difficult. Most body shops, especially those attached to car dealerships, wont get involved, even if an inspection takes just a few minutes. General repair shops of the type you could use to inspect the mechanical condition of a vehicle prior to its sale do not have the training to spot cosmetic damage, although some of them are able to spot major structural repairs. Two mobile used vehicle inspectors operating in Western Canada checked out by the APAs secret shoppers did not appear to have the required skills or tool necessary to perform a complete body inspection even though they claimed to do it. In Greater Toronto and Montreal, the APA can direct you to an auto dealer or inspector who will be able to inspect for prior collision damage on your behalf (there may be a charge for the service). If you are shopping for a used vehicle at a retail sales centre operated by a daily rental company, ask the salesperson to check their file on the vehicle for reports of collision repairs and any other service it may have received. If youre shopping at a new or used car dealership for a used daily rental, and the seller pulls out a CarProof or similar vehicle history report to demonstrate the vehicle is collision-free, theres a good chance the vehicle was hit and repaired. If youre buying a used daily rental that is represented as accident-free, make sure the seller writes into to the sales agreement All panels original or All paint original, as opposed to clean CarProof, or not recording anything. Repainted bumpers or cosmetic repairs to two or three body panels are no reason to pass on a vehicle, but more extensive damage could be material and would reduce the vehicles market value if declared. In the absence of reliable information from a third party, youll want the assurance of an all-clean declaration or a thorough description of the repaired areas written into the sales agreement by the seller. George Iny, president of the Automobile Protection Association MORE ABOUT ASK INY: | https://www.moneysense.ca/columns/ask-moneysense/is-there-a-way-to-confirm-if-a-used-rental-has-been-in-a-crash/ |
How should a new Canadian invest his extra cash? | Q. I am a new Canadian (27 years old) and started working in Canada about 1.5 years ago. It took me a while to figure out how things work in this country and a few months ago, after ditching a financial advisor who was also a family friend, I started investing on my own. Currently, I have a TFSA with $11,000, an RRSP with about $9,000 as well as my employers matching pension plan. Both my TFSA and RRSP are invested in ETFs and so far, I am satisfied with it. We also have our sons RESP savings plan that we contribute $2,500 to every year and currently, it is still with the advisor, but we are planning to transfer it into a self-directed account in the near future. My wife and I also have a mortgage and, unfortunately, we put only 5% down because the house was being sold by an owner well below its actual value and it was short notice (We also own a townhouse but it is rented out and makes a small amount of money every month). Here is my question. I am a pretty good saver and manage to save at least $600 to $800 every month (my after-tax pay is about $33,000/year). Plus, at the end of the year, I receive a very decent bonus which is being fully invested. Currently, Ive maxed out my RRSP and invest $600 in my TFSA every month and I want to continue investing at least that amount but I also have some surpluses and cash reserves that I would like to invest. I dont feel very comfortable having such a large mortgage (it is about $210,000) and would prefer to pay it off as soon as possible but I would like to hear someone elses opinion regarding my options. Thanks a lot. Adam A. Adam, Ill quickly address your question, and then explain how to use the Canadian tax system combined with your rental property, to save even more money. I bet youll like this one! Heres the simple stuff: Continue maximum investments into the RESP. Its either pay now or pay later. If you pay now youll get the 20% education grant. So pay now! Continue with the RRSP contributions as they will also help you to maximize the Canada Child Benefit. Mathematically, paying down your mortgage and contributing to a TFSA are the same thing if the interest rate on each one is the same. So if you think you can earn more interest on your TFSA do the TFSA. If youre not sure, pay down your mortgage. Ok, now the exciting stuff The Cash Flow Dam. You have a non-incorporated business in the form of a rental property. You can keep all of your business income and borrow money to pay business expenses. Because money borrowed to earn an income is tax deductible. Picture this: take the rental income youd normally use to pay your rental expenses and pay down your mortgage. Then borrow money from a dedicated line of credit to pay your rental expenses. You still have the same amount of debt. Except instead of all of the debt in the mortgage it is now in the combination of your mortgage as well as a line of credit. You made an extra payment to your personal mortgage equal to the total amount of your rental expenses. The interest on the borrowed amount from the dedicated line of credit is now tax deductible. When you file your taxes and get your tax refund, use that money to pay down your mortgage. In the first few years, the tax refund may not be much, but it will add up over time. Once your personal mortgage is paid off you can start to pay off the tax-deductible line of credit. Here is a more detailed explanation: Each month (pay period) add up all of the expenses related to your rental. Write a cheque, Company Expenses, against a dedicated line of credit for the amount of your expenses, payable to your business. Write a cheque from the account you deposit the rental income, Draw-re: expenses, payable to yourself for the total amount of the expenses. Deposit your cheque into your bank account and pay down your mortgage. The other possible benefits of this strategy, which reduces your net family income, means you may: Receive more of the Canadian Child Benefit, and Qualify for some of the other RESP grants or bond Keep going Adam, youre doing really well. Allan Norman is a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Investment Manager for Atlantis Financial Inc in Barrie, Ont. This commentary is provided as a general source of information and is intended for Canadian residents only. Allan offers financial planning services through Atlantis Financial Inc. and can be reached at [email protected] MORE ABOUT ME AND MY TFSA: | https://www.moneysense.ca/columns/ask-moneysense/how-should-adam-a-new-canadian-invest-his-extra-cash/ |
Why Do I Keep Getting Long Bobs? | Self/Reflection: Stories about how we look vs how we feel. Photo: Photo Illustration by Stevie Remsberg; Photo Courtesy of Szane The email was sent by a French fashion brand re: the online debut of their latest lookbook. But despite the fact that I clicked through and began scrolling immediately, I barely even noticed the clothes. Instead, I was captivated by the model who wore them. More to the point, I was captivated by her hair. She had a short, dark, curly shag the kind of cool, seemingly-but-probably-not-actually effortless hairstyle that has a not-insignificant percentage of the women who see her reaching for the nearest pair of scissors. Including plenty who, like me, had had precisely zero desire to cut their hair five seconds prior. (For good reason, in my case: Id spent most of 2016 and 2017 growing out an objectively awful pageboy, the sad result of my under-considered decision to ask an under-qualified stylist to give me this haircut.) Ive been here many times before. Back in 1997, I was a college student with messy, light-brown waves that went well past my shoulders until, that is, I received the inaugural issue of Jane Magazine and was instantly overcome by an irresistible urge to run out and copy cover girl Drew Barrymores very short, choppy do. I chickened out on the bangs ironic, given that bangs have long since become the closest thing I have to a signature look and thus ended up with something more akin to the earlobe-length style sported by Kelly Macdonald in 1996s Trainspotting. But that was fine with me. Id still made a big leap toward voguish adulthood. Unfortunately, the actual staff of Vogue didnt entirely agree with my assessment. Shortly after I started working at the magazine, less than a year later, I was dispatched to a trendy midtown salon for a complimentary and, perhaps, compulsory makeover. Despite what you may have seen in the movies, this was not, in fact, standard procedure. My un-highlighted, fast-growing proto-lob (which Id had neither the funds nor the wherewithal to deal with in the months after moving to New York) must have been bumming somebody out. Two decades on, Im not quite as interested in appearing older. But the sirenlike lure of the ill-advised short haircut is, it turns out, every bit as strong. Within an hour of opening that email, Id texted a picture of the model whose name, I learned, is Kathie Lam, and who looks, it should be said, less than nothing like me to everyone from my BFF to my current hairstylist, Myrna Palacios of Rita Hazan. (Shes talented, having engineered my comeback from that tragic 2016 cut, but also tactful: Hey, she responded. Your hair curls up like that? It does not.) Of course, Im not the only woman who occasionally experiences the coiffure version of Freuds death drive. My friend Sarah spent last summer not-so-idly wondering whether it might finally be time to bring back Gwyneth Paltrows iconic Sliding Doors crop, while my sister, who just got extensions, maintains a Pinterest board full of pictures of Michelle Williamss various pixies. Even the editor who commissioned this story confessed to coveting the simple, short layered bob currently seen on Iris Law, Jude Laws teenaged daughter. Some of the motivations behind this urge are obvious: These women are beautiful! Of course, in our less self-accepting moments, we dream of looking like them and of course, in our more self-accepting moments, we believe that a haircut might make it happen. After all, we humans have more control over our hair than pretty much any other physical feature, at least when it comes to chopping it off. Its the rare major change that can be made almost overnight, with the only real limitation being how long it takes you to work up your nerve (and to get an appointment at your salon). But I dont think the theoretical obtainability of these styles is the only thing that makes them so appealing. Theyre also beguiling because of their brevity. Like that French clothing lines October collection, theyre a little bit masculin, which gives them the hint of a political edge a way of combating expectations about what women are supposed to look like. And in the end, maybe thats why Im never going to stop lusting after hard-to-pull-off model bobs. Yes, a bad short haircut can feel like kind of a life-ruiner, especially if you are somewhat vain, as it turns out I am. And for most of us, getting a haircut any haircut in the hopes of looking more like a particular model or actress is not going to be a great idea. To that end, Ive located a different be-shagged European model whom I dont resemble in the slightest to text pictures of to everyone I know. Maybe this time itll work. | https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/why-do-i-keep-getting-long-bobs.html?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=f1&utm_campaign=feed-part |
What will be the fate of the labor mural removed by Gov. Paul LePage? | AUGUSTA A mural depicting the history of the labor movement in Maine and the U.S. will remain on display at the Maine State Museum and will not be returned to its original location at the states Department of Labor offices, a spokesman for Gov. Janet Mills said Tuesday. The mural gained national attention when former Gov. Paul LePage ordered it removed from the lobby of the Department of Labor in 2011, his first year in office, and placed in storage prior to its re-installation at the state library in 2013. The mural depicts the history of organized labor in Maine and the country, with images of Rosie the Riveter and a shoe-worker strike in Lewiston. LePage, a Republican, called the mural one-sided at the time, saying he did not want to send the wrong message to employers in Maine. Its removal prompted widespread criticism and a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of three artists, a workplace safety official, an organized labor representative and an attorney alleging that LePage violated First Amendment rights protected in the U.S. Constitution, as well as the states contract with the artist. LePage prevailed in the federal lawsuit when a judge ruled its removal was justified. Scott Ogden, a spokesman for Mills, a Democrat, said the new governor would leave the mural in the museum. Gov. Mills believes the Labor Murals home in the Maine State Museum, where it is widely available to the public, is a fitting tribute to the history of labor in Maine, Ogden said. She is glad to see it receive the attention, visibility, and stature it deserves, and she encourages all Maine people to visit it at the museum. Scott Thistle can be contacted at 791-6330 or at: [email protected] Twitter: thisdog Share < Previous Next > filed under: | https://www.pressherald.com/2019/01/08/labor-mural-made-famous-by-gov-paul-lepage-will-remain-in-the-maine-state-museum/ |
What The Hell Was Nick Saban Thinking With That Fake Field Goal? | Photo: Thearon Henderson (Getty) After spotting Clemson a 15-point lead at the half, Alabama slowly moved the ball down the field on their first possession of the third quarter, taking 12 plays to get to a pivotal fourth-and-6 from the Clemson 22. Bamas kicker had doinked an extra point in the first half, so Nick Saban faced the difficult choice of either letting him try a 39-yarder or trusting his offense, which had already converted three fourth downs, to move the ball six yards. Instead, Saban kind of chose neither, offering up third-string QB Mac Jones as a sacrifice in the saddest and most predictable fake FG Ive seen in a while. Youll notice that Clemson is lined up in a standard defensive setup, with four linemen and seven linebackers and defensive backs. They completely saw this coming, and poor Jones never stood a chance of actually getting past the vaunted Clemson defensive line. Not only was Alabama unlikely to trust kicker Joseph Bulovas, a successful field goal would still have left the Crimson Tide in a 12-point hole, still needing two touchdowns. Three plays after the botched fake, Justyn Ross slammed the door shut. In perfectly Sabanian fashion, the Alabama coach took some of the blame for the fake, only to point out how it was someone elses fault in the very next sentence: I think it was a poor decision on my part not to kick the field goal the first drive of the second half. We thought we had a really, really good fake, and somebody didnt block the guy they were supposed to block, so it didnt work, so it was a bad call. Its always that way. Advertisement Alabama had four drives in the second half, and aside from an utterly futile Jalen Hurtsled three-and-out at the start of the fourth quarter, they all ended in turnovers on downs deep in Clemson territory. There was the aforementioned fake field goal, and Tua Tagovailoa also got stuffed on a pair of rushing attempts. Here is the first, where he got smacked trying to get a fourth-and-4 from the Clemson 14. Unlike that run, which came as a result of a broken play, Alabamas final fourth down attempt seemed like just an ill-advised play call. Facing fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, Tagovailoaat that point banged up and sadgot dropped for a seven-yard loss by a Clemson defense that wasnt confused by anything Alabama was throwing at them. Anyway, I leave you with the following: | https://deadspin.com/what-the-hell-was-nick-saban-thinking-with-that-fake-fi-1831579377 |
What kind of playground do kids want? | Residents will have a chance to have their say in what kind of equipment will be installed at a new playground at Bay Beach. An information session will be held on Jan. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Crystal Ridge branch of the Fort Erie Public Library, 89 Ridge Rd. S., in Ridgeway. Ron Bremner of the Ridgeway Lions Club projects committee, which has been working to raise $85,000 toward the project, said the group hopes to see many children at the meeting. We want the kids to give us information on what they want, he said. Well have some sketches and the kids will be able to pick between them. | https://www.niagarathisweek.com/community-story/9114844-what-kind-of-playground-do-kids-want-/ |
What is fight over Trump's border wall about? | US President Donald Trump has forced a government shutdown and plans a national address to defend his insistence that Congress fund a massive wall for the US-Mexico border to block illegal immigrants (AFP Photo/Jim WATSON) Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump has partially shut down the US government and is threatening to declare a national emergency as he pressures Congress for money to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to stem a surge in illegal immigrants. Trump, who is to make a national address Tuesday night on the "crisis," says the country is being flooded with drugs and violent gangs. Trump's opponents say he is exaggerating the issue and that a massive wall is inefficient and not worth closing the government for. - Illegal immigration from impoverished Central America -- mainly Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala -- has surged even as that from neighboring Mexico has slowed. Many migrants arrive as families or unaccompanied children, hoping to gain a foothold in the country. When caught, most are processed by the authorities and then released pending a court date. US authorities say they are mostly never seen again as they meld into US society. In the 2016 election, Trump promised voters to stop illegal immigration by building a wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) US-Mexico frontier. After a slowdown in 2017, migrant numbers surged last year, reaching their highest levels since 2014 in October and November, with 2,000 a day being caught sneaking into the country. Most of them request asylum based on the poverty and pervasive violence they face in their home countries. Their numbers have overwhelmed the ability of the Customs and Border Protection to house and process them, and many are just released. Meanwhile, some 15,000 unaccompanied children are held in resettlement camps while officials seek homes to place them in. - Trump has said repeatedly that without a wall, drug smugglers and violent gangs like MS-13 easily cross into the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says a wall would help prevent potential terrorists from entering the country. She says the Border Patrol has intercepted some 3,000 suspicious migrants on the southern border. "I am sure all Americans would agree that one terrorist reaching our borders is one too many," she said Monday. But narcotics experts say most drugs are shipped through official ports and the wall won't make much difference. And Nielsen would not say if any proven terrorists had been arrested at the southern border or had crossed it to successfully enter the country. - Trump wants to make good on his promise to build a wall. Several hundred million dollars has already been spent to replace old fences and walls in some heavily-travelled areas, like the westernmost part of the border between Tijuana and San Diego. In addition, surveillance by patrols, cameras and drones has increased. Together they have helped reduce illegal crossings in the area. In a letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House demanded $5.7 billion for 234 miles (377 km) of new wall and fence, more than double the $2.5 billion Congressional leaders have offered in compromise. "A physical barrier - wall - creates an enduring capability that helps field personnel stop, slow down, and/or contain illegal entries," said the letter. The White House also asked for hundreds of millions of dollars for more immigration judges, border and interior enforcement agents, shelter for detained migrants, and drug enforcement. - Both Democrats and Republicans have regarded Trump's wall project as excessive, expensive and inefficient in dealing with the problem. They dismiss claims that a border without a wall is a major security threat. "On terrorism and other threats, I've received more briefings from FBI, CIA, and DHS than I could count," said Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday. "How many times have any of them said we need a wall across the southern border?" Democrats also say that any broader discussion on the illegal immigration problem should take place only after the government is reopened. They want a comprehensive deal that would include a plan to create a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, including the so-called DACA/Dreamer program for people who arrived in the country as children. | https://news.yahoo.com/fight-over-trumps-border-wall-192051550.html |
Do away goals count in the Carabao Cup semi-finals? | Manchester City were last years winners (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) The Carabao Cup semi-finals get underway tonight as Tottenham host Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. Denis Suarez agrees to join Arsenal after talks with Unai Emery The other tie will see the defending champions Manchester City face League One side Burton Albion on Thursday. Both matches will be played across two legs with both teams getting a home and away fixture, but will away goals count during this round of the tournament. Here is everything you need to know about the away goal rules for the Carabao Cup semi-finals. The League Cup/Carabao Cup/EFL Cup has some fairly unusual rules when it comes to away goals, but they do still count and could still see either of these ties decided by them. If the aggregate scores are level come the end of the second leg then away goals do not play a part and the tie goes to extra-time. Advertisement Advertisement However, if the scores are still level at the end of extra-time then away goals do come into play and the team that has scored the most will progress to the final. If the teams are still level taking away goals into account, then the match will go to penalties. The final of the competition will take place on Sunday 24 February at Wembley Stadium. Carabao Cup semi-final fixtures Semi-final 1st leg Tuesday 8 January 20.00 Tottenham v Chelsea Wednesday 9 January 19.45 Manchester City v Burton Albion Semi-finals 2nd leg Wednesday 23 January 19.45 Burton Albion v Manchester City Thursday 24 January 19.45 Chelsea v Tottenham MORE: Three mistakes Chelsea cant afford to repeat against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final MORE: Liverpool fans conspiracy theory dismissed by Pep Guardiola | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/do-away-goals-count-in-the-carabao-cup-semi-finals-8322786/ |
When is the Carabao Cup final? | (Photo LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images) The Carabao Cup is the first big trophy that can be won this season and there are currently four teams remaining. Denis Suarez agrees to join Arsenal after talks with Unai Emery Manchester City are the defending champions and they just have to get past League One side Burton Albion if they want to secure a place in the final. Burton managed to overcome Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough to reach this stage of the tournament. The other spot at Wembley is being fought between London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea. The final of the competition will take place on Sunday 24 February at Wembley Stadium. Semi-final 1st leg Tuesday 8 January 20.00 Tottenham v Chelsea Wednesday 9 January 19.45 Manchester City v Burton Albion Semi-finals 2nd leg Advertisement Advertisement Wednesday 23 January 19.45 Burton Albion v Manchester City Thursday 24 January 19.45 Chelsea v Tottenham MORE: Liverpool fans conspiracy theory dismissed by Pep Guardiola MORE: Mousa Dembele on the brink of Spurs exit with a move to China imminent | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/when-is-the-carabao-cup-final-8322264/ |
Where is My Million Pound Menu filmed in Manchester? | Get What's On 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 My Million Pound Menu is back on our TV screens tonight with another set of food and drink entrepreneurs hoping to make it in the restaurant business. Fronted by First Dates star Fred Sirieix, the BBC Two series sees street food traders and supper club hosts take over a pop-up restaurant in a bid to win over the paying public - and a panel of industry investors. Filming took place at the Corn Exchange, in the former Byron Hamburgers restaurant, last autumn. The grade II listed city centre building - previously The Triangle shopping centre and originally the city's corn and produce exchange - was revamped and reopened as a food and drink development in 2015. It's now home to restaurants and bars including Salvi's, Mowgli, Pho, Wahaca, Cabana, Tampopo, The Cosy Club, Banyan Bar and Kitchen, Gino D'Acampo - My Restaurant, Vapiano, Pizza Express and Zizzi, as well as the Roomzzz Aparthotel and the Escape Hunt escape room. Each episode of My Million Pound Menu sees three wannabe restaurateurs pitch to four hospitality industry investors for the chance to open a pop-up restaurant inside the Corn Exchange. (Image: BBC/Andrew Hayes-Watkins) The entrepreneur with the best concept takes over the kitchen of the former Byron restaurant for a two-day trial to prove themselves worthy of financial backing. As well as the investors, each pop-up restaurant welcomed in real Manchester diners to road test their menu during filming in October. The first episode of My Million Pound Menu airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Two, featuring The Duck Truck, BBQ Dreamz and Jah Jyot. | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/where-million-pound-menu-filmed-15647261 |
Where is The Secret Life of the Zoo filmed and who is the narrator? | 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 If you're looking for some seriously cute January viewing before the new year's serious drama's kick in - The Secret Life of the Zoo is back after a festive break. And who can resist exclusive access to one of the country's most popular attractions. The sixth series of the Channel 4 show will continue on Tuesday January at 8pm and air weekly for the next five weeks. Viewers will once again get to follow the animals of Chester Zoo as the cameras get behind-the-scenes footage of the attractions 21,000 animals the 700 people who work to keep the operation going. Filming at the Cheshire-based zoo began back in 2016 and the show is still capturing hearts nearly three years later. (Image: Chester Zoo/PA Wire) The Secret Life of the Zoo was originally narrated by Golden Globe-winning actress Olivia Colman but in October 2018 Friday Night Dinner star Tasmin Greig took over. In the new episode, there's an escape mission as Wendy the Visayan warty pig gets fed up with the attention of male pig Jake. There is also a move on the cards as young giraffe Narus has been battling with other young males in the herd and keepers think this is the best option. There's also the introduction of Noel Gallagher, and no we don't mean the Oasis star. We mean the pinstripe damba, or mono-browed fish. All the fish in the zoos aquarium are named heavily-browed humans. We wonder how the real Noel Gallagher will feel about that. (Image: The Secret Life of the Zoo/Chester Zoo) Chester Zoo faced a difficult to end to 2018 after a fire caused by an electrical fault devastated the attractions Monsoon Forest. Several animals were killed in the fire including insects, frogs, fish and small birds. All mammals, including critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, and rare silvery gibbons, were led to safety. It is not known whether this will be addressed in the series. (Image: Chester Chronicle) Chester Zoo is home to thousands of animals from Asian elephants and Two-toed sloths, to sun bears, penguins and African Painted dogs. More than 15,000 of the animals are also exotic and endangered. | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/secret-life-zoo-filmed-who-15645732 |
Is Greater Manchester about to be hit with a 'Siberian snowbomb'? | 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 Last winter the region was hit with the 'Beast from East', but this year it could be the 'Siberian snowbomb'. Weather forecasters warn snow could be on its way with temperatures set to plummet in coming weeks. An Arctic blast threatens to grip the UK next week with several spells of heavy snow to follow from the middle of the month. The unusually cold weather could hold out through February with lengthy spells of wintry conditions that could creep into meteorological spring. The same weather patterns which sparked the cold wave last year have been spotted again by the Met Office. It said sudden stratospheric warming had appeared around Christmas, when there was a sharp increase in the temperature over a couple of days. When this happens in the Arctic it can lead to a rush of cold air blowing eastwards across Europe a few weeks later, bringing much cooler temperatures to the continent. (Image: Manchester Evening News) The Met Office said this is what caused the Beast from the East early last year - an icy blast of freezing Siberian winds which brought freezing temperatures and heavy snow to much of the UK. "Last year there was a classic set-up with the Beast from the East, there was an event in the Arctic - sudden stratospheric warming - where the stratosphere warms rapidly," Met Office spokesman, Grahame Madge, told the Mirror. "That triggers, generally, a change in the direction of winds across Europe at surface level. The upshot is that normally when this happens in the Arctic you get easterly winds and that's what happened last year. "But although that warming has happened in the Arctic already just prior to Christmas, we are not seeing any change in an easterly pattern." Mr Madge said Britain was looking at a stable week, with above average temperatures at the weekend. But he added that it was not possible to rule out a cold snap, with parts of Europe facing "significant" chills and heavy snow. "There have been some parts of Europe that have experienced quite significant cold, heavier-than-average snow in countries like Austria and in northern and central Europe," he added. Temperatures in Greater Manchester will fall to -3 C overnight on Tuesday followed by a frosty start on Wednesday morning. It will become cloudier through the end of the week with the odd outbreak of light rain and drizzle. The weekend will be mild and breezy followed by colder weather towards the latter half of January. | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-hit-siberian-snowbomb-15647522 |
What Really Happens to Body After Time off From Standard Exercise? | Sporteluxe writer Michelle Pellizzon (Twitter) Follow > Disable alert for Michelle Pellizzon Follow > Everyone knows that exercising can improve your health. Whether it's a gruelling workout session or a light jog around the block, it's important to fit in some exercise into your busy schedule. Sporteluxe writer Michelle Pellizzon, from Los Angeles, took up the challenge to see how her body would react when she stopped exercising for four weeks - and the results may surprise you. During the course of a month, Michelle set herself four simple every day tasks to follow - sleeping, eating, meditating, and watching Netflix. After completing her first week, she said there was nothing different about her body but she did notice an instant shift in her concentration at work. A 2012 study published in Neuroscience found a regular exercise routine increases productivity, boosts mood and reduces stress. Michelle explained that skipping just one day of exercise can leave you feeling anxious or grumpy. After two weeks of no exercising, Michelle said she could 'feel' herself being out of shape because her VO2 max had declined. The VO2 max measures how much oxygen the body is able to take in - and how well the lungs and heart can transport oxygen to tissues. She said she found herself out of breath simply after walking up a flight of stairs. So if you spend 14 days resting, you will lose your cardiovascular endurance by about 10 percent and then up to 15 percent after a month off. When Michelle reached her four-week mark, she said she started to see changes in her body such as weight gain. 'As your muscle mass decreases from atrophy and lack of use, fat mass increases,' she said. 'Instead of using sugar (or glucose) to power movement and exercise, your muscles will begin to convert sugar to fat and store it in the body.' Eventually, this can cause insulin resistance, which puts you at a greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, and a host of illnesses and ailments. This article has been adapted from its original source. | https://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/what-really-happens-body-after-time-standard-exercise-1235944 |
Could Microsoft's Kinect be reborn as a virtual reality controller? | The Kinect port's removal from the Xbox One S might have lead some to believe that the accessory has reached the end of its life, but a recent Microsoft blog post suggests otherwise. The post details the research efforts of Microsoft's research lab in Cambridge, who have been hard at work repurposing the Kinect camera accessory as a device for tracking hand and finger movements as part of a project called Handpose. The blog post details how the researchers expect the technology to be used in an office setting, to use your fingers to skip between slides in a powerpoint presentation or to hang up on a colleague over Skype, but where the technology gets really interesting is in its ability to simulate hand movement in a virtual environment. But more interestingly, this Handpose technology is also shown being used by people wearing virtual reality headsets, completely removing the need for a controller at all. Microsoft's VR Plans At present, Microsoft has not announced any firm VR hardware for the Xbox but with Sony gearing up for the release of its own PlayStation VR there are rumors that Microsoft has more decisive plans to get the Xbox in on the action. Microsoft briefly mentioned at its E3 2016 press conference that the computing power of Project Scorpio will pave the way for the company to integrate support for the Oculus Rift headset. This is opposed to Sony, who has built its own headset from the ground up. When it comes to controllers, Sony already has the hardware with its PlayStation Move motion controllers which were originally released for the PS3. Motion controllers killed the gamepad When the first Oculus Rift developer kits were released, users relied upon traditional controllers to interact with its games, but when HTC entered the VR race it made its motion controllers a central part of the Vive experience. However, while these controllers are a great deal more immersive than a traditional gamepad, you're conscious that you're interacting with a piece of plastic in your hand. By removing the controller entirely, Handpose allows you to interact directly with the environment instead of using a controller as a proxy. Two steps forward, one step back This development might eliminate one set of VR's problems, but in doing so it completely removes any haptic feedback from the environment. When you use the HTC's controller to pick up a mug in Job Simulator you might not be able to feel the mug itself, but you can feel your finger on the trigger of the controller. But were you to use the Kinect to simulate picking up a mug there would be nothing in your hand at all, nothing pressing against your skin, and no weight in your hand. Surprisingly though, the researchers have found that the lack of haptic feedback hasn't been as much of a problem as they'd anticipated. Partly this is due to the way they've designed the experiences with the Kinect in mind, with controls that are thin enough to allow your fingers to touch for example. But also the researchers have found that they can use other senses such as sight and sound to convince people that they're touching something real. What this suggests is that being able to physically see your hands and hear them interact with the environment builds such a great sense of presence that your brain doesn't mind when you can't actually feel anything with them. A new lease of life for Kinect It's early days yet for the new technology which may never see the light of day, but the videos of the technology look promising. VR can only get so immersive while it relies upon relatively inarticulate motion controllers. This technology could end up allowing a much more fluid and natural interaction with a virtual world. People talk about the importance of 'presence' in VR and if it works this technology could take this idea of presence to the next level. With the HTC Vive you might feel present in a space, but the only part of your body that feels truly present is your eyes. But with Handpose you might one day be able to look down and see your real hands in VR, and maybe even one day your whole body. You won't just be a floating set of eyes and controllers in a virtual space, but a single connected body. It's too soon to form any definitive statements on the technology yet, but Handpose has given an exciting glimpse into Microsoft's vision for virtual interaction. | https://www.techradar.com/sg/news/gaming/could-microsoft-s-kinect-be-reborn-as-a-virtual-reality-controller-1324150 |
Is Clemson in a class by itself? | SAN JOSE, Calif Dabo Swinney will not come right out and say it, but his Clemson Tigers are no longer on the ROY Bus. The Tigers are now driving the lead bus in college football, especially after the way they dominated Alabama Monday might in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Led by MVP Trevor Lawrences 347 passing yards and three touchdowns and a defense that held Alabama to just seven points on four red-zone possessions, Clemson routed the Tide with a 44-16 victory at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The win marked Clemsons second national championship in two years, while the Tigers finished the season 15-0 the first team in 121 years to make such a claim. No, were a long way from a dynasty. Were a great program. Theres no doubt about that, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said at the Champions Press Conference Tuesday at the San Jose Marriott. Though Swinney does not believe his program is a dynasty, the numbers dont lie. Besides winning its second national title in three years, Clemson is 55-4 during that span. This years team won 13 of its 15 games by 20 or more points, including its last 10. They handed Alabama (14-1) its worst defeat under Nick Saban and have made the College Football Playoff four straight years. In his 11 seasons as the head coach, 10 fulltime, Swinney has posted a 116-30 record. His last eight teams have won at least 10 games. His teams have also won five ACC Championships, including four straight. Were incredibly consistent in every area of our program. I mean, and thats what Im more proud of than anything is just the consistency, Swinney said. One of the things we talked about this week, over the last decade, everything weve done once, weve done multiple times, and its kind of been a progression. We won our first division in 09, well, weve won seven now. At that point we had not won a division, and then we come back in 11 and we won the league. We hadnt won the league since like 1991. Now weve won it five times. We won 10 games in 11. That was the first time since 90 or 91. Now its been eight years. We got to a BCS in 11 and 13. I told them they lit up the Empire State Building once, and now theyve done it again. Clemson has won nine bowl games under Swinney, while beating college football powerhouses such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State on multiple occasions. Clemson also beat LSU and Notre Dame in bowl games. Besides Alabama, the Tigers are the only program in the country with eight straight 10-win seasons in a row and join Alabama and Ohio State as the only schools with 100 or more wins this decade. The only thing we hadnt done again was win it all, Swinney said. Now they have and on Monday night they did in style, routing Alabama for the programs third national championship overall and second in the last three years. Its just been kind of a progression for us. Weve just kind of kept our head down over the last decade and gone about our business, Swinney said. Were certainly I think were as good a program as there is out there, but were a long way from a dynasty. I think from a dynasty standpoint, Alabama is kind of in a category of their own. I mean, Coach (Nick) Saban may have won five National Championships in 10 years, or however long hes been there. Its incredible the run that theyve had. But were just thankful that we got the opportunity to experience it. But to be able to win two out of the last three, I think that certainly puts us in a place thats pretty special from a program standpoint. | https://theclemsoninsider.com/2019/01/08/is-clemson-in-a-class-by-itself/ |
What is the fight over Trump's border wall about? | WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has partially shut down the US government and is threatening to declare a national emergency as he pressures Congress for money to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to stem a surge in illegal immigrants. Trump, who is to make a national address on Tuesday night (Jan 8) on the "crisis," says the country is being flooded with drugs and violent gangs. Trump's opponents say he is exaggerating the issue and that a massive wall is inefficient and not worth closing the government for. Illegal immigration from impoverished Central America - mainly Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala - has surged even as that from neighbouring Mexico has slowed. Many migrants arrive as families or unaccompanied children, hoping to gain a foothold in the country. When caught, most are processed by the authorities and then released pending a court date. US authorities say they are mostly never seen again as they meld into US society. In the 2016 election, Trump promised voters to stop illegal immigration by building a wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometre) US-Mexico frontier. Advertisement Advertisement After a slowdown in 2017, migrant numbers surged last year, reaching their highest levels since 2014 in October and November, with 2,000 a day being caught sneaking into the country. Most of them request asylum based on the poverty and pervasive violence they face in their home countries. A Central American migrant jumps over the US-Mexico border fence from Tijuana to San Diego. (Photo: AFP/Guillermo Arias) Their numbers have overwhelmed the ability of the Customs and Border Protection to house and process them, and many are just released. Meanwhile, some 15,000 unaccompanied children are held in resettlement camps while officials seek homes to place them in. Trump has said repeatedly that without a wall, drug smugglers and violent gangs like MS-13 easily cross into the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says a wall would help prevent potential terrorists from entering the country. She says the Border Patrol has intercepted some 3,000 suspicious migrants on the southern border. "I am sure all Americans would agree that one terrorist reaching our borders is one too many," she said Monday. But narcotics experts say most drugs are shipped through official ports and the wall won't make much difference. And Nielsen would not say if any proven terrorists had been arrested at the southern border or had crossed it to successfully enter the country. Trump wants to make good on his promise to build a wall. Several hundred million dollars has already been spent to replace old fences and walls in some heavily-travelled areas, like the westernmost part of the border between Tijuana and San Diego. In addition, surveillance by patrols, cameras and drones has increased. Together they have helped reduce illegal crossings in the area. In a letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House demanded US$5.7 billion for 234 miles (377km) of new wall and fence, more than double the US$2.5 billion Congressional leaders have offered in compromise. Prototypes for President Donald Trump's planned border wall seen from the air near Tijuana, Mexico. (Photo: AFP/Guillermo Arias) "A physical barrier - wall - creates an enduring capability that helps field personnel stop, slow down, and/or contain illegal entries," said the letter. The White House also asked for hundreds of millions of dollars for more immigration judges, border and interior enforcement agents, shelter for detained migrants, and drug enforcement. Both Democrats and Republicans have regarded Trump's wall project as excessive, expensive and inefficient in dealing with the problem. They dismiss claims that a border without a wall is a major security threat. "On terrorism and other threats, I've received more briefings from FBI, CIA, and DHS than I could count," said Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday. "How many times have any of them said we need a wall across the southern border?" Democrats also say that any broader discussion on the illegal immigration problem should take place only after the government is reopened. They want a comprehensive deal that would include a plan to create a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, including the so-called DACA/Dreamer program for people who arrived in the country as children. | https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/what-is-the-fight-over-trump-s-border-wall-about-11100540 |
Is OLED the hottest thing in TV tech? | Were pretty confident that the hottest new TV technology this year is going to be OLED. Sony leads the way with the world's first commercial OLED TV, the XEL-1. It's received a chorus of critical acclaim since CES, praised for its brightness, colour saturation, lightning fast response time and its amazingly slim profile. Its just 3mm deep. There's no denying that the XEL-1 represents the first step towards more responsive (and more efficient) living room TVs. But let's not forget that Sony's debut OLED model is only 11-inches across, only has a 960 x 540 resolution, and costs more than many 42-inch plasmas do. Of course, Sony has bigger, bolder OLED plans. It's already been showing off an impressive looking 27-inch OLED TV prototype at trade shows. Prices of OLED panels are sure to drop once production lines hit their stride - just as they have with other flatscreen technology. Toshiba is also involved with OLED - it plans to sell a 30-inch OLED set in 2009. But after missing the boat with plasma and LCD, were pretty sure Sonys desperation to get back ahead of the flat TV curve will force it to push OLED hard, leading to rapid innovation and a glut of screens. Having just won the HD disc war, Sony might feel that it's on a roll... More LED backlighting We also expect to see a big increase in the number of LCD TVs that use LED backlight arrays rather than the customary single lamp. Samsung has already released one LCD TV using LED technology, the LE52F96BD. Its outstanding picture quality should mean we see the technology reused many times hopefully with ever-reducing prices in the course of 2008. In the plasma world, we also anticipate that the number of full HD sets will grow considerably, with Pioneer, Samsung and probably LG and Fujitsu all following Panasonics lead by managing to squeeze 1920 x 1080 pixels into a 42-inch screen as well as the larger sizes. We also have to say, though, that 2008 could be a tough year for plasma. At the moment plasma can still play the quality card, with good PDP TVs still very much the screen technology of choice for discerning cinephiles. But if LCDs improve as fast in 2008 as they have in 2007, the yawning sales lead that LCD currently enjoys over plasma could, sadly, reach a point of no return. Freeview Playback In terms of technology inside your TVs, the big mass market thing in 2008 is surely going to be Freeview Playback. Freeview Playback TVs incorporate a digital tuner and built-in hard drive along with such digital video recorder (DVR) functionality as series link and pausing live TV. And if most of these smart TVs turn out to be as blindingly easy to use and affordable as LGs 42LT75, the UKs very first Freeview Playback TV, we reckon the public will go mad for them as the great analogue switch-off looms large. On a more esoteric level, theres definite potential for multimedia TVs in 2008. With downloadable movies and TV shows already threatening to crush the HD disc market before its even found its feet, TVs with built-in hard drives and Ethernet connections for home network access really could appeal. When it comes to sales trends, you probably wont be surprised to hear that we expect TVs to just keep getting bigger and cheaper. Over 2007 mass market tastes shifted upwards from 32 inches to 37 inches, and we strongly anticipate this will sneak up to 42 inches over the next 12 months. Especially as the prices of 42-inch panels will continue to slide downwards albeit not at quite the same frantic pace as they did in 2007. As for things that probably wont catch on in 2008, were confident the seemingly stillborn SED technology is going to stay firmly tucked away in R&D labs. Also, the current fad in the movie world for 3D will surely be quickly laughed off as a gimmick again (rather than finding its way into domestic TVs), just as it has countless times before. And finally any attempts to introduce a higher-resolution HD standard like Ultra HD will, hopefully, be given the short shrift they deserve by everyone outside the professional cinema world. I mean seriously, guys; its taken us years to finally commit to todays HD TVs, so please give us a year or two to enjoy what weve got before you start making us feel inadequate again! | https://www.techradar.com/news/tv/television/hdtv/is-oled-the-hottest-thing-in-tv-tech-243532 |
Could rentable electric scooters be coming to Wilmington? | WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) Wilmington City Council met Monday to discuss multiple topics. One item on the agenda was bringing scooters to the area, as other cities across the country have done. City staff explained that some of the current cities in the state are allowing rentable scooters and others are banning them. - Advertisement - The scooters can go up to 18 miles per hour and are usually used on sidewalks. The city says the General Assembly is expected to vote on allowing scooters statewide in the spring, which means the City of Wilmington would have to allow them no matter what. Council decided to wait to see what the legislature decides before doing anything. | https://www.wwaytv3.com/2019/01/08/could-rentable-electric-scooters-be-coming-to-wilmington/ |
Will a $2M flood plan save the Battleship North Carolina parking lot? | WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas almost 4 months ago but, the Battleship North Carolina is still seeing flooding impacts with the tide. The Cape Fear River washes away over 150 parking spots a day. The ship sees over 30,000 visitors a year and this water poses a serious challenge.Captain Bragg says this limits access to the ship and lowers overall visitation for this tourist site. Bragg and Battleship staff are partnering with an engineering firm and NOAA on a $2 million Living with Water plan. - Advertisement - Bragg says this new design will use the floodwater as a partner rather than a obstacle. [The north end of the parking lot] will essentially be put into a landscaped area with more soil and more plants to mitigate the constant churn of the water coming in and out, said Bragg. The north end of the parking lot will be converted to a tidal marsh. Bragg says the staff hopes to begin working on this project within the next two years pending grant approval from NOAA and N.C. Clean Water Management. | https://www.wwaytv3.com/2019/01/08/will-a-2m-flood-plan-save-the-battleship-north-carolina-parking-lot/ |
What Challenges Will Baltimore's Next Chief of Police Face? | This program was recorded prior to this morning's announcement that Mayor Pugh selected New Orleans Police Superintendant Michael Harrison as her nominee for police commissioner. Baltimore is still searching its next police chief, after the mayors nominee - Joel Fitzgerald - withdrew yesterday. The next commissioner confirmed will be Baltimores fourth since last January, as the city struggles with gun violence and implementing the reforms required by the federal consent decree. Journalist Brandon Soderberg describes the toll of uncertain leadership, and Ray Kelly, interim director of Baltimore Community Mediation Center, tells us how the consent decree process is steadily moving forward. You can read the second year plan of the consent decree here and submit feedback. Upcoming event information is here. The next community forum will take place on January 22nd from 6-8 pm at Edgewood Lyndhurst Recreation Center, 835 Allendale St. The quarterly public hearing is January 24th from 10-5 pm at the federal courthouse at 101 Lombard St. | http://www.wypr.org/post/what-challenges-will-baltimores-next-chief-police-face |
Are we leaving Syria or not? | The U.S. militarys three-year mission in Syria shows no signs of ending or significantly changing anytime soon, U.S. officials now say, despite President Donald Trumps announcement in December that the Islamic State was defeated and all troops would be withdrawn immediately. U.S. airstrikes in Syria have not slowed down based on strike reports released by the U.S.-led coalition, showing that there are plenty of ISIS targets left in the area. As of Tuesday, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters were still posting pictures and video of them training with coalition forces at al-Tanf near the Iraq-Syria border. And military officials with U.S. Central Command say they are continuing to fight Islamic State militants. Our mission remains the enduring defeat of ISIS. As long as there are U.S. troops on the ground, we will conduct airstrikes in support of our forces, Capt. Ava Margerison, an Air Forces Central Command official, told Military Times. The strike report for the second half of December showed 469 air and artillery strikes were conducted in Syria against ISIS tactical units, fighting positions, heavy weapons systems, improvised explosive device facilities, armored vehicles, an unmanned aircraft system and even a barge and a boat. Regional experts largely agree that ISIS still has the ability to reemerge as a threat, though there is disagreement as to the role the U.S. should play in combating the group. The lack of a clear message from the White House has left the estimated 2,000 U.S. troops dotting Syrias northeast and southeast in strategic limbo, and could threaten the U.S. militarys ability to continue marshaling its Syrian allies in their final campaign against ISIS' remnants. Fear no longer. Be the first to hear about breaking news, as it happens. You'll get alerts delivered directly to your inbox each time something noteworthy happens in the Military community. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to our Newsletter: Sign up for the Best Pix of the Week In a White House-produced video from Dec. 19, Trump said U.S. troops are all coming back and theyre coming back now," an announcement that reportedly contributed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation. But White House national security adviser John Bolton announced over the weekend that the withdrawal would not be as immediate as Trump alluded. Not long after Boltons comments, Trump tweeted Monday morning: No different from my original statements, we will be leaving at a proper pace while at the same time continuing to fight ISIS and doing all else that is prudent and necessary. Bolton told reporters that a U.S. pullout would first require assurances that Turkey would not harm the Kurdish allies American troops have been working with across eastern Syria to defeat ISIS. The uncertainty may reflect disagreement inside the Trump administration. There is a real confusion in Washington over what the policy should be with a real rift between the president and his national security advisers," said Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East and North Africa Program Director for the International Crisis Group. So you get this seesaw approach, where Trump says all troops need to be withdrawn and then [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo and John Bolton say no, no, no. ' Bolton traveled to Turkey early this week to discuss the conditions of a U.S. departure from northern Syria with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, Erdogan reportedly refused to meet with Bolton on Tuesday and published a New York Times op-ed calling the U.S.-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, a terror group. After historic victories against ISIS, its time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018 Bolton is trying to row back the withdrawal, but Erdogan seems to be having none of this. Erdogan is likely to escalate militarily and threaten to invade north Syria," said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. "This will drag President Trump back into the policy mix, as it did last time, and may lead to the president contradicting his national security team. Trump had mentioned as early as March that he wanted to pull U.S. forces from Syria, but sources indicated that top defense officials persuaded him to continue the mission. Turkey may try to escalate militarily in northern Syria, where it has consistently threatened U.S. troop positions around the town of Manbij, in order to drive a U.S. withdrawal. It worked last time and got him [Erdogan] a phone call with Trump which is probably why he wouldnt meet with Bolton," Landis said. "He only wants to talk to Trump, who he knows wants to get out. ... Without a strong commitment to remain and perhaps a show of force, regional leaders will continue to needle Washington. Smoke rises after airstrikes on the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds in October 2014. The Pentagon warned at the time that U.S. air power on its own could not prevent Islamic State from advancing in the area. (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images) As for the Kurdish allies that American forces depend on to wage the ground war against ISIS' final pockets of resistance, they are beginning to lose faith in the U.S., according to Hiltermann. They dont know what to expect from one day to the next, and theyre starting to plan accordingly," he said. Their [the YPGs] primary concern is survival. Up until now, the only way to survive is U.S. protection. That has kept the Turks and Damascus at bay, and its kept the Russians on the sidelines." Heres what may be driving a US troop withdrawal from Syria A confrontation between the U.S and Turkey, officially NATO allies, would create a geopolitical crisis at the heart of the worlds most powerful military alliance. In August and September, the Kurds sent representatives to Damascus, Syria, to speak with the Bashar Al Assad regime, though the negotiations didnt yield much, according to Hiltermann. The problem is that now that the YPG knows the U.S. is unreliable, when they go back to Damascus, they [Assads forces] know the same thing and the YPG just doesnt have leverage," he said. Additionally, Hiltermann said that the U.S. cant assume that the YPG will continue to fight ISIS on its own in the absence of American ground forces or even with just U.S. air support. The YPG are fighting ISIS in Arab areas, close to the Syria-Iraq border, far from the Kurdish areas," Hiltermann said. "They have no interest in these areas ... so why would they continue to fight ISIS outside of their home territory. A U.S. soldier hands out candy to a group of kids during a patrol in their village along the demarcation line outside Manbij, Syria, July 14, 2018. (Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster/Army) In the end, whether U.S. troops withdraw or not will depend on the outcome of the struggle between the Bolton and Trump wings of the White House national security advisers. Getting out will not only force the YPG to patch up relations with Damascus, it will force Washington to begin to cooperate with Damascus in order to continue counter-terrorism activities against ISIS. This, I believe, is what really infuriates the Bolton crowd," Landis said. "U.S. policy has been to turn out Assad, not to re-open relations with his government. It would be a defeat for Washingtons anti-Iran policy. It will be a blow to Israel. Compared to Trump, Pompeo and Bolton have a more hawkish view of U.S. policy in the Middle East and in particular take issue with Iran. They want to not only prevent ISIS' reemergence but to block Iranian influence in Syria, preventing the growth of Irans power in the region. Hiltermann said he never makes predictions about the outcome of policy battles like that between Trump and Bolton. Its impossible to tell especially when you have a mercurial president," he said. "Trump could either override Bolton or Pompeo tomorrow, or he could fire them. In the end, hes got the stronger no pun intended trump card. But that doesnt mean the national security establishment wont push back, and as long as they have the presidents ear they could get away with it. | https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/01/08/are-we-leaving-syria-or-not/ |
Has Alfie left EastEnders for good after abducting baby Cherry? | Advertisement Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) had been promised by her errant ex-husband he would deliver Cherry safely back to Hayley on Tuesday 8 January and then get out of their lives, having already abducted the tot on Christmas Day following the violent showdown that saw Alfie take a tumble down the stairs after Kat learnt he had cheated with her cousin and was her newborns daddy. But Alfie struggled with the idea of giving Cherry back to her mum as he still thinks Hayley is unstable and the little one would be better off with him and in an ideal world Kat as co-parent. Getting Kat to let him spend one last day with his child, Alfie spent the episode desperately trying to raise some money before departing Walford. It was emotional as he later bumped into Kat with sons Tommy, Bert and Ernie and realised it could be the last time he ever sees them. After a charged farewell, Alfie had a change of heart about giving Cherry up and told close friend Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who he had been staying with, he couldnt let the baby be dragged up by the Slaters and had decided to take Cherry and sneak off without telling anyone. Begging Ian to cover for him and keep Kat stalled so he had enough time to flee, Alfie hopped in the car, strapped Cherry in and drove off with a grand plan to leave the UK to make a new start away from the Slaters. Fans are now wondering whether this is Alfies exit from the show, which must be imminent as Shane Richie is joining the cast of West End musical Everybodys Talking About Jamie at the end of January for a three-month stint. Advertisement Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2019-01-08/has-alfie-left-eastenders-for-good-after-abducting-baby-cherry/ |
How does the Chargers secondary stack up to the remaining playoff teams? | Pro Football Focus ranked every team in the NFLs secondary. No need for us to worry about the teams that are no longer playing. PFF has the Saints at 28. New Orleans is a popular Super Bowl pick. The Eagles are 23rd. Theyve been suspect all year. The Chiefs check in at 17th on the list. Anyone who has watched Kansas City knows their defense is nothing to fear. The Colts are 15th. That is a good number for a team that has only $11 million tied up into its secondary. Dallas is 11th. The Rams are sixth. The Patriots second and the Bears first. This leaves the Chargers. They are number three on the list. Heres what was said about the secondary: Along with Chicago, the Chargers were the only other NFL team to put multiple members on the PFF All-Pro secondary. Desmond King II earned the first team Flex position for his work as the leagues best slot cornerback and Derwin James was second-team safety as a rookie. The scary thing is, that doesnt even include Casey Hayward Jr., who just last year won PFFs award for top coverage defender. Hayward has actually played better than fans think. On the heels of giving up a touchdown, totally understand why that sounds silly. Cant forget Adrian Phillips. He means a lot to this secondary. | https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/08/how-does-the-chargers-secondary-stack-up-to-the-remaining-playoff-teams/ |
Will Captain Marvel Plant the Seeds for Secret Invasion in the MCU? | 0 At this point, odds are youre well aware that Brie Larson punches an old lady in the Captain Marvel trailer. But fear not; Captain Marvel doesnt just run around punching whoever she pleases. That old woman is almost positively a Skrull, an individual part of a race of alien shapeshifters. In the comics, theres a crossover storyline called Secret Invasion and in it, according to Marvel.com, The shape-shifting Skrulls have been infiltrating the Earth for years, replacing many of Marvels heroes with impostors, setting the stage for an all-out invasion. Were not just talking about any random person here. Secret Invasion suggests that anyone can be a Skrull even some of the superheroes weve seen featured in past Marvel Cinematic Universe films. While visiting the set of the film back in the summer of 2018, I got the chance to participate in a roundtable interview with executive producer Jonathan Schwartz and heres what he told us about the Secret Invasion storylines impact on the film: Yes, we talked about Secret Invasion. I wouldnt go into this movie saying, Which one of these superheroes is a Skrull? Because Carol is more or less the first superhero to show up on Earth. Im betting on it. From there the group dug in a little deeper with Schwartz, specifically asking about the political paranoia that comes with the Skrull invasion in the comics. Heres what he told us: If youre talking about kind of the [H. Warren] Craddick Anti-Superhero Act stuff from the comics, not really. There is a paranoia element thats a little bit different from whats in that specific storyline, but its not kind of related to the Anti-Superhero who could be a Skrull comic stuff. What Id say about the Kree-Skrull War overall is its much more of a kind of backdrop and mythological underpinning for the movie than it is a direct lift of that plot like Civil War was. We probably wont know exactly how deep the Skrulls will dig their claws into the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe for a good while, but we will likely get a better sense of how this might play out when Captain Marvel hits theaters nationwide on March 8th. Always. It would certainly add a very interesting wrinkle to the MCU past, present and future. For more of my Captain Marvel set visit coverage, check out the links below: | http://collider.com/captain-marvel-plot-details-secret-invasion/ |
Is dit het laatste nieuw jaar zonder receptie? | Joyce Mesdag 08 januari 2019 22u01 0 Overal wordt dezer dagen een glaasje gedronken op nieuwjaarsrecepties, behalve in Wielsbeke. Daar trakteert het gemeentebestuur traditiegetrouw op de Wielsbeekse Feesten in september, en niet in het begin van het jaar. Beide oppositiepartijen U. en N-VA zouden dat liever anders zien. Volgens ons bereik je op de Wielsbeekse Feesten maar een bepaald deel van de bevolking, en zou je met een nieuwjaarsreceptie een veel ruimer publiek aanspreken, zegt Rik Buyse (N-VA). In plaats van nieuwjaarsrecepties te organiseren vanuit de partijen, lijkt een algemene nieuwjaarsreceptie, misschien zelfs drie recepties, n in elke deelgemeente, ons een beter idee. Burgemeester Jan Stevens (CD&V) staat niet weigerachtig tegenover het voorstel. Maar het wordt sowieso een afweging: onze bevolking trakteren op de Wielsbeekse Feesten n op een nieuwjaarsreceptie is iets te veel van het goede. Onze happy hour op de Wielsbeekse Feesten is elk jaar toch wel vrij succesvol, de vraag is maar of we op een nieuwjaarsreceptie ook zoveel volk zouden mogen verwachten. Maar het is dus niet meteen een njet, hier denken we over na. | https://www.hln.be/regio/wielsbeke/is-dit-het-laatste-nieuw-jaar-zonder-receptie~aa158898/ |
Was Keith Urban #ALLIN? | Still Never Ever Coming Down from the Clemson Win I bet that Keith Urban is all of us today. As in, hes probably never ever coming down from that Clemson University win at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night (Jan. 7). Technically, I dont think Urban has ever declared which team he is rooting for, but I think its safe to say he was happy with Clemsons remarkable win over the University of Alabama. Its hard not to love a champion. Sean M. Haffey Urban performed at the Championship Tailgate at the National Championship Game outside of Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Both Tigers fans and Crimson Tide fans packed into the stadiums parking lot to hear Urbans 90-minute set. And according to a press release, he remained unbiased throughout his show, accepting two dollars in Clemson Cash and an Alabama pom pom. If Urban was on Team Clemson, he wouldnt be the first country star to support the players this season. At the recent Cotton Bowl when Clemson defeated the University of Notre Dames Fighting Irish George Strait was seen cheering Clemson on wearing a sweatshirt and cap with the famous Tiger Paw logo. And Lee Brice, who played football for Clemson in the late 90s, was there at the Championship game on Monday with his brother, his father and his son. All bleeding orange, he posted on Twitter. Daddy, me, Lewis, Takoda Clemson Tigers.. True Champions. Bleeding Orange.. Family.. Ultra Special. pic.twitter.com/QQBQ9TkyEb Lee Brice (@leebrice) January 8, 2019 Urban will head to Australia later this month to continue his GRAFFITTI U World Tour. | http://www.cmt.com/news/1802074/was-keith-urban-allin/ |
Could gene editing give us spicy tomatoes? | Tomatoes could be developed to produce the chemicals that give chillies their heat. Scientists say tomatoes contain all the genes needed to produce capsaicinoids, the fiery compound in chillies, but don't have the machinery to turn them on. That could be changed using the latest gene-editing techniques. The researchers say their objective isn't to start a hot, new culinary fad - although that's not completely off the table - but to have an easier means of mass producing large quantities of capsaicinoids for commercial purposes. The molecules have nutritional and antibiotic properties and are used in painkillers and pepper spray. The chilli pepper, from an evolutionary perspective, is the tomato's long-lost spitfire cousin. They split off from a common ancestor 19 million years ago but still share some of the same DNA. While the tomato plant went on to have a fleshy, nutrient-rich fruit yielding bountiful harvests, the more agriculturally difficult chilli plant went defensive, developing capsaicinoids, the molecules that give peppers their spiciness, to ward off predators. Advertisement Spice up your life - the tomato could be adapted to produce the fiery compound that gives chillies their heat. Photo / File With the latest gene-editing techniques, it could be possible, although challenging, to make a tomato produce capsaicinoids as well, researchers argue in an opinion article published this week in the journal Trends in Plant Science. "Engineering the capsaicinoid genetic pathway to the tomato would make it easier and cheaper to produce this compound, which has very interesting applications," said senior author Agustin Zsgn, a plant biologist at the Federal University of Viosa in Brazil whose group is working toward this goal. "We have the tools powerful enough to engineer the genome of any species; the challenge is to know which gene to engineer and where." The spicy taste that capsaicinoids add isn't a taste, but a reaction to pain. They activate nerve cells in the tongue that deal with heat-induced pain, which the brain interprets as a burning sensation. Evidence suggests the evolution of capsaicinoids helped chili peppers deter small mammals from eating their fruit. Birds, which are much better seed dispersers, show no pain response to the molecules. There are at least 23 different types of capsaicinoids, which originate from the pith of the chilli pepper. The spiciness of a pepper is determined by the genes that regulate capsaicinoid production, and less pungent peppers have mutations affecting this process. Previous gene sequencing work has shown that tomatoes have the genes necessary for capsaicinoids but don't have the machinery to turn them on. "In theory you could use these genes to produce capsaicinoids in the tomato," said Zsgn. "Since we don't have solid data about the expression patterns of the capsaicinoid pathway in the tomato fruit, we have to try alternative approaches. One is to activate candidate genes one at a time and see what happens, which compounds are produced. We are trying this and a few other things." The sequencing of the chilli pepper genome and the discovery that the tomato has the genes necessary for pungency paves the way for engineering a spicy tomato. The researchers write that not only will this endeavour help better understand the evolution of this unique botanical trait and allow for the development of tomato capsaicinoid biofactories, but perhaps allow for the development of some new varieties of produce in the grocery aisle. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12187525 |
Why Isn't Kevin Hart Hosting the Oscars? | Kevin Hart has been dominating the news cycle for all the wrong reasons thanks to a series of homophobic tweets he sent out in the late aughts. The tweetsand Kevin's initial refusal to apologize for themresulted in the comedian stepping down as host of the 2019 Oscars, and many of his subsequent statements only added fuel to an already iffy fire. Here's a timeline of everything that's gone down, starting with Kevin's tweets. 2009-2010 Kevin posts a series of homophobic tweets that are really, really awful: I wonder when Kevin Hart is gonna start deleting all his old tweets pic.twitter.com/ZbYG6SI3Xm Benjamin Lee (@benfraserlee) December 5, 2018 December 4, 2018 Kevin is announced as host of the Oscars and everyone seems pretty pumped. December 6, 2018 As Kevin's unearthed tweets begin to go viral, he reveals that the Academy gave him an ultimatum: Apologize or give up his hosting gig. He refuses to say sorry, instead issuing the following ill-advised statement via Instagram: I passed on the apology. The reason why I passed is because Ive addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. Ive addressed it. Ive spoken on it. Ive said where the rights and wrongs were. Ive said who I am now versus who I was then. Ive done it. Ive done it. Im not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old, when Ive moved on and Im in a completely different space in my life. The same energy that went into finding those old tweets could be the same energy put into finding the response to the questions that have been asked years after years after years. Were feeding the internet trolls and we reward them. Im not going to do it, man. Im going to be me and stand my ground. December 7, 2018 Backlash ensues, so Kevin steps down from his hosting gig and issues a formal apology on Twitter, writing, "I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again." I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018 I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again. Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018 January 4, 2019 Kevin shows up on TV for a chat with Ellen, who defends him against "trolls" and says, "They're gonna win if you don't host the Oscars. You cant let them destroy you and they can't destroy you because you have too much talent." Ellen also says she called the Academy to see if Kevin could still host the awards, and she seemed to think the answer was a hard yes. I had an incredible and honest conversation with @KevinHart4real about hosting the #Oscars. It was supposed to air on Monday. I dont want you to have to wait, so now its gonna air tomorrow. Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019 However you feel about this, the only positive way through it is to talk about it. Thank you for being here, @KevinHart4real. pic.twitter.com/FVKZ6FIQAx Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019 Later in the Day... Ellen's comments are met with major backlash by people on Twitter who don't think she's the arbiter of right and wrong in this situation: The only thing @KevinHart4real proved by going on Ellen was that he is a terrible actor with zero genuine remorse who didnt have the decency to address his ignorance. No, they werent haters who came after you. It was the LGBTQI+ community because were sick to shit of it. Harry Cook (@HarryCook) January 4, 2019 I also believe in forgiveness. But I also believe that forgiveness requires an actual apology. Not Im sorry people are so sensitive. Just I am sorry. All he had to do. And he indignantly refused because he felt his moment was being tainted. That he was the aggrieved. Y'all have got to start using privilege correctly. https://t.co/Ssr1aUNXJP Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) January 4, 2019 ok i finally watched this and i am floored at the bullshit that Ellen let him spout uninterrupted. He's concocting an alternative history here and Ellen didn't challenge him on the facts one bit. let me explain... https://t.co/r92LOMsy6O David Mack (@davidmackau) January 4, 2019 daily reminder that Ellen Degeneres doesnt represent and speak on behalf of the entire LGBTQ+ community and her giving kevin hart a platform to spout out a lengthy monologue in which he victimizes HIMSELF is complete trash amaury (@acidhunk) January 6, 2019 Meanwhile, multiple op-eds are published, including The Hollywood Reporter's Kris Rehl who wrote, "I was shocked to see Ellen throw her weight behind his self-victimization." On top of that, Don Lemon criticizes both Ellen and Kevin on his CNN show, saying of the latter, "I don't see any meaningful outreach to the LGBT community. Apologizing and moving on does not make the world a better place for people who are gay or who are transgender. Being an ally does." January 5, 2019 Kevin hits Instagram to defend himself after backlash over his Ellen appearance, saying, "When did we get to the point where we forgot that we all learn, then we all have the ability to grow and with that growth comes a wealth of knowledge. You cant change without a understanding of what GROWTH means." Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Kevin no longer wants to host the Oscars, despite Ellen's plea, with sources revealing that the "situation is still fluid and he could possibly change his mind," but "this looks like his final answer." January 7, 2019 Kevin Hart issues another formal apology, this time on his radio show, saying, "We thought it was okay to talk like that, because thats how we talked to one another ... This is wrong now. Because now were in a space where Im around people of the LGBTQ community, and Im now aware of how these words make them feel, and why they say 'That shit hurt because of what Ive been through.'" He also explains that he's changed, clarifying, "The fight is the will and want for equality. Im riding with you guys. I understand you. But in the fight for equality, that means that there has to be an acceptance for change. Where does the equality part come in?" Circa Right Now The Oscars still don't have a host, lol, and it's uncertain if Kevin will step back into the role. Stay tuned. | https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/a25799856/kevin-hart-oscars-controversy-explained/ |
Should Homeless Warming Center Threshold Be Lowered? | The chilly cold nights of rain the past week brought homeless people in from the streets to permanent shelters and temporary warming shelters, but theyre not open frequently enough, protested Peter Marin, a longtime homeless advocate. Ironically, the commercial weather forecasts the shelters rely upon originate at the National Weather Service, whose staffers are working on a deferred pay status due to the federal shutdown. Though the meteorologists stoically direct reporters to a press officer in D.C., its well known that some federal employees are themselves one paycheck away from a missed mortgage or rent payment. But in Santa Barbara, the weeks debate has been over opening the countys Freedom Warming Shelters at 40 degrees, rather than 35 degrees; the criteria for about a decade have been 50 percent chance of rain or 35 degree overnight temps. The program began on an ad hoc basis in 2010 after three homeless people were found dead after a bitter cold snap in January. Thirty-seven degrees is really, really, really cold, Kathy Hayes agreed; she directs Freedom Warming Centers with a part-time staff and volunteer locations. We are open to dialogue after the season ends and before the next one begins November 15. Wed renegotiate our Memorandum of Understanding with 10 host site partners and reassess our staffing needs. Before the season began was the time to discuss this, not in the middle of their busiest time, she said. Marin stated Supervisor Das Williams said the county would add funding, but Williamss aide Darcel Elliott clarified that though Williams had sent a request letter to the cities involved, none had responded. Money, as well as locations and staffing, is the perennial problem. In an email sent by Hayes and Julia Hamilton, the minister at the Unitarian Church, which was the first shelter location and now acts as the fiscal sponsor for Freedom, they state their shelters in five cities opened 145 times so far in the 2018-19 season. According to the National Weather Service, , through the end of March, about seven nights of 35 degree or less could be expected as opposed to roughly 26 at 40 degrees. A second issue raised during the dialogue were children. The warming centers are not designed for children. The only shelter that takes children is Good Samaritan in Santa Maria, Hayes said, but check-in is 4 to 5 p.m. and that doesnt work for working mothers. Three children have been brought by parents or grandparents to the shelters this season, one whose mother was jailed and whose guardian was homeless. We were able to connect them with a resource, Hayes said, but theres a bigger picture were missing. The county needs day centers. We need low-barrier shelters in August as well as January. Who do we call when a mother comes in at 10 oclock at night because of a domestic violence situation? | http://www.independent.com/news/2019/jan/08/should-homeless-warming-center-threshold-be-lowere/ |
Can Timothe Chalamet Fill a Tilda SwintonSized Hole on the Red Carpet? | Timothe Chalamet and Tilda Swinton. Photo: Getty Images Let me make something clear right up top: There is only one Katherine Matilda Tilda Swinton, Oscar-winning actress and established style icon. Swinton is incomparable in every way, especially to those with half her wisdom and experience. I wouldnt dare suggest that anyone could fill her shoes. But I would suggest that they try. Tilda Swintons presence is so large that when she is not in a room, it is noticeable and oftentimes depressing. She makes red carpets infinitely more interesting with her avant-garde, David Bowieesque style. Shes worn shirts made of flowers, flags, and gold glitter. She loves statement suits, rich fabrics, and sculptural, statuesque silhouettes. Recently, she wore a Schiaparelli jacket with tiny hands for buttons. Really, everyone should aspire to this level of greatness, but Chalamet has more of a shot than the rest of us. Both Swinton and Chalamet wear clothes like they understand them. Even when someone has dressed them for an event, you can tell theyre passionate about the look and might wear it in real life of their own accord. Both understand that their floppy, perfectly tussled hair is the best accessory. Both channel a fluid sexual energy and are unafraid to toy with androgynous style. Both have prominent cheekbones and a kind of intensity in their eyes. Both have towering figures (Chalamet is 6 feet tall, and Swinton is just two inches shorter). And both are muses for the same designer, Haider Ackermann. Ackermann and Swinton have been longtime friends, collaborators, and travel companions. Chalamet also known as Timo, The Handsome Dude, and My Little Bro, as Ackermann fondly calls him is clearly the rookie of the pack, but a stamp of approval from Ackermann means a great deal, fashion-wise. It means getting to wear his impeccably tailored, unconventional suits on the red carpet, and also learn from him as a style mentor. GQ Style called the AckermannChalamet relationship one of the most endearing celebrity-fashion friendships of the Instagram age. Tilda Swinton and Timothe Chalamet in Haider Ackermann. Photo: Getty Images Chalamet has advanced taste and mentorship for someone his age, but he still has a lot to learn. If he really wants to run with a crowd thats this stylish, hes going to have to work for it by reaching a little further, and by taking more risks. Right now, its hard to pinpoint what, exactly, his style is. And as a result, hes compared to just about everyone, including Lucas Hedges, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jamie Lee Curtis. He is everything and everyone, but also not someone we know. We do know that Timos got it in him to be something great. After all, there was only one beautiful boy wearing a harness at the Golden Globes on Sunday night. And he brought his mom as a date, not Lily-Rose Depp a sign that he takes this seriously, but is also in for the fun of it. In general, the world of celebrity fashion could be more fun. Heres hoping Timothe can help take it there. May the below pictures of Tilda Swinton and Timothe Chalamet standing next to each other serve merely as some positive encouragement. Tilda Swinton at the Oscars in Haider Ackermann; Timothe Chalamet in Berluti at the Oscars. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann; Timothe Chalamet in Louis Vuitton. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann; Timothe Chalamet in Berluti. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in Viktor & Rolf; Timothe Chalamet in Off-White. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton and Timothe Chalamet in Raf Simons. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton and Timothe Chalamet in Haider Ackermann. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in 2002; Timothe Chalamet in Alexander McQueen. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in Maison Martin Margiela; Timothe Chalamet in Saint Laurent. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann; Timothe Chalamet in Berluti. Photo: Getty Images Tilda Swinton in 2009; Timothe Chalamet in Saint Laurent. Photo: Getty Images | https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/timothe-chalamet-tilda-swinton-fashion.html?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=f1&utm_campaign=feed-part |
Who Are The Yellow Vest Protesters Targeting MPs Outside Parliament? | Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused by a group of pro-Brexit demonstrators on Monday. The ex-minister was also called a Nazi and a liar as she was heckled during a number of live TV interviews. Ms Soubry has accused the Metropolitan Police of ignoring abuse hurled at politicians and journalists outside Parliament. One of the activists involved in yesterdays shouting and jostling to Facebook to defend his actions. James Goddard is one of the key pro-Brexit protesters. Picture: PA James Goddard wrote: Shes called a Nazi because shes acting like one. "We must remember the Nazis were elected into power and then went against ordinary Germans! Pretty much echoing what's going on this country, he added. "If the political class weren't trying to thwart Brexit, then I wouldn't have to approach these treacherous MPs. "Has anyone noticed how they bang on about equal rights for women, yet when they're approached they go into meltdown! He was involved in a similar incident with Ms Soubry last year, in which he accused the MP for Broxtowe of being on "the side of Adolf Hitler". After the event, which again sparked headlines, Mr Goddard phoned Shelagh Fogarty to defend his actions. Hitler wanted a United Europe with no nation states, with no sovereignty," he said during a very feisty debate with the LBC presenter. Mr Goddard first made headlines in December after blocking traffic on Westminster Bridge with a number of other protesters wearing high-vis jackets. The group appear to mimic anti-government protesters in France, dubbed the gilets jaunes - or the yellow vests. Shortly before Christmas he was involved in a protest at an appeal hearing for drink-driver Jaynesh Chudasama who killed three teenage boys in early 2018. Proceedings had to be halted and chanting from people in the public gallery after Chudasama had his 13-year prison term for causing by dangerous driving reduced. Other incidents involving the so-called Yellow Vests have included arriving unannounced at the offices of Facebook and the Labour Party. | https://www.lbc.co.uk/hot-topics/brexit/who-are-the-yellow-vest-protesters-targeting-mps/ |
Can Pilgrim's Pride's Growth Strategies Revive the Stock? | Pilgrim's Pride Corporation PPC continues to lose investors faith, thanks to headwinds surrounding rising cost of sales as well as challenges in the commodity chicken market. This renowned company, engaged in the manufacturing and selling of fresh, frozen and value-added chicken products, saw its shares decline around 8.5% in the past three months compared with the industrys fall of 6.3%. Nevertheless, the companys business is progressing well in Europe, which is boosting revenues. Further, the companys strategic initiatives to expand customer base and augment supply chain efficiency are impressive. That said, lets take a closer look at the factors impacting the companys performance and discuss the probabilities of a turnaround. Strong European Business Pilgrim's Prides European business is expanding on the back of gains from acquired operations as well as focus on diversification into new markets. Notably, revenues from this category improved 2.4%, 12.5% and 18.6% year on year in the trailing three quarters. The region is also gaining from a strong business model, robust customer relationships as well as better synergy capture. Moreover, efforts such as capacity optimization and expansion are likely to continue boosting revenues from the region in the forthcoming periods. Other Growth Oriented Efforts Pilgrim's Prides customer centric approach has enabled it to come up with unique offerings that provide competitive advantages. In fact, the companys focus on key customers is a pathway for refining portfolio and creating competitive advantages over peers. Progressing on such lines, the company is expanding in the fresh food offerings space. In fact, the launch of fresh chicken products under the premium Pilgrim's brand is receiving favorable consumer response. Further, the company is on track to expand gluten-free products. Further, the company is on track with innovations in the alternative protein space, such as plant-based protein, which is slowly gaining popularity in the U.K. Apart from this, the company is steadily augmenting marketing support of brands as they expand and enter new regions. Additionally, the company resorts to frequent supply chain improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. In this respect, the company is progressing with the development of automation technology for processing plants. Introduction of such advanced technology is expected to increase efficiency and offset labor availability issues. Along with this, the companys dedicated efforts, including zero base budgeting and positive impacts from acquisitions are expected to create synergies of $50 million in the next two years. During the third quarter of 2018, Pilgrims Pride witnessed challenging pricing environment for commodity chicken in the United States. Moreover, management is concerned regarding the reduced demand of commodity chicken, considering the higher availability of other meat-based protein. To top this, expanding cost of sales is a significant hurdle for the company. Rising costs, if unchecked, can continue to hurt profits in the upcoming quarters. In fact, during the third quarter of 2018, cost of sales rose 9.2% year over year. Prior to this, in the second quarter, cost of sales increased 12.5%. We note that rising costs of operations have also eclipsed the performance of companies like Campbell Soup CPB, General Mills GIS and TreeHouse Foods THS. Despite such headwinds, we cannot ignore the companys efforts to augment portfolio strength and enhance operational efficiency. In fact, we expect that its endeavors to enhance savings will help combat rising costs. Moreover, the companys strong European business is likely to keep boosting revenues. We expect that such upsides will revive this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys performance in the forthcoming periods. | https://news.yahoo.com/pilgrims-prides-growth-strategies-revive-204708273.html |
What does 6-9 Oleg Sosunov have to do to come up big for Crunch? | Syracuse, N.Y. -- The latest change to the Syracuse Crunch roster was fairly obvious earlier this week. Rookie defenseman Oleg Sosunov was back spreading his 6-foot-9 frame across the rink, a development thats hard to miss. Sosunov was recalled from an 11-game stretch with Orlando of the ECHL, where he feasted on a steady diet of minutes. The issue now becomes if and when Sosunov makes his presence felt on the Crunch. Sosunov is clearly a project, and projects develop at vastly different paces. "The plan with him was to send him down to have some ice time, to play games,'' said Crunch coach Ben Groulx. "Now hes back for us, I believe for good. Well see how it plays out.'' Sosunov, a sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2016, started the season with five games in Syracuse, producing one goal, two penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. With Orlando, he posted four assists, eight penalty minutes and a minus-7. "I played a lot. I think I got some confidence right now. So I think Im ready to come back here. I need to keep working, improve myself,'' Sosunov said. Stacy Roest, director of player development for the Lightning, watched Sosunov play in Orlando and gives him a positive review. Roest said the prospect continued to show good mobility and game awareness. But now Sosonuv has to keep refining those skills at a higher level. "When hes that big, you just want to see him get pucks deep and keep it simple, and defend well,'' Roest said. "I would say hes pretty raw, to get used to the pro game and the tempo of the game. I think hes got good hockey sense to sort it out in the d-zone. Hes got a ways to go, but hes coming along.'' From where he currently stands, Sosunov needs every centimeter of his height to get a glimpse at the top of the Crunchs defensive depth chart. Even after Tampa Bay recalls Slater Koekkoek from his conditioning assignment after Fridays game, Sosunov will be buried at No. 7 among Syracuses seven remaining defensemen. "Its tough because hes not ahead of the other guys. And we have no injuries,'' Groulx said. "So its tough for him to gain confidence and get into his groove because he did not play. Now, we want to see where hes at in terms of progression. And weve got to see that in the game. "Sometimes you evaluate a player and you never had the chance to see him play with confidence. To have confidence, youve got to play. So its a vicious circle. Its a tough evaluation, but hes a guy that is like any other rookie. Hes young. Hes got a lot to learn. Its a process. Its for him to impress us enough to crack the lineup sooner than later.'' Carter Verhaeghe rebuilds career with Syracuse Crunch | https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2019/01/what-does-6-9-oleg-sosunov-have-to-do-to-come-up-big-for-crunch.html |
Does Kendall Jenner really use Proactiv? | After a major build-up in which she promised to share a 'raw story' with fans, Kendall Jenner revealed on Sunday that she has signed a spokesperson deal with skincare brand Proactiv. The announcement came as a disappointment to fans who were expecting something bigger and more candid and were outraged when they learned all the anticipation was drummed up over an ad. And now, some who feel played are pointing out that Kendall may never have even used Proactiv before inking a deal with them, as the 23-year-old has not once mentioned their products in any of her numerous interviews about skincare or beauty. Kendall Jenner was announced as the new face of Proactiv this week, but some fans are doubting that the model has ever used the product Flashback: In her first ad, the 23-year-old shared an old photo of her face covered in blemishes One reason fans were so upset over Sunday's announcement is that Kendall's acne is hardly a revelation. The star has spoken about it in the past on numerous occasions, complaining about how self-conscious it made her. Early in 2018, she wrote all about it on her now-defunct paid website and app. 'I had such bad acne when I was younger; I remember it SO well!' she said. 'I started having skin issues around the 8th or 9th grade.' 'I think I just got acne from being a teenager and simply growing up, which happens to SO many people,' she said. 'But, where it really impacted me was how self-conscious I became about it. It completely ruined my self-esteem. 'I wouldn't even look at people when I talked to them. I felt like such an outcast; when I spoke, it was with my hand covering my face.' Since her pubescent acne problems have been public knowledge for years, Kendall has also spoken quite a bit about how she's battled it, listing products and techniques she turns to and not once has she mentioned Proactiv. Pimply: Kendall (pictured in January 2018) has been open about her ongoing struggles with acne for many years Hormones: She has mostly said the blemishes were a teenage problem, and in 2018, she proclaimed, 'I've been acne-free for about three years now' (pictured in 2010) In a February 2016 feature for The Estee Edit, she said: 'My nightly beauty routine consists of washing my face before bed. 'Normally I'm shooting and sometimes we have multiple makeup looks and changes so now I use an Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask once a week. It is super hydrating and helps restore my skin's brightness!' In March of that year, she plugged Estee Lauder's night cream and told Byrdie that she washes her face two to three times a day. Then, in November of 2016, she told Glamour: 'I don't like to do too much to my skin. I feel like the more I do, the more confused it gets. I wash my face with a gentle cleanser in the morning and before I go to bed. She continued to promote the brand, which she was also a spokesperson for, in April 2017. 'I like to keep it pretty simple at night,' she wrote on her app, listing Este Lauder's Micro-Cleansing Balmand their Global Anti-Aging Cell Power Creme as her go-to products. 'If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll add in a mask in between. It's the best feeling to wake up knowing you did something good for your face the night before,' she added. Clear! In past interviews, Kendall has listed her favorite skincare products, but has not once mentioned using Proactiv to clear up her acne Caught you! Fans are raising serious doubts about the campaign on social media Going to the doc: Most have been saying that Kendall's doctor fixed her skin Pushed to the side: One compared Kendall not crediting a dermatologist to Bella Hadid not crediting a plastic surgeon Faker: Twitter is not convinced by the model's claims in the new ad Poor girl! Some are wondering how her dermatologist feels about this She's also spoken quite a bit about her dermatologist, Christine Kidd. And Christine herself has shared her tips and tricks in interviews and on Kendall and Kylie's apps. 'Kendall uses CK Perfect Skin 4 Step regimen twice daily,' Christine told W magazine in March 2018, detailing the face wash, fresh pads, renewal acne treatment, and sunblock the regimen involves. Hold up! In the past, she has given most of the credit for her clear skinto her dermatologist, Christine Kidd who has said Kendall uses her products as part of a daily skincare regimen Finally, on her app in 2018, she credited a few factors for keeping her acne-free: her 'incredible dermatologist', growing up, and laser skin therapy. 'I've been acne-free for about three years now,' she said. 'What I want everyone to understand is that it's been a process: It wasn't anything that happened overnight. 'Even after things started to clear up, it took a solid amount of time to be okay with my skin and gain back my confidence,' she said, adding that any time she's struck down with 'one zit' she becomes self-conscious once again. 'But slowly, I'm working towards not caring and I'm just in so much of a better place about it all now that I'm older,' she concluded. 'I realized that it's a part of life for some people and it doesn't define who you are.' Fans have noticed that all of this is missing from her new ads and several have taken to Twitter to point it out. '100% Kendall Jenner, with the KarJenner family dermatologist, never used Proactive,' wrote one. And another: 'Kendall Jenner's dermatologist must feel like Bella Hadid's surgeon rn.' 'Hi I'm kendall jenner, the highest paid model in the world, I didn't know this before but apparently I use proactiv now. uh yeah... don't tell my dermatologist I said that,' snarked a third. Red-handed: Some even went so far as to Google old interviews for the proof It's still out there! Kendall and her sisters have even spoken about her dermatologist on their reality shows Her own problem: This Twitter user faulted Kendall herself for the backlash Of course, it's hardly unusual for a celebrity or any woman to change her beauty or skincare preferences over time. It's highly probable that a woman might bop from a Nars liptick to a MAC one to a Lancome one from one month to the next. But by shilling for an acne medication, the message to Kendall's fans seems to be that Proactiv is what cleared up her acne despite years of evidence to the contrary. Yet the lack of credibility in the claim that Kendall has been a steady Proactiv user isn't the only thing that set fans off. Over the weekend, Kendall's momager Kris Jenner had promised that Kendall's mystery 'raw story' would help her young followers. Kris said: 'I'm so proud of my darling @KendallJenner for being so brave and vulnerable. 'Seeing you share your most raw story in order to make a positive impact for so many people and help foster a positive dialogue is a testament to the incredible woman you've become. Not happy! After they first found out that Kendall's 'raw story' was part of a commercial, fans took to Twitter to share how disappointed they were 'Make sure to watch Kendall's Twitter on Sunday night to find out what I'm talking about and be prepared to be moved.' Her comments sparked intense speculation from fans over what Kendall could be revealing, with many suggesting it might be a battle with anxiety or depression. Kendall's teaser video only added flames to the fire. 'When I was 14, I couldn't reach as many people that I can now that I'm 22,' she said. 'Now I have this whole thing behind me, I can speak to so many people and be like: 'I can help you and it's ok.' 'I experience it, I'm very normal, I understand you, I can connect with you...' She added at the end: 'I'm going to try and help' while 'connect with Kendall, Jan 6' came up on the screen. So when it was revealed that the whole thing was gearing up for an announcement of her brand sponsorship, fans were furious. Kris, for one, was slammed over the family's 'shameless' self promotion in wake of sharp ratings drop for their show. TV spot: Kendall's big announcement was not what fans expected Not as intended... Despite Kendall seemingly attributing her good skin to Proactiv, she has only ever said she uses Estee Lauder (another sponsorship) and Christine Kidd products in the past One fan wrote: 'You're joking me. This is a pathetic cry for attention. @KrisJenner.' Another added: 'Women are coming forward every day about being victims to rape, sexual assault, abuse etc and Kendall Jenner is gonna hype up and announce her problem with acne.' One person called the 'whole family just truly disgusting', tweeting: 'Kris Jenner should be ashamed of herself for hyping this nonsense in the manner she did! This whole family just truly disgusting! 'Real life issues out there like coming out or crippling disorders that keep you from leaving the house & she comes up with those ridiculous hashtags.' '@KendallJenner's big announcement was shameless... 50% of teens struggle with acne and they have to deal with it without a 5 million dollar contract from proactive,' yet another chimed in. Another added: '@KendallJenner is a joke!! This is another promotion to make money. Shame on her. #KendallJenner.' Poor you: Fans mocked Kendall's big reveal after the star made it sound like she was going to talk about something much more serious Proactiv has had a long roster of celebrity spokespeople including Justin Bieber Boo! Twitter users shared how put off they were after being led to believe Kendall was revealing something interesting Chill, girl: Few seem to have patience for the reality star's 'raw story' Proactiv was launched by dermatologists Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, and is majority-owned by Nestle in partnership with marketing firm Guthy-Renker. It offers a 'three-step' solution to millions of people suffering from acne, offering subscriptions to its products from $30 a month. And Kendall isn't the first star to sign on to promote Proactiv not by a longshot. IN the past, Katy Perry, Adam Levine, Justin Bieber, Jessica Simpson, Olivia Munn, Kaley Cuoco, and Julianne Hough have starred in the skincare brand's commercials. So have Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Naya Rivera, Mandy Moore, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Jenna Fischer. But despite a long roster of star endorsements, a study in 2011 suggested the brand was no more effective than cheaper and lower-profile alternatives. The research by Consumer Reports found that three-quarters of patients who used the product saw a 35 per cent reduction in blemishes within two weeks. Controversy: A commercial for the brand starring Katy Perry was banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority in 2012 after it was branded misleading Alternative products AcneFree and Oxy Maximum performed just as well in the tests despite a much lower price. What's more, in 2014 the FDA named the brand as one of several in the market which could cause 'rare but serious' allergic reactions. The agency said: 'Rare but serious hypersensitivity reactions have been reported with the use of certain over-the-counter (OTC) topical acne products. 'Based on adverse events reported to FDA, it is not possible to determine if these reactions were triggered by the active ingredients benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, the inactive ingredients, or a combination of both.' On its website Proactiv says: 'Side effects are usually mild and may include drying and irritation in some users. 'To test for an adverse reaction to your Proactiv system, apply the products to a small patch of affected skin during the first three days.' There have also been issues with how it is sold outside the US. In 2012, one TV campaign with Perry and Bieber was struck down in the UK after advertising bosses ruled it was misleading. The British regulator said the UK version of the product did not contain the same active ingredient used in the American brand. UK advertising chiefs slapped Proactiv down again in 2017 when an advertisement was banned from children's TV for suggesting children would be bullied. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6570249/Does-Kendall-Jenner-really-use-Proactiv.html |
Where Have All The Safe Havens Gone? | Authored by Benjamin Cohen via Project Syndicate, Even at the height of the 2008 global financial crisis, which originated in the United States, global investors viewed US Treasuries as the safest asset available. But with US President Donald Trump undermining faith in the dollar, portfolio managers find themselves in rough seas with no port of call that can offer shelter from the storm. With equities slumping, exchange-rate volatility increasing, and political risks intensifying, financial markets around the world have hit a rough patch. During times like these, international investors generally grow cautious and prioritize safety over returns, so money flees to safe havens that can provide secure, liquid investment-grade assets on a sufficiently large scale. But there are no obvious safe havens today. For the first time in living memory, investors lack a quiet port where they can find shelter from the storm. Historically, the safe haven par excellence was the United States, in the form of Treasury bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. As one investment strategist put itback in 2012, When people are worried, all road lead to Treasuries. The bursting of the US real-estate bubble in 2007 offers a case in point. No one doubted that the US was the epicenter of the global financial crisis. But rather than flee the US, capital actually flooded into it. In the last three months of 2008, net purchases of US assets reached a half-trillion dollars three times more than that of the preceding nine months combined. To be sure, some of these dollar claims were due to the fact that foreign banks and institutional investors needed greenbacks to cover their funding needs after interbank and other wholesale short-term markets seized up. But that was hardly the only reason why portfolio managers piled into the US. Much of the increased demand was due to sheer fear. At a time when nobody knew how bad things might get, the US was widely seen as the safest bet. But this was before the arrival US President Donald Trump, who has managed to undermine confidence in the dollar to an unprecedented degree. In addition to abandoning any notion of fiscal responsibility, Trump has spent his first two years in office attacking international institutions and picking fights with US allies. To be sure, even before Trump, confidence in the dollar suffered a blow in 2011, when Standard & Poors downgraded Treasury securities by one notch in response to a near-shutdown of the US government. That episode was triggered by a standoff between then-President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans over a routine proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling. Today, however, investors have even more reason to worry about the US governments credit rating. In 2018 alone, the US government was shut down three times, and it remains in a partial shutdown to this day, owing to Trumps demand for funds to build a big, beautiful wall on the border with Mexico. The eurozone might seem like a logical alternative. After the dollar, the euro is the worlds most widely used currency. And, taken together, the capital markets of the eurozones 19 member states are close in size to the US market. But Europe has troubles of its own. Economic growth is slowing, not least in Germany, and the risk of a banking crisis in Italy the eurozones fourth-largest economy looms on the horizon. Worse still is the uncertainty over Brexit, which could prove highly disruptive if the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union without a divorce agreement. Needless to say, Britain, too, can be ruled out as a safe haven, at least until the Brexit fiasco is resolved. Though its attractions are obvious, Switzerlands financial markets are simply too small to serve as an adequate substitute for the US. That leaves Japan. With its abundant supply of government bonds, it is the biggest single market for public debt outside the US. The question for portfolio managers, though, is whether it is really safe to invest in a country where government debt exceeds 230% of GDP. For comparison, the public debt-to-GDP ratio in the US is around 88%; and even in troubled Italy, it is no more than 130%. Admittedly, the market for Japanese government debt is more stable than most, owing to the fact that much of it is held by domestic savers (which is to say, it is safely tucked under the mattress). But Japan is an aging country with an economy that has remained almost stagnant for a quarter-century. Investors would be right to wonder where it will find the resources to continue servicing its massive debt overhang. And then there is China, with the worlds third-largest national market for public debt. Certainly, the supply of assets in China is ample. But the Chinese market is so tightly controlled that it is essentially the opposite of a safe haven. It will be a long time before global investors even consider putting much faith in Chinese securities. With secure ports becoming scarce, investors will become increasingly jittery. They will be inclined to move funds at the slightest sign of danger, which will add substantially to market volatility. Todays rough patch is probably here to stay. | https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-08/where-have-all-safe-havens-gone?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29 |
Has the first BB10 L-Series handset been leaked? | The first, fully touch-screen BlackBerry 10 device may just have been caught in the wild thanks to a cheeky Mexican video. Spotted by the guys over at SlashGear, the video comes courtesy of holatelcel, and features a well suited chap running through some of the key features we witnessed in our recent hands on BlackBerry 10 review. The handset itself, thought to belong to the new "L-Series" range, looks similar to the Dev Alpha B device we got our mitts on earlier this week, however the corners are more rounded, and the bezel above and below the screen may have shrunk a little. It also seems to follow the design of the handset which we saw in a video a few weeks ago, which claimed to be an internal promo video for RIM. Little is known RIM has stayed pretty quiet on details of its BlackBerry 10 devices, telling us that it plans to launch two BB10 handsets in the first quarter of 2013. The first will be a fully touchscreen device, which is expected fall into the "L-Series" category, and the second, sporting the firm's well known QWERTY keyboard, could be the first in a range called the "N-series". We've contacted RIM about this video and we'll update this article once we hear back. Update: As usual, a RIM spokesperson said: "we don't comment on rumour, speculation or potential leaks" From Vimeo via SlashGear | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/has-the-first-bb10-l-series-handset-been-leaked-1104046 |
What Would It Take For Trump To Get Primaried? | Republicans suffered a resounding defeat in the 2018 midterms. President Trump now faces investigations not only from special counsel Robert Mueller, but also from Democratic chairpersons who will be running committees in the House. Yet the presidents reaction to his increased political peril has been to invite more of it. Trump needs the support of congressional Republicans to keep this threat at bay so he can execute his agenda and block any potential impeachment process. But his decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria irritated congressional Republicans. And that policy shift helped lead to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who congressional Republicans really liked. The president needs to get support from voters outside of his base to win re-election, but Trumps proposed border wall is unpopular and the public was not in favor of shutting down the government over the wall. Right now, I dont think Trump has too much to worry about. But there are two scenarios in which a primary challenger against Trump would be more viable than they are now and either or both of them could happen in 2019. The president is very popular among Republican voters. According to Gallup polling, 89 percent of self-identified Republican voters approve of Trump. That support from within the party is similar to the level President George W. Bush enjoyed at this stage in his first term, according to Gallup; its significantly better than Bill Clinton or Barack Obamas standing at this point in their presidencies. How presidents parties viewed them two years in Average presidential job approval rating among members of the presidents party in the last three polls of each presidents first midterm year Year President Average job approval 1978 Jimmy Carter 62.3% 1982 Ronald Reagan 79.7 1990 George H.W. Bush 81.7 1994 Bill Clinton 72.7 2002 George W. Bush 92.3 2010 Barack Obama 81.3 2018 Donald Trump 88.7 Includes only polls that were completed before the end of that calendar year. Because poll timing is not on a consistent schedule, the last three polls of the year covers slightly different time periods for each president. For all presidents other than Trump, polls were conducted in November and December or just in December. Trumps final three polls of the year were conducted between October and December. Source: Gallup None of Trumps three immediate predecessors faced a serious primary challenge. And, so far, there arent any Republicans who are clearly set to challenge Trump, even as a long list of Democrats have either already announced their 2020 candidacies or are likely to do so very soon. There is no significant opposition to Trump in the Republican Party, said Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of two recent books about Republican politics. (I talked to several Republican operatives for this story. None of them wanted to go the record, but off the record, they were fairly dismissive of the idea that Trump would be challenged in a primary.) First, I should note I am setting a fairly low bar here for a serious challenge: Pat Buchanans 1992 bid against George H.W. Bush. Buchanans challenge was nowhere near as strong as the ones launched by candidates like Ronald Reagan in 1976 (against Gerald Ford) or Ted Kennedy in 1980 (against Jimmy Carter), both of whom won nearly 40 percent of the delegates in those years primaries and caucuses. But while Buchanan did not win a single state, he did get 37 percent of the vote in New Hampshire and more than 25 percent in 11 other states, and, more importantly, he showed that there was some wariness about the incumbent president within his own party. So Im defining a serious challenger as someone who could get at least 30 percent of the vote in one of the early primary states. I think there are two clear paths that could produce a Trump primary challenger whos at least as strong as Buchanan. Lets walk down each. Path 1: Events weaken Trumps support The most obvious path that could lead to a strong Trump challenger would be paved by some new development. For example, Trump could take a policy step that deeply offends a core part of the GOP base. If he picked a pro-abortion-rights nominee for the Supreme Court, for instance, he could alienate evangelical Christian conservatives, a huge bloc within the Republican Party and one that currently strongly supports Trump. I dont expect Trump to do this he has largely stuck to conservative orthodoxy in his first two years in office. I do not consider removing troops from Syria or even Afghanistan (as the president is considering doing) to be moves that would cause an impasse between the GOP base and Trump. There is little evidence that GOP voters (as opposed to congressional Republicans) are bothered by those moves. But although he has largely embraced mainstream Republican policies, Trump remains unpredictable, and for that reason I think it is possible, if very unlikely, that Trump could end up taking a step that annoys rank-and-file GOP voters. Muellers investigation into the 2016 election and whether Trump benefited from Russian interference represents another potential event-driven shift. Right now, that investigation is doing Trump little harm. Polls show that while the majority of Democrats and independents view the inquiry as serious and justified, Republicans overwhelmingly say that its a politically motivated attack against the president. But if Mueller uncovers clear evidence that Trump personally supported Russian efforts to interfere in the election, for example, that could change opinion among Republican voters, or at least among powerful Republican elites. Heres perhaps the most important potential event that could inspire a primary challenge: a recession. A key argument of Trump and his allies has been that, whatever you think of the presidents personal behavior, the economy has boomed under his leadership. A recession would undermine that argument, particularly if Republican voters are convinced that Trumps behavior (such as attacking the chairman of the Federal Reserve) or his policies (such as imposing new tariffs) are partly to blame for the economic downturn. None of these events are all that likely, but I wouldnt rule them out. And theres always the possibility that some new scandal breaks or some other unknown unknown weakens Trumps support. Its happened before: For much of 1991, George H.W. Bush had sky-high approval ratings among Republicans. But the recession that started in 1990 and whose effects were still being felt in 1992 likely hurt the president. And Bush had broken with his partys base and broken a campaign promise by signing a tax increase in 1990. Path 2: People work to weaken Trumps support The second potential path that could produce a strong challenge to Trump is if the various blocs in the GOP who are unhappy with the president to come together and embrace an alternative. The first reason this is even a remote possibility is that Trumps staunch support among Republicans isnt all that it seems. Some political scientists have concluded that a bloc of Trump detractors who were once Republicans are now describing themselves as independents. Pew Research Center data suggests that a big bloc of people under 30 in particular have left the Republican Party in the Trump era. If many Republicans who dislike Trump are removing themselves from the sample, that would boost his average among those who remain. So if calling yourself a Republican essentially means that you like Trump, of course Trumps approval rating is very high among Republicans. In addition, we are in an era of rising partisan polarization, where voters, more than ever, tell pollsters they love the president when he or she comes from their party but hate presidents from the other party. Gallup data suggests that Trump is more popular among Republicans than Ronald Reagan was at this stage of his presidency. I wasnt covering politics in 1982, but Im not actually sure Trump is more beloved among Republicans right now than Reagan was then. I wonder if the Trump approval data is just telling us that Republican voters are more loyal to their party now and that they would be just as loyal to another Republican if he or she became the partys nominee. Third, Trump has some clear weak spots within the GOP coalition. Polls show Trump has less support among Republicans under 45, those who consider themselves liberal or moderate, women, those who live in suburban or urban areas, those who identify as independents but lean Republican, and those who are not evangelical. Yes, those groups have considerable overlap. But the Republican Party is not as dominated by old white male evangelicals as the popular narrative suggests. According to Pew, only about one-third of people who identify with the Republican Party are white evangelical Christians. About 40 percent of Republicans and people who lean Republican are under age 50. These various pockets of Trump skepticism in the GOP could add up to a sizable bloc. And remember that in 2016, the non-Trump GOP vote, which included many people who belong to these same demographic groups, was split among a number of candidates. I doubt there will be more than one or two serious GOP alternatives to Trump in 2020, so if we saw a lone Republican contender, that person would likely be able to draw all or most of the anti-Trump vote to themselves, rather than splitting that potential coalition with other candidates. Trumps base is largely confined to those who identify as strong Republicans, and that means his base is weaker than it seems, said Peter Enns, executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University. A recent poll seems to confirm Ennss perspective. PRRI asked a sample of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who they wanted to be the GOP nominee in 2020. Sixty-six percent said Trump, while 33 percent said another person. The fact that a third of the people who lean or identity as Republicans want someone other than Trump on the ballot in 2020 is significant, as it amounts to a considerable chunk of the party. And that 66 percent number is considerably lower than the percentage of self-identified Republicans who approve of the job Trump is doing, according to Gallup polls, which suggests that Trumps support is concentrated among the most staunchly Republican voters. Olsen was more skeptical, There are places [in the GOP electorate] where he is weaker or stronger, but that is strong versus very strong, he said. Either way, Trump is still popular enough among Republicans that someone will have to beat him to get the nomination he cant be expected to just step aside. An alternative candidate would need to attract support from more than just the people who hate the president. But it could happen. Remember that Hillary Clinton was viewed favorably by about 90 percent of Democrats in June 2014, according to Gallup. She looked unbeatable. Then a viable alternative emerged (Bernie Sanders) and Clinton found herself in a competitive primary. The candidate probably needs to appeal to the groups I listed above where Trumps support is weaker. So generally, even though Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has taken some steps toward a presidential run, I dont think current circumstances favor someone like Cotton, who mirrors Trumps conservative stance on immigration issues. Instead, I would look for someone broadly to Trumps left. Some names given to me by Republican strategists who would not go on the record include former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, departing Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Will Hurd of Texas. If youre reading that list and thinking that none of those people sound like particularly strong challengers to Trump, I agree with you. Barring some exciting alternative from out of nowhere, I think the real danger Trump faces in 2019 and 2020 is some kind of major event weakening his grip on the GOP combined with a strong challenger emerging. At least right now, none of that seems particularly likely. And thats good news for Trump. Maybe the primary challenge was an effect, not a cause, but Ford, Carter and George H.W. Bush all lost in the general election after fending off intra-party rivals. Clinton, Obama and George W. Bush all avoided primary challenges and won second terms. If no Republican runs against Trump over the next year, we should interpret that as a positive sign for Trumps re-election chances it probably means the party thinks he can win the general election in 2020, and also that it isnt too annoyed with him. And if Trump avoids facing a challenger, that could also keep the GOP unified and make it easier for him to win. | https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-would-it-take-for-trump-to-get-primaried/ |
Does Race Affect How Alzheimer's Is Diagnosed? | MONDAY, Jan. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease may be twice as common in black Americans as in whites, and scientists don't really know why. But new research uncovers a clue that suggests that diagnosing the brain-robbing disease may not be the same for these two populations. The study found that black people typically have lower levels of the brain protein tau. And because rising levels of tau are considered a sign of Alzheimer's, blacks may not meet the same threshold as whites for when Alzheimer's starts. "If we only study Alzheimer's in Caucasians, we'll only learn about Alzheimer's in Caucasians," said researcher Dr. John Morris. He is a professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "If we want to understand all the ways the disease can develop in people, we need to include people from all groups. Without a complete understanding of the illness, we're not going to be able to develop therapies that work for all people," Morris said. For the study, Morris and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 1,200 people, of whom 14 percent (173) were black. The participants averaged 71 years of age. Two-thirds of the participants had no signs of memory loss or confusion, and the remaining one-third had very mild or mild Alzheimer's, according to the report. All of the study participants underwent a PET scan to detect amyloid plaques in the brain, an MRI scan for signs of brain shrinkage and damage, or a spinal tap to measure levels of proteins in spinal fluid linked to Alzheimer's. MRI and PET scans found no significant differences between black patients and white patients, but spinal fluid revealed lower levels of tau among black people, the researchers said. Elevated tau has been linked to brain damage, memory loss and confusion, but having lower levels of tau didn't protect black patients from those problems, the investigators found. "With tau, the pattern was the same in African-Americans and whites -- the higher your tau level, the more likely you were cognitively impaired -- but the absolute amounts were consistently lower in African-Americans," Morris said. | https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20190107/does-race-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed?src=RSS_PUBLIC |
Is Bonnaroo's 2019 lineup its most popular in years? | CLOSE Bonnaroo will be in Manchester, TN on Thursday, June 13 through Sunday, June 16 Michael Schwab, Nashville Tennessean Phish will headline the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for the third time in 2019. (Photo: Amy Harris / Invision / AP) As usual, Bonnaroo has secured some very big acts for 2019, including Phish, Childish Gambino, Post Malone and Cardi B. The 80,000 music fans who'd be willing to shell out $319 for a weekend pass. And, for the most part, it's sounding like Bonnaroo has locked them in, too. Sure, you won't have to look hard on social media to find users proclaiming the festival's death, but on Tuesday, the prevailing sentiment seemed to be much more positive than what greeted last year's fest headlined by Eminem, The Killers and Muse. There are more than a few comments calling it Bonnaroo's strongest lineup in years, or at least a return to fun, eclectic form. A few things jump to mind. Pumping up the jam With the return of Phish, Bonnaroo couldn't make a louder throwback to its roots as a "jam band" haven. In the first decade of Bonnaroo, you could count on at least one act from that world grabbing a headline slot. The 2010s were a different story. Aside from Dead & Company's 2016 appearance, Bonnaroo hasn't had a "jam band" headliner in seven years. This will be Phish's third time headlining Bonnaroo, after appearances in 2009 and 2012. Frontman Trey Anastasio also topped the bill of the first Bonnaroo, which was modeled after Phish's own epic outdoor events. Taking it day by day Since the very first year, Bonnaroo has always unveiled its lineup as one giant, sprawling list, with the headliners up top and the rest of the 100-plus acts in order of supposed importance. That changes for the first time in 2019. For now, the Bonnaroo lineup can be seen only as a day-by-day breakdown. On one hand, the fest is simply falling into line with the format used by Coachella, Lollapalooza and many other mega-fests. But it really helps sell the weekend as a whole, showcasing the cool and eclectic stuff being offered by second- and third-tier acts each day. Playing by their own rules The presence of Phish a band we can't fathom getting top billing at Coachella or Lollapalooza at this point is your first hint that this year's Bonnaroo lineup isn't paint-by-numbers. But the real proof is in the undercard, with a number of exciting and/or outside-the-demographic inclusions. There's a curatorial touch to bringing in, say, Andy Samberg's musical comedy trio The Lonely Island for its second large-scale concert ever. The festival also is bringing back old favorites, whether it's legendary singer-songwriter John Prine or mashup master Girl Talk. The fest still has never had a female headliner, but three of its four nights will be commanded by the likes of Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile and Maren Morris. And the fest is continuing its weird and wonderful partnership with the Grand Ole Opry, which will rub shoulders with indie rock, EDM and hip-hop on opening day. Simply put, Bonnaroo is still refusing to cater to a single crowd and in the process, cultivates an audience that's up for anything. If you go The 2019 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival takes place June 13-16 at Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, exclusively at www.bonnaroo.com/tickets. Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/01/08/bonnaroo-2019-lineup-phish-post-malone-cardi-b/2513402002/ | https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/01/08/bonnaroo-2019-lineup-phish-post-malone-cardi-b/2513402002/ |
What Is So Hard About Border Security? | 2 years ago I participated in the courthouse counter rally to show my support for President Trumps plans to increase our National Security through the border wall and stronger vetting of people coming to the US from certain countries . Here we are at a Government shutdown because the Democrats refuse to have anything to do with it. Border Security is common sense and shouldnt even be a discussion. We cannot have people just crossing into our Country illegally. Think about that the first thing they do when they enter our Country is break the law. I mean what does it take to make you open your eyes. This Country provides free food, money and shelter to people in need and when our system is being overrun by illegal immigrants we cant even take care of our own. Democrats think people are stupid. The reason they want to keep allowing undocumented individuals is because they are a large voting base for them. Provide them with all they need and they become loyal voters. Work hard and get rewarded is not a Democrat mantra. President Trump should declare it an emergency tonight and start building. He will have my support Advertisements | https://lowereasternshorenews.com/2019/01/08/what-is-so-hard-about-border-security/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LowerEasternShoreNews+%28Lower+Eastern+Shore+News%29 |
What next for Gabon following failed coup? | Calm has returned to Libreville and the internet has been restored, a day after an attempt to overthrow Gabons government and President Ali Bongo. The ailing leader remains out of the country, recovering from an apparent stroke, and the opposition has seized upon the foiled coup to express frustration over the 2016 elections and Bongos health. Gabon is not accustomed to military coups, said Laurence Ndong, spokesperson for opposition leader Jean Ping, saying that the country was used to having elections stolen through state manipulation of elections. Those in power today are covered in the blood and misery of the Gabonese people, who each time express their desire for a change because weve had 50 years with the same family in power, Ndong told RFI. Claye Martial Obame Aku, spokesman for the Coalition for the New Republic, Pings party, said he was not aware of any link between the coup plotters and Ping. He said the opposition was a supporter of anything that can help lead Gabon towards change, without explicitly throwing support behind a military coup. The people voted for Jean Ping in 2016 and this sovereignty should be respected, he added. Ping supporters did attempt to march in the economic capital Port Gentil on Monday, but they were quickly dispersed by police for not having requested any authorisation for a protest. Investigations will be carried out right to the end, Flavien Enongou, Gabons ambassador to France, told RFI. They have to determine the ramifications within the army, but also in the political world, he added. The group of soldiers who stormed the state broadcaster said they wanted to save Gabon. The declaration by Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang criticised institutions he said were illegitimate and illegal. The coup plotters said they wanted to put in place a national council for some kind of transition. Two of the coup plotters, a gendarme and member of the republican guard, were killed, according to government spokesman Guy-Andr Mapangou. The others, including Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, were arrested. President Bongo is yet to make an appearance since Mondays coup attempt. He remains in Morocco convalescing following an apparent stroke he suffered in Saudi Arabia. His last appearance was for the presidents annual New Years message on 31 December when he said he was better. Increased uncertainty Analysts say Bongos long absence from Gabon has intensified political uncertainty in the country, while the security forces still remain under Bongos control. The fact that the leadership of the security forces is in the hands of the Bongo family very much reduced the chances of the plot succeeding, said Maja Bovcon, senior Africa analyst for Maplecroft, a UK-based risk consultancy firm. A failed military coup is indicative of broad socio-economic and political frustration with Gabons leadership, which has been weakened by the suspected incapacitation of its strongman president, said Robert Besseling, founder of EXX Africa, a company working on political and economic risk. Bovcon said that Bongos continued absence is likely to spark new waves of civil unrest over the coming months. She added that Western powers could step up pressure on the Gabonese government if Bongo does not return to the country in the next few weeks. Besseling agreed that the opposition could try to capitalise on the governments perceived weakness by bringing their supporters back on to the streets. He said that the prospect of military unrest including mutinies and further coup attempts remains likely, but the possible success of any coup is limited by Bongos proximity to senior military leadership. Widespread condemnation There was quick condemnation of the coup attempt from a number of international actors criticising illegal transfers of power. The African Union strongly condemns the coup attempt, said AU chief Moussa Faki Mahamat in a tweet. I reaffirm the AUs total rejection of all unconstitutional changes of power. Burundis President Pierre Nkurunziza noted that he survived a coup attempt and congratulated the security forces who quickly restored order. I support my brother President Ali Bongo and the Gabonese people during this ordeal, Nkurunziza tweeted, criticising any anti-democratic approach. Chadian President Idriss Deby strongly condemned the coup attempt, pointing out that all unconstitutional changes or taking power by arms constitutes an aberration and violation of the founding principles of the African Union. The French government said it condemned all extra-constitutional attempts to change power, according to a statement. The stability of Gabon cannot be assured except for strict respect for the constitution. The [UN] Secretary General has always stood against unconstitutional changes of power, especially by force, said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Antonio Guterres, adding that UN envoy to Central Africa Franois Louncny Fall was monitoring the events closely. | http://en.rfi.fr/africa/20190108-gabon-failed-coup-ali-bongo-ping-opposition |
What is the fight over Trump's US-Mexican border wall about? | President Donald Trump has partially shut down the US government and is threatening to declare a national emergency as he pressures Congress for money to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to stem a surge in illegal immigrants. Trump, who is to make a national address on Tuesday night on the "crisis", says the country is being flooded with drugs and violent gangs. Trump's opponents say he is exaggerating the issue and that a massive wall is inefficient and not worth closing the government for. Illegal immigration from impoverished Central America - mainly Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala - has surged even as that from neighboring Mexico has slowed. Many migrants arrive as families or unaccompanied children, hoping to gain a foothold in the country. When caught, most are processed by the authorities and then released pending a court date. US authorities say they are mostly never seen again as they meld into US society. In the 2016 election, Trump promised voters to stop illegal immigration by building a wall along the 3 200 kilometre US-Mexico frontier. After a slowdown in 2017, migrant numbers surged last year, reaching their highest levels since 2014 in October and November, with 2 000 a day being caught sneaking into the country. Most of them request asylum based on the poverty and pervasive violence they face in their home countries. Their numbers have overwhelmed the ability of the Customs and Border Protection to house and process them, and many are just released. Meanwhile, some 15 000 unaccompanied children are held in resettlement camps while officials seek homes to place them in. Trump has said repeatedly that without a wall, drug smugglers and violent gangs like MS-13 easily cross into the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says a wall would help prevent potential terrorists from entering the country. She says the Border Patrol has intercepted some 3 000 suspicious migrants on the southern border. "I am sure all Americans would agree that one terrorist reaching our borders is one too many," she said on Monday. But narcotics experts say most drugs are shipped through official ports and the wall won't make much difference. And Nielsen would not say if any proven terrorists had been arrested at the southern border or had crossed it to successfully enter the country. Trump wants to make good on his promise to build a wall. Several hundred million dollars has already been spent to replace old fences and walls in some heavily-travelled areas, like the westernmost part of the border between Tijuana and San Diego. In addition, surveillance by patrols, cameras and drones has increased. Together they have helped reduce illegal crossings in the area. In a letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House demanded $5.7bn for 377 km of new wall and fence, more than double the $2.5bn Congressional leaders have offered in compromise. "A physical barrier - wall - creates an enduring capability that helps field personnel stop, slow down, and/or contain illegal entries," said the letter. The White House also asked for hundreds of millions of dollars for more immigration judges, border and interior enforcement agents, shelter for detained migrants, and drug enforcement. Both Democrats and Republicans have regarded Trump's wall project as excessive, expensive and inefficient in dealing with the problem. They dismiss claims that a border without a wall is a major security threat. "On terrorism and other threats, I've received more briefings from FBI, CIA, and DHS than I could count," said Adam Schiff, the chairperson of the House Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday. "How many times have any of them said we need a wall across the southern border?" Democrats also say that any broader discussion on the illegal immigration problem should take place only after the government is reopened. They want a comprehensive deal that would include a plan to create a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, including the so-called DACA/Dreamer programme for people who arrived in the country as children. KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter. - FOLLOW News24 on Twitter | https://www.news24.com/World/News/what-is-the-fight-over-trumps-us-mexican-border-wall-about-20190108 |
What is Entrepreneur 360? | If yes, apply to the Entrepreneur 360 list and be part of this revolutionary game! Entrepreneur Asia Pacific magazine looks out for those entrepreneurs whose compelling journeys would inspire every person to start up. With Singapore being one of the most successful countries when it comes to business and entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific takes a look at what is sparking the growth in the region with its 360 list. Know more about E360 First published in 1977 in the US, Entrepreneur Magazine has been releasing the annual Entrepreneur 360 list since 2015 to help private companies get recognized in lists of significance to the market. This is the first ever time that Entrepreneur Magazine is rolling the 360 list in Singapore and India. The criteria are quite simple. The participating companies have to be privately owned with at least one of the original founders involved in current day-to-day business operations. The companies will be evaluated on the basis of five key metrics, which include, impact, innovation, growth, leadership and business valuation. Join the 360 Game Now After a terrific success in the US, Entrepreneur 360 now comes to Singapore and India for its roller-coaster ride. Entrepreneur Asia Pacific is looking for the best privately-owned businesses in the region and their leaders. Based on the five metrics, the 360-degree analysis will choose those businesses that are not just successful in terms of revenue numbers, but are also well rounded. Entrepreneur 360 will uncover the top leaders among todays entrepreneurs. The business cannot be a franchisee or franchisor (the Franchise 500 is a separate study designed to measure successful franchise businesses). This is an opportunity for you to get your business the recognition that will propel its growth across the world and make you a star leader. Remember, only those who have the right vision, determination and passion to steer a change in the world through their work can become an Entrepreneur 360 company. All those interested in participating in the Entrepreneur 360 List, can click here. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2019. | https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325962 |
Is Richard Linterns Dr Thomas Chamberlain leaving Silent Witness? | Advertisement At the start of the two-parter, Thomas was stunned to be offered a job as head of faculty at UCL. Although he said he wasnt interested, the offer is still on the table and it sounds like hes starting to seriously consider taking it. In fact, this could be the perfect way to side-step DCI Cramers false allegations before the whole thing escalates and the Lyell comes under threat. Thomas is an interesting place because his authority is challenged by an investigating officer who makes a few assumptions hes operating above his pay grade at one point, Lintern explains. The police officer actually makes a mistake and seeks to absolve himself of blame by passing the responsibility for the mistake on to Thomas The accusation is taken extremely seriously and Thomas has to fight hard to protect his reputation, both as a forensic pathologist and as leader of the Lyell. The investigation has important ramifications for the Lyell centre as a whole, because its reputation along with Thomas is on the line. Thomas is already a guest lecturer at UCL. But now Susie Merrick (Kerry Fox) at the university wants him for the top job, and its starting to look extremely appealing. Theres a perfect storm of events that occur at a vulnerable time for Thomas professionally and exactly that moment he is offered the chance to say goodbye to all the stresses and the strains of his position at the Lyell, Lintern says. Well find out in part two Advertisement The second part of the story will air on Wednesday 9th January at 9pm on BBC1 | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-08/is-richard-linterns-dr-thomas-chamberlain-leaving-silent-witness/ |
Has Deregulation Allowed Texas to Be More Sustainable? | By Alice Williams Ever since 2002, most areas in the Lone Star State have had deregulated energy markets, meaning that electricity isnt regulated by municipalities. Unlike residents of most states, consumers in Texas have the power to choose which retail electric provider (REP) they wanted to supply their electricity. Prior to 2002, cities were responsible for regulating electric utility services, and rates were tied to the cost of fuel, allowing utilities to monopolize the market. Energy deregulation changed that trend, creating a financially competitive energy market in a state that consumes more energy per capita than most. Deregulation affected more than just rates, thoughit has also spurred impressive developments in the field of renewables. The Effects of Deregulation The Texas energy market has a lot of benefits for consumers, but perhaps the biggest is that it gives them a choice. Between 2002 and 2009, its estimated that 86% of customers made a switch between companies or at least switched plans within their existing company. Instead of being forced to use one certain provider or one certain plan, consumers in Texas have dozens of price plans to choose from. That wealth of options has forced electricity companies to work harder to win customers. They have to keep prices competitive and sincerely listen to consumer feedbackif they dont, there are plenty of other REPs ready and willing to step in. Deregulation and the Development of Renewable Resources Deregulating the energy market has also been a huge factor in motivating energy companies to develop newer and more affordable forms of energy. In many cases, the big reason behind this exploration is for the economic benefits, but the result is positive for the environment as well. In fact, while the Lone Star State leads the country in the emission of greenhouse gases, it also leads the United States in wind power production. Texas produces more electricity from wind power than from its two nuclear power plants, and the state has the capacity to create more than 21,000 megawatts of power from wind turbines. And plenty of consumers are eager to take advantage of that impressive capacity. In 2015, the city of Georgetown, Texas, became the first city in the state to move toward 100% renewable energybecause renewables were that much cheaper. Georgetown signed a 20-year deal with EDF for wind power in 2014, and SunEdison plants in western Texas will provide solar power to the city until 2041. While many associate western Texas with oil, its wide expanses of sunny and gusty land make it the perfect place for wind and solar power too, so theres a good chance other cities may follow Georgetowns lead in the future. The movement toward sustainable energy isnt all smooth sailing, though. The competitive energy costs and renewables boom have pushed some of the states major coal energy providers to close down, and that loss from the traditional energy grid has been so extreme that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), a nonprofit that manages Texass power grid, is concerned about the grid not having enough power to support demands. So while progress away from emission-heavy fuels like coal is great for the environment, it could cause some logistical issues for state residents until renewables can sufficiently make up for the loss. Theres also a lack of state-wide renewable energy incentives, like net meteringthough some companies are so committed to sustainable development that theyve made their own incentives. Technical difficulties aside, most signs point towards deregulation continuing to be successful in Texas. The benefitsboth financial and environmentalhave thus far been worth the bumps in the road. Alice Williams is a communications professional with an MA in Communication Studies. In her spare time, she freelances and blogs about health and wellness over at www.honestlyfitness.com. | https://www.triplepundit.com/2018/03/deregulation-allowed-texas-sustainable/ |
Is CES Afraid Of Sex or Women or Both? | Photo: Lora DiCarlo CES, the annual conference showcasing the cutting-edge in consumer tech, has a reputation for not only being dominated by men, but largely catering to them. That bias was spectacularly on display this week after an impressive-sounding sex toy had its award revoked for being immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTAs image. The sex toy in question comes from the mostly women-led sex tech company Lora DiCarlo. The product, called the Os, is a hands-free, adaptable device that uses advanced micro-robotics to create all of the sensations of a human mouth, tongue, and fingers. Lora DiCarlo submitted the sex toy to the CES Innovation Awardsand was selected as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Robotics and Drone category. But then administrators from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organization that puts on CES, rescinded the companys award. Advertisement The industry group initially said the deviceafter having been vetted and judged by an independent panelwas somehow immoral or otherwise unacceptable. Then the group backtracked, as CTA president Gary Shapiro and executive VP Karen Chupka sent Lora DiCarlo a letter declaring that Os just wasnt eligible for the Robotics and Drone category. Our product that was designed in partnership with a top university robotics engineering laboratory (Oregon State University has ranked the #4 ranked Robotics Lab in the US), inspiring the genesis of OSU Professor John Parmigianis Prototype Development Lab, the team wrote in a blog post detailing the incident. Os is the subject of eight pending patents and counting for robotics, biomimicry, and engineering feats. We have a team of absolute genius woman and LGBTQI engineers (and a few wonderful men) working on every aspect of this product including a Doctor of Mechanical Engineering with expertise in Robotics and AI and a Mechanical Design Engineer who specializes in Material Science with a background in Chemistry. Os clearly fits the Robotics and Drone category - and CTAs own expert judges agree. The CTAs statements perpetrate misguided notions around sex and gender. They are, to be frank, extremely prudish. For starters, a device aimed at improving the sexual experience of a woman is hardly obscene. Whats more, as the Lora DiCarlo team meticulously detailed above, the device is deeply rooted in the field of robotics. To insinuate that it is not simply because it gets someone off is remarkably lameand furthers the stigma around sex positivity. Its hard not to view the belated this doesnt fit the product category excuse as anything beyond puritan ass-covering. Advertisement And perhaps, if the CTA really does believe that such a device doesnt fit into one of its categories worthy of being honored for innovation, then rather than eliminate Os, they should create a new category that is more inclusive. CES has a history rife with sexism and gender biasthere were those very sad robot strippers, naked women selling phones on the conference floor, consecutive years without any female keynote speakers, booth babes (and the women executives mistaken for them), and no code of conduct, to name a fewand at last years conference, only about a fifth of the attendees were women. Revoking an award created by and for women does not inspire faith that the organization wants women to feel welcomed and celebrated for their achievements. And the ripple effects are troubling. At its core these biases smother innovation by blocking access to funding, exposure, and consumers that could take brands and products to the next level, the Lora DiCarlo team wrote. You never know how technology can be used, the future of healthcare might well be in the patent for a sex toy. But if CES and CTA are so intent on keeping women and sex tech out, well never find out. [Motherboard] | https://gizmodo.com/is-ces-afraid-of-sex-or-women-or-both-1831587518 |
Can the US and Turkey find common ground over Syrian Kurds? | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he won't 'compromise' over Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria. Many were caught off-guard last month when US President Donald Trump announced he would pull American troops out of Syria immediately. But since then, his administration has sent conflicting messages about how and when that withdrawal will take place. Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton has been in Turkey to seek protection for US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria. Turkey sees them as "terrorists", and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned he won't compromise on the Kurdish issue. Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault Guests: Marwan Kabalan - director of policy analysis at the Arab Centre for Research & Policy Studies Nicholas Danforth - fellow for the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Program Osman Sert - research director at the Ankara Institute and a former adviser to former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Source: Al Jazeera News | https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/01/turkey-find-common-ground-syrian-kurds-190108203410642.html |
Will there be a voting location at ISU? | Below is the closed-captioning text associated with this video. Since this uses automated speech to text spelling and grammar may not be accurate. "the 20-18 general election".. is barely in our rear view mirror.. and we're already looking ahead "to the 20-19 primary". "the vigo county election board" met this morning. they discussed "potentional voting locations" for the upcoming "municipal election". news 10's.. "jada huddlestun".. was also at that meeting. she joins us now.. "live".. from the campus of indiana state university.. where "1"-big change has been made. "jada"... //////// that's right susie. election officials met this morning to discuss the best use of voting centers for the upcoming may primary. you may recall in november.. i-s-u was the newest polling site in the county. nearly "5"-hundred voters used this very campus to cast their ballots. but.. don't expect to cast your ballot on campus in may. the official voting center locations haven't been decided just yet.. but i-s-u has been eliminated. at least for now. vigo county clerk "brad newman" says there were a few issues that came up in the general election thay are being being worked out. ///// /////// "due to some of the constraints that were put on at i-s-u we're not using i-s-u. the construction.. the parking..some other things that came about during our experience with i-s-u. we haven't ruled it out in the future but as far as the municipal election.. we're not going to do that." ///////// newman says there will be "3"-other voting centers near i-s-u that voters can use. coming up at the top of the hour.. i'll have more on those other voting locations. plus.. how you can help the election board. reporting live at indiana state university. jada huddlestun.. news 10. ///////// | https://www.wthitv.com/content/video/504068682.html?ref=682 |
Will new cameras coming to Broward County public schools raise privacy issues? | BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - Broward County Public Schools leaders are considering installing new, cutting-edge cameras to beef up security on campuses. "Safety and security has been and continues to be something we have a laser-like focus on," Superintendent Robert Runcie said. The Broward County School District is planning on installing about 116 cameras for 33 schools in the district thanks to a nearly $500,000 grant. "It is to add additional cameras that have some unique capabilities to the existing system we already have," Runcie said. Runcie said the high-tech cameras will monitor the perimeter of schools and recognize the movements and characteristics of people and cars that are not supposed to be there. "Were someone to trespass and jump over a fence, it would automatically issue an alert to a console viewer and we would then certainly take appropriate action and investigate the circumstances," Runcie said. The schools that will get the new cameras are those that have high security needs. When asked if Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were shot and killed last year, will be a part of the added security measure, Runcie said extra measures have already been taken at the Parkland school. "We've already outfitted MSD with over 100 additional cameras since Feb. 14th," Runcie said. "We've upgraded the intercom systems. There's a lot of work we've done outside of the district." The company providing the cameras is called Avigilon. Fulton County Public Schools in Georgia already uses the cameras and praises the technology. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. | https://www.local10.com/news/florida/broward/will-new-cameras-coming-to-broward-county-public-schools-raise-privacy-issues |
Where was Joe Flacco in the Ravens' playoff loss to the Chargers? | originally appeared on nbcsportswashington.com It will be a question that will linger well into the offseason for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17 on Sunday, bringing an end to their season. And while Jackson's final stat line of 194 yards and two touchdowns and 54 yards rushing can be considered respectable for a rookie making his first playoff start after having been inserted in the starting lineup midway through the season, his first half performance (1 INT, 2 fumbles) put the team in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Even with Jackson leading a late-game comeback effort, the Ravens' offense appeared out of sync from the opening snap. As Flacco sat on the sidelines, those in favor of making that move would point to his 10-5 record as a starting quarterback in the playoffs, his Super Bowl MVP and his overall experience on the big stage where the game speeds up and the stakes are higher. And in the playoffs, in a win-or-go-home scenario, it's bigger that both Jackson and Flacco, it's about doing what's best for the team to advance and live to play another weekend. But the Ravens would not have been in the position they were on Sunday had it not been for Jackson. He, along with a stifling defense, led the team unlikely division title, something that seemed far-fetched when he took over as the starter. Those in favor of Harbaugh's decision to stick with Jackson would point to the thinking that you stick with what got you to this point. Story continues There will be second-guessing, but whether not Flacco could've made the difference against a Chargers team looking for revenge for a Week 16 loss will never be known. Once Harbaugh committed to Jackson during the season, there no turning back, not even in the playoffs. And with Jackson the presumptive future face of the team, Harbaugh made the call to win or lose with Jackson, which was the right one. Now that Jackson has gotten his first taste of postseason football, there will undoubtedly be motivation for him to come back better next season to avenge today's performance. MORE RAVENS NEWS: | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-joe-flacco-ravens-playoff-231818147.html?src=rss |
What channel is the Super Bowl on? | Super Bowl LIII will be played on Feb. 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be televised by CBS and streamed online thorugh the network's website. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will call the action from the broadcast booth for CBS. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Here is a list of CBS affiliates in major metropolitan areas: Atlanta: WGCL-TV, Channel 46 Los Angeles: KCBS-TV, Channel 2 San Francisco Bay Area: KPIX, Channel 5 Washington, D.C.: WUSA, Channel 9 Denver: KCNC-TV, Channel 4 Miami: WFOR-TV, Channel 4 Chicago: WBBM-TV, Channel 2 Baltimore: WJZ-TV, Channel 13 Boston: WBZ-TV, Channel 4 Detroit: WWJ-TV, Channel 62 New York City: WCBS-TV, Channel 2 Philadelphia: KTW-TV, Channel 3 Pittsburgh: KDKA-TV, Channel 2 Dallas: KTVT, Channel 11 Milwaukee: WDJT-TV, Channel 58 Minneapolis: WCCO-TV, Channel 4 Maroon 5 and Travis Scott will be the featured performers during the big game's halftime show. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/08/super-bowl-tv-channel-broadcast-information-network-watch |
Who could replace Michael Harrison as New Orleans police chief? | New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison talks about the newly created unit dedicated to fighting gun violence and getting shooters off the streets. He made the announcement at police headquarters on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Chris Granger, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) With the news Tuesday (Jan. 8) that New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison will retire to become Baltimores next top cop, the attention turns to Mayor LaToya Cantrells selection to lead the NOPD. The mayor could look to the current leadership under Harrison, which some observers say is ripe with talented candidates familiar with the citys policing challenges. Or she could open the field to a national search. Whether its promoting from within or looking around the country, everyone should be able to apply, Councilman Jared Brossett said in a phone interview. I think thats the best way to build as many qualified candidates with extensive experience as possible. The mayors office has not publicly discussed the selection process. But here are a few names that could end up on a short list: | https://www.nola.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/01/bf108dcd7c2866/who-could-replace-michael-harr.html |
Is New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison up to the task in Baltimore? | On Tuesday morning, a cousin in Baltimore tweeted the link to a Baltimore Sun report that Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh had chosen New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison as that citys new police commissioner. It wasnt just the news of Harrisons departure that grabbed my attention; it was also my relatives additional commentary: Can a mayor be impeached? When I asked her to explain her comment, she said Harrison will be the 5th police commissioner in 4 years. All this as police corruption remains at an all-time high. (Pugh) keeps selecting candidates for this role without properly vetting them or taking community feedback into consideration (despite sloppily soliciting it). And this N.O. candidate didnt even apply for the position. Indeed, after Pugh fired police Commissioner Kevin Davis in January 2018, she has struggled to fill the position. Harrison, according to The Sun, was Pughs third choice to replace Davis. Her first pick was confirmed by the Baltimore City Council, served a few months and then resigned after federal prosecutors hit him with three counts of failing to file federal taxes. The interim commissioner initially expressed interest in becoming permanent, but then said he didnt want to be considered. In November, after what The Sun calls a secretive search, Pugh said shed picked Fort Worths police chief for commissioner. The Sun discovered that Fitzgerald overstated and misrepresented some accomplishments on his resume, but when Fitzgerald withdrew his name from consideration Monday, he cited a medical emergency that left his 13-year-old needing two brain surgeries. After all that, Pugh announced that shed picked Harrison a month after Harrison said in a statement that he had asked not to be considered for the position because of my commitment to achieving our goals at NOPD. Even before I knew that Baltimores mayor has made a mess of her search for a commissioner, I wondered why Harrison, a 27-year veteran of the police force in his hometown, would choose to uproot himself, move to a new city and lead a police force that has historically has been every bit as bad if not worse as NOPD. New Orleans Police Chief Michael Harrison leaving to head Baltimore police If Harrison loved Baltimore or had roots there, his move would make more sense. If he had come up through the ranks of that police department, he could probably count on the kind of support and buy-in hes gotten after coming up through the ranks in New Orleans. Hes been a good police superintendent as New Orleans has looked to meet the demands of a federal court consent decree, but given that the circumstances in Baltimore are so different, thats not enough reason to predict that hell do well there. If you ask New Orleanians to name the best police superintendent weve had over the last few decades, most of them will probably say Richard Pennington, who served in that top role from 1994 to 2002. In 1996 around Christmastime, Pennington entered Galatoires restaurant and was given a standing ovation by everybody present. But Pennington wasnt as beloved in Atlanta even though he had some successes. I knew Atlantans who would become apoplectic at the mention of his name especially after three plainclothes Atlanta police officers forced their way into 92-year-old Kathryn Johnstons home, killed her after she fired at the apparent intruders, planted marijuana in her house and then claimed to have bought drugs there. And the Atlanta Police Department is not even notorious for its criminally aggressive police. In September 2014, The Sun published a series called Undue Force, which began: Over the past four years, more than 100 people have won court judgments or settlements related to allegations of brutality and civil rights violations. Victims include a 15-year-old boy riding a dirt bike, a 26-year-old pregnant accountant who had witnessed a beating, a 50-year-old woman selling church raffle tickets, a 65-year-old church deacon rolling a cigarette and an 87-year-old grandmother aiding her wounded grandson. . Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones -- jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles -- head trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable arrests. Some residents were beaten while handcuffed; others were thrown to the pavement. Such beatings can poison relationships between police and the community, limiting cooperation in the fight against crime, the mayor and police officials say. In 2015, After police took handcuffed suspect Freddie Gray on a rough ride that severed his spine, the cousin mentioned above wrote a dispatch for The Nation from his funeral. An attorney for Grays family asked for prayer for then-Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, saying, She knows what the police do. She knows. Theres not a single person in this church who dont know what they do. Harrison knows what they do, too. Which makes it surprising that at this point in his career, this is the job hes choosing. I can understand him wanting a challenge. But its harder to understand him wanting this one. | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/01/is-new-orleans-police-superintendent-michael-harrison-up-to-the-task-in-baltimore.html |
Why are so many people dying in Canadian clothing donation bins? | Her screams alerted help, but it came too late to save the 35-year-old Toronto woman trapped in the chute of a clothing donation box early Tuesday morning. The woman, identified only as Crystal, was dead by the time firefighters were able to cut her from the League For Human Rights drop box. The death marks the second time in only eight days that a Canadian has died while apparently trying to remove items from a clothing-donation bin. Its the third such Canadian death since November, and at least the seventh since 2015. With critics referring to the bins as death traps, charities and municipalities are taking drastic action to prevent more fatalities. Diabetes Canada announced last week it is retrofitting all its clothing-donation bins to prevent death or injury in cases of misuse. Inclusion B.C. is removing all 146 of its B.C. bins, despite the expected revenue and job losses. The City of West Vancouver has ordered all its donation bins locked, while Burnaby, B.C., is asking for all bins to be removed from within its city limits. The rash of clothing bin deaths seems to be uniquely Canadian. A search of news headlines from the past few years found only a handful of instances of bin deaths in Europe and the United States, despite their much larger populations. An overnight rescue in #SurreyBC @Local1271 firefighters helped a woman stuck in a clothing donation bin. pic.twitter.com/IhIN7dlgpN CTV Vancouver (@CTVVancouver) August 4, 2016 The problem also seems to be a relatively recent phenomenon. As recently as 2014, a person getting stuck inside a donation bin was so rare and seemed so benign that it was cause for jokes. I think they should have left him in there, personally, one East Vancouverite told a CTV news crew after a man in his 20s became trapped inside the main compartment of a bin for the Developmental Disabilities Association. The next year, a well-known homeless advocate named Anita Hauck was killed in a Pitt Meadows clothing-donation bin as she tried to grab a jacket and a blanket for a fellow resident of a nearby tent city. Ever since, Canada has not managed to go more than a few months without someone being fatally injured by a clothing bin, with countless more instances of people having to be rescued. The Vancouver area has seen the majority of incidents, although deaths have occurred in Calgary and Cambridge, Ont. #Vancouver Police are responding to 2000 Fir St for a report of a person that has climbed inside a blue clothing donation bin. ScanBC (@ScanBC) October 23, 2014 All victims were homeless or suffering from addiction issues, and appeared to have been trying to remove clothing from the bins. She climbed to get clothing and got hung up and succumbed to her injuries, Assistant Vancouver Fire Chief David Boone said after a woman was killed by a bin in the citys West Point Grey neighbourhood. They all died upside down; trapped in the bins chute with their feet sticking out. Some victims were not found until hours after their death. Others managed to scream for help but could not be extracted in time to save their lives. The victims do not appear to have been seeking shelter in the boxes. In fact, most clothing-bin deaths have occurred in summer. All the bins involved in fatalities have operated much like a standard Canada Post mailbox: A drawer folds down to accept donations and a security flap swings into place to prevent theft from the box. By trying to climb in, someone can become pinched between the drawer and the security flap and suspended upside down within the bin. #kamloops crews responding to the 2100 blk of glenwood drive for a man stuck in the clothing bin. Kamscan (@Kamscan) October 28, 2015 Its far more hazardous than it may seem on the surface, Jonathan Gormick, a spokesman with Vancouver Fire Rescue, told CBC in mid-2018. Most deaths are due to respiratory impairment. The drawer mechanism constricts the victims torso, making it difficult to breathe. Being held upside down for long periods can also be fatal in itself; the victim can asphyxiate from the pressure of their organs weighing down on their lungs, or they can suffer a stroke as blood pools in their head. Although the Canadian incidents have all been remarkably similar, bins can also kill by other means. In 2012, a woman in Staten Island, N.Y., had successfully entered the main compartment of a clothing-donation bin, but was strangled as she attempted to exit. A particularly unusual fatality occurred in 2017 in Natalie, Penn. The victim, Judith Permar, was not a homeless person but was known to have a history of stealing from donation bins. On one such 2 a.m. run, Permar fell off a ladder that she was using to access a bin, catching her arm in the chute. The impact broke her arm and wrist, leaving her dangling in extreme pain, and she subsequently died of exposure. #Chilliwack crews are responding to the Chevron on Yale Rd for a female stuck in a clothing donation bin. ScanBC (@ScanBC) July 18, 2016 Many of the Canadian bins killing people have retained the same design for decades without incident. RangeView Fabricating, a Toronto-based company that has manufactured some of the bins involved in fatal incidents, said Tuesday that its bins have operated without incident for most of the 25 years that theyve been in operation. In the wake of the recent bin deaths, however, the company has suspended manufacturing until it can conceive of a safer design. Meanwhile, the company is advising existing owners of its bins to remove security measures that could pinch a human in the chute. Were kind of saying to our charities, youre going to have to deal with the theft because public safety is number one, company manager Brandon Agro told The Canadian Press. If someone is going to go into your bin and take your product, thats going to have to be how it is for now. In July 2017, after a man in his mid-20s died in a Calgary donation bin, a representative with the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta told Global News that they had noticed a rise in bin thefts. Video of theft from clothing donation bin that I witnessed and called in to you, @VancouverPD. 15 mins, no response. pic.twitter.com/ttifHAxha6 Trevor (@tkhereandthere) April 25, 2015 Ray Taheri, an engineering professor at the University of British Columbias Okanagan campus, has been spearheading a design competition to make a safer clothing-donation bin. One idea involved a mechanism that would lock the bins if anything heavier than nine kilograms was put inside. Its so sad that something so beautiful turns into something so tragic, Taheri told Postmedia on Jan. 1, just days before the most recent death in Toronto. Twitter: TristinHopper | Email: [email protected] | https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/why-are-so-many-people-dying-in-canadian-clothing-donation-bins |
Is Cory Booker developing a special friendship with Rosario Dawson? | Rumors of a possible romance are swirling around Senator Cory Booker and actress Rosario Rosario, who was overheard playfully singing 'I love you' to the would-be presidential candidate at a Broadway musical last weekend. The Democratic senator from New Jersey and the 'Rent' star on Saturday attended a performance of the Tony Award-winning show Dear Evan Hansen, where they were joined by Booker's niece and Dawson's teenage daughter. The New York Post's Page Six reported, citing unnamed witnesses, that after Booker, Dawson and the two girls met the cast of the musical, the 'Sin City' alum was overheard singing to the lawmaker, 'I love you, te amo.' Senator Cory Booker (left) and actress Rosario Dawson attended Saturday's performance of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen (pictured backstage with star Taylor Trensch), fueling romance rumors Onlookers reported hearing Dawson playfully sing 'I love you, te amo' to Booker during a meet-and-greet with the cast after the show (pictured with all the actors) People Magazine similarly reported, citing an onlooker backstage, that it was an 'impromptu' moment and that Dawson made up the tune for her I love you ditty on the spot. Dawson allegedly serenaded Booker while walking across the stage after the show and the hour-long meet-and-greet with the Dear Evan Hansen performers. An unnamed source told Page Six the pair looked 'cute together' and seemed 'flirtatious,' though they avoided any physical displays of affection, like kissing. They did, however, embrace each of the cast members backstage. Actors were reportedly fawning all over Booker for standing up to President Donald Trump and holding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs feet to the fire during last years contentious confirmation hearings. Two days before their Broadway outing, the New York Post reported that the 49-year-old politician and the 39-year-old actress were spotted at a Manhattan movie theater together. Booker is believed to be considering a run for the White House in 2020, along with nearly two dozen other prominent democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden; outgoing Congressman Beto O'Rourke; Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Bernie Sanders. Eligible bachelor: Booker was romantically linked in the past to Executive Director of the Council of Urban Professionals Chanda Gibson (left) and Instagram poet Cleo Wade (right) Dawson, who has a teenage daughter, split up from her comedian boyfriend Eric Andre (left) in the fall of 2017 Booker has never been married and has no children of his own. Previously, he was romantically linked to Executive Director of the Council of Urban Professionals Chanda Gibson and Instagram poet Cleo Wade. Dawson adopted a 12-year-old girl named Lola in 2014. She had briefly dated comedian Eric Andre, but the couple announced their split in November 2017. Neither Booker nor Dawson have commented on their relationship status as of Tuesday evening. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6570745/Is-Cory-Booker-developing-special-friendship-Rosario-Dawson.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 |
How many times has the Number 1 seed won March Madness? | Every year, when filling out a bracket, it always looks so enticing picking a 1 seed to win the national championship. That's where this handy guide to everything you want to know about a March Madness 1 seed comes in. RELATED: The history of March Madness Let's start at the basics. The NCAA mens basketball tournament is made up of 68 teams. On Selection Sunday, before any tournament game is played, those teams are ranked 1 through 68 by the Selection Committee, with the best team in college basketball based on regular season and conference tournament performance sitting at No. 1. Four of those teams are eliminated in the opening round of the tournament (known as the First Four), leaving us with a field of 64 for the first round. Those 64 teams are split into four regions of 16 teams each, with each team being ranked 1 through 16. That ranking is the teams seed. MORE: What is March Madness: The NCAA tournament explained In order to reward better teams, first-round matchups are determined by pitting the top team in the region against the bottom team (No. 1 vs. No. 16). Then the next highest vs. the next lowest (No. 2 vs. No. 15), and so on. In theory, this means that the 1 seeds have the easiest opening matchup in the bracket. Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, 1 seeds have played 569 games. They have won 454 of those, for a ridiculous win percentage of 79.8. Their first-round performance is even more impressive, as 1 seeds are 135-1 against 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament. That lone loss of course came in 2018 when 16-seed UMBC beat 1-seed Virginia by 20 points in the biggest upset in March Madness history. MORE: How many No. Since 1985, there have been 34 national championship games, meaning 68 spots in a championship game have been available. Of those, 1 seeds have taken 32 of them (47 percent). Of the 34 national champions since the tournaments expansion in 1985, 20 of them have been 1 seeds: | https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-01-08/how-many-times-has-number-1-seed-won-march-madness |
Whats the Deal with the Green New Deal? | The economics of the emerging platform Ive heard a lot about the Green New Deal since the midterm elections. And, its not just me Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the freshwoman Representative from the Bronx, posted this graph of the number of tweets on the phrase through mid-December. In honor of the 4-day-old, Democratic-controlled House, I figured I would try to dig into it. Maybe youve seen some of the headlines, e.g. about Ocasio-Cortezs decision to join a sit-in at Chairwoman Pelosis office to promote the Green New Deal or how 40 members of Congress, including 3 Senators whom some believe will run for President, have endorsed Ocasio-Cortezs proposal. The proposal is posted as a Google Doc. Theres not yet a ton of meat, but enough to understand some broad parameters. Several journalists have written detailed pieces about the Green New Deal GND for short including Vox, The Atlantic and The Intercept. A lot of the coverage focuses on the political machinations, such as the proposal to form a new House select committee ultimately nixed by the Democratic leadership. Heres what Ive been able to understand about the economics. With the requisite analogies to the original New Deal, the space race and World War II, the GND calls for a massive mobilization of government (US Federal, given the provenance) spending and policies to, significantly draw down greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans and to promote economic and environmental justice and equality. Ocasio-Cortezs Google Doc lays out some specific goals, including 100% renewable electricity, a national smart grid, energy efficiency investments, eliminating GHGs from transportations and other sectors, and a lot of investment in infrastructure. Its also pretty clear what the Green New Deal is not. The Google Doc explicitly states that simply relying on something like a carbon tax wont do the job: Given the magnitude of the current challenge, the tools of regulation and taxation, used in isolation, will not be enough to quickly and smoothly accomplish the transformation that we need to see. While it certainly does not rule out carbon pricing, it also calls for more direct government interventions, such as mandates and spending. The Green New Deal plan is also heavy on creating economic opportunities, to make prosperity, wealth and economic security available to everyone participating in the transformation. To my read, this is a lot more expansive, and thus plausibly more economically defensible, than green jobs. Severin has critiqued the notion of green jobs in a previous blog post. In a nutshell, his point is that counting jobs in one sector misses the overall impact of a policy. For example, if promoting renewables makes electricity more expensive, that can lead to lost jobs in electricity-dependent industries. He also reiterates the point that we should be tackling climate change due to its costs, not as a way to create jobs. I think the GND plan is about more than green jobs. At best, its recognizing that tackling climate change is going to be disruptive and paying attention to people who might be hurt by it. It calls for things like training, education and improved workplace safety, and singles out areas with fossil-fuel dependent economies. Yes, it also calls for a job guarantee program that ensures a living wage. This is certainly radical and may lead to its own set of economic distortions, but its not claiming that every coal miner can reinvent himself as a solar panel installer. (See Andys related post on green jobs.) There are certainly versions of a Green New Deal that sound like a rehashing of the green jobs ground. For example, the Sierra Club GND write-up is all about weatherizationa highly dubious strategy as my co-authors and I have shown in previous research (here and here). Instead, I see the Google Doc as pairing two distinct goals (A) address climate change and (B) support workers, but not necessarily claiming that (A) is going to do (B). Im not an expert, but this strikes me as a savvy move politically. Bold Government Action vs. Mobilizing the Masses Fundamentally, how you feel about the economics of the GND hinges on what you think the governments role should be in mobilizing activity to address climate change. You have to work hard to get a mainstream economist to agree that anything bests a global carbon tax. With a carbon tax, the government, informed by calculations of the benefits of avoiding climate change (the social cost of carbon that Meredith has blogged about), sets the level of the tax and then steps back and lets a thousand flowers bloom. And, the beauty of a carbon tax is that it mobilizes everyone. The government doesnt need to decide how to decarbonize the economy private companies responding to the tax will figure out the best way. This has made me think that basic economic models dont say much about the timing of activities. And, I can concoct reasons that the impacts of a carbon tax would be slower than those from direct government spending. For example, companies may delay investment in GHG-reducing measures to make sure that the carbon tax will stick. And, empirically, there are plenty of examples of policy reversals. Australia enacted a carbon tax in 2012 and got rid of it 2 years later. And, US companies are likely counting their blessings that they didnt make major investments on the assumption the Clean Power Plan would still be in force. For this reason, I can imagine that there can in fact be complementarities between government and private sector investments, so it could make sense to have both a carbon tax and some more direct government spending or other policies. The disadvantage of having the government doing a lot is that theyre unlikely to minimize costs. For example, the Google Doc calls for both 100% renewable electricity and making state-of-the-art energy efficiency investments in every residential and commercial building. To an economist, this doesnt make sense. This will just raise costs unnecessarily. The cost-minimizing approach is likely to be some combination of almost clean electricity and some additional energy efficiency investments. I am also disappointed that the existing GND discussions pay very little attention to the role of the government in supporting research and development of new technologies. It would be much easier to encourage emerging economies to, for instance, run their electricity sectors on 100% renewables if we could get some dramatic breakthroughs in storage or renewable generation technologies. (As an aside, I have seen no mention of nuclear power in any of the GND discussions.) In general, though, Im very sympathetic to the idea that the US government needs to do a lot more to address climate change, and the GNDs first steps arent totally whacky from an economics perspective. I hope Ocasio-Cortez and others succeed in mobilizing interest and putting climate change back in the political spotlight. And, I hope this is the first of many posts well do on the GND. | https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/whats-the-deal-with-the-green-new-deal/ |
What are huddle videos and why is USD basketball watching them? | Watch enough college basketball games and you sneak a peek at a huddle or two during timeouts. Most merely see guys circled around the coach and starters, essentially identical apart from the color on the uniforms. Not Sam Scholl. The USD coach sees a classroom, an incubator, a critical outcome-influencer when the clock is stopped. He sees the right way and the wrong way. He sees huddle haves and huddle have-nots. The Toreros, scrapping to salvage a potentially special season despite an injury to point guard Isaiah Wright, understand that postseason life among those in the West Coast Conference demands efficiency and precision all the way down to how guys gather. As USD prepares to host Pepperdine at 1 p.m. Saturday, Scholls commitment to what happens when every player is stationary in a game requiring constant motion seems singular. The Toreros practice huddles. They watch huddle videos. They talk about time allocation and temperament, polish and positioning. They hammer home their construction, their length and their collective body language. Scholl owns a doctorate in dead-ball discourse. The biggest thing you see is our huddles, theyre not splintered, Scholl said. I think you can tell a lot about a teams connectivity with the short huddles youre allowed to have. Thats how I constantly judge our connectivity, in our huddles. If you think the driven 41-year-old with a small waistline and bulging ideas simply talks a big huddle game, pry more. When a few preseason get-togethers failed muster, Scholl slammed the brakes at a practice. He latched onto a player and began offering a lesson thats less about a huddle and more about unrelenting attention to detail. In past years when we huddled, it might not have been tight. It wasnt connected, he said. At the start of the year when we show them clips we say, You guys tell us, does this look like a connected group? A couple of guys were standing off to the side. Then we put one guy over and say, Does this look connected to you? Then you move him a little closer, Does this look connected to you? Then you put him right where hes supposed to be and say, Does this look connected to you? Its key. Even huddle arrival time which surely would be labeled HAT if this were the analytics-obsessed world of baseball requires attention. Coach Scholl is about urgency, so sometimes hell have clips of us walking to huddles, said Olin Carter III, a senior guard. Its a pet peeve of his. It helps us out, being aware. That connectivity, as Scholl circles back to time and again, is a controllable intangible that helps win games. The Toreros stand 12-5, but 16-1 in Scholls connectivity index. Carter said the only game his coach felt came off as less unified and linked was a 110-103, double-overtime loss to Drake University in Las Vegas. We actually keep track of that, Carter said. Coach tells us if we won the connection game with the other team. Sure, the thought of huddle video sessions is easy to snicker about. The idea of huddle practice sounds like a punchline waiting to pounce. The broader concept, though, begins to crystallize. Its about small things adding up to big things. Its the kind of thing that applies, whether you work at a bank or on a construction site. When Scholl explains how he breaks down each huddle into identical time chunks addressing what needs corrected, planning whats next, then a jolt of encouragement it sounds like a NASCAR crew chief perfecting tire changes in the pits. In the end, its maximum efficiency with a limited amount of time. We coach them on how huddles should work, he said. It reinforces that everything we do matters. At the time Scholl became coach of the Toreros, Mission No. 1 was to establish that connective tissue born out of those shared moments. He wanted to work on gelling before jump shots. USD tries to beat you when no ones standing on the court. I think he wants every huddle to be the perfect huddle, Carter said. Those in-uniform relationships were on display Dec. 5 when the Toreros won by double digits at San Diego State. The cohesiveness showed in the Nov. 12 game that came down to the final possession at Washington. Other examples linger. USD must fight through a daunting WCC schedule that includes No. 5 Gonzaga without Wright, who is out as many as four weeks with a hairline fracture on his shooting hand. Plenty of important huddles await. Guys are dialed into each other, Scholl said. Check the video. The Toreros do. Let Eddie Brown tell you what will happen. Let Eddie Brown tell you what will happen. Let Eddie Brown tell you what will happen. Let Eddie Brown tell you what will happen. CAPTION Opened in 2017 and designed by the same architects, Colorado State's Canvas Stadium is a real-life rendering for what San Diego State hopes to achieve with a new football venue. Opened in 2017 and designed by the same architects, Colorado State's Canvas Stadium is a real-life rendering for what San Diego State hopes to achieve with a new football venue. CAPTION At Navy, which is preparing for its annual game against Notre Dame, which this year will be played in San Diego, college football requires an unforgiving grind that forges unique athletes and people. At Navy, which is preparing for its annual game against Notre Dame, which this year will be played in San Diego, college football requires an unforgiving grind that forges unique athletes and people. CAPTION Quarterback, who began career with Chargers in San Diego, throws for more than 300 yards in win over Washington to surpass Peyton Manning's career mark. Quarterback, who began career with Chargers in San Diego, throws for more than 300 yards in win over Washington to surpass Peyton Manning's career mark. CAPTION The Chiefs face a steep learning curve in their secondary, but Kansac City isn't the only AFC West team that saw a flashing yellow light in the summer's first exhibition. The Chiefs face a steep learning curve in their secondary, but Kansac City isn't the only AFC West team that saw a flashing yellow light in the summer's first exhibition. [email protected]; Twitter: @Bryce_A_Miller | https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/columnists/bryce-miller/sd-sp-miller-toreros-usd-scholl-20190109-story.html |
Is a dictator rising in Bangladesh? | An electoral process marred by violence, intimidation, and accusations of fraud has solidified one-party rule and added to fears of rising authoritarianism in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling coalition secured an unexpected landslide victory in the Dec. 30 general election. Hasinas Awami League party secured 288 of the 300 contested parliamentary seats, leaving just seven for the Jatiya Oikko Front, the lead opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). In some constituencies, the leading coalition garnered 99 percent of the votes. The victory gives Hasina her third consecutive five-year term as leader. The opposition rejected the vote, citing voter fraud and intimidation, and called for a revote. On Thursday, the seven elected opposition members boycotted Parliaments swearing-in ceremony. The lawmakers have three months to take their oaths of office or lose their seats. During the vote, violence broke out in 13 of 64 districts, and at least 17 people died. The reports of election mismanagement included some authorities turning away voters hours before polls closed. Other witnesses reported they found out their votes were already cast when they showed up to use the electronic voter system. The nations Election Commission said the vote would stand but promised to investigate the allegations. Hasina, 71, has ruled Bangladesh since 2009. In her victory speech, she vowed to work for the welfare of the people. Her economic success appeals to voters: In the 2017-2018 fiscal year, Bangladesh saw 7.8 percent growth in its gross domestic productits highest ever. Hasina also maintained relations with India while accepting bulky investments from China. Despite the progress, her government has increasingly repressed dissent. Authorities went after two journalists who reported on irregularities in the vote, accusing them of publishing false information. Ahead of the vote, about 7,000 anti-government activists were arrested, according to the opposition. In February 2018, a Bangladeshi court sentenced BNP leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to five years in prison over corruption chargesa move that sent the opposition into disarray ahead of the election. She received another seven-year sentence in October, and the Election Commission later disqualified her from running in the election. Prosecutors accused Zia and five others, including her son, of embezzling $252,000 from funds meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust. Her latest sentence involved misappropriating an additional $375,000 funds for the separate Zia Charitable Trust. The opposition dismissed the ruling as a political stunt. Kanchan Gupta, a political commentator with the India-based Observer Research Foundation, said the elections outcome further wiped out any political accountability: For all practical purposes, Bangladesh is now a single-party state with inconsequential parties keeping alive the countrys constitutional description as a multiparty democracy. | https://world.wng.org/content/is_a_dictator_rising_in_bangladesh |
Will Nike Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | 2018 was a good year for Nike (NYSE: NKE), as its stock posted a total return of nearly 20%. Even though the athletic footwear and apparel company has seen a lot of competition lately, Nike was able to fight back and keep its primary overseas rival at bay. That helped restore Nike's supremacy atop the industry. As much as investors love good returns, they also like to see healthy dividend yields, and that's one area in which Nike consistently loses the race. Yet the company did manage to deliver a dividend increase in 2018, and that has shareholders hopeful that Nike will keep being more generous with its cash both this year and beyond. Below, we'll look more closely to see if Nike's likely to keep boosting its dividend in 2019. Dividend stats on Nike Metric Nike Current quarterly dividend per share $0.22 Current yield 1.2% Number of consecutive years with dividend increases 17 years Payout ratio 67% Last increase December 2018 Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date. A solid track record of higher payouts It might not look like it when you focus on Nike's dividend yield, but the athletic company has put together an impressive track record of dividend performance. The stock has paid higher dividends each year for the past 17 years, and Nike doesn't give token hikes, with double-digit percentage increases being the most common. Last year's 10% boost continued a string of $0.02 per share raises in Nike's quarterly dividend payment dating back to 2014, and similar percentage increases prevailed before then. NKE Dividend Chart More NKE Dividend data by YCharts. The reason Nike's yield looks so puny is that its stock's performance has been even better. Over the past decade, Nike's dividend has risen by more than 250%. But its stock has produced a 650% increase in its share price, and that's had the impact of dramatically reducing Nike's yield. That's not bad news for long-term investors -- it just makes the current payout look less enticing for those who are new to Nike. How Nike's business is doing Over the past year, Nike has made a lot of progress restoring its reputation as a champion in the athletic apparel arena. After losing some of its momentum in overseas markets in past years, Nike refocused its efforts on key international markets like China and Europe, and the return of strong growth in those regions has helped lift Nike's overall numbers higher. It also managed to get sales in the key North American market moving upward more sharply, and near-term projections have Nike carrying that positive momentum into the new year. | https://news.yahoo.com/nike-raise-dividend-2019-220300222.html |
Can a breath test detect cancer? | Screening for cancer may soon be as easy as letting out a deep breath. The PAN Cancer trial for Early Detection of Cancer in Breath is a collaborative effort between the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Owlstone Medical. The goal is to test Owlstones Breath Biopsy device and to create breath biopsy tests for early detection of a number of different kinds of cancer. "We urgently need to develop new tools, like this breath test, which could help to detect and diagnose cancer earlier, giving patients the best chance of surviving their disease," Rebecca Fitzgerald, the lead trial investigator at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, said in a statement. Deep breath This may sound like science fiction, but there's real science to back up the concept of a Breathalyzer-like device aimed at detecting cancer. Normal biochemical reactions in cells release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds release odorous molecules that can be detected. If a cell's VOC pattern has been altered, that could indicate something is going on with the cell, like cancer. The Breath Biopsy detects these VOC biomarkers in a non-invasive way. To test whether or not the Breath Biopsy is the VOC-detector of the future, Fitzgerald and her team will collect samples from 1,500 people who were referred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge due to cancer concerns. The clinical trial will start with patients with suspected esophageal and stomach cancers before expanding to prostate, kidney, bladder, liver and pancreatic cancers a few months later. Trial participants will take the breath test before they undergo other diagnostic exams. They will breathe into the device for 10 minutes, and Owlstone Medical will analyze the results. Understanding how VOCs change By looking across cancer types, researchers hope to determine if different cancers have different signals and how early these signals are detectable. Breath samples between those who do and those who don't develop cancer will be compared to gain a stronger understanding of how VOCs work. If the Breath Biopsy can accurately identify cancer, then the device could be a screening tool for general practitioners to use before referring their patients to specialists. This could be a boon for both doctors and patients since it will reduce test times and the invasive nature of other types of biopsies. "There is increasing potential for breath-based tests to aid diagnosis, sitting alongside blood and urine tests in an effort to help doctors detect and treat disease," said Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO of Owlstone Medical. "The concept of providing a whole-body snapshot in a completely non-invasive way is very powerful and could reduce harm by sparing patients from more invasive tests that they don't need." Some patients have already tried the device, like Rebecca Coldrick, a participant in the clinical trial who is now in her 50s. When she was in her early 30s, Coldrick was diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus, a condition in which the cells lining the esophagus are abnormal. Thirteen in 100 patients with Barrett's in the U.K. may go on to get esophageal adenocarcinoma. As such, the condition requires routine medical checking, including an endoscopy every two years. "I was very happy to take part in the trial and I want to help with research however I can," she said. "Initially, I thought I might feel a bit claustrophobic wearing the mask, but I didn't at all. I found watching the display on the computer during the test interesting and soon we were done, without any discomfort. I think the more research done to monitor conditions like mine and the kinder the detection tests developed, the better." A device undergoing clinical trials in the U.K. may detect cancer by analyzing the compounds left by cells' biochemical reactions. | https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/can-breath-test-detect-cancer |
Where is art headed in 2019? | BUSINESSWORLD asked some of the countrys artists, and art champions about their outlook for Philippine culture and arts for this year (and beyond). The answers were as varied as their practices. I look forward that we continue to grow and become diverse and to focus more on our cultural identity and how to cultivate its content and history. We should not only focus on form and physical beauty of an artwork and its commercial value. Jojo Austria, a visual artist based in the USA The direction of art is more collective, collaborative, and communal. This direction is more sustainable, developmental, and progressive. Renato Habulan, artist, curator, and educator Naniniwala ako na ang artist ay mayroong malaking responsibilidad sa kanyang kapaligiran, maging ito ay sa politikal, ekonomiya o mga social problems. Bukod sa pagbibigay ng aliw, gaya ng isang pinta o disenyo ng mga bagay at inspirasyon, ang mga artists ay dapat maging kritikal at sensitibo sa bawat bagay at malasakit upang buhayin ang diwa ng mamayan para sa pagsusulong ng bawat bansa sa pamamagitan ng sining. Bagamat sa panahon ngayon ng kalakaran sa art scene sa Pilipinas nakikita natin na maganda ang responde ng mga kolektor maging ang appreciation [nang] mga tao sa mga art exhibit, lalo na sa mga art fairs, malaki man o maliit, pero sana wag laging itrato na ang art ay for investment. Ang 2019 ay napakahalagang taon upang tayo ay magbuklod magkaisa at magtulungan upang baguhin ang sistema sa pamamagitan ng pagpapahayag ng ating saloobin lalo na sa politika at pagpapahalaga sa likas yaman ng bansa. (I believe that the artist has a big responsibility to his surroundings, be it political, economic, or social problems. Aside from giving comfort, like a painting or design of an object, and inspiration, artists should be critical and sensitive to each thing and be compassionate in order to raise the spirit of the people for the promotion of every country through art. Although todays trend in the Philippine art scene we can see that the collectors respond well and even appreciation [of] people in art exhibits, especially in art fairs, big or small, but hopefully they will not always treat art as for investment. 2019 is a very important year for us to unite and work together to change the system by expressing our attitude especially in politics and appreciation of the countrys natural resources. ) Thomas Daquioag, artist and art educator Philippine Art will evolve and expand all over the world no matter what the political situation is. Actually, it has been [at] a time of great repression that the artist has worked freely without having to think of the commercial benefit as an allure. We have particularly gone all over Southeast Asia and some artists even venture in Europe, America and Australia. Our artists have been asked to exhibit in Biennales and other major exhibitions. At present, the Internet plays such a huge part in the exchange of dialogue and the dissemination of information and with that, I believe that Philippine Art will progress in the years to come. Silvana Diaz, art enthusiast, collector, and gallery owner [Tanghalang Pilipino] will forever be committed to doing Theater, in the form of productions and training programs, that highlight the immense artistry, historical and contemporary sociocultural and educational value of the diverse Philippine Theater genres, even as we continue to acknowledge the timeless value of world theater arts TP is not digressing from its original vision-mission of using theater as an instrument for developing a humanistic Philippine arts and culture program by proudly promoting the artistic excellence of our Filipino artists-playwrights, directors, actors, designer, musicians, dancers; using theater for cultural education and promoting the richness of our cultural heritage and therefore enhancing our sense of national identity; promoting the viability of theater as a creative industry; and promoting theater arts as a cultural form that has a universal humanistic value. Fernando Tata Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino artistic director For 2019, we are expecting an avalanche of creative expressions from the seven fields of art. In theater, there will be the newbie one-time producer, indie groups, school-based, to the tried and tested companies with many decades of experiences all vying for an audience for their own brand of genre which would supposedly transpose into sales. Revenues generated by various theater groups are not made available to the general public that is why no one really knows if they a profit or simply lose [money] and vanish. Be it a straight play or a musical aimed for children and adults, there is an array of choices for the picking but this will really all boil down with a theater buffs pocket if it can hold till the next paycheck and the next and the next. In a month, like come February, there is an expected 10-12 productions that will open. Economics will rationalize ones decision if he could and can opt to spend his extra pesos on a theater treat. But for how many can it translate to affordability if more equally exciting shows are due to be unveiled in March, April, and up until December? Theater has to survive. With funds, of course. The art of selling a specific production always pose as a challenge for the marketing and sales team Its a dog-eat-dog world out there because financial resources are simply fewer in terms of corporate support. Its the least of their priorities. The unnamed philanthropists will or should come in and help the industry to keep going In dance, with its very restricted audience, the challenges are even much harder to cope [with] relative to budget. Productions have been cut from the usual average of six and reduced to three at the very least. For the visual arts community, the scope is much larger because of the various modes of expression each artist churns [out] for their buyer or a collector Over the past decade, many new artists came to fore and a new generation of buyers also made the scenario buzz as to who would be the best to invest their money with [an eye to] future payback. Thats commercialism vs. art. In film, there is a renaissance of more thought-out and well-crafted genres that either spell millions in ticket sales or the other side of the pendulum. For sociopolitical reasons in the seven fields of art specially with this years elections there will be bolder, [more] up front, in-your-face satires, parodies, or socio-realism that will bring added color to the norm. Expect this to happen from the artists who painstakingly translate their ideals into their work of art: theater, dance, song or poetry, literature, visual or sculpture, film or photography. Philippine arts and culture this year is going to be so alive, noisy, empowering, and conscious of the specific market they shall serve. And heres hoping that corporations can extend at least financial support to the artists whose love, passion and dedication is unquestionably the best. Yes, its going to be an entertainment, but it will spell relevance. Joselito Toots Tolentino, art enthusiast and publicist Maki-Improv, Huwag Matakot! is just a small and young group, and we are not yet that influential in the scene, so I dont know if we can talk on behalf of the improv community. But Maki is committed to creating art that is fun but at the same time has politically charged commentary. Many artists right now are becoming more political, and that has always been the role of artists. It is a very important role, especially with the upcoming elections. When we speak our truth, we will inevitably encourage others to voice out theirs, and that chorus of voices can become a game changer, [especially] in the [upcoming] elections. At the Manila Improv Festival on March 27 to 31, Maki is one of the many improv groups from all over the world who will perform at the PETA Theater Center. Our shows theme is elections.. We hope our show sparks discussion, and we hope that it will inspire people to go out and vote. Jasmine Cruz, president and co-founder of Maki-Improv | https://www.bworldonline.com/where-is-art-headed-in-2019/ |
Are balance transfer offers on the decline? | Since I keep an eye on top credit card offers, it was impossible for me to miss the fact that Barclaycard, among others, recently dropped the length of its top balance-transfer offers . I would like to receive emails from you about product information and offers from The Fool and its business partners. Each of these emails will provide a link to unsubscribe from future emails. More information about how The Fool collects, stores, and handles personal data is available in its Privacy Statement. Register by giving us your email below to continue reading all of the content on the site. Soon you will also begin to receive our FREE email newsletter, The Motley Fool Collective. It features straightforward advice on whats really happening with the stock market, direct to your inbox. Its designed to help you protect and grow your portfolio. (You may unsubscribe any time.) Since I keep an eye on top credit card offers, it was impossible for me to miss the fact that Barclaycard, among others, recently dropped the length of its top balance-transfer offers. Gone are the heady days of intense competition which drove interest-free offers to the highs of 43 months in 2017. Banks have been steadily cutting their deals over the past year, but customers were still able snag balance-transfer periods of 36 months as recently as March 2018. However, with Barclaycards latest move, there are only a handful of cards currently on the market that land above the 30-month threshold. We are currently in a time of economic uncertainty because of, yes you guessed it, Brexit. Added to that the potential for further rises in the Bank of England base rate, and there isnt much appetite amongst banks to offer long interest-free deals. The higher the rates, the more costly these sort of deals become for lenders, and, as other banks start to reduce their offers, the competition lessons and even generous issuers can drop their rates and remain competitive. To make money, lenders rely on a certain number of borrowers either not being able to pay off their debt in time or simply forgetting about the end of their interest-free period. When that happens, they end up having to pay the cards standard APR when their introductory period lapses. In reality, the shorter the interest-free term, the sooner lenders can make some money from the card. And the demand is still very much there for balance transfer cards, with figures from UK Finance showing that around 55% of outstanding debt is currently sat on standard interest-charging cards. The market is certainly indicating it could. The economic landscape for 2019 is not set to improve, so it is likely that deals will follow the trend of recent years and continue to shorten. Lenders are also tightening their credit criteria and increasing their balance-transfer fees in order to sustain the cost of other features. According to Moneyfacts data, the average balance-transfer fee has risen from 2.04% a year ago to 2.25% presently. So alongside a reduction in the balance-transfer introductory term, offers overall could potentially worsen. The good news is that the cards arent disappearing all together and there are still products on the market which offer a decent introductory period. If you are looking for a good balance-transfer offer, especially if you are planning to sort out your finances in the new year, then it could make sense to take one out sooner rather than later. While there is no move for interest-free balance transfers to disappear from the market entirely, the general trend indicates that interest-free periods will continue to shorten over 2019 and transfer-fees could potentially climb higher. Added to that the potential for household circumstances to change as a result of Brexit, and securing one of the long interest-free offers available now might look pretty smart in retrospect, if the generosity of balance-transfer offers continues to decline. | https://www.fool.co.uk/personal-finance/2019/01/08/are-balance-transfer-offers-on-the-decline/ |
Can anyone still take Cafs awards seriously? | The Confederation of African Footballs Team of the Year has raised a few eyebrows! COMMENT Mohamed Salahs victory at the Confederation of African Footballs awards ceremony on Tuesday evening carried an air of inevitability, with the Liverpool forward a shoo-in to clinch the African Footballer of the Year award ahead of Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, while the Liverpool forwards triumph was impossible to dispute, Cafs Team of the Year threatens to completely undermine the awards ceremonys credibility. Of the 11 players named, several would surely have received near universal support across the continents football fans. As key protagonists in Liverpools run to the Champions League final and their title challenge this season, no continental forwards could have edged out Mane or Salah. More surprised by the inclusions (Aurier, Bailly), the exclusions (Hakimi, Ziyech, Ndidi, Onana), or the positional choices (Koulibaly at left-back...anyone?) pic.twitter.com/zeAuExevyP Ed Dove (@EddyDove) January 8, 2019 Aubameyang, too, remains Africas elite striker in the world today, having maintained his goalscoring form at Arsenal after swapping the Bundesliga for the Premier League in January. In midfield, Thomas Partey secured a spot in Cafs dream team after also making Goals Africa Team of the Year for 2018. Despite Ghanas struggles, his spot in the team can be justified as he enjoyed a significant shift in status at Atletico Madrid, demonstrating the kind of dominant, match-winning performances that few other African central midfielders can match. He also won the Europa League with Atleti. Of the five defenders, Kalidou Koulibaly and Medhi Benatia were safe bets by Cafs voters. The former remains Africas best centre-back, and while hes been unable to help Napoli topple Juventus in Serie A, hes made the Italian top flights Team of the Year for three consecutive calendar years. Unlike Benatia, who won the Italian title and played a key role as Juve clinched the Italian Cup, Koulibaly didnt end 2018 with silverware, although he did impress at the World Cup. Je suis trs honor et trs heureux pour ce titre! Ceux qui me connaissent savent quel point cest important pour moi de porter ce maillot Onorato e orgoglioso! Chi mi conosce sa quanto importante per me indossare questa maglia. Merci, merci, merci tous https://t.co/ljJnTB1DF4 Koulibaly Kalidou (@kkoulibaly26) December 31, 2018 However, beyond the aforementioned six names, the other players in the Best XI deserve scrutiny, either because of their own failures or the claims of rivals. For a start, its bizarre that Caf opted to cram three centre-backs into their four-man defence, with Koulibaly positioneduncomfortablyon the left side of the backline. That hes moved out to the flank in order to accommodate Eric Bailly, whos coming off a miserable year with Manchester United, beggars belief. The Cote dIvoire defender surely hasnt been included in this team based on his performances during 2018, when he struggled for form and fitness and saw his standing diminish at Old Trafford. Indeed, the failures of the Red Devils centre-backs was one of the key characteristics of Jose Mourinhos troubled latter stages of his United tenure, and Bailly deserves his fair share of the blame. This isnt a team that requires a third centre-back, but surely Salif Sane, perhaps the Bundesligas best centre-back in 2017-18, stands head and shoulders ahead of Bailly. The defensive line is completed by Serge Aurier, at right-back, who represents another bizarre inclusion. Aurier, like Bailly, hasnt been a regular starter at club level this term, managing just four Premier League starts for Tottenham Hotspur so far this term. When he has featured, hes appeared rash and uncertain, delivering a particularly poor showing as Arsenal scored four against Spurs in a 4-2 North London derby defeat. Theres nothing about Auriers international career to commend him, and how its impossible to see how either he or Bailly can be included in his team ahead of Achraf Hakimi. While the wonderkid won Cafs Young Talent of the Year award, hes conspicuous by his absence in the Team of the Year. Unlike every player included in the Dream XIwith the possible exception of KoulibalyHakimi impressed at the World Cup despite playing on the wrong flank for Morocco. He also won the Champions Leaguethe first Moroccan to do soand has played a key role in Borussia Dortmunds magnificent start to the season after moving to BVB on a two-year loan deal. Hakimi ought to have been a shoo-in for this team. So too, surely, should have been Hakim Ziyech. While Wilfred Ndidis absence from the midfield has prompted some criticism on social media, Ziyechs omission from the teamNaby Keita and Riyad Mahrez both made itis baffling. The playmaker was arguably the Eredivisies outstanding individual last season, scoring nine and contributing 15 assists as Ajax were pipped to the title. This term, hes already scored morenetting 10 in 14 Dutch top flight outingswhile weighing in with six assists. Its an almost unparalleled return among African players in Europes biggest leagues, and Ziyech has been influencing contestsand at times eviscerating teams single-handedlywith alarming consistency. Yet Caf have opted for Keita, who hasnt come close to showing his RasenBallsport Leipzig form in eight Premier League starts for Liverpool so far this season. Finally, while goalkeeper Denis Onyango has enjoyed a fine yearwinning the PSL title with Mamelodi Sundowns and helping Uganda to the Afcon without conceding a goalis he Africas best in his position. In terms of Africa-based stoppers, Anas Zniti of Morocco and Raja Casablancaan African Nations Championship winner with his club and a Caf Confederation Cup winner with his countrycould have been a legitimate rival to Onyango. The Cameroon stopper made the final 10-man shortlist for the African Footballer of the Year award after helping Ajax to the joint-best defensive record in the Eredivisie so far this season. He also conceded just two in Ajaxs first five Champions League group stage games as they advanced to the knockouts, and has displaced Fabrice Ondoa as Cameroons Number One. That CAF Best XI is exactly what you'd expect it to be, considering it's selected by FIFPro. Not sure why anyone is upset. Footballers generally don't (have the time to) watch much football, so logical they'd vote based on reputation. Solace Bielson Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) January 8, 2019 Onanas omission is one of the last bizarre elements of this Dream Team, although at least his time will surely come in the future. Article continues below On this occasion, however, it appears as though the Cameroon stopperas well as Hakimi and othershas been the victim of a popularity contest rather than a measured assessment of players merits over the course of 12 months. Once again, its a Dream XI that serves only to undermine Cafs credibility, rather than celebrate the pick of the continents talent. | https://www.goal.com/en-ke/news/can-anyone-still-take-cafs-awards-seriously/5qmn5ybwtrpn1cssxah4oyhge |
What Does a 'National Emergency' Really Mean and What Happens If President Trump Declares One? | President Donald Trump is caught between a wall and a hard place. With a $5.7 billion price tag, his proposed southern border wall has divided Congress and sent the nation into its 18th day of a government shutdown stranding some 800,000 federal employees without pay. Get push notifications with news, features and more. On Tuesday night Trump is scheduled to address the nation, interrupting prime-time on broadcast networks for the first time in his presidency. While a senior White House official told The Washington Post that the president plans to use the airtime to garner support for the wall, it remains unclear whether he might make a more drastic proclamation instead declaring a national emergency and freeing himself to implement more than 100 powers. By invoking such an emergency Trump could potentially begin building his wall and, in a rhetorical dodge, then announce his demands had been met and that he would agree to end the shutdown. But he may also enrage Democrats and provoke a legal battle. Here is what a national emergency really means. In short, it depends. According to a report put together by the Brennan Center for Justice, both the president and Congress can declare a national emergency whenever they see fit. Despite the severe-sounding label, no broadly agreed-upon emergency is actually required. That means that while the underlying data doesnt support parts of the Trump administrations argument about the dangers at the souther border for example, the number of illegal immigrants has decreased over the last two decades and, according to the State Departments Bureau of Counterterrorism, there is no credible information that any member of a terrorist group has traveled through Mexico to gain access to the United States the president nonetheless can rule it an emergency, The New York Times explains. RELATED: 63-Year-Old Great-Grandma Is Out of Work in the Shutdown and May Not Get Back-Pay: People Are Suffering Under the National Emergencies Act, passed in 1976, Congress has the power to end a state of emergency declared by a president. But it has not done so in 40 years, according to the Brennan Centers report. It seems especially unlikely that Congress would terminate the potential border-related national emergency, given its current makeup, as doing so would require a joint resolution and a signature from the president. Build a wall maybe. Generally, emergency powers can help a president act in dire situations when executive branchs standard capabilities are too limited. The thinking is that the president is ultimately tasked with safeguarding a nations safety and prosperity and, in a crisis, should be empowered to move swiftly as needed. The Brennan Center identified 136 additional statutory powers that a president may use in the case of a national emergency, two of which may apply to the border wall. While both of these statutes provide some legal cover if the president declares a state of emergency to fund the border wall, they each raise important questions. RELATED: President Trump Will Resign in 2019, Former Bush Adviser Predicts: Heres Why Should the walls construction via an emergency be challenged in court, the Supreme Court would likely have to weigh in. Yes. Since the National Emergencies Act became law, presidents have declared at least 58 states of emergency, excluding weather-related events, USA Today reported. In 2009, President Barack Obama declared a national emergency amid the outbreak of H1N1, better known as swine flu and allowed the waiving of some rules such as privacy laws. Wait until Trumps speech at 9 p.m. ET, with a Democratic rebuttal to follow and the networks vowing to provide extensive fact-checking, given the presidents history of untruths and distortions. | https://people.com/politics/what-is-national-emergency-if-donald-trump-declares/ |
Is New Arizona Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury Ready for the NFL? | Associated Press The Arizona Cardinals made a splashy hire Tuesday by grabbing former Texas Tech head coach and recently hired USC offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsburya name that had become the hottest in coaching circles this hiring season. ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the move. Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech in November after six seasons, in which he had a record of 35-40, but he quickly was hired by USC. Then, before he'd even called a play for the Trojans, he became one of the most-sought-after interviews for NFL teams. That's the big question, and B/R sought to answer it by asking it to coaches who have worked for Kingsbury, some who have gone against him and NFL decision-makers. "Every NFL owner wants the hot new offensive toy right now," said one NFL personnel executive, whose team is hiring a new head coach and asked to not be named. "Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Matt Nagy, Matt LaFleurthe idea is you'd rather hire the guy one year too soon than be a year late and miss out on a top candidate. "It's still a copycat league, and everyone wants offense. Kliff's ability to scheme, adapt and execute an offense that gets the ball to playmakers is pretty exciting." Editor's note: This is the first installment in B/R's "Next Belichick?" series, which profiles some of the top up-and-coming coaches this year. You'll get to know more about the following coaches in the coming weeks. Part 1: Kliff Kingsbury Part 2: Eric Bieniemy Part 3: Josh McDaniels Part 4: Kris Richard The wins might not have been there for Kingsbury at Texas Tech, but the offensive numbers were, as the team ranking in the top 16 in total offense in all six of his seasons, including four top-10 finishes and first overall in 2016. The 39-year-old former NFL quarterback also developed a reputation for working with top QBs, including Case Keenum, Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomesthe last of those disciples being a big reason he received so much NFL attention. Mahomes dominated the NFL with 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards during this regular season, his first as a starter and second in the league. His ability to dominate right away is part of what makes Kingsbury attractive. Charlie Riedel/Associated Press "He is really bright, man," Mahomes told B/R. "I'm telling you, he does a lot of the same stuff they do in our building as far as drawing up new plays every week and dressing up plays to have success. He has the work ethic and innovative mind to easily be successful." Mahomes signing off on Kingsbury no doubt carries a lot of weight. And it matches up with the opinion of coaches who have prepared to do battle against the Texas Tech offense in years past. "The way the NFL is trending toward pass-happy offenses, I understand why teams view Kingsbury as a unicorn," said Bryan Carrington, the director of recruiting at the University of Texas. "He's one of the best offensive minds in the country, and when I look at the Rams, Chiefs, Bears and Saints, I see basically a Big 12 offense. "Kliff is also one of the best quarterback developers out there, and a lot of these teams looking for a head coach have their franchise quarterback already, so it makes sense. Kliff was the offensive coordinator at Houston when I started college there, I love him as a coach and an offensive mind, but I knew that guy ain't gonna be at USC no longer than the end of next season. ... All he needs is a home-run hire at defensive coordinator and he's good money." Kingsbury might be a unicorn, indeed. The effort and energy with which NFL executives have approached him would seem to back up that statement. With offenses moving in a direction that's more college-friendly, and with so many teams hoping to land the next McVay or Nagy, it makes sense that Kingsbury's name would be at the top of many lists. As one NFL owner (not the Cardinals') told B/R, "Look at the teams in the playoffs. Outside of the Chargers and Patriots, you have offensive minds running things. Dallas [Jason Garrett], Kansas City [Andy Reid], the Rams [Sean McVay], New Orleans [Sean Payton], Indianapolis [Frank Reich] and Philadelphia [Doug Pederson]. Hell, half those teams are coached by former quarterbacks. This is where the league is going, and Kingsbury fits." He does, having not only coached at a high level but also played at it. That's part of the reason so many players love him. He can walk the walk and talk the talk. And that's ultimately what the Cardinals are hoping for with Kingsbury: someone to groom last year's No. 10 overall pick, Josh Rosen. John Amis/Associated Press Rosen is well-known as an outspoken player who often butted heads with coaches at UCLA and, according to team sources, with the Cardinals last year. Now he'll be tasked with learning from Kingsbury. One team official (not for the Cardinals) who has spoken to Kingsbury and evaluated Rosen before the 2018 draft predicted it could be bumpy: "They're going to kill each other. The best chance is that they end up friends, but I think they're too much alike to succeed together." The biggest obstacles for any coach is the ability to hire a staff. Carrington suggested that will be key for Kingsbury, just like it was for Chip Kelly when he came from college to the NFL. Finding a defensive coordinator who can run that side of things (like Wade Phillips in Los Angeles) is a must. If Kingsbury can do that, many NFL insiders believe he does have the tools to become a great NFL head coach. From losing at Texas Tech to a brief relationship with USC to a head coaching job with the Cardinals all in the span of two months, it's been a wild ride for Kingsbury. And the fun is just getting started. Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. | https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2814650-is-new-arizona-cardinals-coach-kliff-kingsbury-ready-for-the-nfl |
Could golf carts become street legal in unincorporated Orange County? | ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Some residents in Orange County's Horizon West development said they would like to drive golf carts on streets. Homeowners said they often drive them on paths shared by bicyclists and joggers to pick up their children from school or to travel to nearby restaurants and movie theaters. Orange County Commissioner Betsy Vanderley, whose district includes Horizon West, said an ordinance legalizing the driving of golf carts on roads would apply to all of unincorporated Orange County. TRENDING NOW: "There's a lot of communities that have real successful programs to allow golf carts on certain roads," she said. "I, for one, prefer to ride my bicycle on the West Orange Trail into Winter Garden in the evening for dinner instead of getting into my car, because it's only two miles away." Vanderley said she has safety concerns, because the speed limit on many county roads is at least 45 mph and many golf carts cannot be driven faster than 20 mph. 2019 Cox Media Group. Golf carts are street legal in the city of Winter Garden and in The Villages development. Read: New Orange County program seeks to help Pulse first responders Vanderley said she has asked her staff to consult law enforcement in researching how to keep all people safe on the road. "My hope is that, No. 1, we'll show you what the safe operation looks like and where you can safely operate those devices," she said. "But also, to give law enforcement (officers) the tools they need to make sure they enforce that safe behavior." The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has agreed to discuss the issue in early spring. STREET LEGAL: People are pushing commissioners to make golf carts street legal in unincorporated @OrangeCoFL. Where they want to drive them and what safety risks commissioners are considering on @WFTV at 4:25pm. Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live Watch Live: Doppler 9 HD 2019 Cox Media Group. | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/could-golf-carts-become-street-legal-in-unincorporated-orange-county-/901273399 |
Are Republicans trying to make US government shutdown an Israel issue? | WASHINGTON (JTA) Republicans are in a bind: Polls show Americans blaming US President Donald Trump for the third week of a government shutdown, and the administration is mired in confusion over its Middle East policy. So this week, top Republican senators and their allies in the Jewish community have pulled out a tried-and-true card to flip the misery to the other side, in this case the Democrats. Its Israel. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate majority leader, has slotted as the first Senate bill of the new Congress a mini-omnibus package on Middle East policy. It includes two measures popular with the centrist and right-wing pro-Israel communities: One codifies $38 billion in defense assistance for Israel for the next 10 years, the other protects states that pass bills targeting Israel boycotters from being sued. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up Democrats in both chambers say the business of reopening government must take priority and are resisting any other parliamentary business until that happens. Trump wont allow spending bills to advance until he gets more than $5 billion in funding for a wall he wants to build along the border with Mexico in order to limit immigration. But some Republicans are using the Israel angle as a wedge issue. McConnells spokesman, Don Stewart, took direct aim at the pro-Israel cred of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader. Schumer is pushing his caucus to block the Middle East bill the portentously numbered S.1 through a filibuster when it comes to the Senate floor on Tuesday evening, shortly before Trump is to address the nation and make his case for the border wall. It would be a stunning reversal for Senator Schumer to suddenly block security assistance to Israel simply because he cant work out his differences with President Trump on an unrelated matter, Stewart told The Washington Post. Schumer, who is Jewish, routinely tells pro-Israel audiences that he regards himself as a guardian of Israel, a play on the Hebrew root of his name, shomer, which means guard. Schumer, who together with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will rebut Trumps wall speech, was not biting. Senator Schumer will vote against proceeding to S.1 because Senate Republicans should instead bring to floor the bi-partisan House-passed bills to reopen the government, Schumers spokesman, Angelo Roefaro, told JTA in an email. Its unfortunate Leader McConnell and others have decided to use Israel to play politics. The Republican Jewish Coalition joined in blaming Democrats. We knew going into 2019 that the Democrats would continue their reckless obstruction and grandstanding, the group said in an action alert to its members. Sure enough, Senators Schumer and Durbin are leading the Democrats charge to block a bill that is vital to Israel and Middle East security. The author of S.1 tried to twist the knife further. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Texas, alleged on Twitter that Senate Democrats feared bringing the bill to the floor because it would expose how many of them support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel, which the measure seeks to limit. (Rubio did not offer any evidence to validate his claims, although JTA asked him twice to do so on Twitter.) McConnells gambit is a transparent one, said Halie Soifer, the director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America. In an interview, she noted that the four components of S.1 the bill also expands sanctions on Syrias Assad regime and strengthens the U.S.-Jordan alliance were under consideration in the previous Congress, when Republicans controlled the Senate, the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives. (Democrats now control the House.) If it was so important for Senator McConnell to pass this legislation in the 115th Congress, he could have done so at any time, Soifer said, referring to the almost limitless power of the majority leader to advance legislation. He has clearly made a political calculation. Matt Brooks, the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said the GOP leadership thought it worthwhile to pass noncontroversial legislation while the border wall issue remains unresolved. We might as well use the time to pass something that has unanimous support in the pro-Israel community, he said, paraphrasing the thinking of the leaders. Brooks said it was the Democrats who were playing politics. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment on the matter. If McConnell is playing the Israel card against the opposite party, its a calculation that Democrats have been known to exploit in the past. Democrats used Israel as a cudgel against Republicans in 1996 and 2013, when GOP lawmakers shut down the government, and again in 2005, when President George W. Bush, facing a crisis after Hurricane Katrina, reneged on promised additional funding to help resettle Israelis pulled out of the Gaza Strip. While a number of Democratic senators took Rubio to task on Twitter for saying they support the Israel boycott movement, there are Democrats who oppose the anti-BDS legislation because of concerns that it shuts down free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union, a key Democratic constituency, has made a priority of killing anti-BDS laws on the state and federal levels. Liberal pro-Israel groups, like Americans for Peace Now and J Street, have joined the ACLU in opposing the anti-BDS component of Rubios bill. The Israel anti-boycott legislation being brought before the Senate tomorrow would give states a free pass to restrict First Amendment protections for millions of Americans. Despite my strong support for Israel, I oppose this bill because it clearly violates the Constitution. Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) January 7, 2019 Still, the lead Democrat championing anti-BDS legislation, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said on Twitter that the boycotts were not the issue at hand right now. Ive worked closely with you on BDS, @MarcoRubio, and disagree with you here, said Cardin, who in the last Congress authored a bill that would set federal fines for commercial entities that comply with BDS. The government #shutdown is a crisis, impacting millions of Americans and our economy. We cant simply proceed with business as usual. Reopening the govt must be our first priority. #EndTheTrumpShutdown. On Tuesday, Rubio pivoted to a different tactic. Citing the Syria sanctions component of his bill, he mocked Democrats who ridiculed Trumps confusing Syria policy the president has said he will pull troops out of Syria, while his top aides have said there is no schedule to do so. After the decision to pull out from #Syria many of my Democratic colleagues called for Congress to take action to address the negative impacts of that decision, he said on Twitter. Yet many of these same Senators have announced that today they will vote to block our bill to do just that. | https://www.timesofisrael.com/are-republicans-trying-to-make-the-government-shutdown-an-israel-issue/ |
Why Is Kylie Jenner Wearing A Diamond Ring? | Wedding bells may be ringing for the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters, Kylie Jenner, and her rapper beau, Travis Scott, or at least that's what many are thinking after Kylie was spotted with a massive diamond ring on her finger. See the bling for yourself. If you remember, the speculation sparked after the couple, who share a child together, begin referring to each other as hubby and wifey on social media. Back in November, many were under the impression that Travis secretly proposed when he filled his lady's mansion with thousands of roses. It's hard to be certain, but it was just in time for the new year. Kylie recently took to the gram with her bestie, Jordyn Woods, casually showing off her ring finger, which seems to hold a diamond. FYI: The couple has been dating since April 2017 and welcomed their beautiful daughter, Stormi Webster, in February 2018. Knowing Kylie's secretive nature, we wouldn't be surprised if the couple pulled a Cardi B and Offset and already jumped the broom. Either way, we're sure the news will be a grand episode on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Written by Tweety Elitou | https://www.bet.com/style/fashion/2019/01/07/kylie-jenner-diamond-ring.html |
Why Economic History? | We economists have gotten too good at making theories. In fact, the set of plausible and admissible economic theories is now dense in the space of possible conclusions: For every desired conclusion X, for every , there is a degree of theoretical complexity n and a chain of theories of increasing complexity T such that: We have also gotten not too good at but too proficient at econometrics: RCT, regression discontinuity, diff-in-diff, IV, aggressively and preemptively seizing the high ground of the null hypothesis, unconscious and conscious, deliberate and accidental specification searches, plus file-drawer problems. My first econometrics teacher Zvi Griliches said that the CLT was the second most important thing he had to teach. This is not to say that things were not worse in the old days. The pasts of many sub-literatures in economics are better understood as careerists on the make taking the line of theoretical least resistance rather than trying to understand the world. The lack of computer power that made it next to impossible to robustly summarize the data meant that arresting anecdotes could not be checked for representativeness and typicality. But good theory is in the end nothing but distilled and crystallized economic history. It could, after all, be nothing else. And piling more and more computer power on to the analysis of nonhistorical data could only be an intellectual optimum if the world was created ex nihilo the instant of the first date of your panel. So this is why we are here. Welcome to economic history. #teachingeconomics #economichistory #highlighted Edit This File: https://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00e551f08003883400e551f080068834/post/6a00e551f080038834022ad3accb47200d/edit | https://www.bradford-delong.com/2019/01/why-economic-history.html |
What happens to rest of outfield if Phillies sign Bryce Harper? | Thank you for Reading. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. A subscription is required to continue reading. Thank you for reading PressofAtlanticCity.com. If you are a current subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. Please click Sign Up or Login to activate your digital access. If not, please click Sign Up to subscribe and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information, or you can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 10 free articles. Thank you for reading PressofAtlanticCity.com. Please click Get Started. If you are a current subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. If not, we ask that you purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information, or you can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 10 free articles. | https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/phillies/what-happens-to-rest-of-outfield-if-phillies-sign-bryce/article_3caac2ce-de8f-529b-82b1-4df6a2f2273b.html |
Is Trump right about why we need a border wall? | President Donald Trump will declare to an American television audience Tuesday there is a crisis at the US southern border and that a wall is the best and only remedy -- an exceptional step, at odds with facts, to fulfill his central campaign promise. After weeks of a partial government shutdown, Trump and his negotiators have made little headway in convincing Democrats a barrier is needed before agencies can reopen and federal workers can begin receiving paychecks again. The administration has steadfastly refused to take steps that would restore funding to some agencies, believing the shutdown is its best leverage to secure the wall funds. Fearing he could lose a messaging battle as more Americans feel the pain of a shuttered government, Trump will escalate his warnings that the country is unsafe without the border wall he promised as a candidate. In making his case, Trump is turning for the first time to one of the most recognizable symbols of the American presidency -- an eight-minute direct-to-camera evening address from the Oval Office. He will continue his push in the following days, meeting with Republican senators during their weekly lunch on Wednesday. On Thursday he'll pay a visit to the Texas border town of McAllen. Trump, however, will address Americans suffering a credibility lapse after he and his aides have repeated multiple false claims about immigration. Whether the authoritative setting will convince more Americans there truly is a security crisis at the southern border remains an open question. Facts undercut the administration's portrait of a nation under siege by terrorists and criminals crossing the southern border; in July 2017, the State Department said there was "no credible information that any member of a terrorist group has traveled through Mexico to gain access to the United States." The administration's own figures show vastly more known or suspected terrorists were apprehended at airports. Trump and top White House officials have in recent days begun speaking more about the humanitarian crisis at the border, which Democrats say is real but of the administration's own making. A surge of families seeking asylum has strained health and child care facilities, and two children have died in US custody. In the lead-up to the address, the President and his advisers made a public show of considering a national emergency declaration to secure funding for the border wall, a drastic step that would surely be challenged in court. Vice President Mike Pence refused in a string of morning television appearances to say whether a declaration would come during the evening speech. The White House counsel's office continues to deliberate on the legality of the step, but multiple people familiar with the matter said Trump was not expected to announce a national emergency in his speech on Tuesday. Still, Trump has been under pressure from informal advisers and allies to take the step, and no official could rule out a last-minute change of heart. Aides suggested the President would rely on arguments he's made previously to ratchet up the urgency of his message. The White House expects more Americans will hear the speech because it's being delivered in television prime time. A White House official who has read an early draft of the speech says it contains anecdotes about families affected by illegal immigration and cites statistics designed to justify Trump's demands for a border barrier and the now-18-day government shutdown. "The case is fairly easy to make if people know the statistics," said the official, despite acknowledging Trump's critics are likely to dismiss at least some of the numbers in the speech as lacking context. The draft also calls for Democrats to "stop playing politics" and to work with the administration by prioritizing border security over other spending, though the official says attacks on the left were not a focus of the current draft. "I think the President's going to bring his case directly to the American people," Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. "He also needs to cut out the middle man because there's a lot of misstatement and lies told about him every day. And so he needs to make sure he gets his message to the American people. A lot of this will strike the public as new information." Work in progress Midday on Tuesday, Trump was working closely with top aides, including policy adviser Stephen Miller, on drafts of the speech. Democrats will have their own chance to rebut the President in a subsequent address; all the television networks that agreed to air Trump's remarks also agreed to air Democrats' response, delivered jointly by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Pelosi and Schumer, along with other Democratic and Republican leaders, will return to the White House on Wednesday to resume talks, though it wasn't yet clear whether either side would come offering new elements of a compromise. Trump chose to deliver the address after weekend talks between administration officials and Democrats failed to generate a deal that could reopen the parts of government closed by the shutdown. The closures have become more apparent this week, as more Americans return from holiday vacations to find some federal services unavailable. Most federal workers affected by the shutdown were due to receive paychecks on Friday; without an agreement, they won't be paid. Trump has insisted in public that unpaid workers are understanding in their plight, and that he feels their pain. But in private, the President has worried an extended shutdown could erode his political support as more Americans feel the effects. Yet he's also fretted that failing to deliver on the border wall -- his chief campaign vow -- would hurt him with his conservative base. | https://www.kq2.com/content/national/504069562.html?ref=562 |
How much do autographed Brees & Kamara jerseys cost? | As the Saints continue in the play-offs, in hopes of heading to the Super Bowl, autographed Saints jerseys could see a major spike in prices. News with a Twist Reporter Kenny Lopez takes a look! Brees, Kamara, Thomas, Ingram, and Lattimore are all jerseys worth a whole lot of money especially if they are autographed. "Right now a signed Drew Brees jersey is worth $600, an Alvin Kamara jersey is worth about $400, and Lattimore, Ingram, and Thomas are about $250," Mark Channing, Owner of Markman Sports Cards & Collectibles said. If the Saints end up going to the Super Bowl then the prices will get even higher. "Brees could go up three to four hundred more dollars and Kamara, Thomas, and Ingram could go up a few hundred bucks," Channing said. For more information about Markman Sports Cards & Collectibles, click HERE. | https://wgno.com/2019/01/08/how-much-do-autographed-brees-kamara-jerseys-cost/ |
Is Robert Townsend Trying To Make A B.A.P.S Sequel? | Via Madamenoire: In this day and age of reboots and remakes, nearly every film and TV show from the 90s has been thrown in the ring as a possible candidate for an on-screen revival. Robert Townsend is the latest actor and film director to spark a do-over debate on Twitter, asking followers early this morning if theyd be down for a sequel to the 1997 comedy B.A.P.S. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. I directed Baps starring @HalleBerry and written by @Troybyer With all the reboots going on,heres the question of the day. pic.twitter.com/KrlJRPgvE3 Robert Townsend (@Robert_Townsend) January 8, 2019 Townsend directed the hilarious flick which starred Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle as hood BFFs who go on to live life as Black American Princesses after taking care of an ailing millionaire (Martin Landau). Even though the movie was dragged by critics Roger Ebert gave it 0 stars, calling it jaw-droppingly bad, a movie so misconceived I wonder why anyone involved wanted to make it it became a beloved classic-like film in the Black community. But that was 1997. Even then, Ebert, a white man, criticized the depiction of Berry and Desselles lead characters as a hurtful stereotype. And in this post-Madea, call-out-culture landscape, I dont see a B.A.P.S part deux going over well at all. I also dont see Academy Award-winning, 52-year-old Berry going for it either. SEE ALSO: Robert Townsend Says Making Of The Five Heartbeats Is Ready To Be Born Most followers, however, believe B.A.P.S should be left alone and Townsend should, instead, use his talents to revive two of his prior films: Hollywood Shuffle and Meteor Man. See photos of Halle Berry below. ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM: | https://rickeysmileymorningshow.com/1965490/robert-townsnd-baps/ |
What's next for HP's PCs? | It's been a busy CES for HP, after debuting a gorgeous 65-inch gaming TV, the AMOLED-equipped Spectre x360 and the Omen 15 with a 240 Hz display. And that's coming after a year where the company introduced the world's first leather, the Spectre Folio. To help break down all of its recent news, and to figure out where HP and the PC industry is headed, I sat down with the company's president of personal systems, Alex Cho, to chat on the Engadget stage. We discussed how HP thinks about design, what he's expecting from the next generation of computing and more. | https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/08/whats-next-for-hps-pcs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fengadget+%28Engadget%29 |
Will Trump Rule by Decree? | by John Feffer The Republican Party, since its takeover by Reaganauts in the 1980s, has long favored shrinking the federal government to the point at which it can be drowned in the bathtub, to use Grover Norquists colorful phrase. Tax cuts reduce the federal budget. Budget cuts weaken social programs. Even cutting remarks have their effect. Reagan got plenty of laughs when he said, The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: Im from the federal government and Im here to help. With the partial shutdown of the federal government entering its third week, Americans are learning that the nine most truly terrifying words in the English language are: Im the president and Im here to helpmyself. Trump isnt content to use the executive office to enrich himself and his circle. Hes warping national policy to serve his own interests as well. Trump believes via Fox News that his presidency is doomed (and his second term nipped in the bud) if he doesnt fulfil his signature promise of building a wall. The government shutdown is all about Trump and his self-serving impulses. To that end, Trump has threatened to extend the shutdown as long as it takes in order to squeeze funding out of Congress for his cherished wall. Hes got the bathtub ready and a funeral oration already written. Shutting down government wont lose any votes from furloughed federal workers (the vast majority of whom already despise him). Yes, the shutdown is unpopular, but the presidents base of support is delighted to see even a partial draining of the swamp. And shutdowns, as FiveThirtyEight concludes from an admittedly small sample, dont seem to have long-term impact on public opinion. But the truly frightening part of this standoff between Trump and the rest of government is his threat to invoke a state of emergency so he can direct the U.S. military to build his wall. The president admires autocrats who can just get the job done. Rule by decree is the first stepping stone to transforming democracy into dictatorship. Declaring a state of emergency would be Trumps desperate attempt to hold on to and ultimately expand the power that is slipping through his fingers in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Channeling the Fascists Rule by decree has an undistinguished, undemocratic parentage. In the Weimar Republic of the 1920s and 1930s, the German constitution contained the controversial article 48, which granted the president the right to rule by decree in the case of a national emergency. German leaders invoked this right several times between 1930 and 1933. But the most momentous decree came in the wake of the Reichstag fire, six days before German elections in 1933. Hitler, already appointed chancellor at that point, persuaded German President Paul von Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree. No doubt inspired by Benito Mussolini and his use of emergency powers to establish fascism in Italy in the 1920s, the Nazis then took full advantage the authority granted them by Hindenburgs decree to remake Germany into a dictatorship. Modern democracies retain a certain echo of this tradition of decrees. In the United States, for instance, presidents can issue executive orders without having to declare a state of emergency. Trump has already shown a marked preference for this style of governance. During his first two years in office, he issued 91 executive orders 55 in 2017 and 36 in 2018. By contrast, Obama issued an average of 35 per year, George W. Bush 36. Many of Trumps executive orders such as withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, the Paris climate accord, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal place Trump in opposition to international and national consensus. Trump has also used his executive privilege to take bold stands in foreign policy that diverge, in some cases sharply, from the consensus of the policymaking community. He defied the advice of his advisors to sit down one-on-one with North Koreas Kim Jong Un. Most recently, he announced U.S. military withdrawal from Syria, generating considerable pushback from the foreign policy mandarin class. Like a stopped clock, an erratic commander-in-chief can be right once in a while. These steps are authoritative but not authoritarian. Executive orders arent out-and-out decrees the courts can say no, as theyve done several times in the Trump era. Trumps freewheeling foreign policy moves also face certain constraints. A deal with North Korea would require congressional consent. His decision to remove troops from Syria has already been modified by members of his own administration, with National Security Advisor John Bolton stipulating certain conditions that will delay or even nullify withdrawal. But Trumps threat to declare a state of emergency at the border would up the ante considerably. True, presidents frequently declare states of emergency under the National Emergencies Act. Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama declared a dozen or so each (most of them still in effect). But these declarations pertained almost exclusively to war or terrorism. Trumps attempt to circumvent the congressional standoff over his wall is a different matter altogether. As Bruce Ackerman points out in The New York Times, the president cant use the military to execute his plan. In the wake of the Katrina disaster, Congress created an exemption to the general rule prohibiting the military from enforcing domestic laws. The Obama administration then rolled back that particular exemption. Ackerman further predicts that if Trump attempts to go forward with his plan anyway, Congress would block him. Indeed, as Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) has said. If Harry Truman couldnt nationalize the steel industry during wartime, this president doesnt have the power to declare an emergency and build a multibillion-dollar wall on the border. Moreover, Trumps wall doesnt qualify as an urgent response to a crisis. There is no state of emergency at the border. There have been a few protests, on each side of the border, most recently around the closing of a shelter in Tijuana. But that hardly qualifies as a clear and present danger. The number of illegal border crossings fell to a historic low in 2017, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Nor did the situation change in 2018. The Trump administration has claimed that 4,000 known or suspected terrorists were stopped at the border in 2018. Not true: The vast majority of those people on the list of suspected terrorists were stopped at airports around the world. In the first half of 2018, only six non-Americans on the list were stopped at the southern border. Trump will no doubt repeat some of these lies this week in his first televised Oval Office speech. This is another privilege of his position: to speak directly to the American people. And the networks, despite some misgivings about the presidents indifference to the truth, will air the speech. Trump has already delegitimized the mainstream media as fake news, and he is now artfully playing them for his own purposes. For those who believe that the American system of checks and balances will prevent Trump from getting his way, think again. As Elizabeth Goitien explains in The Atlantic, the American system has its own equivalent of Article 48 of the Weimar constitution: Unknown to most Americans, a parallel legal regime allows the president to sidestep many of the constraints that normally apply. The moment the president declares a national emergency a decision that is entirely within his discretion more than 100 special provisions become available to him. While many of these tee up reasonable responses to genuine emergencies, some appear dangerously suited to a leader bent on amassing or retaining power. For instance, the president can, with the flick of his pen, activate laws allowing him to shut down many kinds of electronic communications inside the United States or freeze Americans bank accounts. Goitien worries that Trump could also use the Insurrection Act to deploy U.S. troops on the streets of American cities. So, imagine that protests spring up around the country against Trumps declaration of a national emergency. That could in turn serve as the justification for Trump sending in troops to suppress a threat to the public order. In this way, the United States could go from a state of emergency at the border to martial law throughout the country. Trumps public support remains low and his political influence is on the decline. Hes surrounded almost exclusively now by advisors who favor his most autocratic impulses. Its not inconceivable that Trump will use his standoff with Congress over the border wall as his Reichstag moment. Over a decade ago, in another political era altogether, the Los Angeles Times charged in an editorial that ruling by decree was not democratic. This would seem to be a no-brainer. But one prominent reader disagreed. He wrote, This is not the mark of dictatorial rule but rather a new way of envisioning popular participation and democracy. The writer was the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States, trying to defend his boss, Hugo Chavez, from the charge that he was governing like a dictator. This is the playbook that Trump is reading. This is the company that Trump keeps. This is the clear and present danger that America now faces. | https://lobelog.com/will-trump-rule-by-decree/ |
Why should I support a political party that is marginalizing me out of existence? | Jennifer N. Pritzker is a retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army, and upon her retirement in March 2001, she was promoted to the rank of honorary colonel in the Illinois National Guard. She is president and chief executive of TAWANI Enterprises, an umbrella organization that represents a diversified portfolio of brands including the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, the TAWANI Foundation and the Pritzker Military Foundation. To me, restrictions on transgender military service are personal. I am a transgender woman. Before my transition, I served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. I am proud of the value I provided the military during my 27-year career. I am also a Republican who generously supports my party. While Democrats accept the pronoun I prefer, I firmly believe the best government is that which governs least. Its a mistake for the Republican Party to ask me to choose between my true identity and my philosophy of government. For much of my life, I couldnt explore my femininity without significant risk. If the military discovered I dressed as a woman, felt like a woman and identified as a woman, my career would have ended immediately. My wish is that more Americans understood the expression of gender. The medical community has known for decades that sex and gender cannot be determined solely by birth anatomy or chromosomes. There are many physical, social and psychological elements that form a persons gender identity. Transgender people such as myself need to express our internal identify so that others can see us as we see ourselves. Think of this internal pull like a north-seeking compass. Whenever it is used, the compass will point to true north. Femininity is my true north. Ive grown frustrated as I watch this Republican administration push to ban transgender military service. Anti-transgender platforms are causing me to evaluate my party support. I have supported many Republicans in elections. The Republican Party more closely aligns with my beliefs in a less interventionist government. Democratic Party policies can be too costly and restrictive on citizens. Lowering regulations helps protect peoples individual rights with private property, business and investments. Increasing taxes and creating or adding to government agencies are not a guaranteed solution to any problem. I have hoped the Republican Party would reform from within and end its assault on the LGBTQ community. Yet, the party continues to champion policies that marginalize me out of existence, define me as an eccentric character and persecute me for using the public restrooms that correspond to my gender identity. As a result, the GOPs positions have forced me to refocus my attention away from their agendas I support. Instead, I find myself focusing on issues to protect myself and others like me. Every dollar spent defending transgender rights is one dollar less I can contribute toward other party initiatives. Our Republican leaders are smart, but they too often react to rhetoric based on emotion, not on science and research. I urge President Trump, other Republicans and those who demonize the transgender community to consult qualified experts and evaluate alternative points of view and facts to make informed decisions. The military doesnt benefit when it excludes transgender people from its success. In combat, gender identity is irrelevant. When 300 people jump from an aircraft in flight in one-second intervals, what matters is getting the job done. When states propose restrictions on bathroom accommodations for transgender people, a vocal minority preys on peoples irrational fears for their safety. I remind them, its against the law for anyone, anywhere, at any time to harass or violate others. And consider that discrimination, violence and rejection contribute to a 41 percent attempted suicide rate among transgender Americans, compared with 4.6 percent for the general U.S. population, as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has reported. I ask Republicans to prioritize policies that improve our country for all Americans. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-support-a-political-party-that-is-marginalizing-me-out-of-existence/2019/01/08/cc153f18-1373-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |
How will the erratic Trump presidency function without Jim Mattis? | Life without Mattis is the scary reality of this new year. The president may have tired of the careful, battle-hardened advice he received from the retired Marine general, but the United States allies depended on Mattis for reassurance. As one prominent diplomat put it in a message after hearing the news of Mattiss resignation: God help us. This concern was widely shared on Capitol Hill and around the world. Mapping the contours of defense and foreign policy, post-Mattis, is a useful exercise not least because its a reminder that the world hasnt come to an end. Mattis tried to guide an inexperienced and impulsive president, often keeping silent in public to preserve his access, but he knew that his influence with Trump would eventually degrade. It just happened quicker than he wanted. The first question is who should succeed Mattis. The default choice is Patrick Shanahan, the former deputy who is now acting secretary of defense. He appears to have the trust of both Mattis, who worked closely with him for 18 months, and Trump. Ideally, Shanahan would be the unknown backup quarterback who suddenly gets the call and (to everyones surprise) wins the game. Shanahan has some attributes of a good Pentagon chief. As a former Boeing executive, he knows how the siloed, hyper-bureaucratic world of Pentagon contracting works, and why its a total disaster. As Trump said, Shanahan took the mismanaged 787 Dreamliner project at Boeing and produced a great airplane. The negatives for Shanahan are also obvious. He lacks top-level political or military experience. Running the Pentagon is arguably the most difficult management job in the world. People who succeed at it, such as former secretary Robert Gates, have combined strategic thinking with a willingness to overrule the hidebound and parochial interests of the military bureaucracies. The next secretary faces a huge challenge that Mattis never fully embraced. The technology of warfare is being transformed, but our military services remain anchored to existing weapons systems and command structures. It is literally impossible, under current rules, to buy and deploy whats needed. The Pentagon budget is bloated and misspent; its largely a logrolling exercise that preserves the status quo. If so, hes the right person for the job. The second post-Mattis challenge falls to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. As Mattis often said, the United States needs a less militarized foreign policy and a more confident, creative State Department. Pompeo got off to a strong start, picking good people and boosting morale. He seemed to have a knack for checking Trumps mistakes without infuriating him. He was the Trump whisperer. Pompeo is still managing North Korea diplomacy with a steady hand, from what we can see. But lately, he seems to have entered the Trump twilight zone, where he acquiesces on bad decisions, as on Syria and Saudi Arabia, to avoid an open break with his boss. One lesson of the past two years is that trying to tiptoe around Trump is not ultimately a winning strategy for Pompeo any more than it was for Mattis. Pompeos daily job description is fulfilling the mission Mattis invoked in his resignation letter: Our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. In short, we need diplomacy. The final member of Trumps post-Mattis team is John Bolton, the national security adviser. Well find out this week if he has the right stuff. He bravely (and correctly) signaled to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Trumps ruinous let Turkey do it deal for Syria withdrawal is off the table, drawing a volcanic response from Erdogan Tuesday. If Trump backs Bolton, he may yet stumble to a satisfactory Syria policy. If Bolton retreats, he might as well quit; he will have been shown to have no influence. And then theres Trump. The problem Mattis encountered, in the end, was that the president really did think he understood military policy better than his generals, and foreign policy better than his diplomats. This arrogance is destroying Trumps presidency. After Mattis, Trump has another fleeting chance to get it right and halt the process of government by tirade. Its hard to imagine him coming to his senses and avoiding the catastrophe ahead, but Trump could start by listening to his advisers. Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-will-the-erratic-trump-presidency-function-without-jim-mattis/2019/01/08/9c8a6684-1390-11e9-803c-4ef28312c8b9_story.html |
How old is too old to be president? | Evan Thomas is the author of First, a biography of Sandra Day OConnor, which will be published in March. Joe Biden is 76 years old, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is 77. Donald Trump, though he was the oldest person (70) to be elected president, doesnt seem to have a problem with age, not so much because of his full head of dyed hair, but because he is strangely ageless. He is at once a vigorous old guy, a 28-year old Internet troll and an 11-year-old boy off his Ritalin. Biden, though he can seem reassuringly mature at times, can also seem a little dated, like a character out of the 1950s. A year and a half after the Access Hollywood recording was released, during which Trump was caught using what he later described as locker room talk, Biden, the former vice president, said he didnt want to debate Trump, but that he wanted to take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him. Biden was assailed in some quarters for toxic masculinity, but really, he seemed at times a character out of an Archie and Jughead comic book. Many older people such as me (Im 67) feel out of step with the younger generation probably because we are. We are insufficiently woke, we can be uncomfortable with or just confused by the variations of gender fluidity, and we can find ourselves stifling a laugh at a politically incorrect joke. Secretly, though, we think we are not just older but wiser than the young people who are reported by polls to have socialistic leanings. When I was younger (35 years old), I helped popularize the notion that age and experience count for a great deal in government by co-authoring, with Walter Isaacson, a book called The Wise Men. During the 1960s and 1970s, at times of crisis, presidents would bring in elder advisers, dubbed the W.O.M. (Wise Old Men), to give them counsel. It was a meeting of WOMs in March 1968 that helped convince President Lyndon B. Johnson that the time had come to begin to draw down U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War; five days later, Johnson announced peace talks and that he would not run for reelection. It was a moment of true statesmanship to see old Cold Warriors such as former secretary of state Dean Acheson (age 74) and ambassador at large W. Averell Harriman (age 76) warning the president of the perils of American hubris. Well, actually, maybe not. Older people can get stuck in their ways. They can be too confident in their judgments, and heedless of new facts. The Wise Old Men who advised Johnson in 1968 to get out of Vietnam had earlier counseled the president to get into Vietnam. During the mid-1960s, they had warned Johnson not to listen to the antiwar protesters or go wobbly on the communists. During the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, President John F. Kennedy brought Dean into his group of close advisers. Acheson, whose hawkishness had hardened in old age, counseled the young president to take out the Soviet missiles with airstrikes. Its a good thing Kennedy didnt listen to Acheson, or we might all be radioactive dust now. Old men (and old women) get worn out, mentally and physically, no matter how hard they try to stay vigorous and alert. In his mid-70s, President Ronald Reagan may have suffered from early dementia by the end of his second term. By the end of President Dwight D. Eisenhowers second term he was 70, at the time the oldest president ever he was spending more time on his putting than dealing with the out-of-control mushrooming of the nuclear arsenal or the secret excesses of the CIA. I recently thought about the burdens of age the closed-mindedness and sheer fatigue and the importance of younger and fresher perspectives in connection with the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in August 1945. President Harry S. Trumans top civilian adviser was Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson. In later years, Stimson would be revered as a role model for a later generation of Wise Old Men. But at a meeting of Trumans top war council in June 1945, Stimson, who was 77 years old, was exhausted. Suffering from a migraine, he had not slept well the night before. He barely spoke up. Instead, Stimsons aide, Jack McCloy, tried to argue that we ought to have our heads examined if the United States didnt try to induce the Japanese to surrender before dropping the bomb. McCloy suggested that instead of demanding unconditional surrender, the Allies should let Japan keep its emperor, a gambit that might have worked to avert Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The instance cried out for creative thinking, but no one in the room was ready to listen to the 40-year-old McCloy, who was deemed too young and brash. So listen to your elders. But dont necessarily vote for them. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-old-is-too-old-to-be-president/2019/01/08/1c3d0d74-137c-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |
What if we paid people to donate their kidneys to strangers? | Thats a pretty rare combination; presumably youd be pretty excited. Possibly you are now less excited. Possibly you are now picturing a sci-fi dystopia where the poor serve as organ farms for the wealthy. Which is what such people as Gabriel Danovitch worry about. Danovitch, medical director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, believes that more should be done to make organ donation financially neutral, compensating donors only for matters such as travel and lost wages. But he adamantly opposes letting donors profit from the transaction, because it would mean exploiting the desperate. Letting people sell a kidney, he told me, would be not only ethically but also medically irresponsible. Desperate people would be tempted to lie about their medical history to qualify as a donor. Those lies could end up killing either the donor or the immune-suppressed recipient, whose body could no longer fight off stray germs or cancer cells. Moreover, Danovitch says, paid donation would substitute for voluntary donation rather than adding to it. All valid concerns. But Frank McCormick calls our attention to another concern: the tens of thousands of people who are dying each year for want of a kidney. An economist by training, McCormick argues that if you keep ratcheting up compensation, eventually youll find a price that will clear the kidney market. McCormick is one of the authors of a recent editorial in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology that estimated a staggering toll for that backlog: Of 126,000 people diagnosed annually with end-stage renal disease, only 20,000 will eventually receive a donated kidney, either from donors who have been declared brain-dead or since people can live a normal life span with only one kidney from live donors who have accepted a relatively small chance of complications in exchange for a high chance of saving someones life. Patients who need a kidney but cant find a donor generally end up tethered to a dialysis machine every other day. But dialysis is a poor substitute for a functioning kidney, and five years after starting treatment, only a third of hemodialysis patients are still alive. Dialysis is also an expensive kidney substitute, costing roughly $90,000 a year, most of it covered by Medicare; transplants cost less than half that. Which means, McCormick notes, that the government could compensate donors handsomely while still saving money. And because kidney failure disproportionately affects the poor, they on net would be better off, not worse off. Moreover, he says, there are ways to mitigate other problems, such as patient education and waiting periods to weed out the truly desperate. What risks remain are small compared with the benefits of finding a kidney for every eligible patient. That utilitarian calculus seems overwhelming. But most people arent pure utilitarians; they have moral intuitions that cant be reduced to numbers. Including: Buying body parts is wrong. Its about health and welfare, says Danovitch of his transplant work. Were not talking about a financial interaction. But . . . Transplant surgeons make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for their work. In fact, everyone in the operating room except the donor is getting handsomely rewarded. And indeed, payments to health-care providers can distort patient care, sometimes harming patients. Yet no one suggests moving to an all-volunteer health-care system, because the distortions introduced by paying providers are infinitely preferable to what would happen if we refused to pay them. Instead, weve created a liminal social institution where altruism meets markets: the healing professions. The join is imperfect yet its still better than the alternative. Nor is health care the only such space. Military recruiters, for example, offer hefty bonuses and generous veterans benefits as an incentive for civilians to join up. Like soldiers, kidney donors accept some risk of bodily harm. Undoubtedly some people would donate for the wrong reasons, just as some people foolishly enlist. Yet that risk still seems preferable to leaving so many desperate dialysis patients dependent on the kindness of strangers. Read more from Megan McArdles archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-if-we-paid-people-to-donate-their-kidneys-to-strangers/2019/01/08/6f397a0c-1391-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |
Is It Time to Sell Celgene Stock After the Bristol-Myers Squibb Offer? | When Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY ) announced on Jan. 3 that it would acquire Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG ) for $74 billion, it gave year-long suffering CELG stock owners an exit point. The only decision Celgene shareholders need to consider next is if they should sell the stock now for around $85 or tender the stock for $50 in cash and one BMY common share for each CELG share held. Celgene Stock Discounted From Buyout Price CELG stock trades at an $11.89 discount to the buyout price for two main reasons. First, markets are discounting the possible risk on the deal not closing or getting delayed. Look at NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI ) when Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ) first offered to buy the former for $127.50. For months, NXPI stock did not trade very close to the offer price because the markets priced in the risks of the deal failing. While waiting for antitrust approval from China, the company extended the deal several times. Ultimately, the deal fell apart when the Chinese government did not approve the proposed buyout in time. BMYs cash and share offer is the second reason Celgene stock trades at a discount to the takeover offer price. Bristol-Myers stock fell from around $53 to below $45, albeit briefly, when the company announced the offer. Fundamentally, it has plenty of cash on hand and may easily raise debt to pay for Celgene. At a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54X, it has the room to lever its balance sheet. Shareholders will allow for share dilution to get Celgenes IP and product portfolio. Celgene Bought Out at a Discount Its forward price-to-earnings ratio is 8.4X, even after shares soared 35% last week, meaning CELG stock still trades at a discount. This is especially true when you consider that the stock is still 23% below its 52-week high. Still, Celgenes management levered the companys balance sheet enough to scare off investors. Its acquisition of Juno Therapeutics in January 2018 cost it $9 billion but raised its debt-to-equity to four times. Fundamentally, CELGs cash cow for over the last decade, Revlimid, which treats Multiple Myeloma, faces stiff competition from more agile, innovative competitors. It is only a matter of time before they release new products into first-line multiple myeloma therapy, eroding Celgenes Revlimid sales. Post-Buyout Expectations Celgenes poor leadership led to the underperformance in its shares. The company failed to advance its pipeline of drugs in 2018. When BMY takes over, it will probably restructure Celgene management while cutting operating costs. For those two reasons, investors tendering CELG stock for BMY should expect BMY stock to trade higher in the years to come. Currently, Celgene shareholders do not earn any dividend while BMY shareholders get a dividend yielding 3.5%. If BMY stock falls in the months to come, lifting the dividend yield to levels above that of Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ), at 3.35% and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK ), at 2.88%, Celgene stock investors may even want to switch their shares for BMY stock on the open market. Bottom Line on CELG Stock Celgene stockholders could wait until the deal is closed to make the most or sell now to avoid the buyout risks as previously mentioned. But by selling now, investors leave a big discount on the table. If BMY is getting Celgene for too good a price, a white knight may come to bid a higher price. There is no right decision on whether to sell Celgene stock now or to hold it until the deal. Patient investors who are bullish on BMYs prospects will want to wait for the deals completion, while skittish investors could sell now and look for other biotech stock ideas trading at a discount. As of this writing, Chris Lau owned shares of NXPI. | https://investorplace.com/2019/01/sell-celgene-celg-stock-bristol-myers-squibb-offer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestorPlace+%28InvestorPlace%29 |
Should Cleveland Indians stop taking calls on Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer? Or keep listening? | CLEVELAND, Ohio Tribe Fest is Saturday and Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are scheduled to attend. The next big date on their schedule will be mid-February, when pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz. for the start of spring training. It would be nice if Kluber and Bauer knew sometime between Saturday and the opening of camp where theyll be playing baseball in 2019. Terry Francona would probably like it as well. Maybe, just maybe, its put up or shut up time for the teams who have been pursuing Kluber and Bauer this winter. The Indians certainly arent going to create an artificial deadline for themselves or the 29 other MLB teams. Not when they dont open the regular season until March 28. But they have been known to give a player a heads up now and then. Just so they could relax and get ready for the season. One spring Francona went to the mound during an exhibition game to talk to reliever Blake Wood. He was on the bubble for the 25-man roster and was pitching erratically. Francona told him to relax because he was on the team. If Kluber and Bauer arent traded, theres no doubt theyll be at the head of the rotation. There are some who believe if they havent been traded by now, they wont be traded at all. But baseball keeps its own schedule. Team executives Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff know what kind of roster they have. So do the Twins and White Sox, who are getting stronger by the day in an attempt to close the gap on the Tribe in the AL Central. The Indians have won the last three division titles by a combined 48 games, but now theres blood in the water and the opposition is circling. And if you havent picked up on this by now the Indians arent going to be signing Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. Their lineup has been picked clean by trades, free agency and cost cutting. This could be their starting nine if the season started in five minutes: SS Francisco Lindor, 2B Jason Kipnis, 3B Jose Ramirez, DH Jake Bauers, 1B Carlos Santana, CF Leonys Martin, RF Tyler Naquin, C Roberto Perez and LF Greg Allen. If youre wondering where Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Yonder Alonso, Yan Gomes, Rajai Davis, Erik Gonzalez and Melky Cabrera went, you havent been paying attention. Theres still a chance that the Indians could sign a mid-tier free agent outfielder. They dont have one outfielder who Francona can trust to play 125 to 130 games and drive in 80 to 90 runs. This could be 2016 all over again when Marlon Byrd signed in late March and was the opening day left fielder. The Indians' best way to get better is through trades. If they arent going to deal Kluber or Bauer, the rest of their big-league assets become fair game, but they should be handled with care. It seems unlikely. They just signed Carlos Carrasco to a multi-year extension after he expressed a desire to finish his career in Cleveland. Antonetti and Chernoff dont operate that way. The trades for Bauers and Santana may slow Bradleys path to the big leagues as the Tribes next first baseman or DH. McKenzie is their No.1 prospect and pitching is near and dear to the heart of this organization. Maybe they throw a few Band-Aids on this roster, cross their fingers and try to make it to the trading deadlines in July and August to get some help that wont come at such a severe cost. Then they could try to win their fourth straight AL Central title by participating in something they havent experienced since 2013 a hair-on-fire stretch run. | https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/01/should-cleveland-indians-stop-taking-calls-on-corey-kluber-and-trevor-bauer-or-keep-listening.html |
Why are lemons so expensive right now? | US lemons are selling for as much as $8.80 per kilo in Australian supermarkets. The weak Australian dollar in the United States has sent lemon prices soaring with local supermarkets selling the fruit at a sour price. Lemons in Woolworths and Coles are selling for as much as $2 each, or $8.80 per kilo, at a time of year when the fruit is most popular. The normal retail price is about $3.99 to $4.99 per kilo. Lemons are always slightly more expensive during the Australian summer because they are imported from the United States, Citrus Australia chairman Ben Cant said. | https://www.theage.com.au/national/why-are-lemons-so-expensive-right-now-20190103-p50phr.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed |
Could Android save Microsoft's Surface? | We've seen all kinds of wonderful Windows 8 tablets this month, but they all have one problem in common: apps. Some of the biggest names such as Facebook, Google and Twitter haven't bothered to publish Windows RT apps yet, and while the non-RT version of Windows can run legacy apps, pre-Windows 8 apps weren't designed for touch displays. That makes Windows tablets a tough sell, and Samsung for one reckons it's too tough: earlier today, it announced that it wasn't going to sell its Ativ S Windows RT tablet in the US. Speaking to CNet, Samsung blamed "the modest feedback that we got regarding how successful this could be at retail from our retail partners." Other OEMs such as HP and Toshiba have delayed or cancelled their RT tablets too, and even Microsoft's Surface appears to be struggling to attract customers. Maybe the answer is Android. Imagine if every Windows 8 tablet could run Android apps - apps designed specifically for touchscreen devices, apps that don't require you to wait until the developers decide whether Windows is worth the effort, apps that aren't available in the Windows Store. Lenovo certainly thinks so: it's just signed a deal to put BlueStacks' Android emulator on around 40 million Windows machines - and it's not the only one, as BlueStacks has also signed deals with AMD and MSI. You can imagine Intel getting on board, too, as ARM emulation on Intel devices would harm ARM sales and help Intel ones. Emulation for the nation BlueStacks has been around since last year as a Windows program, and it recently added a Mac version - but it's not hugely interesting on desktops, because apps made for touch screens aren't ideal on keyboard and mouse/trackpad-based systems. On tablets, though, it's a different story. In one fell swoop, a Windows 8 machine running BlueStacks has access to Android's touch-optimised apps. It's not perfect - it's a beta so of course it has bugs, there are malware concerns, and because apps are running in an emulation layer they can't integrate with Windows the way native apps can - but it does bridge the app gap on Windows 8, and BlueStacks is reportedly working on a Windows RT version too. Microsoft could stop that one - Windows RT apps have to go through Microsoft's Store - but that might be a mistake. As Steve Ballmer famously bellowed, it's all about DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! - and at the moment, touchscreen app developers are more interested in Android. Allowing Android apps on Windows RT gives those devices access to a quarter of a million apps - apps designed for the same kind of ARM-powered devices that run Windows RT. The danger, of course, is that BlueStacks could be the fox in the henhouse. It's a risk, but then the status quo is risky too: developers won't code for platforms that don't have sufficient traction, and people don't invest in platforms if the apps they want aren't there. It'd be ironic if Windows RT's killer app turned out to be Android. | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/software/could-android-save-microsoft-s-surface-1124503 |
Should open leaders expect to have privacy? | As the annual Defcon conference kicked off in Las Vegas this year, I followed its social media accounts full of reminders that if someone wants to find data that you've shared online, that data is findable. Those pictures on your "private" Instagram and those snaps that "disappear" aren't digital secrets. Keeping the parts of our lives that we want to remain private offline is something we must consciously consider. But open leaders pride themselves on sharing. And yet they aren't immune to privacy considerations. The answer to both questions is no. In this article, I'll explain why open leaders choose to share (online and elsewhere), what they can share (along with a fun example of oversharing), and how they can begin thinking strategically about their sharing activities. Why we share: Inclusivity As an open leader, I share because I want to be inclusive. In my moment of sharing, I set the example for others to donate their stories so we can be a more fully realized, creative group. Think about a time when you feel like you're doing your best work. I bet your best work occurs when you're connecting with and learning from others. These feelings stem from open leaders' desire to create inclusive teams. The word "inclusive" is the key word here, as I do not want to inadvertently exclude or marginalize anyone by sharing something private. I value the different perspectives and habits people bring to interactions, so I don't want something I post or share online to quiet others and prevent more sharing in the future. Instead, I want people to feel like they're learning something from what I share. As an open leader, I share because I want to be inclusive. Open leaders work to create cultures, and that sense of community is the product of shared stories. Leaders who pride themselves on being transparent will find no definitive guide for navigating and negotiating their privacy. Whenever I find myself in this position, I ask myself an important guiding question: "Will sharing this promote inclusivity?" Open leaders bring their whole selves to workthe failures and successes in their personal lives influence their work lives. This complicates easy distinctions like "public/private" or "personal/professional." What we choose to share about the experiences that impact us is our decisionbut it's a complicated and difficult one, because we don't control the way others interpret what we choose to share. Bren Brown's work on courage, vulnerability, and connection has shaped how I'm willing to bring more humanity to work. I'm not a machine and people will judge me. How I handle the judgements is my decision, so I go bravely into figuring out what's appropriate for me to share. I realize that in my attempts to be transparent and inclusiveI might share something that causes others to judge me or rule me out of a future opportunity. The subject of parenting is a great example here. Sharing that I'm a mother is a sensitive gesture. This is especially true for people who have encountered infertility or health issues and have limited parenting decisions (not to mention those who simply choose not to parent). The same concern arises when I use Twitter. I was an early fan of Twitter, as it helped me stay updated on current events. Twitter's micro-shares are perfect, because I can sample a snippet and click to read more. I share a lot of news about work-related things. I also continue to consume information about current events. But after a period of consuming information and conversation via Twitter, more people from my professional circles have begun following me. At times, they might learn something about me personallyeven through posts I merely "like" or promote. Even though the feature wasn't designed to influence that kind of connection in people's minds, it might still have that unintended effect. If someone chooses to make that type of connection, then that is their choiceso I let go the concern that a "like" might signal endorsement. Yet I remain cautious when sharing. I rarely talk about my partner, parents, or friends. When I do share some bit of information about these people, I tend to overthink it. I'll ask if I overshared and I'll often get a laugh because I err on the side of privacy. The people who think I cannot be too private are my kids. They want to choose what they share about their lives. I get it, and I take that example and apply it to all of my relationships. While I love to share and connect with people as the learnings from others has been powerfully important in my life, I don't risk giving out too much information. You can always put out more information, while pulling back is trickier business. Oversharing is a term born of people who share too much or in the wrong situations. Sharing a story needn't necessitate sharing every last detail. It might just involve sharing the parts of the story that convey your message, while also protecting your mental and emotional well being. For example, I do not talk about specific conversations, the books I read, or my interests outside of running. (If you have ever met a runner, you'll know that runners love to talk about running. Oversharing is part of that community's norms.) Oversharing about the joys and stresses I feel after specific meetings or scrum sessions isn't helpful to our team. My kids also don't want their lives splashed on the Internet. People in my life follow me on various platforms, and if they see me posting details of our interactions, it might cause them to edit their contributions. I can share relevant, useful content without oversharing in a way that negatively impacts my family, friends, and coworkers. How to share without losing your privacy Whenever I find myself in this position, I ask myself an important guiding question: "Will sharing this promote inclusivity?" I was once someone who never shared any detail outside of work status or project completion accomplishments. So to build connection with my coworkers, I adapted how I shared. And as I adapted, I emerged as a leader. This change occurred slowly as I matured in my leadership. I talked to people and realized that if I had to question something, then I needed to pause on sharing. Am I tearing another person down with my cutting remarks?" For a moment of connection and humanity, share. To point out flaws born of frustration, write in your personal journal. I had personal experiences that helped others see what informed my work success. My body language relaxed when I started to share snippets of stories about training my dog or watching my kids play with their friends. I and my coworkers started to relax, and we started to open up about the problems we saw impacting our ability to succeed at work. I was surprised. On calls, when I heard background noises, like a cat meowing, I was open to asking to see the cat and shared a moment of connection. This doorbell ringing was not something to ignore; it was an invitation to ask the person if they needed a moment to answer the ring. We are people with lives outside of work, and while we do not want to overshare or pry into too much information, we can adapt our work to fit the lives we're living and that leads to more impactful collaboration. I respect that many of my team members need to be offline at some point to pick their kids up from school, but will be online later, working while they wait at a sports practice. Or they might need some time off to attend the back-to-school orientation and they'll be online working later that night. When we open ourselves for people to share some private moments, we get strength to lead with humility, compassion, and dignity. That type of open leadership is powerful as people respond to the humanity you bring to the situation and want to contribute to the organization's goals. The team wants the organization to succeed because it's a great place to work, and we've experienced the pain of working at places that are not great. Balancing privacy with openness is an odd, chaotic, messy experience that can take time to figure out. That said, when you're vulnerable to the learning, it's powerful for all involved. Read this next | https://opensource.com/open-organization/19/1/open-leaders-and-privacy-guide |
Is shutdown affecting call outs on major airlines? | Video With the government shutdown threatening paychecks nationwide, many TSA officers are calling in sick. According to the TSA, it's not unusual for officers to call out after the holidays. TSA says its screeners have not yet missed a paycheck under the government shutdown. Long lines at La Guardia Airport in New York on Sunday evening raised concerns about staffing shortages. Executive Director of the Erie Airport, Derek Martin, says, "...there have been no delays or any call outs here at the Erie Airport. All planes have left on time and on schedule. " Other federal government workers in aviation are also set to work without pay like air traffic controllers. | https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/is-shutdown-affecting-call-outs-on-major-airlines-/1692067183 |
Should The Law Protect Student-Athletes Getting Paid?? | Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass during the first half of the Redbox Bowl NCAA college football game Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) A single Republican lawmaker in Washington State says, yes. State Rep. Drew Stokesbary, (R-Auburn) says he has changed his own mind on this issue. Two or three years ago, he says he would have laughed at the idea. But now, Stokesbary wants to have a serious discussion. He says universities, athletic programs, coaches, intercollegiate athletic conferences, TV networks, and everyone else make gobs of money while the athletes themselves get a nice thank you and a degree. Stokesbary says that just feels wrong and there are plenty of people who agree with him. Of course, this topic has been the subject of intense debate for a long time: Heres national sports radio host Colin Cowherd making the argument for paid college football players. This is from a couple of years ago when Cowherd announced he had officially changed his mind on the issue; Here are some good points in the opposing view. This is a video from CNN Money, published March 9th, 2018. And so, whats very clear is the debate really has amounted to nothing so far. The NCAA still has a large amount of authority in this realm. If a college student-athlete ever gets paid, the NCAA can still issue sanctions against the individual student-athlete, their athletic program, and/or their school. Well now, Stokesbary has introduced House Bill 1084 in the Washington State legislature, which begins its annual legislative session on Monday. This measure would simply write into law, protections for student-athletes who choose to use their athletic fame for financial gain. Stokesbary explained some examples; A college athlete getting an endorsement deal, selling their name or likeness for public display in some other way, or running their own for-profit sports clinic. The bill would not require athletes to be paid, but it would prevent them from being punished by the NCAA if they do find a way to get paid. Of course, this particular measure would only apply to athletes and institutions in Washington State. That could be the most contentious part of the proposal and you could bet if Washington lawmakers approve this measure other states with big-time college athletic programs will quickly follow suit. As a final point, Stokesbary believes this idea will help reduce the amount of financial corruption we see in college athletics. Of course, opponents would likely scoff at that assertion. At any rate, well see how far it goes! | https://www.kxl.com/should-the-law-protect-student-athletes-getting-paid/ |
Does anybody know what Americas Syria policy is? | And by anyone, we include the folks in the White House and the State Department. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan abruptly canceled a scheduled sitdown with National Security Adviser John Bolton, then went on live TV to berate him. His gripe: Bolton had suggested the US wont totally withdraw its forces from Syria until the safety of its Kurdish allies is assured, mostly from Turkish attack. Its just the latest whirl in the policy merry-go-round thats spun ever since President Trump dropped his surprise announcement of a Syria withdrawal as quickly as possible. That prompted bipartisan criticism from Congress and a host of resignations from officials opposed to a cut-and-run and disagreeing with Trumps claim that we have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there. Soon, Trump himself acknowledged that ISIS isnt yet completely crushed. And suddenly the withdrawal timetable, once said to be as soon as 100 days, began to change. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed that the US campaign against Iran hasnt changed a lick (despite Trumps comment that Tehran can do what they want in Syria). And Bolton headed to Israel to reassure our ally that there is no timeline for withdrawal and set new conditions for any pullout of US troops, including ISISs total defeat. Trump then claimed hed never said any withdrawal would be quick, though hed declared the US mission in Syria over. He also insisted that current policy is no different from my original statements. The Middle East is far too dangerous for scattershot, unfocused policy thats subject to complete change at any given moment. | https://nypost.com/2019/01/08/does-anybody-know-what-americas-syria-policy-is/ |
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